Dirt Bowl Ooze and Ahs

Another fundraiser, another just cause.
The event: Dirt Bowl fun ride with David Wiens, the Leadville 100 champion who whipped Lance a couple years ago. The cause: Norcal cycling league advocacy, to ensure trails for up-and-coming riders.
Wiens is my 1990’s racing colleague who now runs Gunnison Trails, and probably sits on a board or two. He’s a low-key mover and shaker with mud on his cleats, and the Berkeley,  Calif.-based high school agency flew him out to inspire some largesse.  Marin County’s idyllic terrain comes with a caveat–extremely restricted access. Only a fraction of the sinuous trails weaving around the mountain and side slopes are permissible Frolic Zones if you’re on a bicycle.

I doubt we’ll be legal on narrow trails this decade, but at least there will be a large cohort of youth who care to lobby toward a shared-use open space policy.

Forty five people paid $125 to support the two causes (with $9k raised!): Marin County Bicycle Council –proceeds will be  for Safe Routes to School and Share the Road (which are getting mountain bikers safely to their rides) and Norcal Racing.

Some may have ridden the vacated (psst! Superbowl Sunday!) roads, but most rolled out onto the Tamarancho reserve to ride with event organizers Tom Boss and Matt Fritzinger, “pie-in-ears” Otis Guy, Gary Fisher, “Old Neverend”, moi, and his excellency, Mr. Wiens.

It was a sparkling spring sonnet of a day.  Two months early, but oh  so beautiful, the first in a week of rain. Waterfalls gushed, riders slopped gleefully on well-groomed (if slippery) trails and bonds were strengthened.
As usual, one young man–Chris Johnson–reminded me that he last saw me when he was fifteen…and now he races pro road bikes….This sort of mini-reunion does a major number on my ego; I arrive all puffed up because:
a) I rode my bike to the event–maybe the only person do do so

b) I can’t wait to tease Ned about something or other.

c) I won’t be “last”.  If there are any people my age on the ride, I’m in my element. Last time I checked, the fast and furious 24-year olds are not paying $125 for anything short of rent or a month’s worth of food.

Then I overinflate, thanks to the heady mix of endor- and outdoorphins, gab, jive, and photo ops.

Mix in: a microphone. Steve Wyrostok and Tom Boss are making a film about…what? The event? Or a bigger, overarching issue (has this word gotten too much play in the last two years?)…I’ll let you know when I find out.

So I interviewed a bunch. Met: Tim McCracken. Tom Pisillo. Gia & Pat Donohue. Andreas and Chris Bosch. Cindy Glass. Tom….er…oh, darn. From Marin Cyclists. Shit.

Just prior to launching myself off the bike

~ by jacquiephelan on February 9, 2010.