Chico Racing sends out a magazine style brochures every season to keep folk up-to-date on the events that they put on. Chico does an outstanding job of promoting events, creating new events and keeping up with past successful mountain biking events. If you're ever gone to one of their 24 Hr races you'd be very impressed with how well the courses are marked, how organized and thorough a job they do and how many people attend (and keep coming back year after year).My copy showed up in my mailbox yesterday and I was perusing through it as I ate my lunch. And as I was flipping through it I came across this. And I my mind was jolted back to a bad memory and I threw up in my mouth a little.
Recognize the person on the far right? Yes. It's him.That shoulda been me up there. That shoulda been me in the Chico magazine. I would have been famous. I coulda been someone. I've been robbed.
That guy who beat me last year at the Opus Epic 8 Hr Race at Mansfield because I was to stupid to go back out for one more lap. That guy who I failed to pay attention to. That guy who I totally would have passed on my last lap as he struggled to finish. What a way to lose a podium placing, and WHAT a podium placing to lose - one with actual people sticking around and others on it, unlike this placing from last year.
There were two valuable things came from the race: one, if you have time go back out for another lap (Dicky, in one of his half dozen race reports from his recent race, also makes reference to getting back out there for another lap), and two, it began the constant wooing and ego stroking and pleading from Peter for me to come over to the Dark Side and ride for Misfit Psycles . . . which I eventually did do for a large, undisclosed amount of money and contractual perks and health benefits.
Despite having a general loathing feeling for him, I still think Peter is the best thing that crawled out of Molly's backside. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for Peter, this year I will be unable to attend the Spring 8 Hr race, my first missed race there in four years.
