009: thanks in advance

As any long time reader of Fatmarc.com already knows, the cycling community is very important to me. I’ll go a step further to say, that I feel like if you are a bike racer, you have an obligation to give back to the sport. You see community only works when bike racers contribute. Maybe not everyone has the capacity to promote a race, but certainly everyone has the ability to volunteer and support a local event. For me, if you race, and you take from the community and you never give back in any fashion, that makes you a vampire. I freaking hate vampires. Yes, Even the pretty cuddly ones, I just hate them.

Oh, I know the old excuses, I have a family, I pay my entry fee, I work 50 hours a week, I don’t have time… So do I, so does everyone on the list below. I don’t care . I don’t excuse you. If you don’t give back, all I see is a vampire.

How many people have given up their training time? How many people sacrificed their race to support an event? How many people gave up time with their families to make the race you competed in this past weekend happen?

I also have theory, that once someone takes a look on the other side of the window, once someone promotes or helps promote a race, they’ll have a little more patience with promoters and officials when maybe, just maybe things don’t go their way.

Most promoters are doing this for the love to the sport, and certainly not to make any money. Because God knows race promoters are making tons of coin putting on races. Maybe if you volunteer, or look behind the curtain, it might keep you from getting in my face after you flatted on my course, blaming me for your flat. Maybe you won’t want to firebomb the scorers house or boycott the MASS/MABRA/MAC series because the results were a little messed up, but certainly resolved. Folks, we’re amateur racers, if we don’t work together, the sport dies. We all lose.

If you can’t help with our event, cool. But find a place to pitch in, or we all lose.

Before we dive into the weekend, I’ll comment that Granogue is a special race. This is not just because it is promoted by my friends and I. This is not just because it is in honor of a fallen Dear Friend. This is because we are not one team, but a community coming together to make this race happen. Below is a list of everyone who has given up their time to make this weekend happen. And I want to thank them all. Certainly I will forget someone, email me and I will add you to the list, but this is my best stake in the ground. Thanks to everyone, and I look forward to seeing you this weekend.

And Thanks to all the racers that get “it” and have a great time. You are the reason we get all fired up to run this event every year.

Thank you for your support.


Randy Bergy: FFRP/C3
Paul Incognito: Secret Henry's team
Lisa Vible: Secret Henry's team
Tim Dowling: FSVS
Charlie Fitzgerald: First State Velo Sport
Dave Troop: First State Velo Sport
Lauri Webber: Secret Henry’s Team
Tom McDaniel: Secret Henry’s Team
Buddy Briggs: Secret Henry’s team
Mark Sanford: Bike Line
Jeff Bahnson: Fast Forward Racing Productions/Van Dessel
Diane Vettori : C3 Twenty 20 Cycling Co.
James Ambagis: Secret Henry’s team
Samantha Lockwood: Hera Ovarian Cancer Foundation
Mark Elssasor: Independent Fabrications
Steve and Karen Rombach: Secret Henry’s team
Ann Rock: Sturdy Girls Cycles
Mark Wise: First State Velo Sport
Amy Wise: First State Velo Sport
Terry Doordon:
Gunnar Bergy: Fast Forward Racing Productions
Kyle Miller: Fast Forward Racing Productions
Kurt Mikeska: Secret Henry’s Team
John Cleary: Secret Henry’s Team
Dan Ryan: First State Velo Sport
Wes Schempf: C3 Twenty 20 Cycling Co.
Slick Rick the Ruler: Secret Henry’s Team
Alyssa Chaplin
Mike Gavigan: Brandywine Cyclery
Dennis Smith: Bike Line Dennisbike.com
Ben Anemone: First State Velo Sport/ Secret Henry’s Team
John Williams: Bike Line
Chris Chapman: Bike Line
Amy Breyla: Bike Line/ C3 Twenty 20 Cycling Co.
Mark “Fuzzy” Nickerson
Jake Davidson: Fast Forward Racing Productions
Matt Doyle: Secret Henry’s Team
Jay Cimini: Secret Henry’s Team
Rob Collins: Secret Henry’s Team
Nick Kruczynski and Family: Secret Henry’s Team
Bill O’Keefe: C3 Twenty 20 Cycling Co.
Sam the Hammer: C3 Twenty 20 Cycling Co.
Shawn Dowling: C3 Twenty 20 Cycling Co.
Bill Speg: First State Velo Sport
Oliver Yeh: First State Velo Sport
Dennis Dischler: Wooden Wheels
Rob Thomas: Henry’s Colorado Branch
Mike CZ: First State Velo Sport
Jamie Mack: First State Velo Sport
Elizabeth Harlow: C3 Twenty 20 Cycling Co.
Andrew Hogg: Secret Henry’s Team
Senator Dave: First State Velo Sport
Brian Bahnson:

I am honored to work with all of you.

viva la community.

respect
fatmarc