Post RTR blues

The past seven days saw some rather intense moments as I worked Ride the Rockies for the first time.  I went to the event only knowing Brian "Big Country" Graves and had some reservations about being there.  Everyone else had the experience of the event several times over and once again I was going to be the FNG.

Sunday was the first ride and after that ride, I was ready to pack my bags and come home.  Suffice to say, I don't like being told what I've done wrong without having first been told how to do it right.  This was a pattern that would continue for the remainder of the week.  I choked down my ego and decided I would continue to do the job I signed up for, help out wherever and however I could, and ignore the consistent screw-ups that were to define this Ride The Rockies.

After swallowing some pride and nearly biting off my tongue, I fell into the comfortable rhythm of working with bikes and customers.  I'm truly at home, at peace, when I'm talking bikes with people and especially when I'm working on bikes out in the field of a large event.  I only met one person who was a dickhead and suffice to say, I will never ride Continental tires because of it.  Conti, if you read this blog (and why wouldn't you), you should re-evaluate your in-the-field representation at RtR.  Your designated leader at RtR has converted me to Michelin tires.

The accommodations during RtR were sketchy.  Sometimes the rooms were good, sometimes they sucked.  But only once did I think I was going to get crabs so I suppose that's pretty good.  I cannot really say which hotel was my favorite as all of them were somewhat unremarkable.  Except for the one in Montrose where I figured I would wake up with some sort of unpronounceable disease.  That place really needed a good insurance fire.

The food during RtR was pretty good.  Breakfast was on our own nickel and often the hotels had a good breakfast for a good price.  Lunch and dinner was handled by Bill Davis and I certainly appreciate him picking up the tab so often.  The final dinner we had was spectacular.  Mexican buffet loaded with all sorts of home cooked tastiness and entertainment provided by a two-person mariachi band.  That was a fantastic time.

But of course the main reason for being there was the ride.  This RtR was brutal and the terrain would have punished the top guys in the peloton.  Along with just about everyone I talked to, the course was just too brutal.  A rest day in Durango would have been nice for the riders and would have given the mechanics a chance to do what we love most:  drink beer and flirt with women out of our league.  And there were PLENTY of those.  I could go on and on about them...

So, in summary, RtR had it's bad moments, and its good moments.  Overall it was a great time and Bill has offered me the truck driving gig for next year.  I'll take it.  And next year I won't be so timid and I'll do an even better job than I did this year.  Turning a wrench is relaxing and I'd be a fool to pass up the opportunity to do it again.