We Did It! $5000+ in ONE DAY! Bobke’s Gotta Shave His Head
A Note from Fatty: The Ibis Homepage has a hilarious Flash animation up now where you can shave Bob’s head yourself. Go check it out!
OK, OK, that’s a Photoshop (thanks, Kenny!). But it’s an accurate Photoshop of what the very-near future is going to look like.
Why?
Well, in yesterday’s post, Scot Nicol (aka Chuck Ibis, founder of Ibis Cycles) and I issued Bob Roll a challenge: if we could get people to donate $5000 to Bob Roll’s LiveStrong Challenge page by the end of the Tour of California, he’d get rid of that little tuft of hair (aka “the fin”) on top of his head.
Well, almost exactly 24 hours later, the prospect of a bald Bobke has raised $5110 $5650 to fight cancer.
“Awesome” seems like kind of a weak word for how cool that is.
Check Back for More Head-Shaving and Prize-Winning Details
Chuck is now working hard to make sure he gets the head-shaving captured for posterity. He’s also hard at work nailing down some really cool giveaways to thank folks who contributed.
Check back soon for details; I’ll reveal them as soon as I can.
Some Interesting Stats
Like numbers? Here are a few you may be interested in.
- 194: The number of people, in 24 hours, who have donated money to Bob’s LiveStrong page
- 230: The number of email messages Bob Roll had in his email box this morning regarding this challenge. “That’s a lot, isn’t it?” asked Bob Roll. Yes, Bob, it is.
- 7833: How many people came to fatcyclist.com last night and today as a result of Lance Armstrong’s tweet about yesterday’s blog post.
Comment by sllym | 02.17.2009 | 2:16 pm
YAY!!! We rock! Love the pics! WIN!
Comment by cheapie | 02.17.2009 | 2:22 pm
ok. that’s just freakin’ awesome! behold the power of the web!
Comment by MOCougFan | 02.17.2009 | 2:23 pm
Your a good man Elden. Strong work brother.
Comment by MOCougFan | 02.17.2009 | 2:24 pm
Blah… submited before I meant to. Strong work to everyone who donated. Awesome superstar work for FC to organize such good things.
Comment by monkeywebb | 02.17.2009 | 2:29 pm
I think the best thing that will come out of this (aside from the dough raised) is something for VS to show when the camera feed shuts down.
Can we start a page to raise money to shave their little commedian’s head? And can Kenny get to work creating the all-bald VS coverage team? I might actually like Hummer better if he was bald.
Comment by Kali Durga | 02.17.2009 | 2:29 pm
Amazing. Elden, I’m sure when you began this blog you never dreamed it accomplishing anything like this. I think if another $5k could be raised, Bobke should shave his head on camera during the final stage.
My thoughts are with Susan and the kids, and I hope you feel better soon.
Comment by Kali Durga | 02.17.2009 | 2:31 pm
“Blah… submited before I meant to.” Same here. Please ignore the grammatical brain farts in the post above…
Comment by Aaron | 02.17.2009 | 2:38 pm
24 hours? Holy cue balls Batman, that was fast!
Comment by itsWITZ | 02.17.2009 | 2:38 pm
elden,
OK … slowly, I’m starting tho get with the proogram… I thought you were scott (ibis) and thought I was posting messages to him, sOOoooo, still Cha Bless you and your family!
witz
Comment by Kathleen | 02.17.2009 | 2:42 pm
I heart social networking :-)
Comment by Jamieson | 02.17.2009 | 2:44 pm
Great Job Elden – How did the 8000 visits compare to a usual bit of traffic for the blog?
Comment by KanyonKris | 02.17.2009 | 2:52 pm
Shaving his head should be nothing to Bob. Remember those ads he did a few years back with him riding his bike on a trainer naked?
http://www.bobinthebuff.com/
Comment by fatty | 02.17.2009 | 2:57 pm
jamieson – Armstrong’s link increased my traffic by ~50% for the day. The only time I’ve ever had a greater surge in traffic is when The Pioneer Woman linked to me.
Just to put things in perspective.
Comment by Wildroadie (in Paris) | 02.17.2009 | 2:57 pm
I’m with Kali – but if Lance keeps up the twitter link I reckon we could get Lance to shave Bob’s hair live after the final stage!
Comment by Hat | 02.17.2009 | 2:58 pm
I would pay again to avoid watching Bob in the buff, but most of my ideas for raising the second $5K involve Craig Hummer and a straight razor.
Comment by Al Maviva | 02.17.2009 | 3:00 pm
Fatty, I’m not sure I want to know what Bob Roll is willing to do to raise $10k. The prospects are somewhat frightening.
Comment by Matt | 02.17.2009 | 3:19 pm
KanyonKirs; I was lucky enough to get to ask Bobke in person (last Monday night) if he was going to be doing the zany TDF commericals again after a few years without. He said he wants to, but it’s up to Trek…and one of the Trek guys was right there in the crowd and Bob referred us to him. The crowd went wild, and Trek dude says sure. Those commercials (including Naked Bob) were far and away better than most of what we get lately! Could just be talk, but I hope so. Bob is a wild man. It would be very cool if he can do his Livestrong ‘fin-cut’ on the air, and maybe even giving Fatty a shout-out for organizing it all. Nice work everybody! 5 grand in 24 hours, incredible!
Comment by Stomper | 02.17.2009 | 3:20 pm
Give it back Fatty….. we know your uncontrollable need for new unique bikes.
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/find-my-bike-armstrong-urges-twitterers-20090218-8aiy.html
Comment by Kali Durga | 02.17.2009 | 3:32 pm
Oh my gosh, how could I forget about Nude Bobke… That was my introduction to the man and his zaniness.
Comment by Jenni Laurita | 02.17.2009 | 3:47 pm
Fatty, you’re wonderfully close to your goal. I say we keep pushing, get you to $10,000 and you do a simultaneous headshave.
Oooh, I can see it now. All you men out there who always wanted to do it, fundraise in your communities for the same thing- how much would it take for you to shave YOUR heads? If we know when Bob’s going to do it, we can have a national headshaving day.
I might be crazy enough to participate, but I donate my locks to cancer patients already and I’m currently regrowing for my next donation.
Comment by Zack | 02.17.2009 | 3:49 pm
Get better Fatty…
Just think how worse it would be if you were on the course…and if you were Cancellera on Sunday…
Comment by TomE | 02.17.2009 | 3:55 pm
Fatty and team rocks!
Pingback by Fat Cyclist » Blog Archive » Tour of California LiveBlog: Stage 3, San Jose - Modesto | 02.17.2009 | 4:04 pm
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Comment by John Cully | 02.17.2009 | 4:10 pm
How ’bout $30,000 and we get Bob, Phil, Paul and Craig to sport chrome?
Might take a couple of days, but I bet we’d get there…
They’ve got plenty of time to fill with the rain keeping their uplinks down!
Comment by LidsB2 | 02.17.2009 | 5:26 pm
Nice work, Fatty! It appears I’m too slow out of the gate to be part of the first $5K on the noggin-shaving event. So, would subsequent contributions still be eligible for the not-for-sale, can’t-get-it-no-matter-how-bad-you-want-it prizes to be awarded to random contributors?
Comment by mikeonhisbike | 02.17.2009 | 6:32 pm
That rocks. Bald Bobke!!!
Comment by fatty | 02.17.2009 | 6:39 pm
LidsB2 – absolutely.
Comment by justrun | 02.17.2009 | 7:03 pm
Ha!! “the fin”
I knew when I saw that tweet it was all over for the fin. Well done!
Comment by Scrod | 02.17.2009 | 8:08 pm
Do you think for $10,000 he would tattoo fatcyclist.com on his newly bald head?
Comment by Di | 02.17.2009 | 8:09 pm
Awesome really isn’t a weak word if you realize what it truly means to be awesome. I am in awe with how you are the main link to an incredible network that has raised such an incredible amount of money for a cause. That’s awesome.
Comment by Mark W | 02.17.2009 | 8:19 pm
Let’s up the challenge! How about $10000 for another celebrity to shave his head? Or to get Bobke to shave his, errrr, never mind. :-)
Comment by Juls | 02.17.2009 | 9:24 pm
Cyclingnews.com just gave you a shout out in their latest update. They also linked to you.
Comment by KT | 02.17.2009 | 11:02 pm
Wow, Fatty, that’s awesome. I missed out on the Bobke-chrome dome donation phase, but it appears that I can still get in on the “awesome stuff given away” phase. Sweet! :)
Looking forward to more live-blogging! :) Get better soon!
PS: COLD CALM!!! Go find it. Homeopathic.
Comment by buckythedonkey | 02.18.2009 | 4:39 am
Last night my Mummy survived a potentially deadly op to help her fight an aggressive abdominal tumor that has overwhelmed her in the last few weeks. She’s still with us this morning. I’ve been trying to keep it together and I’ve done OK but the just thought of typing these two little words makes me cry…
WIN MUM!!
Please keep the cash coming.
WIN SUSAN!!
Comment by Big Boned | 02.18.2009 | 4:50 am
Just saw this on Cyclingnews.com – thought you’d be interested.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2009/feb09/feb18news
Comment by Mike Roadie | 02.18.2009 | 5:19 am
Huzzah!!
Wow!!!
See what I started!
WIN!!
Comment by Nathan | 02.18.2009 | 9:14 am
Your challenge made today’s (Wednesday) cyclingnews.com news list here:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2009/feb09/feb18news
and here is the text:
Roll, Fatty Nelson raising money for Livestrong
By Gary Boulanger, Bikeradar.com US editor
Popular race commentator and former pro road racer Bob “Tour Day France” Roll has agreed to shave his head if US$5,000 can be raised for the Livestrong Foundation by February 22, the last day of the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, on behalf of Team Fat Cyclist: Fighting for Susan.
Elden “Fatty” Nelson, who blogs at fatcyclist.com, has partnered once again with Ibis Cycles founder Scot Nicol to raise money on behalf of Nelson’s wife Susan, who has cancer.
Simply put, according to Nicol, if folks donate to Roll’s Livestrong page and reach $5,000 by Sunday, the loqacious Roll will shave what little hair is on his head. The gapped-tooth former 7-Eleven professional raced alongside 1988 Giro d’Italia winner Andy Hampsten and multiple Tour de France stage winner Davis Phinney.
To donate, click here.
Comment by Trapperdan | 02.18.2009 | 11:12 am
Good job on your coverage of the ToC. Will you be doing the TdF also?
Comment by Rider 3 | 02.18.2009 | 11:49 am
Amazing job harnessing the power of your readers! Next, can you start a petition to make Craig Hummer shut up?
Team Two Wheel Blog
Rider 3
Comment by kiwi | 02.18.2009 | 12:30 pm
Very funny, how many $’s to shut Craig “want to be phil and Bob” Hummer up?????
Kiwi
Comment by TeeBone | 02.18.2009 | 12:38 pm
A simple google search
Click Here!
This thing is gaining steam… well done Fatty!
Comment by KanyonKris | 02.18.2009 | 1:22 pm
Matt – Very cool you got to talk to Bob and ask him about doing another zany ad.
I enjoyed reading Bobke II. Bob has an odd writing style, but it’s pure Roll. The stories are great. The one with him constipated in the Tour Day France and what he does to relieve himself is hilarious (albeit crude to some).
Kinda crazy that $5,000 now seems easy.
Comment by Steve | 02.18.2009 | 1:43 pm
Sweet, Fatty–you made the LiveUpdate window on VeloNews.com.
11:40 AM: Elden “Fatty” Nelson
Ibis Cycles’ Scot Nicol, an old friend of the VeloNews gang, has been working with Elden “Fatty” Nelson to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It’s a two-fer – if you contribute, you’ll be helping fight cancer while ensuring that Bob Roll finally shaves what little hair is left atop what you will surely agree is a very odd head. Says Scot: “Our original goal was $5,000 but we managed to raise that in about 20 hours. Now I’m working on getting some more incentives so people will keep donating. Stay tuned for news on that.” If you’d like to contribute, click here.
Comment by Archy | 02.18.2009 | 1:47 pm
Commiecanuck’s blog indicates that for another $5,000.00 Mr. Roll has agreed to get something called a “Brazilian.”
http://commiecanuck.blogspot.com/
Comment by Kali Durga | 02.18.2009 | 1:56 pm
If Bobke gets a Brazilian, I don’t think any of us will want to see it.
Comment by cyclingeurope | 02.18.2009 | 2:33 pm
Hey, and Joe Lindsey mentioned you in his report today on bicycling Magazine ezine! Very Cool! You’re going BIG TIME Fatty!
http://tinyurl.com/badbfg
Can we get credit for donating to, or getting donations to, our own fundraising efforts??
I’m just saying…
…it would be kinda fun to play along, maybe win something, and get some credit towards our fundraising goals!!!
Comment by bilhelm96 | 02.19.2009 | 12:22 pm
http://twitter.com/TeamAstana/status/1227545390