Team Fatty Owns Davis: LiveStrong Challenge Report, Part I
A “Hey, I’m Somebody Now” Note from Fatty: The Davis Enterprise did a piece on the LiveStrong Challenge, and guess who got interviewed and even photographed? No, you’re completely wrong, it was not Stanley Tucci. It was me! Check it out here.
A “Hey, I’m Evidently Somebody In Two Different Cities” Note from Fatty: The Daily Herald (a Utah paper) also did a story on me, which you can read here. The tie-in is the fact that I’m sponsoring The American Fork Tour de Donut, or — as I like to call it – The FatCyclist.com Tour de Donut this weekend. And believe it or not, they also did a cool little video interview with me, which you can watch below, for your embedded viewing pleasure:
Awesome video trivia: all shots of me riding my bike took place while I rode around in circles in my cul de sac.
And now, on with the report of the LiveStrong Challenge!
Team Fatty Owns Davis
From a practical standpoint, events like Davis LiveStrong Challenge make no sense. I certainly don’t need to travel all the way to California to ride my bike for 100 miles. I could donate more money, instead of spending it on traveling.
But sometimes, being practical isn’t the priority. Sometimes, being with friends and celebrating your success is important.
And Team Fatty definitely has some things to celebrate. For the Davis LiveStrong Challenge, we were not just a leading team. We were the leading team, by every possible metric. We raised the most money, individually ($35K!), as a team ($118K!), and in the strange and obscure Team Time Trial category.
We had the most donors. We were the largest team. For last weekend, at least, Davis, California was all about Team Fatty.
The Cycling Hall of Fame
Festivities — yes, festivities, because we were all feeling downright festive – began on Friday night at the Bicycling Hall of Fame. 25 or so of us hung out there, putting names (and commenter handles) to faces.
There you go. A subset of Team Fatty Davis, including some of the most prolific commenters on the blog. But you know what? I’m not going to say who’s who. I’ll let you guess.
Joe — the honcho at the Hall of Fame — gave us a tour of the incredible history of cycling:
Oh, and of course there was cake.
I had two pieces, which you would probably expect of me. That, however, was a teeny-tiny amount compared to Co-captain MattC’s cake consumption. Five pieces. Honestly. “It’s part of my super power,” Matt explained. “I once went on a cruise, and ate non-stop. I got home, and hadn’t gained an ounce.”
At which point, the rest of us stabbed Matt to death using plastic forks.
A Major Award! A Major Award! A Major Award! A Major Award!
The next day — Saturday — was one of those rare and wonderful days that come all too rarely: we had no responsibilities and hardly any agenda. The Hammer and I went on a short run — hey, we’ve got a marathon coming up in just five months after all — and then had a leisurely breakfast. And then we went to get our packets. We figured that would take a couple minutes.
It wound up taking up most of the afternoon.
This was partially due to the fact that there was a farmer’s market going on and we found ourselves looking longingly at the bread, pastries, and other food. And then we stopped looking longingly and just started buying the food.
I can tell I am in for a rude shock when I check my weight when I get home.
Then I came across the Honey Stinger booth. I felt compelled to vault the table and get my photo with these guys.
“You Honey Stinger guys are the best,” I effused. “You’ve done the impossible — turned energy food into an awesome snack.”
They thanked me and asked me to please go away. I refused, and instead gave them each a manly hug. They asked if I would go away if they gave me a box of Honey Stinger waffles.
I complied. I am not an unreasonable man.
Before long, we ran into several Team Fatty members. At which point the greatest thing ever happened: a bunch of people who didn’t know each other very well at all discovered that we are already really good friends. Seriously, it was more like a family reunion than most family reunions.
Your family reunions may be different than mine, however.
Anyways.
To show their Team Fatty loyalty, Matt and Angie had gotten face paint:
Please do as I did and try to overlook the fact that they look more like velociraptors than clydesdales. It’s the thought that counts. And the paint, and glitter.
Awards Dinner
Next, Dinner. The big event, where Team Fatty — 45 of us — got to pretty much dominate the evening, seeing as how every award given was going to us. We had three full tables and parts of several more. Check us out:
I’m not going to go into great detail of the whole night, but I will give you what was a pretty awesome quotable moment. Lance Armstrong just suddenly appeared (he can do that, you know) behind me and we had the following conversation:
Lance: “So, you decided just to win everything, huh? Not let anyone else have any awards?”
Me: “Hey, I learned from the best.”
Lance: “Yeah, f— ‘em all.”
Me: “Damn straight.”
NYC Carlos: (Dies laughing over the course of the rest of the evening)
Toward the end of the evening, I was presented an award:
And I got a chance to say a few words. Luckily, I had come prepared, having asked folks in the team to send me short stories of why the fight against cancer is important to them. Here is what I read to the people at the awards dinner:
Like everyone I know, I’ve lost loved ones to cancer—in my case, my mother, uncle, and aunt. That’s reason enough to fight cancer with Team Fatty. But I’m also a cancer researcher—and one of the things I hear when I ask people with cancer what they miss most is “I really wish I could ride my bike—I miss the independence.” Thanks to Fatty, I’m able to ride to help those who can’t.
–Shelley Adler, PhD
As a tongue and uterus cancer survivor who is about to turn 50 and am acutely aware that every day is a gift not a guarantee. I am riding to reinforce this for myself, challenge myself to better health (lost 120 pounds and have 60+more to go), support those whose fight with cancer is harder than my own, and to stay OUT of my comfort zone – where every moment is lived to its fullest.
–Lisa Johnson
Too many people I care about have faced down cancer. I used to wear their names on the back of my jersey; they don’t fit anymore.
–Jeremy Everitt
Fighting cancer is a priority for me because of my mother. A single mother who worked multiple jobs to support 3 kids, and battled 3 cancers over 24 years before passing in 2008.
–Travis Orr
This past year we lost my stepfather, Steve Jones, to bladder cancer. Like all cancer fighters, he was brave, strong, and courageous. For nearly my whole life, he was a thoughtful and incredibly caring part of my family. More than anything, I miss how much he loved me.
–Roni Jones
Because I dislike it when bad things happen to good people…
–Douglas Bohl
Because I’ve watched cancer affect the lives of my family, friends and others and I cannot stand idly by. I truly believe that we will beat this disease, and I am proud to be a part of the fight!
–Nic Grillo
I ride for best friend and sister Susie never got to graduate from UC Davis; she passed away after fighting for two years against Hodgkin’s Disease, 16 years ago. I ride for my dad who passed away two years ago after a brief two week battle with pancreatic cancer. And lastly, I ride for my mom who is a six year survivor of breast cancer, when I grow up I want to be like her. She is my hero.
–Monica Bock
I lost a friend last year to cancer, a relative is fighting stage 4 melanoma, my wife’s friend is fighting stomach cancer, my work colleague’s husband is facing repeated challenges from bladder cancer, and my father in law is successfully fighting prostate cancer. That’s a lot of cancer. Second, I read the stories and blogs online, of the spouses, individuals and especially the children, and every time I read about their passing it breaks my heart – I have to do something to help, however small and insignificant as an individual in the hope that lots like me will make a difference.
–Rob Elliott
I ride in memory of my grandmother who lived with courage, humor, and zeal for life. Even cancer couldn’t take that away. Riding my bike allows me to fight cancer with courage, humor and zeal-just like my grandmother did.
–Alicia McCaulley
I became interested in “The Cancer Fight” after losing my mom to kidney cancer, and then later on I lost other friends and family members. Seventeen years ago I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and in 2009 I experienced a recurrence. Now I’m a healthy cyclist who loves the battle cry: “Fight Like Susan.”
–Karen Shoup
We are biking to help Rob walk again. The Livestrong Challenge allows us to do a beginning ride with Rob, not many rides have that flexibility. Raising monies for Livestrong reminds us of a picture bigger than just our family, everyone faces challenges and needs support. It’s good to be part of a team working for a common cause.
–Amy, Dave, Rob Thompson
I see the effects of cancer on the lives of people I know virtually every day. I see their strength, pain, determination and spirit. Team Fatty is a vehicle to show support to those battling cancer and to show them how much others care for them. How they are not alone.
–Roger Whitney
Our daughter Natalie was diagnosed with cancer at age 4 on 7/5/07 and we ride for her. She is now healthy, happy, and energetic and we are thankful for all those like you that have raised so much money for cancer research and we ride to help those coming after us. Also, this is my wife’s first organized ride and we are looking forward to finishing together.
–Matt Schiefferly
I fight because it’s important to me to take the chaotic destruction that is cancer and turn it into something good. I fight because this fight is Susan’s legacy. I fight because Team Fatty inspires me to continue to fight.
–Fatty
I think this doesn’t merely reflect just Team Fatty’s reasons for the fight. I think it reflect’s everyone’s.
PS: In Wednesday’s post, I’ll go into the ride itself, hopefully with a video.
Comment by A fan | 07.11.2011 | 2:25 pm
Fatty, thank you for everything you do
Comment by NYCCarlos | 07.11.2011 | 2:28 pm
You didn’t put anything in there about how I let you win the sprint challenge on the trainers…
Comment by chtrich | 07.11.2011 | 2:36 pm
Keep Fighting!
Comment by stuckinmypedals | 07.11.2011 | 2:57 pm
I was just writing about how the dinner Friday night felt less like being nervous in a crowd of people I don’t know and more like meeting up with old friends. It was so great to put names with faces.
Comment by Sylvia | 07.11.2011 | 3:12 pm
I was just at the super market wearing my old “Game On, Cancer” t-shirt and the guy in front of me at the check out line said “Hey, I did that ride this weekend. Did you?” I said Yeah, I’m with Team Fatty. He said “You guys did a GREAT job.” I agree. Great job everyone.
Comment by karen s | 07.11.2011 | 3:38 pm
Thanks again, Elden, for a great time in Davis. You’re right…it was like being part of a family; I urge others to strongly consider joining a future Fatty Team Challenge because THIS FAT CYCLIST FAMILY knows how to have fun, and ride, and raise $$$$, and EAT PIE!
Comment by emily | 07.11.2011 | 3:45 pm
fatty, can you fill us in on how to join team fatty? i’m in the southeast, is it a virtual team or just a utah thing? congrats btw.
Comment by 3d brian | 07.11.2011 | 3:46 pm
The Davis Enterprise interviewed you for how long? And they quoted you saying “I really like it here”? Har!
Comment by Maggi | 07.11.2011 | 4:37 pm
As is often the case, Team Fatty raises my spirit at the same time that it brings me to tears.
Comment by Mike/Kamala | 07.11.2011 | 4:44 pm
Sorry I could not join everyone down in Davis this year. I paid my penance with 200+ miles from Seattle to Portland on Saturday. Also, where’s the love for the 5th highest fundraiser, strange and obscure that I might be?! ;)
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 07.11.2011 | 4:56 pm
(I repeat my thoughts from late Saturday night)
(Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 07.10.2011 | 12:48 am)
For those not there at Davis tonight, Fatty speaks as well as he writes! From the heart, reminding us all that at the end of the day cancer sucks! To reach out to stranger, friend, and family alike. To let them all know that, we will, together, FIGHT LIKE SUSAN, and LIVESTRONG.
I am proud to do what little I can, I am proud to be part of this very unique team.)
What better way to reflect the spirit of Team Fatty than to use words from all of us. Maybe they’re running the wrong political candidate from Utah. I know there’s a minimum age…is there a minimum height?
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 07.11.2011 | 5:00 pm
BTW-
Have we heard how Yann recovered?
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 07.11.2011 | 5:07 pm
From the Utah paper:
Nelson, by his humor and writing ability, has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers and has become a popular sports-related blogger.
Read more: http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/north/american-fork/article_a25d1276-bd1b-5557-8469-c36dee968a48.html#ixzz1RkcPjptb
I hope they don’t all show up next year. That’s a lot of pie
Comment by yannb | 07.11.2011 | 5:15 pm
@David, I recovered fine after about 3 hours in the hospital, was overly dehydrated and suffered from heat exhaustion. Thanks for everyone’s concern yesterday. I scared Karen more than I scared myself. At the food tent at the finish, I apparently doubled over and started shaking as I was having a hard time breathing. Also thanks to Ronnie about 5 miles from the finish for hanging with me with my first breathing problem attack.
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 07.11.2011 | 5:22 pm
So good to hear! I was afraid Fatty was going to announce another bike raffle.
Excellent to meet you and hope we can find time to ride the local area.
For everyone:
Best way to avoid dehydration is to pee. If you’re not peeing you’re not drinking enough. And it was a warm one.
Comment by T Foster | 07.11.2011 | 5:30 pm
Crushed I couldn’t make it. It really made this post hard to read. But the new job had to prevail for this weekend anyway. That stuff happens after 7 months of “vacation”.
But, I WILL see my Team Fatty friends either in PHilly or Austin.
Comment by not much further... | 07.11.2011 | 6:19 pm
Thanks Fatty and other Team FC for a great day – we had a great ride, and was lovely to meet you all at the dinner. Loved the pies (hmm yes they were really good, glad I had two pieces), and were proud to represent London as part of Team Fatty!
Comment by AngieG | 07.11.2011 | 6:27 pm
OMG!!!! I had a truly, awesomely, phenominal time! I love my Fatty’s!!!!
There is nothing better in this world than our team. A team of upbeat, truly amazing people with big giant hearts who all love pie and cake. Oh and cycling.
And by the way for those who haven’t gotten a chance to meet The Hammer up close, she almost made me pee my pants on more than one occasion. Not only is she as strong as Fatty on a bike, but she’s as nice and as funny too.
I had the most wonderful weekend. I came home feeling truly blessed and full of pie. :-)
PS @Yann it’s great to hear your doing well. You had us all very scared. I need your’s and Karen’s phone numbers por favor. Email me at amg2@pge.com
Comment by Nic Grillo | 07.11.2011 | 6:39 pm
Such an awesome weekend! Thanks again Fatty for bringing us all together. It was so great to meet everyone and ride together!
And thanks to MattC for letting me hold on to his back wheel for the last 5 miles!
Comment by Roni | 07.11.2011 | 7:10 pm
Yann, I was more than happy to ride in with you and keep you company. So glad to hear that you are doing well and that you will pedal another day. I was impressed by your determination to finish and all the work you have done to support Team Fatty!
Comment by Darren | 07.11.2011 | 7:32 pm
I would like to thank everyone for representing Team Fatty in Davis. I was not able to make the trip from the East Coast of Canada, but I hope everyone had a great time. You all received some well deserved recognition for the efforts you put in.
Comment by Lonster | 07.11.2011 | 8:21 pm
It was a great day for a bike ride in Davis. Team Fatty members were pulling in pacelines all over the course after owning the fund raising.
Riding the bike several sizes too small at the Nissan booth was a bit tough. A 60 second sprint after a long bike ride was almost cramp city. Thanks to all who showed up for support.
Comment by MattC | 07.11.2011 | 8:32 pm
Holy smokes…so much to say, so little space. What an AMAZING weekend! Fatties EVERYWHERE! Won’t spoil the story that Fatty will so awesomely be telling over the next few days, but suffice to say that I can only feel sorry for those who didn’t make it…was truly a weekend to remember!
Yann…so VERY glad to hear you’re OK…you gave us all quite a scare! I was afraid I’d have to take care of that SWEET Sycip bike for you…(what size frame was that anyway? I ride a 56/58cm).
Oh, and Nic, you’re most welcome for the pull! If I hadn’t had SO much fun in that first 33 miles I might have come in a bit stronger (I had a tough ‘training’ year so far, my longest ride was 66 miles)…but I don’t regret a moment of it! Oh, and Andrew, you are my hero! If you hadn’t got stuck at that light, I’m betting you’d have caught the Lance group, and he’d have been so impressed that he’d let you ride with them….and then after proving yourself with him and his buds you’d soon be getting a racing contract and forgetting all us little people. And DavidH, thanks for the Pie…you are a credit to Fattydom and it was a genuine pleasure to finally meet you! WE WANT PIE! WE WANT PIE! (and we GOT it!)
I’ll shut up now, but I have to give a shout-out to my Sist’a from another Mist’a AngieG… thanks SO MUCH for all you did to help this weekend be the special time that it was…I’m already jazzed for NEXT year!
Comment by MattC | 07.11.2011 | 8:59 pm
Oh, and LAST but not least (I hit ’submit’ prematurely…oops), thanks Fatty for doing what you do, and being the glue that binds us all together. Like LIVESTRONG (which started from a small idea and turned into something HUGE) so is Team Fatty. Who knows where it/we will be and what we will have accomplished years from now. But I think it will be spectacular!
And it was SO great getting so spend some time with Lisa THE HAMMER! Just so everybody knows, when Fatty raves about THE HAMMER (which I submit should forever more be printed in capital letters), he is not kiding. She TRULY IS a mighty HAMMER (where-as I am a lowly rubber mallet)! I (along with MANY fellow Fatties) was humbled and awed. (and not just during the ride).
It’s a privilege and an honor to be part of THE TEAM!
OK..now to somehow go thru 3 stages and a rest day on the DVR, all while keeping current on le Tour. Sheesh..I need to take another day off.
Comment by Clydesteve | 07.11.2011 | 9:01 pm
Way to Go,Team Fatty! I really, really, really missed being there this past weekend.
Comment by Andrew | 07.11.2011 | 10:38 pm
I had a great time with you all, seeing some of you again after so long and meeting many of you for the first time. I had such a blast, as always! Can’t wait for next year! Can’t wait for the Fondo!
My ride report, which will no doubt be less interesting than Fatty’s considering I was off the front alone for 99% of the ride, is posted. http://goo.gl/2D5b5
@AngieG Glad you and Kristine were there to keep each other company!!
@MattC I just wish I hadn’t wasted so much energy trying to come up with something clever to say when I rolled up next to him!
Comment by gregc | 07.11.2011 | 10:40 pm
There was so much good to say about the weekend in Davis. The people of Davis were so friendly (you started taking it for granted that automobile drivers will always give cyclists the right of way and be patient), the LiveStrong people and volunteers were incredible, the ride course was fantastic (and thanks for the mild weather too!), and all the Fattys was incredible. I don’t remember the last century I’ve done that I as much fun- the orange train pacelines were humming for sure! And hanging out at the fatty tent after the ride and chilling was supreme (the pie was great too- thanks Mike!). A tremendous opportunity to get to know our other team members in a very relaxed environment. And a a quick shout out to Yan, glad to hear your OK! This was my 3rd LiveStrong event, and has vaulted to the top of the list as my favorite!
Comment by gregc | 07.11.2011 | 10:45 pm
NYCCarlos- that stupid sprint trainer in the Nissan booth was nearly the death of me on Saturday (no warm up, way too tall of a gear, the bike fit was pathetic- my seat was about 6 inches too short- all to capture a Nissan tee shirt! (but at least I beat MattC and AngieG!) That was about the longest 60 seconds ever!~
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 07.11.2011 | 11:21 pm
@MattC
who you calling HUGE! No pie for you.
And for being awed by THE HAMMER…just show up at the next event in your LBD (little black dress) I guarantee that would ah? all of us.
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 07.11.2011 | 11:44 pm
They weren’t around by the time I got in, but it looks like the Thompson Family (Rob, Dave, and Mrs. Dave?) completed their 20 mile goal. Big shout out to them. See their +3 here: http://www.plus3network.com/activity/livestrong-davis-2011/1130751
Comment by NYCCarlos | 07.12.2011 | 12:00 am
well… the red-eye back from Sacramento has one benefit… I was awake to get my Twinsix Preorder done.
@Andrew – I’m a huge Phils and Eagles fan… how did we not meet and discuss this?! Also… you crushed it this weekend. Congrats dude. Your writeup was great!
@Gregc – wuss. :-P
@Everyone else – Can we make a place to dump pictures from the weekend? I’d love to have some more than just the 3 I took!
Comment by a chris | 07.12.2011 | 12:55 am
Way to go, _everybody_.
Fatty, how did you manage to read all those quotes? I would have broken down. I guess when you’re motivated enough, you can do it. Still. Impressive.
Comment by Angie | 07.12.2011 | 7:45 am
Sounds like a great time, getting to meet friends from afar. Congrats on the award.
Comment by Justin L | 07.12.2011 | 7:56 am
Thanks again to everyone for the great company and thanks again to Fatty for coming to California and doing everything you do. I had a great time and completed the 105 mile, thanks to the peer pressure from all of you. Wish i could of hung out after the ride, but my kids were glad i was home early. I hope you all make it out next year, I will plan on a whole weekend this time. Your are all awesome.
Comment by AngieG | 07.12.2011 | 8:22 am
@Andrew- It was truly my pleasure. Kristine is a wonderful person and a very strong rider. We had a blast!!
Good luck at Vineman!!
Comment by Doug (Way upstate NY) | 07.12.2011 | 8:24 am
Got back last night at 3am (yikes). Ride report to follow (once my head stops spinning and work gets under control). Dinner Friday night was a blast. The Hall of Fame was very cool. The awards dinner Saturday was awesome as well. I loved meeting the Texas 4000 students. If you don’t know who they are check out this link: http://www.texas4000.org They will make you proud.
Comment by Not much further... | 07.12.2011 | 8:41 am
Andrew – you doing vineman too? I’m doing barbs and Amit full vineman – maybe see you there! Ill be riding in my fatcyclist shirt again. And yes, if you’ve not done those races before it’s insanely hot on the bike as you come into windsor and on the run particularly. Great riding FC team once again and all the best to you all.
Comment by Sharon | 07.12.2011 | 8:55 am
Awesome job to all! I moved to Minneapolis from Davis two years ago, so I got a kick out of seeing the pics. It looks like you had great weather too! (I miss lots of things about Davis, but not that summer heat!) Again, congratulations to you all!
Comment by Mike@Squirrelhead | 07.12.2011 | 10:33 am
It was awesome to experience my first LIVESTRONG event with such amazing people. This was my first really big cycling event ever and I am definitely planning more in my future.
David thank you so much for loaning me your spare bike so I didn’t have to ship mine out to CA. It rode great and I really liked enjoyed it. Also, thanks for all of the PIE!! LOL
Thanks to Alicia, Terry, and Shelly for the pace line at the start of the event. It was nice to be able to chat while we cruised down the road. I was so sad when the split came but not sad enough to follow you up that 105 mile route (next year).
Fatty and the Hammer it was amazing to meet you both! I especially enjoyed the runners marathon training tip “just run until you fall over, then the next day run a little more”. I enjoyed meeting everyone and look forward to more meetups in the future.
Comment by Dave T | 07.12.2011 | 10:35 am
We had a great time and everyone was so nice. It did truly feel like family. Thank you Elden for organizing such a great weekend. Rob was able to ride the 23 miles and wants to do a longer ride next year. I can’t wait!
@Yann I’m so sorry to hear you had heat exhaustion, but glad to hear you have recovered. If you are ever down are way please look us up we would love to see you guys.
Comment by Mike@Squirrelhead | 07.12.2011 | 10:42 am
ALSO- someone left there New Balance 991 shoes (size 9) with Team Fatty socks in them at the Team Fatty tent in Davis. I brought them back to NC with me instead of leaving them in the park so let me know if they are yours and I will ship them to you.
Comment by ChristineG | 07.12.2011 | 12:49 pm
It was so great to come to Davis and meet everyone. I was very nervous about heading out there not knowing anyone but after Friday night I realized I had nothing to worry about. The dinner on Saturday was incredible, one of the highlights of the evening (after the Fatty/Lance exchange and Fattys speech) was talking with the kids from Texas4000. What they are doing in amazing. It was great riding with all of you on Sunday. I love riding Livestrong events because I feel like I am riding with 1400 friends. Everyone is so encouraging and I think they have some of the best volunteers. Hopefully I will be back next year and maybe I will see some of you in Philly.
Comment by Haven-KT | 07.12.2011 | 12:51 pm
@NYCarlos: I thought Fatty had a flikr group. I know I’ve posted a pic there of me in the team jersey lo these many years ago (2008 I think).
Ah, here it is:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/fatcyclist/
Hopefully people will post their pics there! Sounds like you all had an awesome time, wish I could have gone.
Comment by MoN #4450 | 07.12.2011 | 1:18 pm
Hi, although not in team Fatty regalia, the Scott boys from Carmichael had a great ride. Loved riding and chatting with Matt, Angie, Mike from NC, Christine from NJ, Roger from Texas, Dave from Marin, the Thomson family at the Burger & brews restaurant, the couple from UK whose names I forget, on and on. Then finally meeting Elden at the end. Forgive me for not introducing myself to Lisa. I saw Yann getting attended to by the professionals and glad to hear he’s well. Dave’s hydration advice is well spoken. We are a big family.
If anybody wants a lazy ride along the American River Parkway in Sacramento, look us up! Else we’ll see you at Chico, Tierra Bella, Santa Rosa..
Comment by NoTrail | 07.12.2011 | 2:00 pm
A big congrats to all members of Team Fatty. You all did great this year. Can’t wait for the next one!
Oh yeah, thanks for posting a picture of me too. I just happened to be standing in the background between the face painters. Good times!
Comment by Travis | 07.12.2011 | 2:02 pm
What a great ride and a great time meeting you all. Great write up Fatty, and a great speech as well. The fundraising dinner was a great time, and the first 35 miles of the ride was the best time I ever had on a bike (the next 70 weren’t bad, but it was awesome getting to pace with another 15-20 fatties until those hills reminded me that I weigh 210 and didn’t train enough for this).
Already looking forward to next year.
Comment by stuckinmypedals | 07.12.2011 | 4:33 pm
@Mike@Squirrelhead, no thank you for pacelining with us. The whole enchilada next year for sure. :)
@NYCCarlos, I second your idea of people sharing photos somewhere since I took a total of 3 and only 1 of them is sort of decent. :)
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 07.12.2011 | 4:57 pm
Texas 4000 just rode by the house here in Marin. Big SHOUT OUT to a great bunch of focused young people.
(though it’s only 24 miles from San Francisco and they passed here at 3pm., how late do they sleep in?)
Comment by runner/hammer/lisa | 07.12.2011 | 6:12 pm
WOW! What a great group of people you all are! I’m sitting here at work reading your comments and laughing out loud! I had a fantastic weekend, so glad im finally putting faces with names! I’m so impressed by all of you! Ive been blessed in so many ways by marrying Elden, one of the major blessings was being adopted into his huge “Fatty” Family. You guys are great. Thanks for welcoming me in. I’m inspired by all of you in your fight against cancer and awed by the amount of pie that we all consumed! Love you all…Look forward to seeing you all again real soon!
Lisa
Comment by Amy T | 07.12.2011 | 6:12 pm
The Davis ride was my first official bike ride and it was amazing in every way. Everyone was so personable. Thanks to Angela(?) for setting up the team festivities Friday night. Thanks to Elden for arranging for the team to attend the dinner on Saturday night; and thanks to whoever stocked the team tent on Sunday. Kudos all around.
By the way, Rob shattered his previous record of 12 1/2 miles by completing the 23 mile course.
We will definitely train for more miles for next year’s event.
Comment by Andrew | 07.12.2011 | 7:16 pm
@NYCCarlos – No idea! I could talk about the Fightin’s all day long!
@Not much further – I’ll definitely be there! And I’ll keep my eyes out for the both of you. (Kristine’ll be there too, leading the cheers!)
Comment by PeckishCyclist | 07.12.2011 | 8:13 pm
I’m still in a daze from geting to meet Fatty and The Hammer in person. (Or maybe my blood sugar’s still high from the post-ride pie gorging.) At any rate, that was the best century I’ve ever had the pleasure of riding. Thanks Team Fatty!!
Shelley
Comment by AK_Chick | 07.12.2011 | 11:30 pm
@Doug (way upstate NY) We are planning a big Livestrong Texas 4000 event when the riders finally arrive in Anchorage in August. They are an amazing bunch!
Comment by 3d brian | 07.15.2011 | 1:27 pm
@runner/hammer/lisa
You say you are blessed, but you are obviously now schizophrenic. You don’t even know what name to go by ;)
Comment by davidh-marin,ca | 07.16.2011 | 8:38 am
@ Comment by 3d brian | 07.15.2011 | 1:27 pm
Hardly, “schizophrenic”, the whole Fatty Team can assure you. The need for multiple names is a logical extension of the requirement of a name to capture the entire awesomeness of the person.
Take Elden for example:
Awesome/Fatty/Legendary/Accomplished/Blogger. We just go by his Acronym:
A FLAB!