Meet the Winner of the Ibis Silk SL
Everyone, Jim, from CA, the winner of the Ibis Silk SL with Shimano Dura-Ace wheels and components.
Here’s a little about Jim, as told by Jim himself:
What to say about me? I’m in my mid 40’s, married and have a 16 year old stepdaughter (teenage girl – ouch!).
I grew up a swimmer and grew into a swim coach and lifeguard as a part time job besides my full time job. I was kinda good and swam for a Division I college team and even won a national championship in Masters swimming. For various reasons, I drifted out of swimming just before turning forty. I always had a bike as a kid, and that’s how all kids got around. Once, when I was fifteen, I decided to ride up to Mt Hamilton (where the idea for Clif Bars was inspired) just outside of Santa Clara where I grew up. I made it on my ten (that’s 2×5) speed with toe clips and gym shorts, but only because I was young and stupid. Looking back on it now that 65 mile 5k+ ft ride was quite an effort; and really stupid.
Unfortunately, I kept my appetite after stopping swimming and grew into a fat former swimmer/occasional cyclist. I’ve always had a bike of some kind and did the occasional riding, but nothing serious. In the last few years I’ve gotten more into cycling and even started racing MTB and cyclocross last year; someone has to finish last. I’m getting some slow weight loss, but it is a battle.
A few years ago, I found the fatcyclist blog and started following it pretty regularly. My mother died young due to breast cancer just after I graduated college. I could relate to Elden’s blog and enjoyed the humor. This year I even did the 100 MON as my first century; though my report didn’t get published. I also finally rode Levi’s Gran Fondo after signing up for the first two and not being able to make it happen.
Fatty thoroughly thrashed me there.
Fatty’s book offer came out nearly the same day as a good friend was suddenly diagnosed with colon cancer and went thru surgery. I decided to order a book for myself and one for my friend, as he was my big supporter during 100 MON and might have some reading time coming up. Here’s a nice poster he made to support me during the ride.
He’s such a supporter.
I can’t believe I won this bike. I saw the tweet Fatty sent out announcing that “people named Jim in California who had bought two books should check their email,” and said, “Heh, that sounds like me.”
Comment by Laura S | 11.12.2011 | 9:20 am
Congratulations Jim! Another worthy contest winner. It’s just as well I didn’t win the bike, as I would have had to put a 70mm stem on the smallest size to make it fit – no Ibis should have to endure that!
Comment by Michael | 11.12.2011 | 9:24 am
That sign is classic! Congrats on the bike, Jim.
Comment by Lonster | 11.12.2011 | 10:37 am
Such support! Congratulations on the new ride. Enjoy it.
Comment by davidh-marin, ca | 11.12.2011 | 10:59 am
Like Laura says; “Another worthy winner.”
Let everyone know when you’re ready to ride that Ibis up Mt Hamilton again. I’m sure a fair number of “Fatties” would show up to join you. (Yann, Laura, MattC, TimW…are you listening)
Comment by eclecticdeb | 11.12.2011 | 1:23 pm
Jim, I agree with David…put out a message when you are ready to climb Mt. Hamilton. It’s my bucket list. Haven’t done it yet….honestly scares me. I might be able to convince my son to SAG for us. :-)
Comment by km | 11.12.2011 | 1:39 pm
Congrats Jim! Enjoy the ride! Great sign, you have a great friend.
Comment by Yann | 11.12.2011 | 5:18 pm
@jim. Congrats on winning the bike. You’ll love the Dura-Ace components. I got the same on my Sycip and love them. Also still love the bike. Thanks to Fatty, Dustin at Shimano and Jeremy at Sycip.
@davidh, haven’t done much climbing lately, but I could be talked in Hamilton. Never done it.
Comment by AK_Chick | 11.12.2011 | 5:27 pm
Awesome! :) I LOVE reading about the winners of the prizes. I actually got to meet a winner of a bike in Austin this year and also briefly met the winner of the Ride for the Rose top prize ($30K level) that Fatty gave away. So cool! Love these contests! Can’t WAIT to get my book! :) When do we get to preorder “Fight Like Susan?” Sorry, I’m most definitely not a patient person.
Comment by AK_Chick | 11.12.2011 | 5:28 pm
Also, forgot to mention, I LOVE that “motivational” sign that Jim’s friend made. How freaking funny is that? :) SO SO sad to hear about the colon cancer. Can’t believe how many people I’ve met who know someone who has had colon cancer since my brother-in-law’s diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer. What the heck???
Comment by Jenni | 11.12.2011 | 5:30 pm
Congrats! May you ride it for many years in good health. Or, speaking to you as your friends do, that bike looks terrible on you, you should give it away to the very first person who suggests it to you.
Dibs.
Comment by MattC | 11.12.2011 | 5:30 pm
Congrats Jim! Awesome story, the bike couldn’t have gone to a more worthy Fatty! (except, well.. maybe me…rats). Don’t be afraid of Mt Hamilton…it’s a great ride with a pretty mild grade all the way up. (HOWEVER, if you get to Mt Hamilton Rd via Quimby Rd cuz you looked on google-maps n it looks like the shortest way there, well..that’s another story).
Look forward to riding w/ you sometime. See u in Davis in 2012!
Comment by Janet B | 11.12.2011 | 10:44 pm
Congratulations to Jim!
Mt. Hamilton is a great ride.
Comment by Dan O | 11.13.2011 | 2:08 am
Congrats! Nice bike, you’ll dig it. I ride a Ibis Silk Carbon as well.
Great sign from your “supporting” friend. That kinda fun will always keep you rollin’…
Comment by Paul Guyot | 11.13.2011 | 8:38 am
Wait, I think there was a mistake.
Didn’t I win the bike? I’m sure I did because I really wanted to win. Yes, the more I look at that bike, the more I’m convinced that I should have won.
So Jim, there must have been a mix up at the post office. No worries, though. Just pack up my AWESOME IBIS bike and ship it to me. Thanks!
Congrats for almost winning. I’m sure there will be another contest later where you could win a water bottle or something.
(congrats for real)
Comment by davidh-marin, ca | 11.13.2011 | 10:15 am
Sounds like we have a quorum for Mt Hamilton. And MattC is correct, Quimby road is not the answer. Set the date Jim, but after the rains. We don’t want that new ride to get dirty.
Comment by Jim B | 11.13.2011 | 5:58 pm
Back when I lived in San Jose I rode up Mt Hamilton regularly; it is a great ride, although I didn’t have the bike handling skills to fly down like so many other cyclists I saw. After all that hard work getting up, I would cry inside a little bit on the way down realizing that all that work was now being translated into abrasion of my brake pads instead of glorious speed.
Many people make a point of riding Mt Hamilton January 1 so they can guarantee that if nothing else, they checked off Mt Hamilton for that year.
Comment by Leigh Anne | 11.13.2011 | 9:17 pm
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Comment by Leigh Anne | 11.13.2011 | 9:20 pm
Congrats Jim copy me on that Mt Hamilton ride so I can blame the ibis for me riding sweep. Fatty and the HAMMER also spanked me @levisgranfondo but only if I had an ibis or orbea…….
Comment by davidh-marin, ca | 11.14.2011 | 1:18 am
Mt. Hamilton January 1st!! I like that idea. Jim will you have the bike by then? We can send a picture to Fatty of everyone riding a road. He can hang it on the wall in front of his rollers, while he counts the days till spring.
Comment by Christina | 11.14.2011 | 8:57 am
Congrats! That sign is awesome.
Comment by rich | 11.14.2011 | 9:52 am
Congrats on the bike Jim….sounds like a very well deserved win.
I’m down for a Mt Hamilton ride as well. I love that ride!
Comment by Dave T | 11.14.2011 | 11:23 am
Congratulations on getting such a fine bike Jim. A group fatty ride up Mt. Hamilton sounds great. Put me down for that.
Comment by roan | 11.14.2011 | 11:41 am
Great win ! Congrats !
Had to look up Mt Hamilton, looks very nice, twisty road with little traffic.
I’ll have to try it…keep Fatty posted when you plan on riding, looks like quite a few would join you.
Comment by Marco | 11.14.2011 | 12:39 pm
Congrats Jim!
I grew up on the Peninsula and would love to join on that ride up Mt. Hamilton.
Comment by Wife# 1 | 11.14.2011 | 10:00 pm
Jim, eclecticdeb,Yann, Laura, MattC, TimW and of course to husband, David-Marin, I’ll do SAG support for the Mt. Hamilton ride if you’re all serious. We have a big old truck that will work swell. I suck as a bike mechanic though, fair warning, supplies and convoy only.
Have to make sure that Ibis gets christened in style!
Jim your friend’s sign is hilarious, though if you want a real laugh, I have one you can borrow while you continue slimming down. ;-)
Comment by Jim aka Rumpled | 11.15.2011 | 12:49 pm
Jim here aka Ibis Bike Winner!
Thanks all for the positive thoughts, even if ended up winning your bike.
On interwebs forums and such I go by Rumpled; odds are if you see that name on said interwebs it is probably me.
As far as Hamilton on New Year’s – I won’t be able to make that as I now live in SoCal. Go ahead and go without me, though.
I am loosely planning a trip to the Bay Area in a year or so to be called “Rumpled’s Climbing Camp.” I have a place to camp in Morgan Hill and would like to ride Hamilton again, Diablo (maybe both sides?), maybe Mt Tam and maybe Mt Umunhum if there is access by the time of my trip. I’ll probably plan that one thru bikeforums.net in the NorCal section.
Since my 100 MON didn’t get published; if you’d like to see my report; my invite is here
http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/trailhead/58274-100-miles-nowhere-june-4th-2011-a.html
and my Ride Report is here
http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/roadie-hangout/58589-rr-road-alley-100-miles-nowhere.html
Places you may see this new Ibis (in Matt Matte for sure) are the Tour de Cure in Long Beach in April, Tour de Cure in Napa in May, the SoCal stages of AToC spectating, Levi’s Medio Fondo in September(Gran was too much – report here – http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/roadie-hangout/60543-rr-brief-levis-gran-fondo-bear.html).
This new bike should make these rides a bit easier than on my 23 lb CX bike.
BTW, Dave in my 100 MON is the one who just had part of his colon removed ‘cuz of that cancer thing. We now call him semicolon and the docs are pretty sure they got all of the bad mojo out.
Oh, and thanks Fatty, Dustin, Ibis and Shimano. Maybe I’ll run into Dustin locally – I think we work across the RR tracks from each other.