A Note from Fatty:Free Verse Friday is suspended today, due to me having something more interesting to write about, and the inclination to actually do that writing.
Yesterday was intense.
I did a serious interview with Levi Leipheimer, the replay of which you can see over at Spreecast, or right here:
So I’d like to write a little bit about what went on in putting this interview together. Because this is not the kind of thing I do every day.
Deep Background
You could say that the seed of this interview got planted as a result of the GranDonut Race. One of the things Levi agreed to do if I won — which was never in question, since I had slanted the rules so there was no way I couldn’t win — was be interviewed at some point on my blog.
My intention, of course, was to just do a silly fake interview, maybe with a side-intent of doing some good fundraising for a good cause.
And then, of course, the USADA report came out, and I figured that if I was ever going to do an interview with Levi, it wasn’t going to be a jokey one.
At show time, the video streaming service TourChats had been using — Vokle — completely self-destructed. To their massive credit, the TourChats guys quickly moved over to SpreeCast and did the show anyway. And the technology worked flawlessly.
Suddenly, I knew how I wanted to do the interview with Levi. And I knew when, too, since Levi himself was also providing a huge prize for my fundraiser.
Getting Ready
I was actually really amazed at how easy it was to get Levi on board with doing the interview. the biggest logistics problem, in fact, was that Levi has lousy Internet at his house; he’d have to go to BikeMonkey HQ for a good internet connection.
But preparing myself for actually doing a serious interview wasn’t anywhere near as easy.
First, I made sure Levi knew that I wasn’t going to be just joking around; that I planned to ask him serious questions about doping and being fired by Omega-Pharma-Whatever. I am not a big fan of blindsiding folks (usually).
“That sounds great,” he replied.
Next, I spent some time reading. And I spent some time asking people what they’d ask Levi.
And then I spent a lot of time writing questions.
That step was crucial, because I know myself pretty well, including my tendency to be nice, rather than tough. I figured that if I just let the conversation flow, it’d wind up being pretty soft.
Then I printed the questions up onto cue cards — like I was a talk show host — and ordered them the way I wanted to use them. I held them right in front of me during the interview, which is out of the camera’s view.
I then cleaned up my office — my wife was incredibly embarrassed at how messy it appeared on TourChats — and even moved a Christmas tree into the basement where I work.
Then, at the last moment, I moved the Christmas tree out of the field of vision. Too festive for what I planned to do.
Then, at even the more last moment, I unscrewed the lightbulb that is directly over my head, so there wouldn’t be such a huge glare off my head.
And the rest, well you can see how it went. I’m proud of it, and I plan to do more video interviews.
The Hammer and I have been looking at the 2013 calendar a lot, lately. Trying to figure out what we’d like to do this year, versus what would be fun to do this year, if we have the time and money and everything works out.
And then there are a few events that we are absolutely, positively going to do. This year, next year, and the year after that. Events that we do every year and plan to, for as long as we are able to ride. The Rockwell Relay: Moab to St. George. The Crusher in the Tushars. The Leadville 100.
It’s quite simply our favorite event. And not just because of the ride (although the ride is pretty outstanding). It’s everything that goes on around it. And before it. And after it. And, in fact, during it.
It’s the gold standard of GranFondos. Ask anyone who’s been there.
And while a ticket to ride in Levi’s GranFondo would be an awesome prize on its own merit, this is so much more. This prize is a full-on freaking all-event VIP Pass.
Let’s break it down, shall we?
Airfare and Hotel
First off, the winner (you, I hope) will get airfare and hotel taken care of (if you’re outside the US, you’ll need to take care of your own travel into the US). You’ll want to make sure you bring several days’-worth of underwear and jerseys, though, because you’ll be arriving on Thursday (October 3, 2013), and will be enjoying the full-on awesomeness all the way ’til you go home on Sunday (October 6).
Here’s what you’re going to be doing
Thursday Night: Festa del Fondo
Bring something nice to wear, because you’ll be having dinner with Levi, Odessa, and a a pretty small group of other people who are nearly as awesome as you are. You’ll have an incredible dinner, a great chance to meet Levi, and an opportunity to bid in an auction for the charities supported by Levi’s GranFondo.
And I have an idea that maybe — since I’ll be there too, unless Levi’s bodyguard sees through my disguise — this might be a perfect opportunity for us to finally outnumber Levi and put him in a headlock, for once.
Hey, it could happen, you know.
Friday: VIP Ride
The next day, after you’ve slept off the Festa, you’ll get to join Levi and some friends in a casual ride around the outskirts of Santa Rosa. I’ve gone on this ride once before, and it’s fun, watching Levi and Odessa work the group, taking time to talk with everyone on the ride, and being totally cool about it when I tried (unsuccessfully, but not for lack of trying) to get everyone to start singing sea shanties.
The best part of the ride was when we stopped by the Forget Me Not Farm, which is the charity Odessa puts her time and heart into (the farm serves the dual purposes of giving a home to animals that otherwise might not have one, and to give children who have suffered abuse a chance to experience a loving, non-threatening relationship).
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they swing by there again. In which case you’ll have the opportunity to get a picture of you and Levi. Together with a cow.
And then you can make a big framed print of it and explain how awesome that actually is to all your friends.
Saturday, Very Early: The Front of the Line
One of the most astounding things about Levi’s GranFondo is the sheer number of people in it. More than 7,000 riders all line up, which means the line goes back for blocks and blocks and blocks.
And blocks.
But not for you, because you — along with the other VIPs — will go straight to the front of the line, where you’ll get to say hi to famous people like Chuck Ibis, and Levi, and Patrick Dempsey, and me. Especially me, because otherwise I’ll just be standing around there, wondering how come I’m the only one there with a muffin top.
The Ride and the Food During the Ride
The GranFondo is a big ride (you’re also welcome to do the medium- or short-distance versions of the course if that’s more your style), but every year I do it, I find myself forgetting about the distance, because the course is just so beautiful.
You ride through redwoods. And along the coast. And by vineyards. And up and down narrow forested roads. It is not a ride where you should spend any time at all staring at the pavement. It’s a heads-up, looking-around, smelling-the-forest, smelling-the-sea-air, stopping-and-taking-photos kind of ride.
Hey, you should check out the video I made of the ride a couple years ago:
Nice, huh?
And there are great aid stations along the route. Really, “great” is kind of playing down how good they are. We’re talking deli-quality sandwiches. An aid station by the ocean. Oreos and Nutter Butters.
As well as stuff that people who eschew those kinds of things will still enjoy.
Hey, it’s a rolling buffet and snack bar.
After the Ride: The Festival
Even with the great food along the route, you’ll finish the ride hungry. Furthermore, you’ll finish it tired. But save some energy, because you’re going to want to stick around at the festival going on at the finish line. Everyone has access to the free food, drink and music, and that’s an awesome thing on its own.
But you’ll have a pass to the VIP tent, where you can lounge, drink, eat, and hobnob to your heart’s content.
And if you’re like me, you’ll probably push right past that place of “content” and eat yourself into a full-on stupor.
As If That’s Not Enough
There will be a lot of people who ride in Levi’s GranFondo in 2013. Like, 7,500 of us. There will even be a few people who get to come to all the VIP events. But only the person who wins the Levi’s GranFondo grand prize in the Grand Slam 2 contest will get this:
Yep, that’s Levi’s jersey — one he wore in the 2012 Tour de France. It’ll be signed, and comes with his race numbers.
Which moves this prize from the “outrageously cool and I can’t believe I won it” category into the “totally one of a kind” category.
Would it take a trip to spend a week at a luxury resort, riding with Patrick Dempsey and Tom Danielson?
Or would it take this VIP package to the best GranFondo in America, with a signed TdF jersey and the race numbers as a kicker?
I think I’m getting pretty close to that irresistible fundraiser, don’t you?
So why do you think there are so many amazing prizes? Why do you think so many companies and people are stepping up to the plate and knocking it out of the park, prize-wise? I’ll tell you why: it’s because what World Bicycle Relief is doing is important, and good, and well-thought-out. So good companies — and good people, like Levi and Tom and Patrick (and I’m not even close to done revealing new prizes, by the way) — are surpassing my wildest dreams in donating amazing prizes, in the hopes that good people like you will say to yourselves, “Wow. The quantity and quality of this contest is making my eyes glaze over with sheer astonishment at the awesomeness of it all. I can’t help myself; I will donate with enthusiasm and alacrity!”
Yeah, that’s how I imagine your inner monologue. Strange, huh?
Donate any amount. For every $5 you donate, you get another chance in my magic spreadsheet, which is what an impartial third person will use for drawing prizes (although you get bonus chances if you donate $134+ — enough to buy a whole bike for a child in Zambia.)
Yep, it’s that easy. The contest goes ’til December 24 (Christmas Eve), at which point we’ll start drawing for prizes. So go donate now.
And (hopefully) Levi and I will see you in Santa Rosa this October.
A Note from Fatty: If you’ve read the details of this latest prize and your head is spinning and you just want the link to the contest so you can enter it already, click here to donate and enter the contest.
As a rule, riding during winter . . . well . . . sucks. If you go out, you’ve got to get all layered up:
Or if you stay inside and ride the trainer, you put yourself in imminent danger of your brain trying out of your head in a desperate play to escape the exquisite boredom you’re inflicting upon it.
Imagine — if you can — if you could escape all that for a week. Imagine that you’re in Malibu, California, staying in warm, sunny California at a luxury resort: The Ranch at Live Oak / Malibu:
You’re staying in your own private bungalow, with easy access to the pool and hot tub.
You’ve been set up with a custom fitness and training program, and you’re eating great. Not just delicious food, but world-class cuisine that is actually good for you.
You’re riding on awesome pavement, on beautiful, scenic roads.
You’re out there putting in big miles, but you’re loving it like never before, because your bike has been professionally fitted for you by speed guru Mat Steinmetz — the same guy who custom fits Tom Danielson’s bike for him. Plus all your rides are fully supported.
Oh, and you’ve got some great riding company for the week:
Yep, just in case you couldn’t tell from that photo, you’re spending the week riding and hanging out with Patrick Dempsey and Tom Danielson:
So let’s get specific for a moment, OK? The winner of this super-ultra-grand prize is going to get the total package in a very small group training camp put on by Twenty Twenty Cycling: Patrick Dempsey and Tom Danielson. This includes:
Airfare for the trip, which goes January 20 – 26, 2013
Hang out daily with Tom Danielson and Patrick Dempsey
All meals
All local transportation
Supported daily rides
Professional bike fit performed by expert speed guru, Mat Steinmetz
A Garmin Edge 500 (yours to keep)
Daily massage
Cycling and nutrition education
Instructor-led fitness programs
Custom 20-20 Cycling jersey, shorts, rain jacket, t-shirt, bottle, and other swag.
Laundry services
Bragging rights for the rest of your life about the incredible week you just spent
How to Enter
So maybe you’re wondering: how can you get into this cycling camp? Well, there are two ways. One is to buy a slot at T20 Cycling. If I had the money for it, I would do that — considering everything you’re getting, the $8000 price tag sounds like a good deal.
The second way is to go to my Grand Slam for Zambia 2 page and donate. And then hope. Because someone’s going to get this prize. And if you don’t win this prize, maybe you’ll win one of the other prizes, each of which is listed and linked in the donation page. And that wouldn’t be so bad, either, would it?
Regardless of whether — or what — you win, you’ll be doing something really important and awesome: making it possible for kids in Zambia to get a bike, which means incredible things for them — getting to and home from school easier, getting work done faster, and having a wider range of opportunities in job possibilities.
You’ll also be helping train Zambians to become mechanics, and providing them with the tools they need to start a career fixing bikes. You’re helping bootstrap a virtuous cycle: giving some people a little help now so they can help themselves in the future.
In other words, by donating for a chance at a training vacation of your life, you’re improving many others’ lives in a big, permanent way.
PS: Huge thanks to Tom Danielson and Patrick Dempsey for their generosity in providing this prize.
PPS: Last night, Tom, Patrick and I talked about the Grand Slam for Zambia and the cycling camp over at TourChats. You can watch it over at Spreecast (My part starts around 30:00).
Oh, I know what you think of me. Don’t pretend I don’t. You think of me as a goofball. Yeah, you consider me a lovably lurpy, lumpy guy who stumbles about, writing whatever pops into my head at the moment, only to be forgotten moments later.
And you know what? I’d be very angry at you for thinking that, if it weren’t a perfectly accurate description of how I actually am.
At least, that’s how I am most of the time.
Today’s post, however, will do two important things:
Look at this beauty (though the wheels and some components will be a little different in the bike given away, which I’ll explain in just a minute):
When I call this $8000 beauty a dream bike, I’m not just using hyperbole. See, I actually have gotten to ride one of these. In fact, I got to ride it twice.
Back in September, I got to ride one during the 2012 Levi’s Gran Fondo, which may be the ultimate perfect course for this kind of bike. At least, it felt pretty darned perfect to me. This bike is light and fast. And yet, it manages to be incredibly comfortable and smooth. By the end of a long day (right around 100 hilly miles on a mix of good and not-so-good road in and around Santa Rosa, California) in the saddle, I had made up my mind: there is no road bike in the world I would rather own.
But that was the second time I had ridden one of these bikes. The first time was when Specialized joined the good folks at Honey Stinger for a group ride in Salt Lake City during the Outdoor Retailer Show. I got to borrow a new Roubaix for a ride up Emigration Canyon — a popular climber’s delight of a road ride.
By the time I had been on the bike for twenty minutes, I had decided: I have to make one of these bikes a grand prize in the World Bicycle Relief contest I was planning to do later in the year.
Yes, back in June I had already started hatching the scheme you are seeing come to fruition right this second.
And as part of that scheme, I knew I wanted someone who actually knows what he’s talking about to explain what makes this bike so incredibly great. So right then and there, I asked Chris Riekert of Specialized — who was along for the ride — to describe the Roubaix on camera (In addition to the fact that Chris does a really good job of talking about the bike, you should watch this video to hear my reaction to his use of the term “Cobble Gobbler”):
So, let me be seriously serious for a second: I really do love this bike. I don’t have one, and I wish I did. And I’m going to be greenly envious of whoever winds up winning this bike.
This is an sophisticated, smooth, beautiful component group. Seriously, money cannot buy better. Oh, and just because I happen to have a thing for gorgeous components, let’s take a closer look at the crankset:
Yum.
You’re going to need a nice stem and bar to go with this dream bike, of course, and those will come from Zipp SL line. You’ll get to choose the Service Course SL stem in the length you need:
You’ll then pair that to a Contour SL Bar in the size that works for you:
Oh, but we’re not done with the whole custom setup thing. No. Cuz you’re going to need a set of wheels. And you know what? You can choose any Zipp wheelset you want.
For what it’s worth, I think I’d go with the Zipp 404s:
Or, on the other hand, it’d be pretty hard to resist the 808’s:
Hey, it’s a tough decision, but someone’s gotta make it. Maybe that someone will be you.
How — And Why — To Enter
Obviously, this is a pretty amazing bike. Perhaps even more obviously, this is one of an incredible number of amazing prizes. Crazily, there are going to be even more astonishing prizes that will be given away as part of this fundraiser.
So here’s a question you probably haven’t asked yourself: why am I playing against type and actually planning and working and otherwise orchestrating such a monstrously huge fundraiser? (Trust me, the prizes I’ve announced and the ones I’ll be announcing didn’t all just fall into my lap.)
It’s because I’ve been to Zambia, and I’ve seen what a huge difference a bike makes in a person’s life there. That improvement is immediate and wonderful and lasting. And I’ve seen for myself that World Bicycle Relief is doing a fantastic job of doing this work thoughtfully, of making our work and donations count.
In other words, I’m doing this because WBR is doing good work, and I believe in it.
And also, because I really love giving cool stuff away.
A Note from Fatty: As always, let’s start the post with a nice convenient link to the donation page so when you choose to make that donation, you don’t have to go searching through this post for the link you need. Aren’t I helpful?
To make it clear, when you donate, you’re entered to win every prize I have described so far, like the Africa in Moab trip I described at the beginning of this fundraiser, and the Stumpy FSR I revealed yesterday. Or the extremely Special (gee, I wonder why I chose the word “special,” and why I chose to capitalize it. Could it be a clue?) high-end road bike I’m going to reveal tomorrow.
But not everyone needs — or wants — a super high-end bike. Some people want to use their bike to get around town, go to work, ride with the kids, and just enjoy being outside.
The bike — well, actually bikes – I’m revealing today are for exactly that kind of riding.
Plus, there are Six (gee, I wonder if there could be any significance to that number?) additional prizes I’ll be revealing today. So you’re going to want to read on.
One of the things I really like about Miir is that for every bottle you buy, they donate a dollar to Onedayswages.org, toward providing clean water to people in Africa. That’s very cool. I like supporting companies like this.
But in addition to bottles, Miir is now making bicycles, with a giving strategy similar to their bottles. When you buy a bike from them, you’re also donating to World Bicycle Relief.
Not content with that, though, Miir has given me a bike to give away as part of the Grand Slam for Zambia 2.
Well, actually, they’re going to let the winner choose between a couple of different kinds of bikes, depending on the kind of riding you like to do.
So let’s check them out.
The Wave: A Singlespeed / Fixie
The Wave is a singlespeed commuter and is designed to be simple and reliable, with undeniable style so you can enjoy the ride as you turn heads. Thanks to the flip-flop hub you can either coast or flip the rear hub and ride it as a fixed gear. Nice.
The chromoly frame and fork are designed with plenty of room for fenders or a rack so you can customize your Wave.
With a tip of the cap to mid-century Dutch styles, the High 5 blends timeless design with fresh modern elements to get you where you want to go in style.
The Sturmey Archer internal 5-speed hub is great for cursing the flats but also gives you gear options to help conquer hills you find along the way.
You’ll have so much fun on this bike you’ll want to high-five everyone you meet along the way.
Miir isn’t the only company adding awesomeness to the Grand Slam 2 Pile o’ Prizes today. My BFFs (yep, I totally know all the cool acronym the kids are using these days) at Twin Six are putting up six prizes of their own.
You know Twin Six? The guys who make the very most awesome jerseys and t-shirts in the world? Like this:
Well, check this out: Twin six is giving away gift certificates for $134 each (yep, the cost of a WBR bike) to Six (get it?) lucky winners. Shyeah.
The real problem with this prize will be the obsessing you’ll do trying to narrow down what you’re going to get from all the things you love.
How To Enter
To have a chance at winning the prizes I announced today, the prize I announced yesterday (!!!), the prize I’m going to announce tomorrow, the trip to Moab, or the boatload of additional prizes I’m going to be announcing during the next couple of weeks, all you need to do is something you’d feel good about doing anyway:
For every prize I announce, we’ll do a random drawing from the big ol’ hat. And with all these prizes I’m announcing (I think the count is up to a dozen right now, and it’s going to keep going up), your chances of winning have got to be better than in the average contest, right?
And, above all: 
And there are great aid stations along the route. Really, “great” is kind of playing down how good they are. We’re talking deli-quality sandwiches. An aid station by the ocean. Oreos and Nutter Butters.
How and Why to Enter
