If you beer it, they will come... amazing how that never seems to fail.
It's official, another Weir, Beer, and Gear is in the books. This means group rides led by Team WTB members, pizza consumed, conversations had, kegs tapped, presentations enjoyed, bouncy house occupied primarily by youth (I saw you in there, old man,) bike clothing worn beyond the period of the bike ride, and a general sense of good times and great oldies enjoyed. Today it feels a little like the day after at a college party house - everything that seemed to be neatly put away yesterday isn't, there somehow are sticky patches on the pavement, and whomever designed keg barrels must have giggled with delight to himself or herself when realizing that when empty, keg barrels are more likely to fall over and make a horrid, metallic, cacophony of sound than they are to remain vertical. Poor design choice - they should look like a triangle, better yet, a TCS pyramid. Even better yet, a TCS beeramid.
Group ride led by cool guy, Ben Cruz. Oh yeah, he's a member of Team WTB and has several broken ribs, courtesy of Trans-Provence, so no sneaker shots please.
Even our accountant, who has seen this routine several times through by now, gave us a wide-eyed expression of amazement when navigating the occupational feng shui hazards on the way to the industrial strength coffee maker. Note to OSHA: this exaggeration included solely for purposes of comedic effect. This sense of bewilderment was noticed promptly after workers of the event were asked for money. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, we sold merch too:
Bouncy house, beer, pizza... in the words of comedian Brian Regan referring to squeeze bottle peanut butter and jelly, "Can life get any better? I submit that it cannot!"
During the good times and beer-infused stories of "and then the trail does this, and then this, then this, and then THIS" there were also presentations of the season's highlights. Attendees were fortunate enough to hear tales of high alpine passes pedaled, the Trois Etapes race won, and funds raised from Scott Penzarella of Studio Velo and Bill Keller of the dZi Foundation. Robert Ramirez of NorCal High School Cycling League brought people up to speed with near exponential growth witnessed in high school racing participation as well as newly added schools and future goals - tomorrow's leaders are already racing. Jason Moeschler and Mark Weir gave insider perspectives on what it means to be full time WTB employees, full time racers, and full time family men - well.... errrr.... let's just say it's a careful balance. Finally, Bobby "Blind Bobby" McMullen gave a grand finale speech, almost a company profile - from who rides for us to the jockeying that goes on in the office when debating if and when a lunch ride is in the works - Bobby has been with WTB a long time, ridden even longer, and overcome everything. You can't say McMullen without saying MC - Bobby is an absolute Master of Ceremony, from watching 6 minutes of what it's like to ride as Bobby to hearing tales of almost landing on top of Jason Moeschler while speeding down Whistler's Crank It Up and A-Line with Wade Simmons in tow, Bobby knows how to tell it.
Sold out seats to hear Biggie Smalls speak - Bobby McMullen knows how to tell it, can't say McMullen without saying MC. Bobby is truly a Master of Ceremony.
And somehow, at the end of it, the beer was finished and the formerly packed bike racks empty. If you missed it this year, hope to see you next, enjoy the following pictorial wrap up.
Even voracious shredders need a break for some pizza.
A rack full of bikes, valet parking courtesy of MCBC
