Thank you frailty, thank you consequence

Although this might trend to the sleepy side of boredom I would feel a small inkling of regret if I didn't give thanks where I feel it's more than necessary, especially at this juncture. At some point I may get into a masturbatory circle jerk with all my sponsors like I did with last year's "Sponsor Appreciation Thursdays", but this post is a special thank you to a few select individuals. Of course without the support of my sponsors (the folks who have their logos on my sidebar thanks to the use of some HTML I stole from somewhere else) I wouldn't even have a "season" to begin with. I can't ride a bike without wheels, or for that matter without a bike either. I recommend that you buy three of everything each of my sponsors sell, and if their products are cheaper than $20 I would suggest that you get five each and enjoy the savings.

This post is about the people who were able to make this boy's SSWC09 dreams come true. I had almost all but given up on trying to make it out to Durango for the event. Everywhere I turned I kept running into roadblocks, and I was getting sick of trying to figure it out as most of the problems required me to throw money at them to make them go away. When I was teetering on the edge of despair it was not just one arm that reached out to pull me from the precipice of progressive procrastination but three... maybe four... or perhaps some folks even threw both arms in my direction bringing the number of arms interested in saving me from a life more mundane to as many as eight.

Enough with this silliness. Let's get to the props.

Matt McFee/Hermosa Tours: He was one of the first ones to offer his logistical support to me months before I started trying to make plans. As long as I could get to Durango I had a place to stay. I couldn't get the travel plans to work on a solo basis and with Thad vacillating irresolutely with his SSWC09 VS Job conundrum I basically bailed on Matt's invite. When things miraculously came together Matt was still willing to receive my bike VIA FedEx even though he won't get the opportunity to enjoy my company 24-7. Thank you Matt McFee

George Wissell/Bike29.com: George basically gave me an email kick in the ass and told me to stop pissing around and go to Durango. He offered me a ride from the Denver airport, a place to stay, and if I behave myself, a ride back to Denver. This was major since I wasn't gonna go it alone based on the overwhelming expense and the fact that road trips of this type are meant to be shared. I would be remiss if I didn't also thank George's wife Amanda Wissell. I met her at the Fool's Gold 100, and she had the power of the executive veto if she didn't approve of my bubbling personality or lack of hygiene. Luckily I passed her litmus test (I brought extra litmus with me), and she said I could go as long as I didn't sing in the car. Thank you George and Amanda.

Backcountry Research: Although I've been asked not to name names Backcountry Research tore down any remaining obstacles that stood between me and my chance at the tattoo. I didn't have the heart to tell them that I'll never win the SSWC09 winner's tattoo since they seemed so optimistic about my chances. "Never step on the dreams of the little people" my father always said. I know that I have been solely responsible for the company's meteoric rise that dwarfed the economic ascension of the"Girls Gone Wild" franchise, but I'm still blushing from their generous showing of gratitude. Who woulda thought that my purchasing of their fine product back in June woulda resulted in the gratuitous mutually gratifying relationship that followed? They've got some stuff coming up that I can't talk about yet, but that has nothing to do with this something that I'm currently talking about. I just can't help myself...

Thank you random kind person at Backcountry Research.

I hope it is suffice to say that these folks are very awesome. Buy stuff from them, or take a tour, or hop on a Hermosa shuttle at the SSWC09, or just send them all an email and thank them because without their help this blog would suck just that much more this month.