I am now The Elder

If the rumors are correct, today will be my ex-boss's last day of work as a messenger.  Back when I first strapped on a messenger bag and radio in 1996 for City Bike, Holt had already been on the streets since '95.  Rocking an old-school Shoei helmet (if you were into MTB's back then, you know this helmet) and an awesome mullet, he was "the other company."  My boss at the time said he would never last.  City Bike went out of business in 1997, Mercury made it all the way to today.

That now leaves four of us on the streets of Charlotte including those working part-time. Still hustling court filings, original documents, marketing bullshit, bank deposits, football tickets, boxes, and whatever else needs to move from big building to big building in Banktown, USA.

Strange.  We'll probably never be able to do that messenger calendar we talked about back when there were sixteen of us.

A million years ago, all right, somewhere in the last seventeen years, I wondered if someone shoulda documented the names of those that had served in our ranks.  Big Worm and I have discussed it many times, but at this point too much knowledge has been lost... and who would care anyways.

The end of an era indeed.

Rock on, Holt.

Remember when I said if I could only have one bike it would be my Misfit diSSent Brontoawesomeous Meatplow V.5?


Well, for the next four days I can only have one bike, and I guess I'll have to eat my words.  Not a cross bike with gears and disc brakes like the Angry "Singlespeeder"* would choose, but a cross bike with one gear and some very crossy "can't stop, won't stop" cantis.

39X16.  It should prove to be a versatile option where I'm headed.  I guess one could say I'm "training," but only as long as they use that term as loosely as possible.  It is true that twice this week I turned my twenty minute commute into a fifty minute commute, DESPITE the insanely cold temperatures.  I'm not saying that slightly below freezing temps are all that cold, but going out and riding extra miles in less than 30° conditions  for marginal gains in fitness is kinda stupid.  The thing is, I'm normally tacking on my longer route this time of year as the boredom of the straightest point A to point B commute has dulled my senses entirely.  I long for my wandering ambles through the South side of Charlotte, discovering new roads, dead ends, and cul-de-sacs.  I mean, it's not like I have something cool like the Col de Galibier near my house, but it's not for my lack of looking for it




My "training" will really start next week at the 5th annual 6 Hours of Warrior Creek.  This will be my first time not racing in the solo single speed class at the event.  With my waning desire to start preparing for the "season" so early in the year, so have my results plummeted over the years.  From a win in '09, to a third place after leaving the course to find help for an injured rider (an effort that was at least rewarded with much beer), to an "I can see the podium from here" 4th place, to last years DNF from an illness that I incurred while on vacation the weekend before...

Hey, that sounds familiar.

I guess in the best interest of the other half of The Last Minute Death Machine (2012 6 Hour Duo Coed World Champions), I will stay away from any and all questionable Mexican restaurants.

So, I'm out until next Wednesday.  This couldn't be more well timed, as traffic has been through the roof ever since The Horny Single Speeder's Guide to Single Speed Podium Etiquette.  A nice break should encourage any new readers to look elsewhere, getting us back to our happy core group.

* Point of mild interest: While Facebooking with my new bestie, I found out that the Angry Singlespeeder and I shared the same trail at some point in our past... our long forgotten past. We both did the Month of Mud Series in Western PA back in the early 90's, albeit he was an up and coming junior rider and I was struggling for top five finishes in the "citizens class."

Maybe it's not single speeding that makes us angry, it just comes naturally when you grow up in PA and OH.

And because I identify with this, being a 40+ year old quintessential 80's/90's man, I am more metal than you...

even if I have a 21 year old kid, a retirement plan, and a strong desire to be in bed before 10:30PM.