Greenway Games V1.0.5 2022

I wasn't originally going to get a chance to do the Greenway Games here in Charlotte because it was on the same date as the King and Queen of the Watershed, and I'm contractually obligated to do it in turn for Watts following me around blindly at the Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race.

*Ian enters the room*

Both races got rescheduled because "we needed the rain", and as luck (good and bad) would have it, they were put on Saturday and Sunday this past weekend.  I had no excuse to not do them both, other than it was gonna pack a lot of logistics and painful intervals into my weekend.

YOGRO (you only get reincarnated occasionally)

The Greenway Games was intended to be a feeler event on the part of New Type Cycling to possibly bring back the Tour de Charlotte ride-a-palooza (previously presented by Faster Mustache) some time in the future.  I'd do just about anything to see that they have much success, so remove the scheduling conflict, and all is buenos in the world.

Ride over to Resident Culture, check in... chat a bit with the promoter folks.  On time rollout and a small crew started our way south towards the first stage.  Although we were few in number, the bikes and riders were diverse.  Cross, road, garvel, tracklocross, fixed with brakes, Enduro™, hybrid, and me on my Vertigo Meatplow V.7. 

Head to head competition that you just don't see at your typical bike cycle sporting event.

Probably about two miles in length, and with a sorta home course advantage, I figured this was my one shot to kinda pull out a stage win.  I had the closest thing to the best bike for this course, but the "game" aspect of the Greenway Games involved shooting an inflatable ball at a few hoops... and I thought it was worth a stage win (13 points) not the 3 points it was actually worth... so worth it to drop the bike, run across the bridge, and try and toss a ball accurately with my heart rate pegged... or at least I thought.

A very short LeMans run and I'm first on the bike, first into the woods... first to the bridge to make the decision as to whether or not to take a shot.  Stupidly convinced that it was worth a stage, I stop, run across the bridge, grab a ball... and with my heart racing, I totally underestimate that the ball weighs next to nothing and... air ball.  Turn and look back at the bridge, and Jarred on a cross bike just took the lead as he skipped the game of chance.  A mountain bike is faster out here, but... good luck getting past anyone on the narrow, twisty trail.  I managed to reel him back in, use the one place I know where it's possible to get around, and take the W... and then find out that I'd risked the bird in the hand for three in the bush and not thirteen.  Doh.

A quick repair to Nick's bike to save him some potential dental work and we're off to Stage Two at Revolution Park.  

Stage Two: Cyclocross

It's an almost pretty solid CX course.  LeMans to grass to some taped off 90° turns and a couple 180° turns on the side of a hill to a steep climb to a flyover to conquer a giant tree to a grass downhill to a 120° sweeping turn to a long stretch of paved greenway.  Three laps.

I get to my bike first, make it through the chicanes, to the flyover, and the sweeper... and when I get on the greenway, 19MPH is the most my 32X18 can muster.  Two cross bikes come flying past me at Mach Chicken.  I closed the gap down in the tight twisties, but the second time on the greenway is the final nail in my coffin.  I'm not getting back to the front.  Meh.  

Horses for courses and I was riding a cow.  Third place.

A short hop over to the next stage...

Stage Three: Urban Cross

Six laps, tight turns, one "technical" pinch point, pleasant bubble machines... and the opportunity to score point with a cornhole toss once per lap.  I figured that since I suck bad enough at cornhole that I wouldn't get two outta six on the board under normal conditions, I've already mentally checked outta trying.  Line up for a non-LeMans start, and it's determined that anyone with one in the W column has to start in the second row, I take my place.

Instead of getting a 3, 2, 1, go... someone just says go.  Alex on an actual mountain bike type cycle gets the hole shot and I get right on his wheel.  Oh, the calamity. 

It's gas-brake-gas-brake, so my only hope is that things get stuffed up and jumbled in lapped traffic since it looks like Alex isn't trusting this stage to his cornhole skills either.  I tried (and failed) to make moves where I could whilst bleeding out of my eyeballs.  No buneos.  Second place.

A very short scoot over to Rhino Market for beer and a score tally and prizes.

Yay.  A win.

*Not show: the plethora of things I won in the raffle that I had to figure out a creative way of getting home whilst only equipped with S.W.A.T. bibs and a shorts pocket.

Less of a win for me and way more for New Type Cycling.  This, for lack of a better term, soft launch was on the small side, but I'm hoping this gives them the faith in their abilities to do a more grandiose event sometime in 2023.

Because I'll be there.

Next up, The King and Queen of the Watershed.