Passé un bon week-end

See, Madame Leland, I did retain some French!

So, big weekend coming up here, for reals - this Saturday night we celebrate... us. No, it's not some self congratulatory mass of people all full of themselves - this is the real deal. I think I might describe it as a Ride weekend distilled down to it's most spine-tingling moments.

And we have the added bonus of this very much NOT being the season wrap party, where we leave with a head full of ideas and dreams for next year and head back to our dens to hibernate. This time, we have first-year rider Walt and returning Alpha rider Stacey going out to the Tour of Tucson. Also going to Tucson are Jeremy to be the lead architect of the Bike Room, Tom M. to get the whole Bike Room experience, and of course Our Man MC, who will be wearing his National Head Coach hat this time around.

I'll freely admit that I'm jealous. I love these events; being part of two of them this year was a real treat. Tom's gonna get to see a different perspective a Ride, and I think he'll find it to be a lot of work for a lot of people who will be honestly thanking him. It'll be just as cool, but from a different place on the cool continuum.

Tom, my friend, prepare yourself for a diet consisting of all the major Mexican food groups: tacos, burritos, fajitas, and salsa bars. This is what powers the Bike Room.

So, back to the celebration at hand! We can arrive at the Rosewood Pointe Retreat House (I'm the Map!) at 6 pm. Parking is kinda snug, so carpool if you can. It doesn't look like we'll have a pile of snow to deal with, which simplifies things a lot. The eating will begin immediately, with the presentation starting at about 7 and running for about an hour. We can then return to the eating and the little groups gathered around telling stories.

We're not charging you specifically, but rather we're gonna pass the helmet around for contributions to cover the expense of renting the place. Bring a dish to pass and BYOB as well. You are more than welcome to stay the night, as well; the place sleeps about 25 easily. Please let us know ahead of time if you want to do that, though - please check your email and follow the link to the RSVP form, or ask one of us.

Sunday, the fun continues! If you're staying at the party, or just feel like dropping back in, we'll have breakfast and finish off the cleaning, and then... well, we'd love to have you come over to Manhattan Park in Grand Rapids to watch the KissCross cyclocross race. If you've not experienced a 'cross race, you need to - there's no more spectator-friendly form of bicycle racing, with short (roughly 1 mile) laps done on a twisty course with climbs, barriers, mud, sand, and, um, "features" designed to test, or possibly humiliate, the racers. I know of at least 4 of us planning to race - MC, Kaat, Tom M. and (gulp) me - and you're welcome to join the fun as well. The "C" race, the slowest and shortest of the starts, is at 11 AM; entry is $20. Try it, you'll love it!

And if you don't want to ride, please, come support/heckle us - bring your cowbells!