Thanks to everyone who came out to the Ides of March this weekend. I can honestly say that all of you who stayed home because of the snow missed out. As I was cursing to myself and praying to… i guess myself… while I was finalizing the course that morning I thought that none of you fools would ever leave your house to race 25 miles around town and climb what easily ended up bring 300+ stairs.
You’re all winners. Doubly so considering that 70% of the field cut the course and the actual “winner” is still sorta up for debate. Bart came into the finish first, but skipped the most fun part of the course coming down Cheasty after taking some bad routing advice from Dirty Randy. Joe was the first in to have ridden all – or most of – the course, but he’s pretty shifty and there’s just no way we could let him win. All he got was some public shaming and a t-shirt with his face on it.
Then came along our perpetual winners – Brian and Craig. Congrats to them.
Afterwards some of us went out to a teammate’s irish-y, punk(?), sea shanty, whatever show (They sound like the Pogues with a fiddle and banjo). A few drinks and shots later and I’ve got this at 2am.
FML.
For the suckers who missed out this weekend, the green arrows and shamrocks will most likely still be around for a few weeks. Start at the stairs at the bottom of Holgate and follow them from there. Here’s a map. The only instructions you’ll really need are:
1. If you can see a trail beside the road, you’re probably supposed to be on it.
2. When you get to the outdoor fireplace/chimney, go back down the stairs.
3. When in doubt, climb up the road instead of coasting down it
4. The course ends at the top of the Collonade.
Have fun.
That course was awesome (except for the colonnade of doom) which sucked. I’m bummed we missed Cheasty, although Randy led the way home from from Cap Hill with seamless directions and a few ahhmmm, red lights that looked green at the time ( I owe you a stem or bars, take your pick).
Thanks guys for putting that on.
Bart
Glad that you had fun, Bart. I can’t blame a man for following Randy down the wrong path. It’ll happen from time to time.
I was not the one who led those astray, I just helped them find the shortest way back to the path of righteousness…..and then I got seriously shit-housed.
Ha! Don’t nobody punch hank!