Come One, Come All

The event of the year is almost upon us...

Survival of the Fittest '05
http://www.angelfire.com/rock4/fittestrace/

That's right. We are less than one month away from the third installment of the bike race. The idea originated about one year ago when Marc Palmer and I created a phenomenon that has grown bigger than either of us could have imagined. And with the participation and support from many of our friends, the bike race should continue to grow each and every year.

Originally, the two of us had hoped to add a little excitement to a summer routine that was becoming a bit stale. Sure, we all enjoy throwing down some beers, visiting the local bars, attending the annual festivals. However, the two of us wanted to do something different. We wanted to create a competitive event that would bring together all of our friends. The result of our efforts from May/June of '04 came to be known simply as "The Bike Race."

The first race took place on July 31st with the title "Out-of-Shape Race Across Gates." This race was fiercely competitive and I was able to outsmart the field and took first place by a two-minute margin. Joe Cecere and Marc battled for second, with Joe edging Marc by a dozen or so seconds. Brian Crnkovich and Matt Burnett were the next to cross the finish line, followed by a dazed and confused Nick Tatar. Pete Wilson encountered some bike trouble early in the race and was unable to finish. He was escorted to the finish line by our official, Vinny Candileri. After the race, the trend-setting participants partied at the half-bridge. It was a celebration of what will live forever as the original bike race.

Two weeks later, Marc and I decided to press our luck and hold another race. We knew it would be difficult to top the original, but I thought the actual setup of the second race went above and beyond what we came up with the first time around. "The Ultimate Game" began and ended at the same place, Pete Wilson's house in Chili. To start the race, I asked Tim Wilson to pick a word, jumble it up, and distribute it to every racer. Once the word was unscrambled, the racer went over to a posterboard, picked the task they were to accomplish at Wegman's (one of the checkpoints), and then they could begin the race. Despite popping a tire early in the race, I once again finished in first place. I rode on the flat tire back to my house and sprinted as fast as I could to Joe Cecere's house. He was not participating in this race because he was out of town, but thankfully his bike and his mom were home. Matt and Vinny finished minutes after me. Marc, who also popped a tire, cam in fourth place on a BMX bike. The rest of the field finished in this order: Reimer, Pete, Tatar, and the first lady of racing, Meghan. The after party at Pete's went into the early hours of the morning. I celebrated my second victory throughout the night.

Now we come to race #3. We have been planning this race for many months and finally have a website to distribute information (thanks Todd Burnett). This year's race will definitely have more competitors than the first two races and is sure to be the most competitive. I will be giving it my all to win my third straight race, but I expect the rest of the field to give me a run for my money. June 18th. Survival of the Fittest '05.