Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/524073233
Attendees: Shannon, Vince, Todd, Adrian, Hiroshi, Mitchell, Steve M., Jaffe, PV and Seon
When I was getting my bike ready for today's lunch ride after announcing yesterday it would be my last, I have to admit I felt a little emotional. Aside from the normal anxiety of riding with this nutty group, reflecting on all my experiences with them over the years definitely tugged at some of the heartstrings. On top of that, I wondered if anyone was even going to show up!
Before I go into the ride (which thankfully a lot of guys showed up for), let me take you down memory lane with me to highlight some of crazy memorable events with this crew. I'll call it "Remember When...."
Remember when...
...we started riding at lunch as a bunch of individuals then got our first BRCM jerseys and became a more uniform-looking bunch of individuals?
...there was a Wednesday/Friday crew (consisting of Vin and Hiroshi at the time) who we would love to join for recovery days?
...Gary and Todd got new bikes and transformed into different riders overnight having everyone else follow their lead soon after...except Vince who waited and waited and waited but now is super dangerous on his Cervelo?
...Adrian wore mountain bike shorts to his first ride but conformed after realizing it was a disadvantage?
...we did our first century (Stagecoach) only to subsequently dominate their team time trials for several years with Vince, Todd, Shannon and Noah setting the tone?
...we did our first race ever in Camp Pendleton (the bulldog) in the rain yielding some wins and good placements?
...Vince didn't try to break away? Me neither.
...we jumped at every opportunity to do a hill climb challenge (Alpine, San Diego, OCGF, LeTaupe) and doing very well in them?
...our post events became why we rode rather than the ride itself? I think our first Big Bear outing set the baseline for the rest to follow.
...we all experienced mild to severe hypothermia at the San Diego Gran Fondo?
...Mitch called Shannon an amateur and how we all gasped in fear of the ensuing punishment to follow?
Attendees: Shannon, Vince, Todd, Adrian, Hiroshi, Mitchell, Steve M., Jaffe, PV and Seon
When I was getting my bike ready for today's lunch ride after announcing yesterday it would be my last, I have to admit I felt a little emotional. Aside from the normal anxiety of riding with this nutty group, reflecting on all my experiences with them over the years definitely tugged at some of the heartstrings. On top of that, I wondered if anyone was even going to show up!
Before I go into the ride (which thankfully a lot of guys showed up for), let me take you down memory lane with me to highlight some of crazy memorable events with this crew. I'll call it "Remember When...."
Remember when...
...Tim organized the first BBR I attended where Vince dominated all the years before? This was how I got into road bikes.
...we started riding at lunch as a bunch of individuals then got our first BRCM jerseys and became a more uniform-looking bunch of individuals?
...there was a Wednesday/Friday crew (consisting of Vin and Hiroshi at the time) who we would love to join for recovery days?
...I crashed due to a pine cone but was able to take out a Honda Civic on a different ride?
...Gary and Todd got new bikes and transformed into different riders overnight having everyone else follow their lead soon after...except Vince who waited and waited and waited but now is super dangerous on his Cervelo?
...Adrian wore mountain bike shorts to his first ride but conformed after realizing it was a disadvantage?
...we did our first century (Stagecoach) only to subsequently dominate their team time trials for several years with Vince, Todd, Shannon and Noah setting the tone?
...we did our first race ever in Camp Pendleton (the bulldog) in the rain yielding some wins and good placements?
...Vince didn't try to break away? Me neither.
...we jumped at every opportunity to do a hill climb challenge (Alpine, San Diego, OCGF, LeTaupe) and doing very well in them?
...Galen broke his collar bone at the 2nd OCGF but never broke his spirit?
...Jaffe was a menace to cycling society and rode like he was British (wrong side of road)?
...our post events became why we rode rather than the ride itself? I think our first Big Bear outing set the baseline for the rest to follow.
...we all experienced mild to severe hypothermia at the San Diego Gran Fondo?
...Mitch called Shannon an amateur and how we all gasped in fear of the ensuing punishment to follow?
...riding was somewhat normal until Strava ruined our lives?
...Jeremy bought a bike, then another, then one after that, etc., etc?
...we celebrated weddings by trying to kill ourselves on a ride days before?
...we piled into Shannon's truck for the Death Ride and nearly experienced death after getting in it post his flatulence? Oh and that handlebar dance....
...people used to look at us and say "who's Broadcom?" only to later on say "Oh no, Broadcom's here?"
...we thought it was a good idea to carry a water bottle with ~10 lbs of sand in it for training purposes? This, of course, had to be outdone by Verm who would wear a 40 lbs. vest during his training.
...Noah was the only one with a Power Meter where now those who don't are the minority?
Oh man, there are so many memories that I could go on and on, but in the interest of Internet storage space, I'll leave you with the ones above. Hell, you can always read my prior blogs if you want to know more. That's why they're there!
As for today's ride, I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout especially since I hardly get out anymore. Along with the current "regular" riders, we had the likes of Seon, PV (on a TT bike) and Adrian join us (I should include Todd since he doesn't ride much nowadays too). Plus we had Shawn, Tim and Jeremy come out to say goodbye and join us in the picture taking. Needless to say, I was touched and rather thankful for the honor.
The ride was everything I could have wanted in my last lunch ride with this group: we maintained a manageable pace for most of it with multiple people working together, regrouped here and there and sprinkled in some BAM in to keep it interesting for everyone. My OCD didn't mind that we were not all uniform kit-wise too. It was still a sight to see with 11 of us riding together and Shawn leading us out of the parking lot with his beach cruiser. Sweet!
Here are some pictures from today:
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| Staging area 1 |
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| Just in time |
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| Staging area 2 |
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| Surrounded by black kits |
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| PC - Jeremy |
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| Today's riding crew |
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| Today's full goodbye crew |
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| Always badass in bunches |
In closing, I want to say that it has been an incredible 8+ years of riding with this group. Everyone has grown so much, especially me, and I know people will continue to grow even in my absence. I'm really sorry I haven't been here throughout (life happens), but I know that I'm only a small piece of the equation (okay, maybe an important piece but still). You guys have made me the cyclist and competitor I am today...humble but hungry. I'm so thankful for getting to know each and every one of you, whether we've ridden once or literally fought cycling battles in the trenches multiple times. I asked myself if I should continue donning our kit after I leave, but I just can't imagine not representing the best group of guys (not the company) out there. While I may not have the badge, I'll always be a BAMMER for life.
Yours truly,
Rich
Yours truly,
Rich
