RTL full write-up, and then some

[Tyler_N]

sweet. I'll start preparing now

[ridethelobster2008]

Hey Steve,
Having missed the race in person...someone had to stay home at RTL World Media Centre and answer phones and e-mail, you put the meat on the bones of the event I followed on Chartmyworld GPS and through blog posts and media coverage.
Lovely pictures and a writing style, I think, which just didn't spontaneously appear.

Thoughtful work, and it shows. We are all in your debt for this heartfelt memoir of a memorable week.

Best regards, and happy Canada Day!
William

[BoojiBoy]

Steve,
Great write-up. It was nice to read about what was going on in the front of the pack. It got pretty lonely down in the 20's, but there were times where we had a nice leapfrogging competition with the Korean Dream Team. Those intense competetive moments were the most fun and the friendship and respect that came out of them was great.

[rolandisimo]

Steve, great write up, as usual. Great to have you on my team to get things recorded so well. Here is my cliff notes version:

Day 0: This lobster is great, but can we get this thing started already!

Day 1: I can't believe I am riding in first place...er, there goes Ken Looi, I mean second place...woops, there go the speeders, I mean third place....who are these guys...Texacalifragilistic? Oh well, I still can't believe we are in 4th place.

Day 2: I can't believe we are in the front again, this might actually be for real. Pesky Texacali passes us again later in the day. Darn them! Rains a lot, but at least its not too cold or windy.

Day 3. Time Trials are fun, only ~1hr of riding. Crits are even more fun, but I want a do-over

Day 4. The ups and downs feel like a personal roller coaster! We love it and keep ahead of Texacali. Lots of great dueling in the middle of the race. Team Smile loves the course even more, wins the day, and beats us by so much we don't even see them towards the end.

Day 5. We start the day about 30 seconds behind Texacali in a fight for overall 3rd place. We push hard but can not stay with them. We stay ahead of Smile and are thrilled to finish 4th. The sun comes out for the last great downhill, and we even get a tailwind to push us home. Splendid wrapup to a fantastic week. Ice cream and beer follow as just rewards.

[steveyo]

Originally Posted by ridethelobster2008

...someone had to stay home at RTL World Media Centre and answer phones and e-mail, you put the meat on the bones of the event...

Thanks for that William!

Originally Posted by ridethelobster2008

...Lovely pictures and a writing style, I think, which just didn't spontaneously appear....Thoughtful work, and it shows. We are all in your debt for this heartfelt memoir of a memorable week.

And thanks very much for that, too. I write mostly for my dad, who devours every word of that stuff, and for myself, to remember the event.

Originally Posted by BoojiBoy

...Those intense competitive moments were the most fun and the friendship and respect that came out of them was great.

You said it, Kyle.

Originally Posted by rolandisimo

Here is my cliff notes version:...
Day 3. Time Trials are fun, only ~1hr of riding. Crits are even more fun, but I want a do-over

I want a do-over, too, but the crits were still fun and exciting. Great cliff notes. I don't why I wrote 7000+ words, when you summed it up so well.

[unicycle6869]

Nice (but long and worth it) write-up! Enjoyed reading someone else's perspective on it and all the pics. Nice meeting you and I'm sure we'll meet again sooner or later. Let me know if you are ever in the LA/OC area.

Cheers,
Jamey

[steve.colligan]

Great write-up Steve. Not that I've forgotten anything about RTL, but it certainly brought it all back to me. Nicely written. The beauty of your article is that it could have been written for any of the teams, as we all went through the same things out there.

I've passed your article on to family and friends to read as a more detailed explanation as to what went on in Nova Scotia. They've all enjoyed reading it, so thanks for all efforts in writing it.

It was a pleasure to meet you Steve. Sorry you weren't the oldest rider in the top seven teams .

Take it easy,
Steve

[steveyo]

Originally Posted by steve.colligan

Great write-up Steve.

Thanks, Steve!

Originally Posted by steve.colligan

...it could have been written for any of the teams, as we all went through the same things out there.

I agree.

Originally Posted by steve.colligan

It was a pleasure to meet you Steve. Sorry you weren't the oldest rider in the top seven teams

The pleasure was mine, and my small consolation: I was the oldest in the top six teams!

[steve.colligan]

Originally Posted by steveyo

I was the oldest in the top six teams!

Funny boy. Good one Steve.