“If You’re Not First, You’re Last!”
Truer words have never been spoken…thank you Reece Bobby, the character played by actor Gary Cole in the 2006 cinematic classic “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” I’ve been involved in organized bicycle races and rides for 40 years, and I can’t recall ever coming in LAST, but that’s just what happened at the recent “Tour De Lincoln” Metric Century Ride through beautiful parts of Placer County on October 21st. Now, to be fair, my riding partner Dave and myself actually came in third and fourth last, if that makes sense, after a grueling 61 miles of hills, steep grades and soul-crushing “rollers.” The other two riders in our party, who we decided to literally bail on over the last 5 miles, came in the final two places. We suspected we weren’t exactly burning up the course when we stopped at the final rest stop – about 8 miles from the finish – and we heard the volunteers on walkie-talkies saying “yeah, the last ones are finally here!” Regardless of how slow we apparently were, the ride was incredibly scenic and well-marked: much thanks going out to the multiple volunteers, service clubs and community members who made the event possible. Maybe next year I’ll have something to say besides “well, we finished it.” 🙂
