Big Bikes

Shut Out of Single Speed Worlds

New Year's Eve, I'm at a party, my friend Matt informs me that registration for SSWC08 is opening that night at midnight Pacific time, 3AM east coast time. I made a tough decision...I would curtail my PBR drinking and dancing to classic lame hip hop hits and head home to wait by my computer. I was home with time to burn, brought up the SSWC site, filled out the form, heeded the warning not to send the form early, and began eagerly awaiting 3AM, my finger on the send button, watching the clock on the cable box and my computer, like a (drunken) dog watching a steak and a chicken leg. Bam! I did it, fired off that form faster than a cheetah on EPO.
A couple days later I got the response...denied. How could this be possible? 350 people stopped what they were doing on New Year's Eve, like a bunch of losers (like me) and got on their computers. Seemed even more likely that folks in the Pacific time zone spent the very moment the ball was dropping sending a registration form for a bike race which was nearly eight months away. Thing is, a whole lot of people who wanted to go didn't even know registration was even opening that night.
And that would have been the end of the story, I would have gone to SSWC in Napa with every intention of crashing, but unbeknownst to me Miriam (my most specialest friend) went behind my back and contacted the promoters, telling them to transfer her registration to me (she actually got in). Here is her email:

Hi SSWCO8 people:

I am very excited to hear that I am in, but I would like to give my spot to my boyfriend, Thom Parsons, if possible. Why would I give up my precious spot you ask? Well, first off, he is the one who came home early on new years eve just to get on the computer to sign up. He signed himself up before me and then I asked him to sign me up too, as an after thought...so technically, his entry was submitted before mine. Secondly and more importantly, he is the true single speeder in our house. He is all single speed all the time, not just for a race here or there, when the terrain suits one gear. He even races cross on a single speed. In my book, he is Mr. single speed and deserves to be able to play/race with his peers way more than do. He does not know I am making this request, so please don't picture some wanker sitting there telling me I need to write an email and give up my spot. Ideally, we would both like to participate, but if it is just one of us, I hope you will transfer my spot to him. If you are able to make this change, could you please put me on the waiting list? Please let me or Thom know by the 15th so that we can pay the registration fee. I appreciate your consideration of this request. His email is Thomp---@gmail.com.

Thanks

That was mighty, mighty magnanimous of her, and this was their response:

Hi Miriam - We have changed the name and email address on the registration list to Thom Parsons and have wait listed you case someone changes their mind before the 15th. Go ahead and send in the entry fee under his name.
SSWC08 Team

Giddy Up! They followed it up with this:

We just had someone drop out and because you selflessly gave up your spot to your husband, YOU ARE IN, again. Go ahead and pay your entry fee by the 15th and we look forward to seeing you in August.

SSWC08 Team

This is the way human interactions should always work, amazing, Christmas came late this year. Miriam rocks and so do the SSWC08 Team, thanks!

In other news my racing nickname is now "Smash Proton", it's an anagram of my actual name.