The Stinky Spoke

So how do I motivate myself to mountain bike early on a Saturday morning in January? By signing up for the Stinky Spoke poker run, of course. I talked Zack into it by telling him it was a chance to ride his new 29er singlespeed. And then I talked Shawn into it by reminding him that his wife was out of town and he might as well. The free beer didn’t hurt, either.

This was the event’s biggest year ever with more than 600 riders signing up, and the start/finish area at Redhook Brewery was bustling by 8:30 a.m. After picking up our numbers and first playing cards, we took off, pedaling furiously to warm ourselves up. It was a blast riding from checkpoint to checkpoint along the 16-mile course to collect the rest of our cards. What a variety of bikes! Ti, carbon fiber, aluminum, steel--all the materials were represented. And then there were the riders: old and young, women and men, street clothes and team kits, and a guy wearing a white dress shirt and tie. There was even one plucky gal trail running the course while her partner rode.

I didn’t end up with a great poker hand, but I did have a great time. Judging by the smiles on the other riders’ faces, they were having a blast too. It didn’t even rain!!

Zack was having so much fun that he started taking pictures behind his back. Here’s one where Shawn and I were in the frame together. Props to the lovely Julie Mahan for turning me onto this event. FUN!