Annual Thanksgiving Day Ride - 2012
It’s that time of year again. After considerable debate and extensive polling, it’s been decided that this year’s Thanksgiving Day Ride will take place on Thursday, November 22nd, Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to everyone who took the time to weigh in on this important scheduling issue.
The ride organizers received many enticing offers from sponsors to host the ride launch. In the end, it was felt that Wheel & Sprocket’s generous offer of a $2,000 gift certificate* to each finisher made the most sense, although the free beer for life offer from Miller Brewing and “Customer’s Choice” offer from Madame Madeline’s House of Pleasures were also enticing.
(*Gift certificate details: must redeem by 11/1/12. Not good on in stock or special order merchandise, or for service work. Other restrictions may and will apply. See Jesse for details.)
To facilitate the distribution of the post ride swag, we will launch from W&S’ Northshore location at Green Tree and Lake. Fox Point and River Hills have finished their ride route resurfacing projects, and we’d like to acknowledge both communities for the considerable time and expense they invested to complete the work in time for the ride. In an effort to make sure that no one misses a single drumstick or slice of pumpkin pie, we’ll roll at 9:00 a.m. This will also help make sure we get the ride completed before the temps get too high. Per tradition, custom, and regulation, we’ll roll through River Hills, Thiensville and north to Grafton, then summit the Col du Bridge Road heading east to the shores of Lake Michigan. In a surprise twist, we’ll then head back south on Lake Shore Drive. The B Ride option turns east on Friestadt Road out of Thiensville and over to Concordia.
Ride distance: 35 miles
B Ride distance: 25 miles
A word about pacing: Easy
A few more words about pacing: It’s Thanksgiving Day. ToAD doesn’t start for 7 months. Treat this ride like a sorority mixer, albeit with fewer 22 year old co-eds. Take time to talk to as many people as you can, regaling them with tales of all the incredible things you did this year, or are sure to do next year. If this is the day your coach wants you to do intervals or a hard time trial effort, do it before the ride, or better yet, get a new coach. If anyone violates the time honored tradition of making this one of most social rides you do all year, offer a gentle reminder to the offender by inserting your frame pump in their front wheel. Don’t have a frame pump? Throw a few C02 cartridges in there. It’ll work almost as well and more importantly, send a message.
A note about doping: the TDay Ride organizers have consistently maintained a strict anti-doping policy. It’s for this very reason that all of the pee deposited on the side of the Meekwon Park hill throughout the year is meticulously gathered, labeled, catalogued and tested. Like everyone else in the cycling world, we are disappointed with former TDay riders who have been convicted of doping or admitted their past transgressions. We remain troubled however with the decisions of other agencies to retroactively strip recognition of past achievements, finding it distasteful to attempt to rewrite history or deny what has previously occurred. For that reason, no past TDay rider will be removed from our Honorary Scroll of Riders. Rather, known dopers will be listed in our Scroll with an asterisk next to their name, and each of us will judge for ourselves how the particular transgressors should be remembered. In that regard, the following past Thanksgiving Day Ride finishers will be listed with an asterisk:
Lance Armstrong
Tyler Hamilton
Jan Ullrich
Benny Smith
Alberto Contrador
Early weather projections: 44, with a slight possibility of sprinkles, i.e: perfect TDay Ride conditions.
Everyone welcome. The more the merrier. If you received a forwarded copy of this message want to be added to the ride list, please send me an e-mail.
As in past years, management strongly encourages everyone to join the Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin, or renew their old membership. The BFW continues to lead the way in bicycle advocacy at the legislative and administrative levels. Your membership benefits all of us and costs as little as $35. See http://bfw.org/join/index.php?category_id=4611 for more information.
- Thursday, November 22
- 9:00 a.m.
- Wheel & Sprocket, Fox Point
- 35 miles
- 414-352-0900
- [email protected]