36 Hours of Booty

Okay, so the event is 24 Hours of Booty, but because Dave was on the organizing committee, it was 36 for him. He got there around 8:30 am Friday morning, helped with set up all day, and was on his bike for the official event kick-off at 7 pm.

Can you find Dave?

Despite triple digit heat, the girls and I headed to Myer's Park Friday evening. Dave had talked it up last year, so I at least wanted to see a little bit. We finally found parking, and booked it for the start line. Annabelle had insisted on walking, but after a block, she decided riding in the sling would be better. (Sidenote: It is easier to keep track of an 18-month-old in a sling, but holy Ned, having a 23 pound heater strapped to you with basically a blanket in 100 degree heat isn't fun.) It's a beautiful area, and it reminds me of Palo Alto. I even found a great house for us, but it's a little out of our range.

The side of the road not used for cycling. Beautiful area.

We made it in time, took some pictures, and found Dave lined up with his team. When Dave had mentioned riding this year, I was more than happy to support him in that. I have good associations with this event (aside from the good cause, though that should be enough!). As he was helping at the start line last year, he saw corporate teams getting ready and thought, "I'd love to be able to do that next year!" Right before the race started, he got the call offering him his job. It had been a long job search, and he landed a job with his goal company. He rode with them this year.

Those raising hands are in remission.

The first lap around the "booty loop" (about 3 miles, the area for which the event was named) was a parade lap. They invited all participating cancer survivors and those currently battling to come to the front to ride. Along with the race numbers, they had tags that said, "In memory of...", "In honor of...", and "I'm a survivor!" It was incredibly moving to see so many of those tags. It seemed like almost everyone had a personal connection, and was a stark reminder of how many lives are affected by cancer. They encouraged everyone to take it easy; it wasn't really a race, but a chance to raise awareness and money. Talk, listen to stories, be inspired. As cyclists passed, you'd hear "My daughter was just diagnosed...", "My father is in remission...", "I lost my mother..." as they talked to each other.

A peloton approaches

All along the three mile course, people were cheering the cyclists on; I even saw a woman setting up what appeared to be a really nice dinner party on her front lawn. People were tailgating, blasting music, cheering. Dave said that some of them stayed all night.

Never-ending line of cyclists

Dave's waving back to Annabelle and Mabes

The girls and I didn't last long though. We went home for the night, and returned in the morning when it was a cool 90 degrees. (Dave said that at one point around 1:30 am, he made the comment that it had cooled down a lot--the guy he was talking to checked his phone and it said 87 degrees. Boo.) We brought cookies and got to meet some of Dave's teammates, including the captain and Sandy, the overall highest fundraiser ($50K!). As a team, they raised over $144,000.

Miserably hot despite misting fans...

...but the bounce house makes it better!

You want to squeeze her, don't you?

While the majority of riders looked like somewhat serious cyclists on road bikes, the range was impressive. There were tandems, hybrids, kids on bikes (and some on what Mabes calls "stuck together bikes--attached to a parent's bike), unicycles, even an old-fashioned high bike (more pictures). Mabes even pointed out a little kid in a bike trailer with an "I'm a survivor!" tag on it.

Wall of Hope

One of the many, many bike racks

Dave rode 67 miles, slept for about 3 hours in a chair, and spent the rest of the time running around helping with the event. When they handed out team awards, he got "best volunteer EVER." He was a little tired when he got home, but he had a great time. Thank you to everyone who donated; you'll be getting your art-by-Mabes soon.

Dave in "Bootyville," the where people slept/rested before heading out for more laps.

Dave's medal, handmade by Mona, the team captain

Dave's team