2016 unOFFICIAL TMWC

What does it mean to have a vision, a dream that only you can see?

… and what are you going to do about it?

We just put on an event with riders from as far away as Arizona, from Malibu to San Diego, and cities and towns in between… all connected by a concrete web so tangled only the locals can navigate without an app…

… at 6:30AM!… on a Tuesday!!!

The unOFFICIAL TMWC has grown into the largest weekday morning, pre-work “race” in the US, and it started with a dream, a vision, only a few could see.

How’d we do it?

Really, how do you do that?

The original crew of 4 laughed at me when I told them the name of the ride, I couldn’t even take it seriously: The Tuesday Morning World Championships.  It sounded so unbelievable I had a crooked grin everytime I said it.  But, we just kept saying it over and over.

Give your dream an audacious and memorable name.

We’d pick up commuters who would join us on parts of the route, and we’d ask them about where they were headed and what they did.  We’d post in club forums, and reach out to local shops and teams.  Many great people have come and gone over the years, and many friendships have been made.

Make friends along the way.

Sure it hurts the ego when you can’t hang, but it’s such an ego stroke when you can make it one corner or hill further than before.  When you PR a segment! Give it your all, beating on each other makes the group stronger.

Be gracious and congratulatory.

With the ride, it took about a month to scout out the course.  Challenging.  Safe.  Interesting. And, for “the city”  pretty darn light-free, completely light and stop free the last 7 miles.  It’s a great course.

Make it great, whatever it is.

Start on time, don’t wait for flats, obey the traffic laws, teach newbys the rules of group riding. The group is depending on a reliable experience they can plan the rest of their busy lives around.

Be dependable.

We kept growing.  Each invitation being delivered with passion and conviction by ever more people:  “Hey man, we got this cool course and awesome group a guys.  We hit it pretty hard every Tuesday.  Come out.”  Depending on skills and fitness, we followed with “we could use a rocket like you to light it up” or “you’ll learn how to ride in a group, it’s safe.”

Keep inviting. One human at a time.

There’s genuine love (too mushy?) for each other.  We’ve shared our life stories:  marriage, work/no work, child-rearing, cancer, broken bones, spiritual journeys, what training is working, what big event is on the radar, encouraging each other all along.

Have love for the group and the individual.

With all that naming, friending, congratulating, greatness, dependability, inviting and loving you still have to persevere.  There have been times when it’s 28 degrees and dark, days we didn’t get home the night before until well after mid-night, many times with an evening MTB  race to follow.  There will be obstacles in the way, but if that dream is burning you’ll show up, you’ve got to show up to your own dream

Persevere, be the leader and be dependable.

Know that there are lots of wonderful new friends that want to be part of what you’ve got going on… and you’ll keep making it better, because those new friends will contribute their time and energy freely, simply because you shared your passion with them and they are digging your vibe.

Share the dream!

Thanks for being part of our dream this year.

Sarah Strange for (wo)manning the registration table and shooting great stills on the corkscrew.

Jim and Vickie Bishop for riding lead moto and shooting the drone footage I can’t wait to see.

Chad and Geno at Baghouse for the awesome awards.

Damion Hickman for the killer t-shirt art.

Shelby Burton for the new sexy kit design.

Marco Sanchez for scoring the Oakley eyewear.

Guy LaRoque, BetterRoofing.com, for the insurance.

Robb Dorf for the PureFit bars.

Dan and Brandon for the Bowls of Heaven.

The local bike shops (I hope you frequent) for being awesome: RocknRoad, The Path and Two Hubs for the great gifts… really, go see these shops they are all unique and cool to visit.

Mike Gould, Chris Johnston and Jim Bishop for being on “the board”.

To all the trophy wives (that Susie Brown!) and husbands and lovers and kids and parents who indulge us and support us.

Now lets go build our dreams!

PS  The kids dominated!  1-2-3 when to Kevin 15, Mikael 18, Andrew 15… couldn’t be better.  We raised a record amount for the local high school MTB teams.  Official results will be up soon at TheTMWC.com

PSS… I’m sure I missed or forgot something, drop me a line and I’ll get it updated.