A few weeks ago, I had heard some rumors about me. I’m never one to beat around the bush so I decided to confront the guy who I thought may be the source. Come to find out, it was all a big misunderstanding and there was no issue. But this guy said something that has stuck with me ever since. “Thanks for talking to me about this. It’s refreshing. It seems like I am surrounded by nothing but cowards lately”
At first, I felt sorry for him because I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by so many wonderful people on a daily basis. But once I peered outside my circle, I started to notice what he was talking about. I guess it happens everywhere but I haven’t noticed it around me in a very long time. An average day in my world usually consists of nothing more than bikes, beers, and best friends
It is inevitable that life will occasionally get heavy and it gives you an opportunity to see things from a different angle. Last week I was heading to Flagstaff for a little fall riding in the hills. My phone rang just as I was pulling in to the trail head. It was my sister informing me of a death in the family. Stunned, I hung up the phone. There was a bike in front of me, the air was cool and crisp, and I already had my shoes on. I did the only thing I knew to do, I rode. I rode so hard that my legs blew up after only two hours. After a solid session of singletrack therapy, I coasted back to the car and went to go find my friends.
I recruited two of my closest friends to hit the town with me on a Monday night, I needed a drink. As the evening progressed, I toasted and celebrated the life of a great man. We ran into the infamous Goldmember and we shot the shit about everything from Mexico to how special east coast, immigrant families are to us. That guy gets it. Then, just as we made the move from cheap wine to good tequila, a coward reared his ugly head. Some guy who I would never be able to pick out of a crowd said to me:
“I’m glad Big Jonny got hit by that car. He deserved it, he was probably drunk”
Full stop. How I acted after those words were said may have been an over reaction or even juvenile but at the end of the day, I look out for my friends like family. I don’t regret it, and now I have to deal with the blow back. Like this e-mail I got the next day:
“The next time you show your little bitch face around Flag you’d better watch your back”
Noted, but this all seems so silly and trivial to me after the past few days. Before I got my bad news, this was shaping up to be a weekend of epic proportions. The plan was to go to a concert with my friend Turkey, who I met through this site. Then drive through the night to El Paso and do a 12 hour race put on by a guy that I also met through DC. It was also going to be my buddy MG’s first mountain bike race. I met MG a couple years ago through friends of this site. Are you starting to see the pattern here?
Instead, I’m sitting in a cabin in upstate New York without a bike for six days. Miserable, because I left in too much of a hurry to pack one. A member of the bike29 crew that I met in Ireland jumped in to save the day. They offered to lend me a bike without hesitation and to give me a tour of the trails around Waterbury, VT. I snuck away from the family for a day and rode some sweet Vermont singletrack, it was just what I needed. I would never have this connection without knowing 40 Hands. And I never would have met 40 without being a part of this web site.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for making this amazing family what it is. We would be nothing without each and every one of you around the globe. When cowards and haters make noise, we shut them up. When one of us stumbles or suffers a loss, we get their back. When it is Us vs. Them we look out for each other. I wish all cycling communities were like this.
It all leaves me searching for words. Bikes are cool, but they are just a gateway to what really matters. The amazing people that ride them. My glass is raised to you, friends. Thanks again.
keep it dirty…
…littlejar…i swear, you’re straight out of a john steinbeck novel & that, sir, is no insult…
…despite our past internet encounters, if we were ever in the same place at the same time, i’d certainly buy you a shot & beer or a glass of wine, amigo…
…being as i’m a lightweight imbiber myself, it’d prob’ly be just be the one but it’d be an honest effort on my part…
I’d drink all y’all under the fucking table.
And fuckin’ A I’d pick up the tab.
Sounds like a date Sparky, only problem is that you have such shit beer over there.
Beer? Who said anything about beer? What I had in mind was Bourbon, neat.
Although there’s many an astounding microbrew produced in this land so richly blessed. Try a few and you might abandon your prejudice.
…joe’s right, hurben…when you talk about a lotta the ‘usual’ swill advertised on tv, ya, you’re talking ‘shit beer’ but if you look around, you’d be delighted with the plethora of substantial & tasty brews…
…just one of many but red tail ale, a tribute to our local red tail hawks, from the mendocino brewing company, originally outta hopland, california is a perfect example…now that is smooth & tasty & satisfies @ 6.1%…
…show me a man or women who enjoys a good beer & if they don’t appreciate it’s rich goodness, they’re prob’ly workin’ on some kinda pretentious agenda…
.just sayin’…
Within driving distance we got:
Mountaneer Brewery-Martinsburg WV
Clipper City-Baltimore MD
Flying Dog-Frederick MD
Troegs-Harrisburgh PA
Troegs brews a seasonal beer that is one of my favorites around this time of year-Mad Elf. Brewed with cherries and honey and 14% ABV. It’ll knock your dick in the dirt.
In Lyons, CO (which most definitely is NOT within driving distance) is Oskar Blues. They put their beer up in cans. But it absolutely is NOT “canned beer”. Old Chub, a Scottish ale the color of chocolate, will win over those who claim not to like “dark beer”. Dale’s Pale Ale is as good as the stuff gets. But my personal favorite is Gordon’s beer, billed as “Big. Red. Sticky.” I balked alittle when I saw it was $14/4 pack, but by the third sip I was wonderin who would be crazy enough to sell anything so good for so cheap.
And that’s just afew. There are microbreweries everywhere, doing it right.
@Sparky & BGW,
gotcha, I was talking from 10 years ago when I would fly in, (if I never see LAX again it’d be too soon), get to Chicago, work 16 hour days integrating our software with the local teams for a month & then fly back home again.
Go to dinner in some God forsaken shithole & the only beer that I could stomach was Heineken.
Times have changed, even NZ is blessed with many Micro & craft breweries as well.
Spirits, I haven’t drunk any form of spirits in over 30 years, (yes I was as shocked as you are when I realized that).
Take care out there.
I for 1 do not want to live in a world where DB can’t get drunk and fight assholes.
If dirty caint punch nobodies. Nobodies can punch nobodies.
we’ll know DC has made it big when a low life wearing a DC t-shirt is arrested on an episode of Cops.
Other than some fartknocker who sideswiped my bike in his car, then claimed I KICKED his p.o.s, car, then, that night, showed up at my house, tried to force his way in, terrorized my neighbor (Mrs. Neighbor akshoololly; neighbor was at deer camp) I ain’t punched nobody in ages.
Is because most folks just know instinctively that I fucking WILL, aifinkso.
kthxbai
@107-You couldn’t find decent grub? In CHICAGO, ffs? Waddya, some fucking vegan?
“Is because most folks just know instinctively that I fucking WILL”
Don’t be bragging for silly reasons joe. Just having a decent height/weight stops 95% of problems. I’m 6′ 240 lbs. The average guy will not mess.
But that said, I ain’t been in a fight since like ’85 ??
And even in my prime I sucked at fighting. I won most fights but that was only cause I could take a hit. The other guy would wear out and I’d stomp him.
Thank Dear Ol’ Dad for that.
And yea. Hurben. If you could not find decent grub/beer in Chi-town, you didn’t look hard enuf.
No brag. Just fact. I just roll how I roll. Folks don’t say shit and they give me plenty of room. And yeah, I’m a comfirmed Clydesdale, but it ain’t about how big you are. It’s how you carry yourself. Heck, I got buddies half my size that command respect.
For any dc’s that are in the Clydesdale weight category…you ain’t shit for fighting for the reason tripleF says. You have to fight up a few weight classes to earn anything, and I’m guessing that gets hard at that size.
Shit, being a giant and having a threatening posture doesn’t prove anything other than you are a mean giant. Read Jack and the bean stalk again.
“you ain’t shit for fighting for the reason tripleF says.”
I’m a lover not a fighter. Even back then I strayed away from it. But fights did happen.
I was lucky enuf to be sizable enuf to avoid most of the BS.
Not sure where you’re coming from Yoro except for the innate bitterness that seems to pour out of you. Especially when it comes to db. What happened ? He bang your wife or something ?
—————–
@joe. A wise man once said: It ain’t the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.
I understand that. In person. But just walking in to a bar, being a Clydesdale is a benefit.
You gotta admit that man.
3F, You can’t even agree with anyone on here (as I just did with you) without someone saying your wife got banged. And of course if you disagree it is always worse…so fuck you!!! Lol, you are a puck, just a big punk.
Seriously, I am trying to swear off DC until next Tour, just failing at doing it. And of course, during the Tour, you can’t like a rider that others don’t like or you get accused of someone banging your wife.
for dirty – one of my favorite GG Allin songs.
DRINK FIGHT AND FUCK.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-KRQt8LGMI
@ Sparky & TripleF,
Yep, there were shit loads of good food joints, but at $25 a day for expenses, we couldn’t afford them, plus we were being paid in NZ dollars, not American, I did not do that job to become poorer, (that came later).
Yep, outsourcing of ‘American jobs to cheap offshore labor’
@YoRo,
now we’re getting into Shakespeare & Midnight summers dream
I’m impressed, this thread is becoming classy.
I never claimed to be a badass. Far from it, actually. Simply that it’s been my observation that mostly and for whatever reason, folks tend to leave me alone. And that’s the way (uh-huh, uh-huh) I like it (uh-huh, uh-huh).
Hurben, I hear you on the skimpy per diem. Worked out of town awhile for a company that did its employees that way. Never again.
Balls.
I know a lot of bad-ass MF’s. They’re all in prison, right now. I’m glad they are there. Those of you who own homes and talk shit on the internet…well, the real bad-asses only have some vague idea that computers exist and that those computers have something to do with how they got caught. You little munchkins don’t want even half of the half-assed shit that is going on right outside my trailer park front door right now to happen in your neighborhood. This ain’t a personal attack, I’m just telling you that however tough you think you are, if you are on here, you ain’t. It’s just a matter of days until I ain’t either. Yer bddy tj