2012 Early Bird Special

First 50 registrants get a free gift bag courtesy of Y-Not, Road ID, Antonelli's, DZ Nuts, and Clif Bar.  While we're on that, here's tomorrow's schedule.

    7:00 am - Open for business. Relax, It's Just Coffee serving iced espresso 'cause you're bitchin'

    8:40 am  - Rider meeting for announcements and information. My driveway. Be there.


We do a staggered start where we self-select into slow and fast groups (you decide what you are).
The idea being that we come together on the road for some conversation and chit-chat before Bellville. Remember, we're riding - not racing. There's plenty of suffering to be had in the second half.


    9:00 am sharp - Slow group departs

    9:15 am sharp - Fast group departs

Most Valuable Peckerheads

There are a few people that, without their help, the Peckerhead would be less than what it is. When you ride next to them or see them on Saturday, please take a minute to thank them for all they've done to make a great day for us.

My lovely and long-suffering wife, Amy. She's our biggest supporter and I'm her biggest fan. Quite simply, if she hadn't allowed me to make babies with her there would be no reason for me to have a Father's Day ride. She's the Queen Pecker if there ever was one.

My kids Ellie and Maggie. Need I say more?

My parents Jess and Roxie. Jess - the bestest Dad ever - will be preparing and serving your hot dogs Saturday. Did you also know that he builds really cool cigar-box guitars? There may also be a grudge match wheelchair race between him and fellow retiree P. Leiter. Roxie is my mom. She has put up with me for 42 years and taught me to try to be nice.

Original Peckerhead Crew. These guys - you know who are - taught me how to ride a bike the right way and are still some of my best friends. This ride doesn't exist without 'em.

All of Our Sponsors. We're the little bike party that could and for some reason, tons of people in the industry think that is pretty cool. Buy stuff from them, because they are looking out for you.

You. By showing up and joining in our little party, you're contributing to a better Peckerhead.

See you Saturday!

Sunday Driving

Today was route marking day. Three cans of spray paint, one wife, two kids, two dogs, one map, and a cooler. Here's how things went.

Turns out one of the dogs got a little car sick. Three times. Yeah. And since the kids are girls, I  was informed how lame I am several times.

Other than that, a twelve year family tradition continued  uninterrupted. The route is marked and looks to be a good one this year. John Holmes riders will see the return of some old favorites like Swigart Road, the full run of Snyder Rd, and a never before reverse run of Bott Road. Also, we're glad to welcome North Liberty Road back to the fold after a year long hiatus.

Here's a few shots from the day.

Please Don't Be This Guy

All credit to our pals at Ritte.

Operation Father-in-Law

Wow. Nice Work.

Dude. You guys came through. In a little over a week we sold 80 -- that's eight - zero -- Walz Caps to honor the memory of Giuseppe Maino, raise money to remove or improve dangerous bollards on the B&O bike trail, and significantly raise the general style quotient of Ohio cyclists. Nice work.

But the coolest thing about this whole effort is what happened midway through the week when Josh M. (I call him Dump Truck) got this message via Facebook:


dear Josh
I am the brother law of Beppe, and uncle of Rebecca Maino, I heartily thank you for everything you are doing for my dear Beppe.
I learned from Rebecca that you've to remember hat Beppe and with the proceeds of sales, to be able to remove those damn poles on the road bike.
I love the United States for this your great heart and courage.
I ask you a favor.
Rebecca, along with many other Italian cycling friends would buy this hat.
Please let me know how we can buy this memory of Beppe and help the cause you're fighting.
I thank you in advance
Marino Galassi

Now I don't usually well up when reading anything on Facebook unless I start to think about all the time I'm wasting, but this really got to me.It made me remember that Giuseppe was a person and a friend - not a cause or a movement. Thanks for helping to honor the memory of our friend.

In other news, the roads we'll use are being scouted and look good. Cool swag is showing up all the time, and we're right on schedule to light this candle on June 16th. See you then, right?

Let's Do Some Good for Once

Guilty as charged

We didn't plan on this, but sometimes bad shit happens. In this case the bad shit came in the form of a steel pole (the one on the left, in fact) that killed our buddy, Giuseppe Maino. This steel pole, known as a bollard, and many others like it crop up unexpectedly at seemingly random places on the B&O bike path in Richland County, Ohio. 

We here at the Peckerhead Invitational in concert with our friends at Y-Not Cycling decided that we ought to do something. We considered (or at least I did) just cutting the damn things down, but cooler heads prevailed. So here's what we're doing. 

Giuseppe loved cycling caps. So in his honor, we're doing a cap with Walz Caps to help raise some money to fix / remove the dangerous bollards on the B&O bike trail. Legally. Basically, you buy a cap and after we cover costs, every penny goes toward getting those stupid poles improved or removed. The caps are only $20.00, which is less than retail.

We went for a classy design that is wearable for bikes and cocktail parties. You'll love it. 

If you want to pay electronically, you can pay for your cap via PayPal to lawsonallred@hotmail.com. Otherwise, you can pick up an order form at Y-Not Cyling in Lexington, OH or message me and we'll get you hooked up. 

Here's the catch. You have to move your ass on this one. We have to have our order together by May 14th in order to get the caps back for the Peckerhead. 

So go on, get yourself a new cap and do some good for once.

Ciao, Beppe.

Our buddy Giuseppe Maino.

We usually don't start things off on a down note around these parts, but the last few days have been nothing but sad ones. You see, we lost a good friend to a senseless freak bicycle accident this week. There's no easy scapegoat, no one person or group to blame, no place to put our grief; just an empty space where Giuseppe used to be. As the last couple days have passed, reflection on how Beppe died and  who he was became inevitable. Walking down those dark emotional alleys led me to a few places I didn't want to go, but ultimately to these thoughts about Beppe.

I met Giuseppe last year on a bike ride. He rolled up smooth as silk and with an aura of calm and self-assurance. Never saw him before. I immediately did the visual checkover to see who exactly we had among us. I mean, it was Tuesday after all, so we would likely be trading pulls before long.  He was tall and trim; quiet, but seemingly open and happy - unencumbered by the arrogance that so often rides in the pocket of a roadie who is faster than most. No helmet, white cycling cap turned backward, glasses just so. Roman nose in glorious profile and tanned olive skin. And then he opened his mouth. "Ciao!"  Oh holy shit. He's from Italy. The mother country! This took things up another notch entirely. And just like that I turned into the new kid who mistakenly sat down at the cool lunch table. "Is he gonna let me stay here or will it be painfully obvious that I'm a pretender?"  Mercifully, the ride ended up being uneventful. Both Beppe and I suffered a bit (I think he was humoring me) and we ended up rolling in, shaking hands and exchanging numbers. "How cool was that?", I thought as I rolled home. "Hope he can make it to the Peckerhead..."

You want to know what cycling does? Over time, it reveals exactly who you are as a human being - regardless of your talent. Are you a cheat? Do you look out for others? Do you have anger issues? Are you fun to be around? Can you carry on a conversation? Eventually the people you ride with are going to know these things. You will be exposed. You want to know what cycling revealed about Giuseppe?

It showed us that he was humble and kind. It revealed him to be a good and caring man who loved his family very much. His riding buddies learned just how classy he was on the bike - smooth like cream, that Beppe was. We learned that he was willing to change if his friends badgered him enough -- Beppe even started wearing a helmet even though we knew that he knew it made him look like another dorky American cyclist. The more cycling told us about Beppe, the more he became our friend and a special part of our little community.

And so this week we had to let go of our friend. We grieve for him and his family, for each other, and for ourselves. Each day on the bike will be a little more ominous and frightening for a while as we reflect on how suddenly it can all come to a halt. But over time, little by little, cycling will reveal in us the people we truly are. It will help us remember why we love to ride our bikes, and how much Beppe loved to ride his. And  when we reach for a cycling cap and head out for a ride in the beautiful Ohio countryside Beppe had come to like so much, we'll think of him. Ciao, Beppe. Vi vogliamo bene.

2012 Peckerhead Invitational

In case you were wondering, the 12th Annual Peckerhead Invitational Bike Ride and Weenie Roast is scheduled for Saturday, June 16th.  More info to come...