2013 PKR Recap

I could just write that it was a great day and be done with it, I suppose. It was just that, and saying much else just kind of elaborates on the obvious. But if I am good at nothing else, I can sure as hell elaborate on the obvious with the best of them. Here goes.

The Stats

Riders who registered: 105 (a record)

Total miles ridden: 3903 (from 82 riders who signed in at the end.)

Hot dogs consumed: approx 140

Beers drank: many

Laughs had: innumerable

Children conceived: uncertain. Do we count activities on-premesis, or within that 24 hour period?

Notables
For the first time in recorded PKR history, all founding Peckerheads were present in body, through representation (We love you Ann!), or in spriit (Hi Paul! We love you too!). This event does not exist if I had not met these people and been adopted by them as the youngster they felt most susceptible to corruption.

Back Row: Ann Abele, Mark LaYacona, Bruce Burrey, Kenton Brune, Scott Conery, Mike Sherwin, Todd Vermilya
Front Row: Jerry Stites, Yours Truly, Tom Weidinger

Jack Bargaheiser returns from huge hit and run accident to triumphantly ride 33 miles and once again, for like the hundredth time, give the finger to old age.

Peckerheads old and new came from from parts far afield. Texas, Georgia, Colorado, and Wisconsin were among the states represented. That's a long-ass way to travel for a bike ride. To the extent it is possible, we are humbled.

My family once again came through with flying colors. Amy, Maggie, Ellie, Jess and Roxie -- thank you thank you thank you thank you for helping make the PKR possible.

Once again, our sponsors absolutely killed it. I talked about this pre-giveaway, I know, but please think of them before you purchase this year. All of them give generously and really help make the PKR possible.

Through the miles we rode and cash contributions, a total of $4,505.00 was raised. The monies will be donated to the Friends of the Little Miami Bike Trail in the name of our friend Paul Leiter. Thanks to everyone who rode, gave, or both. You just made a difference for cyclists all over Ohio.

Maggie, our ten year old documentary photographer, took some pics at the PKR this year. Here's a few.

Seriously, the hot dogs are THIS BIG.

Yes, we think we are awesome.

Scott, you OWN a pump company. 

Theresa is asking herself what exactly it was about the Unabomber that made her fall in love with him.

"I really don't care if you are having the baby today. I am at the Peckerhead. I'll swing by the hospital later."

Free stuff, courtesy of our sponsors.

Ikes and JB on the comeback ride of the year.

 

Possum Would Be Proud of Us

As most of you know, this edition of the PKR is being ridden in the memory of our friend and founding Peckerhead, Paul Leiter. For those of you who didn't know Paul, we wish you could have had the pleasure. He was -- and we know it's a cliche -- the nicest guy you ever met, an adventurer, and a great friend. Paul always wanted the PKR after his passing to be a big party celebrating all the things he loved. With that wish in mind, Paul's friends and family have  put together some special activities, mementos to that we hope share or inspire you to get on your bike. Here's what you should expect or may want to know.

1.) Through some generous donations pledges in Paul's name, every single mile ridden by every single Peckerhead will be matched with one dollar. If we ride 5690 miles altogether, we generate an equal amount of dollars. The final total will be donated in Paul's name to the Friends of the Little Miami Scenic Trail. The 78 mile Little Miami was where Paul spent most of his volunteer hours maintaining it for other cyclists. Riders are not required to donate anything except effort and energy riding as far as you can and remembering that this year you are doing some good. If you would like to contribute to the total, we will have a way to do so at the PKR.

2.) Paul rode across the United States several years back. On that trip he kept an entertaining and informative journal that he always intended to publish. In his memory, Paul's wife Ann has arranged to make that happen. Every rider will receive a bound edition of Paul's journal to take home with them. We hope you'll read that journal and be inspired to take more risks, have more adventures, and waste less time. That's what Paul would have told you to do.

3.) A World of Pain, a bike club from Delaware that is chock full of Peckerheads, took it upon themselves to make up some PKR socks. These will be available for purchase at the PKR. Eight bucks per pair, Two pair for fifteen. Fifty cents from each purchase will be donated back to the Friends of the Little Miami Scenic Trail.

2013 Progress Report

Well kids, here's the skinny. The 2013 PKR is right on schedule - meaning coming up fast and we are not nearly ready. Business as usual.

Seriously though, the routes are marked and have been reconnoitered twice now. Everything looks good there. You can find the route maps posted on the maps section of the site. For you Strava users, we have also added several segments throughout the route to give you something to ruin yourself on early so people like me can chuckle when you are completely blown at mile 50. Looking forward to that.

If you ordered PKR gear, we have everything but the bottles. If they arrive early enough the gear will be available for pickup at Y-Not Cycling. If it shows up late next week, then we'll be distributing the gear at sign in. Everything looks awesome.

Sponsorship goodies are stacked up in my den waiting to be placed in bags and given away. I cannot say this enough: Our sponsors are awesome. We have a culture of sponsor support that, as far as I can tell, does not exist anywhere else in Ohio. All of us are very fortunate for that.

When you make buying decisions, please remember to take care of the people who take care of us.

Stay tuned here for more updates as the date approaches. We have some more cool stuff in the works.

Number One Reason to Belong to a Bike Club

There are dozens and dozens of reasons to belong to a cycling club. You can have friends to ride and race with, to whom you may pretend to be a totally awesome bike racing juggernaut and then - after you are exposed as a not-so-awesome juggernaut - tell lies to about why you are not fit anymore... the list goes on and on.

But one of the best reasons in my mind is the team kit. You get top-quality stuff at good prices and (with any luck at all) it looks good too. So here's the deal:

The club I belong to (A World of Pain in Delaware Ohio) is taking orders for team kit. We're not snobby and figure the more the merrier. So if you can read this you are now part of the team and can order up some snazzy new gear. Congrats!

We buy our stuff from Hincapie Sportswear and I can vouch for the quality. It is really very nice gear. Prices are good because we are buying a lot of stuff at once. We even snuck a PKR logo onto the ass of the shorts. Instructions for ordering are below.

Click here to go to the Hincapie Team Center and create a new account. 

The access code is: aworldofpain

Form there, just choose what you want and you're done. Once the order is all totaled up you'll be contacted by Hincapie to make your payment. The reason why you do not pay immediately is that if we order a lot of product the price might go down. 

The kit design is shown below.

Remember All Those Caps you Bought Last Year?

This time last year, many of us were dealing with the passing of our friend, Giuseppe "Beppe" Maino. Beppe died on the Richland B and O bike trail after accidentally slamming into a center bollard on the trail. Our friend's death galvanized the cycling community in Mansfield to adopt a unified front that demanded a re-thinking of bollards on the B and O. We wrote letters, raised some money, and two men stood up to take the lead in working with city government to make a change. Paul Bender of Richland Moves! and Pete Medek led the effort that began twelve months ago and resulted in a unanimous decision by the Parks Board to remove all center bollards from the length of the B and O trail and upgrade the signage on the trail. Below is a message I received from Pete Medek recently giving me an update on how things are going. Thought you guys would like to know. When you see Pete and Paul, make sure to thank them for the hard work they have done to make this happen.

p.s. The dough we raised during our cap sale is waiting patiently to either help fund necessary safety equipment during the trail upgrade or to be used in some other way to memorialize Giuseppe. We'll let everyone know once the dollars have been allocated.

Hi Jay,

The park board had originally intended for the bollard removal to be completed by March 1. But Paul and I pointed out that a number of the crossroads along the trail have no "No Motor Vehicle" signs or anything else to signal drivers not to drive onto the trail. In those locations the bollards are serving that purpose.

So the next step was to do a sign inventory to see how many were needed. That turned into a complete signage upgrade, as it was found that some stops signs were faded out, missing, etc.

So I worked up a quote for the board which was approved in early March, I think. They approved up to $6k for new trail signs and gave Richland Moves! permission to handle the installation. I should mention that Paul and I lobbied for improving the effectiveness of the signs as well. That lead to a new (custom) sign being approved as well (see attached).

We are going to check out a few different sized mock ups of the new custom sign that we are going to use. Once we do that we can place the order for all the signs, posts and hardware we need.
Also, not that sign installation is rocket science or anything... but if you know anyone with experience in that area, let me know as well. We want our volunteer installers to do a first rate job. So any installation tips and tricks would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Pete Medek

Fly the Flag, Fool the Masses

Over the years, the Peckerhead Invitational has benefited from a small group of fellas who make significant contributions that help defray the costs of making the event happen. Their help and our work at HQ have kept the Peckerhead growing (you have no idea how much fun that is to write) and - most importantly - free to all comers.

At the same time, the most frequent request we get is for us to make some stuff people can take home and use to embarrass their friends and family.

After giving serious consideration to exotic dancing, management decided that the best way to cover costs and fly the flag would be to make some stuff you can use to wave your PKR all over your hometown without freaking out the neighbors. Bottom line: The Peckerhead Invitational will always remain free to anyone who wants to show up and ride. This year, we are setting you up to look very stylish before, during, and after.

So here's the details...
CASH OR CHECK
You can order via cash or check by filling out the order form (download it here) and dropping off payment at Y-Not Cycling in Lexington. Their address is 64 East Main Street, Lexington OH 44904. 419-884-6135. You can mail payment there as well.

CREDIT CARD
Pay online via PayPal to my e-mail, lawsonallred@yahoo.com.
Make sure you leave a note via PayPal so we know exactly what you want to order. Include sizing if you are ordering a t-shirt.

PRE-ORDER ONLY! ORDER DEADLINE IS MAY 1, 2013

EVERYTHING WILL DELIVER IN JUNE

The John Holmes of gear buys -- $30.00 for one of everything

Finally, a window sticker worth having -- $6.00 for 2

100% cotton t-shirt -- $18.00 each

A coat for your best friend -- $6.00 each

Specialized bottle -- $7.00 each

Rest in Peace, Possum

Riding around heaven on his recumbent drunk on angel tequila.

As many of you know, one of the Peckerhead Invitational's founding fathers passed away this past February. Obviously, we are all very saddened by the loss of a brother, but get this... Paul a.k.a. Possum- believe it or not - actually specified long ago that the Invitational after his passing was to be ridden in his honor. Well, let me tell you, the management is freaking committed to making that happen. Stay tuned for more details.

In Case You Were Wondering...

2013 Peckerhead Invitational is ON!

The deep freeze continues, but the thaw will eventually arrive from it the 13th Annual Peckerhead Invitational will sprout like a pot plant in the middle of the 18th tee. Out of place, but intriguing nonetheless. Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 15th 2013.