Unceasingly Amazed, Eternally Grateful & a Few Other Thoughts
The sun has finally set on another fantastic series of races for the Rage Against the Chainring family. I don't use the term family loosely because that is truly what it feels like. One quick look at our volunteers over the past two years is proof enough that this statement is true. I'm related to 4 of them and have had the pleasure of working (at our real job) with a 5th, whose husband by the way is a 6th. And then there's Richie. Hell if he's not related to you he knows you personally... or sort of, probably does anyways.
I want to take a moment before I go on and recognize a few of the amazing folks by name. They work their asses off to make race days run so smoothly. First off, Rick and Teresa Sears, who by the way are my parents. Thank you both for getting on board. Your support has been awesome. Kelsi Hedger has also been with us from the start. Kelsi, thank you for putting up with me for one extra day for four weeks out of the year. Joe Hedger also stepped in this year and helped us out for a couple of the events. It was awesome to have you Joe. I have to say my sister, Jessica Cooper did an awesome job filling in at registration for the final two races as well. I also drug my uncle out to Clearwater this year to help us out when Richie couldn't make it, so I can't forget him. Thanks, Dave. And last but not least, Trish. Thank you for helping to keep our kids in line while we were out marking the course on the night before the race as well as all of your help on race day. (Warned you this was like one big family, didn't I?) I know that was long winded, but without the help of these core volunteers this race series would not be the success it has turned out to be.
Now on to the participants. We are eternally grateful that you have decided to spend four Saturdays a year with us. It was November of 2014 when Mark and I were sitting in his shop trying to decide whether or not the Wichita cycling community would support a gravel race series. As we kicked around the format and some of the other details we came to the decision that if we had 25 people show up at the first couple of races we would keep things going. Then that first Saturday rolled around and 101 of you showed up. It was an emotional day to say the least. Never in our wildest dreams did we see that coming.
More important than all of that you've become our extended family that we eagerly await seeing each spring. Case in point, while I was standing out on that taxi-way at Stearman Field all at once I was aware that as the majority of you crossed the line our volunteers were calling you each out by name and that's when it hit me. If it's harder to get a riders number than it is to remember their name then we are on the right track.
Over the last two years we've been blessed with the opportunity to share in your frustrations, celebrate in your successes and last but not least share a few cheeseburgers and a Warbeard together. There's so much more to say, but for now I guess I'll leave it at that. So, thank you for your support the last two years and here's looking forward to many more.
