Every time KB and I go to SLC, the conversation on the way home revolves around moving there. It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that our SLC peeps get together often and get rowdy. We always end up in the north when the weather kind of sucks in SG and 90 degree days and 60 at night sounds pretty awesome. But there’s more to it than that.
This past weekend we left Jamon’s house around 8. We pedaled through neighborhoods where there were plenty of bike lines and sharrows everywhere. After a mile or so, we swung by his friend’s house to pick up the rest of the gang. They were hanging out on their porch (I love porches, if you didn’t know read this). We sat down for a minute while bathroom breaks were had. I looked around and every house had a porch and most of those had people sitting on them. We experienced some really cool chairs that I can’t remember what they were called and then we loaded a broken comrade on the back of a tandem and pedaled the rest of the way to our destination.
I love St. George. I grew up here and every time I came back into the valley and see the Red Hill and that nasty scar across the Black Hill, I feel like I’m home. The trails in this area created me. It’s always about the time that we pass Cedar City that the conversation turns more to, well, it would be cool to live up there but we have it pretty good down here too.
This last trip left both of us wanting more. Which then begged the question, what were we wanting? The culture, the comraderie, the hijynx. We’re not greedy, we just want it all and we want our red rocks and sand, too. This got me thinking. There’s not as many of us down here in Super Great, but we exist. The cycling culture is more underground, but it’s here. I mean the Alliance has existed for 12 years at this point. And our membership has never been greater. To be honest, we stopped having MCA events at the Social Lounge because we couldn’t fit everyone anymore. But that’s no reason to stop and as some of you have seen, we expanded the Lounge into the backyard doubling our seating capacity.
What I’m getting at is if we don’t have a cycling culture in SG, it’s nobody’s fault but mine and I apologize.
And it’s high time we had another Mooseknuckler Cup. Now that you know the why, here’s the important data.
Date – Aug 23rd at 8:30 PM.
Where – Meet at the Sullivan Soccer Park off of Washington Fields Drive.
What to bring – A bike, preferably one that has full fenders, baskets, is heavy and slow. The heavier and slower the better. If you don’t have one of those types of bikes, you should probably get one and ride it all around town, but until then, bring whatever bike you have. We will have two categories. 1. Real Townies 2. Whatever everyone else shows up on. Unlike past Mooseknuckler Cups where the winner won the right to sign a cup, of the athletic supporter type, this one will have actual prizes. And there might be a cup to sign as well.
In addition to your bike, bring your friends even if all they have is a cruiser bike they bought and it has been chilling in the garage since. The course will be short enough that any one can participate.
Also, there will be celebratory celebrations afterward where I’m sure there will be plenty story telling happening about how you turned left and then really cranked and that’s how you didn’t win. This means you might want some beverages to drink whatever type you might prefer. The Lounge will be opened for these celebrations unless you’re a dick and then we will send you out to ride your bike some more because that is the only cure for being a dick.
What not to bring – your four wheeled coffin. Leave that shit at home.
If you are into the book of faces thing, here’s the event page.
Ride more. Drive less.
