Tristan steps into a time machine
Tristan at L’Eroica
So, there’s this race…
That’s how we started our pitch, and we managed to persuade our friend Tristan into racing the L’Eroica event in Colorado.
The L’Eroica is a 100 mile race from Grand Junction to Glenwood Springs and back, commemorating an event that took place between 1885 and 1915. You get extra points the older your bike is, so we set up Tristan on a 1916 Mead Ranger. He channeled his forefathers, and did the ride in wool knickers, his best Sunday shoes and shirt.
The race was an adventure. In Tristan’s own words…
Quite the ride. Up at 5, on the road at 7. Crossed the finish line shortly after 5. I think Chris Brown and I had the oldest bikes out of the 60 who turned out. Plenty of people expressed amazement at seeing something so old still rolling. And roll it did – through rain, thunder, lightning and the biggest hail storm I have ever had the displeasure of riding through. I briefly took refuge in a tractor. The bike held up through 12 miles of rutted dirt road, including a long, boneshaking downhill portion. The front wheel almost fell off, but I caught it before the bolt was on its final threads. I think the seat springs lost a bolt, and I chipped and scraped off a lot of paint. The old coaster brake did end up smoking. I cooled it down with some hail, and dropped in oil every mile or so on the long downhill.
Not sure how I placed. Somewhere in the middle, I guess. The ranking system was a convoluted work-in-progress, I think I may have been docked points for wearing a helmet rather than my wool cap. Also, I did not drink whiskey at the first rest stop, thinking I needed to stay sharp for the downhill. Apparently, you get bonus points for drinking booze….
Way to go, Tristan! You did us proud.