The Sheriff

I read an article a several years ago about the Tour De France. It described how there is an unwritten law within the peloton that the entire group will do as "The Sheriff" says. So that on any given day, if the sheriff says "Let's take it easy today.", then anyone that attacks is subject to the wrath of the sheriff. Let's just say, he kind of runs things. I guess there have been many sheriffs over the 98 TDFs. They come and go as the riders come and go.

That brings me to our little endeavor at HCD. When Chris and I first rode together back in '06, he organized the ride, set the time, and invited like three other guys. He and I alone made up the group ride that day. But as you can see, from the very beginning he has been the sheriff. Think about it, he organizes everything, sends out ride details, sets the route for the day, has a truck full of whatever you forgot that day (tube, arm warmers, beanie, embrocation), and he writes about our exploits weekly.

Speaking of the blog; we all know if there is a misstep during the ride it will be memorialized that week because the sheriff sees the good, the bad and the ugly (sorry for the cliche). There are messages in the humor and sarcasm. The mythology references send back to my literature books so that I can get the joke. Anyway the blog always makes for a good read.

We had a big year in 2011. We split up responsibilities for the big rides. So the sheriff deputized several of us by assigning rides, but he always stayed involved to ensure the team would have a great ride, great memories and stories that will be told over and over again.

Finally the sheriff had a pretty solid year riding himself. I am sure he had between 5-6 thousand miles in the saddle this past year. As much as I improved, the sheriff stayed out in front of me by exactly that amount if not more. In other words, he can still drop me like a sack of potatoes! His power numbers are getting crazy. 20 minute threshold above 300W? WTF? Not bad for a middle aged dad.

So anyway, the real purpose of this post is to just say thanks to the sheriff. Thanks for setting up the ride details in an e-mail and then having the patience to answer the questions that come from all of us. Thanks for running a small cycling shop out of your truck. Thanks for thinking bigger every year. Thanks for setting the compass for HCD. So guys, next time you see him pass on a few words of thanks.

Ulrich - 2011 Rider of the Year
P.S. You want that title??? Come and get it, bitch.

P.S.S - Disclaimer: the above PS is in no way a challenge. It is merely the ravings of a madman high on endorphins (the legal stuff)