Weekend Update
By now you have probably heard about Black Ink Friday. While the rest of western civilization was out shopping (who goes to sales that start at 4 AM?) Namrita and I hit the gym, the rollers and finally headed across the tundra to Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids seems like a city on the rise. There is a lot of development going on downtown, new medical centers, condos and all the amenities to support both. The cycling culture is very intriguing. Some of the nation’s best racers have come out of this wee city: Mark Hendershot, Dan Jansen (not the speed skater guy), Danielle Musto, Mark Hekman, Joe Partridge….and then there is a whole list of guys and girls that you’ve never heard of to back them up. It’s rare that a city this size would produce so many good cyclists. I believe everyone listed above was a some point part of the Founders – Alger team, so maybe it’s the beer?
Anyway, Scott Chambers (Danielle’s husband) and I dropped Namrita and Danielle off at the tattoo joint and then headed off to the brand new Founders Brewery…cyclists is not the only thing this city produces well. Scott and I chatted about begging for scraps in the world of sponsorship and killed a few pints. As the night went on our table grew, first a gentleman named Andy (who had the most amazing 70s era “Amway Distributor” sweater, then by Roberta and Mark Hendershot. Finally many hours and pints later the ladies arrived just in time to see Scott and I getting rowdy…
I’m sure more folks came and went, but it’s all a little fuzzy now. Check out Namrita’s and Danielle’s accounts for more pics.
The rest of the weekend was innocuous compared to Friday, so I’ll spare you the details.