Plans have been finalized

Well, mostly finalized. I have some minor stuff to deal with, but we're ready to go.

Items of note
We could still use a few volunteers. We have 5 confirmed right now, but another 5 or more would be awesome. If you were planning on riding, keep those plans -- just bring a friend who wants to hang out in a bike shop for a few hours.

The poster was made by Ben Vankat, a coworker of mine at the newspaper. His work, along with Mallie, has made this site and event look great. Thank them both if you get the opportunity. They're probably tired of hearing it from me.

More prizes have arrived. We now have an awesome Crumpler backpack, two pairs of Serfas sunglasses, a 24-count box of GU, a Serfas mini-frame pump and a Zefal rear mudgard/fender. Oh, and a discount coupon for Shimano winter shoes. Also, Trek/Highear is tossing in six water bottles, each with a pair of socks inside. And, finally -- for now -- my mom will be making a cheesecake. Maybe two cheesecakes; I'm not sure. But they're good. And it'll be tasty after lugging groceries around NW Omaha.

Email me if you have questions or concerns, or if you want to help or donate. bredemske at hotmail dot com.

See you on the 10th.

Loot

In case helping the hungry wasn't enough incentive, here's a sampling of the prize drawing. Seven Twin Six water bottles, seven Twin Six shirts (one in each men's and women's size, all different), six pairs of Twin Six black team socks and four Ergon GP1 grips -- two large, two small. And our shop sponsors will be adding to the pile, so the odds of winning are pretty good. Total retail on this stuff is nearing 400 bucks.

Green is good. Ergon green is better.

Cranksgiving update

November 10 at noon -- Bike Masters in Omaha

We're about a month out, and things are coming together quite nicely. Prizes from very generous sponsors are on the way, and I gotta say they're very, very cool. So cool, in fact, I wish I could win 'em. I won't say what they are, exactly, but notice the addition of Twin Six and Ergon as sponsors on the right. You're gonna like what you see. And thanks to Mr. 24 and the T6 boys.

And, obviously, the site has been prettied up a bit. I must thank Mallie for that, because without her work (for free, no less), things would still be quite white and quite boring. So, many thanks to her. Plus, she scored some stuff from Bad Lasses, which is a pretty cool company for the ladies.

Local shops have also been kind to us, so check them out, too. They'll be tossing stuff onto the prize pile, as well.

Here are some answers to a few questions I've seen:
What's this gonna cost me?
Whatever you spend on the items on the list, that's it. There's no entry fee. The items will cost between 10 and 20 bucks, probably.

Can I use a BOB trailer?
Sure, go nuts. I'll give you a time bonus if you use it to bring back an actual turkey.

What if I want to ride a singlespeed or a fixie?
Good for you. We'll have four categories: ss/fixie men, ss/fixie women, geared men, geared women. And yes, there will be prizes for winners in each category.

Prizes? Like the Twin Six stuff?
Yeah, but that stuff will be won in a drawing. Everybody will get a fair, though random, shot at the goods.

And if it's cold?
Dress warm.

No, really cold!
Dress warmer.

What are we going to do afterward?
Hang out, give out prizes and eat. We'll have two or three kinds of soup and probably some sloppy joes. You're welcome to bring food to share with the masses as well. Just shoot me an email -- bredemske at hotmail dot com to let me know.

Can I donate something if I can't make the ride?
Sure -- send me an email and we'll talk about it.

How will this whole thing work?
You'll check in, preferably around 11:30 so we can get you signed in, then at about 11:50 you'll get your shopping list. At noon, you'll hop on your bike and ride. Whenever you get back, you'll check in and weigh your bag. After that, you're done. Grab some food. When everybody's back, we'll draw for prizes. Do feel free to hang out, too. Bike Masters has been kind enough to host us, so check their stuff out.

I think that's it -- email or post a comment if you have other questions. I'll try to get 'em answered pronto. And thanks for being a part of what could be a pretty cool event.