Cranksgiving 2009: A new record

Looking at the weather forecast for the next week, I think we lucked out for Cranksgiving this year. We had highs in the mid-50s and a bit of a north wind, but the sun was out from time to time. That's after a bit of snow last year and temps in the low 40s.

Here's a look at the numbers for this year (the totals may be amended a bit on Monday).

54 riders (50 last year)
1,828 pounds of food (1,263 last year)
$658 in cash donations ($20 last year, maybe?)

All in all, it was a great day for the Omaha Food Bank. We had a nice cross-section of riders -- young and old, experienced and new -- and a great vibe at Bike Masters. Best of all, at least for the volunteers, everybody came in the door with a smile on their face.

Well, except for Kaelly Simpson. She rolled her ankle attempting to ... I'm not sure what she was attempting, but it was in the parking lot right after the Le Mans start. She ended up with an ankle sprain, soup delivery and a pair of new socks. Get better soon, Kaelly!

Here's Larry Wilson (on the left) checking in. Larry was second in the men's geared division. Scott Tarry won it -- that's his blue jacket to the right.

Martin Bixby, a three-year Cranksgiving veteran, knows how this whole thing works. He came ready to go with a tape dispenser to secure items to the outside of his bag.

The results:

Men's Geared
1. Scott Tarry
2. Larry Wilson
3. Matt Farnham

Men's SS/Fixed
1. Mike Douglas (back to back titles)
2. Eric Brunt (won in 2007)
3. Rafal Doloto (podium all three years)

Women's Geared
1. Suzanne Wilson (third overall, and won in 2007)
2. Anne Savery
3. Roxy Feagan (second last year)

Women's SS/Fixed
1. Karen Douglas

Trailer
1. Ryan Feagan (he was pretty psyched to finish higher on his respective podium than Roxy)

This year, along with the regular sponsor prizes -- everybody left with something, once again -- we had a drawing for a Chrome Citizen messenger bag. To be eligible, riders had to complete the list and bring back a turkey. Imagine your bag stuffed to capacity, then attempting to negotiate a turkey. Ouch.

The winner, of course, was Martin Bixby. The guy who proved he needed no extra bags now has an extra bag. Congrats!

Thanks is owed to our hosting shop, Bike Masters. Also, thank you to our sponsors (including cookie sponsor Eileen's Cookies. Yeah, that's right -- we have a cookie sponsor) and our volunteers. Cranksgiving can't happen without a very wide group of people willing to sacrifice their time for a great cause.

So, once again, thank you.

Next year: November 13, 2010. See you then.