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April 14 - 17, 2005 – SuperDownHillChicks. SuperSlalomDudes. Felt Carbon Retro Cruisers. Conrad on the StingRay (see photo below right). Buttoned-down Roadies. Casual Cross-Country Folk. Vast parking lots teeming with expensive machinery. Bikes that sometimes out-weighed the cost of the vehicle they were attached to. Families of four decked out in various types of racing gear: Dad headed to the Mountain Bike Start. Mom finishing her last lap of the Road race. Son plummeting off precarious ledges on the Downhill Course. Armored daughter sporting ponytail through full protection Slalom helmet. Hula skirts and cowboy hats. Big-pants kids in off-the-rear slacker fashion to bright-and-tight lycra. We saw it all.
Sea Otter is one giant mélange of bicycle madness. From the grungiest of the grunge downhill set, camping around multiple kegs of beer, to the refined Roadies and their shiny rigs-pulling-lavish motorhomes.
We were there to take it all in. And what fun it was. It's ALL about cycling. The heart and soul of the sport is here – a testament to its growth and range. Dude Girl could be found weaving through parking lots notifying the public about our cyling tours, in a full-on post card assault. Or watching one of our friends compete in Dude Girl colors – congrats to Zack Beekler who made us proud with a podium finish! Next year, we hope to have a full team and multiple trips to the podium.
Yep, we'll be back next year, and we invite you to join us. We hope to graduate from prowling the lots to manning a booth at the Expo. Look for us there, try on some gear, have a beer, enter a race. Get lost in three days of cycling. It's good for the soul.
Kim McElhinney
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