Prize Sponsors

It’s kinda amazing: companies will give you free stuff with nary a second thought in support of some whacked-out, half-assed probably-illegal bicycling event and all you have to do is promise to let participants know who those companies were and make some sort of arrangements to communicate that to company representatives afterwards.

Or, at least that’s been my experience so far rounding up prizes for the Taco Truck Time Trial; I can’t believe how forthcoming businesses—large and small—have been in sending me some pretty choice schwag for my little race; and all it’s taken on my part is a few phone calls and a handful of emails.

Chrome Bags, for instance, mailed me a Citizen messenger bag (retail value $110 bucks), no questions asked; Swrve Cyling sent a couple of pullover hoodies and a pair of cycling caps (about $100 total); Vapolution Vaporizors has promised a Vapolution package worth about $150.00; New Belgium Brewery contributed three cases of beer and is buying a keg for the after-party (that’s gotta be, like they say, “priceless,”); Victrola Coffee Roasters threw in a $25.00 coffee card; and the list goes on.

Every day stuff shows up in the mail and Jen’s like: “How do these people know you’re legit?” And the point is, they don’t. I could easily—well, not without a bit of complication—be running a somewhat elaborate scam to get all these free stuff for myself.

So I guess it somewhat restores my faith in the world of business—at least businesses associated with bicycling—that all these companies are so trusting. Yeah, sure, they’re doing it for marketing purposes, but also, they seem genuinely interested in supporting what I hope will be a really good time for a whole bunch of people on two wheel—and in the case of the Conference Bike, four, isn’t it?

So even though I won’t be racing on 3/29, (I’ve already ridden the route a couple times, though), I already feel like a winner.