I finally had a chance to meet fellow STer Bad Monk (along with MartyG and Kevin Grogan) at the Great Floridian.
Bad Monk is doing his first IM in November at IMFLA, so let’s all do like Richard Gere did for Tibet and beam our positive thoughts at him
Monk stayed down at the bike corral on Friday night until I was able to get there from the airport (I didn’t get into Orlando until about 6:00PM from Minneapolis, where I was at an airline conference, and was busily assemble my bike next to the corral floodlights at about 8:15PM for a 9:00PM check-in cutoff time) and put a new 12-25 cassette onto my HED disc. What a lifesaver!! I wasn’t able to find one during my travels in the week leading up to the GFT and thought I was going to have to do the bike with my 11-21. I can only imagine how my legs would’ve felt after trying to get up the Buckhill climbs and then Sugarloaf
This guy is awesome, people. Y’all know I’m a retired former “trained killer” (hee-hee) and a 2nd dan black belt in Tae Kwan Do, so I just want to announce that I’ve “got his back” if he ever needs a little help when it comes to dealing with a conflict. I’m kinda like Dubya in that matter…you know, attack first and sort out the bodies later ;-)) (just kidding!!)
Seriously, can’t say enough about him and all the other kind people I met this last weekend. You STers are truly one of a kind!
Hai. Am I in trouble or do I owe you money or something? Also, I was never near the incident and my wife can vouch for me, in case the cops are asking.
Well, Monk deserved all the accolades. Him and Mrs. Monk were out there most of the day, taking pictures and whatnot. I’m going to try to fly out and root him on for IMFLA.
It was a real privilege to meet him and the other STers. I’ve gotta say that in over 10 years of doing this sport, I can count on one hand the number of jerks that I’ve come across. The sense of community in triathlon is the best.
I’m gonna sign up for Long Course Worlds and the wife and I are going to make a party out of it. Then GFT in '05
Well, if you are, I have to thank you for the green QR PR I have at home, thanks a lot Ironhead :-))) it was good to see you at the GF results, I thought you had stopped racing!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! You still have that Green PR? Man, I went under 10 hours on that thing at GFT in '96. I remember those blue-colored Topline Cranks and the 8 speed Dura Ace stuff. That was my first really serious tri-bike.
Dude, are you finally done with your education? How many engineering degrees do you have now? You must be, like Dr. Paulo, or something.
Hey, I retired from the Navy in '99 and got pancaked by a taxicab on my bike about a week later. I missed the '99 IMH and GFT, and then couldn’t train or race again until late last year. I did GFT in '03 on about 9 weeks of training (ugh!) and then got reinjured and didn’t start back up until May 1st of this year. But I’m healthy now, and my job with NWA allows me to travel for free.
Better get your butt out to HI one of these days! I was just talking to PigIron the other day through the emails. He’s still in China, fomenting revolution and messing up their computer networks (he thinks he’s some kind of computer expert, or something
Hey…that political stuff in the other room is just for fun. I don’t lose a bit of sleep over who’ll win on November 2nd. I had my time in the military. Let someone else worry about it, now :-))
If you think that one’s manly, go to the “Big Kahuna and the Great Floridian” thread a page or so back and check out my studly bright yellow one. It matches exactly the color that runs down my backside :-)))
That wasn’t me, brah. I didn’t get off my bike the whole day. And I’d never say something like that to fellow pain-sufferers. I’ve been on the receiving end of that kind of smack at a few races.
I hit the finish line, went over to the parking lot behind the area, cleaned up, changed clothes and went over to the Waterfront Park turn up to the finish line to cheer on fellow racers. Stayed out around there until about 11PM and then drove back to my hotel room
If you find out who the dude was, let me know and I’ll help with the communal blanket party
Yes. Tony Baloney full of macaroni.
