First Annual Phoenix Multisport Fundraiser

The Phoenix Multisport's first annual fundraiser was last week at Boulder's swank St. Julian hotel. To find out more about Phoenix Multisport click Here. This is by no means a complete post. I couldn't divert into full journalist mode and represent the team for the guests at the same time. As a result, I didn't get pictures of everyone I wanted to for which I apologize...

I showed up at the St. Julian early on Thursday to help unload. It was amazing how many members turned out. There was more help than work to be done which is a great testament to caliber of Phoenix's members. After determining that I was more of a distraction than a help I headed home to get Jo. Scott gave all of Phoenix's sponsored athletes cool Phoenix Multisport collared "shop" shirts. It's the same type of shirt I used to wear when I fueled airplanes, but much more stylish. The best part is I can spill de-greaser all over it and not hurt it. All my clothes should be like that!

Jo Modeling her New Shirt

I After we arrived back at the St. Julian I ruined five name tags before I figured out how to correctly spell the word athlete. If you read my blog regularly, this should be no surprise. Once my name tag was in place, Jo and I mingled with guests, donors, and met other members and athletes of the team. There was a silent auction with all kinds of goodies. The premier item was a BMC Team Machine road bike donated by Sports Garage, a Phoenix Multisport sponsor. It's similar to the bike Floyd Landis won the 2006 Tour de France on. Only the rider of this bike will be steroid free! The winning bid was well below retail, someone got a great deal!

Scott, Jo and Ben

A & J

BMC Team Machine

Tim, Jo, and Jon

A fly fishing casting contest was next on the agenda. The prize was a private guided fishing tour hosted by former Denver Bronco Bob Swenson, including dinner cooked by the man himself. I was recruited to be the judge which I did my best of with considering I know nothing about fly fishing. Contestants were judged by their ability to cast closest to the bull's eye on a flat target on the ground. Here's Ben explaining the rules with Bob in the background followed by some pics of the contest I took between judging.

After the contest we settled into a dinner of speeches and stories. I was honored to be asked to represent Phoenix and share my experience in the role cycling has played in my life with a table of guests. It was a little weird at first, but once I found my grove the words just flowed through me. Everyone at my table was super interested and we all shared a few laughs at some if my embarrassing cycling stories.

Jo and Rachel

After Dinner

As the evening wound down I met up with Chris, one of our guests who also owns an M Coupe. After a short diversion, I rallied back to the St Julian to help with the clean up. Again, the volunteers were plentiful and everything was almost done by the time I got back. It was an inspirational evening and I was amazed at how much Phoenix has grown in the short time I've been involved. I am super grateful to be a part of it and proud to sport the red, white, and black jersey. As I race the Laramie Enduro next weekend, when the miles wear on and the pain sets in I'll try to remember that I'm not just racing for myself. It'll be easier to suffer, knowing it's for a good cause.

The End of a Great Night