The Pantani Ride 2014, part of the VES

When it comes to free, epic, backcountry bike races, Robert Issem has been bringin' it to the people for about a year now.  Maybe more than that.  Generally speaking, I don't catch on to these things until they're on the downswing, or the feds have seized all the assets, or the band breaks up or whatever.  So it's a unique position for me to be able to half-promptly present you:

http://www.virginiaenduranceseries.com/

If you don't think that's pretty rad, then you wouldn't know rad if it jumped you on your ride home and beat you unconscious with a sack of dirty old cassettes, then left you a note that said something like "Hey, I'm rad."  Which, conveniently, is how I'm told you might feel after some of these events anyway.

For example:
The Star City Vicious Randonnee

I'll give that one 2 wows, and one long drawn out ooooooouuch.
Something about the word "Suiride" conjures images of Japanese fighter pilots flinging themselves at aircraft carriers over the South Pacific a century ago, so maybe that's a little overstated.  But there's something to be said for undertaking a ride that you probably won't be able to finish.

Ah, yes, winter.  The time for dreaming up big routes, drawing squiggly little lines on huge maps, microbrewing, and proclaiming to oneself, "yeah, I could do that in a day."

So here's where I come in, because despite my palpable lack of fitness and resolve, I have to come in somewhere.  Yes indeed, due to the freeness, the epicness, and the backcountryness of The Pantani Ride (all VES pre-requisites), and despite the fact that the route doesn't include a dime of singletrack, The Pantani Ride is in for 2014.  Rad.  Also, in a real display of anachronism, we were also in for 2013, I just didn't know about it because I don't know about much of anything on time.

Strangely enough, if you click the link on the VES blog, it'll send you back here for the 2013 Pantani Ride info, which will send you back there and so forth, and if you're not careful you'll end up in some weird time-space continuum like in 12 Monkeys, and you'll be fucked for all eternity.  So be patient, don't do that, and I'll try to get up an official 2014 Pantani Ride post in the coming weeks that VES can link to and thus prevent the failure of the public internet.

I'm a hero, I just don't have the pink socks to prove it.  Nor do I deserve them.

But the date is set:  February 9th, 2014.  I'd mention the obvious choice for a rainout date, but I know that you already know how that works, so I won't do that.

Aside from the VES inclusion, I'm not sure much else is new.  Indeed, in a year that Marco Pantani will be honored by the Giro D'Italia in commemoration of his death 10 years ago, we'll actually be in our 9th year of doing so.  So thanks for getting on board, Nation of Italy.

hey shorty, it's your birthday.    

Or at least, the 10th anniversary of your untimely demise.
We miss you enough to do you proud.
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More details to come.
Up, up, up.