The first edition of the AC Invitational is a wrap, and with it, our heartfelt thanks go out to all of the people whose energy, attendance, and effort contributed to the beautiful vibe and great success of the day. From existing customers to new friends of the studio, you brought Big Bike Energy and infused AC and the builders with an excess of pep.
But those builders—wow. Thank you to one and all for sharing your art, innovations, time, and dedication. Seeing them chatting together, joking, and, rumor has it, partying until very late on Saturday evening in questionable nightspots warmed our cockles.
Team AC kept them on their toes and did an outstanding job throughout. It was a stressful day and hectic buildup, but one buoyed by much camaraderie and fun. Everyone went the extra mile, and we can't thank you enough. However, we'd be remiss if we didn't give special mention to Robert and Dane from the AC Service department for their constant care, diligence and effortless ingenuity, before, throughout and after the show.
Supporting our core crew was an army of volunteers. So to Annie, Shana, Ava, Xande, and Ross, we say: we couldn't have done it without you. A million times, thank you. But those libations didn't hurt any, and Phil Cutti's special AC IPA 'AF' brew kept the gears lubricated. Much tastier than chain wax. Thanks, Phil! After a couple of those sweet tinnies, feet were tapping to the tunes coming out of the Spectrum Audio Visual sound system - huge thanks to Alan 'Hertz' Hutchings for bringing the boxes and beats. We even saw Kelly Bennett and his son, Aiden, from Archie Williams MTB Team tapping their feet while they manned the bike valet. You did great work, guys! Thanks for keeping the bikes under the right butts. OSMO brought their Hydration Station, and kept bidons flowing throughout the day. And if you liked what you sipped, you can thank the brand's founder, Lee Hutchinson, who oversaw the installation on the day and did a sterling job of keeping everyone hydrated.
Mary from CNL Nursery in Mill Valley brought the dream green on show day, and Monica and Alessandro from Sandrino Pizza brought the dream greens and the finest pizza on this side of Verona for our Friday builder meet. Grazie!
Shows like this don't come together on their own. During our planning, we benefited from the help and guidance of Liz Bernstein at the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, Bryan Vitale from the City of Sausalito Parks & Rec Dept., and Scott Thornburg from the Sausalito EDAC committee. Last but not least, thanks to Ben and Patty for watching Chad and Kalara's two German Shepherds.
Back to Journal