goodbye, stompy

After realizing that my singlespeed racing days were over, I knew I had to take one final step and find a new home for Stompy.

I asked my teammates if any of them wanted to buy my Redline singlespeed bike. A couple got back to me; one couldn't afford it anytime soon and the other is way too tall for the thing. So when a racing buddy from another team asked about the bike for her 14-year-old daughter, I agreed to let them come over and take a look.

They came by tonight after work. The teenager in question is fourteen and long-limbed. She's also a few inches shorter than I am. I lowered the saddle to the right height and let her get on. The bike fit her like a glove. I tossed in some tires for both short-track and cyclocross; and the clip-on fenders for her to ride to/from muddy races without making a mess. Her mom and I had a nice chat about how things had gone over the winter and where we were headed in the coming months. She was happy with the bike, her daughter was absolutely thrilled, and everyone went away happy. Even me.

I look forward to seeing this girl race against the other Juniors on a singlespeed and get her rightful props this summer.

Thanks, Stompy. It's been a wonderful ride.