2010 was an amazing year for Back of the Pack Racing. 2010 was a year of travel, a year of chaos, a year of suffering, a year of titanium. 2010 was a year in which Back of the Pack Racing reached the forefront of single speed ludacracy while avoiding the idiocracy displayed daily on the tool we call ‘The Internet’.

Yes, we all have day jobs – but we all dream of the single speed lifestyle, we all dream of riding into the sunset with the foxy mama, we all dream of the next killer plaid shirt. Back of the Pack Racing has defined us at a personal level, defined us as a team, defined us as movers and shakers, defined us as little kids fighting our way to the table where the big kids sit.

Psyche! That’s the point dude! We don’t want to be at the big kid’s table. We will not grow up! We just want plaid and patches and titanium. We just want to live the single speed lifestyle and forget about the chaos called reality. We just want to have fun and laugh our way to the next 24 hour race.

What the HELL am I saying? Who knows. Let’s get back to the B.P.R. Review of 2010!

The Quote (or Conversation) of the Year

The Lt Col was riding in the Albuquerque South Foothills one day – during work, of course. The Lt Col did what the Lt Col does, he ate S*^T going around a corner. A dude rode up and the short conversation started:

Dude to The Lt Col: “Hey are you Prob-eee?”

The Lt Col to the Dude: “What? Are you kidding me? I’m a Founding Father!”

This is no joke, jokester. A random dude, a dude that is unknown to any Back of the Pack Racer, came out of the dust and asked The Lt Col if he was Prob-eee. Talk about weird! Well, that’s the way it goes. Sorry Lt Col. But NO ONE would ever mistake The Judd for Prob-eee. Just saying.


The Race of the Year

I don’t need to waste any 1’s and 0’s on THE Race of the Year. It’s self explanatory.

Single Speed World Championships – Whakarewarewa Forest, New Zealand

The Adventure of the Year

What happens when you have a problem? Well, throw 3 Kiwis and 2 Americans at it and the problem will be solved in Back of the Pack Style. (Yeah, I really had nothing to do with the solution. But I created the problem. Doesn’t that count?)

The solution to the problem? A number of random events that culminated in an incredible adventure.

The Adventure @ The Single Speed World Championships – New Zealand

The Bizarre Story of the Year

I have a good imagination. Not that you would ever know. But I can’t make this S*^T up. I spent many, many hours / days mapping out the trail system in Albuquerque. Yeah, it’s already mapped out, but not in Back of the Pack Style. I renamed most trails. The names all have meaning. Meadow of the Witch is a favorite. Well, it was. Until a witch showed up in the Meadow of the Witch and did some very bad stuff.

The Meadow of the Witch, The Real Story

The Pic of the Year

The Back of the Pack crew showed up for the 24 Hours of Colorado Springs. Below is the Pic of The Year. The crew ‘racing’ past the B-52 at the North Entrance of the United States Air Force Academy. Wicked race, dude!

Oh yeah, the relentless pace laid down by The Judd caused Prob-eee to bust a lung and exit the race after one lap. Prob-eee should take a lesson, or two, from The Moral Chairman. Don’t hang with The Judd on lap 1. Just because. And for full disclosure – The Judd failed to achieve his race goals too – a bee sting induced fever laid The Judd out. It wasn’t a good day for The Leader of the crew.

The Failure of the Year

Yeah, I’m a complete failure, at times. Back in the spring I publicly stated that I would commit to The Johnny for ONE year if my performance at the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde was substandard. Well, due to a busted up knee I stopped at 50 miles. Yeah, and I also QUIT on The Johnny a few weeks later. Well, I can’t live my entire life as a quitter. So, at the end of 2010 I reaffirmed my commitment to The Johnny. It’s on. I must lead by example. What am I talking about? Well, check out this link. It spells it all out.

The Commitment to The Johnny: Judd is a Walking Freak Show

The Then

The Now

The Disappointment of the Year

The Judd drops serious cash on patches. What’s a ‘kit’ without killer patches.

Well, some patches are for advertising – one way or the other. These two patches didn’t exactly generate any interest. Yeah, definitely the biggest disappointment of 2010.

Yikes. The only email I received at juddSSingle@gmail.com was from The Lt Col. Great. Did anyone call the 1-800 # ? How would I know. I don’t answer the phone. I don’t talk on the phone. I don’t check for messages. Maybe that’s my problem… or one of my problems.


B.P.R. Video of the Year

The Ride to the start of 24 Hours in The Enchanted Forest. Yeah, The Video of the Year has nothing to do with the race. It has everything to do with the ludacracy of B.P.R. and the tunes, of course.

24HITEF – The Ride to the Start from Judd Rohwer on Vimeo.

24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest, cruising to the starting line

Actually. The Video of the Year must be the Black Bear Pass leg of the B.P.R. High Altitude Championship. Why? Because it’s a view from the Solo Single Speed Champion of the B.P.R. High Altitude Championship. And the video gives all those Black Bear Pass fanatics a front row seat to the bitchin’ views. (Sorry, it’s a long video. Just because, dude!)

B.P.R. High Altitude Championships – Black Bear Pass from Judd Rohwer on Vimeo.

Black Bear Pass – the ride down to Telluride from the summit.

 

The Year of the 24 Hour Race

Back of the Pack Racing showed up at EIGHT 24 hour races. Well, The Judd ‘raced’ in ‘8’, that’s eight, 24 Hour races. The Lt Col and The Moral Chairman raced in 6. Prob-eee participated in 4 before the late night Demons conquered his soul.

Eight 24 hour races in one year is brutal. Not so much a physical challenge (except when racing with bronchitis or a fever induced by a bee sting) – just a huge mental challenge.

All the races are documented in the history books of Back of the Pack Racing. All race reviews are grounded in reality. We all survived some crazy racing chaos.

In 2011 we will race less, but race harder. That’s a guarantee. Well, domination by The Judd is also a guarantee.

The Year of the Patches

Back of the Pack Racing believes in 100% Cotton and Patches and Shorts with Pockets. Single speed endurance racing is all about accepting and thriving on pain and suffering. Call it MISERY. So… 100% cotton work shirts loaded down with bitchin’ patches is how we roll. Yes there is a side benefit… all the Foxy Mamas of the world don’t have to look at our middle aged beer guts. I’m sure the Foxy Mamas get enough of that by checking out the other 97.825% of the racing crowd.

The Year of the Sheep

2 more sheep were added to the Back of the Pack Flock. (We’ll steal the term ‘flock’ from the Black Sheep crew. They often talk about the ‘flock’. So we will go with that term.) Anyway 2 sheep were added in 2010. How many sheep will be added in 2011? Well, there two primary variables. 1) How many single speed Black Sheep riding freaks will join the ranks at the Back of the Pack, 2) How many sheep will The Judd order.

The Year of the Mileage

The Judd put in the miles in 2010. The legs burned through 3525.46 miles – all on the single speed machines, of course. To some, this may sound like a lot. To others, this is pathetic. My opinion? My effort in 2010 is a bit below my personal goals set at the start of the year. I spent WAY too much time traveling to / from races and not enough time training for the races. Next year will be different. Maybe. How about a 2011 goal of 4800 miles? I’ll have to think about that.

The Year of The Prob-eee?

F*^Kin’ Prob-eee. That’s usually how most conversations started after June 1st. Yeah, Prob-eee entered the ranks around midpoint of 2010. Back of the Pack Racing will never be the same. Luckily, Prob-eee attracts most of the S*^T ejected from The Lt Col and The Morale Chairman. So that it good news for The Judd.

Prob-eee’s status? That’s a major question that will be answered in the early months of 2011. IF Prob-eee acquires a sheep and if that sheep is not titanium, will Prob-eee ascend the B.P.R. membership ranks to Full Member? Probably not. Prob-eee will always be Prob-eee. We may update the B.P.R. Operating Instructions to clearly define Prob-eee’s position on the team. (Prob-eee. Just remember. Chicks dig you just the way you are.)

The Year of The Judd

What’s a Judd? Back in the day someone said ‘What’s a Judd?’ Well, ‘a Judd’ is now ‘The Judd‘. That’s just the way it is. Back of the Pack Racing has The Judd, The Lt Col, The Morale Chairman. When will Prob-eee become ‘The Prob-eee‘? It’s all about commitment and setting yourself apart from the mules that define the norm.

Man, as the Back of the Pack crew expands, as it is and will, The Founding Fathers will be challenged to generate and apply the lingo that accurate defines one’s position on the team and one’s responsibility to team operations.

What’s Next?

 

The Movement

2010 was about foolishness and fun. We tried to shame the serious into the not-so-serious. Well, 2011 will be a 180 deg shift in directions. 2011 is all about setting B.P.R. performance records and acquiring that elusive beer sponsorship. Therefore you will not see Back of the Pack racers crack a smile, tell a joke, or even pretend to have fun. 2011 is all about the goals – and achieving the goals while sporting bitchin’ work shirts loaded with patches.

2011 will be one for the history books as we EVOLVE as a team of individuals, a team of psychopathic single speed freaks.

The Goals

Well, there are many goals and dreams that we all have for 2011. But here are the basics, as defined by The Judd:

The Judd: Bike packing – racing in total isolation for days. It’s called cheap therapy. Therapy? Yep, The Judd wants to change the world. But the world isn’t ready for a freak show like The Judd. Therefore therapy of isolation is required to help The Judd slow down and enjoy life – slow down until it’s time to run for President of the United States.

The Lt Col: Chase the elusive Back of the Pack Championship.

The Moral Chairman: Break 150 miles at a 24 hour race without training a single day.

Prob-eee: Can he survive the chaos for one complete year? Can he live with the torment that the Founding Fathers have endured for 16 years? Prob-eee’s goal is to stay loyal to those qualities that made him ‘Prob-eee’.

Rhino: Will he dig the Back of the Pack Racing lifestyle. We can’t provide money or cars or spandex. But we can provide The Fame and The Babes. What else does a dude want?

The New Zealand Connection: Will the dudes in the Southern Hemisphere promote the lifestyle? Will the dudes in New Zealand start a southern hemisphere SS revolution based on patches and plaid and titanium?

Oh Yeah, Back of the Pack Racing’s Favorite Band for 2010

Black Owls, can’t get any better than this. So says The Judd

AND FINALLY – The Crazy YouTube Videos of the Year

 

IF YOU made it this far – we will reward you with two outstanding videos that were plucked off of YouTube. WARNING: We at Back of the Pack Racing do not support or condone foul languages or messages that can be considered ‘inappropriate for kids’. AND WE DON’T SUPPORT the lifestyle documented at the end of the 2nd video. BUT we all like to laugh. So check out the videos.

 

AND MADRE! You and your senior citizen friends SHOULD NOT view these videos. You old dudes & dudettes do not have the mental faculties required to understand and enjoy these videos. I’M WARNING YOU. Turn off your computer and turn on The Weather Channel.

In The End

In the end…. it’s all about the romance. And romance is whatever you define it to be.