This past Monday we held contest to give away a beautiful Walz Cycling Cap to some lucky reader. The rules for this contest were different from any we’ve had before—to win the cap readers had to leave a comment telling me why they needed this cap. The contest ended at midnight on Friday, March 15, 2013.
Contest Winner Jim from Fit Recovery
After reviewing the nearly fifty comments that were left I have selected Jim as the winner (his comment was left under the name of bgddyjim). Jim lives in Michigan and runs the Fit Recovery blog. I always try to post a photo our contest winners—the photo above was taken by Jim’s wife after he completed the Dawn Farm Ride for Recovery 100k last April. If you haven’t read Jim’s winning entry yet, I’ll post it here for your enjoyment:
“My need for that cycling cap began a bit more than 42 years ago when I was born to the son and daughter of immigrants, parents who eventually sat me on the toilet sideways, by the way (!). You see, I was born with an amazing head of hair. When cut and well maintained, said hair is glorious, wavy and beautiful. Having this beautiful head of hair is however, also A CURSE! You see, and you might want to grab a box of tissues at this point, my amazingly glorious hair is more water repellant than a duck’s ass. When I ride my road bike sweat drips mercilessly into my eyes! To make this horror story complete, my local bike shop only carries cheap cotton cycling caps with the World Champion rainbow on them! Please give me a moment to compose myself, my tears are threatening to short-circuit my keyboard… OK, I’m back… In any event, if I were to win just this simple cycling cap and it worked to save my eyes while blistering about Michigan’s (your own HOME STATE, btw) roads, I might be able too, with YOUR HELP – for the first time in my short cycling career, get over my phobia of society putting a stigma on me if I buy a product online rather than exclusively from my LBS which is amplified by the fact that my grandparents were immigrants and my mom sat me on the toilet sideways! Think of the service you would be providing the good old US of A! You (and Walz) could be that guy! (Sniffle, sniff).”
Poor Jim! My heart was heavy and my eyes were misty as I read his tragic story. I wasn’t the only one who thought Jim should win the cap—several other bloggers even pleaded his case for him (something I had not anticipated when I announced the contest). However, I do need to make one correction in Jim’s entry: Michigan is not my home state—I am a refugee from Indiana, a place where I lived until I was 18 years of age (I would have left before then, but I didn’t know we were free to leave).
bgddyjim
March 17, 2013 at 7:19 AM
My bad man, you live down by Lake Michigan… I’m rather embarrassed.
Thanks for picking my entry! I checked back a few days into the contest to check on some competition – I was happily amazed to see a few bloggers had “voted” for mine… That made my day.
All Seasons Cyclist
March 18, 2013 at 12:06 AM
I really hadn’t thought about other bloggers “voting” for an entry, but it might be a part of the next contest as well!
Irish Katie
March 17, 2013 at 7:34 AM
Wooo wooo … congratulations Jim.
(By the way, when All Season Cyclist has a $10000000 giveaway some of us will be expecting you to plead our case! haha)
All Seasons Cyclist
March 18, 2013 at 12:05 AM
If I ever get $10,000,000 the “All Seasons Cyclist” will become the “French Riviera Cyclist” (and I probably won’t leave a forwarding address either).
Sandra
March 17, 2013 at 7:48 AM
Yay for Jim and his groupies! Good call, good win. Put away your tissues people, problem solved. And hopefully he has learned proper seating techniques. 🙂
bgddyjim
March 17, 2013 at 9:27 AM
Against the odds and with “society” against me as well, I have battled back to a point where I can honestly say I’ve recovered completely from the sideways approach. Thank you. My wife, God Bless her, was almost weepy on my day of triumph. Of course, that was mostly from laughing too hard, but let’s not split hairs.
Sandra
March 17, 2013 at 9:58 AM
Weepy from the Triumph of the win, or sitting normal? LOL!!
bgddyjim
March 17, 2013 at 11:38 AM
Sitting normal of course! 😉
Sandra
March 17, 2013 at 11:49 AM
Of course.
Chas Spain
March 17, 2013 at 7:59 AM
don’t think it could have gone to a nicer bloke
All Seasons Cyclist
March 18, 2013 at 12:07 AM
I’ve never met Jim, but apparently some of these other bloggers have.
Bici Love
March 19, 2013 at 10:01 PM
Love cycling contest of any kind When I come across them I put them on my blog, please check it out. My blog still needs work I’m still playing with my dashboard. I am just amazed at the cycling culture just love it