Team Escape Velocity Cycling Club

Every year, in one of Escape Velocity's best-loved and most hallowed traditions, our members gather at some place with good beer and generous portions, so that we can take awkward photos of them eating. Here are this year's pix:

Also, we shame or glorify some deserving individuals.

Mechanically Declined

Accepting for both himself and Aidan Caves, his absent partner in crime, Tristan Hughes told the story of how they both got flat tires on a group ride where neither was carrying spare tubes or pumps. Because they never carried spare tubes or pumps. A few flats later, mom was called to pick them up.

But don't worry folks: they now "sometimes" carry pumps and tubes. So lesson partially learned.

Dedication to Training (dEVo)

For logging everything onto Strava (and having a lot to log!), Wilson Tran scooped up the award for the youth member most willing to suffer now for glory later.

Most Improved (dEVo)

Aidan Caves was not exactly slow at the start of this year, but then he went and qualified for the Pan-Am Junior games. Unfortunately, he couldn't make it out tonight, either because he was training or because he got another flat tire.

Dedication to Training (EVeryone else) and Most Improved

Dave Stephens collected two awards as an early adopter of Strava who rode everywhere (including "Spain," which we think actually meant "Italy"), logged everything, and apparently got something out of all that riding and logging, since he shot from obscurity and TT specialization to glorious crit victories. Dave went from Cat 4 races at the start of the year to a spot on the elite GE roster today (and you should totally read his team bio at their site, where he lists "macroeconomics" as one of his hobbies. Also, indoor rowing is a thing?)

rEVolution Leader's Award

Dave Gerth collected the club sportsmanship award, as a result of being as nice as he is fast (he's quite fast) and helping shuttle numerous dEVos to their appointed races in a totally non-creepy way. We're pretty sure this is how Garneau Evolution scouts fresh talent.

Keeper of the Flame

Joe Tam could not dodge this award any longer: he has been running the WTNC since approximately 700 AD, he answers Every. Email. We. Get. And he is as close as EV gets to having a living embodiment of the spirit of Escape Velocity. So we gave him a candle. Honourable mention must go to, well, most of the rest of the board, who got nominated for their various unsung contributions to making EV what it is.

Best Racing or Training Crash/Best Story

Ryan Cousineau (by which I mean me) won the crash prize by crashing in a safe and graceful fashion when he blew a front tire at the velodrome. Normally people run towards fallen riders at the track, in this case, the other trackies just assumed Ryan was fine. He totally did NOT win it for wiping out J. Gerth in an unrelated rookie-move chop on the track last Spring.

Best story went to this exchange on Facebook, which featured Ryan, Tobin Copley, Mark Wan, and Stuart Lynne, in a tale of Cat 4 smack-talk. With teammates like these, who needs Glotman-Simpson?

And then, this happened:

That's it for 2011. See you next year.

(For past Awards Nights, see 2010, 2009, and 2008.)