Movie actors really have it made. Every time you turn on the television they seem to be giving each other awards. I find this odd because I rarely see a movie that makes me think “That person should get an award”. Even when I do it seems like no awards are given. Fight Club is the best movie ever made, but I do not know of any awards that it has won.
Over the years I have witnessed many acts of greatness from my motorcycle and decided it was time for these people to get some recognition. It was actually my buddy Mark who came up with the idea for awarding helmet stickers. The thing is, I am a cheap bastard and stickers cost money so I decided to award virtual helmet stickers on the web site. Since then the RideWithTank.com helmet sticker has become a true indication of riding greatness and those who have been given this honor are treated with much respect.
I get many requests for helmet stickers and reject most applicants. This week I got another request and I was about to hit delete when I had a bit of a change of heart. Here is the request:
I have just found your site and it is great. I would like to submit the following for a helmet sticker:
On Thursday, September 9, 2008 at 5:00 AM while accompanied by my two friends Bob Dolan and Jim Dolan, we set out from Chicago, Il. to Duluth, Mn. Normally it would be a 9 hour ride however on this day the midwest was whipped by the remenants of a hurricane that had wrecked havoc throughout the gulf states and rain storms had spread north. When we left Bob’s garage it was raining hard. By the time we were on I90 it was a deluge. For six hours we road in rain that you would not want to drive in. The only thing stopping us from turning around and going back home was the thought that we didn’t want to have to ride back through the storm. The rain finally stopped when we were in north central Wisconsin. We made it to Duluth and spent the next several days riding around Lake Superior and through the Superior National Forest and as far north as Ely Mn.I don’t know if this qualifies us for a sticker but it was a true adventure.
Thanks
Bob Weisskopf
OK, so they rode a long way in the rain. They considered turning around and going home. Is that the mark of greatness? The fact that they thought about turning around proves that they are not stupid enough to get a helmet sticker. It is a very fine line between greatness and stupidity.
They also show no physical proof of misery. We like pictures. We like pictures of people suffering.
There should also be specific examples of suffering. “My feet were wet for so long that some kind of strange fungus grew all over my feet and made them smell like spinach” would probably get a helmet sticker.
Then I got to thinking about the date and realized that was MotoGP weekend. Here is how I spent three days in Indianapolis:
Thats right, I spent three days on this hillside in the rain. My chair was stolen so I spent two days sitting in the mud. Thousands of others did the same thing. How can I give a helmet sticker to 3 guys who spent one day in the rain while tens of thousands spent three days in the rain?
This made me realize that everyone in Indianapolis that weekend deserved a helmet sticker. Anybody who suffered through that weather is a true fan. The only people who do not get a helmet sticker are Dave and Christy. Christy talked Dave into leaving before the race started because she thought they would never race in those conditions. Dave called me as they were driving home (in their truck!) and I told him the race was starting in five minutes!
No helmet stickers for giving up!