Hello again! The excitement is building as we are just over 12 hours away from our departure to meet the CAF crew in RPV. Our scout vehicles, which drove down ahead of us to clear a path, report MASSIVE crowds lining the streets waiting to catch a glimpse of Team Rylo as we drive through their various towns. 
Don’t worry we will honk and wave as we pass by! I can only imagine how many people will be lined up when we ride by on our trusted bikes….But before we get to the good stuff of meeting the Challenged Athletes and reconnecting with the CAF staff and our dear friend and biking mentor Bill Walton, we must schlepp down the 5 so we have an early departure tomorrow morning to get this event going! As has become a Ryloride tradition I will present each riding member with a fantastic treat bag and since its only me and Shred this year on the bikes I REALLY outdid myself and created a treat bag worthy of being copied. ….Check it out:
WOW! I created quite a nice collection of fantastic items that every person should have! We have 5 of my favorite books–a Handlebar bag for the longer rides–an extra charger (aka The Logan Went Missing) given the length of the ride and electronics we run during the ride–some well needed beverages AND of course the ultra cool classic VW Bus Igloo cooler….and guess what….it all fits in….
You guessed it the cooler! I was inspired by the coffee table book which also was a multi use item.
Now I am sure you noticed the Drakes Beer and yes I am pleased to announce that RR5 is OFFICIALLY sponsored by Drakes Brewery! Holy cow it just gets better by the minute. There will be more on this sponsor and others as we move down the coast along with plenty of product placements but now that you think about it aren’t you a bit parched?? Maybe a nice ICE cold Drakes IPA would be the perfect solution! Anyway, more later…
Shred will be so excited about the treat bag please don’t tell him he hasn’t seen it yet!
Once we arrive in RPV we will synch up with the potentially LONE member of STR (this isn’t confirmed yet we may still get Maust to come stay tuned–he does have Rock Star stuff to do) The Dom! Yes! Although some may find it hard to believe we were able to get The Dom to run the transportation for RR5 given his immensely busy schedule but we did and he will be driving the highlander from RPV to Del Mar where he will meet up with Mr. Rose and then retrieve us in La Jolla. I know you are wondering who will be portraying The Dom on the blog this year? Once again this was an easy one–Ladies and Gentleman I give you STR 2018/RR5 The Dom!
As head of weaponry acquisitions The Dom requested that we upgrade some of our “equipment” to deal with the scary conditions in Wilmington so The Executive Committee of The Ryloride Franchise approved The Dom’s request and we have some fantastic new toys for RR5!
The Dom assures us he has the appropriate licenses to operate the new equipment so we are ready to roll! You really can get anything on Ebay.
During our last Strategy session for Team Ryloride we were discussing ways to get through Wilmington safely when Shred told us that back in the day he was QUITE the kickassss dude so between him and The Dom and our new “equipment” we are feeling much more comfortable about that portion of the trip:
Ok take a minute. I mean the boots alone….well ok there is MUCH more going on but well done Shred thanks for sharing that picture from the old days. Additionally, given my background I am also able to help out if it gets really gnarly as I too am a well trained former military pilot:
-wait, where do the keys go? Ok, enough about Wilmington (you can see how scary it is) we must move on. Well I wanted to get to the Ryles Institute to tell you what we have been up to but I need to go do the final preparation for the trip so I will have to get to that at a later time but before I go I am THRILLED to report that we added some senior female leadership to the Ryles Institute! When we did RR last year I thought the world was inane but the insanity has only gone up a few dozen notches so we staffed up accordingly at The Institute….Given the chaos in the legal community we decided to go after some of the greatest legal minds of all times and I am happy to report that after a LOT of convincing we were able to add our NEW Head of Legal at the Institute:
She obviously needs no introduction…when I asked her what she thought of the new Supreme Court Justice she refused to answer…with words…
OK….moving along….I am also THRILLED to announce that we have also added one of the most powerful women in America to our ranks…now this one wasn’t easy but when she reviewed all of the fantastic and worthwhile work The Ryles Institute has done she immediately agreed to join so ladies and gentlemen our new Head of Global Initiatives :
OPRAH! Who DOESN’T love OPRAH? I do. I look forward to working with her and know she will teach us all so much! I have a LOT more to say but I really must go so until tomorrow–SO LONG!
Rylo.