I told you I would do one more post! All of a sudden I feel like I have so much more to say but I will try not to get carried away….but no promises. Lets start with a few questions from one of our favorite people–Mr. Tom Tierney–for those of you who don’t know Tom, he is a former Mr. America and Olympic Athlete and is currently one of the top 2 Hedge Fund Managers in the WORLD (Sorry Nathan is #1)!
TT–“Did you and Shred have any other issues requiring Dom to step in and take charge?” Well actually we did TT! At mile 58 on day one we were just departing Shake Shack when we were attacked by the local street gang. We assumed our greatest risk of attack would be in Wilmington (which is a really scary stretch) so I think we let our guard down a bit and that is when it went down. Shred and I were minding our own business when out of the shadows a group of hooligans popped out and hurled throwing knives at us. I immediately took evasive action and avoided all contact but Shred was distracted by my singing and took the brunt of the attack. Luckily the knives didn’t hit Shred but they punctured his back tire and he had a NASTY blow out. It would have been the end for most people but Shred was able to control his ride and power through until we reached safety–this is standard military protocol when you come under attack you push through the ambush to equalize the odds. Now many of you weren’t aware that there are Street Gangs in Newport Beach but there are–trust me. The gang used to reside in NYC but recently moved West in search of a more wholesome life style. Yes, I am talking about the Van Buren Boys:
It was pretty dang scary. But, just like before Shred and I remained calm and sent out the distress signal:
and within 18 seconds The Dom appeared out of nowhere and the situation was quickly resolved–Thanks The Dom!
TT: “What is the scoop with the Ryles Institute?” Well we are as busy as ever as we approach our 5th anniversary. We have picked up many new clients so some of the Senior Leadership had to take on additional roles which means more titles and new business cards. Here are just a few of the new positions we dolled out–
Nathan: Consigliere. Amateur Tattoo Artist Semi Pro Race Driver. Sunday Sermon Writer. The Velvet Fog.
Shred: Expert Witness. Fixer. Pyrotechnician. Motivational Architect. Valedictorian.
Rylo: Minister of Propaganda. Party Planner/Think Tank CEO. Golden God. Maestro. The Chocolate Genius.
There are many more but those are classified.
TT: “What is the secret to making RR enjoyable for all?” Well we adhere to many rules and standards with the main one being–Staying in our lane and running our race. With the CAF there is absolutely a hurry up/speed element that isn’t common for Ryolrides. Its not bad it is just different so we tried NOT to get too wrapped up in the rush mentality so we could enjoy the amazing scenery.
TT: “Do you have any words of wisdom”? Ok TT last question from you Mr. Good looking! Yes there are some phrases that I have been known to use often–some of which you may know–but I think they are worth repeating!
-Piss Poor Planning Produces Poor Performance OR
-Propper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
-Hard work brings good luck
-Think of me as a doctor
-Do you ever ignore what you don’t understand (yeah thats a good one a lesson formed as a question)
-Do you know why we are still friends?
-Keep whats important and KNOW who’s your friend.
-Its happening!
-If it’s worth doing it’s worth doing well.
-and here is one that literally changed how I looked at everything and it was given to me by one of the greatest people I have met–Butch Harmon (thanks Solly/Citi!): “If you aim at nothing Ryles you will hit it every time. ” I swear that one statement really impacted me and made me realize without goals how can you achieve them? Solid.
Heck I think that is a lot to absorb so lets wrap this blog up for another year! RR5 was much different from all the other RR’s which was a nice change of pace but fundraising isn’t something you can do every year so if we can manage the attendance RR6 will be just the team on our own again. We really hope we can get Bobby out here again but the man has 11 kids and 14 grandkids (he looks so dang young!) so we will just have to wait and hope! A special thanks to The Dom/Maust and Nathan for helping us out along the way and hanging with us in SD–well done. And a super thanks to Shred who once again made the ENTIRE journey from Menlo Park to Moraga to LA to SD and BACK without one complaint. Thats pretty dang fantastic trust me and makes for a GREAT travel partner. Shred and I dont only get together once a year but rather see each other often during the year for monthly lunches in Oakland and multiple rides during the year–in fact, Shred and I started off 2018 the RIGHT way by climbing the beast–Mt Diablo–ON New years Day!
For me, I will go back to my normal routine of riding/volunteering for The State Parks and Loaves and Fishes along with my many many other hobbies and continue to try and be a good person who does good things while always remembering my #1 Job is to be a GREAT Husband and Father which I have decided I really am because well I am the Rylo! Thanks again for your fundraising support! Here we have Shred and I cheering another successful ride but now I must go work on the calendar! How much do I ride? Just the right amount!
Until Next year so long from Team Rylo!
The End.