Pressing pause

There will not be a Peckerhead Invitational Bike Ride and Weenie Roast this year. Well, then. That was a weird sentence to type.

As many of you know, my beloved Dad and spectacular grillmaster, Jess Allred, passed away recently after a battle with cancer. Fuck you, cancer, by the way.

Dad and all of our clan were integral parts of making the PKR what it had become over nearly 20 years; which was basically a rolling family reunion. Every year on Father's Day the sight of all of you sweaty knuckleheads sprawled all over our backyard gave us so much joy and laughter.

But the truth is that we (and by "we" I mean "me') are just not ready this year. I'm not prepared physically, organizationally, or emotionally. I would just be mailing it in, and I don't want the first PKR after Dad's passing to feel like something where I am going through the motions. That's why HQ will press pause for a year, take a breath, re-evaluate and reset for 2020.

See you on the road,

Your Dear Leader
#PKR4EVR

Wrap it up. I'll take it. PKR 2018 in the books

Well kids, we did it. Eighteen years. Together we raised our boy to adulthood, and he's eligible for the draft and registered to vote. Thanks for joining in on our graduation party.

Kudos to our riders who came from Delaware, Georgia, Michigan and all over Ohio to ride bikes and hang out afterwards. Pataskala, Columbus, Cleveland, Wooster, Bucyrus, Hilliard, Dublin... you name it. People traveled and we're grateful for that.

Couple dozen new ones, too.

Special thanks to Mansfield's riding community for showing up and showing out. This is a great place to ride bikes and you guys are big reason why.

PKR 18.1
Last thing, if you're up for a challenge join your overweight and undertrained host for PKR 18.1 on September 22 as he gets re-acquainted with Mr. Holmes.

Getting to PeckerheadQuarters

It's pretty easy to find my house, but for the out-of-towners here are some links:

From the NORTH via I-71
From the SOUTH via I-71
From the EAST via Route 30
From the WEST via Route 30

Parking details are here, and if you use the overflow, here's how you get to HQ from there. Or just follow the trail of Natural Light cans.



Or if that doesn't work, I live here:

Why even do this anymore?

I don't believe in fate. I rarely think that things are "meant to be" and most of the time I think God basically watches us make idiots out of ourselves and shakes his head. But hey, that's me.

Every once in a while though, I get reminded that maybe somebody up there has my best interest in mind. 

Today, while I was making sure things were dialed in on the site before Saturday I noticed that the highest performing piece of content we've ever had was a short post from 2012. Curious, I clicked on the link.

It was just an announcement that we were a "go". That's it. Oh, and then my eyes welled up when I read the comment from Paul "Possum"Leiter. Paul died senselessly a year later when he was shot to death by a gunman who invaded his home and took him from the world. He was one of my best friends and I miss him every year around this time.

The 2012 PKR was Paul's last. We rode 2013 in his honor.

I don't ride as much as I used to. I am over-committed, over-scheduled, and have a shit-ton going on. I've have never been happier. The PKR takes a lot of energy to make happen. It's moments like that one, wives like Amy, kids like Maggie and Ellie, and friends, family, and neighbors like you that remind me how important it is to take time out to celebrate cycling. 

Thanks for being you. See you Saturday, Peckerheads. #PKR4EVR

Jay

 

2018 PKR Update - Five days away

Holy hot dog sandwich. In less than one week - Saturday June 16 - the Peckerhead Invitational sets off for its 18th edition. That's a lotta bike riders and hot dogs. So here's the scoop:

• 536 Chevy Chase Road in Mansfield Ohio. We open for business at 7:00 am, ride leaves at 9:00 am sharp.
• Route is marked. No maps. No sag. You're adults. You can handle this.
• Massive cookout afterwards. Hang around and help us freak out the neighbors.
• If you want to bring something, here's what works best.
• No entry fees. Donations accepted to help cover costs.

All of the info you need to rock the PKR is right here. 

See you Saturday. Look for more updates through the week. 

Management.