Jacquie Phelan's Weblog

Any excuse for a party.

The Bay Area probably had a dozen Oktoberfests going on’; Marin’s was a two-wheel inclined bash.   I  don’t do nearly enough for bicycle advocacy anymore (I’m burnt out, or too sensitive to politics)  but for an afternoon, it was a cinch to run around in an Austrian dirndle dress crying,:  ” raffle tickets, only a buck…raffle tickets, try your luck… ”

It proved to be a reunion from every decade of my bicycle life, starting with Miss 1990’s, Marla Streb–there with her kids. I got precisely two minutes quality time with the millenial Marla, very different from the racer I knew…she’s living here in Marin now. “Mark’s over across the street” she told me, gesturing with her five month old bundle.

I scooted off, and found him dozing in a van, and reluctantly left him alone.
Biketoberfest is the brainchild of former Wombat Heidi Adler, a mover-and–shaker of Marin County bicycle advocacy.  In the last five years the event has grown 300%.
I watched several waves of roadies pull up and join in, even though they hadn’t known there was to be a bike event in town.
Four bands, ranging from rock and roll to authentic German ‘oompah’ played to a crowd of a couple hundred.

My other job was to meet and greet. How amazing that a racing colleague–Laurie Bolard–recognized me from 1981!! If my life were a novel, all these references to my long-ago self would spell End Of Story.

As I circulated through the crowd, I found Imba co-founder Mike Kelly, Cunningcollector Geoff Halaburt,  WOmbuddies etc… I encountered a young man who said his name was …(something‚ Cleary) and I repeated “like Beverly?”  and he replied “she’s my grandma, but her name was Bunn”.
A lively conversation ensued (I refused to believe, my readers…that this kid was related to my hero Bev. Cleary of Ramona the Pest fame). Well…it’s all true.

THe Small World Effect is still in effect.

~ by jacquiephelan on October 11, 2009.

Posted in Jacquie Phelan, Uncategorized, WOMBATS