Inside Jokes

A sense of humor can get you very far, maybe even farther than a bicycle. Okay we all know that’s not true. But having such an enthusiastic and goofy team makes the tougher rides bearable. Here are some of the currently circulating inside jokes explained:

Lance? – Ever since we found out that we were in Aspen, Colorado the same day that Lance Armstorng was, we’ve been looking for him. In Aspen a few riders tweeted at him, but we had no success. Our new method of searching for Lance is to just say “Laaance” in a drone moo-like tone of voice. When one person says it everyone asks, “Lance?” as if he is in the other room. We still haven’t found him.

Sweep challenges – We started doing sweep challenges. Then two assigned sweeps of the day make up a challenge. Brian and Dan’s challenge was to find the most useful item on the side of the road. Emma and Nyx’s challenge was to send them the funniest picture message. Today I swept with Rae, and our challenge was for riders to chalk a replica of a famous work of art. Riders got really into it - before we knew it, the entire box of chalk was emptied from the trailer! The sweep challenges really mix up every day, and keep sweep entertained. The winner of our sweep challenge was JD, who chalked a painting of a flower pot originally by Henri Matisse.

Sneaky snakes – I forget whose parents send them a care package with finger puppets that are snake heads. People have been leaving them in hidden places, and we call them (and each other) the sneaky snakes.

What are the chances? – This game is so fun! Every morning people are running around the host site reminding others how soon the route meeting is and to get their packed bins over to the trailer ASAP. Mornings are rushed and stressful – not exactly the romanticized image I had of Bike & Build, but I see now that idea was unrealistic. Last night at about 10pm, Sarah asked me, “What are the chances you’ll send a group text right now telling people that the route meeting is soon?” I giggled and said, “One in five.” So we both counted to three, and then together shouted, “Four!” So at 10pm I texted the whole team saying, “Route meeting ten minutes ago, get your bins packed and out to the trailer.” Sarah walked around the host site for me, and came back reporting that everyone is really confused and thinks I’m drunk or something. When you lose What Are the Chances you have to do the dare.

Days of Christmas – Not really a joke, but it mixes things up. We’re halfway through Christmas in July. Nyx has been spearheading the Twelve Days of Chirstmas, and has been doing cute things each day such as six minutes of singing or four hugs for everyone. There’s even a Secret Santa and Christmas party happening on the last day in July. We’ll be in a town that literally has a population of 1, so celebrating Christmas in July will make things exciting.

Narrow shoulder – Curtis brought a new hand signal to the team’s attention. When the shoulder of the road is going to become narrow soon, the person riding in the front of the group signals this by lifting one hand into the air and pinching their fingers with their thumb while keeping all your joints locked. Everyone thinks this is a hilarious hand gesture, and I think it looks like a silly crab claw. But it is helpful so we’ve started using it on the road, though it does make us giggle in how ridiculous it looks.

Accents and nicknames – Poncho, Scurry, Sweet Baby Rae, Chawa, Miguel, Dangerous Dan, Marcós, and Goose Lord are just a few nicknames on the team. What’s my nickname? Juan Daveed refers to me jokingly as Madalyn, and Dordal addresses me with a rhyming, “What’s easy, Cassisi?” We’ve basically stopped doing Freaky Accent/Foreign Language Fridays, and have begun using accents all the time. I’ve improved my British accent greatly, while some speak with Eastern European and Latin accents. Ethan has been talking in some flamboyant Portuguese accent lately and won’t quit.

Sarcasm – There’s a lot of sarcasm on our team, and while not everyone likes it, I totally love it. One time on a build site, I spaced out and forgot to hammer a nail. JD asked me, “Do you need an invitation to nail that in?” and of course I said, “Why yes, actually I do.” So he switches into an accent and says in a loud snobby British voice, “You are cordially invited in this month of July to hammer this nail. Please send your RSVP to my secretary at your earliest convenience, and do act accordingly.” Or when someone makes a tiny mistake, we pretend to be really serious and tell them to “Get in the van.” And when someone complains, others frown and say “Wahhh,” with one hand under our chins and wiggling our fingers. I usually just ask with a straight face, “Oh my gosh. Do you need me to call the wambulance for you?”