By the time Sunday afternoon rolled around the Zoobombers had been at it since Thursday. They were trashed, injured, hungover, and super stoked for the final day of the 2007 Mini-Bike Winter Olympics.
Folks rolled in in fits and starts while I explored under the bridges of the East-bank esplanade. To keep warm some guy had a tall bike with a burn barel mounted to the back and was burning a small christmas tree as folks gathered, drank beer, and waited around.
Finally enough folks had arrived to get things rolling. Literally. First up, the mini-bike drag race. Mini-bikes. A straight line 30 yards or so. 1,2,3 - GO! Four heats, plus semi-finals, and finals. All for the glory of being the quickest of these Olympics.
Felix emerged the winner and was presented with the prize for first place ~ nothing less than his own box of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Next up, the mini-bike toss! This involved hurling a little bike as far as possible and was made dodgy by folks twirling around in circles while running to the throwing line only to loose their sense of direction at the last moment. Folks went scattering a few times as a slowly disintegrating mini-bike came hurtling their direction.
After several tosses there was less of the bike to hold onto when it was your go.
Team Canada (who had been cleaning up at these winter Olympics) took the Bike Toss and we were off to the relay races....
The Relay Races was a cunning event that involved teams of three riding to the far end of the course on a tricycle, downing a can of beer, and riding back (with the empty can) and passing it off to your teammate who had to do it all over again. The one lone kid of about 10 years old was aloud to modify the rules by filling up an empty beer can with water which was kept safe by some adult or other until it was his turn. For all of the miles we put in on tricycles when we were kids, they are almost impossible to ride as big people. People sat backwards, scootched, lay their bellies on the seat, tried to peddle normally, fell over. Add chugging a beer into all this and there were a couple of queazy looking faces by the time it was over.
Next up the Roller Race ~ a race around a figure 8 course which was dangerous at best, then the Roller Derby ~ the same race with the addition of pitched battle as people (in "derby" fashion) knocked each other over until the last one still rolling was the winner.
The crowning glory of the 2007 Winter Olympics was the Cupcake Challenge. This event involved riding a mini-bike down the boat ramp on the side of the river, out the end of the dock where they launch the crew boats, up and off a makeshift ramp, and straight into the welcoming waters of the freezing cold Willamette River. I had been waiting a year to finally get to see this and it totally rocked. Usually these kinds of things would be saved 'til the height of summer, but for the wingnuts down here in Portland February is the perfect time to crash your bike into the river. There are two videos from last year's Cupcake Challenge here ~ http://www.zoobomb.net/video-index.html scroll down 'til you hit them and remember to keep your pirate flag unfurled.
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