I just got Issue #19 of Cyclocross magazine. And there I find yet another reason why I’m digging CX so much. The darn thing just blew me away yet again. Usually it’s the events themselves that blow me away but this time it’s the mag! Very cool!
There’s a big article about this superfan, Gilly. He dresses in a Ghillie suit and hides out on the race courses then scares the racers AND GIVES THEM MONEY.
Giving away money is legend in CX. It’s part of the party. It’s HILARIOUS. I love it — along with the beer and bacon handups. Of course, all of it comes at a price: that of entertainment. The treats are stashed in all sorts of places and spectators just love seeing who can get em or who’s gungho enough. The equally hilarious thing is seeing that some “pro” elements of the sport frown on such antics, saying they impair the serious esteem of their painful calling. I love tension!
But this Gilly guy takes it WAY far. You GOTTA check it out. He gives away a LOT. And they interview him here. What a sport! He includes his ideas about money and says how he earns it. What I really dug is that his way is close to mine. He works on his own, buying cheap bike inventory and selling it on eBay. There’s stuff about the smelliness of his Ghillie suit.
This dude is onto something old, called the Potlatch. In old time NW coast Indian tribes there used to a competition for who could give away the most. Well, maybe not a competition, but the obligation of the cheif or hero of the tribe was to give and give and keep giving. The poverty of the chief was a point of pride, though the term pride would likely have a different sense to them. Of course this didn’t preclude the chief from making efforts to acquire — he just didn’t keep. Actually, the Potlatch was an occasional ceremonial gathering. OK, I’m no expert, but there’s cool anthropology explanations out there. And, of course, many top people of all time have realized that giving is the key. But it’s neat to read in a bike mag about this guy who’s found his own way there, who doesn’t claim to know why, who has his own ideas, who says that everyone says he’s crazy. …Just the kind of story a bike mag should have.
Kudos!
The final funny thing is: Where did they get that spelling? I’m thinking it’s just the mag doing it that way. The superfan knows his outdoor lore. It’s GHILLIE. It’s a Scottish thing, relating to the hunting/fishing guides over there who are called ghillies. But who knows. Humor is as humor does.
Here’s a link to it: www.cxmagazine.com/gilly-suit
