About 4 months ago, Bike to the Beach signed up to compete in the DC BBQ Battle, against 47 other seasoned veteran BBQ teams. We didn't have a recipe or the necessary equiptment, we didn't know how to use the equiptment we didn't even have yet, and we weren't sure what the entire experience would entail... but we signed up, and hoped for the best. Sounds a lot like many of our B2B riders!!

And just like those riders will soon find out, its an amazing thing: the joy and satisfaction of joining a team, and working together to accomplish something that truely didn't seem feasible - whether its biking 100 miles (when you haven't biked in years), or raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Autism Speaks, or learning how to slow-smoke tender, juicy, sweet, savory, spicy baby-back ribs and entering into the frenzy of a BBQ Battle!

In the end, the B2B BBQ team came together, through countless hours of preparation and training, and under the pressure of the prolonged grueling battle, to produce ribs that were "incredibly beautiful" (according to one of our 3 on-site judges, the owner of Facia Luna Restaurant), "well-cooked" (according to another one of our judges, the Washington Post Food Section editor), and "f^#*ing amazing" (according to numerous folks who were lucky enough to get a sample).

Literally, thousands of people came by our competition tent to find out what B2B was all about (and why our smoker was built out of bike parts). It was an amazing - and exhausting - 2 days, and its something the B2B team will never forget. THANK YOU to everyone who came by to offer support; we wouldn't have made it through the battle without you.

The BBQ Battle was an incredible journey, that seemed like a pipe-dream just a few months ago. But, in true B2B fashion, we jumped in the deep end, worked together, and got to the finish-line sweaty, dirty, tired, maybe even a little bloodied.... and glowing with happiness and satisfaction.

With the ride less than a month away, I'm looking forward to an amazing B2B 2009, and I hope all of our riders and volunteers are too!!!

Nil Volentibus Arduum - "Nothing is impossible for the Willing"

-Tommy Schmitz