SBT GRVL, like most races this year, were cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic, but if it all goes well, the 2021 edition will happen on August 15, 2021. Still 200+ days away, but definitely exciting stuff in one of the most picturesque course to look forward to next year.
Which brings us to the next important thing – General registration will open tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 4 at 7AM mountain time. We were told there are roughly 500 available spots, in addition to the nearly 2,000 confirmed riders deferred from the cancelled 2020 edition.
Besides an all-star list of confirmed racers and a 50/50 equal prize purse for the pro male and female field, there are also a few new items worth mentioning:
SBT GRVL Athlete Program: A partnership with Ride For Racial Justice to offer 25 black, indigenous and people of color athletes a full-ride to the race.
GRVL GREEN route: A new category for e-bikes for better inclusivity and encouraging riders of all abilities to participate.
Given we are not out of the woods with the pandemic, measures such as hands-free water systems, wave starts, additional pre-packaged food and a revised packet pickup system will be implemented in compliance with federal/state/local ordinances to improve overall safety. With much in the unknown SBT have also made it known riders will have the options to deferred their entry to 2022, as well as a partial refund if the race is cancelled.
The Mid South happened a little over a month ago and after a few weeks of sheltering in place, this race, or any racing for that matter, offers a sense of nostalgia.
Erik just dropped off his captures of a two part series from what was formally known as Land Run 100. The first part dives into the history and interviews whereas part two of the series, below, is a collection of diptychs of the seven participants before and after what turned out to be an epically beautiful mud fest along with an exact set of questions.
Oh, and don’t forget to click on the photos to enlarge details!
Tyson Branyon
Before
How are you feeling?
OK
What do you think will happen out there?
10% might finish.
What are you hoping to take away from the experience?
I don’t know. When you’re 70 there’s not much upside on the learning curve. It’s going to be wet and muddy, so we’ll see!
After
How are you feeling?
I’m a little bit pissed off.
What happened out there?
I got out in the rain and all that mud, and that I had a mechanical. I was just in the mood to finish a hundred miles!
What are you taking away from the experience?
Even though I think I’m not ego driven when I had that mechanical I got pissed. I said f*ck this and I spent 40 minutes trying to fix the brakes and riding 40 minutes riding metal on metal with no brake pads until the cable broke. On some downhill I thought, “This is stupid.” A support jeep was right there so I finally stopped.
Michelle Hance
Before
How are you feeling?
I am feeling excited, pretty nervous, but I live in a place where it rains every single day. It does not get muddy like it does here because our ground is used to that kind of thing. It’ll be fun, an adventure!
What do you think will happen out there?
Well hopefully I’m gonna finish. But who knows? We’ll find out!
What are you hoping to take away from the experience?
That’s a hard question. I’m really hoping to give it all I’ve got and at the end be proud of what I’ve done. That’s my favorite thing. When you finish and you’re like, “I’ve that I didn’t know if I could do it or not.” That’s 100% what this (the MidSouth) is, especially with the rain. I don’t know if I can do it.
After
How are you feeling?
I’m feeling pretty excited that I survived! *laughs*
What happened out there?
The first 30 miles or so were just kinda wet and not so bad. Then it got really…dark and started getting muddy. It got really bad. Around mile 40, mile 45 I had a major attitude adjustment and I was like, “All right, I’m gonna finish this! It’s gonna be fine.” And then I actually made pretty good progress until mile 80, 85 and that’s when it started getting really muddy again. The stream crossing actually helped alot to clean off my chain, cassette and all that! It saved my shifting all the way to the very end.
Those last 15 miles I was like, “I’m not quitting! I’m almost done!”
What are you taking away from the experience?
I finished. I’m pretty proud of that! I feel like I had a pretty positive for the most of it. There is something to be said for that. I’m glad that I was able to, other than a few rough sections, be pretty excited about what I was doing and making sure I was having a good time.
I also made a bunch of friends, which is the best thing about gravel racing! Suffering out there with a bunch of people is awesome!!
Alexandera Houchin
Before
How are you feeling?
I’m f*ckin’ stoked! *laughter*
What do you think will happen out there?
I think I am going to get wet and then I am going to dry off.
What are you hoping to take away from the experience?
I’m hoping to listen to some of my biochemistry podcasts and get a little dirty.
After
How are you feeling?
Like a rock star!
What happened out there?
My bike gained some weight, like 500lbs.
What are you taking away from the experience?
Oklahoma is rad!
Mark Wood, 13
Before
How are you feeling?
I’m feeling great. I’m just going to try to get out there and do what I can.
What do you think will happen out there?
I think it’s going to get way muddy but I’m just going to try to walk through it if I have to.
What are you hoping to take away from the experience?
I’m going to try to take away some enjoyment and something that I can really keep thinking about how it felt in that moment.
After
How are you feeling?
I’m feeling a little less accomplished than I set out to feel like, but I still feel proud of myself for getting out there when alot of people didn’t.
What happened out there?
It got really really muddy and cold. My feet just got like really cold and I was shivering even in the shower back home. I just couldn’t do any more out there.
What are you taking away from the experience?
I am going to take away a learning experience until the next year comes and I try it again.
Andrew Strempke
Before
How are you feeling?
Oh I am so excited. So excited!
What do you think will happen out there?
I hope there is plenty of mud because I am singlespeeding. The more mud the better!
What are you hoping to take away from the experience?
I don’t know. I’m hoping to go fast and have fun!
After
How are you feeling?
I’m feeling good. I’m feeling tired!
What happened out there?
It was wet, it was soft pretty much everywhere and I was wishing I had one easier tooth on the rear cog but yeah, it was really hard and it was really fun. It was just muddy all day long. It got really messy. Yeah, it was a great day on the bike. A great day for some walking! *laughs*
What are you taking away from the experience?
I got a a bunch of good mud riding practice in. A bunch of hike a bike practice. My qualification for a real good course is you have to walk your bike at some point and I definitely did that today.
Katie Strempke
Before
How are you feeling?
Excited to get out there in the mud! *laughs*
What do you think will happen out there?
I think…hopefully there will still be some fast sections but I think there is going to be some walking for sure. Looking forward to it!
What are you hoping to take away from the experience?
I’m looking for a little bit of redemption from 2017 which was the last time it was kind of like this. I quit because I got really cold so this time I want to finish.
After
How are you feeling?
I’ve got alot of adrenaline right now so I’m feeling pretty good!
What happened out there?
It was muddy like pretty much the whole time, but it was super fun. I was on a singlespeed so I was able to ride almost everything. I had a good day!
What are you taking away from the experience?
That you can do hard things! As long as you keep a positive attitude. *laughs*
Ashley Davis, 16
Before
How are you feeling?
Cold and excited.
What do you think will happen out there?
Lots of mud. Definitely lots of mud. And I think it’s going to be a really fun ride.
What are you hoping to take away from the experience?
100 miles? 100 miles and an experience. Definitely an experience!
After
How are you feeling?
Mentally and physically tired.
What happened out there?
It was really muddy, my bike had alot of issues and I’m just surprised I even made it to the 50.
What are you taking away from the experience?
Just the mud! Definitely the mud. It definitely helped me mentally to get stronger and just, just getting to the 50.
Super stoked to see a gravel race coming to our HQ’s backyard this fall! Mammoth Lakes will be hosting the inaugural Mammoth TUFF on September 19. Created by Dave Sheek and his partner, 2015 and 2016 Dirty Kanza 200 champion Amanda Nauman, Mammoth TUFF offers a short 45-mile course with 2,000 ft of climbing ($75) plus a grueling 100-mile course with 8,000 ft of climbing ($180) which also happens to be the same landscape Ansel Adams immortalized.
Registration is now open to the first 850 participants and 10% of the entry fees will benefit the preservation of the surrounding public land.
Oh and by the way, Mammoth TUFF is also partnering with Mammoth’s Oktoberfest festival which is also taking place that weekend. Can’t. Wait.
“For many this will be as close to Brussels as they will ever come. There is no failure for those who finish. There is no glory for those who cower, regardless of where their ride ends.”
Registration for the May 3rd, 2020 Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride in Carlsbad will open at noon PST today. Don’t miss out.
The inaugural SBT GRVL gravel race went off with much positive buzz in Steamboat this past August, and the organizer just announced the 2020 edition.
Photo: Courtesy of Steamboat Gravel / Ian Hylands
Scheduled to be held on August 16, 2020, SBT GRVL has arguably one of the most picturesque venues around, but there’s a lot more to be liked than the scenery, as highlighted by the video below:
Registration will open at 7am MT on Tuesday, December 3rd.
Racing in her fifth year as a professional and in her fourth season for UCI Women’s World Tour team Lotto Soudal Ladies, Isabelle Beckers had a comparatively late, yet speedy foray into professional bike racing due to injuries from competitive track and field and many friends telling her, “Just do the same.” The former Belgium 400 meter track star and physical education teacher got her first start in triathlons because “I could ride my bike, I could still do some running, and I could do some swimming,” she explained.
After two years of racing triathlons and working full-time as a pharmaceutical sales rep, she eventually found her true calling.
“I discovered that I was best in cycling. I was like, ‘Okay. I’m 29 now. It’s now or never.’ So I decided to go 100% for cycling.”
Today, aside from her day job racing and pulling domestique duties for her teammates, the multi-talented Beckers works as a curator for La Ridley, a women’s cycling community founded by Ridley where one can read up on a wide variety of topics ranging from everyday questions such as how to fix a flat tire, to stories inside the pro peloton.
How long have you been riding for Lotto-Soudal? How long have you been racing?
I’ve been racing for five years and this is my fourth season with Lotto-Soudal.
Your most memorable race:
Gent-Wevelgem two years ago. It wasn’t really rainy, but there was so much wind that we felt it in our arms because we were leaning into the wind. It was such a hard race because we were fighting the wind constantly, and you would see girls getting dropped the whole time and then just get off their bikes, so we were like “Lotto-Soudal, okay, that’s another one. And then another one, and then another.”
We were like the last ones.
That was such a cool experience also because I had my teammate with me. We were the last ones in the race because they (the commissaires) were taking everybody out. Everybody got dropped. There were riders all over the place and she was the one telling me, “Isabelle, keep eating. Keep drinking. We can do it. We can do it.” And I was like, “Okay Anouk (Rijff), that’s great.” After that she was the one being very hungry and couldn’t do it anymore.
We didn’t drop (each other). We did a time trial until the finish. (Only 65 riders out of a field of 169 finished the race- Ed.)
Biggest challenge as a professional cyclist:
The biggest challenge would be getting selected for races like the big classics… And really finish them and do a real good job.
Uphill or downhill?
Uphill.
Your speciality and main role at Lotto-Soudal:
I try to specialize in Time Trials. I don’t have enough explosive power to be a sprinter. But I can ride really hard for a longer time. I am 183cm tall which makes me too heavy to be a good climber even when I’m very skinny. But I absolutely love climbing certainly the longer climbs where I can ride tempo and be the ‘busdriver.’
My job at the team is mostly to be a helper/domestique. And if I get the chance to be in an early break, I can grab it.
What’s on your playlist when you’re warming up for a time trial?
Dance music, like Tomorrow Land kind of music.
Favorite place to ride in Europe?
I have never done it but I would love to do the Stelvio.
Any recommendation if I was to visit Belgium tomorrow:
Oudenaarde. Because that is really the center of cycling. That is the center of Tour Flanders. Right there.
Do you see any difference in the cycling culture between the US and its European counterpart?
The difference I could experience so far is indeed that in the US, people are very serious about their cycling. Training with coaches, schedules, powermeters, newest tech. All the racing on the road and even on the track. I was impressed! Even in every age group!
In Europe the amateurs ride their bikes in a less professional way. Power meters you can only find with the pro riders at the moment. What you do see over here is a rising trend in granfondo’s, triathlons etc. The real endurance stuff. People want to make it to the finish line but the result isn’t that important.
I’ve been told that you’re also a talented artist, a Renaissance woman type:
To say that I am an artist, is a bit over the top, I reckon. I wish I had more time to draw. I work with crayons because I like the texture it gives.
Describe your idea of a perfect holiday:
A lot of nature, adventure. I don’t really like resorts. I’m not a very touristy kind of girl.
Your spirit animal:
I was with the girl scouts and there they give you an animal name during your last year. I was a swallow. They say they’re artistic fliers or something.
What about a favorite meal?
Meatballs with tomato sauce, together with warm cherries, cherry sauce and mashed potatoes with no gravy.
First thing you would do on your first day as a captain of a pirate ship?
Just go to a very beautiful island.
What would you be your chosen superpower?
Fly.
How many golf balls can you fit in a school bus?
Is it a Belgian school bus? 10,582,361.
What is a coffee ride and what do you do when you’re on one?
I’m very good at coffee rides… It’s just riding a little bit and drinking coffee most of the time. We ride much slower than most of the tourists in a coffee ride. It goes really slow, it’s not doing serious stuff because we do that all the time. We look forward to doing coffee rides. It really is part of training and it’s just a day that you can really enjoy bike riding.
One embarrassing fact people don’t know about you:
I basically fell over my first race bike with clipless pedals the first time I hopped on it. My dad was standing there and he brings up that story every time in every race or whatever- whoever he is talking with… Another thing also with pedals. I was lost during our training camp. So we had to stop at a red light and I was all being cool… So I just grabbed a car who was also waiting at the red light, but they had green before me. I nearly fell while the whole team was there.
What would you like to see/improve in terms of women racing and cycling?
What I would like to see improved in cycling in general, is safety.
On the road and in the races. Do you know that team leaders and staff don’t even need a first aid certification to do their job? They are the first arriving at a crash during a race! To me this is just crazy. It’s not even mandatory to have a first aid kit in the team bus/car. We take so many risks during a race but if something goes wrong it could really go wrong.
The accident of Stig Broeckx is the perfect example. The ambulance following that day wasn’t even checked before the race. I think first aid courses should be followed by the staff of every single team and every year to be able to get a race license.
Women’s cycling could use more professionalism. That all starts with more TV-coverage or media attention. This way sponsors are more interested and budgets could rise. And wouldn’t it be great if it would be mandatory to have a women’s team next to every men’s team at the Pro Tour or World Tour level? They have huge budgets and could make it possible for every girl to get at least a minimal wage. Maybe I’m not thinking realistic but it’s not wrong to dream, right?
Anything else you would like to add about your job as a cyclist and as an ambassador at La Ridley our readers should know about?
Anything is possible. I’m proof that where there is will, there is a way.
Impeccably clean and laced Converse High Tops. Photo: Stephen Lam/ element.ly
I thought hard about whether I should make a trip to Sea Otter this year.
No doubt last year’s inaugural e-bike race at one of America’s premier bike festivals was fun, but I could really use a day off, especially after what turned out to be an intense Saturday in Berkeley.
So I somewhat reluctantly made the drive down to Laguna Seca and in the end, I am glad I did.
As I walked toward the entrance, a friend I haven’t seen since InterBike came out of nowhere and we spent 10 minutes catching up as we treaded closer to the blue overpass. The conversation ranged from kids, life, and a bit of bikes.
Pretty spontaneous but it felt like family.
Once over the blue overpass, my initial plan of attack was to fly under the radar around the expo as long as I could. However, just like my previous conversation, my hopes of staying down low was all but evaporated within five minutes into the expo when I walked by the Boyd booth.
Old pal Richard was there showing them hoops with a couple of Factor O2s, industry chatters…
Want. Photo: Stephen Lam/ element.ly
Somewhere along the way, test rides were offered but since I only had a day there, that just couldn’t happen. With more than 400 exhibitors, even quick drive-by booth visits quickly added up to a significant chunk of time as I jumped between the seemingly sprawling booths and race venues that littered within and outside the famed corkscrew race course.
As cheery racers went to claim their podiums from the day’s criterium and enduro races one after another, I slowly came to realize that Sea Otter is more than racing and new products.
Up and personal. Photo: Stephen Lam/ element.ly
It’s a family gathering of all disciplines where little rippers can share pump track tips with their older brother-in-arms of whom they’ve only seen in YouTube videos; Where aspiring cross-country racers in USA Talent ID jerseys rub shoulders with GT’s Anneke Beerten as Brett Tippie goofs around while filming his latest Just The Tip segment; And eBikes getting along with just about everyone, including them electric surfboards.
Photo: Stephen Lam/ element.ly
In it, I find myself a brief reprieve from the constant barrage of what’s happening around the world. The feeling where you’re so thirsty and suddenly the GU booth just magically appears like a desert oasis on the horizon, along with all the food samples and drinks you can have.
And I am not even mad about falling into one of the many gopher holes, or, as one of my teammates joked, bomb holes that lined the dual slalom course.
Photo: Stephen Lam/ element.ly
With that in mind, perhaps I should treat next year’s Sea Otter as if I was coming home for Thanksgiving.
Beer handup gone wrong. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
Still need the skills to know how to ride an eBike, and you can get a solid workout riding one, just like hardcore commuting. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
In case you're wondering. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
Moto-inspired handguards for #32. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
Carl Decker of the Giant Factory Off-Road Racing Team racing opted to do the eMTB race on a regular bike. No big deal. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
'merica. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
Unfortunately the Yeti had a flat tire. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
Group discussion about the preliminary results. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
Christoph Sauser getting high-fives at the finish after winning the inaugural Sea Otter Classic eMTB race. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
Waiting for the award ceremony. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
Turns out the best photo spot at Sea Otter was the parking lot. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
“Hey the gas station is right over there!” screams one heckler at the inaugural Sea Otter Classic eMTB bike race.
As polarizing as the opinions of eBikes are here in the States, I honestly thought the eMTB race was highly entertaining … What’s not to love when people are racing their brains out for an hour trying to put in as many laps as they could?
Plus, it dawned on me that eBike racing is very much like cyclocross of years past: Some thought Cross was silly, a European thing. Races weren’t sanctioned and super hip.
No one laughs at cyclocross now. Heck, there’s even a Cross race at Sea Otter, months after the regular cross season had ended. It’s that popular.
But let’s go back to the scene of the eMTB race. On the serious end of business, Christoph Sauser won the race. Yes, the former world cross country champ Sauser from Switzerland riding a brand new Specialized Turbo Levo FSR. Gorgeous looking bike.
A new Specialized Turbo Levo FSR on course. Photo: Stephen Lam/Element.ly
The best part of the race, though, were the characters involved: The guy riding an e-downhill bike in what is essentially a cross-country criterium; another rider with motocross-inspired hand guards; racers in full spandex/racers in jeans and t-shirts; Yuri Hauswald racing the industry challenge in a furry Yeti suit; and a shoutout to Carl Decker (Giant Factory Off-Road Racing Team) who was competing on a regular bike.
And it was a blast for the over 100 registered racers and the handful of spectators (some offering beer handups to the riders). Sure, there were a bunch of mechanicals ranging from a busted chain, flats, and someone complaining about not being able to turn on his bike’s turbo assist mode. But the vibe was just like cyclocross in the early days: minimal rules and a whole lot of fun.
That, my friend, is a whole new racing category in its infancy. Similar to enduro, whether or not you agree with the concept of eBikes (or eBike racing), it’s a matter of time that your local race will have a dedicated eBike category.
Which brings the question of why all the hate and pushback? If we can accept full suspension, new axle standards every other month and embrace enduro/gravel so quickly then why can’t we accept eBike into the family?
eBike is not going to take over the world. And just like commuter bikes, they’re not for everyone. Road/trail access will get sorted out and someone will always be unhappy, but such is life.
Always appreciate late starts. Better yet, super late afternoon starts.
Reigning US Cyclocross Champ Katie Compton (R) chatting it up before the Wheelers and Dealers race.
What's not to love when there's a shark racing on a bicycle and a Jack Daniel's handoff?
RV awning makes a good place to stash the stationary roller.
The BKCP-Crendon boys relax by the CrossVegas cooler
Plenty of wheels for the Telnet-Fidnea cycling team
Custom paint job and custom shoes for the legendary Sven Nys. Oh and check out that slick chain guard
Warming up on the new Feedback Sports Omnium portable trainer
Erica Zevata of Maxxis-Shimano waits as her mechanic does a last minute adjustment
Sometimes the best viewing spot is away from the main crowd.
A pro man checking out the pro women's race
High-speed high-fives during course inspection
Ellen Van Loy warms up between RVs
Noosa Professional Cyclocross team mechanic Daimeon Shanks power washes one of Meredith Miller's race bikes minutes before start.
A well-organized tool case is crucial for a smooth running pit.
Photographers getting ready to shoot the women's start
Sand pit!
Meredith Miller (Noosa) and Georgia Gould (Luna) push through the sand pit
A spectator-friendly run-up
Waiting for the racers to come.
Katerina Nash solo to the first CrossVegas World Cup win
Boulder Cycle Sport / YogaGlo's Crystal Anthony rests on the grass after finishing 7th
An exhausted Arley Kemmerer at the finish
The winners of the women's CrossVegas World Cup
And here comes the pro men.
The always chaotic start
The pit at CrossVegas saw much less action compared to a typical Cyclocross World Cup which is usually held in colder and wetter conditions (and in Europe), but teams took zero chances and had multiple backup bikes and wheels
The king welcomes the racers and dusts through the sand pit with open arms.
... Another reason to have a backup at the pit.
Corne Van Kessel gives chase through the barriers
Eventual winner Wout Van Aert leads Sven Nyst through the Raleigh Ramp...
While reigning US Cyclcross Champ Jeremy Powers opts to ride on the grass instead
The top of the Sram race truck makes a nice race vantage point.
Anti-doping controls. Don't ever miss this.
The winners of the men's CrossVegas world cup
Over this past year or so I kept asking myself what draws me to want to photograph cycling. I love riding my bike and thanks to my understanding wife (love ya babe) I was able to do some very cool projects. Gravel Worlds, Tour of California, and now CrossVegas.
The beauty of photographing cycling is the access and the creative freedom it allows. With the amount of PR and handlers involved, access to pro athletes is such a rarity these days. But at CrossVegas, you can just walk up to pro guys like legendary Sven Nys and Katie Compton and say hello, check out their fancy super bikes, talk more trash, and make fun happy snappies. Trying to do that at a NFL/MLB/NBA game will result in your credential getting pulled and never to be seen again.
We at Element.ly were fortunate to go behind the scenes with Team Hincapie at this past Tour of California and we’re stoked to photograph CrossVegas given that it’s the first time that a WorldCup Cyclocross race is taking place in America.
Shooting CrossVegas after spending a day on the show floor at the annual InterBike convention is really akin to working a second job after a long day at the office. But the crowds! The crowds were amazing and the racing was straight up badass. Wout Van Aert and Katerina Nash drilled it.
Anyways, time to head back to the InterBike show floor. Enjoy the gallery and stay tuned for our InterBike coverage!
The Andy and The Shawna. Photo: Jim Merithew/Element.ly
“Did you win a lot of races when you were younger,” asked my friend Andy, during a recent bike ride.
“No,” I said. “No, I did not.”
Although, I appreciate Andy being able to visualize me thrusting my arms into the air as I cross the finish line. The glorious moment of me holding off a charging pack, hammering the final kilometers, digging so deep into reserves I collapse as I cross the line is something I have only imagined and never experienced.
“I come from a long line of pack fodder,” I responded.
This is not completely true. I once won a stereo from a church raffle, although I didn’t actually buy the ticket, a buddy of mine bought it for me.
I was also once Indiana Clip Photographer of the Year way back in the day.
And if I remember correctly I might have won a best cake decoration during a hard-fought Cub Scout competition.
But that’s about it.
It’s not that I don’t like winning or winners.
I love winners.
I helped photo edit a very talented photographer’s Pulitzer Prize.
But when the announcement was made I stood as far back in the room as I could. I loved the win, but I was off-the-back during the moment of glory.
I guess if I ever pictured myself becoming a bike racer, it was more as a domestique then a podium contender.
I mean he was a professional bicycle racer for many years, after all.
But the idea of burying myself for another to have glory.
Going back to the car for bottles.
Railing at the front for the first 120k, even though you know you are going to end up dragging yourself across the line much later.
The idea of sitting in the gruppetto with the broom wagon breathing down your neck, just desperate to stay inside the time limit so you can live to serve another day.
All this excites me.
Maybe it’s because I know nothing other than being first loser.
Or maybe it is because I lack the killer gene that makes one thirsty for victory.
Or maybe it’s just the fact I think life is about the journey and not the destination, so I don’t hunt Strava KOMs or finish lines or the limelight.
Actually, I’m pretty sure it is because I am a great big wimp and when push comes to shove I can’t handle the heat, so I get out of the kitchen.
