I often say I'm impervious to FOMO. I certainly didn't feel it for Frankfurt but did have nostalgia for our dinners with CRANK! over the years.
I technically woulda loved to have been at Mogast over the weekend but like I wrote last week, I was happy to be home for a weekend and stoked to be hosting the Damn24 for the 3rd time!
I first raced a 24 hour race in way back in 2005. It was organised by a crew in Atlanta called Faster Mustache. (If you click that, the dude with yellow shirt & hands up at the Goldsprints is me!) Read about the FM24 5 year series here.
One thing I'm proud of (by proxy) is we (they) introduced an RFID tracking system for the race back in 2007. People could track each relay team's standing throughout the 24 hours based on when racers tapped RFID cards at checkpoints. I also co-opened my bike shop with friends in 2007 and we were a checkpoint in '07, '08 & '09. Fond memories!
I recently featured a documentary (that I had never seen) from the 2009 edition that was shared with me by Craig of Wandrer.earth. Seeing a nearly 20 year old video of yourself is pretty wild! The vibe of the race start/finish in the film matches the mood of Workspace 6's energy from Saturday 'till Sunday. Somethings just ever change.
I'm particularly struck by that and waxing on here as hosting a 24 hour race at my office now more than 20 years after my first foray into crazy DIY events like this has got me feeling wistful. 🥰
What a life affirming experience to still be supporting, hosting and participating in grassroots bike community events for more than 2 decades across 2 continents.
So you understand why I don't struggle with FOMO to be anywhere else when I'm fortunate enough to typically be right where the action is! ; )
Thank you to to Carlos & the whole Damn24 crew for keeping the fire burning! Looking forward to hosting again in '27 and maybe even racing! ❤️🔥
and thank you for reading,
Jon
p.s.
🎵 Tunes on deck this past week: New singles from: Fiddlehead 'Baby I'll Change', Tom Hengst's 'Red Sox '& Ceremony's 'Death Destruction Mayhem' and I played vinyl selections during the Damn24 for about 7 hours on Saturday!
Twotone turns 12 in '26 & we're offering 12% off to paid subscribers! If this newsletter is a valuable part of your week, give this offer a peek:
June
- 🇳🇱 30 MAAP Amsterdam PRIME Early Ride (6:45)
July
- 🇳🇱 1 Wheelrunner Wednesday AM Ride (6:30am)
- 🇳🇱 2 Gregario Gossip Club Thursday AM Ride (7:15am)
- 🇳🇱 2 University of Amsterdam's Bike Kitchen Bikes & Drinks BBQ
- 🇳🇱 8 Chris van der Kaap's Bikepacken Book Launch
- 🇳🇱 10 Maap LAB Amsterdam Summer Crit (Fixed Category too!)
Bikes
MAAP LaB AMSTERDAM SUMMER CRIT Nº1 on July 10th!
Twotone Gets Rolling With ALLYGN
The Verge Puts TMD's Keyless Lock Through Its Paces
Ideas
Deep-Research Agents Can Be Poisoned via User-Generated Content
ISPO Amsterdam Tickets Are Discounted Until Tomorrow
Vaktijdschrift Fietszaken
I almost forgot that ISPO will be in Amsterdam this year. Wild they're using a velodrome (doesn't look like Sloten...) for their promo... But Fietszaken's post gave me the heads up to share with you: after 30 June, their early bird discount is through!
DC Rainmaker's Take on The Death of Eurobike
Ray Maker
Like most of Ray's writing: wry, accurate and based on his own experience. I didn't take issue with any of it and he mentions Rouleur Live as an alternative but I think Ray has gotta get to Cyclingworld! Read his Eurobike eulogy here.
Friends
The Road to BAM: Painting Our Way Across Italy
Guest
My friends Arkadij Blinow & Jule Borths rode to BAM! this year and wrote about it on Bikepacking. Relive the magic if you were there or tap in & plan to join next year! Read here.
Loose in the Woods 2026 registration is open!
Recent Rolls from Camp Stybjörn & Fenderfest
Radness
Ronnie Romance's Quest for Quaint
On one hand it feels trite and on the other hand, you know he's right. It's a two-wheeled soliloquy for staying stoked in the face of all the shot that brings us down. Here's to you, Ronnie!
Thank you for reading!
Here's to not showing restraint on your quest for quaint this week!