Wheels and Heels and Night Train, Champagne, DeWayne

I went out to Jasper Winery Tuesday night for the Wheels and Heels event, a fashion show and shopping event highlighting local bike gear. It was a scorcher all day, but I was sitting in my apartment thinking, it’s gotta be cooler outside than it is in my 4^th floor hot box.

So I took a quick dip and headed around the Fleur detour in my Jeep… I’ve been out of commission for about a week due to some health issues. I talked the doctor down from three weeks off the bike to one week off the bike. Still, one week is too long. I would have LOVED to pull into the winery on my Clubman.

Eventually I found myself on the wrong side of the detour and realized I could have gotten to the winery in about 2 minutes because the detour was AFTER George Flagg… Oh well. I wasn’t the only one strolling in fashionably late.

Happy hour and shopping started at 5:30 and the fashion show started around 6. I rolled in and they were just starting the fashion show. It was a really laid back atmosphere with lawn chairs and bikes everywhere. Even though the lawn was littered with bikes, the parking lot was jam packed.

Channel 13’s Sonya Heitshusen was one of the MCs along with Suzet Nelson. I’m a little partial, but I think they did a fantastic job. Each model in the fashion show was riding a bike, walking, or riding roller skates, and each model had a bag full of goodies that you might need during your rides this summer.

Each bag also had a door prize. I won one of the first door prizes pulled! A $15 gift certificate to Boulevard Sports. I never win anything, so I was so excited. Not sure what I’m going to spend it on… But it’s burning a hole in my pocket already.

One of the highlights of the fashion show was when this guy (on the left) won a t-shirt that said, “Please don’t run me over” on the back, and the same thing backwards on the front (so you can see it in the rear view mirror). His name was “Night Train, Champagne, DeWayne.” He told a sweet story about the greatest years of his life being those years in the 50’s when he rode his bike to school.

The event was hosted by the Des Moines Bike Collective and displayed fashion and goodies from their supporters:

-Jasper Winery
-Q7 Cycling
-Backcountry Outfitters
-Rockabilly Reign
-RAYGUN
-Bike World
-The City of Perry
-VeloRosa
-Des Moines Derby Dames
-Tomboy Tools presented by Tina McIntire
-Ichi Bike
-Dr. Kellie Hoover at Iowa Family Chiropractic
-Kitchen Collage
-DART
-Impulse Entertainment

I have to say, along with a great evening, I ran into an old friend from high school, Andrea, who loves to bike! Both she and I are back in Des Moines after hopping around the US. I’m excited to go on a ride with her sometime soon!