mike rp had a remarkably good idea a few weeks ago.  we had completed the basic design of our 2006 clothing order with hincapie (and i'll try to get some images of our new kit up soon from the proofs) but we realized that the clothing might not be available in time for the first few races of the season.  we talked about a few different options such as picking up stuff from end of winter sales or doing a small order for generic stuff.  we also looked at a couple of small companies that do custom work in technical fabrics or wool.  given that we had already done a full clothing order, we wanted to keep the costs down, and we didn't want to go through the hassle of another round of graphic design.  so what's to do?  only one answer, make your own.  sound crazy?  it's really easy.  check it.

we got together at mike and laura and nils and mia and ari's house one day after work.  mike had tried to delegate the acquisition of a number of materials to me and i had turned in what can only be called a typical performance: getting nothing done.  mike picked up all the slack.  he got the materials and the tools together and laid it all out.

the basic plan was to use inkjet printable cotton and to find a way to produce a strip that we could apply to the front of the jersey.  this seemed like an intuitive approach so we opted for a few sheets of the printable cotton, some fabric bonding material which is activated by heat and some think black material for piping.  the initial plan was to just bond the printable cotton to the jersey.  there were two basic problems with this: the printable cotton is really thin and we were unsure that the heat and bond adesive would stick to the polyester fabric of the jersey.  a battlefield decision was made to cut up an old white cotton t-shirt and use that as a backing material for the printable cotton.  we ran several team logos off on a sheet of printable cotton and then used a fabric adhesive to bond it to the cotton fabric material from the t-shirt.  we then cut this into strips that could be attached to the jersey.

you'll note that we opted to run the strip right over the zipper.  these jerseys will mostbe b used for winter and spring races and rides and they are long sleeve.  there is sufficient "zip" to be able to remove the jersey comfortably.

once we had the basic stuff in place, it was a matter of attaching the new strip to the jersey for good.  although i have since been told by several reliable people that fabric adhesive would work, we opted for stitching.  i still think it was the right decision but may try some fabric adhesive on some additional graphics for my jersey at a later date.  laura did almost all the stitching.  there was some concern initially about whetehr we woudl break needles by trying to sew through printable cotton, backing, jersey and piping but once we got the machine set up correctly, it worked really nicely.

so there you have it.  a "works" project jersey.  want to see it in action?  here you go...  total cost was less than a dinner at most any dc restaurant.  it's got a cool retro feel, clean look and machine washable; that's a new feature my darlings. 

posted by scott with huge thanks going to out to laura for all the work she put into that project.

this is a follow up to my earlier post on rudy's rhetoical question.  this post showed up on the d20 list.  i want to take still more timeto address this because it's one of the things that's core to our approach and one of the things that separates racing union from most other cycling clubs.  i think the post listed below is wrong on a number of levels.

>>> -----Original Message-----

>>> From: Thomas Licker [mailto:NHVelo@yahoo.com]

>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 8:47 AM

...

>>> Final thoughts - What is your personal marketability in the sport? 

>>> What value do you bring to the team?  Running a cycling team is just

>>> as difficult as running a business.

only if you choose to run your cycling team like a business.  seriously, take the time to read those three statements and see how many logical fallacies you can spot.  running a cycling team is easy.  you submit the paperwork and remit a fee to the sancioning body for cycling and then you, and whomever else chooses to ride with you goes and races their bikes.  that's really all there is to it.  everything after that is window dressing.  you want to get a tight kit for the team to wear?  no problem, but it's not a requirement.  you want a hot sled for the team to tool around to races in?  no problem, but it's not a requirement.  you want mountains of swag for your riders or to give away at races?  no problem, but it's not a requirement. 

>>> Egos, politics, members jumping from team to team to get the best deal

>>> or ride with friends. 

this is more a statement about what sort of riders you pick to spend time with.  the conflation of money and sports has yielded a mindset where people feel some justification in shopping it around, asking for stuff.  when the stuff is gone, will they stick around?  everyone wants good results but is it a good idea in _amateur_ cycling to attain results by retaining talent with stipends, merchandise, etc?

>>> All I have to say is take a note from the Pittsburgh Steelers

>>> organization or other consistantly successful sports clubs. 

>>> Consistant, executible business plans, and a quality board of

>>> directors is what will make a team or if you have no plan, break a

>>> team and a loss of the sports reputation for additional sponsorship. 

the author of this note is conflating the creation and operation of a cycling team with the creation and operation of a business.  even if he is thinking about continental pro teams, this is still a bit of a stretch because those teams have a formal corporate structure behind them which (hopefully!) pays salaries, taxes, benefits, arranges deals, signs contracts, etc.  the team is a bunch of guys who ride their bikes.  they are supported by the structure behind it.  to contend that this must be true at the amateur level is to be actively misleading.  you know what it takes to start a cycling club?  $150. U.S. and this link is what it takes to start a cycling club.  no reason to fire up the lasterjet, print out the palmares and update the business plan.  gather up some friends and ride your bike.

>>> You don't have to have an MBA to run a cycling team and get

>>> sponsors.  Just a business plan and the skills to sell it and

>>> properly manage it.   

please.  it's stuff like this that convinces _amateur_ riders that they need to market themselves to teams and that they are entitled to a cushy ride.  and it's also stuff like this that convinces _amateur_ teams that they need to spend more and more time each year marketing themselves to sponsors and increasing the amount of revenue that they bring in.  it's an unvirtuous circle, a tailspin that takes your focus away from where it should be.

- - - posted by scott

Scott, Josh, Roy and I met up with about six other riders for a noon workout yesterday at Hains Point. We started with a handful of short sprints in groups of four, then on to “Navy chase” (an exercise for pairs working together to bridge up to a break), followed by bumping exercises and everyone’s favorite Bike Cage Match. For the cage match, Scott marked out a 20 foot square and essentially let us loose inside. The goal was to stay upright and inside the square while attempting to force everyone else out. This was of course great fun, and actually attracted bystanders.

All was good (and only a bit muddy) until I ran over a stick and bent my rear derailleur hanger!  It’s replaceable, though--unlike my old Kestrel--so all is not lost and I’ll be as good as new in a few days.

-michael

The second Quicksilver Winter Solstice Series training race took place today (the first race in the series was cancelled due to snowfall). I don’t know the participation numbers, but there seemed to be a good crowd. I rode in the “D” race (Cat 5) and did fine. I think we started with about 25 participants and did nine laps. I was in a good position until I was shelled from the front group with about two laps to go. Finished somewhere around 15th I guess. I think there were just a few too many accelerations for me this early in the season. I worked a lot harder then I thought during the race; when I got home I was very sore and passed out on the couch for about an hour. I’ll try again next week and hope to do well enough to be in the mix at the finish.

michael's post below is a very good one and makes the principal (and principled!) point.  in addition to that, i think it's useful for people to keep in mind that as a cycling district, it's not about talk, it's about action.  the uscf doesn't put on races in our area and mabra doesn't put on races in our area.  promoters and teams made of cyclists put on races.  and as bill indicated in the thread michael linked to, it's a marketplace.  promoters offer events on dates and with categories they think will be successful or will be in line with their unique idea about what a race should be.  for example, if you're hot under the collar about the lack of juniors races, don't complain.  to anyone.  period.  put on a race for juniors.  it's relatively easy.  the same thing is true for advocates of more women's races.  and the same thing is true for advocates of more men's-master's-37+-category-3-and-4-but-not-5-who-have-a-minimum-of-2-kids races.  think you can't do it?  think again...

i mean really, let's be serious.  even if you felt overwhelmed at the prospect of putting on a race, you could ask a more experienced club or promoter to help out.  or you could bag the idea of racing altogether and put on a clinic, or even a bake sale to raise money to put on a race.  whatever the case: don't talk about it, do it.  make rosie proud.  create an event that satisfies exactly what you think is missing in the current environment.  and to really emphasize michael's point, if you run the race this way, you don't care of it makes money or not because it's helping you meet goals that you are passionate about.  it really is a win-win situation. 

the initial email referenced in the thread seemed to be rhetorically rolling it's eyes at the announcement of a weather closure for the race that was cancelled.  (full disclosure :: racing union is one of the promoters of that race, and i personally think the series is a smashign idea!)  tony delnegro comes through with "This is another good reason to race in September/October instead of Feb/March...".   while everyone is entitled to their opinion (though some are clearly more equal than others) i don't think it's constructive to tear down anyone's race.  if you don't like it, don't go.  promoters offer races.  you do the ones you like.  you don't crab about the ones you don't like.  if there are insufficient races to suit you, rather than bitch about it, look at the glass as half full; there may be a niche where you could be a very successful promoter and help other people out.

eli follows up with a more thoughtful composure: "I've always wondered why the D20 schedule is empty during 2 of the
best-weather months in the mid atlantic - Sep/Oct - while packing races into cold spring and insanely hot, humid summer months. The 2005 Walkersville, Championship RR and Giro spring to mind as obvious examples.  I know we all like to suffer, but is there a reason for this, or did the race season just evolve this way over time? "

i think bill luecke give some well informed and thoughtful answers.  i will follow through with data as well, which is also courtesy of bill.

MABRA race history1.xls (177.5 KB)

this is a link to a spreadsheet with race event data from 1995 to current.  you should be able to get some sort of factual idea about when events take place by looking at this.  i believe that a detailed analysis will show that the schedule is becoming more front-loaded over time, though which races types and areas you include and exclude from your analysis will obviously have a tremendous effect on the outcome.  please note that there are a number of issues with this data that make very rapid analysis difficult.  there are a number of non-cycling events in the listing including various annual dinners, officials clinics and national events which people need to know about but that do not impact local cycling.  some years include abundant listings for races from outside the d20/mabra area and some years have virtually none.  in addition, there are many types of events and the explosion of cyclocross events and series in the last few years will produce will skew the race data unless you account for it. 

and even if you don't want to analyze the trends and patterns in race data, this list shows you what sorts of races occur at what times during the year.  I have stripped out the email addresses but most of these people are easy to get ahold of and can tell you a lot about the dynamics involved in putting together a specific race. 

bill luecke brought up the point about the mabra board specifying at what point in the year the district championships had the be held.  i don't believe that this was or is a very successful approach.  promoters are good at offering events.  racers, to a lesser degree, are good at showing up, paying money and having a good time.  in summary, i do not believe that there is anything wrong with the current situation: i think it reflects the vast majority of promoters and racers.  in my opinion, the only thing missing from the racing community (of which i am a member as well) is less bitching and more "thank you"s to promoters, even those whose races you choose not to do.

- - - posted by scott. 

update: on re-reading this post, i want to be clear that i am not calling out eli for his message.  eli does a lot for the local cycling community that people are probably not aware of: sponsoring teams, offering primes and prizes at races, organizing events, etc.  eli has earned the right to talk some smack.

In a discussion of early-season races filling up quickly, Bill Leucke responds with thoughts about why there are so few late season road races, especially considering how nice the weather is at that time of year.

Bill argues that the main cause the lack of road racing during September and October is purely financial.  Because no one has raced for several months, everyone is itching to get out, so early season races fill up in a matter of hours.  By the time the end of the year rolls around, most racers are just plain tired, leaving late season race attendance low.  He writes

The economics of event promotion are that the last 50 registrants are the profit margin, so there is a _huge_ difference between an event that attracts 175 riders and one that attracts 225 riders.  Most of the expenses in promoting an event are fixed: prize list, officials fees, police.  They all have to be paid before the promoter takes any $ out of the event.

He is, of course, right on the—um—money about this.  If I’m putting on a race to raise some cash, I’m going to do it when it’s best for me, not when it’s best for the racers or racing in general.

So what happens if there is no profit motive or prize money?  Obviously the costs for the race are lowered dramatically.  It becomes feasible to put on a race for 150 riders.  The happy result: more races, perhaps even at lower costs to the racers themselves.

Read the manifesto.  Accept the truth.

-michael

We had a really solid training ride this past weekend through some roads in Loudon County I had never traversed.  Exceedingly rolling and the pace was high.  It was the first real race simulation I have had in a while and it felt good but I am shattered this morning.  Training ain't easy.  It's mentally challenging, physically demanding and time consuming.  But when it goes well, it's rewarding in a way that few other things are.  Getting out with some teammates and tearing ass all over the countryside is just a lot of fun.  I'm beginning to feel strong and to anticpate the season, and that's a good thing.

We are now ready to initiate phase one of our master plan.

posted by scott

our forces gather strength and our numbers swell.  our message is irresistable, our spirit irrepressible.  the momentum is clearly on our side.  the people have spoken with a single voice, and chosen the message of the racing union as their credo.  we are...on the march!

the team is finally beginning to fill itself out.  we have less riders that I had hoped for, but more riders than I had a right to expect.  I am really excited about 2006 because the riders we have on board will form a very solid core around which we can begin to accomplish some of our indiviual and collective goals.  our clothing order will go in shortly and hopefully, Mike RP will post some graphic images of the uniform to come.  a huge thanks to Hincapie (http://www.hincapiesports.com/index.php) for cutting a very small, not-for-profit squad a more than reasonable deal on clothing. 

- - posted by scott

I'd like to offer a few random thoughts on electronic registration and racing in the mid-Atlantic.  I'll offer them at the end of this posting, but first, a brief re-capping of the events of the last few days.

Angry riders, shut out of the chance to participate in long, rainy, and miserably cold road races in March and April became enraged.  After flaming promoters and each other on email lists, they took their wrath to the streets.  Below is an artisits conception of what the great cycling revolt of 2006 may have looked like. 

cyclists were amazed that events with 100 rider field limits filled within minutes.  a pervasive fear settled over all: missing the first races of the season would set one hopelessly behind one's peers, in both fitness and BAR points, which was undeniably the coin of the realm.  new tires and fresh tubs of cytomax would go unused.  The wheel of emotions revolved steadily, from amazement to fear to loathing.  What happened next was utterly predictable.  Riders lashed out, attacking the server farm where bikereg.com maintained it's services.  Like the luddite rebellion that had gone before, these people turned against technology as a bane.

civil defense forces fought to maintain order and contain the damage of a mob of angry, spandex-clad cyclists.  fortunately, their unusual footware made escape difficult.  running was awkward and the clickety-clack of metal devices attached to their shoes caused many to fall and made them easy to track.

team vehicles were destroyed in wanton and wasteful use of moltov cocktails.

a view of the wreckage early the next day brought equal parts anger, frustration and exasperation.  this cathartic release of energy had done little to change the structural relationship between racers, promoters and registration services.  but then again, burning stuff has always been a popular initial response.

It seems clear that electronic registration is a huge plus for promoters.  it allows them to manage a lot of the complex transactions that are part of putting on a race.  it handles the finances, allows one to move riders between fields, issue refunds, and provides a relatively accurate source of data for pre-event and post-event processing.  anyone who has actually handled hundreds of mail in registrations will instantly be able to tell you what a quantum leap this is in efficiency.  similarly, it's useful for racers as they immediately know if they are entered in a given event, who else will be racing, etc.

however, there are some features that have the potential to cause problems.  whole teams can be registered with the click of a button.  This technology seems useful on it's face, but could also prove to be a tool in a race to the bottom.  in events with field limits of 50 or 75 riders, if you have teams registering 5, 10 or 15 riders with a single click, the available slots become exceedingly difficult to come by.  certainly, those that have the luxury of sitting idle by a computer until a particular race opens will have the advantage. 

this situation is hardly unique.  ask any runner who has spent hours on a website trying to register for the marine corps marathon, or a multi-sport athlete who tried to register online for last years reston triathlon, a cluster$#%@ of epic proportions.  I have heard people propose that teams only be allowed to register a certain number of riders for any given event but I'm not sure that is fair to the individual.  a better choice might be to have a pooled pre-registraiton: everyone interested in a particular event can submit an entry and entry fee and the field limit (and wait list) is then filled by random assignment with entry fees returned to those who do not make it into the event.  the nice thing about this is everyone who has an interest has an equal chance of receiving entry to any given event.  the whole process is transparent to the promoter as they simply get a check from the registration service and an electronic listing of the start sheets. 

there are also valid arguments that the current system is not broken but just adjusting.  I'll try to address those in a subsequent post.

- - posted by scott

indeed, the racing union does rock.

the revolution continues at an increased pace and an increased volume.  our numbers are swelling, as riders and racers see the wisdom in our plans.  We're bringing a new approach to cycling which will simultaneously defy the status quo, and become the norm.  Drop us a line to find out more: inquiries@racingunion.org

Conducted over 2 weekends at the end of January, the team training camp is one of the few times we will all be together as a team.  Once the season starts, we will be split into three race programs covering races from France to Majorca, and from Under 23 races to International Elite.  Myself and a couple of the other guys were not able to make Saturday’s standard team training camp ride, due to other obligations such as studies or the track season.  The plan for the morning was a shorter, 80k ride with some hills reps.  Saturday came as a drizzly and gray day, so although the main team group were supposed to do 2 rides, they merged them into one.  They started with some big gear hill reps, and extended the ride to cover 4.5 hours and 140k.

Most of the guys stayed at the team house over night, but some of us elected to stay at home and drive back up on Sunday morning for the second day of the training camp.  We headed off with pretty much the full team: the only absentees were John Parks who is still in the US and has just come back from his own little training camp in Florida, and Christophe Coucsinie who is still in Hospital.  The full 16 or so headed out on the roads around Montauban.  We first had an “easy” 40km warm-up ride all together.  Great warm-up ride at 31kph over some hills.  Then we stopped and formed groups according to fitness and race schedule.  Our 3 groups of about 5 or 6 riders then did four 20 minute team time trial intervals over varying terrain including some mean climbs around the Penne area in the Aveyron Valley.  After each interval we all re-grouped and rode together again for about 10k.  After only the second interval some people started grumbling about the intervals.  I must say it wasn’t easy.  On the last interval, our little group caught the group ahead of us, which had left 2 minutes before us.  We were rolling pretty well on that interval, probably knowing that it was our last one. 

Once the intervals were done we all regrouped once more and rode the 40k (25 miles) back home together.  I must say however that these recovery, warm-up warm-down sessions were a NOT easy… oh well.  At the end of the day we had 160k (100miles) on the clock in a little under 5 hours, and with some pretty good hills… Ok fine, they were climbs!

Next weekend is more of the same.  This time I should be able to make it to both days for the full program.  The plan for Saturday is to be 2 rides, same as this past weekend.  Big gear hill reps in the morning, and some high cadence workouts in the afternoon to cover 140k; then another 160k on Sunday, but this time “harder.”  I’m not sure what “harder” means, but I don’t like the sound of it!!!  Once again these training camps include a DS and team car that follows us the whole way with spare wheels, food, water and anything else we might need.  We actually had both DSs (Directeur Sportif) with us, so that they can 1) tell us what to do and 2) both see how we are riding and how we relate to each other as a team.

It’s been good to get to know everyone, start learning their names and riding styles.  After this training camp, there is another training camp down by the Spanish border for a week.  Sadly I won’t be able to make it to that one.

Overall, my training is going pretty well.  I have just had a load of exams, and I didn’t touch the bike at all all of last week.  So having a pretty good weekend of riding, it was interesting to see how my body reacted.  I thought I would feel really bad, but I felt OK.  Despite my studies it looks like I will be starting my racing program a little earlier than I had initially planned.  I will be starting in the lower ranked races that are in this general area.  That suits me fine, as I’m not going to be ready for the big races half way across the country.

I tried to take some pictures during the rides, but it wasn’t really the sort of riding where you take pictures and look around at the countryside… so I apologize for the poor pictures.  Also note that the team does not have their bikes and clothing yet, so in the pictures everyone looks a bit mix and match; patchwork-bike-team.

This week I will be getting in some good training locally, mainly alone and with Alphonce, then a couple rest days and back to Team Training Camp for part 2.  After that it’s back to school.  By that time John Parks should be here, so hopefully we’ll be able to get in some training together.

Tune in soon for an account of Training Camp part 2.

Thanks for reading.

Sim

simjetlag@wanadoo.fr