evil forces conspire to overwhelm the message of the racing union.  mercantile and plutocratic interests have begun using the tools of the most recent technological revolution to saturate our area with their filth.  this will not stand.

we have had to modify the comments section to keep the perimeter safe and clear.  anyone is entitled to post, and you are still permitted to do so under a pseudonym.  you will be asked to enter a verificaiton code.  this will keep out robots but not cranks.  we'll still use our traditional time-honored techniques for dealing with those.  this is the people's forum, and the commons will not be spoiled by those who would use it strictly to line their pockets. 

mabra, sera libre, ahora mismo!  venceremos!!

- - - posted by scott

i hope people are taking the time to check in at jim's blog, unholy roleur.  it's good stuff and kept more current than most in this area, ours included.  his latest post had two things that made me crack up.  the story about the hairy-legged fred who wants to race is something we all know.  too well.  it happens to me on the custis trail all the time.  a guy comes by and gives me "the look" (tm)(r)(patent pending).  i'm so tired of that stuff.  all you guys on lance's tip?  that is his legacy.  5 or 6 or 7 tour wins?  i can't even remember.  battling cancer and becoming a hero.  well that's certainly good stuff, but all things fade with time.  what will be the most enduring aspect of his appearance on this small blue and green ball?  the look.  for aeons, people who jut want to ride their bikes at a moderate pace will be confronted with this uber-gestalt of competitiveness.  i say it's a killable offense.

the other part of jim's post i liked was the title.  i did a longer than necessary ride yesterday.  Mais ou sont les neiges d'antan?  they sure as hell were not on the roads i was riding.  however, i had an unusual experience.  crawling back towards vienna on the trail, i passed an elevated section over a valley where i was buffeted (no exaggeration) by alternating hot and cold winds.  the wo&d has some unsual properties.  in the spring and fall, some parts of it can be frigid due to it being a railroad cut, and the cold air settling still in the cut.  but this one was a new one for me.  i can only guess that some sort of convection cell was set up where cooler air from the valley was coming up and over the trail.  it was wierd.  it could have been a hallucination brought on by the early stages of heat exhaustion but i don't think so.  messr. jim, les vents froids d'hiver sont ici.

item 2: people, please, can we find an entry into the giro di coppi for aric line?  if you have a 3/4 entry that you even think you might not be able to use, drop us a line here as soon as possible: hook_aric_up@racingunion.org.  do the right thing.  do it now.  the union commands it.

item 3: in honor of all the people who went to give it their very best efforts at nationals, I offer you mr. t who in turn is offering the new starts and striped avec chapeau.  the 2006 national championship jersey.  oh, except it can't be sleeveless.  the hardware will also be mandatory (rule 3.K.6).  all race winnings will be converted to precious metals and worn by the winners in subsequent events.  it's the great equalizer. 

look for several of our local riders to be sporting this snazzy new ensemble.  and they have earned it.  on the serious side, congratulate them often and imagine how hard they had to work to get where they are.  and it's not just the winners, we are proud of all who competed.  you did good.

- - - posted by scott

i will be straightforward and say that the stories i have read about the links between kids and guns and drugs and warlords have always freaked me out.  there is just something so very wrong about all this:

which is why i smiled so broadly when i read jay uhlfelder's email on saturday afternoon.  he always seems to come through with really good stuff.  he happened to catch this from the bbc web page:

DR Congo backs 'guns for bikes'

A scheme under which gunmen in the Democratic Republic of Congo are given bicycles in exchange for their weapons is being extended due to its success.  Ngoy Mulunda, a pastor in the south-eastern Katanga region, says he has been given some 6,500 weapons in the past year, which he has destroyed.  The programme is now being extended to the neighbouring South Kivu province. 

A BBC correspondent says it has proved more successful than the UN disarmament exercise, following a five-year war.  The BBC's Jonathan Kacelewa in Bukavu says a bicycle, worth about $50, makes a big difference to the lives of local people.  In South Kivu, however, zinc roofing sheets are being given out instead of bicycles.  The scheme, run through Pastor Mulunda's NGO Parec, is now being backed by President Joseph Kabila.  Congolese troops, backed by United Nations peacekeepers, have been forcibly disarming militias in eastern DR Congo ahead of landmark elections due to take place on 30 July.

I cannot imagine why this is not intuitively obvious to people all over the globe.  If you give people guns, there will be violence, chaos and a lack of stability.  if you give them bicycles, society immediately moves towards a utopian ideal.  is this so hard to fathom?  in the same manner as gyroscopic forces which provide balance for a wheel in motion, an abundance of bicycles stabilizes a society.  it's clear that there is a favorable direction of change that needs to be made.

the whole world bank and imf operation should be taken over by qbp (ed note: quality bicycle products) and a handful of mechanics.  bicycles should be shipped by the container load to all countries willing to accept them.  people here in the states can be employed in the building, transport and subsequent maintenance of these bikes.  is there a downside?  not one i can see.  it's a works program for us and it sure will work to help them.

some might argue that the existing gangs and thugs are there for a reason.  but even if that is the case, and it would take a lot of convincing for me, you're still talking about going from this: (real gangs)

to this: (bike gangs). 

and though they may turf your lawn on occasion and call you old man so-and-so, they're not really lowering your standard of living.  much.  consider the issue.  consider ways to help these efforts, both abroad and right here in our own neighborhoods.  and finally consider the glorious cause that is reshaping the nature of the relationship between cycling and the social order.  we hope to bring a new day for cycling, and a new day through cycling.  join us in the vanguard of change.

- - - posted by scott

As part of our on-going effort to bring bicycle racing to the people and in keeping with the tenants defined in our manifesto, Racing Union proudly presents

The Hains Point Grand Prix and 365-Day Omnium

For more info, see the race flyer.

simply incredible.

i just got this link from eric marshall.  you should click it and read it.  and then read it again.  once you get through the complaints by james mattis because he didn't get to race, there's some comedy gold to be mined.  in fact, there's a lot to say about this.  a whole lot.  but this one item is simply so wacky, that it must be highlighted.

"Justin [Rogers] politely but firmly told me there was no chance of me racing, even though I knew a U23 racer who was willing to give up his spot for me to race," Anthony told VeloNews. "The problem was not that the field was full, but that USA Cycling had decided to completely close registration a few weeks ago. The waiting lists, which were stacked full for many of the fields, were thrown away.

"In other words, if the first rider on the waiting list was standing right there in the room to pick up his number, and another rider notified USA Cycling that they were not going to race, USA Cycling would not give that open spot in the race to that rider on the waiting list."

"I knew of at least a handful riders who were not going to start the U23 road race, but USA Cycling wouldn't give those spots to riders on the waiting list," Anthony continued. "Therefore, there were far fewer than 125 starters in the U23 road race, and even though I'm [in Seven Springs] and the field wasn't full, I was not allowed to race.

"I don't see how this is fair to anyone. Supposedly the elite road race started with fewer than 115 racers, even though the field limit was 125. There were, however, a number of elite racers on the scene asking to be put in the race, but USA Cycling would not give them the open spots. USA Cycling stated that it would be unfair to let some racers in the race who were behind other racers on the waiting list, even if they hadn't shown up."   (emphasis is mine. -sg)

it's like these issues came out of left field for them.  we have already addressed electronic registration as an innovative and disruptive technology and as a race to the bottom with consequences for the sport.  it's not clear if the problem here was in the registration system or the use of the system.  the fact that the wait lists could not be retrieved from sportsbase online seems very odd.  they must have stored that information electronically after they collected it electronically.  the article above makes it sound as if the hard copy was thrown out and that was the end of the story.  what if someone had spilled a cup of coffee on the start lists?  would they just have sent everyone home?  wtf?

we have two different mabra promoters who just got a wild hair and built their own data-based systems with bar code scanners.  for the record, they are route 1 velo and eric marshall of emi racing, and they should be congratulated for taking the initiative.  i don't think either of those systems would require shutting down registration two weeks before the event.  in our area, even for district championships you rarely see registration shut down more than a few days before the event and waitlist management is fairly standard.  We've all done it on bikereg so it can't really be that hard.

you like the status quo?  admit it, the revolution is looking better and better isn't it?  bring your thoughts in the comments and we'll get the party started.  mabra, sera libre, ahora mismo, venceremos!

- - - posted by scott

greenbelt is cancelled for tonight :: Wed. July 12.

some of you may not know that kevin long was involved in an accident down near fredericksburg on his scooter.  it was not racing related but it was motorcycle related.  he is going to be laid up for a few weeks recovering but he is out of the hospital. 

if you don't know who kevin is, i'm not surprised.  he is an exceedingly good chief referee and a national level motor ref, but doesn't draw a lot of attention to himself.  i have relied on him as a promoter, a racer, and a permit guy and he has always gone above and beyond what was required.  he's a great guy.  he also has some absolutely fantastic stories about riding bikes at tour of california, tour of georgia, et.al.  my favorite is the one of him leading popyvich in the time trial at tour of california.  but for the time being, i will hold off on re-telling and let him relate that story in another forum.  i had hoped to get him and stefan yencha together and try to collect some of the best anecdotes i could from the motor refs.  that may be one of my winter projects.  

below is a photo of the motor corps from this year's tour of california.  kevin is just to the left of the angel.

the inclusion of the angel is actually really appropriate.  at last years tour de toona, aric and i were rooming next to a number of the motor refs and motor marshalls.  i remember one really sad afternoon after a young lady was paralyzed after overcooking a corner in a race.  all of the motor marshalls had taken it very personally.  they see it as their job to keep racers safe.  and even though they often cannot save us from ourselves, they try and try and try.  these guys are often like our guardian angels, keeping traffic at bay or alerting pedestrians to stay off of the course when racers are coming through.  you don't see them often, but they are out there, rain or shine, putzing along on bikes they would probably much rather be running with a wide open throttle.

kevin's recovery will leaves a number of holes as he was working several races in different capacities.  it's the kind of thing you take for granted until it happens.  remember to thank the officials for their help.  they take their own time to support a sport you love.  show them some support as well.

--- posted by scott

(post is updated below)

alec rottier just sent me the link for this.  if you have not seen it, you should take a few moments to check it out.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8867862777896510907

it's amazing in the same way that cirque du soleil is amazing.  it's sort of numbing, they make it look so easy that you almost take it for granted that it's something anyone is capable of.  maybe this winter, we'll start a junior training program for this kind of stuff.

- - - posted by scott

 

update: mitch ferro who seems to always come though with interesting tid bits offers up the following in the comments.

You might know this already, but this is a UCI-recognized sport with its own UCI world championships and everything.

http://www.uci.ch/modello2.asp?1stLevelID=C&level1=7&level2=1&idnews=1547  

http://www.uci.ch/modello.asp?1stLevelID=MB&level1=0&level2=0&idnews=3977  

- Mitch

man, that's pretty good stuff.  text from the two links:

The first official artistic cycling World Championships were held in 1956. This sport is most popular in Germany, where there are no fewer than 10000 licence holders. As a sport, artistic cycling is a bit like ice-skating or gymnastics. It is a discipline requiring skill, balance, concentration and courage. The competitors (entering either as individuals or in pairs) offer a 6-minute programme with a musical accompaniment. A jury judges the quality of the figures.

 The first World Cycle-Ball Championships were held in 1930. This is an exclusively masculine discipline, with two teams of two players (who act both as goalkeepers and outfield players). A match is made up of two 7 minutes halves. The ball (approx. 18 cm in diameter), which can be struck with either the front or the rear wheel, is filled with horsehair. It can reach a speed of 60 km/h. Inside the penalty area, the goalkeeper can use his hands to stop shots on goal. The goal itself measures 2 m by 2 m. As in football, fouls are punished with free kicks and penalties.

 

hopefully they do not have problems with electronic registration and getting into these events.

a lot of us are confused by what's going on in the tour de france.  or what's not going on in the tour de france.  or what was going to be going on in the tour de france but has now been stopped.  probably.  almost certainly.  kind of. 

we are, of course, referring to dopage.  there's been a little mention of it locally on the m street blog but i do not get the impression that it has hurt turnout for the sweet benefit they are putting together for our local junior teams.  some people blathered on endlessly about it on email lists, confirmign that you don't need to know much about much to blather on endlessly.  and as you might expect, the definitive source of information here has got to be cycling news (follow that link to the bottom for a full and nauseating retrospective) if you're not up to speed.

there's a suprising amount to say about doping.  and much of it has already been said so we won't waste bandwidth.  but there's an area that has not been covered.  how do we talk to our kids about doping?  if your kids have posters up of all the top uci racing stars and were planning to glue their ass to the couch for the cyclgasm, or whatever the hell it's called, and follow ullrich or sevilla or basso, how do you talk to them about this?  we know how to talk with our kids about sex and drugs and peer pressure and even the evil powers of rock and roll.  oh wait, wrong link.  evil powers of rock and roll are adequately covered here.  but how do we talk with out kids about doping?

as a public service, the racing union offers:

a child's first primer on doping in professional sports.

there are some very lucky people out there.  but they are different from you and me.  do you know how?  they get to do something they love for their job.  they ride a bike!  do you like to ride a bike?  most people do.  they ride bikes very fast for very long periods of time.  and they get paid to do it.  the faster they ride, the more they get paid.  it's amazing.

but they also get tired from all that riding.  sports are very physically demanding.  you can get tired or sick from all that riding.  so many people seek the help of a doctor. 

a doctor is able to help you use special medicines to make your muscles big and strong and your blood work even better than it does now.  this is not easy, and the doctors need to work closely with their customers patients.  they sometimes have to use needles.  your doctor may have had to give you a shot from time to time.  those shots probably hurt, but these doctors give shots that make you go very fast on the bike.

the doctors use all sorts of machines and scientific gear to help them do their jobs.  you may not like to go see the doctor, but these cycling heroes do not mind.  they understand that their earning potential is closely tied to how fast they can ride.  so they know that seeing the doctor is a necessary step in becoming a famous bicycle racer.

inside your body is something called blood.  they sometimes pull some of it out of the cyclists.  don't worry, the doctor's won't keep it.  they just borrow it for a while, much like you might share a toy car with a neighbor or a friend from school.  the doctors will give it back just in time for an important event.  they'll take good care of it in the meantime as well.  you can get very sick if the doctors don't take good care of your precious bodily fluids.

the doctors sometimes proscribe medicines which help you to ride your bike very fast for many days.  the names of some of these medicines can be very long and complicated, but you don't need to worry.  in fact, some bike races make it easy by putting the names of the special "go fast" medicines right in the title of the race.

the doctors spend a lot of time thinking about how to make you go as fast as possible.  they collect data and make things called charts which show how much faster you can ride if you follow a specific "training" plan.  this is often referred to as the science of cycling.

science is filled with numbers and graphs.  lucky for us, the doctors take care of all that hard stuff.  we just get to sit and enjoy watching the cyclists pedal really, really fast.  but we should all remember to say a big thank you to the doctors who are able to make cycling such an exciting and vibrant sport.  thanks doctors!

note: there might be a very small number of you who are amateur athletes and taking performance enhancing drugs to compete in amateur bike races in our local area.  in subsequent installments of the primer, we'll get you all you need to know to explain what you do to your kids or the impressionable young cyclists who are just starting out including plasma withdraw and insertion logs, steroid cycles and cetrifuge operations.  and let's not forget how important cleaning those needles is.  keep the bleach handy!

the union message takes wing, gathering momentum amongst the urbane and the pastoral.  join those who are on the march for progress.  there is an old adage that when one sees a cresting tsunami of change, there are two sides of the wave you can be on.  think carefully on this.

- - - posted by scott

in my post earlier today, i mentioned that we were doubling down on our efforts to bring people under the banner of the mighty racing union.  the red locomotive is picking up passengers and leaving the station.  time to get with it folks! 

comrade rp and i took advantage of the coolish climactic conditions for a short spin around dc to hains point.  outreach was on the menu for this lunchtime ride. 

do not be deceived by the looks of surprise and indifference.  the message was warmly received.  another glorious victory for the union forces.

on a lighter note, some informal pictures from the start of the ride:

on the more serious side, i'm not sure wtf people were thinking out there.  the last couple laps involved people diving between cars and park service trucks.  a very special wtf goes out to the person in the hpc kit for pointedly not letting a car by that was trying to get out of the way of the riders.  nice work.  like it's not dangerous enough out there...

- - - posted by scott

p.s. i'm not calling out m street racing because their blog is tight.  in fact, i would call it required reading.  but their editorial decision not to post the picture of ken's injury is deplorable.  guys, you have to trust us.  we're secretly totalitarians and that means we know something about information control.  and in this case, you're barking up the wrong tree.  the people have a right to know.  that image wants to be free.  the union insists that this image be made available, preferably in a megapixel format.  it needs no accompanying text and speaks for itself.  do the right thing....

a renewed push for the principles espoused in the manifesto begins today.  hardly a retrenchment, we're broadening communications and outreach activities and redoubling our efforts.  we call on all able bodied men and women, between the ages of 7 and 70, to rally under the racing union banner.  is this war?  yes, but it is asymetric in nature.  the diabolical oligarchicy of big cycling must be overturned.  their primary weapon is the subtle tyranny of the status quo. 

now is the time for all able bodied cyclists to come to the aid of the union.

- - - posted by scott