a commendation for ncvc: the order of the red star from the supreme revolutionary council for change in cycling and the social order.

this commendation is awarded for the very generous opportunity that ncvc is handing to us.  a chance to get out, drink beer, see a movie premiere and mingle with our fellow cyclists and citizens.  the union will be in full effect to show their gratitude for ncvc's kindness.  a hearty huzzah for all the early six day racers and for those who help us to remember those who went before us. 

information on the event can be found here: http://www.ncvc.net/

information on the film can be found here: http://www.sixdaybicyclerace.com/the_film.htm

thank you notes can be sent here: http://www.ncvc.net/contact.php

- - - posted by scott

i was getting some static about my zeal for the union cause and in discussing it with a friend, i came to realize that there is a tremendous similarity between the supreme revolution in cycling and the social order, and the dadaist art movement.

Hans Arp tells how he and his friends used to make rounds of the bars, opening the door of each and saying in a loud, clear voice: "Long live Dada!" The patrons would open their mouths in amazement, dropping their forks and their sausages.  --http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19191

i would say that this anecdote is entirely consistent with the union ethos.  you probably saw it here and here.  our movement echoes theirs in refusing to be contained within ordinary categories.  in fact, our very presence and actions form a powerful refutation of categorization itself.  beyond boundries, surmounting the challenges of orthodoxy, and reducing the status quo to one of those shivvery fruit and jello salads your aunt makes for every family get together.  so from this grandest of pinnacles, i offer a short poem:

i have killed the union through art.  the union is dead.  and through death lives on in lore, song, verse and memory.  long live the union through it’s death. ever greater glory beckons…

the union is dead! long live the union!

the union is dead! long live the union!

- - - posted by scott

i simply must admit to being ever so slightly less judgemental about the evils of sponsorship after reading this article.  lemmy, doing it for the kids. 

i reaffirm my general belief that the forces of money and amateur sports do not enhance each other in a positive way.  but how boss is it to say that lemmy is backing you.  he's an old softie.  please note that if you are reading this article and your name is rob halford, ronnie james dio or don dokken, this sentiment does not apply to you.  do not pass go, do not collect the kharmic equivalent of $200 US.  rollins on the other hand most certainly ought to be doing this.

- - - posted by scott with thanks to josh for the link!

this makes me sick to my stomach.  be careful out there.  don't assume that you can control the situation or that the "system" will look out for you.  i'll take suggestions for a more appropriate judicial sentence in the comments.

- - - posted by scott, link from bryan

- posted by Chris, with commendations to the photographer, Joel Gwadz (http://www.gwadzilla.blogspot.com/)

there are some times when you read something and you just know that people will take it as certain evidence for their worldview.  the eggheads call this "conceptual goggles" but the rest of us call it what it really is, intellectual laziness.  there are probably a ton of interesting and hilarious jokes that could be made about this:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15947626/?GT1=8717

"what, no more hennessy?  no more wide format director's cuts?  this means war!"

rather than try to mine this for comedy gold, I'll share with you my own piece of intellectual laziness.  i see this as sure proof that regis debray was right all along when he said that "the revolution revolutionizes the counter-revolution".  the man is trying something new.  during the cold war, america tried to tackle the revolution head on through armed combat and spy vs. spy silliness.  by the eighties and nineties, we attempted a stealthier approach of economic destabilization and producing armed paramilitary groups that looked like authentic revolutionaries.  and now it's come to this.  why mess around with big budget diplomacy or arms shipments or a school of the americas.  just cut off the congac.  no more luxury cars, no more ipods, no more segways.  how will they possibly endure?  this alone has an uncomfortably elitist undertone: "you  know old boy, they simply can't get by without the finer things."  but at least it shows some adaptability and a remarkable amount of depth in that these sanctions won't affect the average citizen in the slightest.  how about that?  the counter-revolution is slowly being revolutionized. 

- - - posted by scott, link by chris.

sort of close, and then in the end, not really so much.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/?id=2006/woodland_sponsors

amateur athletics does not benefit from the dumptruck loads of cash that are poured into it each year. 

rediscover what amateur cycling is all about.

it starts here.

- - - posted by scott (link from mike)

every culture has a fall harvest festival.  it is a natural time to sit back on your heels, assess where you are and express some gratitude that you've scraped by for another year.  if there has been some bounty, all the better.  i'm not particularly sentimental, but i would like to express my thanks and gratitude to all current union members and our comrades everywhere.  we correspond, we joke and we share stories and experiences and i am much richer for that interaction.  we provoke people sometimes but even that always seems to lead to interesting conversations.

here's hoping that we all have a chance to reflect on the year that is winding down, and to consider the good and bad things that have happened to us and to others.  have a safe time out there.

- - - posted by scott

garner points out that corporations are dropping sponsorship to usa cycling.

One of the tangible benefits of being a USA Cycling member has been United Airline's voucher exempting members from paying extra to fly with their bikes - saving US$80 in baggage charges each way. However, that benefit will not be renewed as United ends its sponsorships of individual sports.

"United decided to discontinue all of their sponsorships of national governing bodies, so it's across the board, not just with USA Cycling," USA Cycling's Andy Lee told Cyclingnews. "They will still be associated [with the] US Olympic Committee - they were a partner with us for sixteen years which was pretty amazing."

 

The loss of the voucher programme will undoubtedly affect those members who normally count on the savings, but Lee says USAC is looking at similar sponsorships for the future; "That is our goal right now. We know there are members who would pay a little more to fly on United in order to save money on their bike. We are starting to research some other companies that can step in and fulfill that role. The United deal and voucher deal was very valuable to our members, but that was only beneficial to members who travelled and lived in markets served by United. Now we can go out and try to find a sponsorships that could benefit a larger number."

 

United Airlines did not return requests for comment.

this post goes out to all the haters.  you simply would not believe the amount of venemous mail we receive here at central receiving under the plaza de la revolucion.  some people try to emulate our smooth rhetorical style.  others try, but inevitably fail, to achieve the incredibly high levels of truthiness we bring to the table.  but most just take an anemic stab at it; calling us names or saying ridiculous things.  it's really pretty pathetic.  if it were amusing, it would bring us joy, but it's generally just grumpy. 

today, i ran into something that is not bicycle related but which did amuse me.  i wish more of our hate mail was like this.  that would please me.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/editorial/15986574.htm

I believe that this is what passes for a quality argument amongst the "other" side.  this thing is literally a minefield of fallacies, of every shape and sort.  non sequitur?  check.  straw man?  check.  red herring?  check.  fallacy of many questions?  heck, the whole thing constitutes an emphatic yes. 

in many posts, i try to describe something by presenting a dichotomy between them and us, or how we view the world and how they view the world.  this is what we're up against.  literally.  i was riding my bike to work a few days ago.  i was as far to the right as practicable and not impeding traffic from what i could tell.  a car pulled up slowly, rolled down it's window, and we had the following dialouge.

driver: "it's not safe for you to be on this road."

me: "it's only unsafe if someone makes it unsafe."

driver: "you should really be on the sidewalk"

me: "it's actually against the law for me to ride my bike on the sidewalk"

<pause>

driver: "get your %#$&ing bike off the %#$*^&* road."

me: <silence>

now, dear reader, you may wonder why i bring this up.  i see this as a rare glimse into the real thoughts behind the driver.  they were sort of forcing this nice facade and a veneer of caring.  the whole "it would be safer for you to be off the road" is a ruse.  you are in their way.  and they want you to know it.  they try to tell you politely, but that will only last so long.

to tie the whole post togethger, i am beginning to wonder if we are being too subtle and polite to get our point across.  we have tried to take the high road, but it's like yelling at a wall.  maybe it's time to lift the rhetoric a bit.  in the next post, a description of the surreal encounter i had yesterday of how cyclign fits into the "system".

-sg

the union plunges forward, surmounting every obstacle, oblivious to the strain of the struggle.  with thoughts only of the great and glorious revolution in cycling and the social order, we vanquish those who would stand between us and our goals.  many disparate parts, coming together, stronger through their union.  the racing union.

our membership drive continues for a limited time.  our numbers grow, our strength grows, our fortitude grows, our resolve grows.  the time is now.  join the party and help us further the valiant struggle of the cycling proletariat.

union!  bright star by which we steer.  union!  beacon to all who seek shelter from the ravages of the acyclic culture.  union!  strength to those who toil on two wheels.