More on Winter and the prospect of it ending.... sometime.

In the previous post, I wondered why more people don't XC ski. Well, apparently there is more rant left in that pen.
A few more observations about winter:
- weather forecasters on the local TV affiliates are complete idiots. They feign apology for "more snow on the way", as if A. they have anything to do with it (they WISH they had such powers), and B. everyone in their viewing audience is disappointed to hear that winter will stick around a few more days. The nerve of winter staying... through all of January.... in Michigan.
There is so much to do in the winter, but they totally focus on the negative.
Drives me crazy.
- I have two weird feelings about the approaching end of winter:
1. I'm never ready for the intensity of bike racing season. It's the same feeling most people get on the last Sunday night of vacation when they know they have a hard work week ahead of them. Ugh. But in this case, it's worse because I know - or at least assume - that everyone else has been hitting the gym/rollers much harder than I. At least that's what they've been saying on their facebook status: "Bob McCooty is getting ready for 6 hours on the trainer." to which someone replies: "You're an animal, Bob!"
I lasted 10 minutes on my trainer last night. I'd rather drink pig urine.
2. The same melancholy feeling that comes when the first chilly winds blow in September and October comes to me in February when the ski trails are like velvet and I'm skiing in a t-shirt. "This ain't gonna last much longer." So you stay out there until the last light is gone from the sky, and you go home and try to remember where you stored your summer clothes.
So while everyone tries to find a new way to voice their hatred of winter, I'm on the other side of the street not ready to put the skis away for the next 10 months.
And oddly - talk about conflicted - I can't wait to get to California.

Why Don't More People XC Ski?

Hello from mid-Michigan where I'm spent the past weekend at or above my anaerobic threshhold. It's called skate skiing, and I drove 210 miles to find a trail.
It's the best kept secret, this sport. I had the trails and Hanson Hills to myself. I think I saw 5 other skiers in 4 hours of skiing.
We have highlights...

I ski for about 4 hours at about 1000 calories per hour, and then I eat for about 4 hours. What's not to love?
What I don't understand is why this sport isn't more popular in Michigan. Especially this year when we've had tons of snow. I know of only a few people who own skis, and only one person who actually uses them.
When i got home from Grayling, i had heard that a local metro-park has started grooming for XC skiing. I naturally assumed that they would know about skating. They are, after all, professionals in the field of recreation. So I called the park to ask if they groom trails for skating (it requires an 8' wide groomed trail). The park attendant had no idea what I was talking about. No clue whatsoever. I tried to explain what skate skiing is. She thought i was making it up. She tried to explain how cross country skiing works. I told her that skating has been around for a long time. It's an Olympic sport. I swear, I'm not making it up.
Oh well, so I'll continue to have 50k of trails to myself even if i have to drive 3 hours to get to them. And I guess, if nothing else, it makes me realize how mainstream cycling is in comparison.

Studs

The joys of winter: riding on icy trails in 20-degree weather.
Can't beat it.
Made possible by studded MTB tires.
I won't provide the manufacturer's name until they provide us with sponsorship.
But I will say that it's like riding on a sweater with barbed wire tires.
Here's the clip of the day: John and I riding on the Paint Creek Trail.
It was deep snow with deep foot prints, then it melted, then it froze solid.
It's like riding on the surface of the moon (pure speculation).
It's like riding the cobbles of Arenburg Forest (pure comparison).

The easy way out would be to move somewhere warm and ride on clear and dry roads every day.
Someday...

That Distinctive Voice

I was a bike race announcer a long time ago. I went to a LOT of races between 1988 and 1996. Long story short: I burned out on it and decided to do other things. After being away from the sport for a while, I happened to be in Georgia in April of 2003, and I just happened to be at the last stage of the Tour de Georgia. Expecting to hear Jeff Roake's voice on the P.A., I heard an entirely different sound. Some new guy was doing the talking. I asked a race worker who the dude was. She very sweetly said in a sweet ol' southern voice, "Why, that's the voice of American cycling, David Towle!"
Wha... ? Who the...?? Where's The Guy with the Beard - Jeffy Roake?? THAT'S that voice of American Cycling.
As it turns out, Dave was, and still is, and will be for a while to come, the voice of bike racing:
Here's a clip of him working with Jeff Roake at the Tour de Georgia in 2007:

At first, I was jealous mixed with concern. He's got all the good gigs, and his style is vastly different from Jeff or mine. (My "style" was somewhere between irrelevant and uninformed.) It didn't take long to see that he's got the potion. He and Jeff work well together, and the events benefit from it. He's a character.
He's not easy to catch up with, but through the magic of Facebook, I was able to catch him with a few minutes to scribble down answers to my questions. (Now I wish I had asked better questions.) Here's what I got out of him during his Irish adventure:
1. What's the best part of your job (on stage)?
I'd have to say the feeling that I get when it's all going down in the final few k's at a major stage race like The Amgen Tour of California or Missouri... When I can look out and see how stoked people are and I'm getting them the info they want and making the crowd laugh, that is as good as it gets!
2. What's the least favorite part (on stage)?
Having people who want to be interviewed when it really isn't relevant to the racing. They see an opportunity to spread the word or boost their ego but the people who came to see the race could care less and tune out. I'm obviously not including event sponsors, as I am crystal clear that they pay the bills and we wouldn't be racing without them. It's the people that try to weasel their way into the show who haven't paid for the right to be there that kill me....
3. What don't people understand about being an announcer?
That it is a hell of a lot harder than most people realize. When you see someone who is good at what they do working, well, it looks easy, but it really isn't. It's an amazing job, don't get me wrong, it's just not always fun and games as things can get really stressful.
4. If you could change anything about cycling....?
I'd really like it if we could spend more time talking about racing and less time talking about doping...
5. What do you make of this Old and New season we're heading into in which the Old Guard has returned?
I think it's awesome that Lance is back. It helps all of us who are involved in the sport. The races, racers, sponsors and people like myself really benifit from the increased level of attention cycling will recieve next year. Heading into 2009 it seems like the "buzz" is back.
6. What amazes you about the sport?
How tough the racers are. The more you know about pro racing, the more you realize the level of dedication they have for their jobs far superceeds what 98 percent of the rest of the world does. I realize that there are people who work for UNESCO for an example that are off the charts dedicated, but these men and women are just amazing.
7. What makes you sick?
People who have no idea what they are talking about shooting their mouths of with bizarre opinions and hurtful statements.I'm not a big fan of the groupie's that follow the bigger races too, but I guess that goes with the territory....
8. How excited are you about the Amgen Tour this year?
It's by far the best week I have each year... Medalist and AEG make my job so much fun and give me the biggest stage to do what I love each year. The racing is great and always lives up to the hype. Let's just say it's an understatement to say I can't wait to be in Sacramento in 6 weeks.<<
He's sayin' what the other 400 crew members are all sayin': California is going to be upside down insane this year. And he'll be the one you hear above the din at the finish of each stage.
47 days to go....

2009 Wish List

Nothing under my tree this morning because the gifts were delivered over the course of the year.
A romp down the CA coast with the Amgen Tour, the trip to Belgium+France with Sarah, a surf weekend at San Onofre, racing with Fred and Tony at the Superior Bike Fest weekend in Marquette, great rides with Bonnie and John (and the Cat in the Hat), the DSO gig and the new group of friends to come from that, goofing with CJ and Krystal, hangin' with volleyball friend Joy, tennis with Cruise, the flat water days at Stoney (even when being chased by an amphicar), the trip to Dubrovnik, a week on the road in Missouri of all places, and the best summer of golfing ever.
The Big Cookie was, of course, the release of "The Book" which has been a complete blast in every way.
Diamonds all.
So for 2009, my list is short. I just want a repeat of 2008 with only a few additions:
I wish for...
1. . . . someone to beat Astana at every outing. Except for Levi. And Chris Horner.
2. . . . Chad Gerlach to have a great season. (watch his Intervention episode on YouTube.)
3. . . . cycling to become just a little more mainstream, but never fully so. That wouldn't be as good as it sounds.
4. . . . more riders to go to Marquette for Superior Bike Fest. I'll still win it, but it would be a helluva lot easier if there were more wheels to suck.
5. . . . a sponsor to come along and scoop up the pro riders who got left out in the post-season shuffle. There were a lot of them.
6. . . . another trip to the Tour de France.
Oh yeah, I suppose I should also wish for a turnaround in the economy, world peace, and success for the Big Three.
And a sleeve of Titleist ProV1 balls.
That should do it!

Rhinos on Parade

If you're a bike club, how do you fit into your community? Friend or foe? Do people see you as just a source of traffic headaches? A cache of misfits? If they were to choose a club to join, would your group even appear on their radar? Or would they go straight to Rotary? Are you doing ANYTHING to further the cause of cycling?
It's all about public image, and if your club does nothing to bolster the image of cycling (specifically YOUR group), then you're missing something. We all want cycling to be accepted by The People, and this is the sort of stuff that getting to that point requires.
Watch this:

On the surface, it looks kinda dorky (why doesn't spell check recognize the word "dorky" Is that a computer nerd's doing?): a bunch of hard core cyclists riding in a small town parade.
But here's what it does: it shows the people of the town...
A. who they're sharing the roads with.
B. that bikes CAN be ridden in the winter, quite easily in fact.
C. that you're a part of the community which plays a big role in putting cycling (of all kinds) in the mainstream.

The Rhinos have a good thing going in Clarkston. The sponsor of the Club gets positive exposure.
And the whole thing costs nothing.
Side note: one of the kids in the crowd was urging us to "do a wheelie". Do a wheelie? Me? On this bike? On ice? Trust me; you don't want to see that. And i don't want to break a hip.

Open Letter to Chrysler Headquarters

If you stand at the end of my street, you can see the main building of the Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills about 8 miles away. They're announcing massive lay-offs today. Something like 46,000 workers at a bunch of North American plants are going to be idled.
Now, I don't mean to make light of it. I just want to make a request to whomever is in possession of the keys to the Test Track:
If you get laid off, can you leave the keys someplace where we can get at 'em?
I wouldn't normally ask, but the 10-foot chain link fence with razor wire on the top is just too hard to climb over carrying a bike.
You see, if you look on Google maps you'll see a very cool test track located adjacent to the complex. It's about 1.5 miles in length, has some great curves on it, and a grinding hill. We used to hold bike races on the track back in the 90s. It was the perfect place for racing. (it was on that course that I got enough points to upgrade to Cat 1, but never did)
I'm just afraid when they convert the headquarters into a storage barn for hay bails from a nearby riding stable, they might inadvertently misplace the keys to the Test Track.
Just wanted to make that request before things get too crazy over there.