Listen to Yogi Bear

1st Warning Letter

Today I received a letter in the mail warning me that I am in violation of Article 2 section 3 of the Team Redlands cycling code and handbook. I was told that I had received this manual and read it a few years back.

Here is an excerpt of the letter:

Dear Chopper:

This last weekend was quite an embarrassment to all of us here at Team Redlands. Your lack of fitness and preparation on the Rain Cross ride was inexcusable. If you find yourself unfit to ride with the A group you might want to find a new team.

Team Redlands was founded on the tradition of great riders like Reid, Big E, JT and Freeman to name a few.  Just one bad outing from a TR rider stands to sully the fine tradition we have worked so hard to establish.

Consider this your first and last warning. We are glad to see you have bought a Gran Fondo kit because another day like Saturday and your gonna need two.

Sincerely,

Ride Secretary General

PS: We don't care how old you are , what medical problems you wine about or that the Red Sox lost 100 games last year.

Election Day

Its election day in Ohio and Florida. I love the electoral college. Where else can you find your fate decided by such a small group of people ?

Last week the delegates from two factions of Team Redlands decided the fate of the upcoming cycling kit. These two groups can aptly be put into two groups. The people I had never met and the people I have never ridden with.

Hopefully next year we can get more than 8 percent of the team out to vote. In the mean time you can always ask yourself what can you do for Team Redlands not what Team Redlands can do for you. Lets all get more active this year. Support the juniors, help out at the women's clinic, come out for the Wednesday night ride, sign up to help out at the classic, take a pull at the Rain Cross ride, don't be a dick at the bike shop, help Freeman at the Tuesday night worlds, fill in a pothole, bring a baked good to crit practice or some cut up oranges.

The opportunities are endless when you area part of a cycling team this big. Because at the end of the day I would like to think you didn't just join for a 20 percent discount did you ?

Jimmy V

Team Meeting follow up

Here is an e-mail the unofficial blog received today:

Dear unofficial blog

Instead of sleeping I am writing this e-mail. Earlier this evening I attended the Team Redlands meeting. I still can't believe I am a part of TR, It seems like just last year I was buying a bike and some Pearl Izumi shorts. Maybe because that was just last year.

I don't want to get into my beliefs or the upcoming election. Let's just say I am very conservative. I have never passed gas in front of my wife.

I really wanted to vote for the "fun" kit but I just couldn't do it. See I don't really want to stand out from all the other teams wearing red,white and black in the so cal cycling scene. The other kit just looked right , something about it just seemed familiar. It's like I have seen it before and I like that.

I went out to the car after the meeting and my current years kit was on the passenger seat. That's when it hit me. The kit I just voted for is exactly like last years except it is turned upside down. Crap.

Should I have voted for the Eddie Van Halen kit. What would it have felt like to roll up to the Ontario 30+ 4/5 with that kit. Would I have heard " riding with the devil" .Would my game have risen to match my kit. Would I finally be able to pass gas in front of my wife !

Anyhow I hope we get a chance to vote again I didn't see many of the players there who would have voted for the kit. I know Padgett, Abel, Welsh, Bryer, Lanza etc would all vote for the " fun" kit. Because I guess I just realized this is supposed to be fun even if I can't......

LANCE ARMSTRONG

It’s been a few days since the Lance Armstrong debacle. I have sat back quietly. I have read the 202 page USADA report. Watched as Nike and Michelob have distanced themselves and then finally Lance himself step away from LiveStrong Foundation.

To the casual observer of the sport this is coming as a surprise. To anyone who knows the difference between a chain stay and a bottom bracket this is older news than the Hindenburg.

Sports are entertainment. That’s it. The game or event we watch is meant to entertain you. In America we have four major sports. Attempting to enhance those products through any means necessary has always been job #1.

The NFL sells a video called the greatest hits video. In the video you can watch bone shattering helmet to helmet hits. It cost 29.99. The NFL also fines its players for these same hits.

If you want your sports real you should be watching wrestling. In wrestling you could watch Hulk Hogan v Rowdy Roddy Piper. No chance Vince McMahon is going to suspend the title 3 years later because Super Fly Snooka was doping. See wrestling bills itself as entertainment and you are in fact entertained. They don’t dupe you into watching 162 baseball games. Only to find out that Brian Braun won the batting title then tested positive for a banned substance. 

So what’s it all mean for cycling and Lance? How far down the top 10 in the 2002 TDF do you have to go? Is there a rider who trained only on mountain spring water and quinoa? Pretty far and probably not.

For me Lance always got a pass. Why? Because he paid it forward. His creation of The LiveStrong foundation and the support of cancer patients worldwide.

You didn’t buy a yellow bracelet because Lance won a bike race did you? I thought you were supporting the fight against cancer?

You didn’t buy a “I ride for sticker “and put it on you bike because Lance won a bike race did you?

Okay I get it. Maybe it was never about Cancer for you guys for me that all it’s ever been about. Lance beat Cancer. I knew he didn’t beat a drug test.

If Lance’s efforts helped just one person in the fight and support of cancer. For that admire Lance. He may have failed those drug tests and for that he should be stripped of his titles. No questions asked.

As for Nike and Michelob. lets just hope they can get together and create a beer that a 12 year old 25 cent per hour factory worker in the Loon Kong Province can enjoy on there 10 minute lunch break one day.

Wednesday night ride

Its winter here in Redlands. The leaves are changing the temps are dipping into the low 90s and its time for the Wednesday night nighthawk ride.

The nighthawk ride is a big time evening training ride. All participants are required to have a front and rear light on thier trusty Trek. The ride leave from Stells in Redlands at 6:30 pm every Wednesday night all winter long.

The pace of the Nighthawk ride is an all out sausage fest of half wheeling, attacking in the parking lot. KOM surges for no reason what so ever and unexplained sprints every time someone sees a trash can or a fire hydrant.

That was a joke or was it ?

The ride has a climb up Wabash that allows for a faster skinnier rider to go up a hill easier. That rider will wait at the top for the rest of the regular sized riders. Then all the riders will contiune on to sunset for a couple laps. If you are mocked by the smaller rider let Scott Welsh know we dont want anyone to get fussy or have thier feelings hurt.

PS: Anyone who goes " FULL SAUSAGE " will get a nighthawk quad punch.