60 Day DL

2 weeks ago I was taken down on a group ride. We were going 18 mph on a flat road. We had been in the saddle for 4 hours at mile 80. The day was sunny and dry. It was not a race. We were riding in a double pace line. It was the safest stretch of pavement I have ridden on in the last 5 years and now I have a broken arm.

As of today I am retired from cycling it's not a voluntary decision yet because I have a broken arm and don't have a choice, but I will say that with every day I spend off the bike I can't imagine ever getting back on one.

In the move Fever Pitch the question is asked. You love the Red Sox but have they ever loved you back. Nope cycling has never loved me back.

Never Gets Old

Reward for Information

I was at the Loma Linda Post office last Sunday, when I saw the above picture and the caption. Missing local cyclist. last seen on Barton road heading west.

Well, good news Abel has not been abducted, he has relocated to the Chinchilla area to join the family business and work on his golf game.

Abel was a regular on all the teams and team rides. He rolled raincross, Tuesday nights and crit. The triple crown to those of us in the know. Abel has since confided in me that he was never a cyclist but took up the sport to get in with the higher ups in the Allied Health department. I did the same thing to meet chicks.. It was just a fluke that he climbed the local cycling scene so quickly he said.

Abel said he had pretty much accomplished all he could here in the 909 and it was time to move on. His highlights here included having a baby, marrying one of the better looking cyclists wives, attending Camp Chopper, owning the bitches on the Haystack ride and of course being involved in Crit Riot. Yep Abel left a big mark here in the 909.

On behalf of the Team Redlands unofficial blog we all want to wish Abel and his family good luck on their new journey and his new hobby. We look forward to some pictures from the Golf Haystack foursome. Hit em straight !

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