This is nuts!

A good read that'll piss you off.

2007 USA Cycling 990 Tax Return

$13,323,525: Total annual revenue
$8,252,159: Total annual expenses
$2,960,768: Compensation, salary, and benefits to USA Cycling officers and employees
$3,990,159: End of year savings and temporary cash investment assets
$4,077,991: Short term investment assets
$100,096 : Total cash grants to organizations and individuals
$70,000: Cash grant provided to BMX Program
$16,716: Largest non-cash grant, to BMX Program for "BMX Gate"

A wee bit icy out

Last night was an adventure getting home. A drive that normally takes me 25 min from Strafford took me over an hour. Wouldn't have been too bad if it wasn't for all the morons on the road. I saw one guy heading East in front of Utility Trailer going side ways down I-44. He hit both side of the road & managed to straighten it out. Never even slowed down after he got it going East again. Moron!

This AM I figured I'd better leave earlier than normal in case the commute was another hour+, so I got up at 3:45 to be out the door at 4am. Damn that's early(I normally leave at 4:30 for work so not a huge stretch). I-44 wasn't too bad. I did hit a little traffic which I passed easily enough. I''m not sure why people think its safe to drive on icy roads 35 mph with less than a car width between them. I passed quite a few twos & threes all bumper to bumper. Morons!

Actually the worst part of my commute was the outer road at Strafford. Holy Crap it was bad. Even with the Volvo in 4WD I was sliding all over the road. Only half of the plant made it in. Most of the people who work here live out in the sticks so I can imagine how bad the country roads are.

I got to spend my first hour here shoveling ice & spreading salt. Managed to break a sweat since I was a little overdressed. I was wearing just about every piece of Carhartt I own. I look like a catalog ad but its nice to be warm when its 20F outside. I just wish Carhartt made riding clothes.

Deer Hunting?

Not the preferred way to hunt deer!

Knobbies part Deux...psssssttttt!

Two days in a row on the MTB. Got out after work. Put my headlamp in my pocket just in case it got dark on me. Last year Amber & I got a new water proof/impact resistant camera to replace the one that didn't survive the trip to the Dave show. Its nice since you can throw it your pocket & forget about it. That means more pictures.

It got dark on me because its not a ride @ Sac without the beloved thorn. Front tire this time. Cheap tubes are going on the shelf & Conti's are being ordered this AM. Conti's tubes have better rubber & removable valve stems so you can put Stan's in them. In the winter I always stick a vest in my pocket just in case. Once the sun went down in got really cold in a hurry even with the insulated skin suit on. The vest made the trip back to the car bearable.

BRRRR! Found out the head lamp needs new batteries as well.

A little tuning & the R7 is damn plush. Reading is a valuable skill.

Friday at work I fixed a problem on a machine that had been going on for over two years. According to the operator 5 different maintenance guys have tried unsuccessfully to fix it. It took some head scratching & a lot of beating my head against the side of the machine. Give a guy a print, a meter & a little common sense & you can fix anything.

Not my actual opponent but the same model. Did I mention the manual is in Japanese not English?

CX in the Olympics?

From Cyclingnews.com:
Cyclo-cross as Olympic sport?

Could cyclo-cross become an Olympic sport? The Dutch newspaper Telegraaf reported Thursday that a group of supporters of the idea have been busy working to make it happen. Members of the Italian cycling are reportedly working together with the International Olympic Committee and the UCI to make it happen.

Diego Vollaro of the Italian federation told the paper that cyclo-cross could start as a demonstration sport as early as the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February of next year. The sport had previously lost out on becoming part of the Games because the athletes involved were mainly from Europe and the Games, and the event requires more international participation. But that has changed in recent years with Canada, the USA, Japan and even Zimbabwe fielding riders in elite competitions.

Another rule could prove more of a stumbling block. The winter Games require a sport take place on ice or snow, but according to the report, that rule is under consideration.

"Next week the board and I will discuss it," said UCI executive board member Joop Atsma. "If there is only a small chance of success, it would be wonderful."

Adding cyclo-cross to the Games would help fuel the Olympic dreams of riders who make the sport their primary goal of the year. Riders like Sven Nys, who devoted extra time to mountain biking in order to be eligible to compete in the Games, or American Katie Compton, who does not pursue track, road or mountain bike racing at the Olympic level.

"I think that would be great," Compton told Cyclingnews. "They have BMX in there now so why not 'cross too?"

Hell yeah! I'd have a new favorite winter Olympics sport to take over my top spot of Curling.

Knobbies

I finally broke down & pulled the semi slicks off the MTB & put on some real knobbies. Thanks to a "flextime" like system I was able to bail early Thursday to get in some dirt/mud time in just shorts & a jersey in January!!

Sometimes you have to like Global Warming.

It wouldn't be a ride @ Sac without a flat. Took about 45 minutes. Sections are pretty muddy so its easy to pick up the beloved thorn.

After a good couple of hours. Its a start on my build up to the Bone Bender. Hopefully I can get on the MTB once or twice a week before March. I guess trail conditions will dictate that.

The knobbies(we'll call them that for now since I have several sets to try before determining what I'll stick with)worked pretty good. Great for the dry loose conditions, but sucked in the mud. Clogged too easily. Its been a long time since I've been on a really good MTB & the Kona is F.U.N.! to ride. I would bet in a short track it would be incredible, though way to fast for me. I need to sit down with the R7 manual & learn a little more about it to get it dialed better. I bottomed it out a few too many times. Just my current lack of knowledge on "modern" MTB technology.


Mia is at Nanny & Granddad's house this weekend so its a mommy & daddy weekend! Plus I get a chance to hang out with my two wheel BFF(Amber's word's).

2009 Races

First race of '09 for me. That's right an MTB race. Will be the first one since 1996. Plus it's a Chris Locke race & I'm a huge supporter of Chris Locke races after he stepped up & helped me out during CX season. I'm excited. Now I just have to get out & log some hours on the MTB.

CX World's Team

I rarely read Velosnooze but found this article interesting. I've made my opinions pretty clear on who goes & who doesn't go to World's. I understand some of the Pro's feelings but this year we've nominated 5 riders & only 4 will go(maybe). I think team coach Marc Gullickson should make a judgment call & taken Jamey Driscoll(Yes I know he has school commitments, but I bet his Profs would understand). He's had an impressive season. Tons of UCI points. An impressive ride at Natz. Our top hopes are starting to get older. Maybe we should inject a little youth into the mix. Sending Driscoll gives him World's experience & fields a full roster. Plus who knows maybe he could have had a break out ride. I know this is all a moot point now since Driscoll has ended his season & can't prepare properly. USA Cycling should have pulled their heads & not nominated a guy who has said from September he's not going to World's. So its not like is was a big surprise. They should have had used the 5 spot as a discretionary pick & used their heads for a change. Another black mark on a great season of cross.

A week without a post.....

Doesn't seem like me does it? Actually been pretty busy. Started back at work week before last as the sole maintenance idiot. That was a rough week, being sick, having to hold hands, & fix machines that hadn't run in two weeks after sitting in a plant that rarely gets above 55F in the winter(regularly see 31F in the compressor room!). This week my partner in maintenance high jinx returned so a lot of the pressure was taken off my shoulders & I was able to play catch up on a lot of other stuff. Job outlook is still week to week but there is some glimmer of hope.

Amber started back to school this week so we're all adjusting to the new school/work schedule. This semester she's taking classes on campus as opposed to last semesters online classes. Plus she found out she has a wicked case of Bronchitis after going for a chest X-Ray. I still have a pretty good hack as well.

Training? Rode the trainer once this week for an hour. My hacking cough, going to work @ 4:30AM, the freezing temps(5F Thursday & 7F Friday), coming home & having marathon head butting competitions with Mia have taken away the motivation to sit on the trainer. Hopefully it will warm up soon so Mia & I can get out with the trailer. An off road model would be very cool. Might have to put that on my project list. Soup up the trailer with shocks for trail riding.

Sick & Tired of Being Sick & Tired

I added it up since the Post Nationals Vomit Fest I've been sick 17 of the last 27 days. The flu way laid me after Natz which was no big deal since I had planned a big Wells like lay off. 18 days with out swinging a leg over a bike. Then before Xmas I got hit with a bout of food poisoning. I vomited more in December than I have in the last two years. Now I'm suffering from a cold. I can't win.

The cold is partly because I came out of the blocks a bit too strong. Six straight days on the bike all outside once the New Year started. Probably not wise to be training in such varying conditions as 70 deg one day & 30 the next. Oh well I've been forced to shut down & reboot. I have a slow start planned anyway so no ground lost.

That's the beauty of your season being from September to January. Yes I plan o preemptive striking Nationals being in January, its coming like it or not. This year will be another low key year with maybe a ace a month, most of those hopefully on the dirt this year, with the exception of a few crits.

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XMAS 08 Photo Dump

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