My second fashion posting in less than a week:http://www.nyvelocity.com/content.php?id=102

NOTHING LIKE A BRAND NEW BIKE!!

That's right, I added a new steed to my stable and this one's a beauty! A CSK cyclocross machine from my buddies at Seigler Sports, complete with Ultegra kit and some compact crank action. This baby is light, it is a Deddacciai 7003 aluminum rig with a full Dedacciai carbon fork. The final touch being some old school Spinergy Rev X tubulars because I don't plan on racing any UCI races soon. Hell, I don't even plan on doing any cross races soon except for the one I am promoting on November 11. A big shout out goes out to one of Kitsap County's finest mechanics, Darren, who spent his Saturday evening in my basement helping me get this super machine up and running. Check it out all, and remember to clean the drool off of your keyboard when you are finished.

THE ALMOST SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN

One of my favorite television shows as a kid was the Six Million Dollar Man. I loved everything Steve Austin. I had the Six Million Dollar Man action figure, Oscar Goldman, Bigfoot, Mask-a-tron, the rocket ship, the Bionic Mission Vehicle, the astronaut suit, hell, I even wore a leisure suit just like OSI's most top-secret agent.

Well apparently I am on my way to becoming a bionic man myself, just the $35,000 (or there abouts) man. You see, I have a titanium rod in my left leg (Steve Austin had 2 bionic legs which allowed him to run up to 60mph, mine allows me to hop a short distance), Kirschner wire repairing my recently broken elbow (Steve Austin: right bionic arm allowing him to lift heavy objects such as a car engine, I can twist the lid off of most jars) and now my latest and third repair to my right eye (Stevo had a bionic left eye allowing him to see the tiniest speck at great distances, I am just happy to be able to see).

Just this past Thursday I went in for cataract surgery. That's right, cataract surgery, a procedure typically reserved for those almost twice my age. You see, I have been near sighted since I was in grade school, then when riding out to a club race in high school someone in a car thought it would be a good idea to throw a beer bottle at my buddy and me. It broke over my face at my right eye which required 20 stitches to my face at the time and retinal surgery a year and a half later. Then in 2003, my retina detached again requiring another surgery. So...I immediately became that much more prone to get an ailment that everyone at one time or another will succumb to, just most in their more twilight years.

I have to say that I wish I had this surgery ages ago. The procedure took all of 10 minutes. It was like an assembly line in there. I was able to ride my bike the next day and my vision is already better with no corrective lenses post surgery than what it was with a contact in pre-surgery. Apparently it will keep improving over the next 3 weeks to such a point that I will probably only need a corrective lense in the right eye for reading. Needless to say, I am psyched!

CROSS RACING KITSAP COUNTY STYLE:

Yes, I am reposting a previous post. I am the race promoter and this is my blog, so live with it. And....come do my bike race. Do it. DO IT!!

This is my first attempt at putting on a cross race. I hope it passes close scrutiny. Those of you who have done my races in the past know I try not to disappoint. And, since I posted my Promoter's Manifesto I have to put up or shut up...I like to talk.

DO IT!

So it's cool that this guy is riding his bike and all but hasn't anyone told him that you should never, under any circumstances, go out in public with your salmon colored polo shirt buttoned all the way to the top and tucked into your Mercatone Uno bib shorts?

WSBA SCHEDULING MEETING:

This past Saturday was the WSBA scheduling meeting where all the promoters in the greater Seattle area get together and try not to step on each other's toes as the next year's racing season is put onto the calendar. All the usual suspects were in attendance as well as Jan Luke-Hamasaki our USA Cycling Regional Representative.

Now I started racing back in Ohio in the early eighties and then spent 5 years in the Los Angeles area before coming here. 4 of the 5 years that I was in LA I was on the Board of Directors for the Encino Velodrome. Based on my experience in these other areas I have to give the WSBA a big thumbs up. Everyone actually seems to want to work together for the greater good (of cycling of course).

Now I have some pretty strong opinions about how bike races should be put on and how promoters, officials and riders should interact. This is based on over 25 years in the sport as a rider, a promoter, a venue director and "professional" cycling team manager. Since I am still kind of the new guy in the area I kept my opinions mostly to myself (I say mostly because I did interject a few of them at the meeting). I will however spout off about a few of them here:

• The riders are our constituency. Without them, there would be no need for officials or promoters. Why is it then that the riders have the least voice in just about anything related to racing? Are they too stupid or disorganized to constructively get their opinions across or do something about improving their situation (as it relates to entry fees, prize lists, competent and fair interpretation of the rules, etc.) Now racers, that does not mean you just go and spout off at promoters and officials. You need to do it in a constructive manner and NEVER EVER under any circumstance yell at: promoters, officials, volunteers. You are just shooting yourself in the foot if you do. The thing is, if you have a beef, organize and do something about it, even if it means not racing!

• Prize Lists: one of the local promoters in the area said to me once that the racers around here don't race for the money (as it relates to prize lists). Now that may very well be true, but I would argue that is because the racers around here (and anywhere on the west coast for that matter) have never had the opportunity to actually race for any money. Poor people usually don't know that they are poor if they have never been outside their own community. Prize lists out here suck. In the Midwest and East coast, cat. 3's can race for more than Pro1-2's out here. I would argue that promoters need to step up, stop trying to make their prize lists based on entry fees (which is a bad business plan), create a good proposal and go out and hit the bricks and get some money. Money is not that hard to come by if you put in the effort and go after it. If I had $10 for every person that asked me how we got so much money for our races I could make a prize list out of that (at least a west coast prize list).

• More on Prize Lists: This is one I actually brought up at the meeting. Promoters should make the last paying place at least equal what the entry fee was. As a rider, how much does it suck to bust your ass, get a place, and still lose money on the entry fee? It should not have to happen. Well, you would have thought I was proposing that we require all promoters to offer up their first born as a prize. Standard answer was: we don't have enough money for the prize list to do that. Well I have 2 answers for you: 1)see the above point or 2)(and this is the tricky one) pull a little bit off the top of your prize list and put towards your last paying places. Whew. The little effort it would take to throw that extra $5 or $10 down the prize list is far less than the perceived value that the promoter will get back from the customer (the racers) for doing this.

• Do the little things: That's right promoters, do the little things. Do a podium presentation, get a trophy made up, go to Costco and pay the extra $4 for some cheap champagne. Make a show out of your race and the riders will remember it. I had a former Olympian tell me, of all the bike races he won over the years (and it was a lot), the only ones he really remembers are the ones in which he stood on the podium and popped the cork. Again, perceived value, it goes a long way.

• Don't gouge the riders on entry fees. Charge a reasonable entry fee for what you are providing (good course, good atmosphere, good prize list)
  That's my 4 cents on it. I welcome comments. Thanks for reading.

Kudos to Jason Bethel for organizing a good old fashioned booze up at the Garage last Friday night. It was my first time there and I have to give it 2 thumbs up, even if I did get stuck with the big tab. There was a pretty good turn out by all. I did not pay close attention to the beer time trials so you will have to find results posted somewhere else.

Oh yeah, and the phrase of the evening: fishnet stockings.

YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?

I SAID, DO YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?!

KEXP Pledge Drive

OK, it's pledge drive time again, and I hate pledge drive time. But, I love KEXP and if you love music you should too. So man (or woman) up and pledge, even if it is a little, because every little bit helps and KEXP is worth it. I will admit to have growing a bit stale in my music listening choices prior to moving up here. But I got clued into KEXP and I give a big kudos to them for broadening my music horizons. They just played my new favorite song by Plastic Bertrand called Ca Plane Pour Moi (This Life's For Me). That's right, my new favorite song is a 1977 pop song sung in French by a Belgian. Live with it, and give it a listen before passing judgment...but go pledge first.

Going with the coffee theme today. In response to me getting a bit too big for my "look at the perfect crema I made" britches, my buddy Billy responded with this cup of coffee pic:

BAM!

Dreary day in Seattle. In need of an afternoon pick me up....

A good old home brewed spro with perfect crema.

In an effort to once and for all answer the "what's up with the P-Stache/Stache" handle linking your blog to Prudog's and El Gato's blog?". Let me just say, never, ever go to Cascade Classic with this guy:

Or you will end up searching for Trans-Ams with T-tops looking like this guy:

And let that, boys and girls, be a lesson to you all.

A Sad Day For New York City and the True Alternative Music Scene

Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers, otherwise known as CBGB's, the place where east coast punk rock in America found a home has hosted its last show in New York's Bowery neighborhood. The club that first opened its doors to and helped make stars out of groups like The Ramones, Talking Heads and Blondie has closed its doors for good. A sad, sad day indeed. Read the story in the NY Times.

A Great Weekend of Football:

It was a perfect weekend of football with both the Buckeyes and the Steelers emerging victorious in commanding style. Ohio State demolished Michigan State 38-7 and to nobody's surprise were ranked #1 in the first BCS poll of the season.

Then on Sunday, the Steelers crushed Kansas City 45-7.

BUCKEYES & STEELERS BABY, BOO YAH!

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!
Me and my lady went to a bon-a-fide rock & roll show in the big city this past Wednesday. We went to see Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at the Showbox. The extra bonus was that all the proceeds from the door went to KEXP. I got clued into CYHSY from KEXP so it was only fitting. The lead singer of CYHSY sounds a lot like Dave Byrne and since I am a big Talking Heads fan I took an immediate liking to them.

CYHSY opened with the first song I ever heard from them: Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away so I knew the stars were aligned for a good show. And really, if your band is called Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and you have a song called Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away, can you really go wrong? Another high point of their set was The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth (again, how can you go wrong?)

The big surprise of the night came from the second opening band: Architecture In Helsinki(photo). I will admit to being in the dark about this band but once they took the stage the floodlights went on high beam. This band is awesome! They do a great show and I would highly recommend them to everyone. Their set consisted of one song continually flowing into the next, high energy on stage, every member switching around and playing almost every instrument (including a trombone, as far as I am concerned any band with a horn section, even if it is only one has got to be good). I actually found them more entertaining than CYHSY. So check them out if you have not already.

Even though we had to leave a tad early to catch the damn ferry (one of the pitfalls of Btown living), my lady and I had a great time.

It's On! Oh yeah, it's on big time. Cross Racing Kitsap County Style! Check it, and then....DO IT!!:

Why Does This Guy Look So Psyched?
a) He is psyched about his new Axley eyewear provided by PruDog
b) He’s psyched about the Buckeye’s #1 ranking
c) He’s psyched to be back on the road after 10 weeks straight of trainer rides following breaking his elbow
d) All of the above
e) He is just happy

The answer? “E” if you are my surgeon or physical therapist and at which point you should stop reading, “D” if you are anybody else. After way too much time on the trainer during the best weather months of the year I am finally back on the road. The added bonus is the awesome weather this week. I still need to take it easy so that means driving to ride. I am driving over to Port Orchard and doing some laps between there and Manchester on Bay Shore Drive. It is great to be back in the fresh air, soaking up some rays and taking in the views of the water, the Olympics, Rainier and Seattle across the pond they call the Sound.

My second and possibly last posting (because really, who gives a shit about what I have to say except me?) is an excerpt from one of my favorite books Kiss or Kill, Confessions of a Serial Climber by Mark Twight. Mark Twight is an extreme alpinist with high standards for himself and everyone around him. His battle against camping out at the top of the bell curve is laid out in no uncertain terms. A review from The Vancouver Sun states: “If you’ve delved into the growing body of mountaineering literature by reading books like Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air...be forewarned: They’re like Billy Joel; Kiss or Kill is like the Dead Kennedys.” Nice. The following excerpt is admittedly over the top, but is a mantra that all self-proclaimed hard men should embrace whenever they feel weakness and a lack of discipline and motivation creeping into their souls. I hope you enjoy:

What’s your problem? I think I know. You see it in the mirror every morning. Temptation and doubt hip to hip inside your head. You know it’s not supposed to be like this but you drank the Kool-Aid and dressed yourself up in someone else’s life.

You’re haunted because you remember having something more. With each drag of the razor you ask yourself why you piss your blood into another man’s cup. Working at the job he offered, your future is between his thumb and forefinger. And the necessary accessories, the proclamations of success you thought gave you stability provide your boss security. Your debt encourages acquiescence; the heavy mortgage makes you polite.

Aren’t you sick of being tempted by an alternative lifestyle, but bound by chains of your own choosing?
Do you have the courage to live with the integrity that stabs deep?

Use the mirror to cut to the heart of things and uncover your true self. Use the razor to cut away what you don’t need. The life you want to live has no recipe. Following the recipe got you here in the first place:

But there is a way out. Live the lifestyle instead of paying lip service to the lifestyle. Live with commitment. With emotional content. Live whatever life you choose honestly. Give up this renaissance man, dilettante bullshit of doing a lot of different things (and none of them very well by real standards). Get to the guts of one thing; accept, without casuistry, the responsibility of making a choice. When you live honestly, you can not separate your mind from your body, or your thoughts from your actions.

Tell the truth. First, to yourself. Say it until it hurts. Learn the reality of your own selfishness. Quit living for other people at the expense of your own self, you’re not really alive. You live in the land of denial-and they say the view is pretty as long as you remain asleep.

Well it’s time to WAKE THE FUCK UP!

So do it. Wake up. When you drink the coffee tomorrow, take it black and notice it. Feel the caffeine surge through you. Don’t take it for granted. Use it for something. Burn the Grisham books. Sell the bad CD’s. Mariah Carey, Dave Matthews, and ‘N Sync aren’t part of the soundtrack where you’re going.

Cut your hair. Don’t worry about the gray. If you’re good at what you do, no one cares what you look like. Go to the weight room. Learn the difference between working out and what you’ve been doing. Live for the Iron and the fresh air. Punish your body to perfect your soul.

Quit posturing at the weekly parties. Your high pulse rate, your 5.12’s and quick time on the Slickrock Trail don’t mean shit to anybody else. These numbers are the measuring sticks of your own progress; show, don’t tell. Don’t react to the itch with a scratch. Instead, learn it. Honor the necessity of both the itch and the scratch.

But a haircut and a new soundtrack do not a modern man make. As long as you have a safety net you act without commitment. You’ll go back to your own habits once you meet a little resistance. You need the samurai’s desperateness and his insanity.
You ask about security? What you need is uncertainty. What you need is confusion. Something which forces you to reinvent yourself, a whip to drive you harder.

In Dune, Frank Herbert called it “the attitude of the knife”, cut off what’s incomplete and say “now it has finished, for it has ended there.”

-Mark Twight
Twitching With Twight

Blogs, why do people who have a blog think that anyone else really cares what they have to say? Now I have one. WTF? So here is my first post. I have decided to open my blog by going old school...as in Factory Pilots baby. The original. Enjoy.