WHALE OF A CRIT RACE RESULTS

First off, a big thanks to all of you who made it out to the 2nd annual Whale of a Crit this past Sunday in Silverdale. To those of you who did not make it: shame on you. When are you going to learn that our races put on over here in the KC are worth making the trip for? When will you learn that we have great courses, great prize lists, and great ambience? Where else on can a category 5 rider stand on the top step of the podium and spray champagne just like the pros? To the best of knowledge, no where else in the area. Your next chance to redeem how lame you are is the Bremerton Blackberry Crit. You know, the race with the richest prize-list in the Seattle area?

As has been the case with all of the races we at Ridge Racing have put on, those who participated had nothing but positive feedback for us. Comments ranged from how good the course was to how we deep we paid out and the prize list itself.

I do have one wag of the finger to make and it is to all the women racers out there in the Seattle area. Where the hell were you? Last year I received feedback from some women who raced in Silverdale and Bremerton. The main point I took away from them is that I needed to make the women's race longer. So I did, and I had fewer women show up. This race was sponsored by Group Health. How many Group Health women showed up? Two. WTF?! So, a comment to the women out there, in order for promoters to support you, you need to support them. That is the bottom line.

One more wag as well and that is to the juniors, same point that I made to the women, you need to show up to the races that are put on for you. I paid out cash money for the juniors, how many promoter do that? Get your ass out and race!

Now for the results:

SEIGLER DOES SUPERWEEK!

Well, I was not able to make it to my favorite race series ever this year, but at least our bikes did. Seigler sponsors the South Bay Wheelmen Women's Elite Cycling Team who rocked out on the pink Komen bikes in Wisconsin this past week. Check out Jennifer Reither's website here and get the whole skinny.

Man, that bike looks fast!!

THE BIRD OF HAPPINESS FLIES THE COOP, LEAVING THE CHICKEN OF DESPAIR

Rabobank sacks Rasmussen while still in yellow:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2007/tour07/news/?id=/news/2007/jul07/jul26news

Silly Dane, I bet you Rasmussen wishes he had filed that paperwork now, and realized that, although everyone was speaking a Latin based language, he was actually in Italy, not Mexico. Italy, Mexico, I can see how you might mix the the two up, I mean, the Atlantic isn't that big, take that away and they are practically next to each other.

His contant jesticulations at the motorbikes would have made me fire him.

SAY IT ISN'T SO VINO

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2007/tour07/news/?id=/news/2007/jul07/jul25news

Wow. WTF? That pretty much sums up my reaction of shock right now to the news that Vino has tested positive following his time trial victory on Saturday. This is definitely not what this sport needs right now. This, after an entire country pledged its support for the Astana team for the next ten years. Unbelievable. Say what you want to about the witch hunt being conducted by WADA, the UCI, ASO, etc, the riders have responsibility as well.

WHALE OF A CRIT PROMISES TO BE A WHALE OF A GOOD TIME!

Bike racing, Kitsap County style is coming up this weekend, Sunday specifically. It is the finale in the Washington Cup and the second richest prize purse for Pro 1-2's in the Seattle area. (what's the richest you ask? Hmmm.....oh yeah, the other bike race we put on over here, the Blackberry Crit). So, if you want to score some cash and race on a cool course, come on over. If you don't, well, you're just lame.

Do it, don't make me crankier than I already am.

Also, we are putting on a kid's bike rodeo with all sorts of stations teaching bike safety so if you got them (kids that is), bring 'em. Kid's races also, winners even get to stand on the podium just like the big kids!

Paul Martin Is A BAD ASS!

Who is this Paul Martin you ask? That was the same question that we were asking back in the early 90's as a young category 3 by the name of Paul Martin was consistently getting up there in the 1-3 races throughout Ohio. That was also the same question that Eddie Van Guys (the voice of Superweek) asked in the mid-90's when Martin was on his way to securing the best amateur rider at Superweek as he consistently found himself in the winning breaks in the Pro 1-2 races. Everyone knew who Paul Martin was as he went on to win the elite men's national championship road race in 1997 and then secured a contract with the Navigators, racing with them and the West Virginia Go-Mart professional cycling team until he retired from professional racing in 2003. And now, everyone who pays attention to cycling in the US knows who he is again. Paul has continued to race while working full time as an attorney in the Cleveland metro area and, let's just say, he just had a very successful week racing his bike.

Last week, Paul won the Masters 35+ National Championship Road Race. He then travelled over to Chicago and won the 2nd stage in the Pro 1-2 category at Superweek before traveling back to Seven Springs where he proceeded to win the Elite Men's National Championship Road Race. So, that is 3 wins in a week, 2 of them being National Championships.

That is why, Paul Martin is a bad ass. Congratulations Paul!

Outstanding. I need to get one of these:

from VeloNews.com:

CSC joins wristband-wagonTeam CSC has joined the wristband bandwagon this year, but it sports an interesting slogan that isn't raising money for a charity or some do-good organization.
Instead, the letters across the black plastic wristband underscore the team's philosophy in this year's Tour: "Harden the Fuck Up."
"Stuart (O'Grady) brought them for the team in London and asked everyone to wear them," said Team CSC rider Frank Schleck. "If it's tough, we look at the wristband and we do what it says. When it gets hard, you harden up. So far it's worked pretty good."

To more important things, how awesome was Cancellara's win yesterday?

OK, this is a post that is opening up discussion on one of my favorite topics to shoot my mouth off about: prize money at races. Coach Curly opened the can of worms with his post at one of the best blogs going: http://www.coachcurly.com/2007/07/p-fu-more-like-it.html

I wanted to really open up the can of worms so I am pasting my comments to his post below. Please chime in, I am rubbing my hands together in anticipation:

"Oh boy, you have pretty much put some blood in the water for this here shark because I love talking about prize lists at bike races.

1. First to Curly's point of the lack of any $ at races in Europe, that's right, there is none, but...and you pointed this out yourself, the entry fee is only a couple of bucks, not $20-$40 a pop. Used to be back in the day a promoter could only charge a % of the prize list for the entry fee, then the districts voted for a "free market" where promoters could charge whatever they wanted. This was good and bad, good because promoters could charge what they wanted, could put on a race at a profit and suddenly there were more promoters putting on more races, bad, because entry fees went through the roof.

2. From e@thec: "If someone were looking to turn race promoting into a livelihood, then they'd be promoting Ironman-distance triathlons.". Well, there are a number of promoters (Team Columbus in Ohio is one, Threshold, Tailwind, etc. something tells me Douglas puts some pretty good coin into his pocket as well) out there that have turned race promoting into a livelihood, and, most do it because it grew out of their love for the sport.

When I was asked to help put on races here in Kitsap by a local business man I told him up front that I would help but under a few conditions: 1. I was to be paid a fee, 2. We would run it as professionally as possible 3. We would not run our events at a loss or even break even, we would make a profit on the event.

To insure those 3 points were covered, we had a job to do, and it was to secure sponsorship, and we did it. Whenever I put on a race, I determine what I would like to offer as prize money and then, at a min, I double that number to fill out my budget and that is the number that I go after. So, for last year's Blackberry race that paid out $7500, we raised $15,000.

Why go to all this trouble? Because it is my job as a promoter to do that and, I hope that by putting on what I think is a good race and soliciting feedback from the riders I can help raise the bar of races here in the NW.

I believe that most of the griping by riders, and by myself, is that there are many promoters out there that do not run their event in a professional manner and don't do their due diligence in securing funds to put on their event. You should not have to pay $25 or $30 for a race that does not start on time, takes forever to get results, gives out 1 tire and 2 inner tubes for 3rd place in the main event, etc, etc. And for crying out loud, at least have the last paying place equal to the entry fee. We (the riders) are not racing "for the money" we race because we love to ride our bikes fast and because we have a competitive drive to beat down our fellow rider and talk shit about them after, but, is it wrong for us to have a certain level of expectation from the promoters. We are paying $13 per rider at Pacific Raceway every Tuesday night and Rory can't even get the lap cards right for the races then tells us that we need to look at our clocks so we know when the race is ending. No Rory, that is why we are paying you $13 a rider every Tuesday, to do your job.

So promoters: do your job, the riders are doing theirs by training hard and paying their entry fees to your events to put on a good show for the crowds that show up and for the sponsors.That's all...for now. I am pasting this onto my BLOG to really open up the discussion.

Now to add to this post, I want to say, it is not all about the money, it is about the atmosphere at the race and the quality of the event. Prize money is just a part of that, not the whole pie. You also need a good course, good atmosphere and good prize money that is in line with what you are charging for an entry fee. At the very least, try to get 2 out of those 3 and your event is on its way to being a success.

SEIGLER CARBON TRACK FRAME, IT'S HERE!!!

CHECK IT:

THIS IS WHY WE LOVE AMARA:

Because she takes photos like this one of Downtown Gary Brown beating out Rob C. for a $100 prime at the Derby Days. The way I heard the story it went something like this:

Announcer: Looks like Brown got that one.

Chief Ref: No, I think Campbell got it.

Amara: Um, you might want to look at this.

Chief Ref: Oh. Looks like Brown got that one.

Keep up the great work Amara. You make us all look like superstars.

Even if you look like this guy:

Speaking of the Derby, I have two things for you.

• Did anyone at registration actually check licenses? There was a guy who started the Pro1-2 race who was wearing a t-shirt, what looked like running shorts and had some pretty pasty white hairy legs and who was handling his bike like it was the first time he had ever gone around a corner at speed. He got lapped in about 10 laps.

• What happened to the prize money at the Derby? It used to be one of the top paying races in the area and paid 20 deep. This year they only paid $1250 over 10 places but still charged $30. More egregious of a crime however is that 9th and 10th place paid $25, so if you made through the melee and scored a money paying place....you still came out $5 poorer for your efforts. Hey promoter of the Derby Days, WTF?!
  And one final note for the officials: get a grip. The whole WSBA Number crusade is ridiculous. More on this later.

TUESDAY NIGHT CHAMP

That's right Pruitt, it's me, on the Flats, a sprinter's stage. I won, a non-sprinter, solo. Who cares that there was only like 20 guys in the race? And I guarantee that my victory salute was longer than Pruitt's, because it was for the last 300 meters, probably a record. Take that Pruitt. Now if I can just get one on the weekend, you know, where it counts.

Another Weak Attempt at a Post:

This is from a Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2258201150 and was sent to me by my buddy Billy. It is pretty funny (and I can cut and paste it so now I have 2 posts in 1 day). Enjoy.

********* -THE OFFICIAL EURO CYCLIST CODE OF CONDUCT- *********

Created by Dom Guiver and Mike Flavell

1. Image and style shall be your primary concern. When suffering, one must focus first on maintaining a cool, even composure, and second on performance. Winning races is an added talent, and only counts if said euro cyclist wins with appropriate style.

2. You shall NEVER, under any circumstances, wear plain black spandex shorts or any team kit containing non-prominent Logo's.

3. The Socks must extend no less than 2cm below the main bulge of your calf muscle, and shall never extend further than 1cm past the primary calf muscle bulge. All socks shall be white in colour with prominent logo placement.

4. Cycling shoes must be of white colour only! Exceptions are:-colours combinations such as world cup stripes in cases where title has been earned-shoes which are custom-made by companies endorsed by this group. These shoes will be accessible to the particular cyclist only, and shall contain a high degree of Euro style.-It is important to note red and yellow shoes are NOT ENDORSED by this group.

5. If white cycling shoes are not available where you reside, white booties with prominent logos shall always be worn.

6. Your bike frame must contain more than 3 colours, and must always fit tastefully with your wheel selection.

7. Zipp's are to be used as training wheels ONLY. You shall race only on Lightweights and occasionally Bora's if no lightweights are accessible.

8. Ridiculously stylish eye wear is to be worn at all time without exception.

9. In most circumstances, hair shall be kept neatly short, and matching helmet shall be worn (again with prominent logo placement). Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES shall a clashing helmet colour be worn with your euro kit.

10. In several cases, it is deemed acceptable to have long hair. In this event, hair shall be neatly slicked back in maximum euro-styling, and helmet shall not be worn. Stylish sport eyewear shall be worn at all times while exercising this option.

11. A prominent line where your kit ends and where your tan begins is essential to your image. Artificial tanning is banned, the tan shall reflect the level of training commitment.

12. All podium shots (pictures) shall be taken with the euro-rider wearing team kit and appropriately matching casual euro shoes (such as puma's). Socks shall remain within the guidelines above. The rider is expected to display an appropriate degree of bulge while receiving kisses/trophy.

13. The seat shall ALWAYS be white along with the handlebar tape, and must be made in Italy or France. - Exceptions to this rule are seats or handlebar tape containing the following colours: WorldCup Stripes,Olympic Gold, Italian flag colour combo (green redwhite).

14. You shall not, under any circumstances, acknowledge the presence of a cyclist riding a bike costing less than €3000 in a public place. This could be severely detrimental to your image.

15. Legs will be SHAVED year-round. ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS. In some cases, certain hair removal creams endorsed by succesful euro's are deemed to be acceptable.

16. A rider will ALWAYS have liniment applied to his legs before appearing in public.

17. Facial hair will be restricted to a goatee, and even this is discouraged. Moustaches are EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED.The only exception to the facial hair shall be SHORT sideburns--these are acceptable at the discretion of Cipo or a similar authority figure, on a case-by-case basis.

18. Ceramic bearings shall be used at all time on both training and race bikes.

19. Campagnolo shall be the only acceptable componentry and is hereby deemed superior to ANY Shimano product in ALL circumstances. You are expected to have nothing less than an ENTIRE campy grouppo. Crank substitutions are NOT permitted.

20. ALL wheels shall be equipped with tubulars, regardless of your ability in gluing them.

21. You shall NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, associate with triathletes. It is FORBIDDEN to have any number inked onto your body before a race.

22. Any physical activity, other than cycling, is STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. This includes any form of running or swimming and their derivatives (this includes walking).

23. You shall never rearrange your package while riding. Adjustments regarding seating/hanging comfort are to be done in private in order to preserve image.

24. In a circumstance where any cyclist ever displays aggression or disrespect towards you, you shall ride up uncomfortably close to them and slap them in the face with your team issue gloves. (Which must be white)

25. MTB gloves are FORBIDDEN in all instances. Cycling gloves will be slick, white (in accordance with kit), and have minimal padding. Padding will be beige or white in colour. In the case where said euro cyclist is wearing a leader’s jersey (This should be always) special gloves will be made to match the colour of the jersey while blending the team kit colours simultaneously.

26. In the event a motorist disturbs your ride, you shall proceed to ride up beside the car, form a clenched fist and bang the trunk of the car while doing your best attempt to sound irritated in Italian. Wild arm/head movements are strongly encouraged to enhance the apparent rage.

27. Training is based solely on feel while racing is be guided by sensations and instinct. A real Euro cyclist never gives in to scientific training methods.

28. Gearing is restricted to a titanium Campy Record 11-23 cassette with a ABSOLUTE MINIMUM of 42-53 up front. One shall never be seen pedaling at a cadence over 90 in case it detracts from your calm/smooth factor. The use of 25t cog is acceptable in special training circumstances.

29. ALL BIKES shall feature personalized nameplates next to ones home country’s flag located on the top-tube within 10 cm seat-tube ON ONE SIDE ONLY.

30. Pedals MUST be either Speedplay, Time, or Look. No other pedals are to be considered and ANY form of Shimano product is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. If one is found possessing Shimano pedals, title of euro cyclist will be stripped immediately.

31. Coffee is a necessity and as such must be consumed strong (ie. espresso) on a patio in Italy in full kit, it shall be drunk black. Sugar is STRONGLY FROWNED UPON. The only milk present shall appear frothed on top (if at all).

32. All pre and post-race activity will be conducted under a gazebo (this includes massage, interviews, and looking fantastic) leaving one in reasonable distance of the Euro-sun to top up your enviable tanlines or pose for photo’s.

33. Post-race, you must be utterly tied to your mobile phone, making endless calls to your incredibly attractive euro-girlfriend or important executives from modelling agencies. This will be done under the protection of the post race gazebo.

34. ABSOLUTELY NO FORM of seatbag, frame pump, mud guard or mirror shall come within 2 meters of the bike.

35. Team bikes will be built up so that they violate the UCI weight limit, in order that weights might be attached to the frame to demonstrate its superiority and lightness.

36. White bar tape shall be kept in pristine white condition and NEVER extend further than 3cm past the hoods (exception during spring classics, where standard bar tape wrapping is allowed). This state shall be achieved either through daily cleansing or frequent replacement. These jobs will NEVER be performed by the cyclist as you must maintain your image.

37. Motivational music during training MUST consist of Late 90s house and power ballads, or deep-trance hard-style German techno hereby known as euro beats. NO EXCEPTIONS.

38. Nothing short of a naked black ALL CARBON water bottle cages (manufactured by ELITE CAGES) will be used. The only exception is special edition 24k gold cages which can be preferable in some situations (such as photo shoots or prologues) where colour coordination is key (this is always). Ex. Gold Cage with Olympic Gold/white team kit.

39. A gold pendant on a very long, thin chain bearing some form of religious icon is STRONGLY recommended for mountain races.

40. While soloing in for a victory, you will ensure your jersey is fully zipped and straight, so all title sponsors are clearly visible. You will then smile and flex arms while pointing skywards. The projection of ones fatigue is EXPLICITLY FORBIDDEN in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.

41. When appearing in a photo spread for sponsor’s products, one shall appear either fully nude or in full Armani 3 piece suits. Smiling is prohibited in these instances.

42. When riding, sans helmet, a team issue cycling cap (white in colour), shall be worn (depending on the hairstyle). The bill shall remain in the downward position at all times. Cycling cap can be worn forwards or backwards to coincide with current hairstyle. During spring training, cycling toques WILL be worn at all time in place of caps.

43. When appearing in documentaries, you must be seen walking around the hotel in your kit at all times. It is also recommended that you constantly be eating something in front of the cameras.

44. All stems must be a minimum of 120mm and a rise of no higher than -10 degrees. Stems shall be positioned no more than 0.5cm above the top of the headtube. ALL stems shall ALWAYS be oversized, made out of aluminum, and airbrushed in kit/frame colours.

45. When asked "how are you?" while riding you must proceed with one of the following...-Complain about coming off a sickness.- Explain you're peaking for bigger races later in the season- Mention that this is a "recovery ride"-That you are on the tail end of your daily 6 hour training ride

46. When the Euro Cyclist feels the urge to relieve himself during a race, he will gracefully meander to the back of the pack, seat himself sideways on his saddle, and pee into the sunflowers. He must ensure that no cameracrew catches the act, for it could be detrimental to his image. Under no circumstances shall the rider dismount from his bike to urinate.

47. When climbing anything with a gradient above 20% and lasting over 8 kilometres, the Euro cyclist must fully unzip his jersey and let it flutter in the wind.

48. When dropping out of a race, you will avoid the embarrassment of entering the official broomwagon and will instead wait for his team vehicle. When asked why you dropped out, one will cite mechanical problems or oncoming sickness as the reason, as to avoid any bad speculation in relation to your fitness.

49. Kits will always be freshly washed, and you shall ALWAYS have applied a reasonable amount of european eau de toilette (cologne). It is, at all times, FORBIDDEN to ride in an unwashed kit, as it is extremely detrimental to your image.

--------------------Pending Rules-----------------------------

1. Training wheels shall consist of Ambrosio rims (alternately, Mavic Reflex) laced with 32 spokes to Record hubs, or a wheelset of similar weight/durability/euro-style. Mavic Open Pros or Fulcrum Racing Ones may also be considered.

2. If in doubt, the euro cyclist shall mention in an interview that his pollen allergies are acting up, and that he’s not sure that he’ll win the Giro this year. In this situation, remember to note that the sensations are otherwise good, and that eventually you’ll win a beautiful stage.

3. Moustaches, beards, and any combinations thereof are EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED. An exemption will be granted for Marco Pantani--RIP.

4. Team-building motivational camps will be held annually in the off-season. These are to place team members in as ridiculous a setting as possible. Photos will be widely reproduced to demonstrate team cohesion.

5. During the pre-TdF medical checks, star riders of each team are STRONGLY ADVISED to play doctor with each other while shirtless. Photos taken must strive to be as HOMEROTIC AS POSSIBLE.

6. In order to avoid the harsh European winter, you shall:-flee to the warmer climes of Mallorca/South Africa/Canary Islands/etc.-“train the mind, body and soul” with Kreitler brand rollers

7. Stubble is advisable in virtually ALL euro-situations, especially in the case of climbing stages or important time trials during a stage race. It is important to note: this DOES NOT apply to the legs!

**IMPORTANT NEWS CONCERNING SHOES**

Should a cyclist competing in the Pro Tour be photographed in red or yellow shoes without covers more then twice they will be placed on Euro Probation pending further review.---------

Rules will be added as they are sent in and refined. Try to refrain from contradicting rules above. Voice your opinion and the rule might be changed or refined. If you need assistance on anything not yet listed in the official rules, post it and one of our officers will be glad to address the issue.

Last Updated June 17, 2007 by Dom

I SUCK...

... for not updating my blog for almost as long as Pruitt went without updating his. Sorry, been busy, traveling to Ohio, racing and visiting with my parents (who have dial up internet).

I will have a real update soon. Topics to include:

• Tour of Ohio (it was fast and fun)

• Rolling in the Crowne Vic

• Reasons why Ohio is better than Seattle or anywhere else on the west coast (this is a short post but there are some, trust me)

• The best racing week in the Seattle area even though no body seems to be able to put together a decent prize list

• Why everyone should ride a Seigler bike