NashvilleCyclist.com

Best seat in the house tonight

2008-11-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Study to test Nashville's carbon footprint
I found this interesting considering I have significantly lowered my carbon footprint on the environment. In my book it's irrelevant whether you buy into the whole global warming rage. Frankly, it's a moot point. What's more important to me is how we are conducting daily business and routines, and how can we make sensible changes within that to make ecological improvements. I'm no tree hugger, but trees and other natural resources are vital to our existence. In fact, I have three new trees planted in my yard! We should strive to do anything and everything we can do at the daily human existence level to preserve our planet. Imagine the creativity and productivity that can arise from such an endeavor.

Personally, I have been riding the train and my bike much more than ever back and forth to work. Moreover, I am driving significantly less and taking less unnecessary trips. At home I'm using less electricity and throwing in some energy efficient bulbs. I recycle every possible thing I can and create the least amount of trash possible. Heck, even when I fish I'm catching and releasing!

Pentagon Clears Flying-Car Project for Takeoff
This news has to make George Jetson happy right? Here's George behind the wheel, and he looks pretty thrilled to me. No word yet on his review, but you can see the similarities between George's previous ride that easily held the whole family. I'm still searching for evidence of George on a bicycle, so stay tuned.

Next-O-Meter : David Price
Murfreesboro native and former Vanderbilt pitcher David Price is the real deal. If he can stay healthy he's going to have a wicked career, much like that of Randy Johnson. Gas-O-line!

Tour de Georgia off for 2009
We may want to get used to these sorts of headlines. In today's economic environment more and more sponsors will have difficulty pouring cash into large bicycle races. If a race like the Tour de Georgia can point to its economic impact on the state and sponsors not see the value then the red flag is rising. Sure, it was struggling before, but now their perceived value is far outweighed by their sense of urgency to survive.

I think it's a cop out to say their failure is due to Lance Armstrong not choosing the race on his 2009 calendar. Organizers obviously lost credibility with race stakeholders by not paying their bills and doing what they said they would do. I don't care what business you're in, if you say one thing and do another you may as well put a bullet in your foot.

Transfers for 2008-2009
I always enjoy checking out the transactions list to see where riders are moving to for 2009. This year we are seeing the end of an era as quite a few amazing professionals are retiring. Paolo Bettini, Erik Zabel, Bobby Julich, Paolo Savoldelli, and Tom Steels (yes, that Tom Steels!) are all saying goodbye. Then again, some are reversing course from retirement back to racing. I hear some guy named Armstrong tops that list.

Yaroslav Popovych signs a two-year contract with Astana
Strangely enough Popovych was listed as retiring, but it looks like Bruyneel and Armstrong are reuniting the family. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians? Despite all their strong personalities, which I think is a weakness, Astana is going to have one heck of a roster.

Black Sheep won 'Riders's Choice'
I am deciding between this sweet looking ride, and.....

World's most expensive bike
.....possibly this one, which only costs about $118,000. I'd say about the only place to put it is where they have it, HERE.

Bikes in the city
I'd rather choose from these any way, the women I mean.

Jens Voigt gear
Then again, maybe I should consult with Jens first. WWJD?

How far Oscar Pereiro fell
Jens would have told Oscar to keep away from the ledge. He's a lucky man.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
I'm trying to figure out who has bottomed out worse - Pereiro or Buffet's stock price? At $94,000 and some change per share it's a steal. I'm down for 1/1000 of a share. I'll be rich soon and be able to afford a bike I can hang on the wall.

One in five youth in China obese
Lastly, this falls into the category of "headlines you thought you'd never read."

Blowouts, redemption & Greenways

2008-11-13T07:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, getting back on track.....

How to Fix a Flat
Imagine my excitement that Thomas Friedman would write about fixing a flat, but instead he vents about his frustrations with auto makers in Michigan. The title really ought to read, "How to Fix a Blowout." I would say most people are more than frustrated with the Detroit model of business and have been for a long time. Every CEO and industry leader sees their economic bailout opportunity and believes it will be their saving grace if awarded. A successful bailout ideally not only includes the actual funds awarded, but in this case of taxpayer funds being used it has to ensure a successful rescue.

Let's all go take an honest look in the mirror. Do any of us truly believe these bailouts will prove successful? .....(tick, tock, tick, tock).....

Yeah, that's what I thought; hence everyone's reservations. Need proof? Just look at the volatility of the New York Stock Exchange and the fact that it's not far above 8000 now. It's yo-yoing like a rider about to be dropped off the back! Why? Pretty good club rider, but not quite ready for fierce competition. Cash (power/wattage) is king. Liquidity (speed/mph) is queen. If you're without either you're toast.

My prediction - it's not going to take long before we the taxpayers begin an economic revolution against every company seeking or receiving a government bailout. This bailout madness has got to end soon or we are setting ourselves up for some serious soup lines. Has it helped the auto industry before? After all, we are where we are today. The airlines? Bailouts are band-aids. When CEOs are more concerned with stock price and less about net income or dividends to stockholders it's a slippery recipe that will eventually spell the end to good sound business decisions. Unsuccessful bailouts spell the end of.....well, just about everything.

Moreover, despite Chrysler's CEO stating the bailout will promote innovation, giving handouts will have exactly the opposite effect of creating innovation! A multiple billion dollar bailout check will flatly send the message of condoning past business decisions, but more devastatingly it will destroy creative thinking. Future innovation won't exist because the bailout seeker isn't forced to figure it out on his or her own. Sure, their future will be different with or without that bailout, but creativity goes out the window when one is allowed a sigh of relief. No, I believe they all should figure out a way to fight their way out of the corner they chose to paint themselves in.

It means that some companies should close their doors. We've always been looking for a way to end our dependency on foreign oil, so imagine the outcome if there are significantly less automobiles being sold. Yes, I realize all the implications with such a dramatic result. Toyota, Honda and Nissan executives are looking at Detroit and realizing they were right all along.

Don't even get me going on the thought of huge bonuses still being paid out to Wall Street executives. Don't misunderstand me, I am a capitalist and want to see these businesses succeed. My bigger concerns are with those affecting small businesses. If your ideas and strategies are good then you should be rewarded for hard work, but if they're bad then you should also be rewarded with failure. Either way you earned it.

Disclaimer - these thoughts and opinions DO represent those of NashvilleCyclist.com.

Berkshire Hathaway Profit Falls 77% on Investments, Insurance
Warren Buffet only made a billion in the third quarter. He took it on the chin huh. However, he has performed his own bailouts with the hopes of huge returns later. It likely instills confidence and stabilizes things when it comes from a man like Warren Buffet, but when it's Mr. Government making the "investment" the market sighs and sinks.

Stretching: The Truth
No, this doesn't address sketchy politicians or CEOs. This article addresses what I've known for some time through the research I have found. I have blogged about this topic before, but I feel it's important to keep bringing it up in order to disprove previous notions about stretching. I am more flexible than most and I'm a big believer in stretching playing a role in your training program, but it's important to understand the when, where and why of it all.

European Support for Bicycles Promotes Sharing of the Wheels
Hardly a week goes by without a new article being written about a new bicycle program that's been implemented in Anywhere, Earth. These kinds of programs should become more common here in the US considering gas prices and the automobile market failures. One, it should be grown just because it's a good thing to do, and two because I think the free market sooner or later will seek it out.

24 Redemption
If only Jack Bauer could tame the business world like he does international terrorists. Get your calendars out and mark it for November 23rd, the return of 24!

Kentucky boy embodies the power of one
None of this economic nonsense matters to Adam. In fact, this little boy forges ahead and finds a way to succeed. Many times over he could have accepted the easy way out. Instead he wants to be not just like everyone else, but even better than them. I'd choose him for my team any day!

FRA - Student Profile
I am imagining building a team with Adam and Max. Oh, we would kick some butt! It's great to see Max get recognized by his school. Congrats on a great season Max, and stay away from those Coca-Colas!

You can't keep a good Cipo down
Brunette? Blonde? Brunette? Whatever, he'll take all three.

Nostalgic Julich hangs up wheels
The wattage doesn't lie does it? Interesting how it demotivated him though. Joining CSC and Bjarne Riis revitalized his career, and Julich is right, "'you know what, I've had a good run." To think he went without a coach for such a long time and was as successful as he was is pretty amazing at that level. I think every rider at every level needs someone to hold them accountable, and as a cycling coach that has a coach himself I see the benefits firsthand.

Brighter days ahead: The Ivan Basso Diary
Julich's former teammate at CSC is back from his suspension and ready to redeem. I'd say after his third place finish at the Japan Cup last month the Euro peloton had better get ready for some pain. I am big believer in everyone getting the opportunity to redeem themselves, so I am hopeful Basso's return is successful not only for himself but for cycling as a whole.

Walk/Bike Forum
Here's a great new resource for Nashvillians to "allow for an interactive exchange of ideas, news, information, and general thoughts about walking and biking in the greater Nashville region."

Today's post highlights the incredible progress made regarding Greenways in Nashville. Just eight years ago only 5.6% of us in Davidson County lived within a half-mile of one, but by 2007 there was 36.4% of us near a Greenway. The exciting end to our Greenway projects will see a whopping 95.3% of us living near a Greenway. Wow! Imagine how that is going to impact our communities and improve our quality of life. Moreover, think of how much our habits will change as well as our perceptions about daily activities and routines. One prediction is we bicyclists should receive tremendous goodwill as bicycling will be much more mainstream than today. Our perception is our reality, and it's being reshaped before our eyes!

Everything I keep missing

2008-11-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

A lot of nothing has been going on lately for me when it comes to cycling. My attention and focus has been elsewhere as I have finally taken just a little bit of time off the bike.

I recently attended the Tennessee Bicycle Racing Association annual meeting between the TBRA board and club members to hold elections, cover some items, and to put together the 2009 racing season. The election news item can be read HERE as yours truly is once again the Road Director for 2009. Stay tuned to TBRA's website for the tentative racing schedule to be posted soon. There are a few new races for next year, and a couple of tweaks that should really excite everyone.

Time to move on.....

Before Hustling to Finish, Relaxed Is a Good Way to Start
Maybe this is why I haven't blogged in awhile. I have too much built up tension in my IE favorites to write about and I feel like, "what's the point?" Now I'm facing a relevancy issue; one, the site in general, and two, the news item I'm going to write about. Oh well, I'll relax my facial muscles, focus my breathing and type away.

First, to help me relax I've been doing a lot of this, seriously.....All About Fishing

East Tennessee Junior Cycling Team Wants to Go All the Way
I love reading about Jessica's ambition up in Bristol. Dream big, really really big!

ESPN.com's exclusive interview with Lance Armstrong
I'm impressed that Bonnie D. Ford asked some good tough questions that are on the minds of a lot of people. Am I the only one struggling to envision a happy ending with his latest adventure? I want the guy to succeed, but now more than ever I sense he's trying to force a huge square peg into a small round hole. Times have changed, but has he sufficiently changed with them?

Ride the tightrope
This is my new off season training to work on handling skills.....

Bike Idiot
.....while this is not part of my plan.

Did you know? Chicago 2016
How awesome would that be? Elite and USPRO crit nationals typically are held in the middle of August in Downers Grove, which is near Chicago. I wonder if the two events would coincide?

Blood-boosting drug a threat to cycling's Olympic future
News like this is a cold shower on the excitement of a possible Chicago 2016. To the IOC Vice-President who suggests pausing cycling due to doping - are you also willing to suspend track and field too? I'm speculating here, but I would bet a lot more Olympic athletes in track and field are getting busted for doping than Olympic cyclists.

Cyclists caught doping face 4-year ban next season
To make cycling even tougher there's this on the horizon for 2009. I sat through a USADA presentation a few weeks ago at the Olympic Training Center. They are tightening the reigns and only have plans to make it more difficult for athletes. Four year suspensions are reserved for "aggravating circumstances", but aren't all cycling doping offenses portrayed in that light? They're all aggravating!

Tractor Supply tops estimates
Believe it or not there are a few companies still making a profit. Same store sales up considerably.

Obama Presidency: Stricter on Trade
The Outdoor Industry Association sees tougher global trade policies on the horizon, but does note that Obama has promised to invest more in cycling and pedestrian projects.

Bicycle Retailer - Earnings/Financial Reports
Headlines are pretty rosey at this time.

Suppliers Rally Retailers, But Caution Reigns
Trek and Specialized have solid balance sheets and appear to be able to supply their retailers. I saw another report that Cannondale has a huge backlog of orders as well. In today's economy business owners are leaning heavily on all stakeholders. All it takes is one or two hiccups from a major vendor to have a seriously negative impact at the retail level. This is good news for now, but I'll keep an eye on this in the coming months.

Exxon Mobil: Biggest profit in history
This was a complete shock when you heard about this I'm sure. Shell is up 22% too.

With Free Bikes, Challenging Car Culture on Campus
Brilliant idea! More college presidents should offer this to full-time students. Though the kids are mistaken if they're getting them for free. Just because there's not a line item on their tuition bill that says "bike" you can rest assured that cost has been factored into the overall cost structure by the school. Regardless, it's a smart move and one that ought to take hold at more universities.

Commentary: A letter to the losers
This opinion comes from Donna Brazile of CNN, a Democratic strategist. If you have ever been on the losing end of a hard fought endeavor, one you poured your heart and soul into, then you owe it to yourself to read her recommendations on bouncing back. I believe even those who are victorious want their defeated foes to get up off the mat and fight back when it's time. I know I do. It is in our spirit as Americans to live on and fight another day.

Sooner rather than later

2008-10-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

Long time no type my fellow pedalcyclers. After taking a little break from competitive cycling I am still doing some training, but turning my attention more towards the collegiate side of life. Mountain bike races, teaching classes, giving mid-terms, grading papers, yadda yadda.....then lo and behold it's been a month without blogging. Felt great! Ha, but now I'm back to antagonize.

Right now I am at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs, CO for a coaches summit. What an amazing place! Not only are we sitting through some great presentations on altitude training, tapering, USADA and doping, cycling science, track cycling, etc., but there's also athletes from boxing and gymnastics here working out. Tomorrow I'm going to watch our Junior National Boxing Team do some sparring before their international competition next week in Guadalajara, Mexico. Oh, and don't even get me going about their cafeteria facility. Our Olympic athletes eat like kings, rightfully so though.

Enough about that already. Let's talk a little cycling. This shouldn't be too difficult considering my IE favorites has three times the saved links as normal.

Bicyclists push for specialty tags
Looks like the drive to get a Tennessee "Share the Road" specialty license plate is back on the stove. The deadline to get 1000 pre-commitments is June 30, 2009. To find out more about signing up please visit http://www.jeffrothcyclingfoundation.org.

Floyd Landis & the red-neck race
Pretty soon I suppose we'll see Floyd lining up for real, but this picture really is worth a thousand words.

Pedal-Powered Delivery Methods Save Big Bucks
Are you an out of work cyclist looking to earn some money while also knocking out your training? Hey, it's an idea.

Nude bicyclist drawing stares
She's trying to draw attention to peace. I mean, what's wrong with that right?

Paralympic Athletes Add Equality to Their Goals
This is fitting considering that I am at the OTC right now, but the USOC should step up and make the equitable investment to support our Paralympians. You would think by walking around the OTC they do get equal financial respect based upon how this facility recognizes Paralympians.

Pedal Classifieds - see for yourself.

Ike-battered Texans find comfort, help over coffee
Cause you know it would be the first thing on my mind during or after a hurricane.

Nashville Ultra
You up for a little running race? Ok, good, cause your options are 50k, 60k, 70k or 80k. People think cyclists are crazy?

Biking lanes used as parking lanes is Messed Up!
No kidding, so pay attention. Some day in our lifetime cyclists will gain the respect they are due. Granted we may be out of petroleum at that time, but at least cyclists have the potential to be the superior transportationists

Jennifer Lopez Finishes Triathlon
It's cool she tackled this challenge, but she lost some cool points (and time!) on the clothing and toe clips.

Spectacularly Distilled Sarcasm
A bike racer's blog with a content warning to enter, nice.

I'll be back sooner rather than later.....

Daily Dose - 9/13

2008-09-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, a week flies by pretty quick when you aren't racing and focused entirely on work. Just when that happens the cycling world gets a jolt with un-retirement of a legend. I'm still scratching my head over that one. Of course my IE favorites is building up again with content, so I'll move on to more interesting subjects.

USA Cycling Pro Championships, day one: A Ben Ross gallery
Nashvillian Ben Ross was in Greenville taking shots for VeloNews.

Here are some David Byrne bike racks that I'd love to see in Nashville. He's got this one that would suit our town.

Nashvillian Robin Farina mixed it up at the front of the US 10k in Atlanta on Labor Day. She's right on the wheel of Laura Franges of Tibco. Robin finished 18th on the day. Can you imagine a 10k road race? Actually, many of the Pro12 road races around here are that because the field is small, and it's a slugfest at the beginning to establish a break.

Jerry Reed was right when in 2007 he said, "“For 50 years, all I’d done was take, take, take. I decided from now on it is going to be giving. And I’m way behind. We’re all way behind. We live this life like what’s down here is what it’s all about. We’re temporary, son, like a wisp of smoke.”

Danny Pate of Garmin-Chipotle made two great points after the USPRO road race recently. Scroll down to see the news blurb. Pate is correct to point out nothing is stopping teams competing in USPRO to hire American riders, and in fact they should in order to help the growth of US cycling. Moreover, he's placed in the top five at USPRO multiple times without being tested. In my opinion, every person and organization indicates their true priorities through their actions and not their words. Pony up USAC and USADA.

Top reasons to date a cyclist. I have yet to find the counterpoint of top reasons NOT to date a cyclist. I'm sure it exists, and if not you can probably ask around to get some great ones pretty quickly.

Want to be a movie star? Max VO2 is looking for you to be an extra in their movie. The filming actually starts today in Virginia, but there are other dates in September you can choose from.

Manolo Saiz is returning from the shadows. No, no, no. Let's hope not. This isn't to discredit his ability to truly mentor young riders, but those shadows surrounding Saiz are from huge clouds of darkness looming overhead. The sport of cycling has moved forward far too much to let its dirty past weasel back into leadership.

Not all runners kick the habit.....cough cough. The Tennessean poses the question; does it make you a healthier smoker or an unhealthy runner?

What is with all the news stories about cyclists and bears lately? I have t-boned a hound dog once, but never had the chance to take on a bear. Is it even possible really to t-bone a bear? Plus, how do we know it was really a bear and not Sasquatch? Or a chupacabra?

Oil's fall to $100 won't change frugal energy use
You all can do the math here. Previous high was $145 a barrel and now it's down to just over $100. Highest gallon price was around $4 per and until yesterday it was down only about 50 cents. The percentages are not adding up. As if that's not enough the wholesale and retail gas industry is gouging customers by shooting up prices in advance of Hurricane Ike. Last night on my way to Asheville, NC most of the gas stations had raised their prices up to $4.49 per gallon. Most of those were Pilot stations actually, but there were a few that only went up to $3.99. It was very odd to see that type of disparity while checking out the billboards along I-40.

Grand Slam for HOW 100

2008-09-05T05:50:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the pleasure of meeting with the Sisters United for a Cure to present them with all the money we raised for HOW 100 and The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation. I had been anxiously looking forward to this moment as it wraps up all the work and support put into this endeavor, but I realize there is still much more work to be done for breast cancer research.

When I showed up at Gran Fondo Bicycles in Belle Meade I was greeted by a full team from SUFAC and Katharine Ray, the Director of Communications with The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation. Through the encouragement and financial support of all my friends and family I am excited to announce that together we raised a total of $1,445!

Here I am above presenting the envelope full of cash and checks to Sara Moore and her teammates with SUFAC. Each one of them were excited about the moment and looking forward to the actual HOW 100 ride this Saturday. The Orbea bike in front of us is a model they are giving away to the top fundraiser of the event, so let's hope that Sara and her team ride away with a victory!

When I began this fundraising adventure I had no idea what the outcome would be, but the one thing I knew I could count on was the support of my family and friends. Of course I had hoped to hit a lot of home runs to raise as much as possible, but in the end I believe we raised much more by me not hitting a single one. Thanks to each and every one of you for contributing to this cause and for encouraging me to swing away!

It is the only time in my life when I am thankful to have struck out because in the end we all hit the ultimate - a grand slam!

Get on board - 9/1

2008-09-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

It appears we on a record breaking streak here at NashvilleCyclist.com. Last month we set a new record for visits to the site, but August comes around and breaks through the 12,000 barrier! In July we had 11,867 and in August we barely inched ahead to 12,088 visits from 3,528 unique visitors. Not bad hey? Thanks for reading and regularly stopping by!

I'm still in St. Louis for more racing in the Gateway Cup as well as the Tuesday Night Worlds held by Big Shark. This Tuesday night racing series in St. Louis starts in March and doesn't end until the day after Labor Day for a whopping 26 weeks of racing! I hear the turnout is awesome, competition good, but they lack a little bit of aggression. The NashvilleCyclist.com boys are in town to inflict some change, so we'll see how they like our style! I am also anxious to see their organization, how they operate the race, and to hopefully learn a few things to help with our series in Nashville.

Going back to the Gateway Cup; it was with a bit of awe and wonder as I was about to start the Friday night race around Lafayette Square. I stroll up and see a Toyota-United kit waiting to get a good spot at the line. I didn't notice him right away, but then all I had to do was look on the back of his jersey to see the name. Vogels. Yeah, the one and only Henk Vogels from Australia who has ridden the Tour de France, the Giro d' Italia, Paris-Roubaix and other great cycling classics on teams such as Davitamon - Lotto, Navigators, Credit Agricole and Rabobank.

Check out his palmares HERE.

We had a good chat with him before the race, and he asked if we knew Nashville's adopted Australian Trent Wilson. I replied yep, just rode with him the other morning on the Greenway. Funny guy he was. Later that night racing around Lafayette Square I was having a good night and able to race in the top 20 of a field of 150. With about 10 laps to go I am right on Vogels' wheel for a few laps and I thought, "stay here and don't let go." I knew if I didn't get wedged out then he'd put himself in great position the remainder of the race. Sadly, the pack dynamics and flow wouldn't allow me to stick on that precious position, but I wasn't that far off from making it happen. Fun, that's the only way to describe it, very fun.

Vogels isn't the only professional here making life a little tougher for us all. This event always draws a few individual pros looking to have fun and make a little coin. There are riders from Successful Living and Jittery Joe's among others. Personally, I love it when professional riders show up because you are assured to be put through a challenging experience. Of course it's tougher to get a top result, but that type of racing experience always make you better (that is if you can actually hang on!).

A few other tidbits before I have to get back to the recruiting booth.....

Were you as surprised as me with this headline - Hamilton edges Caldwell to claim pro road crown. A photo finish does not get any closer than this HERE. Tyler has surely paid his penance and then some, but one has to wonder how the powers at USADA and USA Cycling feel about him wearing the stars and stripes jersey for all of the 2009 season.

Michael Ball Interview - the Rock Racing team owner has a lot to say, and I'd say after Tyler Hamilton winning in Greenville he's got even more to shout out. Sponsors everywhere could learn a thing to two about promotion and brand awareness. Who knows, maybe in five to ten years he'll be long gone from the scene, but right now people should be picking his brain instead of brushing him off.

John Eustice; Looking backward and forward - this is one of the most informative articles I have read in awhile. It has been awhile since we have seen or heard him announcing for a major tour, but Eustice has the racing and commentary pedigree others can only dream about. I'm not sure what his reputation is in the US cycling community, but his experience and historical perspective is one that everyone top-to-bottom can learn from.

I like to consider myself a pragmatic realist, so this is appealing - Be Oddsitive, Not Positive

For all you fixie freaks out there - No brakes, and they like it

Post-Olympic bike race video - Cracknell vs Hoy: The street race

I broke down and joined Facebook. I think you'll be surprised at how many of your friends are using this to stay in touch. I think it's much more manageable than MySpace and worth the time to setup and maintain.

Get on board.

Give me your eyes

2008-08-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

This time of year most racers are winding down their race commitments and looking for a bit more leisure bicycling. Most, but not all. For the truly devoted and hardcore there are still intense racing events to tackle. This weekend there's the Gateway Cup in St. Louis that offers four days of fast, intense and highly competitive criterium racing. The city of St. Louis loves the bicycle and supports racing all over town. If you visit this great city you will see cyclists all around downtown and surrounding areas.

The Gateway Cup draws top talent from all over the Midwest. Achieve a result here and it stands out on your palmares. There are a handful of us regulars from the Nashville area who make this annual trip, but there really ought to be more of you here. The experience you gain from racing events on this scale dramatically improves your skills and increases your confidence. If you can compete here then you can compete anywhere. If you can race in the top 10 to 15 spots here then you can compete successfully anywhere. You're too late for 2008, but I urge you to highlight Labor Day weekend for 2009 in St. Louis.

Next weekend there's the Oak Ridge Fall Velo Classic, and from what I understand it's shaping up to be a great event as well. The city of Oak Ridge is going to great lengths to offer their support, and the organizers are hoping to build this event into something on a grand scale over the next few years. There's over $10,500 in awards and prizes with much of that weighted in the overall omnium.

Moving on to random and not so random.....

It turns out we all should be thankful that I didn't hit a single home run last weekend. If I had the amount of money raised for Hope on Wheels 100 would have been much lower than the $1000+ we've raised so far! We are on our way to possibly reaching the $1500 level. Awesome huh?

I apologize for the lack of follow up with the crit series after the final race. Once that ended my entire attention turned to coaching responsibilities and campus meetings, but I also added one more title to my resume that has me quite busy - College Professor. That's right, yours truly is now teaching a college business course, and it's one of the more exciting challenges I have tackled in a long time. It's a little overwhelming considering I have 60 students in my one class, but so far I am enjoying it quite a bit.

Speaking of the crit series I am already looking to 2009 and how I can improve the experience. I'm going to try and incorporate a more efficient registration and results system, and I am going to tweak how points are awarded. To only award points 6 deep is not deep enough, and the actual points awarded is not a good numerical plan to follow. I will likely adopt the points system we encounter with an omnium. I also hope to get away from having to input everything in an Excel file because that is way too time consuming. Race results will only be posted with USA Cycling while I will only track the overall series. No more staying up late on Wednesday nights!

Have you ever noticed when you're traveling to a race far away that when you're flipping radio channels you hear music you haven't heard in about 10 or 15 years? It's like you're traveling in a time warp. In Nashville I never hear Huey Lewis and the News, but on the road I do all the time! This trip it was Ronnie Milsap with his classic Back on My Mind, "just when I think I'm through loving you, you're back on my mind again!"

You know times are tough when "Gas Prices Cause Sean 'Diddy' Combs to Ground His Private Jet" and fly commercial. Maybe if enough music moguls and Hollywood types complain about flying commercial then Congress will take action.

This is very thought provoking as the same argument could be said for cycling - A lot of guys in the minors got hosed by steroids. They should sue. Steroids was not something that was part of the baseball culture while I was there, but if it had been and I was getting left behind then I'd be pretty upset also. Just imagine how much cycling talent we missed out on seeing because they either left the sport or were drowned out by dopers. Which reminds me, let's extend the title of "doper" to all athletes and not just cyclists. Starting, now.....!

Let's all hope this guy is clean and remains clean - Feat of Clay: American wins gold medal in decathlon. I heard him say all he wanted was to be on a box of Wheaties, which if attained means you're one of the worlds greatest athletes. American Bryan Clay did just that and is now the World's Greatest Athlete.

By all accounts BMX was a success at the Olympics.

Our very own Frank Mackzum of Tennessee fell short in his bid to get re-elected to the USA Cycling Board of Trustees. A record number of votes were cast in the elections overall, but not enough here in the Central region went online and hit the send button for Frank. It's disappointing we won't have Frank working on our behalf at the national level, but we want to thank him for his service and commitment to improving racing all across the country.

The annual charity ride the Jack & Back is only about a month away, and country singer Clay Walker announces launch of Band Against MS Bike Team. I was unaware that Walker was diagnosed with MS in 1996, but it's exciting to see his involvement in such a wonderful event by starting his own team.

Alright, I have to get going and get involved with my booth here at the Gateway Cup. You're reading this only because I lucked out and found a wireless signal in the middle of downtown. The racing action is about to start, but stay tuned for more updates over the weekend.

Derby Results - Warning track power

2008-08-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

As you know by now the big Legacy Home Run Derby was on Saturday, and yours truly was there to compete to help raise money for the Sisters United for a Cure. The SUFAC is raising money for the Hope on Wheels 100; a charity event to raise money for breast cancer research and the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation.

In my post "Home Runs for HOW 100" you learned about my goal to raise a bunch of money for the SUFAC. I immediately received a lot of emails from friends and co-workers willing to donate a few bucks for each home run, and some either gave me a check outright or said they would give a minimum amount no matter what. Well, thank goodness some gave in advance!

I only took two days of batting practice leading up to the derby and went into the contest with no less than six blisters between both hands. I said going in I didn't know if I'd be able to hit one or 21. After not swinging a bat for over 13 years I knew hitting the ball wouldn't be the hard part, but to have the power to get it over the fence was another story. Back in the day when I was 30 pounds heavier and much more muscular than I am now it wasn't any trouble hitting home runs in batting practice. It was a fairly regular thing for me to hit them in games too, which is why doing this contest sounded like so much fun to me.

Well, sadly I fell short by going 0 for 20.

What I did do on Saturday was hit line drives, gap shots and quite a few that fell short right at the warning track. For those who don't know, the warning track is the dirt you usually see in the outfield right before the fence. It is what warns the outfielder as they are running to find the fence quickly in order to avoid injury. I still had my natural swing to pull and hit deep to the opposite field. If it had been a regular game the boxscore would have said something along the lines of a 4 for 5 day with 5 RBI. However, the only hits that counted on this day were the ones that cleared the fence.

I simply didn't have the power. Unfortunately, everybody else struggled too with the exception of the guy who won by hitting 7 home runs. At the end one guy finally hit his second home run to place second, but the kicker was when the promoter flipped a coin to see who would win third place! It was either flip the coin or they may have never hit a homer to break their tie. I thought that was quite funny and appropriate considering all but one guy had a tough day. You expect to see a lot of home runs in a home run hitting contest, but this field was deceptively deep.

Even though I didn't succeed I had a blast doing this home run derby! I met some great guys who have the same passion for baseball, and I even met a USA softball gold medal winner from 1996 and 2000, Jennifer McFalls. One guy recognized me right away because he played baseball after me at McGavock HS, so he and I knew a lot of the same people. Two of the guys still play baseball in an adult league here in Nashville.

To say I am disappointed would be an understatement considering there was $112 on the line for each home run I hit. I tell you - I swung my heart out. My bat speed was great, I made consistent solid contact, but I lacked the power to hit any bombs. All I could think about was how I am letting a bunch of people down and that I am missing a huge opportunity to raise a lot of money. Call me crazy, but it makes me want to hit the weight room just so I can go back next year and crush it. Oh, you better believe I'm going back next year!

So for all those swings I earned zero $$$! However, our saving grace is that a handful of people guaranteed minimum bids totalling $470! How awesome is that? $470! I comfort myself knowing that if I had not done this then a total of $0 would have been raised for HOW 100. Now that would have been saddest outcome.

Here is what I am asking of all those people who were going to donate so much per home run. Please, still give! Each of you had an affordable dollar amount in your head that you were willing to donate to this amazing cause. Please, I respectfully request you still give despite my home run shortcomings. In fact, the winner said we can use his home run total instead! So you can decide to simply give me a specific amount or you can multiply your donation by 7 home runs. Only 11 home runs were hit in total, so you could sweeten the pot and use that figure instead!

Remember, I had commitments up to $112 per home run, so if everybody at least stuck to Stewart's amount we would raise $784+$470=$1,254!!!

Here is a picture of home run derby winner Stewart Roe on the left with me on the right. Stewart is a big dude huh? Look at me compared to him. I have really morphed into a scrawny cyclist!

Well I hope you have enjoyed following my pursuit to raise money for HOW 100, and that you follow through with your checks. I strongly feel each and every one of us can and will make a difference. Lastly, don't forget to dream BIG!

Home Runs for HOW 100

2008-08-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am excited to combine my two greatest passions in life to raise money for breast cancer research. Those passions are baseball, and of course cycling.

I am asking all my friends to support me and donate to Hope on Wheels 100, Women Cycling for a Cure. The HOW 100 is a one day annual bicycling event for women only to raise money for breast cancer research. This year it takes place on Saturday, September 6th in Leipers Fork. Many miles include the amazing Natchez Trace Parkway as well as the beautiful countryside of the local community. If you are a woman and love riding your bike then you owe it to yourself to attend. Show up and be part of the "World's Largest Chick Ride!"

How am I combining baseball and cycling you wonder?

This Saturday, August 23rd I have entered a home run hitting contest called The Legacy Home Run Derby. The contest takes place here in Nashville at the baseball fields at Warner Park, which is at the intersection of Old Hickory Blvd and Vaughn Rd. across from Steeplechase. This home run contest is part of a charity event held to raise funds for Lovie's Legacy, a local animal shelter.

How am I raising money?

I am asking everybody I know to donate money for every home run I end up hitting in the derby. For example, you can donate $1, $2 or $5 for every home run I actually hit. Multiply the total number of home runs I hit by the amount you're willing to donate for each swing resulting in a bomb. It's simple and easy to commit at least $1 per home run, come on!

At the final criterium race on Wednesday I asked everyone there to sign up and commit. So far I have commitments that value each home run at $18 a piece! That is not enough. I need more money and commitment from you to raise that amount higher, and as it rises my motivation to hit home runs goes up! Imagine if I get enough people to raise the swing value to $50, $75 or even $100. Wow, now that would have me pretty excited to raise money for HOW 100.

Plus, there's an overall payout to the top three contestants. Hey, another podium to strive towards! The winner bags a whopping $225 while second is $50 and third $25. Any money I win in the overall will go towards HOW 100 as well. This is all about raising money because I'll hit home runs for free any day.

What is a home run derby?

If you've ever watched the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby then you have an idea how this will work. Each batter will get five outs during their at-bat. An out is any swing or hit that does not result in a home run. I don't know how many rounds they are having yet, but I do know it's going to be a machine pitching. They will keep going until there is a podium finish. I am able to use either a wood bat or aluminum bat. I'll have both with me and go with what feels best. For an event like this an aluminum bat makes the most sense, but once you've played with wood you have a hard time going back.

How can you sign up, commit and donate?

I realize this is short notice, but there's plenty of time to just say, "yes, I'll give you $1 for each home run." I want to hear from you no later than early Saturday morning before the derby.

The best way is to email me at info@nashvillecyclist.com with your name, phone number and dollar commitment. After the event is over I will report the results on the website, and email you how much you donated to HOW 100. I will likely ask you to mail a check to NashvilleCyclist.com, and then I will present Sarah Moore with the total contribution. Sara is the rider I chose to sponsor in the HOW 100 since she and others have annually set up a table at our crit series to raise money.

You are reading this now and thinking, "this is a great idea." I know you are, so go ahead and click on my email address and provide me the info! Trust me, I am challenging myself by signing up, showing up and taking my hacks. I challenge you to get behind me on this to see what we can accomplish.

Can he hit home runs?

Oh yes.

I wouldn't enter a contest like this if it weren't familiar to me, but I am going out on a limb here. I have not swung a bat in a game since my last spring training with the Braves in 1995. However, for the first time this past spring I picked up a bat several times, went to Cumberland's indoor batting facility, and hit off the tee quite a bit. Foretelling of this day possibly? I don't know, but those swings felt good as I had no trouble making consistent solid contact. Hitting off a live arm or off a machine is completely different. Timing and muscle memory are critical aspects of hitting a baseball, so that will surely not be easy. Though I do have batting practice planned for the days leading up to the derby. See the ball, hit the ball.

How will you know the results?

Good or bad I will own up and let everyone know what happened. I might hit just one, but then again I could hit 20 or more! My plan is to win. If you hit home runs you don't just show up and hope. You go to win. I will report back on either my wild success or my big disappointment. Hopefully I will be able to arrange a meeting with Sarah Moore to present our total donation. Understand that my success is our success is HOW 100's success.

Sign Up!

Email me at info@nashvillecyclist.com with your name, phone number and dollar commitment.

Random thoughts - 8/19

2008-08-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

I feel like doing this one a little different.....

I am thinking of entering this home run hitting contest on Saturday. What do you think? I can't win the NC.com championship belt, but I might take home the Home Run Derby Cup instead! It's happening at one of the ball fields right next to where we start the BToGS ride on Saturday mornings. Plus, first place wins $225, and if I compete I have a great idea on how to raise money for HOW 100.

You're probably wondering, can he actually hit home runs? Grin.....

I agree with Jemele Hill about the greatness of Michael Phelps. For now I would consider him the greatest Olympian ever, but one day his records will be broken. We may never live to see it, but all records are meant to be broken. Just ask Mark Spitz.

When I browse a website like AllPosters.com I find a lot of cool posters I'd love to have hanging on a wall. Lord knows my walls could use some decorating. The prices are very affordable, and you can even have them shipped already framed.

Staying with the art theme here's a bicycle specific art site of recycled bike parts. They are proud of their work, but I would probably only buy one of the clocks anyway. Maybe I'll buy two posters instead.

Greenway etiquette - this topic is becoming a hot button issue with me. Walkers and bikers both are too often guilty of not using common sense when using the Greenway. People will take up the whole lane without any regard to others behind or in front of them. I don't fly through Shelby Bottoms dodging everybody mind you, but I would think people would consider their own safety enough to stay as far right as possible.

I am a huge fan of popcorn and eat it 4 to 5 times per week at night. Seriously. I only pop it on the stove too. Never microwave. Here's the best stove popper - Whirly Pop. It makes a great Christmas gift.....hint hint.

Can you imagine using 330,000 gallons of water in one month? Me neither. Go without for a little bit for goodness sakes.

This is probably more interesting to imagine; how about can you eat 100 Krystal burgers in eight minutes? Me neither. I might be able to put down 20, but some guy is going to give 100 a try this Saturday in Chattanooga. So after you finish the 3.5 mile climb up to the reservoir on Raccoon Mountain you can register for the burger eating contest at MajorLeagueEating.com. You read that right, the MLE.

Speculation is at it again. This time it's cotton. No commodity is off limits to investor manipulation. Better buy your underwear and tee-shirts now.

Dave Zabriskie wants to know are you tired of your *** being tired? This is almost too clever. Some of you will get this and love it while others will need it explained.

This is one of the only real world series championships. I cringe each time a professional US sports team says or claims they won the World Championship. We've got the NCAA football bowl system for college universities, and they can't truly determine a definitive champion. Then we've got Little Leaguers competing in a truly global playoff system. How is it a global kids league can figure it out, but a bunch of college presidents and athletic directors talk as if they've got a problem so complex not even NASA can solve. Please.

The Nashville Scene is taking entries for its annual Best of Nashville Reader's Poll. It's broken down into many different categories and includes your favorite bicycle shop.

Professional cycling should hire Joyce Julius and Associates. To hold on to their sponsors they'll not only have to cultivate a dope-free culture but also take every opportunity to increase sponsorship impact. Along those lines, pro cyclists could learn a lot from NASCAR drivers about how to deliver their sponsors more verbal exposure. Everybody is in a trance as they're focused on doping controls, but exploiting every sponsorship mention opportunity will be just as effective.

This Olympic baseball game between the US and China turned into an ugly situation. The US took their shots at China's catcher on two different occasions, and in my opinion both times it was unecessary to run the catcher over. The catcher gave room to slide around, and the ball wasn't anywhere close to the plate. There's a video you can watch that shows the highlights. I'm sure the article and video don't tell the whole story, but the US player Matthew LaPorta should have been expecting to get drilled. Sure, China's pitcher should not have headhunted, but it's really no different than what the US runners did to the Chinese catcher.

I think the only reason the Chinese catcher didn't immediately retaliate was because this is an international game and it would likely mean some type of Olympic suspension. In any other league there would have been a full scale brawl that would have lasted awhile. Lastly, many players on both teams play in the US at the professional level. Those players will remember names and at some point in the future will likely take further action. Believe it.

I'm a pretty flexible guy, but I can't do anything remotely close to this. You almost wonder if PT Barnum reps are in the stands with contracts.

Daily Dose - 8/15

2008-08-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

Armstrong, Leipheimer win trial medals
Impressive results from Kristin Armstrong with gold and Levi Leipheimer with bronze in the Olympic Time Trial. More impressive is Fabian Cancellera winning the gold in the time trial after taking the bronze in the road race over the weekend.

NBC Olympics - Cycling Coverage
I have to give it to the dot com side of NBC. They are doing a great job at providing content, videos, highlights and live stream online.

NBC Olympics - Cycling Videos
You can actually watch the entire road race and time trial online. There are a lot of videos online waiting for your viewing pleasure. For you all suffering from post-Tour de France coverage depression this should be a good alternative. You may have to install a plug-in to view the videos, but it's quick and easy to do. The only downside is there is no voice commentary to go along with the race coverage.

Michael Barry's Diary - The Olympics: From 1996 to 2008
I have not read his book about the Tour, and unfortunately I haven't read his diaries over the years either. However, after reading this diary I now understand why he wrote a book and why VeloNews has him as a diarist. This is likely the most well written diary I have ever read.

Grease Monkey Wipes
Value of an item increases if it includes a picture of a cartoon monkey. I don't know anything about the wipes, but do I like the white t-shirt. Play dirty!

Volunteers rest at Olympics
Evidently it's pretty tiring work. I think there's something in the UCI code about losing your human rights if you're involved with cycling. Should have stuck with gymnastics instead!

Colleges peddle bikes to car-loving students
I expect those walking around the campus of Emory University in Atlanta to be pretty smart, but this idea is genius! Apparently more and more colleges are offering some type of bike program, but note that Duke University is another school taking this much needed leap. I suppose an ACT average over 30 is a pre-requisite to implement the plan.

Vintage Western Flyer
Looking for a good ladies' townie?

US Olympic cyclists say sorry for smog masks
Not the most opportune time? Come again. Then can someone please explain when it is a good idea to wear one? Ok, so US athletes apologize for this, but Spanish athletes.....

Spanish Olympic basketball team in 'racist' photo row
.....aren't getting raked over the coals over this stupid advertisement photo gesture. What a bunch of idiots. They are actually defending it with illogical spin. Spanish officials have the nerve to say it was a "gesture of affection." Why is it this country's athletes get away with everything? Operation Puerto, tick tock, tick tock.....

The high price of raising an Olympian
Imagine the lifetime investment having to be made for the hope of that one opportunity that only comes along every four years. When I'm watching medal ceremonies I always think about what those on the podium have been through to get to that point. Mere ability didn't get them to the top step. Sacrifice. Commitment. Heart. Determination. Dream.

Steroids changed him from woman to man
One more word, wait, two words. Sex change. Hold up. No, that's not supposed to be part of the Olympic formula.

Rocco's Modern Life
I am not a golf fan, but this guy excites me. It's a great article from Golf World that I recommend taking the time to read. I love how some sports allow older and more mature athletes live in the limelight. Their stories are usually much more interesting and filled with a depth that younger athletes lack due.

A ‘Relaxing’ Ride, but Not for the Faint of Heart
Strolling through Beijing with Jason McCartney of the US Cycling Team, but somebody strongly disagrees he should even be there.....

Horner says he, not McCartney, deserved Olympic slot
Says Horner, "“The decision either comes down to politics, brownnosing, they just don’t like me or they are idiots. It must be politics, because nobody is that stupid.” Gee Chris, how do you really feel? Oh, and you left out brownnosing. Jason's does look a little dirty.

Bernie Mac loved sports … and learned from sports
The other day I wrote about Life lessons at the park, and afterwards I came across this great article from Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com. I've been a huge fan of Bernie Mac for awhile, and I was really taken aback by his death. Bernie knew how to use sports lessons to define him as a man. I like him even more now.

U.S. softball dominating again at Games
In case you weren't aware; softball and baseball are leaving the Olympics. This isn't going to affect baseball much in the long run, but I agree that it's going to significantly set softball back across the globe. For some countries the mere fact they could go compete in the Olympics is a huge motivator for young girls to get involved in the sport. US dominance hasn't helped, but dominance in other sports hasn't stopped other countries from developing talent.

Bicyclist killed in Allen Road collision
Sad news from Murfreesboro. This highlights our BToGS rule #1 - "Everybody returns home safely." Sometimes this is within our control, but others it is not. The main thing is we all pay attention at all times to give ourselves a chance. Keep the Benson family in your thoughts and prayers.

I hate to end on a sad note. The lesson is to always end on a good one, so I'll leave you with this.....

The Evolution of Aero
Rick Crawford goes all the way back to 1983 to talk about his funny bike, and how difficult it was to make the appropriate adaptations to go faster. Rick speaks the truth about equipment becoming funnier, but the body must still make muscular adaptations. If you desire going faster on your funny bike then you have to regularly train on your funny bike. If not, the only ones laughing will be your competition.

Life lessons at the ballpark

2008-08-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

I’m on my last leg back to Nashville after a short layover in Denver. After sitting on the tarmac for about an hour we finally receive clearance to take off back to Music City. Sadly, the wine bottling dream is over for 2008, which almost ended before it began! As usual the bottling event started early on Saturday morning, but it didn’t take long before I narrowly avoided the disabled list. I was thinking this weekend would provide a safe getaway from the possibility of another feed-zone crash, but lo-and-behold danger exists in the most unusual places during a bottling.

I was attempting to get up into the bottling trailer by pulling up on a sturdy aluminum bar held in place in the opening of a doorway. The bar is horizontally held within the door frame and allows those inside to work on the line while not having to worry about falling backwards onto the ground. Adam says, “Yeah, just pull yourself up, it’ll hold you no problem. I’ve done it a bunch of times, no worries.” I reply, “Are you sure? It doesn’t seem too stable.” I’m told again don’t worry about it.

No sooner as I put my left hand on and pull down that the bar snaps loose and cracks me in the top of the head! Thank goodness it was a lighter aluminum, but there was no chance of jumping back out of the way. It landed across the top of my head and fell to the ground, and luckily I managed to stay on my feet. I look up at Adam with this look that said, “What tha’, I can’t believe this!” I can see his face and he’s feeling some kind of dumb. I immediately feel some blood dripping down into my eyebrow. I reach up with my left hand and put my palm on top, bring it back down, and it’s covered in blood. Great! It’s about seven in the morning, the bottling has just started, and I’m already cut up before even having one sip of wine!

Everybody rushes over to give me a look and all I can think about is that I hope I don’t have to go get stitches. Getting stitches is no big deal, but I didn’t fly all the way to wine country to miss bottling because of a silly accident. I go into the bathroom and start wiping myself off and take a closer look at the cut. It’s a pretty long slash on the head, but fortunately it’s neither deep nor split open badly. We throw a huge band-aid on my head and I take a seat for a few minutes before going to work. Holy cow, talk about a near miss.

If you remember, the last time I visited the winery back in November I was jacked up with a pair of broken elbows. I wasn’t able to lift anything heavier than a glass of wine back then, and now I’m lucky to not need serious medical attention. The Housley family and friends already think I’m crazy after all the crashes and broken bones because of cycling. Maybe I should wear a helmet next time I visit the winery! Everybody showed sincere concern and checked on me often, but I bounced back quick and helped out quite a bit on the assembly line.

While the bottling was a long fun day we had an even more fun day on Sunday in San Francisco. To celebrate Adam’s upcoming birthday his brother had tickets to the Giants and Dodgers game, and if you know anything about rivalries then you know these two teams and fans of both teams do not like one another. When I found out about the chance to go I was all for it, but the only problem was Adam had to secure some extra tickets. Well, being Mr. FOX News on the West Coast he called up the Giants media folks and lined up several media passes. Sweet!

Last year during Barry Bonds’ chase for the all-time home run record Adam covered the Giants everyday for about three weeks straight for FOX News. What a tough assignment huh? He said the electricity surrounding the chase at the stadiums was amazing, but even on this day the excitement was high as the crowd was streaming into the ballpark. The Dodgers are battling for first place while the Giants languish thinking of nothing more satisfying than hurting the Dodgers chances for a playoff spot. On Saturday the Giants won in their last at-bat, but can they make it two in a row?

In case you don’t know once upon a time in another time my life was all about baseball; reaching the professional level even. Baseball isn’t something I miss much at all even though I played it, but I do have a passion for the purity of the sport and the life lessons it offers. I always preferred playing over watching, so I haven’t stayed involved or interested much since my last spring training. However, today it’s the Dodgers and Giants. Today it’s about beautiful AT&T Park in downtown San Francisco, McCovey’s Cove and a sell out crowd. Plus, today I have the chance to watch future Hall of Famer Manny Ramirez come through in the clutch- as they say, Manny being Manny. He did not let Dodger fans down today.

We arrive to get our media passes, you know, the kind you have to wear around your neck saying you can go just about anywhere! We walk around the stadium a little before settling into the press box located just behind home plate. Ahhhh, all the free Coke, popcorn and peanuts you can eat! I look around and there are sportswriters all around tapping into their laptops as they develop stories of the game pitch-by-pitch, and I’m just dying to talk to some of these beat writers. I resist and let them do their jobs.

The game was a pretty good pitching battle until the seventh inning as the Dodgers came to bat down a run. They get a couple of guys on base, first and third, when Manny comes up with an opportunity to make them pay. Sure enough, crack, a smoking line drive to the left of short-stop that goes into the gap of left-center. The runner from first had the wheels to score all the way from first, and Manny strolled in to second for an electrifying two run double. The Giants fans just had the wind knocked out of them and you could sense disappointment in the stadium.

The bottom of the ninth rolls around and we make our way into the left field section to watch from a different view. The Giants are coming to bat down just one run, and the crowd is getting totally amped up chanting “Beat LA, Beat LA.” These fans are serious, and the few Dodger fans scattered about are getting ragged on left and right. First batter up, boom, a single to right. Louder, “Beat LA, Beat LA.” Second batter, a smashing line drive base hit to left. The place is really rocking now! After a failed bunt attempt for an out the fans don’t get discouraged since they’ve still got two outs left. The Dodgers third baseman makes a fielding error to load the bases and “Beat LA” is all you hear, louder even.

I’m not a fan of any one team really, but I am a fan of a good electrifying baseball game. I wasn’t rooting for either team, but this is atmosphere is fun. The Giants are down one run, bases are loaded, they have the momentum and still have two outs left. Did I mention it’s a sell out? Almost 42,000 in the stands today. If I’m choosing which team I’d rather be right now it’s definitely the Giants. With the crowd behind them and ducks on the pond this looks to be a great spoiling opportunity. Next batter up hits a grounder to second, the Dodgers get the out at second, attempt a double play at first, but the runner beats the throw! The double play would have ended the game, but he’s safe as the runner scores from third and ties the game! Oh, now the crowd is really into it. “Beat LA, Beat LA.”

At this point, as a fan not wanting to stick around for a long extra inning game, I am definitely hoping the next batter ends this puppy. The momentum is there, the Dodgers are on their heels, and the crowd is amped. Sure enough, next guy up hits a tough grounder up the middle that the pitcher couldn’t handle (though he should have!), and the short-stop comes across having trouble handling it as well. The winning run crosses the plate, the crowd goes nuts, and the Giants leap out of the dugout as they run onto the field to celebrate! So what if they’re 10 games out of first place. They just Beat LA! What an exciting scene and ending to a rivalry game.

Why do I even share all of this? Because this baseball game illustrates that it’s never over until it’s over. Until the final out is recorded you have a chance; no matter where you are in the current standings. Every game and every race is an opportunity to prove ourselves. Maybe today isn't your day to shine, but it's possible that your last effort will make a difference for a teammate. Leaders are meant to toppled and beaten, regularly. Your opponents are looking for weaknesses and hoping that you’ll give up the battle. The moment you do they work to put you away. Don’t ever give them the satisfaction.

Make them work for it till the very end, always. If you do you’ll see the tide turn. Results will improve and respect earned will rise. I need not tell you the alternative because in my book an acceptable alternative does not exist. Be the one opponents hate to see come to the plate with the game on the line, or be the one everybody wishes didn’t show up to the start line. Earn that type of respect and there’s your edge.

So that’s what I love about baseball. It never ceases to challenge the players on every single pitch. You're taught to never get caught looking, take your hacks and always get beat with your best stuff. Cycling can and does offer a similar challenge, but in a very unique way on a different timeline. I chose cycling because much like baseball it’s very difficult to succeed. We fail far more often than we succeed, but it’s from our mistakes where we learn our greatest lessons.

Maybe I do miss it after all…

The beautiful skyline of downtown San Francisco from across the Bay in Sausalito.

Editor Note - photo of tractor trailer courtesy of NashvilleCyclist.com. Photos from AT&T Park of the San Francisco Giants and of downtown San Francisco skyline courtesy of NC.com friend Adam Housley, FOX News correspondent.

Two to go racers, two to go

2008-08-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

My flight controls says we’re flying 467 mph over Reno, Nevada right now, so what better way to pass the time than to type up a crit series update. This time tomorrow we’ll have corked a few thousands bottles of wine, I will have sampled greatly, and we’ll be ready for a celebratory feast. After three months on the wagon yours truly is looking forward to grapes I can drink instead of chew! More about wine bottling later…..

We are hitting the final stretch and about to crown the 2008 champions of the NashvilleCyclist.com Criterium Series. Nine down, two to go.

Even though the Dog Days of Summer will be burning the acid in everybody’s legs there will be no rest for the weary. Here’s how we see it; to win an overall series one has to consistently show up and deliver the goods! Motivation is tough in mid-August when the heat is rising from the blacktop, but the last thing any potential champion should discuss are future excuses for not taking home the championship title belt.

There is a serious battle brewing and boiling over within each of the categories. What appeared to be sure locks on the podium a few weeks ago has now turned into a serious fight. Our prediction is it will come down to the final race; possibly even the final turn. If that uncertainty doesn’t get your competitive juices flowing and your heart rate accelerated then you’re in the wrong sport. Just imagine, do you want to be the one who hosts the party to show off your title belt or the one who has to accept visitation rights? Enough said.

Let’s dissect the overall and put it into terms we all can understand:

Women
Kailin Acheson and Lisa Starmer, teammates on Reliant Bank/Harpeth Bicycles, are in control of the top two spots. Acheson leads by 25 points over Starmer while Olga Weeks of Velo Bella is behind Starmer by only 10 points. Weeks is unable to claim the top spot but can certainly displace Starmer enough in the last two weeks to end in second. However, Velo Vixens racer Beth Travers has had a strong run of late and sits just 12 points out of second spot herself. As if that weren’t enough competition; there’s Marsha White of MedPlan/TriStar just 20 points from Starmer and 10 points from Weeks in third. Every week this small handful of ladies have consistently been the ones who are sprinting for the win

Weeks, Travers and White not only have to compete against one another but also figure out a way to outfox Starmer and Acheson. So far Starmer and Acheson have been the one-two punch that’s won all the races except for two thus far (Weeks won both). This means one or all have to take more risks and apply pressure on the leaders. Be willing to lose in order to win. Lastly, it’s still quite possible for Starmer to end up the champion if she’s victorious, but our guess is only if Acheson’s car breaks down far away from LP Field two weeks in a row. Otherwise Acheson should finish off strong enough to hold the top spot.

Category 5
Just when it looked like Josh Webb of Gran Fondo had a stranglehold on first place along comes a young kid by the name of Tanner Hurst to spoil the party. Hurst of Team Biker’s Choice has won the last two races, and demonstrated this last week he’s not afraid to go on offensive less than 1k from the line. It’s mathematically possible for Hurst to pull out the overall spot, but it will require a big slip in performance from Webb. Another factor affecting overall are potetential upgrades to Category 4 soon, which we understand to be a possibility for both. Alan Smith is sitting comfortably in third place with a safe lead that may have him end up in second overall, but it will require some uncharacteristic weakness to show from Webb or Hurst.

One aspect to consider that plays to Hurst’s advantage is team tactics. Hurst usually has a couple of teammates to help attack and beat up the field while Webb is a one man wreaking crew. Well timed attacks can isolate Webb and provide Hurst the opportunity to solo away; which would then give other finishers the opportunity to displace Webb in the results. We realize most times that Category 5 racers just go and let it all hang out, but a little bit of team strategy can make a world of difference at that level.

We have to say it’s an awesome sight to see when a young kid flies out of the gate the way Hurst does. The week prior it was just as exciting to see a determined Max Gander of TriStar outsprint teammate Jeff Frazier for seventh place! Gander just pipped him at the line after giving it everything for the last 150 meters. Our sport is in need of more young kids eager to commit and compete. Not only that, but it’s up to us older folks to cheer, encourage and pave the path for our juniors to blossom into the future.

Category 4
Jason Shields of Cumberland Transit is looking to become the first repeat champion while also doing it in two separate categories. Moving up in categories and still winning shows a certain level of class that many riders don’t possess. Shields won the “C” title in 2007 and is on his way to the Category 4 belt in 2008, but there’s a potential obstacle in his path – Todd Huber of SVMIC. For the last four weeks these two guys have swapped victories back and forth, and with Huber’s latest win it has catapulted him into second place just 32 points from the title. A victory is worth 16 points, so with two races to go you can do the math. If these two go head-to-head they’re almost assured to both place high in the final races, but there’s one more rider we imagine has something to say about it.

Ben Reed of KCV Cycling Club sits with 45 points total and unable to win overall, but he sure can place highly enough for the glamour of second. A couple of other notables are William Sherman of Reliant Bank/Harpeth Bicycles and Jeremy Nagoshiner of Cumberland Transit. Both have an outside mathematical shot at the podium, but it will require great rides from them and not-so-great rides from the current leaders. If we go by history it’s not likely to happen two weeks in a row, but anything is possible.

Our assessment of the Category 4 field is that it has been some of the most competitive racing all series. If you look at the results there is more parity in that field as more riders are capable of top placings. There have been fewer breakaways and more field sprints in this category as well.

Category 1/2/3
This category is turning into a battle royale between Luke Servedio of Krystal/SCV and Alejandro Padilla of NashvilleCyclist.com pb Bike Pedlar. These two wattage busters have swapped attacks and counter attacks so many times one can’t keep up, and through it all have absolutely proven to be the two strongest riders in the pack. Aside from these two guys nobody else has won any of the nine races. Both have contributed to the mathematical mockery a little as Servedio has missed two races while Padilla has missed three. Though, if one’s not there the other surely will be, which has kept both at the top and likely where they’ll end up. Padilla is just 16 points away from tying Servedio.

Servedio, like Jason Shields, is attempting to become the Category 1/2/3 title belt wearer for the second year in a row. It’s one thing to be the strongest rider and everybody know it, but it’s another thing to be able to show up and prove it two years in a row. It would be an accomplishment worthy of anyone’s notice. Especially since in Padilla’s absence the NashvilleCyclist.com team threw everything but the kitchen sink at Servedio, yet he still proved no match in the end by winning all three races. Displacing Servedio is an abnormality rarely seen as during the May 28th event, and we chalk that up to early season legs. While NashvilleCyclist.com will surely do all they can to propel Padilla to victory while isolating Servedio we say it’s a sucker’s bet. These two will battle out the last two victory opportunities and the points will end up where they end up.

Rounding out the Category 1/2/3 podium appears to be Jason Guzak of NashvilleCyclist.com, but nipping at his heels is teammate Patrick Harkins. With a new addition to the Guzak family on the short horizon it could mean missed races and a springboard for Harkins. Either way they’re keeping it in the NC.com family. Don’t count out Krystal/SCV rider Senior’ Travis Werts either. At the end of the day it’s important to note that Krystal/SCV and NashvilleCyclist.com combine to make up the first seven spots overall.

Having raced each of the Category 1/2/3 races I can attest to their brutality in attacks, speed and intensity. As we are wrapping up our fourth season of summer criteriums it is literally painfully obvious to me that racers in the Nashville community have gotten stronger. The quality of each category’s racing has risen greatly. Cat 5s are becoming Cat 4s; Cat 4s are becoming Cat 3s, and Cat 3s are becoming Cat 2s. All the while everybody’s ability to corner at speed, ability to recover after attacks, ability to sniff out the winning break, and downright strength overall has improved dramatically since our first race in the summer of 2005.

Our annual race series is better preparing us all to go beyond the city limits of Nashville to compete at higher levels regionally and nationally. More of us are accomplishing our cycling goals and pushing ourselves to strive higher. This is what competition is all about. Challenging ourselves to become the best we can become.

Ride on. Two to go.

Crit Series 2008 - By the numbers
631 – total entries after nine races (647 in 2007)

75 – different riders have competed Category 5
50 – different riders have competed Category 4

46 – different riders have competed Category 1/2/3

18 – different riders have competed in Women