Tribute to another cycling hero

In the past, I’ve mentioned a friend of mine, Wade.  I’ve only known him for a few years but Wade is the type of person that you instantly take a liking to.   His genuineness and zest for life have people meeting for the first time saying “I like him.  I don’t really know why, but I do.”  Now, for at least myself, I know.

Cycling.

Over the time, I’ve known Wade, we always end up talking about cycling.  During that time, he never mentioned his personal cycling heratige.  That was until he wrote me in response to my book review of Major Taylor.  The rest of this post is in Wade’s own words.  Reprinted with permission.

This caught my eye especially because of the era that the book discusses. I was always interested in the bicycle-craze in America at the turn of the 20th century. This craze no doubt spilled down through the years & across our shores to ignite a similar craze on the island of Jamaica which sprouted my father into his short championship career in professional cycling there. There was also influence there from the UK since Jamaica was under British rule at the time. My dad quickly rose to the top and was island champion in road & flat track for three years around 1939.

I always wished I could have seen him compete in person. Unfortunately that was long before blogs & Youtube. So as a frequent visitor to the library I immediately put in a request to order the book for their collection. I also put a request in to the library in the next town over. Aside from my personal interest, perhaps one day a young person will discover this book on the shelf & peak an interest & desire to take up competitive cycling. Both libraries thanked me. 10 days later the books came in & I’m first to borrow it!

I loved those trips way back when. Brings a smile to my face right now!

My dad figured out competitive cycling on his own just using common sense. He owned 2 matching bikes. Things in Jamaica were 5- 10 years behind the times so dad had his “custom” racing clothes tailored by a local seamstress and had a welder (who he had sworn to secrecy) fill his training road bike with lead in the tubes to add weight. He would train everyday with that heavy machine. Out on the road he would follow behind his “coach” ( a family friend who owned a Triumph motorcycle) usually on back country roads to avoid detection from the competition. The day before a race he rested. Race day he would ride his lighter race bike to glory. He said he always “felt so fit” on race day that nobody could catch him. Nobody ever did. This was his secret to winning. He was champ for 3 years. After he married & moved to the USA.

Many years later when I was a kid we would take vacations to Jamaica together. My dad & I would occasionally take a drive through the countryside. Inevitably he would spot some old timers passing the time hanging out on the roadside in some small village or town. Dad would pull up, park & start a friendly conversation. He would then ask if they knew who he was or if they recognize him. There was always silence, followed by a blank stare then finally big smiles, laughter, & usually a : ” Hey Mon! You com’back home to J.A.? Ya mon! Me win plenty money on your papa mon!!!” Everyone was betting good money on the races just like horse racing. The old timers were always so excited once they found out who he was & that I was his young son. They always rushed to tell me stories about my dad & their winnings.

Owen Robert Bodden / Montego Bay, Jamaica 1939.

 

 

 

 

 

I’m ready for a remake of Miami Vice

Remember the ’80’s?  Collars turned up, preppy was in?  Men wearing pink?  Well history is repeating itself at the Giro.

You can’t tell me that the sight of Team Slipstream at the front of the peloton for two days did not give you a smile.  Last year, we talked about the Men in Black.  Now we are talking about the Men in Argyle.  

With Christian Vande Velde wearing pink, just seemed natural to the whole ensamble.  If we can only get Izod to sponsor the team then all will be complete

Speedy Recovery

One of my favorite bloggers is Tim Jackson - aka Masiguy.  Well as they say, Tim is in a spot of bother.

On Tuesday night, April 29th, Tim crashed at a race in San Diego.  He suffered significant injuries including almost severing his thumb.  He has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.  Please drop by his blog and wish him well.  He is one of the good guys.

Seasons Change

To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven - The Byrds Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)

We all mark seasons in different ways. Weather forecasters use the sun to mark the seasons. Here in the US, people use holidays such as Memorial Day to mark Summer’s arrival. My wife uses berries. I use pavé.

Strawberries mark spring for my wife. When they arrive, we know Spring has sprung. Wonderful sweet strawberries can be had for a fraction of the normal cost. It is marked by a sense urgency since the season is so short.

I know the feeling. When April comes around, we enter the “real” spring season. Prior to April, we have cyclo tourism.  Races are designed to stretch the legs and provide visual splendor to bring both the riders and the fans out of the winter doldrums. Majorca, San Remo, Nice, California serve as a perfect appetizer to the the Spring. We know cycling is here when the hard men of the pavé come out in Belgium and northern France.

But, like the aforementioned strawberries, the season is over in the blink of an eye. Cycling packs a whole season into one glorious month. Then as quickly as it comes, it vanishes. Like the blossoms on a cherry tree.

Spring makes way for summer. Starting today in Palermo, stage racing begins its season with the Giro. No morning for the loss of Spring, I have to herald in Summer.

220, 221 whatever it takes.

 Jeff:  Guys don’t judge things other guys do. It’s separate from the friendship.  That’s the code that guys live by.  That’s Guy Code.

Audrey:  So with Guy Code you can excuse any bad behavior just to go to a sky box?

Jeff:  It was invented by guys.

Audrey:  You know if Katie were an old friend, I’d tell her. I just don’t know her that well.

Jeff:  Even if you did, you couldn’t.

Audrey:  Why not?

Jeff:  Because Ray told me and Guy Code demand that it go no further .

Audrey:  But you told me

Jeff:  I’m allowed to because of Marriage Code

Audrey:  That doesn’t make any sense

Jeff:  It makes perfect sense. Guy Code and Marriage Code can intersect. The information I gave you is covered primarily under Guy Code so again, you can’t tell Katie.

Audrey:  What about Woman Code.

Audrey:  Don’t make me laugh.

Rules of Engagement 2007

Ladies, if you read further, you may suffer feelings of confusion.  That’s because this post may not make sense or may remind you of behavior you recognized with the man in your life.  If you need interpretation, please ask your spouse, friend, or any man close by.  He will clearly understand this post but you will not understand his explanation anyway.

I have a good friend John who recently asked me of my thoughts on the Garmin Edge 305. Initially, I pointed him to a review over at the Suitcase of Courage blog.  The post was objective, well researched, and well written.  The exact answer to his question. Most conversations end there.  For me, that was the beginning.

I now knew John was in the market for a fairly high end cyclometer.  So I immediately started to talk him into the Garmin Edge 705.  The 705 runs about $200 - $250 more. What do you get for that money? Besides a color screen, not much.

You see, that is exactly the point.  Could I shame, him into buying the most expensive cycle computer on the market? Once you lay out the $350, there is no going back.  Do you really want to look at that monochrome screen and think.  “What if?” or “I should have.”

You see, my motives are simple.  They can be summed up in two simple objectives.

1. Can I cause a conversation that begins with “Well it sounded like a good idea at the time.” or “But Jim said”
2. Make myself look good by comparison. “Well, at least I didn’t go out and spend that kind of money like John.”

But you may wonder why I would want John to have a better toy than me? Isn’t the Boys with Toys thing a big deal? Exactly.  With his purchase, I can lay the foundation here at home.  I can remark at all the cool things the Garmin can do.  How cycling is my one real passion in life.  Then I’ll be prepared for the Garmin 706! No doghouse included!

Ha! Take that John. Mine can do everything yours can AND it can tell time simultaneously in Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome, and Gstaad.

Back in the square

Did you ever have a friend that no matter how long you were apart, you seemed to just pick right up where you left off?  That’s the feeling around the square.  It is hard to believe that it has been 7 months almost to the day since we broke camp.

We have resumed our spots for the final time as the Floyd Landis Conclave enters its final session. 

Having learned from the last conclave that 10 days may not be 10 days, we have all brought plenty of supplies for an extended vigil.  As mentioned by Rant, it could be June before the doors open and we hear “Habemus Judicum!” for the last time.

Book Review

The conclusion of the Civil War marked the beginning of the cycling’s golden age.  Races and racers captivated the United States public.  Decades before Jackie Robinson broke Baseball’s color barrier there was Major Taylor.

About a year ago, during Black History month, my 10 year old son chose to write about a champion cyclist named Major Taylor. I was so moved by the essay that, with his permission, I posted it here. I had not heard of Major Taylor which saddened me to know that such a presence on the international sports scene had been forgotten.  Now comes a book that documents the life of this exceptional cyclist.

Todd Balf’s Major: A Black Athlete, A White Era, and the Fight to be the World’s Fastest Human Being documents that lost era of cycling and the heroes that were lost with it.  What makes this a fascinating book is that it is not about cycling, race, post civil war reconstruction.  And yet it is. 

Balf uses all of these lenses to tell us about an era of our Nation’s history which does not take up a lot of space in history books.  During this time, there was a perfect storm for cycling.  The advent of the pneumatic tube, lightweight bikes, bad roads, good lights, a public craving competition all led to the explosion of track racing. 

From the 1870’s to just after the turn of the century, the bicycle ruled the sporting world.  Balf captures this era with an easy style that follows Major Taylor’s life from his youth in Indianapolis to his ascendancy to the world stage. 

Every good story nees a villan which came from the Virginia-born Floyd McFarland. Each man pushed the other to new heights.  In the end, Major Taylor transcended sport to become a role model for generations to come.

I hope you read this fascinating book that revives a lost era and a lost hero.

I’m Back

I know I have taken a couple of sabbaticals in the last six months.  This one by far is the longest.  But I have an excuse, I promise.  Contributing to the delay has been some behind the scenes work that has allowed my to put my money where my mouth is. 

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am passionate about the sport of cycling.  It is the most beautiful sport on the planet and it has withstood several years of non stop assualt.  While I think we have turned a corner, the sport is at a severe low in public opinion.  Therefore, I needed to do my part to help rebuild this sport.

Please note, my contribution is minimal at best.  I can’t let that stop me from doing anything I can.  Since the beginning of the year, I have been giving whatever help I can to several good people.  From trying to find a sponsor for a major ProTour race in Europe, helping a ProTour team get in contact with US sponsors to helping a great race continue to grow.

That great race is the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival.  aka The Nature Valley Grand Prix.  This race showcases what is great in cycling.  The folks putting on this race have done a lot of innovative things to broaden the appeal of cycling.  Look at the race design.  It does not try to replicate a classic European stage race.  It also does not run away from the appeal of European racing.  They have blended the best of European cycling stage races with American cycling stalwarts like the criterium.  This has created a race that is challenging to the riders as well as friendly to fans of all knowledge levels.

To bring in fans even more, they have done things like have volunteerswalk around in brightly colored shirts saying “Ask Me About Cycling” How many times have you increased a friends enjoyment of the Tour de France by explaining a simple concept like drafting. 

This year, the race wanted to use more social networking tools such as blogging.  Here is where I hoped to add a very small amount of help. This year, the Nature Valley Grand Prix has instituted two blogs.  The first is the Your Cycling blog sponsored by TRIA Orthopaedic group. This is a great Cycling 101 blog.  The second is for us race junkies.  It is called Pro Cycling Minnesota and has contributor list that is the who’s who of US cycling both men and women.

The design and content are the work of smart and dedicated people. Check it out, comment, join the discussion by adding your insights.  Show our future fans what kind of a community we are.

Oh, and buy Nature Vallley granola bars.  Tell them cycling sent you.

The Tour of California attracting more and more stars

This weekend marks the beginning of my cycling season as the Tour of California starts.  While the race is still young, it has succeeded in attracting a growing number of the sport’s biggest names.  Names like Paolo Bettini and Fabian Cancellara are back.  Joining them on the start line will be some newbies led by Tom Boonen himself. 

Rainbows will abound with former and current world champions strutting their stuff on US soil.  Why come here?  California is pretty far from the epicenter of cycling, Europe, and the center of Spring cycling, Belgium.  Let’s examine the motivation.

1. The race is well organized
2. California
3. Better hotels
4. California
5. The crowds
6. California
7. Competitive racing
8. California
9. Course design
10. California

Well, I’m beginning to understand why the world is coming to California.  Or as the Governator says, Cah-le-fornia.  He also said “I’ll be back.”

So has the peloton.

US To Olympians - B.Y.O.

When a caterer working for the United States Olympic Committee went to a supermarket in China last year, he encountered a piece of chicken — half of a breast — that measured 14 inches. ”Enough to feed a family of eight,” said Frank Puleo, a caterer from Staten Island who has traveled to China to handle food-related issues.”We had it tested and it was so full of steroids that we never could have given it to athletes. They all would have tested positive.”

So begins an article is yesterday’s New York Times. While over 25,000 pounds of lean protein to feed some 600 athletes is being shipped from stateside, much of the food eaten will be sourced locally. Nowadays, the food must pass nutritional and other guidelines.

So athletes beware, if you are feeling a little stir crazy in the athlete compound and want to get out for a little sightseeing, watch what you eat. That reminds me of a story when my wife and I left the hotel in Cancun for a little ‘authentic’ Mexican food… Never mind.