JohnKScott

grolby

Maybe. A little. Winky face goes here.

I can both back down AND think I wasn't projecting. I appreciate it, though.

No. Jerk.

botto 

correct.

carpediemracing 

My tooth hurts a lot, been hurting for a week. Not sure if that's why I'm 3 lbs lighter than a week ago, or if the weighing times weren't synched with me or what. Dentist tomorrow.

Race promoter story, not mine. Can't park on course due to various complaints, can't pee on people's buildings (common sense + law). Promoter sees someone parked on the course at one of the forbidden buildings (specific complaint from that tenant who has security cameras all over the place). Promoter walks to the guy to tell him move the car. Guy is peeing on the building. Promoter tells rider you're out of the race. "But I do this all the time and no one says anything."

So you can see how this might have been my story.

It gets better.

The promoter, at some point before the offender's race, makes sure that the rider is not allowed to start the race. Promoter needs to edit the start list. Checks start list. Guy isn't there. Promoter can't believe it - he tossed the rider out before he even registered.

Later one of the registration people mentions the doctor-racer that had to leave to go to the office. Doctor? Yes, a doctor registered, left to get ready, came right back, and said his office called, he had to leave, and could he have his entry fee back. Promoter asked if they remembered his name.

Yep. Same guy. And, no, he's not a doctor by any stretch of the imagination.

A normal person might have a normal emergency. It could easily be a call from the wife saying "Junior got hurt, we're at the doctor's" or something similar. I'd be out of there in a heartbeat. I wouldn't ask for my money back (because I'm also a promoter) but I could see a regular racer asking for a refund, credit, or something. But to make up that doctor story? In such a tight community?

ovoleg

Just got a call from the shop that my track bike is ready.

I are excite

ridethecliche

If there's such a thing for dudes, then probably.

I'd rather talk about shoes than broken bones. Maybe it's just me.

globecanvas

Maybe he was a urologist. Doing field research.

gsteinb

wow

mike868y

mention shoes? i bought myself some new shoes.

ridethecliche

Me too, but sadly they're a bit too big and are going back. They're so nice though!

gsteinb

got a bit of this in there

Homebrew01

These guys are lucky they don't get outed by you promoters.

ridethecliche

Yeah, no...

carpediemracing 

I think it becomes like the "secret everyone knows in a small town" thing. I won't out anyone in public but if someone asks about something I'll tell them the truth. I now live in a small town. After about 4 years someone told me that two now-adults had a child in high school, never got married, and each went their own way but still lived in town (the mom raised the kid). I was shocked as I knew both the adults, interacted with them regularly at my old job. I mentioned it to the Missus, one of those "in confidence" kind of things. She said, oh, yeah, everyone knows that, just no one talks about it. She didn't see the two now-adults at all but she knew of one of them and someone told her the story. There's all sorts of stuff like that. A guy came in to the store to get supplies for his new office. When he left I mentioned it to the owner. She said that the doctor had just served time for medicare fraud or something like that. Now he opens a practice in the same town??

Some of the stuff I hear in the bike community is just astonishing. I know the "doctor-racer" and although I get some "iffy" vibes every now and then nothing has really stood out. He's active in the cycling community, etc etc. Just something isn't wired right in his head or something. I see him at events regularly, like all year, I've registered him for our cross race, our TT, and he also mountain bike races.

When I heard the story I asked if it was the guy that peed on the building at Bethel (who I only know by name, never seen him before). It wasn't the same guy but the first part of the story (after which I asked) sounded so similar I had to ask. The second part blew me away.

The kicker is that the racer has kids so he could have easily used the kid card to get his entry back ("My wife just called, someone happened with my daughter, could I get a refund"). Promoters, at least the local ones, tend to be a little more empathetic than many racers might think. We're all normal people. Ask nicely, be honest, be polite, follow their rules, and they'll treat you with respect.

I should have pointed out that a racer that parks/rides/pees in the forbidden zones forfeits their entry fee, just like at Bethel.

In a good story one of the Bethel Cat 3-4 winners, a proper adult (25 or 26 years old), called me "Sir". I didn't catch it but one of the registration girls giggled after he left. "He called you 'sir'." "Who?" "You." "Me?" "He called you 'sir'." "But he's an adult!". I'm getting old.

globecanvas

CDR, have you seen a big effect on Bethel participation from this endless winter?

grolby

Hoo boy. We do not have the same taste in shoes. Not a fan of suede.

gsteinb

so what are we going to do today…I'm bored.

Creatre

Should we start another quarrel?

revchuck 

Just FYI, in the South, it's considered common courtesy for adults who don't know each other to address each other as "Sir" or "Ma'am." He might have been raised down here.

merlinextraligh

Lord willin, and the creek don't rise, we should be Florida State Time Trial Champions again (Mixed Tandem).

Registration's closed, and we're a field of one. Would have been nice to have some competition.

waterrockets 

I spent a few minutes reflecting on this great photographer's body of work. RIP: Anja Niedringhaus

carpediemracing 

Down 30%, pretty much, but I don't know why it is, I can only speculate. An average good week in the past is 250-300 riders. A great week is 350 riders. Record is something like 400, but honestly I only started noticing this stuff a couple years ago (before I didn't pay attention as someone else did all the books). Record was after that super warm winter when everyone showed up fit and tan, 2011? I forget.

This is based on insurance check, i.e. number of riders x $USAC-Fee (currently $3). The biggest check I wrote this year has been about $700, so under 250 unique racers. Last week was $400 or so, so not much more than 100 racers. I'm used to paying $1000+ per week, so $6000-7000 per year for six or seven weeks.

I have seen that people are staying more local. For example in 2010 I sometimes had 7-8 teammates in my race. Granted they all did Sweep Day and they didn't pay for entry, but they were there and they marshaled and raced. However this year I have just one teammate that shows up consistently and only because he works for me at the race (so obviously he has to be there anyway - his wife works for me too). The rest of the team, 20-25 pretty active/involved riders, are doing club rides on Sunday up near where we all live, 90 minutes from the race course.

Our 5 or 6 rider elite team who gets massive help from sponsors (first time I've been even associated with a team that gets bikes, clothing - kit/helmet/shoes/etc, entries), hasn't made the trip down.

I also see that other racers are staying more local, i.e. friendly rival teams. They are pretty active during the season, they have all sorts of new stuff going on (new teams, new gear, etc, so they have that "we got new gear for this season" excitement going for them), and they're not showing up.

I also have about 30 comp'ed racers per day this year. High number would be 50. 100 or so are registered for the Series (normally 150-ish, high was almost 200) so they're paying $17 or less per race, and the $3 insurance comes from that. Cat 5s pay $25 pre-reg, Juniors pay $5.

I've noticed a few more riders doing day-of race registration. I don't know but I suspect it's related to me telling a lot of people that if a promoter does day-of-race that I prefer to do that. This is because the day-of-race infrastructure is already there, all the money goes to the promoter, and they get a few extra bucks. I've had some blog followers not pre-register but instead do day-of-race every week. I haven't asked them why so I'm just speculating, but the only logical reason is that they are trying to help me out.

gsteinb

If I'm not mistaken that record day also has a NY spring series race canceled post hurricane

carpediemracing 

I thought maybe he was in the military. I've had military folk call me "Sir", like Army cycling team guys, ROTC folks, etc.

Nicest guy, super polite, very presentable, the kind of guy you want your 25 year old to bring home. Also super strong. He bridged to a break that was dangling ahead, drilled it (according to his break mates), pulled them clear of the field, then won the race by riding everyone off his wheel.

Ygduf

we could make rhymes moral, written or oral? or share recipes, maybe mushrooms maybe morel?