CHILD LIKE ENTHUSIASM

You know what???  You never really know what fun is all about until you watch a child at play...


They approach things with unbridled wonder... often getting distracted along the way, be it by a butterfly, bumblebee or whatever.
  













As adults, we need to try to find a way to recapture some of that child like enthusiasm... don't ya think???

Well... for about  8 hour last Saturday,  we did just that!!!

So... what did we do last Saturday?

Welp.. we launched our First Annual Blue Steel Cyclocross Clinic with 64 enthusiastic riders... many who were new to the sport.   Of the 64 riders... we had close to 10 junior riders in the group, which just added to the fun.... not to mention, the energy level...  Kids on bikes are = to main lining adrenaline!!!! 

We broke the Clinic into 2 sessions... a morning and afternoon session... 

We had 6 skills stations we taught in the morning.  

The skills we covered were:

*  Mounts and Dismounts
*  Barriers 
*  Shouldering The Bike
*  Off Camber Riding
*  Pit Set Up
*  Cross Equipment

Folks started out a bit tentatively... but after a few minutes we saw their confidence begin to slowly build, then we heard hoots of excitement as they accomplished things they didn't think they would be able to do.  It's amazing to see people progress so quickly is such a short period of time.  

The child like enthusiasm comes bursting out of all of us when we see progress, that we didn't think possible... regardless of our age.  

Hey... where you going????   No idea...  Where, you going ???


Then, after a short lunch break... which was provided, the afternoon session tied the skills together and everyone raced!!!


Everyone did really well and I'm so proud and happy for both the folks who attended, and for my teammates, sponsors, and friends of the team who helped... They all did such a great job on and off the course.  What a great effort... what a great day!  Everyone really had a good time out there and it really showed on the smiling faces. 

Uhh... who's idea was this anyway???

First Annual Blue Steel Cross Clinic Graduates!!

 
 

Chocolate milk make a great recovery ride drink in a pinch!

Despite the warm temps.... we kept everyone well hydrated and everyone had tons of fun!

We're going to do it again next year... so if you want to recapture some of your child like enthusiasm... come join us.  You won't regret it. 

Before closing... I would like to take a moment to thank all the folks who helped out in putting on the event... many of them were Blue Steel Team members, but many were not.

I would love to give individuals shout outs but in fear of leaving someone out... I will not, for fear of hurting that one lone soldiers feelings... I could never forgive myself.    With that said.  Thank you, thank you, thank you...  

An effort of this size... can not be pulled off with out a ton of work and without a team effort, it simply can't be done.  Hopefully the smiles on the faces of the 64+ happy folks who attended the Clinic was enough payment for your efforts... if not... then please accept my thanks and gratitude.  

We'll do it again next year!


Have fun out there

Ride Safe!!

Talk with you soon

The Peanut Gallery 
 

SIZE DOES MATTER

SO...

Remember when "THEY" said size didn't matter???... 

Well.... They lied!!!!

WHAT!!!!  WHAT!!!  WHAT!!!!

Heeeeyyyyyy.... I'm not talking about thaaaaat....

To go please... and make it fast!!!

I'm talking about proper bike sizing... geez!!!

So, we've all been to the circus and seen these guys..

And we'll often goof around and jump on equipment that we realize is either way too big or too small for us and end up looking like this... 

  














6 pack of tiny



Or worse yet...  because of limited finances or whatever, we've gotted on ill fitting equipment, in positions that are... let say...  awkward at best for us to ride in....

My first year of racing Cyclocross, was on a borrowed steel road bike that was 2 sizes too big.  It was heavy as hell, not to mention a freaking safety hazard every time I did a flying remount.  As soon as I could afford to buy a real cross bike that fit me, you bet yo butt, I went out and got one.... pronto!

So...  Let's see... a frame too short kinda looks like this...

Hey... what kinda bug is on that license plate????


A Frame too big looks kinda like the one on the right...


and.... you guessed it... in comparison... a frame way too small is Billy on a frame waaay too small....

Ummm... this is gonna leave a mark... isn't it???


Let's see what happens when we get on the right bikes...

Wow... much better! 


The trick is to talk with a shop that knows what they're doing (any guesses?)... Come on!!!!

Super Squirrel to the rescue????  Ahhhh No!!!



Not a great photo but you get my point

 

So, In short Sports Fan.... Size does matter and while we are on the subject... so does fit!

If you want to be professionally fitted to your bike... be sure that a certified fitter takes care of you... not some dude on your team...  who is eye balling your saddle height 5 minutes before the race, with a string dangling off your knee cap with a weight tied to the end of it, and then says... "you're good to go"! 

We have 2 certified fitters and we'll be happy to set you up with an appointment and get you set on your bikes to help you maximize your performance.

Have fun out there

Ride Safe!!

Talk with you soon

The Peanut Gallery  



TIME TO SHAKE OUT YOUR CROSS GEAR!!!

That's right Sports Fans...

Here's your Cyclocross count down...

If you haven't started already....

In the next 2 weeks, many of us will be starting cross specific training... possibly jumping on our cross bikes for the first time since LAST SEASON....


In 4 short weeks, many of us will be attending some version of a Cross Clinic... brushing up on rusty cross skills

As a cheap and shameless plug... Blue Steel Cyclery will be putting on a Cyclocross clinic on Sept 1st, but act fast because space is limited and we're closing it out at 64 attendees.  Check it out on bike reg. 


And... then!!!!  In 6 weeks...   Ohhhhhh, NOOOOOO!   The actual racing season starts!  

You guessed it!  We'll be coughing up a lung in our first Cross Race out in VT.... or some other place in New England. 

Racing up the side of some mountain, wondering what the hell we were thinking, when we signed up for the damned race on bike reg!!


So...  don't add insult to injury, by jumping straight into the fires of hell, on a bike that you've ignored since last winter. 

Hey Dude!  It's hot in here!

 
Come on... if you are anything like me...   after your last Cross race, which for me was LAST January, the last thing you wanted to do was bike maintenance... so, I did what any responsible individual would do.


I tossed my cross bikes in the basement and ignored them.... until.... ummmmm.... HOLY CRAP!!!!  I ONLY HAVE 6 WEEKS BEFORE MY FIRST RACE!!!!

And here they come!  Rounding the first bend...




So.... now what?????


Well...  before you jump on your bike cold turkey and start blasting over the barriers

Oops!!  That's gonna leave a mark



Through the woods 

Part of the Chain Gang!





and all over creation

Now... doesn't this look life fun!!!






 ... here's a few things you might want to check out first...


*  Pump up the tires... and make sure you don't  have a slow leak


*  If you have tubulars... make sure the glue is still good.  If you see an edge of the tire peeling away from the rim... NOT GOOD... Time to re-glue!!!


*  Check your tires for wear... if you want to get a little more wear out of your clinchers...  you can always rotate the front to the rear...but only if they are clinchers...  I wouldn't recommend rotating tubulars.  If a tubular is worn, replace that bad boy !!!


Because we are hard on our equipment in Cross... it will wear out faster... sooooo
*  Check the chain for wear... and, since it's been sitting, be sure to add chain lube


*   Check brake pads for wear... if pads or at 1/2 life... go ahead and replace


*  Check chain rings & cassette for wear... those wear on fast in Cross particularly the chain rings


*  Check bolts on chain rings to ensure they are tight...  


*  Check seat collar bolt... that has a tendency to snap due to mounts and dismounts!


*  Check your handle bars to make sure they are tight and make sure your headset is tight


*  Make sure your wheels are secure in the frame and tighten down the skewers


If you find anything outside of the above acts or looks weird on your bike... bring it to a bike shop and let one of the pros figure out what's going on with it... save yourself the frustration, hand gestures, and the excessive swearing... 

Doing this to my bike after I attempt to repair it, always makes me feel better.



Plus, I've found from personal experience that the maintenance cost goes up after I try to fix something first...


It's cheaper if I go directly to the bike shop vs. trying to fix it and then go to the shop. 

Since we're closing in on Cross Season...  I'm be posting blogs every 2 weeks.

Have fun out there

Ride Safe!!

Talk with you soon

The Peanut Gallery  

THE GAME OF MENTAL TOUGHNESS

I get very little sleep in the month of July… why???? Because the Tour De France is on…. BROTHER … NEED I SAY MORE????

So… here's a snapshot of my life, during the month of July.

I get up at 5:00AM.  Since I live 40 miles from the shop... I get my training in, by either commuting part way to work by parking my car... 20 miles out and riding the rest of the way in and then back to the car at the end of the day... Or... training after work, during other parts of the week....

The shop closes at 7... so I get home by 8:30ish...

Once I get home...by the time I get my stuff sorted out and Colby (my Jack Russell) set... it's already 9:30.

Now... during a non-Tour De France week... 9:30 means... I'm start to pack it in for bed... but not during the TOUR DE FRANCE...!!!!

NOPE... during the month of July... I'm switching on the DVR... only to find out, that I’ve again failed to properly record the day’s race. 

Yup, AGAIN... as in the previous days.. I have discovered that I've recorded the first 1 hour and 45 minutes of racing but failed to record the last 30 minutes of the race!  That's like missing the last 30 minutes of a movie!!!!

Even though I could find out the results... THAT'S NOT THE FREAKING POINT.... I WANT TO SEE THE LAST 30 minutes of the days race....

So... now I’m forced to stay up and watch the evening edition... aka  entire race.... which ends at 11:00. UGH!!!!!! 

This happens eeeeeeveryyyy night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I haven't figured out my freaking DVR yet!!!!! 

Trust me.. on the last night, I'll probably figure it out.

At this point... I am at a high state of sleep deprivation....

Peanut... behind the counter in the shop... sleeping on the job during the month of July

Two of the undeniably toughest mentally focused athletes out there were and still are Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods. 

Despite the drama of the  ongoing doping allegations...  Lance was known for his lazer like focus and that has always been one of his greatest strengths.  The same with Tiger Woods...  and that has  also turned into his greatest weakness.  

Since his fall from grace, he has lost his focus, lost his mental toughness... lost his mental edge... and as a result... he's no longer the man we thought to be unbeatable on the golf course.

So...   in watching the Tour, as it unfolds... it is very clear that mental toughness plays a very big role in the sport of cycling... 

Check the guys in the standings... at this point... mental toughness plays as big a role as physical toughness.  We've seen some of the guys at the top, crack wide open at critical moments...  

Cadel Evans was on fire in 2011... He's a very different rider in the 2012 Tour.  He went from being a contender to fighting for a top 10 finish.   

Someone much smarter than me once said... “The mind will tire before the body will”...

Anyone can have a good day, even a great day on the bike... BUT... if you want to consistently have great days on the bike... you have to get mentally tough...  and that, Sports Fans...  will take a different type of training...

Jones and colleagues (2002) were the first researchers to address mental toughness using empirical methods. 
JOURNAL OF APPLIED SPORT PSYCHOLOGY, 17: 209–227, 2005
Copyright ©Association for Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology
ISSN: 1041-3200 print / 1533-1571 online
DOI: 10.1080/10413200591010085


They defined mental toughness as a natural or developed psychological edge that enables mentally tough performers to generally cope better than their opponents with the demands and related pressures that occur in sport. 

Their study identified several essential characteristics of mental toughness.  These are:

* Self-belief
* Desire
* Motivation 
* Focus
* Coping with anxiety
* Dealing with pain & hardship.

So, as with physical fitness, mental toughness is trainable. 

Knowing yourself is critical. Developing self-awareness will uncover the unique qualities that make you better than your opponents, that can be used to your advantage.

Here's a few things to work on, to help train your mental toughness:

Use Pain as a trigger
Check it out.... In a training ride or in a race, instead of mindlessly following the group or maintaining an effort level in which your body is screaming for you to stop or quit – flip the switch in your mind to think differently.

Do this by using the discomfort or pain as a trigger for several strategies.

Fight your way through the pain!


Strategy #1: Breathing
Control your breathing to stay relaxed.

When we start dealing with discomfort and pain, we tense up.... some of us even start to hyperventilate when we are under stress... which is even worse!!!

If you have tense muscles and posture, then valuable energy is going to waste. It takes energy (precious ATP) to contract your muscles. Tight and tense muscles use energy, leaving less available for your legs. The ability to stay relaxed when the crap hits the fan is paramount. 

Use these babies effectively and stay relaxed!!! 




Strategy #2: Power phrases.. 
Now don't be a boob and start screaming these out at the top of your gills... folks around you will think you to be a bit weird. But then again... it would be rather entertaining.

Using pain as a mental trigger to begin focusing on your breathing is helpful, but sometimes you need more. You might consider finding some power words to use. For instance, when the ride starts hammering and you realize you'll need some strength to stay up, pull harder, climb hard, etc., you can start focusing on a phrase that means something to you. A few of my favorite Power Phrases are: “Make them suffer more”....  “Just 20 more seconds! ” 

Strategy #3: Visualization
Visualization is critical.

Having an image of yourself riding strongly gives your mind a picture to focus on when your body wants to give into fatigue instead.


The brain cannot tell the difference between real and imagined action... so the power of visualization, mentally rehearsing a race... can have a huge positive impact on your racing and riding. 


So... start training your mind along with your body... and get mentally tough.

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

TAKING A TIME OUT TO SAY ... "THANKS"

It's hard to believe that on July 16, 2012, Blue Steel Cyclery, will be 2 years old... and in looking back over the past 2 years all I can say is... WOW... It's been a blast!!


As with any small business... A bicycle shop has several layers, very similar to an onion.

My Crew... I love my Crew!!!!  :)


The center or the core of onion is the shops' crew... which is made up of the mechanics, sales guys and our part time folks.  Without a good crew... the core would rot and the onion would simply die.  I have an AWESOME CREW!!!  So...  that's the 1st of  3, "thank you's", I wanted  to say.

Without my crew... well... it would be a pretty hollow onion.  That's a damned sad thought!!!  So... my heart goes out to my Crew... they are truly the core of the shop!!!

The next layer of the bike shop onion would be the Vendors we work with.  These are my business partners and in many cases (for sure in mine), they have become my friends and confidants...   

Without a doubt.... I absolutely TRUST each and every Rep I am working with.  Any Rep I didn't trust... I have asked them not to come back to the shop... in other words... they were fired.

The Reps we work with, want Blue Steel Cyclery to be successful and they want our customers to be satisfied with their products.  

So... my 2nd "thank you", goes out to the Vendors and the Reps I work with.  Their jobs aren't the easiest.... they work long hours and spend lots of miles behind the windshield... So... Thank you for your support over the past 2 years, I really appreciate all that you've done to help us be successful.

Finally... the most important layer of all... THE CUSTOMERS.  Without you guys... well, the core would die, the Vendors would cease to exist... the shop... well, BLUE STEEL CYCLERY wouldn't be able to be a bike shop.

All of us... the Crew, the Vendors... but especially me.... PEANUT... me... KATHY SARVARY... 

I want to say from the bottom of my heart...

THANK YOU....

Thank you for coming to the shop to buy your inner tubes....
Thank you for coming to the shop to get your bikes tuned up...
Thank you for coming to the shop to buy your Gu...
Thank you for coming to the shop to buy your bikes...
Thank you for coming to the shop to just say "hi"....
Thank you for coming to the shop and bringing beer to the guys at Christmas...
Thank you for coming to the shop and kicking me in the ass when we screw things up... rather then never coming back again...
Thank you for coming to the shop and giving us a second chance after we've already been given a second chance...
Thank you for coming to the shop for Fathers' Day gifts...
Thank you for coming to the shop for Mothers' Day gifts...
Thank you for coming to the shop to buy gift cards...
Thank you for coming to the shop for birthday gifts...
Thank you for coming to the shop to just share a joke...
Thank you for coming to the shop to bust my chops because you beat me on Strava... 
Thank you for coming to the shop to just get air in your tire and then you're surprised when we say it's "free"
Thank you... for.... everything....

I could thank you for a million things, but I think you get the point.  I am so grateful.

We want to be your shop... I will continue to work hard to earn your business.  Hopefully, you will let us continue to work towards earning it... if we falter... and we will from time to time....All I ask, is don't quietly walk away without a sound...Please let me know what we did wrong... so I can at least fix it...    

In celebration of our 2 year anniversary.. we are having the biggest sale of the year, which will be starting  July 14 - July  22.   The cool thing is... This is Trek's Summer Sale... and there are some great sales on Trek Road bikes as well as lots of other slick Trek stash...

BUT... in addition to Treks... we're putting LOTS and LOTS of EXTRA stuff in the shop on sale as a thank you... turning this into the biggest sale of the year for Blue Steel Cyclery... so... if you are looking for a great deal on anything cycling related... this is the time to drop by the shop. 

But... quantites are limited and the best deals will go fast, so word to the wise...If you're looking for a hot deal...

If you're the Squirrel... and you want the nut badly enough... I say...just show up with a machine gun!!! 

Since I'm going to be as busy as a one armed paper hanger for the up coming week, this blog will be out there for the next 2 weeks...

Talk to you in 2 weeks.

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

THE POWER OF PROPER REST

I've danced around the topic of rest in several blogs... but I think it's time to pull out the big guns, cause subtlety doesn't seem to be working...

Last week, 2 separate things pinged my radar screen that suggested this should be a blog topic:

#1. Maybe Riders don't take a rest week because they don't know how... aka... they are afraid to take a week off... AKA... THEY DON'T WANT TO RUIN THE FITNESS THEY HAVE BEEN FIGHTING ALL SEASON FOR!!! 

OK... I totally get it.  Been there...  Know all about it...  Down wit dat... We'll talk about that in a bit...

#2. How much sleep are you getting??????   Hey!!!!   I'm not being nosy!!!!   It's an important question!! Important muscle repair type crap takes place when you're sleeping!   We'll talk about that too...

But first... I gotta give credit to the 2 separate things that pinged my radar screen:

PING #1

Many of you may not know... “ The Ride Bully”...

He's a Expert Mountain Bike Racer, who's turned into a fairly decent roadie (slang for road rider). “The Ride Bully”... is a very fitting nickname for “whats-his-name”... because, when he's feeling good... he's "one" of the miserable bastards in the pack, who takes great  pleasure in making everyone in the group SUFFER!!!!

I both love and hate it when he's on the ride.  

Love it, cause he keeps the ride fast and interesting... 
Hate it... cause when he's around, sometimes I'm flapping off the back like a broken sail and I hate it, when I'm a broken sail!!!

Last week, in honor of the longest Tuesday of the year... we did a Metric Century. … 62 Miles. It was a glorious night for it and the Ride Bully showed up for it!!!

So... off we go.  We're riding along and the next thing I know... we were dropping the Ride Bully, at first I think he's messing with us, but then it happens again... Finally... I ask...

Hey!  What the hell is wrong with you!!!!!  

To my shock...

THE RIDE BULLY ADMITTED HE WAS TIRED!!!!

Wow, everyone around seemed as surprised to hear those words as I was... Andy Gould actually stopped pedaling his bike for a second, to make sure he actually understood what was said.    

This is what we discovered during the ride... 2 BIG REASONS behind his fatigue....

#1. He did some early morning sneak training ... not a good idea.  He had the bright idea of cramming in a 35 miler, thinking it wouldn't have a huge impact. RIGHT!!!! It totally kicked his butt and came back to haunt him by mile 20 that night.

No one is invincible...regardless of your age... your body simply can't recover that quickly.  Even if we went for our usual 40 mile ride... at the speeds we travel (in excess of 23 mph on the flats) and we hammer on the climbs, there is no way in hell you can “sneak” in a ride in the morning and then do a “A” level ride in the evening.

#2. I believe Andy actually asked the question of  “The Ride Bully” when was the last time he took a rest week and his answer shocked the hell out of everyone... his answer was “never!”... WHAT?????? Yup... I never take a week off my bike...

Q - Dude!!! How do you ever expect to get better, if you don't take some time off to recover!? 

A - I don't need a break, I just need to get stronger! 

Uhhh.... Ain't Gonna happen.  The only thing that's gonna happen is the Ride Bully will get stale, go flat... and eventually totally flame out...

  

The second radar ping was from Pig Pit...  


 

PING  #2


The Pit is an avid reader... and doubles as a human sponge, soaking up as much data as possible...

  








He shared an article with me that Hammer Nutrition had just released about the importance of sleep and it's impact on recovery and the resulting boost to our immune system. 


So... Let's get down to brass tacks...

#1.  The power of "rest weeks" and exactly what is it???

One critical training principle is that of overload and recovery. For a system to grow stronger, it must be stressed and then allowed time to rebuild. This is the reason for recovery periods between hard efforts during interval workouts or during a building period when we are working towards a specific goal.  

How often should we take a rest week??? Typically every 4 or 5 weeks... depending on how hard the training is during each training cycle.  


If your training cycle is building in intensity... you will need the rest week by week 5...

 A rest week, doesn't mean getting off your bike and laying around on the couch.  That would cause your system to go into total shut down and that would be BAD!!!!  You want your system to recover... not go to sleep.   

Here's what a rest week looks like. This is a copy of my actual rest week... And brother do I need it, my legs are cooked after this past training cycle...


 

WEEK 16 July 1 -7 REST WEEK	EASY	LIGHT	MIDDLE	HIGH	MAX
MONDAY EASY/OFF	30 MIN
TUESDAY SPRINTS	40 MIN
WEDNESDAY	40 MIN				3 sprints
THURSDAY EASY/OFF	50 MIN	1 x 10 MIN
FRIDAY SPRINTS	30 MIN
SATURDAY	30 MIN	1 x 10 MIN			5 sprints
SUNDAY ENDURANCE	50 MIN	25 MIN		1 x 4 MIN

 

This will let my system rest and repair itself, without losing fitness.  

Note that halfway through the rest week I will "ping" my system with 10 minutes of  moderate effort.  Believe me... I will feel like absolute CRAP during that 10 minutes!!!  Why... my body will fight back... it likes the rest and won't like going back to work.  The 10 minutes of work is simply a reminder to my system that it can't go into hibernation.  But... once I am into the 10 minutes, I will have to fight the urge to NOT DO ANY MORE THAN 10 minutes... WHY???? because I will start to feel really good after the 10 minutes and I'll want to keep going... but that's not the point!  My job this week is to rest!   It's all about recovery, so after the 10 minutes of work... I'm going to turn around and slowly noodle home... I'm done for the day!!!   It's all about recovery.


What happens after you rest???  


Well... you get stronger!!  And guess what, you then move up to the next level in the fitness food chain... and that Sports Fans... is how you GET FASTER... That's how you beat your competitors !!!

#2.  The power of sleep on your performance;

Several studies have been conducted around sleep and it's impact on training and racing.  In addition to the fact that the majority of muscle/tissue recovery and the boost to the immune system functions take place while we sleep...  Researchers found that athletes constently getting on average of 10 hours of sleep per night... improved in different aspects of performance (sprint times improved, start times out of the blocks improved, kick strokes improved... etc.)

Now... I don't know about you, but I would sell my kidney for 10 hours of regular sleep a night!!!

But... here's another way to skin the sleep cat ...

Prior to a big event... Especially in the weeks leading up to the race or the "event" 

Make it part of you training plan... to get plenty of sleep.  Take a 2 hour nap after a big work-out...

If you are a restless sleeper.. Hammer Nutrition REM Caps are a powerful yet safe sleep aid, that can help improve quality and length of sleep. 

So, rest up... Get strong and go kick some ass!
    

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

    

The "NOT SO" Fashionably Late Crowd

Today's Blog topic, was requested by a Peanut Gallery reader...


It seems this particular issue, is beginning to wear on his last nerve and I must admit, it happens to be one of my pet peeves as well… so it’s an easy topic for me to relate to.


SO!  As someone much smarter than me, once said... “let’s get to it!” 


For the sake of simplicity… 


I’m going to group folks into 3 general categories,  as to how folks  “normally” arrive… when it involves showing up, at a specified time, at a specified location:


The Early Squirrel Crowd....  Heh (don't you just love these pictures!!!!?)  

These folks normally show up 15 - 20 minutes early.  They wanna be at the designated spot well in advance.   They DO NOT!!!!.... Want to be rushed!  They want to get all of their stuff sorted out.   

Check, check, check, double check… 

Mark my words... they will be, straddling their bikes, looking at their watches at roll time, wondering why the hell everyone else isn’t ready... and for good reason.    


I have to admit, unless the wheels are falling off of my personal little plane...or I am lost… I normally fall in the the Early Squirrel Crowd regarding the 15 minute early arrival… but for whatever reason I simply can’t explain, I don’t actually get my act together until the last possible second before “roll out”...  Probably because my Hobo bag is too full of crap, or I can’t find my car keys... the Flea, will attest to my miserable failure of keeping up with my car key.

But... I am ready, at "roll out time"!!!


The Skidding in Side Ways Crowd

These folks fly in at the absolute last second bug eyed, white knuckled, with their hair on fire.  This is the Category the Flea and Big Pit happily wallow in.

Even though everyone around them is in a full on panic, because we would bet our lives they'll never be ready in time... the Skidding In Side Ways Crowd, seem totally at peace with this hair raising routine... This is "normal" for them… 


They either fly up, partially dressed in their riding cloths, or quickly dress in the parking lot.  

Gear is flying in all directions, wheels are being whipped onto bikes, a flurry of chaotic activity that could potentially take out the eye of anyone who mistakenly wanders into their "prep zone". 

Despite all the odds, members of the Skidding In Side Ways Crowd are ready at the appointed roll out time. 

I never get how they do it… but they have mastered their own little personal time clocks and somehow have found their little "whoo- sa" moment.

Me… I would have a Grand Mal seizure, trying to do what they do. 


The NOT SO Fashionably Late Crowd 

These folks…. Well, these folks absolutely push the buttons of the Early Squirrel Crowd… 


My guess is, these folks will be late for their own freaking funeral!!! They roll in right at…. or after the appointed ride “roll out” time… forcing everyone to wait, while they casually get their crap out of their car…  then, sort through their gear…. Yada, yada, yada…


To make matters worse... as they are rolling in LATE... they make sure you see them, by waving like maniacs to get our attention, so you don't leave without them... @(&%^%#!!!!!!!!!!!



I find that I have to bite my tongue, at the risk of bursting into a string of obscenities when one of these Morons starts, adding insult to injury by asking one stupid question after another... something along the lines of…

So…


Q - How far are we going tonight??  A - Not as far as we would have, had you shown up on time!!!


Q -  Do I have time to take a quick pee?  A - Nope, your body will absorb it once we start riding!!


Q - Does anyone have any Saddle Sore cream?  A - Nope, your body will absorb it after about 50 miles!


Q -  What route are we taking?  A - Not sure NOW! We have to shoot a back azimuth and re-configure our FREAKING route, now that we don’t have enough daylight,  due to a late start!!! 

Q - So what's everyone gonna wear?  A - We've decided that we're riding naked tonight. Go ahead and take everything off... we'll wait for you!!! 


I just want to yell….  

WE HAVE TO RIDE!!!!  But I guess that would be rude.   So, I just bite my lip… and mutter something funny to the Flea, to make her laugh.

So... here's what I have to say about The Not So Fashionably Late Crowd.

The entire World... even folks who are are waaaaaaay less fortunate then us, have a way of telling freaking time....

And even the folks in tiny little tribes in the middle of Freaking Rainforest's in the Middle of NOOOO WHERE, find a way to get to Tribal Counsel or where eeeeverrrr they need to be, when they need to be there... and my guess is they don't even have a car to get them where they need to be on TIME!!!!  

If they are late, they get beheaded and as a, don't be late next time message, to the other dudes, their shrunken head ends up on a stick... 













Pretty cool incentive to show up on time.. huh?!    I totally made that up.. but, it sounded good.... huh ???    :)

  

If you can't afford a watch... hell, make a freaking sun dial in your back yard... frankly... I DON'T CARE!!!! But in my book, there's no excuse for not being on time.

MY POINT.....

Roll out time, is roll out time... The Not So Fashionably Late Crowd,  should be left, sitting in their cars waving like a bunch of boobs. 

Or... if they want to join the group ride and they have the legs to chase on, well... they can join the ride, if they can catch the group. 

Maybe next time they'll learn to be on time.

If you continue to wait on them.. that's called "enabling".  Guess what... they'll never learn and just continue to show up late... Now you have become part of the problem.

But to be fair... at the next ride, make the announcement, that the roll out time is the roll out time... no waiting for anyone.  

The following week.  Leave on time.  Anyone not ready... get's left... no exceptions.

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery