Words from a Race Director » Sports

Atlanta just might be the most anti cycling large city in the nation

kfordham281 — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 19:35:15 +0000

With few sidewalks, little shoulder, and a car loving community that would make Detroit proud, Atlanta has long been known for not being the most cycling friendly city. If it’s up to Cobb County, that friendliness could be taken down a huge notch. According to a report (free login required), the county is considering setting up a “cruising” ordinance, with fines up to $500, that looks to be aimed specifically at cyclist. Dennis Hoffarth, executive director of the advocacy group called The Atlanta Bicycle Campaign, said he has checked with biking groups across the nation and none have heard of such a law as the one Cobb County is proposing.

I’ve been to Columns Drive many times to run but never bike. I’ve never had a problem with cyclists on that road but have seen instances at other areas where cyclists seem to have lost their cool. As cyclists we have a right to the road just as much as a car does. At the same time though, we need to realize that we must keep our senses keenly aware and defensive riding skills sharp, not only for our own safety but for the betterment of the cycling community. A few bad apples in the cycling community do a lot more damage than a few bad apples on the road. Voice your opinion tonight at the public hearing (no information on the location)!

PSA for outdoor athletes

kfordham281 — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 19:07:25 +0000

In light of the recent accidents involving James Kim, Danelle Ballengee, the climbers on Mount Hood, and a pair of missing climbers in China, I thought it would be a good idea to share some tips about going out into the wilderness. It’s easy to think that we will be fine when we go out to play in the woods; I know I’m guilty of that. But the fact remains that sometimes accidents happen and we should be prepared if an accident strikes.

1) Let people know where and when you are going and when you will return. In the event of an accident, the sooner you are noticed missing the better your chances of survival.
2) Choose your equipment/food wisely.
3) If you can carry a communications device, do so.
4) If you deviate from your original plan, let someone know if possible.
5) Notify the local land managers if required to do so. Sometimes you are asked to fill out a log or other notification methods of your trip.

For those that are still missing, lets hope you are found safe.

Please add any more tips you have in the comments.

Ivan Basso joins Discovery

kfordham281 — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 04:54:17 +0000

I just read that Ivan Basso, formerly of Team CSC, has signed a two year contract with the Discovery Channel team. What does this mean for Basso? Provided he can stay healthy, he is without a doubt the favorite for the 2007 Tour de France. He was the favorite of many (including myself) going into this years Tour de France before he was not allowed to start. With the kind of support that Discovery can provide, he is now even closer to winning his first Tour de France. This is HUGE for Team Discovery which struggled in the first year since the retirement of Lance Armstrong.

Mike Kloser wants your help

kfordham281 — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 18:21:37 +0000

The following is an email from Mike Kloser of team Nike:

Hi gang, I'm sorry to lump this together as one to all, but I'd like to ask
a favor from you. We've been informed, that if we can get a number of
individuals to take a moment and email this link

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?page=contact/espntv

with a few of positive comments on the programming, ESPN would likely take a
more vested interest in the TV programming and money they invest into the
sport.

Its a fill in the blank form, and only takes a couple of minutes. Maybe
just as simple as, Enjoyed the show, Found the show interesting, Great TV
production, Good racing action, Would love to see more of this on ESPN,
Best stuff since Eco Challenge, etc. You get the picture and if you thought
something should have been shown differently, add you thoughts.

This could really make a big difference in the sport for us.

If you know of anyone else who enjoyed the show, please pass this along.

Thanks for taking a moment,

Mike

I think what Mike suggested is a good idea. No one at ESPN will know how much we enjoyed the show unless we tell them. So start typing!

Also, ESPN2 is airing Primal Quest Utah again on the following dates:

ESPN2, Fri Oct 20 03:00pm EDT
ESPN2, Fri Oct 20 04:00pm EDT
ESPN2, Wed Oct 25 03:00pm EDT
ESPN2, Thu Oct 26 01:00am EDT
ESPN2, Fri Oct 27 02:00pm EDT
ESPN2, Fri Oct 27 03:00pm EDT

Le Tour is crazy

kfordham281 — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 14:11:32 +0000

The Tour de France was turned on its head yesterday when Floyd Landis completely exploded on the final climb of the day. Landis, in the yellow jersey at the stage start, is now over eight minutes back in the GC classification! I’ve only been watching the Tour for a few years but even the announcers say this is the strangest Tour in many years. I knew that Basso and Ullrich were head and shoulders above the rest of the field. Once they were tossed from the race everyone expected the Tour to be wide open. What I didn’t know is how close the next 5-8 riders really are in terms of ability. Before stage 16 started I thought Landis was almost a sure bet to win. I wonder if Phonak is kicking themselves for letting Oscar Pereiro break away from the peloton? What a crazy Tour indeed.

Doping scandal rocks Tour de France

kfordham281 — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 17:24:56 +0000

I awoke Friday morning checking my usual websites. Soon after, I was completely amazed at what I read. Not only was my favorite to win the tour tossed out (Basso), but so was Jan Ullrich, Francisco Mancebo, and a few others. With the others that were tossed out, that forced Alexandre Vinokourov to withdraw because he didn’t have the mandatory amount of riders on his team to start. Wow! It seems from some other sites that I’ve read and friends I’ve talked to, many consider cycling to be the dirtiest sport around. I think what’s so shocking about all of the riders being tossed out, is that right now there seems to be no actual proof of them doping. They are being forced not to race just because they are said to have contact with a Spanish doctor linked to an on going doping probe in Spain called Operación Puerto. What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?

The World Cup is in progress

kfordham281 — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 16:23:33 +0000

Unlike the rest of the world, most Americans don’t really know the World Cup is actually going on. This is the biggest sporting event in the world! The event started last Friday and will continue into July. I don’t watch a lot of Football (or soccer as we call it for some strange reason) but I usually tune into the World Cup to watch a few matches. It’s pretty interesting once you know a little about the game and the rules. Much like the Tour de France is quite interesting once you know the strategy involved. You should check out the USA match tomorrow if you can. Hopefully they will show up more than they did against the Czech Republic.

Tour de Georgia

kfordham281 — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 18:43:26 +0000

The Tour de Georgia started yesterday in Augusta, Georgia. I’ve missed it the last few years but I’m hoping to make it out to a stage this weekend. With Discovery, Phonak, and CSC this will be a very competitive race. I suspect Floyd Landis, Tom Danielson, and Dave Zabriskie are among the race favorites. Coverage can be found at VeloNews.

Endurance Podcasts

kfordham281 — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 15:42:38 +0000

Though Endurance Radio has been around at least since January 2005 (according to their archives) and I’ve seen their website before, I recently just got into listening to some of their podcasts. Endurance radio publishes about two podcasts per week with people in endurance related sports. Each podcast is a telephone interview and last around 15 minutes. The podcasts include amateur athletes, endurance coaches, race directors, and even professional champions like Xterra Champion Melanie McQuaid. It seems many of the podcasts are triathlon podcasts, but there are some for ultra runners, adventure racers, and more. I recently listened to the podcast with Xterra creator Dave Nicholas. Who knew that Xterra was an idea by the guy that parks the cars at one of Dave’s events!

Lance: The ride to # 7

kfordham281 — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 19:30:42 +0000

This weekend, tomorrow to be exact, Lance Armstrong begins his defense of the Tour de France. Since I’ll be in Tennessee on a canoe trip, I won’t be able to listen or watch the Tour until I get back. I’m really excited about watching the Tour this year though! Last year I listened to most of the Tour online, but this year I have OLN so I get to watch it too. I think Ivan Basso of Team CSC will be his biggest threat. He was the only rider last year who could stay with Lance in the Mountains and this year I’ve read he learned to time trial better. His poor time trialing skills were the reason he lost second place last year. Good luck Lance!