Not a Podium

Last weekend I check 'race a crit' off my annual to do list. I've used the Chicago Crit to fulfill the obligation for the last two years. The event was spectacular, my race, not as.

I don't have much to say except I finished better this year than last, and it was fun to get back on a start line. I haven't heard the whistle blow since December. Big props to John Villena for representing cross racers by taking second in the sprint, then pluging cross on the podium interview.

Coolest pic from the day - dude showing up fully armed to race and enjoy the afternoon.



Random pic from later that day - this one is for Ben.

National Pride

I'm not myopic enough to be nationalistic, but I am moved when I hear The Star Spangled Banner during a ceremony for which I've emotionally involved myself. So when I saw the following at the bottom of a velonews.com article had to reread it to make sure I had had right:

The newspaper also called the accidental playing of the Danish national anthem when Contador stepped up to the podium as an "unforgivable mistake".

This is an awful error to make. This is not the Olympics where the podium gets worked out every 10 minutes, this is a month long singular event with one winner. Imagine competing at the highest level, pouring your life into an event while exposing yourself within arms length of millions of fans in an international sport where nations vie for bragging rights - and you win. Then at the emotional, ceremonious conclusion, with long neglected but loving family present, sponsors, dignitaries, hundreds of fans, and a worldwide audience channeled through the television - they play the wrong song?! Talk about an emotional cluster fuck. Major party foul.

Podium!

I love this picture, it has it all - bags of money, smiling Olympic officials, and Mike Hemme rocking his first podium for COURAGE. Hemme's blog doesn't get into the exciting details of the race (he's too modest), and while I wasn't there I did get a couple of phone calls from people giving me the story as it unfolded. Here are the two main details: he almost lapped the field competing for a $20 preem and he won the thing in a sprint. I think if John Vande Velde had added a six pack of Bells to the $20 offer Mike would have made it all the way around...

The Super Tempo

The Super Tempo Hard, rather than fast.

This ethos resonates with me, as do the two guys behind the content of the site. Between Naz and Zach I follow them across six content streams, and I don't use Twitter (yet). When I ran into Zach the other night he was too modest to mention The Super Tempo, fortunately someone else stepped in and gave me the story. As Zach relinquished more detail the whole concept made sense to me.

Hard, rather than fast. To me it means competing against personal expectation. Hard because most of your rides begin at 5am. Hard because even though it's easy to get in the car and hit the grocery store you do it on your bike. Hard because what you thought you couldn't do, you did.

I feel the same way about COURAGE. It's a personal thing. A way to be motivated by yourself and the people you choose to surround yourself with.

Enjoy The Super Tempo.

Never Stop

Get ready. Aaron and I have been busy putting a lot of ideas in motion. The latest to come to life is the new COURAGE vertical dropout. Peep it here and here.

We've got a lot more coming in the next couple of months. Racer bios, show bikes, R&D prototypes, travel, and maybe a little champagne next time someone from the race team gets back on the podium.

Stay tuned.