Participation at IVRR was 452 on Saturday; 232 raced Sunday at Ravensdale-Cumberland RR. This is a chilling difference which I don't think can be blamed on the weather alone (sunny Saturday, cloudy & occasionally wet Sunday).
This is the PNW - where yes we've had a very mild winter, but weather happens - if you're going to be in shape you've got to get out and ride rain or shine.
For the same price of admission ($25), the uptake at IVRR was $11,300 verses $5,800 at Ravensdale. The fixed & variable costs of putting on a quality race is substantial (USA Cycling insurance fees & payments to on-site Officials, WSBA equipment rental, port-a-johns, facility use fees, GC racing finish line scoring, volunteer lunches & other reimbursements, etc.).
So while both races probably covered their costs; my strong belief is that the additional legwork to chase sponsors to front prize money and other merchandise for racers to chase is well worth it to the final bottom line.
Of course you could also point to the fact that Saturday races typically fair better than their same weekend Sunday counterparts. I would counter following statistics and facts:
Mason Lake #1 did good for the first RR of the year attracting 464 racers on a Sunday following a Saturday TT. The numbers dropped each subsequent Sunday to 281 for race #2, and 245 for race #3. While participation traditionally drops through the series, the last two Mason Lakes went head to head with the Tour de Dung held the day prior, where 456 raced #1 & 434 raced #2. Very similar numbers to what happened this weekend. Price of admission was the same ($25) & another similarity was that Tour de Dung had prize $$ and merchandise to offer, while Mason Lake offered nothing.
Saturday Icebreaker TT 252 / Sunday Mason Lake #1 464
Saturday TdD #1 456 / Sunday Mason Lake #2 281
Saturday TdD #2 434 / Sunday Mason Lake #3 245
Saturday IVRR 452 / Sunday Ravensdale 232
Race promoters take note!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Weekend race results
I have allergies too - but I don't use that as an excuse. Now a dropped & wound up chain at the top of a climb I can understand - DOH!
BTW - I can understand the big media hyped "1st showdown" between LA & AC at Criterium International but what about the bigger story of Horner's top 7, or Radio Shack putting 3 in the top 10, or Vino putting in slightly better time in the final TT as LA, or Kerry Farrell vs Steve Holland?
BTW - I can understand the big media hyped "1st showdown" between LA & AC at Criterium International but what about the bigger story of Horner's top 7, or Radio Shack putting 3 in the top 10, or Vino putting in slightly better time in the final TT as LA, or Kerry Farrell vs Steve Holland?
Friday, March 26, 2010
10 to the Top
It used to be the case while out training/racing my bike that the slowest pace I would accept on the steeper pitches of any sustained climb would be 10 mph.
A few years back I road the 36 mile climb up to the top of Mt Haleakala (10,023') in 3:20, a pace of almost 11mph; and I thought I was off my game. Certainly not up to Vaughters standards who holds the official record of 2:36, but still not too bad for my upper 40's - but I was hoping for closer to the 3 hour mark (12 mph).
With Santa delivering a Garmin 305 under the tree I can now monitor my exact pace at any moment, and the realization is daunting (that is when I can see it because the font is too small). As age increases the climbing legs are suffering and the pace is decreasing - 9 is fine, 8 is OK, though 7 sucks, if I'm at 6 I'm probably standing still, and if I'm down to 5 check to see if I'm alive.
A few years back I road the 36 mile climb up to the top of Mt Haleakala (10,023') in 3:20, a pace of almost 11mph; and I thought I was off my game. Certainly not up to Vaughters standards who holds the official record of 2:36, but still not too bad for my upper 40's - but I was hoping for closer to the 3 hour mark (12 mph).
With Santa delivering a Garmin 305 under the tree I can now monitor my exact pace at any moment, and the realization is daunting (that is when I can see it because the font is too small). As age increases the climbing legs are suffering and the pace is decreasing - 9 is fine, 8 is OK, though 7 sucks, if I'm at 6 I'm probably standing still, and if I'm down to 5 check to see if I'm alive.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
2010 racing debut
Come witness the destruction at IVRR this Saturday - especially adding to the confusion (and fun) if the start times continue to be revised I might just be the only one in my field.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
I feel like Jim Carrey
On long layover in Houston. We stay up in The Woodlands, which reminds me a lot of the Truman Show. No trash, no weeds, perfect little neighborhood, with shops too cute, and everybody's too nice. No signage allowed ajacent to the roadway (busisness or otherwise), certainly no for sale signs or yard sale signs; the mounted not-quite police which take their cue from the RCMP, and too helpful bike cops round out the theme. Certainly nobody that doesn't belong.
Truman Burbank: It was Dad. I swear! Dressed like a homeless man. And you know what else was strange? A business man and a woman with a little dog came out of nowhere and forced him onto a bus. Truman's Mother: Well! It's about time they cleaned up the trash downtown before we become just like the rest of the country
Though being Texas the drivers are still...well Texans. Not that I heard anybody honk or be overtly impolite, but the oh-too-close passing, and gunning of the engine with the LOOK like we just shouldn't belong. The LOOK goes both ways, though I'm not sure they get it.
Got up at sunrise this morning ("Cue the sun!) and met up with a group out of a local shop for about a 40 mile ride and then tacked on another 35-ish (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26876113); though not quite sure because I forgot to restart my Garmin until about 5 miles after leaving the shop the second time. Truman Burbank: Somebody help me, I'm being spontaneous!
The young deer that was being consumed by the vultures when we rolled out at the beginning of the ride was swept away by the time we returned. While outside of the confines of The Woodlands roadkill was the norm (deer, possum, skunk, squirrel, racoon, etc.).
This layover changes tomorrow from a nice 25 hours (where I'm able to get in 2 nice rides for 110 miles) to a short 12 hours (where I'd get none). For those of you that need to be someplace in a timely manner tomorrow (Mason Lake, early getup on layover) don't forget to set your clocks forward before you go to beddy-by tonight as Daylight Saving Time begins at 2AM Sunday (which'll cut short my Lost Wages ride in the morning - DOH!) - Truman: The early bird gathers no moss! The rolling stone catches the worm!
Truman Burbank: It was Dad. I swear! Dressed like a homeless man. And you know what else was strange? A business man and a woman with a little dog came out of nowhere and forced him onto a bus. Truman's Mother: Well! It's about time they cleaned up the trash downtown before we become just like the rest of the country
Though being Texas the drivers are still...well Texans. Not that I heard anybody honk or be overtly impolite, but the oh-too-close passing, and gunning of the engine with the LOOK like we just shouldn't belong. The LOOK goes both ways, though I'm not sure they get it.
Got up at sunrise this morning ("Cue the sun!) and met up with a group out of a local shop for about a 40 mile ride and then tacked on another 35-ish (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/26876113); though not quite sure because I forgot to restart my Garmin until about 5 miles after leaving the shop the second time. Truman Burbank: Somebody help me, I'm being spontaneous!
The young deer that was being consumed by the vultures when we rolled out at the beginning of the ride was swept away by the time we returned. While outside of the confines of The Woodlands roadkill was the norm (deer, possum, skunk, squirrel, racoon, etc.).
This layover changes tomorrow from a nice 25 hours (where I'm able to get in 2 nice rides for 110 miles) to a short 12 hours (where I'd get none). For those of you that need to be someplace in a timely manner tomorrow (Mason Lake, early getup on layover) don't forget to set your clocks forward before you go to beddy-by tonight as Daylight Saving Time begins at 2AM Sunday (which'll cut short my Lost Wages ride in the morning - DOH!) - Truman: The early bird gathers no moss! The rolling stone catches the worm!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Hats
My profession has had a long history of making the hat an official uniform requirement - probably from the days when most came from military backgrounds and thus embodied similar traditions.
I last purchased a hat back in 1997 when I upgraded to the Captain's position and thus got the fancy dancy one with the scrambled eggs on the top of the bill. To make my hat discretely distinct from all the rest of the hats I placed a sticker on the inside of the skull & crossbones. Mind you that most everyone else had a business card or name tag of some kind on the inside, but I could instantly tell from across the break room which hat was mine.
Present day you will see most of us NOT wearing hats, as the official policy has made it optional - at least at our little slice of the industry. Other airlines who still have a mandatory hat policy will have renegades who refuse to wear it out of some protest or principle of some kind; where they are then subject to ridicule by their hat police (usually the base chief pilot or some such designee).
Not coming from a military background, I always found that wearing a hat in public was always kinda silly. They usually didn't fit too well & everybody wore it differently - tilted back, or bill low hiding the eyes, and even backwards (submarine style). Never though was there a single instance of any pilot that I witnessed ever wearing his hat while actually flying the plane, headset over the top, like you sometimes would see in the movies. Though some actually swap to a baseball style hat while flying, huh?
Some would argue that wearing the hat served a useful purpose when addressing passengers in some manner of importance, or an emergency. Others found it nice to wear on rainy days when conducting the exterior walk around - until the wind blew it away, or it got stained with aircraft fluid (oils, hydraulics, anti-ice glycol, blue juice, etc.). Others found it convenient to hide that ever increasing bald spot. Others probably wear it around home just to remind everyone who's "the Captain". It's a crutch - get rid of it!
The skull & crossbones sticker had a useful purpose as a conversation starter. I remember one occasion where a young boy sitting nearby was pointing at my hat (upside down on my flight bag) as I was waiting for a flight near a gate. He leaned over to his Dad to whisper something. His Dad then asked about the sticker in my hat. I knelled down to talk to him (and Dad) and said, "As a young boy I dreamed that someday I might be a pirate when I grew up & now I are one!" Another time an elderly lady asked if I was a member of a motor cycle gang.
Just like other non-essential uniform items - the leather jacket I never purchased, or the various ties that show up around the holidays - I understand why pilots go through the trouble to differentiate themselves; the "I am not a penguin" theory. But to the minority that stills feels compelled to distinguish themselves by continuing to wear the hat (maybe out of habit), they should be aware they are being labeled with our ever increasing list of acronyms - DGTM (didn't get the memo).
I last purchased a hat back in 1997 when I upgraded to the Captain's position and thus got the fancy dancy one with the scrambled eggs on the top of the bill. To make my hat discretely distinct from all the rest of the hats I placed a sticker on the inside of the skull & crossbones. Mind you that most everyone else had a business card or name tag of some kind on the inside, but I could instantly tell from across the break room which hat was mine.
Present day you will see most of us NOT wearing hats, as the official policy has made it optional - at least at our little slice of the industry. Other airlines who still have a mandatory hat policy will have renegades who refuse to wear it out of some protest or principle of some kind; where they are then subject to ridicule by their hat police (usually the base chief pilot or some such designee).
Not coming from a military background, I always found that wearing a hat in public was always kinda silly. They usually didn't fit too well & everybody wore it differently - tilted back, or bill low hiding the eyes, and even backwards (submarine style). Never though was there a single instance of any pilot that I witnessed ever wearing his hat while actually flying the plane, headset over the top, like you sometimes would see in the movies. Though some actually swap to a baseball style hat while flying, huh?
Some would argue that wearing the hat served a useful purpose when addressing passengers in some manner of importance, or an emergency. Others found it nice to wear on rainy days when conducting the exterior walk around - until the wind blew it away, or it got stained with aircraft fluid (oils, hydraulics, anti-ice glycol, blue juice, etc.). Others found it convenient to hide that ever increasing bald spot. Others probably wear it around home just to remind everyone who's "the Captain". It's a crutch - get rid of it!
The skull & crossbones sticker had a useful purpose as a conversation starter. I remember one occasion where a young boy sitting nearby was pointing at my hat (upside down on my flight bag) as I was waiting for a flight near a gate. He leaned over to his Dad to whisper something. His Dad then asked about the sticker in my hat. I knelled down to talk to him (and Dad) and said, "As a young boy I dreamed that someday I might be a pirate when I grew up & now I are one!" Another time an elderly lady asked if I was a member of a motor cycle gang.
Just like other non-essential uniform items - the leather jacket I never purchased, or the various ties that show up around the holidays - I understand why pilots go through the trouble to differentiate themselves; the "I am not a penguin" theory. But to the minority that stills feels compelled to distinguish themselves by continuing to wear the hat (maybe out of habit), they should be aware they are being labeled with our ever increasing list of acronyms - DGTM (didn't get the memo).
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Senator DiMwit
Senator Jim DeMint has introduced legislation (S.3048) to monitor cockpit voice & data recorders for the explicit purpose of reviewing pilot performance; including discipline & termination.
The data recorders (a.k.a. the black boxes) were introduced many years ago to help analysis in serious incidents & accidents where NTSB investigators and/or the FAA get involved; to see what the actual conditions the pilots were facing and their response to those conditions. It is a safety tool utilized after the fact.
Currently the FAA prohibits pilots from non-safety related conversations below 10,000' (known as the sterile cockpit rule) to lessen the chance of unnecessary distractions & focus on the tasks at hand related to takeoff & landing, our busiest time during a flight.
This legislation, which is extremely obscure and purposefully anti-labor, gives management unfettered access to comments & conversations held in private at any time during the flight. It opens a very slippery slope that allows the interpretation of several subjective definitions up to each individual airline, including "endanger the...well being of passengers", "monitor the judgement", or the catch all "for any other purpose...". It doesn't mention if conversations would be randomly monitored or could be targeted against particular individual pilots; again intentionally vague.
With not even a press release or Op Ed piece or mention on his blog explaining the need for this legislation - I doubt Senator DeMint has much invested in this bill. I would be very surprised that the ATA (the airlines collective trade group) would offer any support for this; most certainly the various pilot unions (including ALPA, SWAPA, & CAPA and others) are all against it. So far this has no Senate co-sponsors - gee I wonder why? Though maybe he'd love to hear all the spirited talk about it on the CVR's.
If this does somehow pass and become law - I would pity the poor individuals tasked with listening to the typical blather involved on the thousands of daily flights, trying to sort it all into the various bias buckets for further review. I would predict a very high turnover rate for that job; especially if they followed any overheard investment advice.
The data recorders (a.k.a. the black boxes) were introduced many years ago to help analysis in serious incidents & accidents where NTSB investigators and/or the FAA get involved; to see what the actual conditions the pilots were facing and their response to those conditions. It is a safety tool utilized after the fact.
Currently the FAA prohibits pilots from non-safety related conversations below 10,000' (known as the sterile cockpit rule) to lessen the chance of unnecessary distractions & focus on the tasks at hand related to takeoff & landing, our busiest time during a flight.
This legislation, which is extremely obscure and purposefully anti-labor, gives management unfettered access to comments & conversations held in private at any time during the flight. It opens a very slippery slope that allows the interpretation of several subjective definitions up to each individual airline, including "endanger the...well being of passengers", "monitor the judgement", or the catch all "for any other purpose...". It doesn't mention if conversations would be randomly monitored or could be targeted against particular individual pilots; again intentionally vague.
With not even a press release or Op Ed piece or mention on his blog explaining the need for this legislation - I doubt Senator DeMint has much invested in this bill. I would be very surprised that the ATA (the airlines collective trade group) would offer any support for this; most certainly the various pilot unions (including ALPA, SWAPA, & CAPA and others) are all against it. So far this has no Senate co-sponsors - gee I wonder why? Though maybe he'd love to hear all the spirited talk about it on the CVR's.
If this does somehow pass and become law - I would pity the poor individuals tasked with listening to the typical blather involved on the thousands of daily flights, trying to sort it all into the various bias buckets for further review. I would predict a very high turnover rate for that job; especially if they followed any overheard investment advice.
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