newenglandcross.com

seriously? WTF?

Tue, 10 May 2011 16:11:19 -0400

This is a lovely example of obfuscation and governmental language. Tons of passive voice, tons of nominalized verbs.

How can they claim to be a business when they are a monopoly? I don’t choose to be a part of USAcycling, I am forced to be a part of it. Just like my teacher union. It makes me ill.

“Dear USA Cycling member,
Since its creation in 1995, USA Cycling has undergone significant evolution, as has the sport of cycling in this country. In an effort to ensure the bylaws and operating principles of the company accurately reflect the current business models of the sport today and for the foreseeable future, the USA Cycling board of directors recently approved a revised organizational governance plan.
Due to the recently approved and ongoing governance changes by the USA Cycling board of directors, the previously published election calendar will be delayed until July 1 and compressed to ensure the implementation of the new structure can begin with the 2011 election cycle.
The revised governance structure will clarify roles and responsibilities and eliminate ambiguity surrounding USA Cycling's various trustee groups. This will be done in part by creating seven discipline-specific Sport Committees that will develop competition rules, nominate and elect representatives to the USA Cycling board of directors, and advise staff on issues relevant to their respective disciplines. The new Sport Committees, which will be comprised of representatives from the general membership as well as specific membership stakeholder groups, will offer the various stakeholders in our sport a more relevant voice in the development and growth of each particular cycling discipline.
Click here to review more details on the governance revisions.
USA Cycling is excited to embark with you on a new chapter in the history of the organization and the sport. Thank you for being a part of American cycling.
Yours in cycling,
Steve Johnson USA Cycling CEO”

lip smackin’ good

Mon, 8 Nov 2010 17:25:31 -0500

It’s still Monday, right?

So I can still contribute to media Mond

Anne is a little short for a storm trooper, but that joke is past its prime.

“So, I’m going wide, then I’m going to chop the shit out of some people.”
“Uh, I dunno Colin, chopping people take the BRO out of Embrocation.”

Maybe Adam should be El Gato? Upward Cat?

While Luca does Downward Dog.

Colin laments his internal server error. RMM does Deadward Dog.

Jimmy stood tall on the second step of the podium. He had a great ride!

Joy raced with style and grace.

So did Rebecca!

Separated at birth.

Another Bilodeau suits up to race.

I’ll blog for real tomorrow. Pinky promise.
xo
m

feeling fabulous

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:46:04 -0400

Darcy and Steve got married this past weekend, and we considered ourselves quite lucky to be invited to see the union of one of the loviest couples I know.

JD and I got dolled up.

So did the Robbins.

And all of Suppa Club was in attendance.

Meghan Gump and I spent some quality time together.

As did Steve and Darcy

It was a beautiful evening with good friends. I just love love, don’t you?

Millstone Grind

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:34:57 -0400

New for 2010, Meg races TWO mt bike races! That’s a huge improvement over the one-every-three-year limit I had self-imposed. It’s not that I don’t like racing mt bikes, ok, yes, actually it is. As Cathy Rowell says, “I just like riding them better than racing them.”

Heather and Pete convinced JD to do the Millstone. Because I am weak and easily swayed, I did whatever JD decided we would do and went along for the day. Also along for the day was local Old School mt bike racer and awesome carpenter, Rick Labombard. Even though JD and I have lived in Eho for five years now, this is our first official adventure with Rich. He was a great carpooling partner!

Matt Green, in the pink skinsuit above, said the Millstone course was a bit Hawley-ish, and since Hawley is my fav place to ride, I hoped he was right. The course was lovely with a brute-ish grass start climb followed by a hardpack dirt climb followed by twisty ropey hardpack downhills and connected with very few double tracks or grass sections. I really enjoyed racing this course and being able to see multiple sections as they doublebacked on each other. It’s pretty rare for me to “know” where I am on a course, and except for the very last bit (this has got to be the final bit, I should go really hard now. Shit. THIS had got the be the last bit. . .Really this one has GOT to be. . .) I knew exactly where I was and where all the ladies I was running from or catching were too.

Heather and I both came home with hardware--she won the women’s marathon, and I got second in the old lady sport class--and everyone came home with pint glasses, full bellies and big smiles.

summertime rolls

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:12:58 -0400

Last week I went on one of my last adventures for the summer. I made the three-hour drive up to Waitsfield, VT to visit Ian at Fitwerx and get some cycling footbeds. I’m always in search of ways to ease my knee pain, and Ian’s fit a few years ago really put me on the road to understanding the mechanics of my knee issues. Since money is always lacking, I didn’t have the means to both get fit and get footbeds, so I decided this was the year.

The process was pretty simple as I sat on a bench while Ian molded goopy stuff around my feet. He asked about pedaling issues and reacquainted himself with my bike fit through the detailed notes he had on file about my position.

He sent me on my way for an hour--I did a little ride--then I came back, put in the insoles and headed out again for another ride. I was pretty amazed to watch my left heel track straight. It’s crazy that a footbed can correct that kind of behavior!

I felt even better the next day as I noticed the outer muscles on my left ankle weren’t sore. I must not have tweaked them like I usually do while riding. Cool!

Will these footbeds make me faster? Doubtful. But at this point in time I’m looking for comfort and the ability to ride multiple days in a row pain free and still be able to walk up the stairs pain free when I come home.

The past few weeks have also been interesting critter wise.

Here at the 124, we have a habitat that draws rodents: chimpmunks abound, flying squirrels move in for the winter, raccoons enjoy our trash and compost and this year the groundhog has been a frequent flier.

I’ve enjoyed many days this summer watching our groundhog make his way around the property sunning himself, nibbling clover, shaking peaches out of the tree, picking up apples and running full bore with said apple in his mouth to the shade of the brush to eat in peace.

But two days ago, he crossed the line. . . .

As I was surfing the net for all things wonderful and education-y, my cat bounded straight at me, over me and onto the back of the couch. Tail twitchy, he hunkered down in hunting posture and squeezed his fat little face up against the window screen.

Uh oh.

Mr. Groundhog was sashaying his apple-and-peach enhanced rump under our front porch.

Shit.

No really, shit. Cat shit, we discovered, is supposed to deter groundhogs. We have a seemingly infinite supply of cat poo, so JD donned some rubber gloves and started flinging poo Great Ape style. We kept a watch on the burrow for the next day and saw no activity, so we congratulated ourselves and our cats’ poo. It was a short-lived celebration.

The next day I sat at the kitchen table trying to organize my new curriculum, but I kept hearing the rustle rustle rustle of leaves. There was no breeze, and I saw no leaves moving, so I went back to work. This happened several times until finally I saw Fattie McGroundhog running away from the fern bed next to the garage.

I called JD and we went hole hunting again. We uncovered one very large, long deep burrow and two bolt hole--smaller and more discrete. The noise I had heard was the dirt he was excavating hitting the fern leaves. We knew now that no matter how much and how often we flung poo into deep dark holes, our tenacious little digger would find another place to burrow. We called Rocky, the Critter Catcher who ridded our attic of flying squirrels, to come down and trap our hawg.

Rocky put traps around with cabbage; we picked up buckets of yummy fruit that had fallen from various trees and in two days our groundhog was trapped. He was a beautiful round rodent who blinked very solemnly when I told him I was bummed we had to trap him.

In the weeks since his trapping, I still expect to see him as I look out the window at the apple and peach trees in the back yard. Sigh.