The Pioneer Hoot

EnduroSnob: Endurance Cycling, Single Speeds and Assorted Snobbery: Assorted Snobbery: Henry Rollins

2009-07-02T13:37:00.000-04:00

saw this in my Google Reader today:

EnduroSnob: Endurance Cycling, Single Speeds and Assorted Snobbery: Assorted Snobbery: Henry Rollins

I knew there was a reason I was listening to so much Black Flag this week...

Another Monday.

2009-06-22T12:56:00.001-04:00

Something has to change. Just has to.

Pause

2009-06-08T11:12:00.002-04:00

Sorry about the gap in posting. I'm just not into the long form blogging thing right now. To be honest it hasn't been a great spring on a whole bunch of levels, and the motivation to document that just isn't there. Maybe it's just because it's been too cold for too long- or I don't ride my bike anymore, or who knows, but I'm firmly stuck in a rut and don't really have the motivation to get unstuck.

I have however been thinking about a series of potential posts/essays/commentaries- I'm calling them "the unpopular posts" that I'd like to write. They mostly fall into that "look- dude- just STFU. Here's the deal..." category- the category of responses to stupid/noob/exasperating questions and situations that run through my brain but (hopefully) don't make it to my mouth. I've been thinking about letting them out, for better or for worse. For now though, I'll keep it to myself for a while at least.

In the mean time, I'm doing the Twitter thing (140 characters is just fine for me thanks) here:
http://twitter.com/JDBilodeau
You can check that if you like, and I'll keep working on something bigger to put up here.
Thanks-

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-10T04:46:00.001-04:00

#99 Problems

2009-05-08T08:11:00.002-04:00

Good Job Manny!

I wonder- do you think Manny Ramirez put all of his old uniforms on ebay before his suspension was announced?

Is is funny or pathetic that every time some pro athlete gets popped they use the same lame excuses? You would think that they'd come up with something new- or heaven forbid tell the truth. It's ridiculous to look at the numbers of professional athletes who have "asthma" or "erectile disfunction" or whatever the excuse of the month is. The only thing that's worse is the scores of Cat 3's and Masters who are running out to get that 'little blue pill' this week....

Pwned

2009-04-29T08:34:00.005-04:00

The cycling public just got pwned by Lance. Again.

If you've been following the manufactured drama around the Tour of the Gila you know that the UCI is allowing Lance to ride. That's not what's got my knickers in a twist. It's that Lance and his cohorts have played this whole thing off as "oh can't we just let Levi and Lance go do a training race in New Mexico..."

And that is a bunch of crap. See, it's not about the training- Lance never did much racing in the US before his retirement, so why should he suddenly want to now? Is it to prepare for the Giro? By doing a 5 day stage race against US amateurs? A race that only totals 340 miles? Is he going to ride all of the stages at once? Will he pull a "Frankie" and let the field get a head start every day?

Or could it have something to do with the fact that Lance Armstrong has a substantial financial investment in SRAM, the title sponsor of the Gila? And that by creating pre event drama he keeps the "SRAM Tour of the Gila" in the media? And moves the spotlight off of one of the greatest US stage races and right onto him? Do you think Lance is squeezing the Gila promoter for an appearance fee? After all he's rumored to have gotten over a million bucks to do the Tour Down Under.

Maybe I'm just too cynical, but I'd prefer that the cameras and the microphones at the finish of todays stage be around the winner of the race, and not around Lance. Maybe that's because I prefer substance to celebrity and sports over sports entertainment.

Out Come The Wolves

2009-04-20T22:06:00.002-04:00

The road show is in full swing again. Last week I hit up a new event for me- the Copake Swap Meet. I've heard about the swap for a few years- Copake Auction has a pretty well regarded annual bike auction, and the day before they hold a swap meet out behind the auction gallery. I wonder where they got that idea?

Anyway, since the swap is held on a Friday I figured that I'd hit it up before going back to Rhode Island the next day to continue the results season at the Rick Newhouse Memorial. The swap is outdoors, so here's how the setup worked out:
Yeah, all of that stuff fits in the truck. It's actually not even packed tight on this trip- after a couple of decades doing auctions, swap meets and moving all over the country I've got the spatial relations thing down pretty well. And since I can, I usually bring everything. Growing up doing flea markets with my dad has taught me "You can't sell from an empty wagon"... how's that for New England wisdom for you.

It was a good trip- though it was definitely an "industry" show. Maybe because of the proximity of the auction, or because it was a Friday, it was very much the core vintage bike crowd and not many 'general public' folks. Which isn't bad except that it's tough for sales. By this point in the year, after Westminster, Richmond and Monson everybody knows what you have and if you don't have fresh stock you're dead in the water. Since I'm more of a vendor/dealer than a collector I've got a big advantage there. I want to turn my stuff over, not show it off. I was lowering prices as soon as anyone picked something up. With no swap meets for the rest of the summer (at least for me) I didn't want to put it back into the garage.

One part of the swap meet that never ceases to amaze me is the swarm around a new vendor. Somebody unknown shows up and instantly there's a crowd. People are tearing through the stuff looking for anything in their niche- be it touring, pre war, racing whatever. It's almost like you don't have to unload- the pack will do it for you. This dude barely got his car parked before the swarm hit him:
By the end of the day he was pretty tapped out. I have to admit that I was a bit jealous- but then again I had stuff that had dragged through the full show season- there's only so much Alivio I can push on people after a while. In the end, I did walk over to see what all the hubub was about- and of course I walked away with a couple of cranksets... at least they weren't Alivio...

Classics Season

2009-04-08T15:02:00.002-04:00

Too busy with real life to post. But it is classics season, so here you go:

Don't Forget To Vote!!!

2009-03-16T10:10:00.002-04:00

It's Monday. Which means Dancing With the Stars is on tonight.
Which means you *need* to vote for Woz.

Seriously. Do it. It's FREE. You don't even have to watch. But he's gonna be dressed as Buddy Holly this week.... Voting details here: Dancing With The Stars, About the Vote
You can vote up to 13 times. Did I mention it's free?

T.R.

2009-03-16T09:41:00.002-04:00

The Rejected. That's me.

On Friday (Friday the 13th mind you) I cruised down to my local Ford dealer to get my truck inspected. I hunkered down in the waiting room with the laptop to get some work done while they did the inspection.

The first hint of a problem was when the mechanic came in to ask me what kind of inspection I was getting. Kind? What do you mean what kind? Turns out that as of October 2008 a commercial vehicle = commercial inspection. Which = $100 more than the regular inspection. Great.

The second hint of a problem was when the mechanic came back and asked if I towed a trailer for work purposes. Why yes I do. So then he asks where my chock blocks are. Um, they're under my trailer wheels, where they're supposed to be. Oh. Well you need to have them in the truck to pass the commercial inspection. And you need to have them in the truck even when you're not towing, since it's a commercial vehicle. We can't pass you without the blocks. Great.

Now I know the Commonwealth is hurting for cash, but this is just stupid. A full DOT inspection for a pickup. Which means having to buy and extra set of blocks just to comply with the inspection. And you damn well better have those blocks in the cab because the State Police are hurting for cash too, which means if you get pulled over they will definitely be looking for them. And the fire extinguisher. And the first aid kit. Great.

7 States. 8 Hours.

2009-03-04T11:04:00.003-05:00

Shake and Bake.

7 States in 8 hours. Massachusetts to Virginia. Actually it was 7 states and The District of Columbia. Which isn't a state, though they sure are taxed like one.

Having had a successful Westminster bike swap the other week I made a last minute decision to keep the truck loaded up and hit the Chesterfield VA version of the Stop Swap and Save. It was a bit of a risk- this was the first year for the event, and with the sluggish economy, a truck full of picked over cycling gear *and* gas money for 16 hours worth of driving I was worried about breaking even- let alone making money. But the truck still had too much stuff in it, and I had more stuff to move out, so I bit the bullet and hit the road. Fortunately I had a place to stay in VA, and in MD on the return trip, so at least I didn't have to shell out for any hotels. It all worked out for the best though, as I sold a bunch of stuff again- not as much as at Westminster, but once again I could see out the rear window (a bit) on the drive home. I think I'll be back for next years swap - maybe with a smaller booth, but I have a feeling that it will develop into a worthwhile event.

Highlights of the trip included:

Driving over the George Washington bridge just as the CRCA-DKNY group ride was heading out to New Jersey.

Blasting the horn at Angry Mark as I drove past Rutgers. I'm sure he didn't hear me, but it was fun nonetheless. I blew the horn again in Delaware for the other Marc, and for the whole DCCofD.

Traveling 7 states away from home, by myself, and still knowing people at the event. Which was important when I needed to grab someone to watch the booth so I could run to the bathroom.

Being 7 states away from home and meeting people I didn't know, then figuring out that I did know them, or knew of them.

Pandora. Streaming internet radio over my iPhone saved my life on these past two trips down to the Mid Atlantic. Sure I have an iPod stuffed with music, but there is something about radio that is just perfect for driving. Matt White turned me onto Pandora, and damn am I grateful.

Malcolm Gladwell. When I wasn't listening to Pandora I was listening to Audible recording of The Tipping Point. Gladwell reads it himself, and it's awesome.

Not-so-highlights of the trip included:

Driving home through a monster snow and ice storm. It wasn't the worst drive I've had, but it was no fun. You know it's bad when you see the snow plows turned over in the median strip. The only good thing about not selling everything I had at the swap is that all of the Wald parts in the back gave me better traction on the ice.

Being mistaken for Adam Myerson. Yes, it actually happened. No, I was not flattered.

It's a good thing I survived the trip- I've got many more multi state drives ahead of me this year. Time to Shake and Bake.*

*The Ricky Bobby obsession I have going on right now is Tim Johnson's fault. How did that happen? Check out his interview with Jeremy Dunn. Link. I laughed for hours.

Yeah, I'm a weirdo.

Stop Recycling.

2009-03-03T08:54:00.002-05:00

Stop recycling. Start repairing.

Platform 21

I love the Dutch.

You Are Dead To Me

2009-02-24T15:53:00.002-05:00

Dear Cycling,

I'm done with you. "Why" You ask? Well let me tell you.

It's because crap like this:
Makes me think of this:

It's a sad day when being an imbecile is more important than being an athlete.

I needed that

2009-02-09T11:05:00.002-05:00

Got "back in the game" at Sunday's Westminster Bike Swap down in Maryland. It's been a rough couple of weeks, and getting back on the road and turning some inventory into cash was a huge tension breaker. Just what I needed right now. Some alone time in the truck and two days with just one project going- that was pretty damn welcome.

Having done this bike swap for the past few years I'm finally getting a handle on what sells well, and this year I managed to get rid of a ton of stuff, despite everyone's reluctance to spend money. The economy is hurting on all fronts, and the swap scene is no exception. Price something above $5 and you'll see people visibly balk as they think "do I really need this?". Fortunately I was able to bring most of my 'dollar' items and still moved a ton of stuff. It's a nice feeling to load the truck right to the top on the way down, then be able to see out the back window on the way home.

Today it's back to the madness. Only 10 weeks til the start of bike racing season...

Liner Notes

2009-01-16T11:01:00.002-05:00

Took a few minutes this morning to adjust the sidebar links. Updated some, added some, just trying to switch things up a bit. One winter project is to maybe redesign/customize this blog a bit, or perhaps move the whole thing over to WordPress- that's the hip thing to do I guess. Or at least the cool kids think so. Of course my list of winter projects is loooong, and my motivation is loooow so who knows.

It occurred to me that the blogroll / link list is kind of the new version of the liner notes that used to be included in records. You know, records- those vinyl Frisbees that music used to come on? Well, back in the day I used to scan the liner notes of all my record purchases to figure out what the people I liked were into. Then I'd buy records from those bands, or read those authors, subscribe to those zines- whatever. It was a gleaning process, and really the only way you had back then to learn more about the scene (true of punk and to a lesser extent cycling). The was no Google- no internet (at least as we now know it)- pretty much no easy way. It was a slow process, and you had to work for it.

The upside of that process being slow is that it allowed you to formulate your own ideas- sure, you had influences from outside sources- but the heavy lifting was done all by yourself. Or if you were lucky maybe by a small group of friends. And doing that gave you a sense of ownership and of pride in your 'work'. One of Mike Watt's bands, Unknown Instructors has a song titled: Punk (is whatever we made it to be). And that was really the essence of it- it was (and is) what you made it, and it wouldn't exist unless you made it exist.

So go click around. Read. Think. Then go make something of your own.

Slow Thinker Quick Linker

2009-01-12T10:59:00.003-05:00

So for the past week or so- probably longer- I've been thinking about the long discussion over on the New England Cross list about categories, start times, etc. For the most part it's been a good discussion, but as always there is a lot of 'you should...' and not enough 'how about if I...' going on.

There is a lot of talk about using Colin's amazing CrossResults standings for the series call ups. Which is ok, the data is actually really cool- but nobody has pointed out that wranglin' all that data is simply one guys hobby. He's got a day job and his own racing to think about. Perhaps someone should ask him first before we draft him to be the call up czar for the entire series. I can assure you that bike racers tend to take themselves waaaay too seriously waaay too often. Do we want to subject poor Colin to the inevitable internet wrath of some dude who got called up on the 4th row instead of the 3rd row? If that data is worth using- and I think it might be- perhaps we might think about actually paying him for his work? And by "we" I mean the bike racers who are going to potentially benefit from the improved call up system.

On top of the whole "we should use Colin's data" thing, the annual "what about timing chips" discussion came up. Again, it's a legitimate question, and another good idea, but frankly nobody really gets the costs involved with implementing it. For Pioneer to invest in a reliable chip timing system I would have to pass some portion of the cost along to the promoter. And the reality of that means I would have to charge some 5-6 times more for my services in scoring a cross race. So does the improved scoring/timing really justify that?

It makes me think a lot about how we (both the cycling community, and people in general) value things. And it makes me think that our value system might be out of whack. Is seems that the balance of what we want vs what we will pay for is off. And by "pay for" I don't just mean money- I mean time and effort as well. If you want better and more accurate timing and scoring at a race, will you pay more for an entry? If you want better call ups is that worth paying for on some level? If you want a race category or a type of course that's not currently being offered, are you willing to step up and put it on yourself?

There's some interesting comments about 'value', and what things are worth in this article on Freeman Transport. It took me a bit to get past the hipster bandwagon track bike thing, but buried in there are some pretty good quotes, and I think some of those quotes can be applied to 'cross racing specifically, and bike racing in general. I guess what I mean is this: If you want something of quality- be it good results, good call ups, a good choice of categories there is a very real cost associated with it, and you need to be willing to bear those costs. To put it another way, if I can mangle a quote from the late Al Kreitler: "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweet taste of a deal."

Pay to Play

2009-01-02T11:34:00.003-05:00

So 2009 is here. Time to burn off all that holiday excess- to play in the great outdoors and enjoy what will be an all too short off season. There's a ton of fun stuff to do out here in Western Mass during the the winter- ski, snowshoe, hike, bomb down the frozen snowmobile trails on the mountain bike whatever you're in the mood for. But this year there's work to be done first.

Remember those gnarly ice storms that hit back around the time of cyclo-cross nationals? The Hilltowns got absolutely slammed during those storms. Some estimates are that up to 1/3 to 1/2 of the trees there suffered some sort of damage. Falling limbs and trees took down power lines, crushed cars and houses and closed roads. Many people were without power (and thus heat and running water) for a week or more. Well now that the power lines and telephone are back up and everyone has gotten the roads and houses clear it's time to work on the trails.

So at high noon on day one of 2009 Pioneer Valley NEMBA and friends assembled in Hawley (at the top of the Tour of the Hilltown's East Hawley Road Climb) to start trail work. Despite it being a whopping 5 degrees out there were over twenty people there to get busy. Our goal was to get into the woods and start clearing the side trails- the local snowmobile club would be working on the big fire roads. 3 hours later we'd only gotten part of two trails done. With 20 people and 4 chainsaws going non stop. Every ten feet there are blowdowns- so you cut and cut, drag the debris to the side and move down the trail another ten feet. Odds are it will take most of the winter to get it all done- the next work days are already scheduled. But if you're gonna play, you've got to pay.

If you're wondering what sort of New Years resolution to make here's a suggestion: The International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) has often promoted a 20/20/20 program. $20 to the national IMBA office, $20 to your local chapter, and 20 hours of trail work/volunteering per year. If you're not doing that now..... get on it.

Getting in the workout, any way you can.

Remembrance

2008-12-25T09:45:00.003-05:00

There's a lot of reasons I ended up being who I am, and doing what I do. And there are a lot of people who helped me out along the way.

John Pavlat was one of those people.

Thanks John. You are missed.

Bah Humbug

2008-12-17T15:33:00.003-05:00

Christmas came early.
As if I wasn't grumpy already. A two-fer from the Commonwealth.
Thanks!

Hibernation

2008-12-15T07:35:00.002-05:00

Time to go to ground. The season is over- at least the bike racing part of it. Having long ago decided to bail on cross nationals, Saturdays Ice Weasels race would be the final event for 2008. I even contemplated pulling the bike back out of the garage and racing- but with temperatures in the 20's that just wasn't going to happen. Instead I bundled up and took pictures and video while everyone else raced. Then we loaded up the truck with the course equipment and headed home.

Sunday there was no alarm set and I slept in, then spent the day on the couch watching the live coverage of cross nationals provided by Cyclocross Magazine. I was rooting for Jon Page- but with a course custom tailored for Trebon, it was literally an uphill battle for everyone else. I missed not being there to see things in person, but then again, I was warm and comfy on the couch instead of standing in a grass field wearing 5 layers of clothing.

One thing about nationals I was glad to miss was yet more fistfights- both on the course and off. I don't know what's happening out there, but I have to say (again) that I'm really struggling with the direction that 'cross seems to be headed. For the first time in a long time I'm glad that I don't have to deal with bike racing and bike racers for a while. Earlier this year I emailed a long time friend and fellow old school cross racer about how the feelings I now get at cross races were the same feelings I used to get at punk shows back in the 80's. That the scene was dying from within- being co-opted by the very people we were fighting against.

The temptation of course is to simply pull the plug- to take my toys and go home. And in all honesty, it would be easy. When you work 14 hour days so that someone else can play for 40 minutes it doesn't take much to crack. Especially when your "customers" act like douchebags. There are plenty of other ways to make a living, almost all of which pay more for less work.

But the problem (or gift, depending on circumstance) of basing your profession on your passion, is that quitting isn't really an option unless that passion is truly dead. And while I'm unhappy with the direction we're headed, I'm not willing to climb out of the boat just yet. So it's probably good that the season is over now, while I'm cracked but not broken. I'll spend the next few months recharging and getting ready for next year. Then I'll start rowing again and see what I can do about changing our course.

In the mean time I'll leave you this:

Almost There

2008-12-01T20:17:00.002-05:00

Final Kilometer!

Just three events and two more weekends to go. Despite the fact that it means not having work for a few months I'm actually really looking forward to having some time off.

Split the weekend between the Bay State Cyclo-cross and running our 15th annual bike swap. The swap came together at the last minute and this might be the final fall one we do. There's just too much going on, and it seems like the swap gets the short end of the stick. Most likely we'll shoot for a winter/spring date and hope to move closer to Boston. At least that's the plan at the moment.

But for now I'm just going to think about getting through the next 10 days or so. With Bay State going to a double weekend next year, and the Verge series going to a full 12 race schedule there's going to be even less free time next year.

Low Battery

2008-11-24T21:58:00.003-05:00

Still in recovery mode after the Whitmores Super Cross Cup...

There was supposed to be a Cyclo-Cross World Cup in the US this year, on the usual dates for Whitmores, and while the the World Cup fell through (shocker) it still meant that New York's biggest cross race had to move dates from early October to late November. And what that really meant is that instead of a beautiful crisp fall weekend in the Hamptons we were treated to a howling winter wind fest. Saturdays race was so windy everything blew over, including the finish line arch...

With it being so windy, and being set up on a paved parking area I couldn't put up the tent sidewalls. Not getting to be bubble boy this weekend meant I froze my butt off. Both days I started out fully charged, with every bit of clothing I had on, and just got colder and colder as the heat ran out of me. Naturally my fingers were the worst. I started the day with half gloves so I could type, but quickly abandoned that idea. So I just mashed away with the full gloves and hoped it came out right. I'd hand a sheet of results to the officials (scoring out of the car), and they'd hand me back one all marked up with the corrections. It was like high school math class all over again. Eventually we'd get it correct and post em, but hoo boy was it rough for a while there.

Just before the start of the elite races on Saturday a familiar face* poked her head under the tent and said:
"Hi, remember me? John's wife? I was wondering, Would you like a coffee?"
I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Turns out Mrs. MoveItFred and her family were running a bake sale at the race. Five minutes later I had a steaming cup of coffee and all was right with the world again. Ten minutes later The Big Guy, Chief Referee Dave Miller realized that I had a cup of coffee and he didn't. Ooops. Karma paid me back for that one on Sunday though, when I got to the Orient Point Ferry at 6:01, just in time to watch the 6:00 boat sail away without me...

MoveItFred and his bake sale beneficiary

*It's well known (I hope) that I can't remember people's names to save my life. Which is kind of understandable when I deal with 4-600 people every weekend. But it means a whole lot of "Oh Hi there.... uh, uh, uh buddy/man/dude/person....." goes on when I talk to people.

Outta My Yard You Damn Kids!!

2008-11-21T11:34:00.002-05:00

The neighborhood kids came over to play in the yard last week...

I don't know what's funnier- the fact that my back yard is on VeloNews, or that somebody in Georgia texted Mega to tell us about it because he recognized our yard. Too bad Powers didn't get the audio working- the commentary was hilarious.

Some Real History at Foggy Bottom

2008-11-13T15:34:00.006-05:00

A little non bike racing for a moment. Mid-week I took a quick* trip down to Washington DC to see my brother graduate into the US State Department's Diplomatic Security Service. It made me incredibly proud to see my brother attain a goal he's wanted for so long. It was true proof that hard work and perseverance pays off.

The ceremony was held in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the Harry S Truman Building, aka Foggy Bottom. You've probably seen the room on TV when they sign treaties and stuff- so it's a really big deal to be holding something there. Despite my status as a dorky socialist vegan bike racer from the Happy Valley, I managed to pass the background check (they really did one!) and they let me in the building.

While waiting for the ceremony to start we mingled in the reception rooms, surrounded by millions and millions of dollars worth of historical antiques. My dad the auctioneer was flipping out at all the stuff they had in these rooms- from clocks to highboys to rugs. It was swank. Having grown up around auctions, I wasn't as impressed until I saw this:
That's Benjamin Franklin's desk from the Treaty of Paris, and in the case on top is a part of the Treaty. Even for a vegan socialist bike racer, to see a part of the document that ended the Revolutionary War is pretty powerful stuff. Growing up you learn to place a lot of emphasis on the Declaration of Independence, and rightly so- but this is the document that says "we did it"- that the 13 Colonies are free, sovereign and independent. It's sort of the other bookend to the Declaration in a way. It was kind of a fitting thing for the day- the end of a long arduous process, and the beginning of something great.

Congratulations Chris. You earned it.

*Quick except for the Beltway. 2+ hours to drive 30 miles? OMG.

Best Intentions

2008-11-13T15:27:00.002-05:00

So I started the 'History' post with the best intentions. I wanted to talk about how cool it was to still be doing the CSI, and how much it means to me that everyone comes out and races or helps or both.... but damn if that race didn't make me tired and I fell asleep while trying to work on it.

Sorry about that.

Highland Park was a blast as usual- it's kind of funny to look at the parallels between the Rutgers kids and the old UMass crew. I hope Craig and Mark are still going with cross twenty years from now...