I just don't get it???

by Roby Holland, National Sales Manager


I was in a large sporting goods store last night to look for some lacrosse sticks for my son and I to play with. I had some time and wondered over to the bike section to check out what was going on and gather some intel.

While I was doing this, I overheard a sales person pitching a customer on a kids' bike. Well, it really wasn't a pitch, it was more like a verbal warning not to buy that bike - at least to me it was.

The customer was asking a few good questions about shifting and breaking to get an understanding of how it works. The salesman began to demonstrate how these components work and as he tried to do this they did not work in the same manner in which he was explaining it. Then sales person proceeded to explain to the customer that the bike was improperly put together and proceeded to give him a crash course on how to fix it.

As I looked over at the customer, he began to get this glazed look as he tried to keep pace with the sales person's instructions and then he broke. In a short verbal burst he asked the sales person if he could do it. The sale person's response was "I'm pretty sure I can, we have a shop in the back".

I thought to myself , why would you allow or even want a person who said "I'm pretty sure I can" to work on your son's or daughter's new bike? Why would you want to buy a bike that is improperly assembled? This blew me away and it is not the first time I have heard similar sales pitches in big stores like these.

I guess now that I have a child, I look at it differently. Would you buy a car if the sales person told you it was assembled wrong? I don't know about you, but my kid wouldn't even get to smell the inside; I'd be out of there so fast.

If you take away something from this rant I would ask that it be this. If the sales person tells you how to fix the new bike that you are about to buy, walk away, or run away and find a real bike shop. They are all over the place and they will be able to give you the right advice and get you, your kid, your family or your friend on the right bike, safely!

Did you catch that last word.....SAFELY!!!!! I have nothing against these stores except they don't do a good job to make biking a safe and enjoyable sport for the masses that they serve.

Cheers
Roby

Foul Mood - Caution Rant Ahead

If you are a reader of this blog, y'all know that I've been at the Dealer Expo this week so I haven't had a chance to follow the build up to the Tour of California. Yesterday I did get in a short post wishing my friend Tyler Hamilton well in his return to US racing. Last night when I went to look at the results I couldn't find him and then I had an email from a friend saying that she saw he was left off the roster. That was curious, but I knew that it was really early in the season for him and maybe he just wasn't ready.

Oh no....after a little reading this morning I find that he was left off the roster because he and two others "were not approved entry because of a possible open doping investigation." Excuse me? Because they might be investigated again. Ok, I've had enough. Finally. I'm done. I love the fact that Cipo is back. I truly love the sport and if Tyler is racing somewhere that I can get to, I'll go and support him 100%, but as for the rest of it, I'm done.

From Michael Ball, team owner of Rock Racing about this whole thing..."This is not a decision governed by the agreement. There is no open investigation. AEG is acting irrationally to the detriment of the sport."

Let me preface all of this with I want clean cycling. Very clean. I have no issues with logical, legal methods to getting cycling clean.

I wrote about this last month when I was appalled at the new regulations at the Tour of California. According to the ToC organizers we do not live in the United States where you are innocent until proven guilty. According to the ToC organizers, they are dictators and decide who should be able to race and who shouldn't. Not the governing bodies of sport, but them. That is just WRONG! Can I make that any more clear? Yes, ok, disclaimer again, I consider Tyler a friend. However, I can make the same argument here for Santiago Botero and Oscar Sevilla who were also banned from this "event" without ever having met them.

This Operation Puerto "investigation" has reared its ugly head conveniently before a major tour more times than I care to count. After the tour is over, it goes away. They have some "evidence", but nothing they have been able to prove for YEARS now people. If it's there, then go after those riders. Please. Do. If it isn't, let's get this gone and move on. YEARS have gone by with this now. When does this one "investigation" end? Or will it loom for Tours for YEARS more to come?

So, they might open the investigation again...and they MIGHT find someone guilty of doping. MAYBE. But, it has been YEARS and the folks they are talking about in Cali haven't been charged with anything. Now, a lot of you say "yet" at the end of that sentance. And, you may very well be right, but the fact of the matter is that WE DO NOT KNOW. So...why shouldn't they race? Seriously.

Yea, ok, go ahead and tell me that Tyler has been banned before and that it "proves" he "probably" had something to do with Operation Puerto. Again, United States here people. Don't forget that. Tyler did his time, just like David Millar. Tyler is cleared to race by the governing body. Tyler is still cleared to race by the governing body. So are Oscar and Santiago. Who is the ToC to say differently? Because they "MIGHT" have "something" to do with a years old investigation? Really? Well, any one of those guys in that field "might" have an infraction at some point in their career - even this year. But nobody knows....just like we don't know if any of those guys kicked out of the ToC, before it even started, will. Their name is on a list. There might be some evidence that is years old, maybe, but not proven. Yet, they can't race. That is WRONG.

And then there is the whole Astana mess with the Tour de France. Yea, that works for me, too...

I'm done. Done. Give me family cycling. Give me riding with my friends. Give me kids cycling. Give me rides for charities. Do not expect me to get behind pro cycling until this ridiculousness ends. Skull and Crossbones for the Rock Racing team? Good deal - get me some of that gear!

My very own bike racing RANT

USA Today's Sal Ruibal is a great supporter and reporter of cycling and I always enjoy reading his articles. He's a very fair reporter and knows how to get a scoop. Today he's got some information on the Tour of California's new drug testing protocols. Give it a read.

(note: rant about to start...)

I'd heard through the grapevine last week about some of this information. I wasn't happy about it then and I'm not that happy about it now. Now before you run off and say that I want to stick our heads in the sand and have less testing that's not it. I have no problems with the extensive testing they are going to be doing in Cali this year. Actually, I stand up and applaud it. Way to go!

They are actually going to have testing before the race to get a norm reading, if you will. If that varies during the race...well...chances are you've been a bad boy. I'm all for that as long as normal bodily production is taken into account. I'm not a doctor so I have no idea if that last sentence is feasible or not, but just wanted to put it out there.

As they go through the race, each day's winner will be tested and the overall leader will also be tested (I think that's what they do in Le Tour, too). In addition, three random riders will be tested very single day. Bravo! Way to go Tour of California! Much better than last year's plan.

Now comes the part I, personally, am not happy about. I don't want to paraphrase, so I'll use Sal's words here because he's seen the plan and I haven't.

Teams have agreed to guarantee that all members, including coaches, trainers and support staff, are clear of any open doping investigations. The team's roster of riders will be submitted to USA Cycling (the national governing organization) and UCI to confirm that there are no "open investigations."

Sal goes on to write...
That exclusion rule has some teams worried. USADA guidelines say a rider can only be suspended if an offense is established. But without a clear definition of "open investigations" at the Tour of California, teams are concerned that overzealous officials could restrict riders without due legal process.

I bolded that last bit because it is exactly what concerns me, too. It concerned me last week when I heard it because the last I checked we were in the United States where, in theory, you are innocent until proven guilty. This last bit does not allow for that. It shuns people that could be truly innocent and doesn't allow them to make a living doing their job.

Yes, more times than not, it seems like in the last couple of years if you are accused of doping you've done it. BUT, there are a few times that this hasn't been the case at all. Riders have been cleared. Whether you choose to believe them or not is a personal choice, but some riders have been cleared. So, under this new rule in Cali, if you are under suspicion you are, in their mind, guilty and they do not want you at their race. Wow. Judge & Jury out there in Cali without knowing any facts.

I absolutely, without question think that drugs do not have any place in sport. I absolutely, without question think that there needs to be better, more consistent systems. I absolutely believe that those who have gone through the system and been proven to cheat should be suspended and not be able to ride in sanctioned races. I absolutely applaud Tour of California for most of their stepped up efforts in the fight against performance enhancing drugs.

However, I do not condone making potentially innocent men sit on the side lines because someone accused them of something. Maybe there is basis to that accusation, maybe not. It's also a very grey area. What constitutes a legitimate allegation being investigated by the "authorities"? Oy...this could be very messy.

I think that the whole sport has been so damaged recently and that races and officials need to find more consistency in their testing and rules. I don't think that keeping potentially innocent men out of competition is the way to do it. We saw that in Le Tour in 2006 - whole teams were kept out of Le Tour and then a few weeks later, "oops, we made a mistake". Seriously? Who compensates them for the wages lost and the sponsors' dollars lost?

Yes, sponsors are walking away from pro cycling because of the doping. But, let's face it, there have been false accusations. So now we are in the situation where a sponsor believes in their riders, but someone says they aren't clean so they are investigated and during that investigation races start excluding them from riding. The sponsor loses chances to promote their brand and their team during that time. Low and behold, that rider is cleared a few weeks or months later. The rider isn't the only one who loses out.

If this becomes the norm at races, you may see additional sponsors walking away.

We are in the United States, people. Innocent until proven guilty.

End of rant...

A Winter Ride

by Roby Holland, National Sales Manager


WOW, how the weather changes in New England! Today is just down right nasty. It was just right last Saturday, a beautiful forty degree day, that I was on my bike for an afternoon ride.

The problem with winter days like this is that they are very sporadic and you are not always prepared to take advantage of them. I think it took me just as long to find my gear as it took for the entire ride.

It was one of those rides where the people in the cars look at you as if you are a crazy person riding tricycle in your birthday suite during a blizzard. You, on the other hand, have the feeling like "Come-on in the water is fine! You'd be surprised what it will do for your complexion, not to mention your dogs mid section."

The ride was appox. 21 miles, and took me on my local tour of the beach and points of interest in Duxbury. The bay was quiet and void of any birds working the fish, a sight which I long for and await its triumphant return!

Back to the ride. This ride was one part introspective, one part reflection one part stress buster, and one reminiscing past rides . I bring up the four parts of my ride because I think many of us think about similar things during our times on our bikes at one time or another. The most enjoyable part of the ride for me was when I let go of the bars to stretch and almost crashed into a mailbox.

You might be asking yourself why that was the high light of my ride? This brought me back to the day that my brother and I were riding our bikes around the neighborhood with some buddies. For the last few days my brother had been trying to ride his bike "no handed" and it just was not happening. One of our buddies suggested to him that he ride faster to help steady the bike. Well, it helped alright and when my brother proudly turned his head and yelled to me "Hey Roby, check this out" he was promptly removed from his bike by one of our neighbor's extending mailboxes. All of us fell off our bikes in that debilitating laughter we all had as kids when one of your friends shows off and get absolutely abused for it. After a good chuckle to myself, I began to think of other times that my brother and I shared similar moments in our life and when that next moment would be.

The point of this rant is to remind us of the fun times we have had with friends and families on our bikes, skateboards, roller-blades or whatever vehicle brought you together and made you laugh together. More importantly not to forget these good times and fond memories and that they can still be had everyday!

Happy New Year

End of Summer? Already?!

Do you ever find yourself saying at say 7pm on a Sunday night, "Where did the weekend go?" I do it constantly. I'm never sure how I got from 6pm on Friday night to...woosh...Sunday night. How did it happen? I don't ever get enough done or relax enough or hang out enough. Two days is just too short.

But, summer here in the US is really, in my mind, from Memorial Day to Labor Day. That's 3 months. Not two days...three months. And, I still find myself saying today on the eve of Labor Day Weekend, "Where did the summer go?" Really. The days are already getting much shorter - like an hour more of darkness than in the middle of summer. Nights are a little cool sometimes now.

Where did it go? Does anyone have an answer for that?

Fall holds great things, too. My Facebook Countdown Calendar tells me that Interbike (the bicycle trade show in the US) is in 26 days (yikes!!) so we'll be off to Vegas soon. But, before that I'm up at the NASCAR track in NH for the race September 16 (woo-hoo!). And, the Fall Foliage Run Weekend with the Perewitz Family soon after. So, there are many things to look forward to in the fall, but I'd still like to stretch out summer a little longer, just like I would every weekend of the year.

For those of you in the US - have a great long weekend. Ride safe.

Tour Day Neighborhood and a little rant

I've struggled with what to write today. A sport that I love to watch is in chaos. I knew this before Le Tour started. I wrote about it. I swore I wouldn't get caught up in it. But, then, as the grand lady of all tours came closer, I found myself drawn to it again. I wanted to watch the great scenery. I wanted to see the athletic feats unfold in front of my eyes. And, yes, I wanted to hear Bob Roll's commentary. I looked forward to it all again.

I've enjoyed the Tour right up until yesterday. Watching with heartache when Rogers had to abandon, watching Vino bleed through his bandages and keep plugging along through the crosswinds, watching the young pup Contador win a stage and seem like he was playing with the field and, of course, watching Vino come back from all the blood and stitches and win two stages. Yes, I was cheering in my living room at the sheer wonder of it all.

Yesterday was a tough, tough day. A tour without Vino, a Cofidis rider being taken away and then the grand slam....my friend and fellow cycling fanatic, Reva, called and asked if I heard what happened at the tour. Yes, I had heard about the Italian and Cofidis...but, no I hadn't heard the proverbial cherry on top..the yellow jersey pulled out of the tour, after winning that day's stage. I hadn't heard that; it was a good thing I was sitting down when she told me. Not positive dope test, just yanked for lying to his team.

Now, we could go back and forth all day long about who is guilty, who may be guilty and who is innocent. But, I'm just too jaded to do that. Yesterday, I was done, totally done with cycling. That's it - fini!

But, today, I looked at my bike in the corner and thought...it's not the bike's fault. I loved riding my bike around my neighborhood as a kid. I lived on a very rural road and found myself riding further and further from my house as I got older. It was a great freedom. I lost that when I went to college in the city (no, I am not a city rider...I admire messengers more than I can say but it's not for me personally), got a car and had friends that lived in places too far to ride my bike to. When I came to Kryptonite, I got the bug again and got a new bike that I love. I still don't ride that often - life is busy, busy, busy. But, I know why I like riding when I actually do it.

I like "getting somewhere" when I'm out. When I walk, I get a couple of miles. When I ride I get 3 to 4 times that far; see more things. I love looking at people's gardens, watching kids in yards, and dogs and squirrels and such. When I go out it is a true "Tour Day Neighborhood," not a training ride.

So, pro cycling puts a black mark against 'cycling', but we as the every day bike riders can still make sure that kids find the love of bike riding. It's not all about the pros. It's about all of us bike riders - there are a ton of us out there. Start your own Tour Day Neighborhood today. Don't sit around and stew about the 'state of the sport'. It's only the state of the pro sport that is in shambles. The state of bike riding is as great as it has always been.

As Bob Roll said, it's about freedom, which is "just another word for two-wheeled self-propelled nirvana". Get out and ride your bike. Get out and tour your neighborhood. What do you see? Let us know. Share your neighborhood adventure with us all. Let's get out and see what's around us, as we see it on our bikes, not from the car, not what we see on the television with the chaos in France, but in our own neighborhoods.