Ahhhh... The Olden Days...

Ahhh, the good ol' days. It's the natural way of growing up. Everyone goes through a period where they reflect on the "way things used to be... when things were good". Unfortunately, this is also when you cross over to being an old fart who says things like "back in my day...", "These kids today..." and "WHAAAA?? Speak up sonny...". Yeah, it's the natural way of things... Now I'm 36 and I don't consider my self to be "old as dirt" so to speak. Mrs. TEC4 thinks I'm dillusional... I happen to know for a fact that as long as I stay connected to younger society by studying their culture, I stand a better chance of feeling young... and of staying ahead of my already advanced 1 y/o. Yeah... I said it... my kid is smart... like his old man...errr... I mean his "Hip Dad".

So, let's look at RETRO for a minute. There's been much inquiry into the idea of adding a RETRO category to this month's TT. Can I use a Softride? Do Ksyriums count as spoked wheels? Can I use my bike with disc brakes? Does my Cervelo P3 Carbon, Zipp Equipped, Vision Tech'd out old timey bicycle work?? With exception of that last one... the answer is yes. The idea of RETRO was posed to me from a fella (who I may mention later, cuz I didn't ask if I could say his name) who inquired about a retro category for folks who don't want to use their money for TT equipment but want to feel like they're competing against like-riders. I think we have forgotten what it's like to do a TT in the drops. We've been stretching out on our sofa-like aero bars... havin' a beer... relaxing... while we gain 2-3 mph of speed. Now my hope is that we'll draw some folks into our beloved sport. Let's face it. The TT is an insertion point into bike racing. It's a competitive event for folks a little worried about bike handling. If I'm able to bring 2 new riders to the sport through this little test I will consider it a success. I've already added to the Jr. category twice... and let's be honest... my boys WILL be the next "Rider's You Can Afford". Now I know what you're thinking... "Ahhh, TEC4... don't force cycling on them.. .what if they like Football-ocks or something?" This is a cycling family... and we ride bikes around here.

In other news... A person could get kind of discouraged by the state of affairs in PRO cycling today. Discovery leaving, doping, Unibet being excluded because of the grand tours/UCI power struggle. It'll all work itself out... trust me. One day Dick Pound will pass on... It's the cycle of life. I have no doubt that there will a velodrome in each major city one day. Road cycling will make a resurgance. Just keep the faith. $460,000 by the way... Oh... What's that you wonder? That's the price to install a 200m removeable track inside of Key Arena or Safeco Field for a six-day bike race. Not feasible now... or is it?? Safeco Six-Day!!! Alright... it's 4 am now and time for the trainer. Why am I riding my trainer still? Cuz I like my trainer... Me and Ol' Flo get on like a house on fire... and it allows me to get my workout in before getting the boy up. Keep the peace folks... See you next week... enjoy your Curly.