Thursday, April 07, 2005

Frenzy of activity.

Today, more than ever, I am glad that I am the resident road dork in the building and only responsible for road bikes and the shaved leg freaks we are who ride them. The place is a frantic little bee hive right now as the Haro folks are preparing for Sea Otter. I'd love to be there to do the road races this year, but it just isn't possible. Sea Otter though, is hugely important to the MTB segment of business here. Team bikes and gear are being assembled and brought together in preperation. It's the first really big event of the year with all the disciplines of dirt being held during the week. Needless to say, there is a lazer-like focus on getting things "just right". As a self-proclaimed road nut, I am admittedly one of the very last people on the planet you want working on a mountain bike (some might argue the same about a road bike... Mike). I feel their pain, but am pretty much helpless to help them. I can stand there and look stupid (or pretty depending on the day), but I am not exactly able to get team bikes built and ready for a major event.

My head is still spinning from the excitement of the Tuesday track races. It is so exciting to see the amount of support being shown at the track by the people in the stands and the racers on the track. Now we just need to find some people to help finance having the track resurfaced. I am going to create my own little crusade to get some funding to the track so it can get resurfaced. Know somebody with deep pockets and a philanthropic mind, let me know. The velodrome association really needs some money to get the track back to a better level. They do an awful lot for the local community and should get some recognition for it. They do great free classes for the local kids and it is one of the many great things they do.

If you are in San Diego this Sunday, swing by the velodrome for the Spring Bike Swapmeet. Checkout www.sdvelodrome.com for more information and directions. Lots of cool deals and the money they charge for entry goes directly back to the track. It's certainly worth checking out. If you need a left-side crank arm for that old Campy Nuovo Record crankset, you just might find it. Maybe an Omas titanium hubset? How about a Girvin Flex Stem or a Simplex rear derailleur? Benotto vinyl tape or Cateye cloth tape?You'll see me digging through boxes of old track stuff looking for more chainrings and cogs. You can never have enough...

Tim

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