Cycling will get bigger when Americans get smarter.

[Tony Austn]

If you are an American and lover cycling, your IQ has to be well over
110 points

Cycling is not popular here in America because Americans can only
understand racing if it has no right turns in it. (Like Nascar or Indy.
And then those poor, "gifted", Americans who can't even understand
NASCAR prefer drag racing because it has no turns.)

Oh, the names of the "athletes" have to be: Dale, Ernie, Bubba, Jethro,
or Bobby to be able to get an endorsement and they have to come from a
state that only has three last names. (I will let your imagination
figure out why there are only three last names.)

Why isn't grand prix, cycling, or motorcycle racing popular?, because
the average American is an idiot and prefers Jerry Springer over Chris
Matthews, or Nascar; whose redneck drivers can barely speak American
english or are even able point out where France is on a map, over
cycling.

The American public prefers sports where beer is sold and cheerleaders
with fake blonde hair with those silly colored stripes in it with
strange colors that you see no where else in nature and who actually
consider Pam Anderson, or Anna Nicole Smith as a role model as side
entertainment.

As an American, I think cycling requires to high of an IQ for the fat,
American, slob, in the grandstand wearing face paint, no shirt, and a
giant piece of cheese on his head while it is 20 degrees outside.

And this is coming from an American in California.

[Edward Waffle]

If you are waiting for Americans to get smarter, then cycling will never be
popular in the USA.

[henry]

but bikes get in the way of SUVs


"Tony Austn" > wrote in message
...
> If you are an American and lover cycling, your IQ has to be well over
> 110 points
>
> Cycling is not popular here in America because Americans can only
> understand racing if it has no right turns in it. (Like Nascar or Indy.
> And then those poor, "gifted", Americans who can't even understand
> NASCAR prefer drag racing because it has no turns.)
>
> Oh, the names of the "athletes" have to be: Dale, Ernie, Bubba, Jethro,
> or Bobby to be able to get an endorsement and they have to come from a
> state that only has three last names. (I will let your imagination
> figure out why there are only three last names.)
>
> Why isn't grand prix, cycling, or motorcycle racing popular?, because
> the average American is an idiot and prefers Jerry Springer over Chris
> Matthews, or Nascar; whose redneck drivers can barely speak American
> english or are even able point out where France is on a map, over
> cycling.
>
> The American public prefers sports where beer is sold and cheerleaders
> with fake blonde hair with those silly colored stripes in it with
> strange colors that you see no where else in nature and who actually
> consider Pam Anderson, or Anna Nicole Smith as a role model as side
> entertainment.
>
> As an American, I think cycling requires to high of an IQ for the fat,
> American, slob, in the grandstand wearing face paint, no shirt, and a
> giant piece of cheese on his head while it is 20 degrees outside.
>
> And this is coming from an American in California.

[warren]

In article
>, Edward
Waffle > wrote:

> If you are waiting for Americans to get smarter, then cycling will never be
> popular in the USA.

Consider this... As Americans continue to get fatter I'm seeing more
and more of these fatties riding their bikes on the bike trail. 45
miles of paved and shaded paths with water fountains and picnic tables
every few miles while riding next to a nice river is a good way to do
something like exercise. Perhaps there is a point where the fattie
says, "I'm 40 pounds overweight and I've got to do something about it.
Riding a bike looks easy enough and alot more comfortable than running
so I'll try that." The other interesting thing around here at least is
that in the last two years or so the proportion of those beginners that
are women has grown to about 50%.

-WG

[Cycling Joe]

I have a few bubba's at the office who've enjoyed the hell out of the
TDF this year now that it's on OLN.

[Edward Waffle]

warren wrote in message >...
>In article
>, Edward
>Waffle > wrote:
>
>> If you are waiting for Americans to get smarter, then cycling will never
be
>> popular in the USA.
>
>Consider this... As Americans continue to get fatter I'm seeing more
>and more of these fatties riding their bikes on the bike trail.

With all due respect: F*ck them and the bike they rode in on. Morons spend a
lot of money on what they consider to be mountain bikes and then can't find
any place to ride them other than the damned sidewalks.

The "bike" paths are full of people walking and pushing strollers.

[Tony Austn]

In article
>,
"Edward Waffle" > wrote:

>
> The "bike" paths are full of people walking and pushing strollers.


I hate that so much. I have fallen twice because of that. It's always
the fat pig with the dog and the two kids who really belong on the leash.

[Raptor]

Tony Austn wrote:
> The American public prefers sports where beer is sold and cheerleaders
> with fake blonde hair with those silly colored stripes in it with

Now, there's an idea!

Le Tour doesn't need them - the podium girls are enough for the
organization. But the TEAMS, at least the top ones, could hire
cheerleading squads.

I'm not enough of a marketing genius to figure out how best to work them
into each stage. They've got to be in front of the cameras every day.

(OLN needs to make a commercial based on your whole arrogant, but
possibly correct, post.)

--
--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
"I'm not proud. We really haven't done everything we could to protect
our customers. Our products just aren't engineered for security."
--Microsoft VP in charge of Windows OS Development, Brian Valentine.

[Tezza]

Tony Austn wrote:
> If you are an American and lover cycling, your IQ has to be well over
> 110 points
> Cycling is not popular here in America because Americans can only
> understand racing if it has no right turns in it. (Like Nascar or Indy.
> And then those poor, "gifted", Americans who can't even understand
> NASCAR prefer drag racing because it has no turns.)
> Oh, the names of the "athletes" have to be: Dale, Ernie, Bubba, Jethro,
> or Bobby to be able to get an endorsement and they have to come from a
> state that only has three last names. (I will let your imagination
> figure out why there are only three last names.)
> Why isn't grand prix, cycling, or motorcycle racing popular?, because
> the average American is an idiot and prefers Jerry Springer over
> Chris Matthews, or Nascar; whose redneck drivers can barely speak
> American english or are even able point out where France is on a map,
> over cycling.
> The American public prefers sports where beer is sold and cheerleaders
> with fake blonde hair with those silly colored stripes in it with
> strange colors that you see no where else in nature and who actually
> consider Pam Anderson, or Anna Nicole Smith as a role model as side
> entertainment.
> As an American, I think cycling requires to high of an IQ for the fat,
> American, slob, in the grandstand wearing face paint, no shirt, and a
> giant piece of cheese on his head while it is 20 degrees outside.
> And this is coming from an American in California.



Tony, You give me hope. All we see here in Aus, is the dumb yank
courtesy of some third rate TV show or Hollywood fantasy. Your
comments make it clear that there really is intelligent life out
there. Cheers, Tezza



--
>--------------------------<
Posted via cyclingforums.com
http://www.cyclingforums.com

[Carl Sundquist]

"Edward Waffle" > wrote in message
>
> The "bike" paths are full of people walking and pushing strollers.
>

Which is exactly the same attitude that many drivers have with bikes on the
road.

[Marlene Blanshay]

In article >, warren > wrote:

> In article
> >, Edward
> Waffle > wrote:
>
> > If you are waiting for Americans to get smarter, then cycling will never be
> > popular in the USA.
>
> Consider this... As Americans continue to get fatter I'm seeing more
> and more of these fatties riding their bikes on the bike trail. 45
> miles of paved and shaded paths with water fountains and picnic tables
> every few miles while riding next to a nice river is a good way to do
> something like exercise. Perhaps there is a point where the fattie
> says, "I'm 40 pounds overweight and I've got to do something about it.
> Riding a bike looks easy enough and alot more comfortable than running
> so I'll try that." The other interesting thing around here at least is
> that in the last two years or so the proportion of those beginners that
> are women has grown to about 50%.
>
> -WG

I think we also have to lose the dumb north american idea that athletes
have to be huge muscled hulks or beer drinking bubbas.

Yesterday as I was doing my stretches I caught "Oprah" and they were doing
those weight-loss success stories where people come out on stage having
lost like 300 pounds and they look great. In most cases it was because
they didn't ever get any exercise, like most good americans. But I'm
always hearing those stories from cyclists, about how they were really fat
and out of shape and then got into cycling. "I was so fat I couldn't get
into the drops, etc". We just met up with one of those guys recently. He'd
been an athlete then got all tubby and out of shape and then got into
cycling, and now he's 55 and races, and has the physique of a 25 year old.
I see people like that often, mostly men I admit. They should get those
success stories on Oprah and then everyone will see that cycling is not
only a sport, it can take those pounds off, add years to your life, make
you look 25 years younger and it's actually FUN! People think of
'exercise' and oftne they think of grueling, boring routines. I wasn't
even fat but I've lost 6 pounds since the beginning of the season!

[Marlene Blanshay]

In article >,
Tony Austn > wrote:

> In article
> >,
> "Edward Waffle" > wrote:
>
> >
> > The "bike" paths are full of people walking and pushing strollers.
>
>
> I hate that so much. I have fallen twice because of that. It's always
> the fat pig with the dog and the two kids who really belong on the leash.

OR dumb teenage parents on ROLLERBLADES pushing their strollers!

[Marty]

"Raptor" > wrote in message ...
> Tony Austn wrote:
> > The American public prefers sports where beer is sold and cheerleaders
> > with fake blonde hair with those silly colored stripes in it with
>
> Now, there's an idea!
>
> Le Tour doesn't need them - the podium girls are enough for the
> organization. But the TEAMS, at least the top ones, could hire
> cheerleading squads.

Rabobank has one. Not a squad, but one cheerleader.

[RZ]

"Lover cycling"? Who's the idiot?


"Tony Austn" > wrote in message
...
> If you are an American and lover cycling, your IQ has to be well over
> 110 points
>
> Cycling is not popular here in America because Americans can only
> understand racing if it has no right turns in it. (Like Nascar or Indy.
> And then those poor, "gifted", Americans who can't even understand
> NASCAR prefer drag racing because it has no turns.)
>
> Oh, the names of the "athletes" have to be: Dale, Ernie, Bubba, Jethro,
> or Bobby to be able to get an endorsement and they have to come from a
> state that only has three last names. (I will let your imagination
> figure out why there are only three last names.)
>
> Why isn't grand prix, cycling, or motorcycle racing popular?, because
> the average American is an idiot and prefers Jerry Springer over Chris
> Matthews, or Nascar; whose redneck drivers can barely speak American
> english or are even able point out where France is on a map, over
> cycling.
>
> The American public prefers sports where beer is sold and cheerleaders
> with fake blonde hair with those silly colored stripes in it with
> strange colors that you see no where else in nature and who actually
> consider Pam Anderson, or Anna Nicole Smith as a role model as side
> entertainment.
>
> As an American, I think cycling requires to high of an IQ for the fat,
> American, slob, in the grandstand wearing face paint, no shirt, and a
> giant piece of cheese on his head while it is 20 degrees outside.
>
> And this is coming from an American in California.

[Dave Allar]

> "Tony Austn" > wrote in message
> ...

-snip incredibaly arogant and ignorant rant...

> > And this is coming from an American in California.
>

American in California...quite an oxymoron...

[Tony Austn]

In article >,
"Dave Allar" > wrote:

> > "Tony Austn" > wrote in message
> > ...
>
> -snip incredibaly arogant and ignorant rant...
>
> > > And this is coming from an American in California.

> American in California...quite an oxymoron...

Oh look, a NASCAR fan!

[Tom Ewall]

Tony Austn > wrote in message >...
> If you are an American and lover cycling, your IQ has to be well over
> 110 points
>
> Cycling is not popular here in America because Americans can only
> understand racing if it has no right turns in it.

Left turns.

[one of the six billion]

"Tony Austn" > wrote in message
...
> In article
> >,
> "Edward Waffle" > wrote:
>
> >
> > The "bike" paths are full of people walking and pushing strollers.
>
>
> I hate that so much. I have fallen twice because of that. It's always
> the fat pig with the dog and the two kids who really belong on the leash.

The get out of my way mentality is ugly. If you want to ride more than 8
mph, ride on the street.

[Edward Waffle]

Marty wrote in message ...
>"Raptor" > wrote in message ...
>> Tony Austn wrote:
>> > The American public prefers sports where beer is sold and cheerleaders
>> > with fake blonde hair with those silly colored stripes in it with
>>
>> Now, there's an idea!
>>
>> Le Tour doesn't need them - the podium girls are enough for the
>> organization. But the TEAMS, at least the top ones, could hire
>> cheerleading squads.
>
>Rabobank has one. Not a squad, but one cheerleader.


What does ONE cheerleader do? Besides "lead cheers" of course.

[Tony Austn]

In article
>,
"Edward Waffle" > wrote:


> What does ONE cheerleader do? Besides "lead cheers" of course.

Ahhh, I think the term "cheer leader" is a euphenism for something else
especially if she is from Amsterdam.

[jim gravity]

Tony Austn wrote:
> In article >,
> "Edward Waffle" > wrote:
> > What does ONE cheerleader do? Besides "lead cheers" of course.
> Ahhh, I think the term "cheer leader" is a euphenism for something else
> especially if she is from Amsterdam.



Mrs. Gunn



--
>--------------------------<
Posted via cyclingforums.com
http://www.cyclingforums.com

[Marty]

"Edward Waffle" > wrote in message
...
>
> Marty wrote in message ...
> >"Raptor" > wrote in message
...
> >> Tony Austn wrote:
> >> > The American public prefers sports where beer is sold and
cheerleaders
> >> > with fake blonde hair with those silly colored stripes in it with
> >>
> >> Now, there's an idea!
> >>
> >> Le Tour doesn't need them - the podium girls are enough for the
> >> organization. But the TEAMS, at least the top ones, could hire
> >> cheerleading squads.
> >
> >Rabobank has one. Not a squad, but one cheerleader.
>
>
> What does ONE cheerleader do? Besides "lead cheers" of course.

Odessa. Levi's wife. Wasn't there an incident with her and some poms poms
during a race recently?
--
Marty

[Ehenz]

Sorry folks, but cycling is a "poor mans" sport. That is why it
has been, and will remain a popular sport in Europe and not so
much in the U.S.

Regards,

ehenz



--
>--------------------------<
Posted via cyclingforums.com
http://www.cyclingforums.com

[Kurgan Gringioni]

"Ehenz" > wrote in message
...
> Sorry folks, but cycling is a "poor mans" sport. That is why it
> has been, and will remain a popular sport in Europe and not so
> much in the U.S.



Like basketball?

[warren]

In article >, Nick Burns
> wrote:

> "one of the six billion" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Tony Austn" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > In article
> > > >,
> > > "Edward Waffle" > wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > > The "bike" paths are full of people walking and pushing strollers.
> > >
> > >
> > > I hate that so much. I have fallen twice because of that. It's always
> > > the fat pig with the dog and the two kids who really belong on the
> leash.
> >
> > The get out of my way mentality is ugly. If you want to ride more than 8
> > mph, ride on the street.
>
> I never understood cyclists that complain about trail pedestrian trail use.
> I am never on my bike unless I am where cars are allowed.

Try the American River Bike Trail, except on weekends.

-WG

[guess who]

Maybe it would go over better if the races went around in ovals, only turned
left, made more noise and were sponsored by cigarettes!
"GeneralNollidge" > wrote in message
news:43jTa.119481$N7.16686@sccrnsc03...
> no it wont. I love it, but it will never get big in the US, just like
> soccer/football won't.
> the reason being, there is 4 major sports in this country, generations
have
> grown up watching them. They are here to stay, you are not going to bring
a
> new sport in to compete with those 4. It just won't happen. Most of the
> european countries(where cycling is popular) have football/soccer and
> cricket. So cycling can compete easily with 2 major sports.
> I wish the TDF got prime coverage, as I am an avid cycler , but OLN is
> helping tremendously !!
> GO LANCE!!!
> "Tony Austn" > wrote in message
> ...
> > If you are an American and lover cycling, your IQ has to be well over
> > 110 points
> >
> > Cycling is not popular here in America because Americans can only
> > understand racing if it has no right turns in it. (Like Nascar or Indy.
> > And then those poor, "gifted", Americans who can't even understand
> > NASCAR prefer drag racing because it has no turns.)
> >
> > Oh, the names of the "athletes" have to be: Dale, Ernie, Bubba, Jethro,
> > or Bobby to be able to get an endorsement and they have to come from a
> > state that only has three last names. (I will let your imagination
> > figure out why there are only three last names.)
> >
> > Why isn't grand prix, cycling, or motorcycle racing popular?, because
> > the average American is an idiot and prefers Jerry Springer over Chris
> > Matthews, or Nascar; whose redneck drivers can barely speak American
> > english or are even able point out where France is on a map, over
> > cycling.
> >
> > The American public prefers sports where beer is sold and cheerleaders
> > with fake blonde hair with those silly colored stripes in it with
> > strange colors that you see no where else in nature and who actually
> > consider Pam Anderson, or Anna Nicole Smith as a role model as side
> > entertainment.
> >
> > As an American, I think cycling requires to high of an IQ for the fat,
> > American, slob, in the grandstand wearing face paint, no shirt, and a
> > giant piece of cheese on his head while it is 20 degrees outside.
> >
> > And this is coming from an American in California.
>
>
>

[Mr. Toast]

Tony Austn > wrote in message >...
> If you are an American and lover cycling, your IQ has to be well over
> 110 points
>
> Cycling is not popular here in America because Americans can only
> understand racing if it has no right turns in it. (Like Nascar or Indy.
> And then those poor, "gifted", Americans who can't even understand
> NASCAR prefer drag racing because it has no turns.)

That's actually a pretty ignorant statement coming from a cyclist.
NASCAR and bike racing share something important: drafting. Being able
draft introduces a tremendous amount of tactical complexity to both
sports. One car in anothers draft allows them both to go faster, just
as in cycling. It also introduces sprint tactics like slingshotting.
You also have the equivalent of a peleton - drafting lines of a dozen
cars or more. In both sports the ability to form mutually beneficial
alliances with your competitors is an important tactic ("it takes two
to pass one"), as is knowing when to break those alliances for your
own gain.

I'm not a Nascar fan, I wish it would dissappear from TV immediately.
But I don't resort to strawmen to take shots at it.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2078672/

[Kurgan Gringioni]

"Mr. Toast" > wrote in message
om...
> Tony Austn > wrote in message
>...
> > If you are an American and lover cycling, your IQ has to be well over
> > 110 points
> >
> > Cycling is not popular here in America because Americans can only
> > understand racing if it has no right turns in it. (Like Nascar or Indy.
> > And then those poor, "gifted", Americans who can't even understand
> > NASCAR prefer drag racing because it has no turns.)
>
> That's actually a pretty ignorant statement coming from a cyclist.
> NASCAR and bike racing share something important: drafting. Being able
> draft introduces a tremendous amount of tactical complexity to both
> sports. One car in anothers draft allows them both to go faster, just
> as in cycling. It also introduces sprint tactics like slingshotting.
> You also have the equivalent of a peleton - drafting lines of a dozen
> cars or more. In both sports the ability to form mutually beneficial
> alliances with your competitors is an important tactic ("it takes two
> to pass one"), as is knowing when to break those alliances for your
> own gain.
>
> I'm not a Nascar fan, I wish it would dissappear from TV immediately.
> But I don't resort to strawmen to take shots at it.




NASCAR would be cool if it wasn't for the redneck element.

[Nick Burns]

"GeneralNollidge" > wrote in message
news:vukTa.120592$Ph3.15156@sccrnsc04...
> thats not true dude and you know it.
> the reason that F-1 isnt popular in the US, is that there is too big of a
> gap in the car makes (ferrari dominates) & there is little passing .. This
> country doesn't like that, it is viewed as boring. Remember, this is the
> same country that found their major sport of basketball to slow paced
for
> the fans, so they added a 24sec shot clock to make it more fan friendly.
> I personally watch f-1 every week, and i love cycling. perhaps it has
> something to do with me being born in ipswich,england.

I love F1 and I can't figure out why Americans don't like it. I think it is
just erceived as "European" and that is the kiss of death to most Americans.

> "guess who" > wrote in message
> om...
> > Maybe it would go over better if the races went around in ovals, only
> turned
> > left, made more noise and were sponsored by cigarettes!
> > "GeneralNollidge" > wrote in message
> > news:43jTa.119481$N7.16686@sccrnsc03...
> > > no it wont. I love it, but it will never get big in the US, just like
> > > soccer/football won't.
> > > the reason being, there is 4 major sports in this country, generations
> > have
> > > grown up watching them. They are here to stay, you are not going to
> bring
> > a
> > > new sport in to compete with those 4. It just won't happen. Most of
the
> > > european countries(where cycling is popular) have football/soccer and
> > > cricket. So cycling can compete easily with 2 major sports.
> > > I wish the TDF got prime coverage, as I am an avid cycler , but OLN is
> > > helping tremendously !!
> > > GO LANCE!!!
> > > "Tony Austn" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > > If you are an American and lover cycling, your IQ has to be well
over
> > > > 110 points
> > > >
> > > > Cycling is not popular here in America because Americans can only
> > > > understand racing if it has no right turns in it. (Like Nascar or
> Indy.
> > > > And then those poor, "gifted", Americans who can't even understand
> > > > NASCAR prefer drag racing because it has no turns.)
> > > >
> > > > Oh, the names of the "athletes" have to be: Dale, Ernie, Bubba,
> Jethro,
> > > > or Bobby to be able to get an endorsement and they have to come from
a
> > > > state that only has three last names. (I will let your imagination
> > > > figure out why there are only three last names.)
> > > >
> > > > Why isn't grand prix, cycling, or motorcycle racing popular?,
because
> > > > the average American is an idiot and prefers Jerry Springer over
Chris
> > > > Matthews, or Nascar; whose redneck drivers can barely speak American
> > > > english or are even able point out where France is on a map, over
> > > > cycling.
> > > >
> > > > The American public prefers sports where beer is sold and
cheerleaders
> > > > with fake blonde hair with those silly colored stripes in it with
> > > > strange colors that you see no where else in nature and who actually
> > > > consider Pam Anderson, or Anna Nicole Smith as a role model as side
> > > > entertainment.
> > > >
> > > > As an American, I think cycling requires to high of an IQ for the
fat,
> > > > American, slob, in the grandstand wearing face paint, no shirt, and
a
> > > > giant piece of cheese on his head while it is 20 degrees outside.
> > > >
> > > > And this is coming from an American in California.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

[Dick Durbin]

Tony Austn > wrote in message >...
> In article
> >,
> "Edward Waffle" > wrote:
>
> >
> > The "bike" paths are full of people walking and pushing strollers.
>
>
> I hate that so much. I have fallen twice because of that. It's always
> the fat pig with the dog and the two kids who really belong on the leash.

What are you doing riding on a "bike" path. Is California traffic so
bad that you can't ride on the road like a real cyclist?

[Dick Durbin]

Tony Austn > wrote in message >...
> If you are an American and lover cycling, your IQ has to be well over
> 110 points
>
> Cycling is not popular here in America because Americans can only
> understand racing if it has no right turns in it. (Like Nascar or Indy.
> And then those poor, "gifted", Americans who can't even understand
> NASCAR prefer drag racing because it has no turns.)

I take it you have never been to a NASCAR or NHRA shop and seen the
sort of technical and financial know-how it takes to put together a
competitive racing program.

> Why isn't grand prix, cycling, or motorcycle racing popular?, because
> the average American is an idiot and prefers Jerry Springer over Chris
> Matthews, or Nascar; whose redneck drivers can barely speak American
> english or are even able point out where France is on a map, over
> cycling.

An accent does not indicate an inability to speak well. Even Bill
Elliot, whose regional accent is as strong as any I have ever heard,
speaks the English he learned growing up. It is as valid an idiom as
that spoken by educated Bostonians.
By the way, how many NASCAR drivers have you asked to point out France
on a map?

> The American public prefers sports where beer is sold and cheerleaders
> with fake blonde hair with those silly colored stripes in it with
> strange colors that you see no where else in nature

I take it you have never been on a mountain with thousands of drunk,
orange-clad Netherlands cycling fans.

> and who actually
> consider Pam Anderson, or Anna Nicole Smith as a role model as side
> entertainment.

Don't those ladies live and work in California?

> As an American, I think cycling requires to high of an IQ for the fat,
> American, slob, in the grandstand wearing face paint, no shirt, and a
> giant piece of cheese on his head while it is 20 degrees outside.

I wouldn't be talking about someone else's IQ when you don't seem to
know the difference between "to" and "too".
Take a look at the fans along the Tour de France. Is the guy who
dresses as a devil some paragon of brilliance? How about the guy who
mooned the stage leader this week? Real Mensa material there. How
about the folks who can't seem to understand the basic physics of two
objects, a bike rider and a spectator, not being able to occupy the
same space at the same time?

> And this is coming from an American in California.

That's OK. Those of us in the hinterlands have plenty of preconceived
notions about the intelligence of some Californians too. Ours are
backed up by posts such as yours rather than prejudice.

Dick Durbin
Tallahassee

[Daniel Lieb]

Dick Durbin wrote:

> Tony Austn > wrote in message >...
> > If you are an American and lover cycling, your IQ has to be well over
> > 110 points
> >
> > Cycling is not popular here in America because Americans can only
> > understand racing if it has no right turns in it. (Like Nascar or Indy.
> > And then those poor, "gifted", Americans who can't even understand
> > NASCAR prefer drag racing because it has no turns.)
>
> I take it you have never been to a NASCAR or NHRA shop and seen the
> sort of technical and financial know-how it takes to put together a
> competitive racing program.

This is part of why I don't really like how NASCAR has become a 'big sport.' Look at all the legacies of two, three, even
four(?) generations of drivers. This is disgustingly similar to the Kennedy's, the Bush's and other kids in politics that have
risen on the father's coat tails.

[Bikerecker]

Dick Durbin wrote:
>I take it you have never been to a NASCAR or NHRA shop and seen the
>sort of technical and financial know-how it takes to put together a
>competitive racing program.

A friend of mine is technical director for one of the bigger CART teams. When
the team partners decided to get into NASCAR, they bought a mid-pack team and
sent my friend in to NC to check out their facilities and technical resources.
He was awed at how backward they were, at least ten years behind CART in such
areas as data acquisition, telemetry (for testing, not racing), etc. NASCAR is
anachronistic compared to WRC, CART, F1, and the two larger sportscar series.
That said, they sell out 250,000+ seat venues by providing a helluva spectacle
and (usually) good, close racing. The Frances and their employees built the
nations second largest sporting franchise with great marketing savvy.
Technology is certainly not emphasized, and never will be, in NASCAR. I mean,
the cars are still pushrod V8s with carburetors, for god's sake. Hyundais have
higher tech engines.
F1, on the other hand, is boring as hell. The technology is the raison d etre,
and it has turned Grand Prix racing into a parade. Ecclestone realized this
last year and made changes that have made this season's races worth watching,
finally.

Put the flamethrower down. I am a big F1 fan, have been to 7 Grands Prix, but
a spade needs to be called a spade.
Greg

[Nick Burns]

"warren" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Dick
> Durbin > wrote:
>
> > Tony Austn > wrote in message
> > >...
> > > In article
> > > >,
> > > "Edward Waffle" > wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > > The "bike" paths are full of people walking and pushing strollers.
> > >
> > >
> > > I hate that so much. I have fallen twice because of that. It's
always
> > > the fat pig with the dog and the two kids who really belong on the
leash.
> >
> > What are you doing riding on a "bike" path. Is California traffic so
> > bad that you can't ride on the road like a real cyclist?
>
> I live in the same area Greg Lemond used to train in-it's great for
> training, but the bike trail near me is really nice. There is a 1-hour
> section around a small lake that was designed by somebody who
> understood the need to include rolling hills, random turns just to keep
> it interesting, and a few "S" turns at the bottom of little hills.
> Sometimes it's nice to do a 3-hour ride with only 15 minutes of that on
> roads shared by cars.
>
> -WG

It has changed a lot since Greg lived here. Wasn't it in Lincoln that he got
shot? I doubt you will find any wild turkeys there these days but I could be
wrong about that.

Training around here certainly has it plusses, but I was expecting to have a
lot more choices in long steady climbs. It has taken me many months to find
good training routes but I now have everything I need except for really long
(more than 2000 feet without interruption) and really flat (for speed work).
I do like the rolling roads like the one between Folsom and Auburn. As soon
as I recover from my wreck I plan to investigate the roads north and east of
Lake Folsom. They sound like they are exactly what I am looking for.

[Mike S.]

> It's the working class sport in Europe. It's more of a yuppie sport over
> here.
>
Cycling in Europe is a way off the farm, out of the factory/garage, etc...
Here in the good ole USA, its a white collar sport with yuppies leading
(spending) the way.

Basketball, football, and baseball are the blue collar sports of choice for
getting out of the projects/barrio/ghetto.

Mike

[warren]

In article >, Nick Burns
> wrote:

> "warren" > wrote in message

> > I live in the same area Greg Lemond used to train in-it's great for
> > training, but the bike trail near me is really nice. There is a 1-hour
> > section around a small lake that was designed by somebody who
> > understood the need to include rolling hills, random turns just to keep
> > it interesting, and a few "S" turns at the bottom of little hills.
> > Sometimes it's nice to do a 3-hour ride with only 15 minutes of that on
> > roads shared by cars.
> >
> > -WG
>
> It has changed a lot since Greg lived here. Wasn't it in Lincoln that he got
> shot? I doubt you will find any wild turkeys there these days but I could be
> wrong about that.

There is still plenty of terrain for turkeys in Lincoln but there are
more of them along the bike trail. I head toward Lincoln and Sheriden
when I want to do 3-4 hour rides with less than 3000 feet of total
climbing.

> As soon
> as I recover from my wreck I plan to investigate the roads north and east of
> Lake Folsom. They sound like they are exactly what I am looking for.

Rattlesnake Bar Road on each side of the lake has a climb that takes
20-25 minutes at about 4% average grade. In and out of Auburn Ravine is
slightly steeper for 20 -25 minutes and if you want climbs two or three
times that long head towards ForestHill and French Meadows or south to
where LeMond lived (Ranch Murrietta) and just head east into the
Sierras.

-WG

[Kurgan Gringioni]

"Mike S." <mikeshaw2@coxDOTnet> wrote in message
news:ZZzTa.14692$Bp2.8791@fed1read07...
>
> > It's the working class sport in Europe. It's more of a yuppie sport over
> > here.
> >
> Cycling in Europe is a way off the farm, out of the factory/garage, etc...
> Here in the good ole USA, its a white collar sport with yuppies leading
> (spending) the way.
>
> Basketball, football, and baseball are the blue collar sports of choice
for
> getting out of the projects/barrio/ghetto.



There also used to be boxing. Still around in diminished form, for the
barrio. For the ghetto, there's rapping.

[Kurgan Gringioni]

"Drew Cutter" > wrote in message
...
> It comes down to prize money , commercial sponsor for tv time , not
> enough big $$ salaries for even the 9 guy on the team , amount of time
> to train to be a top cyclist (not too many sports in the us require you
> to train as much , for so little pay - compare to a rookie nba or
> nfl ) . A star high school pitcher in the us can expect $90,000 signing
> bonus before his first game . Can we say "lebron james" in nba .
>
> To counter some of this blue collar vs white collar take a look
> at the NBA draft .



Dumbass -

The blue collar/white collar is contrasting bike racing culture on this side
of the Atlantic vs. the other side.


>How many more european and asia player are being
> drafted. Nascar is getting too rich for the poorly funded teams can't
> compete. No longer is it the guy who comes up from dirt track , busch
> series and make it any more. I don't think their going be another lance
> armstrong from the us for quite some time.





Ya, there will.


Someone who has the genetics for winning the TdF will not do well in
basketball, football or baseball, at least not enough to make it as a
professional. How many players in the NFL have a VO2 max over 80? I'd be
surprised if even one NFL player had one over 70.


We have 300 million people and diverse genetics. Someone else will come
along.

[David N. Welton]

Drew Cutter > writes:

> I don't think their going be another lance armstrong from the us for
> quite some time.

If someone had told me that another american would have come along a
few years after Lemond and *beaten* his record of Tour wins, I would
have said he was on crack (not Lemond, the person...).

As it stands, an american has one 7 out of the last how many tours?
It's not a bad ratio at all.

--
David N. Welton
Consulting: http://www.dedasys.com/
Personal: http://www.dedasys.com/davidw/
Free Software: http://www.dedasys.com/freesoftware/
Apache Tcl: http://tcl.apache.org/

[Tom Schulenburg]

"Drew Cutter" > wrote in message
...
>
> I don't think their going be another lance
> armstrong from the us for quite some time.
>

Just like there hasn't been another Eddy Merckx from Belgium or another
Bernard Hinault from France?

-T

[Daniel Connelly]

A statement more impressive in its wrongness than it would
have been had it proven true.

Bob M wrote:
> On Thu, 24 Jul 2003 21:10:37 GMT, Tom Schulenburg
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> "Drew Cutter" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>>
>>> I don't think their going be another lance
>>> armstrong from the us for quite some time.
>>>
>
> That's what I said after LeMond retired.
>
>
>

[warren]

In article >, Kurgan
Gringioni > wrote:

> "David N. Welton" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Drew Cutter > writes:
> >
> > > I don't think their going be another lance armstrong from the us for
> > > quite some time.
> >
> > If someone had told me that another american would have come along a
> > few years after Lemond and *beaten* his record of Tour wins, I would
> > have said he was on crack (not Lemond, the person...).
> >
> > As it stands, an american has one 7 out of the last how many tours?
> > It's not a bad ratio at all.
>
>
> Since 1986, 7 out of 17.

What's the score for the home boys?

-WG

[Kurgan Gringioni]

"warren" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Kurgan
> Gringioni > wrote:
>
> > "David N. Welton" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Drew Cutter > writes:
> > >
> > > > I don't think their going be another lance armstrong from the us for
> > > > quite some time.
> > >
> > > If someone had told me that another american would have come along a
> > > few years after Lemond and *beaten* his record of Tour wins, I would
> > > have said he was on crack (not Lemond, the person...).
> > >
> > > As it stands, an american has one 7 out of the last how many tours?
> > > It's not a bad ratio at all.
> >
> >
> > Since 1986, 7 out of 17.
>
> What's the score for the home boys?



0-fer.

[remove the polite word to reply]

Forget the elites- What about the general population?

Europe------------------------America
================================================== ===================
Not so Fat--------------------Fattest Country in World ( in history?)
More people ride bikes,-------More Fat People in Humongous, Arab-war
causing SUVs
walk more, less junk food-----ENDLESS insanely misleading car ads on
TV

I bike toured Italy, saw two grinning teenage girls at the top of the
fricking Mortirolo, just smiling - you could tell they rode up there
all the time.
I saw 70 year old plus ladies going shoppping on their bikes. Weren't
competing, proving themselves.

( I didn't notice how intensely persistent the car ads on TV were
untill I thought about it. Then I go out into the 2nd worst traffic in
the world. ( In my 30 mpg 1986 toyota. Paid for.) It's sad watching
all the brainwashed people riding in their big V8 SUVs at 30 mph on
the "freeway", mindless pawns paying 800-1000/month
payments/insurance/road tax/depreciation. They don't _mean_ to cause
wars in the middle east, they're just doing what the TV tells them to
do. Over, and over, and over.)

On TV I saw a guy said that if we doubled gas mileage in cars we'd
reduce need for foreign oil 30%.

And a Texas oil zillionaire in the White house. coincidence? or
causality.

[Richard Thompson]

The Silver Comet Trail in Atlanta is marked with a yellow center line
and signs just like a road. Some signs say, KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT WHEN
PASSING. Most follow these rules. The Silver Comet will go from Atlanta
to Anniston Alabama. Thats 111 miles, no traffic, perfect pavement.
Except on the Atlanta end fewer pedestrians. There are rumors this trail
will continue to Birmingham. I`m waiting , planning to see how fast I
can do it on my BOB JACKSON tandem. All trails should be built this
way. I hope I live long enough to see bike trails like this coast to
coast, like interstates for bikes. The Bear

@ @

~~~

[Dashi Toshii]

"remove the polite word to reply" > wrote in
message om...
>
> ( I didn't notice how intensely persistent the car ads on TV were
> untill I thought about it. Then I go out into the 2nd worst traffic in
> the world. ( In my 30 mpg 1986 toyota. Paid for.) It's sad watching
> all the brainwashed people riding in their big V8 SUVs at 30 mph on
> the "freeway", mindless pawns paying 800-1000/month
> payments/insurance/road tax/depreciation. They don't _mean_ to cause
> wars in the middle east, they're just doing what the TV tells them to
> do. Over, and over, and over.)

It's not a problem, never has been and never will be.

If you don't like seeing people driving SUV's that's just tough ****.

What have you done for our country? Been fighting in Viet Nam, Panama,
Afghanistan, Iraq, no, I didn't think so.

You don't speak for me or anyone else besides yourself, continue driving
your ****ty little Toyota and be happy and SUV hasn't run over your sorry
ass, yet!

I drive my SUV everywhere, even if it is only to take my Yorkshire terrier
to the vet one block away. <G>

Does that **** you off? Good, now go **** off! <VBG>

Even if I don't agree with everything that G.W. does, I do agree that we
should use up all the oil reserves, especially from the Arab states, before
we break out and reveal our alternative source to the rest of the world.

You got to know when to hold 'em and you got to know when to fold 'em. <G>

Dashii