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The Water Cooler, Scuttlebutt, Chit Chat Thread

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The Water Cooler, Scuttlebutt, Chit Chat Thread

Old 10-22-19, 08:31 AM
  #4126  
echappist
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Originally Posted by TheKillerPenguin
So earlier this year I mentioned I wanted to go back to grad school. I started at the end of August and it's ****** rad. It's a 2.5 year program and after it's done I think I want to go to law school. Maybe I'll keep going to school until I'm retirement age or some sort of Mad Max scenario becomes reality and I get to wear assless chaps without fear of arrest.

Anyway yeah, things are great. The no job thing is kinda scary but I think in the long term it'll work itself out.
would you be doing collegiate cycling?
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Old 10-22-19, 09:49 AM
  #4127  
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Originally Posted by echappist
would you be doing collegiate cycling?
I think they added an age limit. I believe it is 35.
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Old 10-22-19, 10:29 AM
  #4128  
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Mwahahaha I am not 35 yet.

I do not believe my college has a team though, and I *believe* collegiate is going to be open to USAC next year anyway (though I could be wrong).
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Old 10-22-19, 10:41 AM
  #4129  
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Originally Posted by topflightpro
I think they added an age limit. I believe it is 35.




are you calling him old ?







Originally Posted by TheKillerPenguin
Mwahahaha I am not 35 yet.

I do not believe my college has a team though, and I *believe* collegiate is going to be open to USAC next year anyway (though I could be wrong).
Open, as in any racer could compete in a collegiate race?

If so, that would be a sad day. And to think, back when I raced in 2010, there were two Collegiate C fields, each with at least 35 riders...
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Old 10-22-19, 05:05 PM
  #4130  
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Originally Posted by topflightpro
I think they added an age limit. I believe it is 35.
I think that is correct - and recent.
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Old 10-22-19, 05:06 PM
  #4131  
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Originally Posted by big john
Rahsaan Bahati has a fondo type charity ride in the local mountains. A friend from my club finished 3rd woman. I think she won $100. I thought about going but I might not have been able to finish within the cut-off time.

Rode today with another friend who did the event. He said it was 9500 feet of climbing in the timed section, which was 75 miles. I'm super impressed that my friend ( I always knew she was a great climber ) finished in the top 25% of all riders in a ride full of ex-pros and other racers/climbers. She's 46.
Sounds like the Mike Nosco ride. Is it different?
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Old 10-22-19, 05:37 PM
  #4132  
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Originally Posted by Doge
Sounds like the Mike Nosco ride. Is it different?
Yes, it's smaller than the Nosco ride and it's held in the San Gabriel mountains while the Nosco is in the Santa Monicas. This ride is the brainchild of Bahati and it benefits urban kids with bikes, etc. https://www.thecircleofdoom.com/
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Old 10-22-19, 05:41 PM
  #4133  
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Originally Posted by big john
Yes, it's smaller than the Nosco ride and it's held in the San Gabriel mountains while the Nosco is in the Santa Monicas. This ride is the brainchild of Bahati and it benefits urban kids with bikes, etc. https://www.thecircleofdoom.com/
Likely 80s there today. 90s at beach here.
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Old 10-22-19, 06:13 PM
  #4134  
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Originally Posted by Doge
Likely 80s there today. 90s at beach here.
He said it wasn't too bad on Sunday for the ride. It was 52 degrees at the top (7000 ft ). It was 97 here today.
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Old 10-22-19, 06:51 PM
  #4135  
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Originally Posted by TMonk
I'm having this annoying issue with my Ptap G3 where it reads non-zero (1-30 w) when coasting. I've tried all the obvious stuff (battery, pairing to different head units etc) to no avail. I've had this issue before actually (different hub) and it was resolved by sending it in for calibration service.

I sent this one in to Sram/Quarq (new owners) and when I received it back it still had the same problem.... This will be fun. We'll see what kind of customer service I get and how they propose to solve the problem. I've spent $200 on this calibration service already and don't really want to spend any more; the ball is in their court. I've got a month before I want to begin training in earnest so I'll be patient - for now.
FWIW - I bought 5 of them. I have not seen that issue. However they do discontinue models and stop support (trainers). I likely won't buy the next stuff from them.
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Old 10-23-19, 04:12 PM
  #4136  
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https://www.velonews.com/2019/10/new...Fq2ewnivbjOyls

I thought this was interesting. I suppose most of them are going to have to look for jobs.
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Old 10-23-19, 06:17 PM
  #4137  
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Originally Posted by big john
https://www.velonews.com/2019/10/new...Fq2ewnivbjOyls

I thought this was interesting. I suppose most of them are going to have to look for jobs.
I never wished pro cycling on my kid. It is something easy to get infatuated with, but rarely delivers. And if you do do well, a large group will brand you a cheater. The smart folks don't do it. I know some smart ones, fully capable, that don't do it. Rotten job unless your are in the top 1% of the pros.
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Old 10-23-19, 08:08 PM
  #4138  
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Originally Posted by Doge
I never wished pro cycling on my kid. It is something easy to get infatuated with, but rarely delivers. And if you do do well, a large group will brand you a cheater. The smart folks don't do it. I know some smart ones, fully capable, that don't do it. Rotten job unless your are in the top 1% of the pros.
Patrick O'Grady wrote a column years ago comparing pro cycling in the U.S. with competitive eating. He said a guy won $2500 for eating 5 pounds of corned beef and cabbage which was the same amount Chris Horner got for winning the Redlands Classic stage race.
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Old 10-24-19, 06:42 AM
  #4139  
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I love cycling, but I would not ride the TdF for the league minimum like some of those dudes do just for the honor.

$38k a year to do that? Nope.
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Old 10-24-19, 07:55 AM
  #4140  
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Originally Posted by big john
Patrick O'Grady wrote a column years ago comparing pro cycling in the U.S. with competitive eating. He said a guy won $2500 for eating 5 pounds of corned beef and cabbage which was the same amount Chris Horner got for winning the Redlands Classic stage race.
The eating guy likely was not constantly accused of doping either. Chris is a guy that is just happy to be on the bike.
As a parent, it was not so much the money, but guys that just love it as a job are rare. The travel, the conditions and the accusations make it not fun. Then it is not that safe - both training and the racing.

I think it relatively easy to know if someone could be the hard life kind of pro, but pretty much impossible to know if you are going to be able to do as well as focusing on another job. When you take your recreation, and make it a dangerous job, it is difficult to keep it fun.
I think Horner did. And with his announcing gig - still doing so, just too risky to turn down the rest of life for.
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Old 10-24-19, 08:54 AM
  #4141  
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It's a 6-7 day a week job with garbage pay and almost no benefits. You have to have the mindset of a ski bum, in that you're fine with trading your sport is more important to you than your retirement portfolio. I had a moment of clarity many years ago when I had a "sh*t or get off the pot" moment when I considered dumping school and going full-bore with racing. To me it came down to numbers. A domestic pro won't earn enough to pay rent and eat. I'd have to travel to Europe and make a name for myself there in a sea of pro-path juniors (2 years minimum, if you can hack the racing schedule).

In the end, you gotta know that your "career" in cycling will last 10 years tops, maybe 15 if you're in the top 5%, and the chances of making over 6 figures is next to nil. At least you'll have a bad back, an eating disorder, athlete depression, no saving, and a ton of quickly-becoming-outdated gear. Oh, and if anyone knows who you are, they'll want to "race" you to the top of every single climb and town sign in order judge their own fitness against yours or brag to their wife that they beat you, even though you've gained 30 pounds and are putting out 60% of the power you used to.
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Old 10-24-19, 09:19 AM
  #4142  
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Some of those guys can leverage their name for $$$ (like Phil Gaimon) but even then I don't think they can turn 6 figures a year out of it; unless they get hired for a job they're qualified for (which is possible). So you end up 10-20 years behind your peers with no real career, I don't think its too bad when you're in your 40's but once you are nearing the 60's I doubt many of them can retire comfortably.

One of my coworkers a few years back played in the 2nd tier of English soccer, and he had the same issue. That time gap is hard to overcome.

The really frustrating thing about being pro is the margins. The difference between a domestique and a GC rider could be that one puts out 6.1 and the other 6.05 w/kg. Renshaw was probably a top 20 sprinter worldwide, Gaimon a top 30 climber; but if you're not the best on that team you are bringing up bottles from the rear.
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Old 10-24-19, 11:14 AM
  #4143  
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Originally Posted by furiousferret
Some of those guys can leverage their name for $$$ (like Phil Gaimon) but even then I don't think they can turn 6 figures a year out of it; unless they get hired for a job they're qualified for (which is possible). So you end up 10-20 years behind your peers with no real career, I don't think its too bad when you're in your 40's but once you are nearing the 60's I doubt many of them can retire comfortably.

One of my coworkers a few years back played in the 2nd tier of English soccer, and he had the same issue. That time gap is hard to overcome.

The really frustrating thing about being pro is the margins. The difference between a domestique and a GC rider could be that one puts out 6.1 and the other 6.05 w/kg. Renshaw was probably a top 20 sprinter worldwide, Gaimon a top 30 climber; but if you're not the best on that team you are bringing up bottles from the rear.
Minor league baseball players too.
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Old 10-24-19, 12:36 PM
  #4144  
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Basically no sport that isn't nationally televised on a regular schedule is making the participants rich.

Even the ones that are, only the very, very tip top are doing really well.

Golf and tennis even, you have to be in the top couple hundred in the world to make a living. To break $100k in earnings means top 100 for golf basically, and tons of travel. They're working constantly.

Tennis is slightly easier, top 200 are all over $300k for the year, on the men's side.
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Old 10-24-19, 11:29 PM
  #4145  
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Some USA kids my son's age and younger are doing over 6 fig by age 21, but that still leaves a lot of road ahead.
A few others could, but don't want to move to Europe.
As I often point out/remind USA had the best juniors in the world in 2015 (won UCI Nation's Cup). The talent is absolutely there, the desire is not, and I understand why. IT is one thing being a kid and having everyone else pay for it as you miss school in the USA and a whole other thing moving to Europe and making it a life.

It was traveling and racing in Europe that made my kid say he wanted no part of it (unfortunately for him, he let that information out way too early). USAC had a lot to do with it, but bad news early is good news.
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Old 10-27-19, 10:51 PM
  #4146  
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Was in London for work the last week, got to go see the London Six Day (https://sixday.com) - velodrome racing with some big names.

So rad to see Cav, Viviani, Ewan like 20 feet away from me going in ovals on the track. Holloway was there too.

Super nice velodrome. And it's not some weird niche sport out there (duh) - tons of "normal" people there taking it in. They did a good job of making the event entertaining with spotlights, a DJ, good announcer, and of course the venu.

Also Cav is fast again, at least on the track - who knew?!

As for riding in London, I didn't - great city but I'd never want to ride in the mix there.
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Old 10-28-19, 07:03 AM
  #4147  
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Six Days are all about racing as entertainment. They've been compared to WWE for bicycling. It would be cool to do it in LA sometime.

One of these days, I'm going to go to one.
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Old 10-28-19, 08:29 AM
  #4148  
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Originally Posted by Doge
As I often point out/remind USA had the best juniors in the world in 2015 (won UCI Nation's Cup). The talent is absolutely there, the desire is not, and I understand why.
Mexico has won two U-17 soccer World Cups, yet the senior squad never does all that well. I am not sure that youth performance necessarily translates to senior level performance, desire or not.
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Old 10-28-19, 06:57 PM
  #4149  
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Originally Posted by mattm
As for riding in London, I didn't - great city but I'd never want to ride in the mix there.
Eric Min lives in London. He has said that one of the main reasons for him riding indoors was that he really didn't want to ride outdoors in London. Confined indoors, as it were, made him realize that indoor cyclists could use a better experience. He founded Zwift.
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Old 10-28-19, 08:32 PM
  #4150  
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Originally Posted by carpediemracing
Eric Min lives in London. He has said that one of the main reasons for him riding indoors was that he really didn't want to ride outdoors in London. Confined indoors, as it were, made him realize that indoor cyclists could use a better experience. He founded Zwift.
Haven't seen you around in ages. How's everything?
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