Author Archives: Steve Tilford

Elizabeth Elhers

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Sue’s mother passed away last week.  It was expected, but unexpected at the same time, as all deaths are.

I’ve known Sue’s parents most of my adult life.  I met them at the time when, even if you were riding on a Pro team, you were transient and were constantly moving from other rider’s parent’s homes to other places.  That is how I happened upon them.

During the Tour of Texas, Sue and her parents would have a gaggle of riders over to their house for a huge dinner.  They were both from Minnesota, but have moved to Richardson, a suburb of Dallas, back in the 60’s.  It always amazed me how they could feed so many ravenous cyclists, during a race.

Eventually, I would stay with them whenever I was passing through Dallas.  I signed my contract with the Schwinn team, with Mike Farrell, in their house, after the Tour of Texas.  That really doesn’t seem that long ago, even though it was.

Anyway, I got to know both Sue’s mom and dad pretty well through the years.  Sue’s dad used to always ask me what I was going to do when I got done racing.  He was always concerned that I wasn’t going to college and that I was living a fairly unconventional lifestyle.  I told him that I wasn’t sure, but I loved what I was doing and was planning on doing it for a while longer.

Sue’s father got sick with prostate cancer.  I came through pretty often during that time.  One night, late, he wasn’t comfortable and was sleeping in the TV room, in a lounge chair.  I must have just raced, because I was up and couldn’t sleep.

He said to me that he wanted to apologize, which totally got me nervous.  I had no idea what he wanted to say.

He told me that he’d been thinking a lot, since he’d been sick and was pretty frustrated about having to lay around and do nothing, but watch TV.  But watching TV had got him thinking about what was important to him.  He didn’t say he had regrets, but he’d seen lots of things that he wish he could do in person.

He said he wanted to go to Home Depot and buy a bunch of tools and build something big.  He said that he’d seen places on travel channels that he didn’t even know existed and would love to get on a plane and fly there.  Everywhere.

He finally just told me he was sorry for giving me shit all the past years about not applying myself and just racing bikes.  He told me that I should gather all the life experiences I could, when I had the ability, because you never know when you’re not going to be able to do that.

It was a very special conversation for me.  I was living that way already, but not from a plan, just because.

Sue’s mom was stoic.  She worked as a nurse, then came home and worked in her yard.  I remember pulling up to her house, in the middle of the Texas summer, when the night temperature is nearly still in the nineties, and she would be mowing her yard.  This is when she was in her 70’s and still working as a nurse.

She was super generous, always cooking me cookies to travel with, or buying dinner when we went out.  Her and Sue travelled a bunch, so it wasn’t like she just stayed at home.  And she loved animals.  That is a pretty big deal, in my book, when judging a person.

Her service is today, at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, at 10am.  I had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for yesterday, and this was all sort of last minute, but I wish I would have just cancelled that and went down.   I’m not big on these things, but this is different.

Anyway, I’m very glad to have known Elizabeth Ehlers.  She was a great person and super mother.  She lived a very full life and will be missed by many.  I’ll miss our conversations.

Elizabeth Louise Ehlers

She loved this gaslamp on her alley. I fixed it many times.

 

Radios, Disc Brakes & Lance’s Lawsuit

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I saw a couple weeks ago that USAC ruled that we, as in all Cat. 1/2’s can use radios again in all races.  I hate that.  I don’t like much anything about radios in bike races.  The idea that radios make a race safer is total BS.  It is a way for team directors making their riders robots.  Or plain dumb riders viable.

I’ve written posts about radios before, so I don’t need to dwell on it.  Here is probably the one that explains it the best.  At least from my perspective.  I have a whole box for of radios in a closet.  I’m really not sure where they are.  By whole box full I’m lots.  I guess I’m going to have to pull them out and see if any of them work.  Stupid.

Somewhere else said that the Professional Riders Union was protesting the use of disc brakes in road events.  I don’t know about this.  I don’t much like the idea of mixing disc and rim brakes in races, but that is how it is going to have to be.  My problem with disc brakes in road races is the same as it is in cross.

Actually, worse than cross.  We all have to get a whole garage full of equipment. Bikes and  wheels that go with these bikes.  Most of us that have been in this sport for a while have collected enough equipment that is interchangeable.   Not with disc brakes though.

And the real problem is getting wheel changes in events.  Or just changing wheels between bikes.  It doesn’t seem like anyone has standardized the rear axle width and even if that number ends up being 142 or whatever, getting different discs to line up with you calipers on different wheels is tricky.  Especially on the road when time is important.  Once they get the calipers more usable for wheel changes, then I’ll reconsider my position.

And finally Lance’s deal.   The case is going to trial.  All the judgements have been done and it is happening.  The government says the total is something around $32 million damage, so with the tripling thing going on, the most he’ll owe is $96 million if he loses big time.

It kind of surprises me that he hasn’t settled this.  Maybe it is that time.  But when you read what Lance’s attorney says, maybe not.  “There is no actual evidence of any quantifiable financial harm,” to the Postal Service,  so the government may now proceed to a trial that, as a practical matter, it cannot win.”  Elliot Peters.

I forgot what Floyd gets out of the whole take, but it isn’t the same as before the government took over the case.  For some reason 1/4 the total comes to mind, but don’t quote me on that. But 1/4 of 0 is still zero, so he should probably proceed with his new enterprise in Leadville.

My doctor’s visit went alright on Tuesday.  Yesterday was exactly 4 months since I fractured my skull.  Seems like a really long time to me, but when she asked me how long and I said 4 months, she said it is still super early.  I guess that is a good thing.  Better early than this is the final outcome.

Not that I’m complaining.  It could have been a ton worse.  Like I’m not on the planet Earth anymore worse.

Vincent is down in Arizona doing the 24 Hours of Pueblo with Lance and his old Postal Service gang this weekend.  Vincent isn’t riding on their team or anything, but he’ll be riding around with them in circles for a day.  I make a bet that they aren’t just there to “have fun”, like George said when asked.  I bet they ride pretty fast.  They probably win the 4 person team event would be my guess.  Maybe 2nd, but probably win.

Okay, I didn’t ride for two days, thinking that maybe I would feel better if I didn’t.  That didn’t work, so I am planning on going out today.  It is “only” gonna be 50 degrees today.  I say only because it is going to be in the 70’s the whole next week.  Probably mild for February in Kansas.

Weather the next week.

I worked on my van yesterday. Somehow this got bent. Not exactly sure when or how.

I had to pull the fender off, which involved taking off the front clip with the headlights. I got it pretty straight. Just need some paint now. The whole process got me a little dizzy, but not horribly.