First of all, I have to congratulate Joseph Schmalz for making the European Cyclo-X trip for U23. He’s been getting better and better each year and he’s barely 20 years old. It’s super expensive to do this trip. USAC pays zip ike usual. He’s been getting to the USGP races, but this one is going to take some help. So, there is a link at Joseph’s blog that you can donate to help him offset expenses. Click the donate link and it will take you there. Anything is appreciated. You can also just click the link on the right to Joseph’s Blog.

I saw that California Bicycle Racing has a new rule that doesn’t allow anyone that has every been suspended for a doping offense to compete ever in their events. There is a pretty good banter started here on their facebook page. I’m not familiar with the California Bicycle Racing Org., but I can’t say I disagree with their philosophy here. My only problem is the blanket rule, no exceptions. That means Andrew Crater can’t race there because he was suspended for a day for smoking pot. Doesn’t seem right. There should be a rule to differentiate between the performance enhancing drugs, EPO, HGH, steriods, etc. and the stupid stuff in my opinion.

I saw that there are 122 riders with UCI points in cyclo-x in the US. That is a ton. I’ve been consciously trying to keep my name off the list. Here is the list.

Speaking of ranking, K-State and KU are ranked 4th and 6th respectively in the NCAA Division 1 basketball ranking. K-State is playing #1 Duke tonight. Should be interesting.

I got a couple emails from people asking me about the etiquette for the podium. Where do you learn it? What “rules” apply? I don’t really have specific answers for that. Just liberal guidelines.

Here are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. If you won, make sure you congratulate the other guys up there. It’s only sporting. The guy at the top of the podium, ie the winner, is normally the only one gets to put both his arms up. The guys are either side should just put up one. Preferably their outside arm. If the guy that won grabs the other guys hands, then it is kosher for the 2nd and 3rd place guys to have both arms in the air. You should try to only wear you cycling clothing to the podium. Team kits. There aren’t many excuses for this rule. Two that I can think of-The awards ceremony is way, way too long after the race. And, it is a small race and it is wicked cold out and you don’t think anyone will be there watching, let alone taking pictures. And, of course, make sure you share the bubbly.

Joseph doing what he likes to do.

Example of bad podium etiquette. The Kelley Benefits guy is hogging all the attention from the winner.

Good podium postions.

Example of great podium position.

Top of the hill from the Nebraska CX Championship race on Sunday.

Yesterday I was out for an hour ride and a guy in a Terminix van drove by Bill and I, who were riding 2 abreast, and then proceeded to brake and move over to the edge of the road. He was turning left about 20 meters after he passed us. He was definitely trying to herd us to the edge of the road, but he was doing it subtly. If he hadn’t moved over the final 6 inches, I probably wouldn’t have slammed my fist into the side of the passenger door and flipped him off.

Here in Kansas, we don’t encounter too much road rage stuff. It’s way more prevalent in more congested places I ride. I think the more congested the area is, the more frustration taken out on cyclists.

I haven’t had a ton of problems with altercations with irate drivers. I’ve been hit a couple times by passengers, had bottles and cans thrown at me at 50mph and the other normal things that we all encounter out there on the roads.

Here in Kansas the law is that cyclists can ride two abreast at all times. The most commonly heard phrase when someone is doing something really stupid in a car concerning cyclists is “ride single file”. I have no idea how many times people have shouted that to me when I’m out riding. Alot. It is strange. That phrase is mainly only used for bike riding. I think the only other time I’ve heard it was when I was in elementary school and our class would be walking in the hall or somewhere in a group and the teacher would say to walk single file. But, it is predominantly used to tell cyclists to get off the road.

The few times that a car stops and the guy starts ranting, I’ve usually had a copy of the Kansas law concerning bicycles in my spare tire jar. If I can get the guy to read it, it is amazing how their mindset changes. They are irate and mildly violate because they think that I am breaking the law and they are going to be the de facto police and enforce their misconception. When they realize that they were wrong on their initial thoughts, they usually become apologetic and “nice”. I think it is so weird. Even if we were breaking the law when we were riding two abreast, it seems to me that the “penalty” that many drivers come up with, trying to physically force you to ride single file, is so much more worse and dangerous than the originally “crime”. It would be like accelerating at a J-walker as they tried to cross the street. Who would do that? No one I hope.

I think the main problem is the misconception that it is illegal to ride two abreast. I’m not sure where everyone came up the the notice that cyclists were supposed to ride single file. But it is a notion that is accepted throughout the country. I’ve been pulled over a few times by police here in Kansas after we failed to ride single file.

One time in Lawrence, the cop pulled us over and said that he was going to ticket us for riding two abreast. He’d already called for a superior by the time I pulled out the law to prove it was fine. When the superior showed up, he changed his story and said we were riding all the way to the center line, 4 abreast. That pissed me off more than anything. The original cop had told us that the whole “incident” was on video. I told the supervisor to go back to the guys car and look at the video. And the the officer lying to him, and us, was more of problem than a few guys out riding their bicycles two abreast, even if it was against the law. He explained that they have problems with groups of riders hogging the whole road and that they were supposed to be putting a stop to it. Whatever. My point is that even the police in most places don’t know what the law if concerning cyclists and their rights on the roads.

I’m not sure where I was going with this. Riding single file is more dangerous in a lot of situations. I’ve found it that if you wave the car by when it is safe to pass, that seems to alleviate some of the “tension” that has built up as they were slowed down. Other than that, lets just try to get along the best we can. It is only going to get more congested everywhere.

Maybe we should ride bikes that are bigger than the cars.

Another way to avoid traffic is not to really go anywhere while riding outside.

It would be safer just to ride without clothing. I don’t anyone would want to run over someone with no clothes on. They would seem “too exposed”.