monster trucks

Let start this with a disclaimer. For those of you out there who really enjoy watching giant trucks crush old cars while inhaling gasoline fumes I totally respect your choice to do so. Have fun. However...

For the rest of you out there who thrive on irony this kindof sucks. Remember at the punk show when the two asshole rednecks from the bar started mocking the band or the crowd and made everyone have worse time? Yeah... they were at one of your cultural events mocking you. If they got their asses kicked we were all happy. And we should have been. How dare they come to our punk rock show and mock our music and ruin our good time.

So I think a lot of things about blue collar / redneck culture are pretty stupid. Jacked up trucks, mullets, shitty mustaches, big ass belt buckles, and trucker caps. Yeah that stuff cracks me up. I grew up in a rural area and these are the people I hand to go through school with. Not fun.

But here's the rub... that monster truck rally... that's their cultural event. That's not mine. I'm not going to go there and dress up like them and act like an asshole. If I did and got my ass kicked I would probably deserve it.

Racism and other ways that people's intolerance of one another manifest themselves are all equally shitty in my eyes. At times I'm guilty of this stuff too and I'm a dick for being that way. But I would no more go to a monster truck rally dressed in a costume and make fun of the people who paid to be there because they truly enjoy it then I would show up to an Asian food fest in a rice paddy hat and walked around saying "ching chong."

I will say what I find most disappointing about this behavior is that it perpetrated by college educated people who seem to have developed a bit of superiority complex over those who are blue collar. This is nothing new of course. Those with more money and education have always mocked those with less.

Irony and snark have killed modern conversation and culture. What's even worse is that these things are just plain boring.

I'm going to go out on a limb here but...

fuck twitter.

For real.

goddamnit

I really get tired of people and their childish sense of entitlement. No one "owes" you a damn thing and if someone is nice enough to try and help you out the first thing you should be concerned with is not pissing on it. At least don't be shocked or bitter when that helping hand gets pulled back.

Thanks for reminding me Billy

New kits...

Carytown Bicycle Club Team...



Team CBC u25 team...

Pulling your weight.

If there is one thing I never want to see members of my team doing it's taking things for granted. Too often I see shining examples of the take and give nothing back attitude that seems to be to common in amateur bike racing. For many people it seems to be all about trying to get the best deal, the most team support, the most free entry fees. But the reality is that the people who usually are first to put their hand need it the least. Sometimes we forget that this is an amateur sport and squabbling over an extra 5% team discount or race fee reimbursement while owning a $6000 bike is a bit tacky.

Yesterday all 5 members of the u-25 team took off what turned out to be a beautiful day from riding to spend 6 hours indoors learning how to be a USA Cycling official. Team CBC now has 6 certified officials.

Why do this?

Well to put it bluntly our u-25 team program may be about helping develop younger bike racers but it's certainly not about giving out a free ride. Part of the philosophy behind our team is centered around giving back whatever we can to the cycling community as a whole. We are lucky to have such a vibrant racing scene in central Virginia and we feel it's our obligation to do what we can to add to it. Through putting on races and assisting in the running of races put on by other clubs we want to help make our racing scene the best it can be. This means that to EARN the support of the team, be it financial or equipment, each rider has to pull their weight helping volunteering at club sponsored events and assisting with other clubs in their efforts to put on quality races.

So this summer when you see our guys out there in light blue polo shirts watching to make sure there is no funny business in the race make sure you thank them for taking a race off to make yours as safe and fair as it can be.