THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING »

Get the VeloNews Email Newsletter FREE

  Learn More | Archive
Home » Top Stories » News and Features »

Notes from the road: From foolishness to food

By Bryan Jew, VeloNews managing editor
Published: Oct. 3, 2003

So, Rush Limbaugh resigned from ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown just four weeks into the NFL season. If you ask me, he was overrated from the start, and ESPN was just desirous for a slow, fat, white, conservative pundit to have success …

In the days following his racially tinged comments regarding Eagles’ QB Donovan McNabb being overrated, Limbaugh declined interview requests, including a request to appear on ESPN’s SportsCenter. All these years, and we’ve only now found a way to get him to clam up?

* * *

Turns out Lance is overrated, too. Those five Tour wins were just the U.S. media hyping an American …

* * *

You gotta love the Univest Grand Prix, the race that each year brings us the YumYum Bake Shops team. This year, the race also presented the Leidy’s Premium Pork Products Best Sprinter jersey to Scottie Weiss (West Virginia). Just wondering, is that a merchandise award? You can never have too many premium pork products.

Just off the top of my head, here’s a list of some of my favorite (North American) food-product sponsorships:

Tim Horton’s Donuts. Sponsor of the Canadian Cycling Association, Canadian national championships and national teams. Definitely not overrated. Tops my list, of course (No, I’m not Canadian).

Wendy’s. The Wendy’s International Cycling Classic.

Coors, Coors Light, Miller Lite, Bud Light, etc. Some big, some small, but always nice to see the beer sponsorships.

Sierra Nevada. Nice to see a really good beer sponsorship.

Jittery Joe’s. Keepin’ the peloton caffeinated. No truth to the rumor that team director Micah Rice led the charge to get caffeine removed from the IOC “banned” list.

Ore-Ida, for its days sponsoring the Women’s Challenge.

Kahlua, a team sponsor in the ’90s.

7-Eleven. You can never have too many Slurpees, either.

Spago, L’Equipe Cheval. Okay, maybe a little too high-end for this list.

Jelly Belly. Sweet.

7UP. Something to wash it all down.

Coverage of the Univest GP appears in the upcoming issue of VeloNews

* * *

This one just came across the ol’ e-mail:

High Speed Cycling, Mountain Bikers of Michaux, and Yellow Breeches Racing announce that North America's longest cyclo-cross race will be contested on October 19, 2003, in Michaux State Forest, Pennsylvania. The 58-mile Iron Cross race will start and finish at the Carlisle Family YMCA's Camp Thompson. Inspired by England's legendary "Three Peaks" cyclo-cross race, the challenging course will encompass lengthy run-ups, difficult climbs (nearly 6,000 feet of elevation gain), tricky downhills, fast road and fire-road sections, and a short cyclocross course at Camp Thompson to begin and end the race. The course is suitable for cyclo-cross and mountain bikes.

Finishing times are estimated to be in the four- to nine-hour range and prizes will be awarded to the top 10 men and women finishers and to the King and Queen of the Mountain (the first racers to reach the top of the day's first climb).

Course designer Dr. David Albright notes, "We designed this course with one thing in mind - you can never punish bicycle riders enough."

The Iron Cross is a fundraiser for the Carlisle Family YMCA, High Speed Cycling, and Mountain Bikers of Michaux; sponsors include Land Rover of Harrisburg, Galbraith Pre-Design, Dr. Drew Wellmon II, and the Carlisle Family YMCA. The race website is www.highspeedcycling.com and online race registration is available at www.bikereg.com. Bunkhouse lodging will be available near the start line at Camp Thompson the evening before the race.

For additional information (including the latest course map and profile), contact Mark Laser at (717) 245-2423 or woodcrest21@aol.com.

Wait a minute – I thought that part of the appeal of ’cross was that it lasts no more than an hour … and you can eat donuts afterward. Iron Cross sounds like something one would actually need to train for …

* * *

More ’cross:

In addition to sponsoring Marc Gullickson for the 2003-04 season (see the October 20 VeloNews), Redline recently announced a joint effort with Ritchey to sponsor regional teams in the Northwest and Northern California. The biggest name on the two five-rider squads is 2003 world’s team member Rachel Lloyd.

Redline-Ritchey Northwest: Josie Beggs, Dan Norton, Kenny Williams, Randy Iddings, Tommy Mcgrath.

Redline-Ritchey NorCal: Johannes Schmidt, Sean Coffey, Andy Volk, Ben Dodge, Rachel Lloyd.

* * *

What to watch for:

While everybody has pretty much closed the books on the U.S. season, there are still three NRC races on tap: CycleFest 2003 in West Palm Beach and the Mercy Celebrity Classic Criterium in Fort Smith, Arkansas, this weekend, and the Michelin Classic in South Carolina, October 11-12. Michelin’s been a great event over the years, but scheduled against road world’s and Interbike … um, I don’t think you’re going to get a whole lot of attention.

Cal vs. Oregon St., Saturday, for the Pac-10 lead. That is not a misprint.

The local Boulder ’cross series kicks off this weekend. I’ll be out of town, but am taking predictions as to when or if I’ll ever throw my leg over a bike at a ’cross race again.

The U.S. UCI cyclo-cross calendar rolls on this weekend, with the Michael R. Rabe Midwest Cyclo-cross Championships in Rochester Hills, Michigan, on Saturday, and the first of the Bay Area Super Prestige Series, in Brisbane, California, on Sunday. Kudos to Michigan promoter Tailwind for putting on its first UCI event – but I’ve got a feeling the big boys will be out in California. Just a hunch....