Rock Racing & coffee wars!
My blogs lately have coincided with crappy weather. It's not like I sit around looking at the forecast deciding when to type, but that's the way it has gone lately. I have wrapped up the semester at school, got my car fixed, cancelled Christmas, done some training, worked out, and worked on various racing topics for 2009. I'm sure there's more, but that's all my mind can remember because it's filled with everything below. A little bit of Rock Racing and coffee wars!
Rock Racing moves some big names off its Continental squad
One could "rock" the racing world with the missing 10 riders from the official pro roster. Imagine you've been a pro all these years and then all of a sudden you've been demoted, without warning (so it seems). Bahati and Creed have at least not heard from Michael Ball, and if they haven't then who would have?
BAHATI RACING
What does he have to say about it? Well, read for yourself, but he's still without answers. While Rashaan is without answers from the team it's not preventing him from sharing his "My Two Cents." His observation about a quality product being demoted to the lines of mediocrity hit the nail on the head. Despite this setback Rashaan has kept a very good public attitude towards it all. He obviously has a lot of respect for Michael Ball and the team by not thrashing the situation and pouting.
Rock & Republic tightens its belt
However, if you have this problem then why sign so many guys in the first place? Jeans costing over $250 aren't in as high of demand, go figure. Domestic professional racing needs Rock Racing and Michael Ball's continued investment into the sport.
Ivan Dominguez heads to Europe
Dominguez appears to have jumped off the Rock Racing boat just in time. Did he have a contract or did he not? Ivan says no. From his words it sounds like he's well aware of what he's up against in Europe. The longer races appear to be what will limit him the most, but he can train to overcome those necessary adaptations. I wonder if he's spoken to Juan Jose Haedo about what 2008 was like for him with CSC-Saxo? Haedo already had the punching ability at the end of a long road race before going to Europe, so it would be interesting to hear his thoughts on his 2008 experience.
Leogrande doping case proof of cultural shift
I got the link above from Joe Papp's blog site. It has a few more details pertaining to Leogrande's suspension, and from the look of it this could another one of the reasons Frankie Andreu left Rock Racing as Team Director. By the time he left Rock Racing he was aware of the Leogrande doping problems and likely did not want to be around when it all hit the fan.
Back to Joe Papp, read his post from December 13 titled "ya basta." Kids at home, this is why you must be fully aware of all the ramifications of any decision you make. Something may make you feel powerful in the moment, but what kind of harvest will it yield years down the road?
I have actually thought more about my comments in the last post about Leogrande, and I think I may have come across as too harsh. I don't know why I feel that way, but I do. I can only guess it's because I see someone who obviously had an opportunity that many young cyclists are desiring, and that person purposely disrespected the opportunity and destroyed it for selfish reasons. It is obvious that Leogrande does not and has not had enough good influences around him to help him make better decisions. Fortunately, in my life I have had strong positive influences that kept me in line, and for that I will be forever grateful. I could easily rattle off the names of men who gave of their time unselfishly to lead countless young men and women. In my line of work I can easily spot a kid who has had those same influences over someone who has not. Those who haven't tend to stick out like a sore thumb.
What I worry about more than anything else is who out there will help lead people in the right direction? Will selfishness prevail even at the leadership level, or will true leaders begin to take a stand? Not only that, but demand those they lead to live up to the challenge.
Nathan Brown on the deck
I'm sure that's the last place Memphis native Nathan Brown wanted to find himself at Cyclocross Nationals last week. Nathan ended up 19th on the day. I'm sure we'll see him on the road next season throwing down the gauntlet and making us all suffer like dogs.
Tim Johnson's Cannondale
Sticking to the cyclocross theme, even though I don't do cyclocross this bike makes my mouth water. I suppose now he can transfer the stars and stripes over to Ryan Trebon though.
Fifteen pounds of 'cross bike goodness
Bow and drool. Having an aluminum road Scott frame that I raced on in 2008 has helped me to appreciate how good their bikes are built.
Superprestige #4 - Hamme Zogge, C1, Belgium
I don't think either of those primo cyclocross bikes would have powered me through these epic conditions! When you race you want to look like a snow man coming in for the win. Unforgettable for sure!
Biking should be encouraged, not taxed
"The most green of our population." Yes, that's probably true in Seattle, but not quite here in Nashville. Not enough of us use our bicycle for something other than training. Personally, I use my bicycle to run errands and go places, but not everyone lives close enough to their favorite in-town destinations to do so. Plus, there's the whole family to worry about. Regardless, it should still be our goal to become the greenest of them all!
Sweet Shops in Three Cities
What's the benefit of riding all over the place instead of driving? Well, other than the obvious savings in gasoline and the environment there's the ability to go to a sweets shop and indulge! San Francisco, Atlanta and New York are highlighted here, but that's a little too far to drive. I think I'll pedal to Bread & Company instead.
Couple eats on $1 a day
This is taking frugal to all new heights. Watch the video and hear how they did it. He's right, losing that much weight in one month is not healthy. Maybe they should have started at $2 per day and worked their way down. If you threw in much if any exercise with this food budget plan you'd definitely whither away.
Unsnobbycoffee.com
However, if you did eat on $1 a day then it would give you more to spend here! McDonald's is coming out swinging against Starbucks, and I have to say "I'm lovin' it!" This marketing strategy and website is ingenious. You can perform an intervention or play pin ball. They've been developing the McCafe for some time now, and with the current economic downturn this has the potential to be a huge hit for McDonald's.
Starbucks won't slug it out in ad wars
They won't because they can't since they realize they would flat out lose that war, and I would also say they're right to keep quiet. This is pretty aggressive marketing by McDonald's though. Starbucks is taking the high road because it's the only road they can take. Sure, McDonald's customers are less likely to be Starbucks customers in general, but there are millions more McDonald's customers than there are Starbucks customers. Starbucks can be credited with being the pioneers of creating their customer base, but that base is dwindling in these hard times.
If McDonald's taps their current customer base alone with this new menu strategy then I put them in the "buy" category. Throw in the potential for winning over less dedicated Starbucks customers and a boom could follow. Even before this marketing strategy went into effect their same store sales were already up 8.2%. Starbucks cannot come close to matching that figure, but the most troubling comment was by the Starbucks chief marketer saying they weren't going to respond and keep doing what they're doing. Yeah, you do that chief. How many stores has McDonald's closed recently?
The trouble with Starbucks
First quarterly loss ever, closing over 600 stores, stock price has dipped to $9.21 from a 52-week high of $21. Shultz has some soul searching to do, and doing things the way they've always done them will continue to get them the same results. Marketing 101 will teach you that, the 4 P's. If that marketing chief really feels that way then he should be fired. Starbucks can only hope they haven't built this incredible customer base only to lose them to McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts. I am a fan of business strategies, case studies, SWOT analyses, accounting correlations, etc., and all this just fascinates me to no end.
You all know how much I love my mochas, but I have cut back on those significantly. Plus, I haven't put all my espresso drinking eggs in the Starbucks basket. I do my best to support local coffee shops too, and soon you're going to here big news along those fronts! I cannot wait to announce that news.....
NashvilleCyclist.com Criterium 8/22/07
To cheer you up in this dreary weather I refer you to this video. I'm gonna make that thing go faster in 2009!!
Rock Racing moves some big names off its Continental squad
One could "rock" the racing world with the missing 10 riders from the official pro roster. Imagine you've been a pro all these years and then all of a sudden you've been demoted, without warning (so it seems). Bahati and Creed have at least not heard from Michael Ball, and if they haven't then who would have?
BAHATI RACING
What does he have to say about it? Well, read for yourself, but he's still without answers. While Rashaan is without answers from the team it's not preventing him from sharing his "My Two Cents." His observation about a quality product being demoted to the lines of mediocrity hit the nail on the head. Despite this setback Rashaan has kept a very good public attitude towards it all. He obviously has a lot of respect for Michael Ball and the team by not thrashing the situation and pouting.
Rock & Republic tightens its belt
However, if you have this problem then why sign so many guys in the first place? Jeans costing over $250 aren't in as high of demand, go figure. Domestic professional racing needs Rock Racing and Michael Ball's continued investment into the sport.
Ivan Dominguez heads to Europe
Dominguez appears to have jumped off the Rock Racing boat just in time. Did he have a contract or did he not? Ivan says no. From his words it sounds like he's well aware of what he's up against in Europe. The longer races appear to be what will limit him the most, but he can train to overcome those necessary adaptations. I wonder if he's spoken to Juan Jose Haedo about what 2008 was like for him with CSC-Saxo? Haedo already had the punching ability at the end of a long road race before going to Europe, so it would be interesting to hear his thoughts on his 2008 experience.
Leogrande doping case proof of cultural shift
I got the link above from Joe Papp's blog site. It has a few more details pertaining to Leogrande's suspension, and from the look of it this could another one of the reasons Frankie Andreu left Rock Racing as Team Director. By the time he left Rock Racing he was aware of the Leogrande doping problems and likely did not want to be around when it all hit the fan.
Back to Joe Papp, read his post from December 13 titled "ya basta." Kids at home, this is why you must be fully aware of all the ramifications of any decision you make. Something may make you feel powerful in the moment, but what kind of harvest will it yield years down the road?
I have actually thought more about my comments in the last post about Leogrande, and I think I may have come across as too harsh. I don't know why I feel that way, but I do. I can only guess it's because I see someone who obviously had an opportunity that many young cyclists are desiring, and that person purposely disrespected the opportunity and destroyed it for selfish reasons. It is obvious that Leogrande does not and has not had enough good influences around him to help him make better decisions. Fortunately, in my life I have had strong positive influences that kept me in line, and for that I will be forever grateful. I could easily rattle off the names of men who gave of their time unselfishly to lead countless young men and women. In my line of work I can easily spot a kid who has had those same influences over someone who has not. Those who haven't tend to stick out like a sore thumb.
What I worry about more than anything else is who out there will help lead people in the right direction? Will selfishness prevail even at the leadership level, or will true leaders begin to take a stand? Not only that, but demand those they lead to live up to the challenge.
Nathan Brown on the deck
I'm sure that's the last place Memphis native Nathan Brown wanted to find himself at Cyclocross Nationals last week. Nathan ended up 19th on the day. I'm sure we'll see him on the road next season throwing down the gauntlet and making us all suffer like dogs.
Tim Johnson's Cannondale
Sticking to the cyclocross theme, even though I don't do cyclocross this bike makes my mouth water. I suppose now he can transfer the stars and stripes over to Ryan Trebon though.
Fifteen pounds of 'cross bike goodness
Bow and drool. Having an aluminum road Scott frame that I raced on in 2008 has helped me to appreciate how good their bikes are built.
Superprestige #4 - Hamme Zogge, C1, Belgium
I don't think either of those primo cyclocross bikes would have powered me through these epic conditions! When you race you want to look like a snow man coming in for the win. Unforgettable for sure!
Biking should be encouraged, not taxed
"The most green of our population." Yes, that's probably true in Seattle, but not quite here in Nashville. Not enough of us use our bicycle for something other than training. Personally, I use my bicycle to run errands and go places, but not everyone lives close enough to their favorite in-town destinations to do so. Plus, there's the whole family to worry about. Regardless, it should still be our goal to become the greenest of them all!
Sweet Shops in Three Cities
What's the benefit of riding all over the place instead of driving? Well, other than the obvious savings in gasoline and the environment there's the ability to go to a sweets shop and indulge! San Francisco, Atlanta and New York are highlighted here, but that's a little too far to drive. I think I'll pedal to Bread & Company instead.
Couple eats on $1 a day
This is taking frugal to all new heights. Watch the video and hear how they did it. He's right, losing that much weight in one month is not healthy. Maybe they should have started at $2 per day and worked their way down. If you threw in much if any exercise with this food budget plan you'd definitely whither away.
Unsnobbycoffee.com
However, if you did eat on $1 a day then it would give you more to spend here! McDonald's is coming out swinging against Starbucks, and I have to say "I'm lovin' it!" This marketing strategy and website is ingenious. You can perform an intervention or play pin ball. They've been developing the McCafe for some time now, and with the current economic downturn this has the potential to be a huge hit for McDonald's.
Starbucks won't slug it out in ad wars
They won't because they can't since they realize they would flat out lose that war, and I would also say they're right to keep quiet. This is pretty aggressive marketing by McDonald's though. Starbucks is taking the high road because it's the only road they can take. Sure, McDonald's customers are less likely to be Starbucks customers in general, but there are millions more McDonald's customers than there are Starbucks customers. Starbucks can be credited with being the pioneers of creating their customer base, but that base is dwindling in these hard times.
If McDonald's taps their current customer base alone with this new menu strategy then I put them in the "buy" category. Throw in the potential for winning over less dedicated Starbucks customers and a boom could follow. Even before this marketing strategy went into effect their same store sales were already up 8.2%. Starbucks cannot come close to matching that figure, but the most troubling comment was by the Starbucks chief marketer saying they weren't going to respond and keep doing what they're doing. Yeah, you do that chief. How many stores has McDonald's closed recently?
The trouble with Starbucks
First quarterly loss ever, closing over 600 stores, stock price has dipped to $9.21 from a 52-week high of $21. Shultz has some soul searching to do, and doing things the way they've always done them will continue to get them the same results. Marketing 101 will teach you that, the 4 P's. If that marketing chief really feels that way then he should be fired. Starbucks can only hope they haven't built this incredible customer base only to lose them to McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts. I am a fan of business strategies, case studies, SWOT analyses, accounting correlations, etc., and all this just fascinates me to no end.
You all know how much I love my mochas, but I have cut back on those significantly. Plus, I haven't put all my espresso drinking eggs in the Starbucks basket. I do my best to support local coffee shops too, and soon you're going to here big news along those fronts! I cannot wait to announce that news.....
NashvilleCyclist.com Criterium 8/22/07
To cheer you up in this dreary weather I refer you to this video. I'm gonna make that thing go faster in 2009!!
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 12/16/2008 09:56:00 AM
1 Comments:
When confronted with the moment to dope or not to dope, the previous warnings/appeals to the clean athlete's concern for his/her health rang hollow with me (ie., "Don't dope because your ears will fall off 10 years after you stop racing.").
But I was academically/professionally ambitious (but naive) enough to have wanted a specific career for after cycling. If someone had explained to me the impact that being publicly reported on as a "drug cheat" (to quote one media outlet) would have on my non-cycling career...well, I think that would have frightened me enough to keep me away from the dark side.
Because the health effects are still negligible. But the professional limitations are profound.
Kids, don't dope. Old men, don't dope. Don't be a dope.
Post a Comment
<< Home