36 replies to this topic

[brokenspokes]

Oh I forgot about the family angle.
David Leduc was still winning Pro 1 races at age 58 and is still a U.S Masters Champion at 61. He even wired the field in an Ontario Senor 1 race with no team mates, after attending the christening of his great grand son. Those left in his wake included Riggs, The Real Deal, Nash, Sean wakefield, The Jet Fuel team, Rodney McEwen and some other Senor1 wannabes.

[Jon]

Oh I forgot about the family angle.
David Leduc was still winning Pro 1 races at age 58 and is still a U.S Masters Champion at 61. He even wired the field in an Ontario Senor 1 race with no team mates, after attending the christening of his great grand son. Those left in his wake included Riggs, The Real Deal, Nash, Sean wakefield, The Jet Fuel team, Rodney McEwen and some other Senor1 wannabes.

Here's "Old Man" Leduc in action at Blythewood Crit in South Carolina about a month ago: http://www.cyclingph...22490508_N22bzV

John Patterson in these photos is the one who was on the worlds team with LeMond back in the early 80's.

[Fat Bastard]

FatB...never said your comments were only directed at me (I'm equally intrigued in how you are intrigued...baffling)...but they were at me in part, no doubt. In regards to #3 I got a really nasty PM, not from you, from another awesome guy. If you read my comment I state that fact clearly.

#2...if you are getting company logos on your back, maybe you could throw one of those jersey's on a junior...just sayin. Is that crazy? I ask all masters riders reading this right now, is that too crazy, to throw some of YOUR good fortune towards a young rider, junior, espoirs or elite? Is it too much to ask to be a leader in YOUR community, the cycling community?

Maybe it is. Maybe it just isn't tenable. I don't know, maybe times are so radically different that we can't throw a junior in a car and go to a race like so many did 20 or 30 years ago. Maybe we NEED masters teams for the sport to survive in this country. Wow.

If anyone cares to address this, we can start a new thread, I'm sure Bruce and his fans are getting bored of reading this other stuff by now.

Intriguing indeed!

To your point #2 -- my team does have a youth constituent and, in fact, we have a whole portion of our budget set aside to pay for the youth clothing so they don't have to. We don't have a big enough budget to entice elites. We can't offer up free bikes/wheels/helmets and crap.

The issues I see us facing these days is just getting the youth interested to get away from their X-Boxes and Wiis long enough to expend their energy on their bikes.

I recall reading somewhere, so don't quote me on this, but this upcoming generation is predicted to be the first in a while to actually have a *shorter* life span than their parents due to the addition to technology and inactivity. Kids don't spend their waking ours outside like we did as kids.

[fattymcgee]

FatB...never said your comments were only directed at me (I'm equally intrigued in how you are intrigued...baffling)...but they were at me in part, no doubt. In regards to #3 I got a really nasty PM, not from you, from another awesome guy. If you read my comment I state that fact clearly.

#2...if you are getting company logos on your back, maybe you could throw one of those jersey's on a junior...just sayin. Is that crazy? I ask all masters riders reading this right now, is that too crazy, to throw some of YOUR good fortune towards a young rider, junior, espoirs or elite? Is it too much to ask to be a leader in YOUR community, the cycling community?

Maybe it is. Maybe it just isn't tenable. I don't know, maybe times are so radically different that we can't throw a junior in a car and go to a race like so many did 20 or 30 years ago. Maybe we NEED masters teams for the sport to survive in this country. Wow.

If anyone cares to address this, we can start a new thread, I'm sure Bruce and his fans are getting bored of reading this other stuff by now.

Intriguing indeed!

To your point #2 -- my team does have a youth constituent and, in fact, we have a whole portion of our budget set aside to pay for the youth clothing so they don't have to. We don't have a big enough budget to entice elites. We can't offer up free bikes/wheels/helmets and crap.

The issues I see us facing these days is just getting the youth interested to get away from their X-Boxes and Wiis long enough to expend their energy on their bikes.

I recall reading somewhere, so don't quote me on this, but this upcoming generation is predicted to be the first in a while to actually have a *shorter* life span than their parents due to the addition to technology and inactivity. Kids don't spend their waking ours outside like we did as kids.

Awesome, that's what I'm talking about, congrats on being the minority. Maybe next step would be to shame your racing pals on other teams to do something similar? Maybe it's taking another small step in building that capacity for support? I don't think anyone is faulting you for not being about to provide bikes...but maybe a small bit of fundraising to help with consumables (tubes/tires/chains etc)?

You're right about the rest, but we can't effect any real change there, all we can do is focus on what we can have an effect on...building support and opportunities for ALL young bike racers, not just the ones that we think are going to be world champs in a few years.

Oh, and to the poster who discussed Dr. Leduc...the good doctor is an excellent example of a non-sandbagger.

[Kickstand]

FatB...never said your comments were only directed at me (I'm equally intrigued in how you are intrigued...baffling)...but they were at me in part, no doubt. In regards to #3 I got a really nasty PM, not from you, from another awesome guy. If you read my comment I state that fact clearly.

#2...if you are getting company logos on your back, maybe you could throw one of those jersey's on a junior...just sayin. Is that crazy? I ask all masters riders reading this right now, is that too crazy, to throw some of YOUR good fortune towards a young rider, junior, espoirs or elite? Is it too much to ask to be a leader in YOUR community, the cycling community?

Maybe it is. Maybe it just isn't tenable. I don't know, maybe times are so radically different that we can't throw a junior in a car and go to a race like so many did 20 or 30 years ago. Maybe we NEED masters teams for the sport to survive in this country. Wow.

If anyone cares to address this, we can start a new thread, I'm sure Bruce and his fans are getting bored of reading this other stuff by now.

Intriguing indeed!

To your point #2 -- my team does have a youth constituent and, in fact, we have a whole portion of our budget set aside to pay for the youth clothing so they don't have to. We don't have a big enough budget to entice elites. We can't offer up free bikes/wheels/helmets and crap.

The issues I see us facing these days is just getting the youth interested to get away from their X-Boxes and Wiis long enough to expend their energy on their bikes.

I recall reading somewhere, so don't quote me on this, but this upcoming generation is predicted to be the first in a while to actually have a *shorter* life span than their parents due to the addition to technology and inactivity. Kids don't spend their waking ours outside like we did as kids.

Awesome, that's what I'm talking about, congrats on being the minority. Maybe next step would be to shame your racing pals on other teams to do something similar? Maybe it's taking another small step in building that capacity for support? I don't think anyone is faulting you for not being about to provide bikes...but maybe a small bit of fundraising to help with consumables (tubes/tires/chains etc)?

You're right about the rest, but we can't effect any real change there, all we can do is focus on what we can have an effect on...building support and opportunities for ALL young bike racers, not just the ones that we think are going to be world champs in a few years.

Oh, and to the poster who discussed Dr. Leduc...the good doctor is an excellent example of a non-sandbagger.

Stick this in your pipe McGee

http://www.wheelsofbloorracing.com/2011/12/wheels-of-bloor-2011-cycling-bursary.html

[fattymcgee]

FatB...never said your comments were only directed at me (I'm equally intrigued in how you are intrigued...baffling)...but they were at me in part, no doubt. In regards to #3 I got a really nasty PM, not from you, from another awesome guy. If you read my comment I state that fact clearly.

#2...if you are getting company logos on your back, maybe you could throw one of those jersey's on a junior...just sayin. Is that crazy? I ask all masters riders reading this right now, is that too crazy, to throw some of YOUR good fortune towards a young rider, junior, espoirs or elite? Is it too much to ask to be a leader in YOUR community, the cycling community?

Maybe it is. Maybe it just isn't tenable. I don't know, maybe times are so radically different that we can't throw a junior in a car and go to a race like so many did 20 or 30 years ago. Maybe we NEED masters teams for the sport to survive in this country. Wow.

If anyone cares to address this, we can start a new thread, I'm sure Bruce and his fans are getting bored of reading this other stuff by now.

Intriguing indeed!

To your point #2 -- my team does have a youth constituent and, in fact, we have a whole portion of our budget set aside to pay for the youth clothing so they don't have to. We don't have a big enough budget to entice elites. We can't offer up free bikes/wheels/helmets and crap.

The issues I see us facing these days is just getting the youth interested to get away from their X-Boxes and Wiis long enough to expend their energy on their bikes.

I recall reading somewhere, so don't quote me on this, but this upcoming generation is predicted to be the first in a while to actually have a *shorter* life span than their parents due to the addition to technology and inactivity. Kids don't spend their waking ours outside like we did as kids.

Awesome, that's what I'm talking about, congrats on being the minority. Maybe next step would be to shame your racing pals on other teams to do something similar? Maybe it's taking another small step in building that capacity for support? I don't think anyone is faulting you for not being about to provide bikes...but maybe a small bit of fundraising to help with consumables (tubes/tires/chains etc)?

You're right about the rest, but we can't effect any real change there, all we can do is focus on what we can have an effect on...building support and opportunities for ALL young bike racers, not just the ones that we think are going to be world champs in a few years.

Oh, and to the poster who discussed Dr. Leduc...the good doctor is an excellent example of a non-sandbagger.

Stick this in your pipe McGee

http://www.wheelsofb...ng-bursary.html

http://www.wheelsofb.../2012-team.html

Not exactly a "youth" movement in the team is it? The bursary is great and everything, but clearly the team has the means to give some support. I wonder where the money would be better spent, getting young riders to races, or giving money to guys/girls who may or may not really need it (not taking anything away from those who got it...if it's there then take it I always say).

It opens up a good question, but the more I post on this topic the more it becomes clear to me that there are those who have no desire to question on this subject.

I'll let you folks get back to discussing masters racing. Judging by some of the reaction, clearly it's the most important thing we've got going on right now.

[DavidBrent]

@fatty mcgee - while I'm all for supporting youth development I think the U23 demographic that WOB targetted is an excellent demographic for this kind of financial support. Espoir is an age category where riders often loose a lot of their parental support while facing exponentially more expensive costs to keep furthering their racing (such as getting to bigger US races or Europe). Both of those riders (to the best of my knowlege) are trying to do just that and as such are more than deserving recipients.