cycling club I've ever been associated with.

We can get 16 folks out to build trails on a week night, but can't get two of us
together for a Club Ride.

We have a great public relations program of which we should be justifiably
proud. We've got great social accomplishments with our community, private land
owners, government agencies.

But why don't we ride our bikes?

PoP is a "modern" club. Most of us are dirt riders. I think most of us are
female. Many of us don't even own a road bike, and many of us have never formed
and ridden in a peleton/pack.

We mountain bike-only riders are missing out on the roots of cycling. Modern
equipment and techniques rob us of traditional skills. That old saw: "It's like
riding a bike, you never forget how." Irritates the devil out of me because so
few people actually know how to ride a bike.

Can you spin your cranks to 140 rpm whenever you need to? Can you spike to 225
rpm on the rollers? Probably not because you can click-shift your way through
gear ratios not even thought practical 15-years ago.

Can you accelerate hard enough (jump!) to be first into that first turn on the
FourCross course? To beat that pick-up truck across the intersection?

Can you ride 2-inches behind another (trusted) rider and trust him/er to keep
you safe and upright? Can you get into that pack and, using their aerodynamic
help, ride 4 miles/hour faster than you could ever steady-down to on your own?

Can you react fast enough to get on the wheel of someone trying to break away?

Have you to been able to turn yourself into a bullet and plow your way through
our strong June southerly winds?

Have you thought about a junior cycling program?

Your assignment, should you choose to take it is to set your TV recording system
to cover the Toue d'France broadcasts on Versus Network: here's tomorrow's
(first day's) broadcast schedule --all times EDT:

9:30am to 2:00pm: LIVE Daily Coverage
2:30pm to 4:30pm: Race Action Replay
5:00pm to 7:00pm: Race Action Replay
8:00pm to 11:00pm: Expanded Primetime Coverage
12:00am to 3:00am: Race Action Replay

This is the prologue time trial in Monaco. I can't wait to see the course!

See you tomorrow at the parade.

Bob Phillips
Watch closely, post your questions here; and many of us witll