For race #7, the Utah Cyclocross Series returns to the Wasatch County Fairgrounds, in Heber City, Utah … home of mud (either dried, lumpy and hard, or soupy, sticky, and deep) and grass and horse poop!

Jon is promising a longer course, and the weather we’ve had the past few days out to make for a more challenging course as well; possibly snow, possibly mud if the snow has melted.

Mount Heber should still be included, and hopefully more twisty turns leading into the finish area …

We had a scheduling conflict at Fort Buenaventura with some Annual shooting event. We have run races in the past with the Mountain Men shooting around us, but the Championships event is way larger and Matt and Jon felt it would not be safe.

So back to Weber County Fairgrounds it is, on November 22nd. The County even promised that the Portajohns would be picked up, cleaned, and ready to go, so we don’t have to traipse halfway across the fairgrounds.

We will be sure to announce this at the next 2 races as well.

Categories/Times:

1:30 PM (60 Minutes)

• Men A (Pro, Semi-pro, Expert, Cat 1, Cat 2,)
• Masters Men A 35+ (Fast Old Guys [as opposed to Fat Old Guys, like Flahute]. You know who you are, and so do we. You have been racing your bike for years!)

12:30 PM (45 Minutes)

• Women A
• Masters Men B 35+
• Single Speed (do we need to explain?)

11:45 AM (20 minutes) - ONLY $8.00!!!

• Women C (First Season Cross Racers)
• Junior Men 10-14 *
• Junior Women 10-14 *
• Junior 9 & under

* We found that Junior riders aged 15-18 would rather try and beat up on Mom and Dad!!!

10:45 AM (45 Minutes)

• Men B
• Master Men 45+ Open

9:30 AM (40 Minutes)

• Men C (First Timers, Entry Level Racers, Cat 5, Beginner)
• Master 55+ Open
• Women B (Beginner, Cat 4, Cat 5)

Bush, Cheney signal support for Georgia - CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush condemned the escalated violence between Russia and U.S.-backed Georgia on Sunday, while Vice President Dick Cheney said aggression against Georgia “must not go unanswered.”

“My administration has been engaged with both sides of this trying to get a ceasefire,” Bush told NBC’s Bob Costas in an interview in Beijing, China, where the president has attended Olympic events.

Bush was filmed speaking to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during Friday’s opening ceremonies and said Sunday that he “was firm with Vladimir Putin” and that “this violence is unacceptable.”

Violence has continued to rage between Russia and the western ally since Thursday, when Georgia launched an operation to crack down on separatists in South Ossetia territory. Russia said it wanted to protect its peacekeepers already in South Ossetia following ceasefires in years past. But Georgia called it a full-on invasion.

Not that the conflict is causing oil prices to rise again (because pretty much any bad news will cause oil prices to rise), but that when even our dipshit President is saying that violence is unacceptable, our warmongering Veep is pushing for a response …

One of the really interesting things about this conflict is that the Russians consider South Ossetia to be a part of Russia; and have issued Russian passports to many South Ossetians … yet Putin is complaining about the “flood of refugees” crossing into Russia.

Of course, like most conflicts these days, this one is all about oil … a key pipeline which carries oil from Asia to the Black Sea runs through South Ossetia … and the Russians want control of that pipeline; and since it is in Georgian territory, obviously the Georgians want to maintain control.

The top two stories on the New York Times at the moment:

Georgia and Russia Nearing All-Out War - NYTimes.com

As Russia moved in more forces and continued aerial bombing, it appeared determined to occupy the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

In Phelps’s First Event, Gold Medal and a World Record - NYTimes.com

The American pulled away from the field in the final lap to win the 400-meter individual medley in 4:03.84.

It just goes to show that just because the Olympic Games are going on, it doesn’t mean that the world stops functioning or fighting.

I’m not really sure what I should be writing about … the “uplifting” story of Michael Phelp’s first of a possible 8 gold medals, or the depressing story of yet another war about to explode, especially one involving one of the few military superpowers in the world.

I wonder if I will live to see a day when there is not some sort of armed conflict going on in the world … just one day is all I ask, because one day could lead to two, and two days could lead to a week, and two weeks could lead to a month, and two months could lead to a year, and so on …

But somehow, I just don’t think it will happen in my lifetime.

Three races disappear in less than a week. From www.cyclingnews.com today:

Tour of America cancels for 2008

It may no longer be April Fool’s day, but it would be understandable if you thought otherwise as the organizers of the first Tour of America announced on April 2 that their race for 2008 would not materialize. Dr. Frank Arokiasamy, Ph.D., president of Aqu Sports, organizers of the race, had announced previously that last Monday, March 31, would be the go/no-go decision date – and apparently the decision was to wait another year.

“After we announced the Tour of America last fall, we hit the ground running to make the event happen in 2008,” Arokiasamy said in a press statement. “Everyone we have spoken with wants to see a ‘Tour de France-style” race here in the United [sic] We want to work with USA Cycling and UCI to establish this event as a compliment to the major international races, and at the same time not conflict with established races in the United States. Overall, we want to make sure the Tour of America strengthens the sport of cycling and the race calendar. In addition, potential sponsors and route cities have expressed strong support for a fall 2009 race.”

Further down the same page:

Tour of Virginia also cancels 2008 race

Another race on the National Racing Calendar (NRC) circuit in the United States has announced a major change for 2008. The Tour of Virginia, formerly the Tour of Shenandoah, posted on its website this week that it is cancelling the 2008 event due to a lack of funding. “I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t supremely frustrated, devoid of confidence and depressed after having this experience,” event director Matthew Butterman on the race web site regarding attempts to sign sponsors for this year’s event.

“From the start of this event, we have pushed forward under the assumption of ‘build it and they will come,’ ” the statement said. ” ‘They’ refers to private corporate and state financial support. The state has been unwilling to invest in this event… So we built it anyway with the hope that a media friendly, attention-getting event would eventually attract private support either from within our venue community network, or from the outside. This has not happened to a sustainable level despite what must be described as our best efforts as a grossly underfunded promoting organization”

And finally this news from a few days ago:

Tour de ‘Toona shrinks to one-day

The Tour de ‘Toona, held in and around Altoona, Pennsylvania, will shrink to just one day for 2008. After 20 years, the race had grown to seven days. What remains is a criterium on July 27 in downtown.

“I’m just disappointed this year we’re stepping back, but we hope next year to come back even stronger,” Race Director Larry Bilotto said to the Altoona Mirror. The organization plans to return to a full schedule in 2009.

Bilotto said the steering committee needed a break, especially after contending with lawsuits related to a former race director and a rider injured in the 2005 edition, deaths of committee members and recent sponsorship struggles. He did not elaborate on the latter.

How much of it is the economy, and how much is the current state of cycling, with all the doping scandals, lack of a “proper” big name American star cyclist to generate interest in the sport, especially with all the politicking between the UCI and race organizers in Europe throwing things into further disarray.

It doesn’t take a genius to recognize that it’s going to get worse before it gets better, as well. Soon Versus will start cutting back their Tour de France coverage to an hour or two a day (like ESPN did back in the 1990s), and then eventually down to a 1-hour special at the end of the season (like has happened with the Vuelta a España the past few years …

Thankfully, there are online sites like cyclingnews.com and VeloNews to provide coverage. Other video-based sites are popping up and getting bigger as well, like WCSN.com and Cycling.TV … and those of us who are serious Euro race junkies will still be able to get our fix.