Sorry I have not been in touch. Just got back last night from Costa Rica, La Ruta de los Conquistadores and an amazing adventure on my mountain bike.

It was incredible, 41% grades, rain forests, hip deep mud, RR bridge crossings over rushing rivers in pouring rain, climbing over moving trains, near misses with 4 ton dump trucks and skirting a fatal fall off a cliff, village school children in the streets cheering you on yelling "vamos vamos". Helping our friend Adriena Rojas the pro women's leader on the final day through a bad patch and 126 KM of torrential rain. All that and finishing on the beach of the Atlantic with a teammate and friend.

Let me tell you, after all of that, I have arrived back in the states with some perspective and opportunities.
A lot of the things we bicker about and get all worked up over are so small in comparison to what one goes thru on this race. It is life changing to say the least.

I already have some MTB and adventure tour and trips in the works with some new friends/business partners in CR.
La Ruta broken into a 10 day trip is in the works. Each stage will be broken up into two days with rest days in between. Perhaps some rafting on the off days as an option.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i26Vt3AABVw
Warning, some adult language.

Ron (not a tico) Castia

Thanks, Casey. I never did receive my official's license from the clinic either. I'll check with another couple participants who didn't receive theirs either.

We'll work it out.
thanks again, Casey.
Michael

Michael - The officias listserve in question is a national USAC officials list, not officially connected with USAC but made up of USAC licensed officials nationally. Not sure how one gets on it since I was added without being asked.

Thanks Ron.

Very interesting discussion regarding the officials list & USAC sanctioning - wish I was privy to that NCNCA Official's listserve discussion as well, but I guess I wasn't added to the roster after I took Robert Liebold's official's class taken this spring. Maybe soon, I hope!

I hope a lot of folks will be interested in volunteering for other VP positions. I believe Lorri Lee Llown is the best person to send your emails to regarding possibilities - and please do so ASAP!

The NCNCA December Board meeting will be jam packed - so, please all send in your volunteerisms! Thanks again, Ron for highlighting that.

Looking forward to 2010 - see you at the next meeting.
Michael Hernandez

"I am in charge here."

-Alexander Haig, 8/13/81

I'm watching sunday mid-morning NFL when it hits me. Who owns football? Who owns MLB? Who owns NBA? Who writes and implements the rules that govern those sports? Who schedules their events? Who decides who goes to their championship rounds? Do they care if their sport is included in the Olympics?

Tell me again - why UCI? Why USA Cycling?

What value do they bring to the table?

Tom Simpson
Pilarcitos Cyclesports

not to mention many of the cyclocross races in our district

There is a discussion on the USAC officials email list about this... promoters who chose to not sanction their races through USAC because they feel that USAC is not adding enough "value" in exchange for the higher costs of doing a race with USAC sanctioning. This non-USAC approach has been taken at about half of the track races in the US, including most of the races at Hellyer.

Of course, the irony there is that the league used to use USACyling for refs (and insurance?) and no longer does.

Dylan

High School MTB racing in Norcal currently has a level of popularity among "juniors" that has never been seen on the road or track. I think there are some good ideas in place there that can be borrowed.

Wow, that was a lot of silence.

Are there regions where there is more district involvement in mountain racing?

Is it the economics of insurance?

Or has there been some fracas related to a restriction on bacon and beer hand-ups in cross country, too?