A new year (and a confession)

So..............2007 is finally here and we've all (hopefully) survived the hype and the parties and all that crap. I've never been a big New Years' Eve party kinda guy and don't reckon that I ever will be................but it was nice to be w/ friends as we closed the books on '06 and looked ahead to '07.

The thing is................'06 was a GREAT year! Danielle and I were talkin' about that very thing as we rolled into town towards the end of the New Year's Day Ride last Monday. Both of us agreed that we'd be more-than-happy if ought-seven turned out to be as good as ought-six was.

Now....having said that.....I want more, naturally. More riders on our JDRF team, more folks @ the shop rides, more buddies ridin' more bike more often. A little more business here @ VCC World Headquaters would be fine too, natch, but in general Bike Life was a rare and fine thing all last year and we're very grateful for that. (We're grateful for you too, if you played any part in that!) I think it was my main man Edward Abbey that said that "uncontrolled growth is the idealogy of the cancer cell" and I try to keep that in mind and remember that bigger isn't always better and more isn't always what'cha want or need.

The big news @ the shop is that we're almost done w/ re-doing the service area so Ted, Lee, Berger and everyone else that picks up a wrench'll have a cooler and more efficient area to work in. New flooring (installed by part-time wrench and full-time hanger-outer Doez) and a new workbench/counter/bar cooked up for us by riding bud/JDRF rider/semi-hanger-outer John J were the first 2 big steps. Once we get the workstands mounted up to the system I stole from the Chili Pepper shop out in Moab...........we're good to go!

Lotsa cool stuff rollin' in...........the first load of Electra Amsterdam town bikes is here and they look every bit as cool as when we saw 'em in Vegas. Kind of a pisser to assemble what with the lights and rack and "fender skirts" and all...........but way cool. The VCC kit is en route as I write this and we'll see it this week, hopefully. ("Kit" in this context is bike talk for custom shop jerseys, bib shorts and arm-warmers but you knew that, yes?) We've delivered a coupla Niners, folks are lookin' at road bikes and as we head into the "quiet time" around here there's plenty to do!

We're kinda back to square one on the whole "Cruise Director" position. Julia took a shot @ it but it wasn't to be so we're lookin' for that unique person that wants to be involved w/ a cool bike shop and manage our new touring company and also what passes for 'marketing" around here. It could be a full-time gig for the right person.......or it might be 2 part-time gigs. Regardless......if you have any interest get ahold of me @ velocity587@hotmail.com so we can talk about it!

The January newsletter goes out tomorrow. I'm a little tardy 'cuz I wanted to wait 'til Ted got back from vacation and pick his brain about Tool School classes for this winter. If you don't get one by late Thursday (1/4) shoot me an e-mail at the address up there in the last paragraph and I'll get'cha one!

It's time to get crackin' on the JDRF front too. We have our big "Celebrate 2006 / Kick Off 2007" party comin' up on Tuesday 1/9 in GR. If you have any interest in joinin' the fastest growing JDRF team in the whole dang US of A consider yourself invited to the bash! Again.......lemme know by e-mail if you wanna come (so I can RSVP ya) or if you have questions about the whole deal. You can check out www.jdrf.org/ride too.

Man..............I've been runnin off at the mouth (fingers?) so much here that I almost forgot about the "confession" part of this post. Must be 'cuz I'm so ashamed over what's laying so heavy on my heart..................but that's the point of confession, right? At least partly. So......here it goes:

I quit riding my bike to work in about October and have been driving.
I know...............I know...............I know better than that and I suck. I have no excuse. I got seduced by the Dark Side, which in this case is represented by my "new" car.....a '94 Jeep Wrangler. It's just a car, y'know? Just a damn fossil-fuel vehicle. But.........I had a soft-top Jeep back in the day and i've always wanted another one. It pushes what few car buttons I have and when I drive it I feel like George Hayduke in the Monkey Wrench Gang tryin' to elude Bishop Love's search and Rescue squad down near the Maze west of Moab. (If that doesn't ring a bell.....run don't walk to the nearset library or book store and get The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey and read it. Right now. I'll wait). It's a dumb car that fails the main test of a car's viability'cuz it sucks at carryin' bikes and yet I'm drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
I am weak and I apologise to my sport, my town, my country and my world.
It's a new year..................time to examine my weaknesses and shortcoming and try to do better.
I'll ride to work tomorrow. I promise.
Thanks to Zac-from-Seattle for reminding me to put my muscles where my mouth is.
Thanks to Rach and Lee for showing us all how to do it last year as they racked up mega-mileage commuting here from GR and Middleville.
Thanks to everyone that rides when they can, 'cuz every little bit helps.
Thanks again for a great year in '06..........let's have another great one, okay?

Later, MC