I can't believe people are asking for my opinion on the forum versus actually contacting me individually!?!?!? Thanks go to those who have written regarding the ACA, including the recently resigned president. Fran, just like Beth, Margaret and Mark have all done an immense amount of work for the Colorado bicycle racing community. While it is hard to imagine local racing without them there looks to be an exciting time ahead for the ACA and the racing community in general.
I have managed to keep in touch with many of the board members. They are ALL hard at work to ensure a smooth transition when the new ED starts around the 22nd. For those of you who didn't notice, there was a meeting on Monday for input on the 2008 budget. If you have any comments on the posted material at the ACA website please let the new treasurer know, he is very open to any ideas that members have for him. The ED position has been posted and I hope that the board receives many candidates for the position. The forum has brought up the crux of the issue in hiring someone. Those who are professionally qualified for the position will most likely not find the salary adequate for the hours required. Those applicants who have the passion for local racing and are willing to sacrifice pay in order to do the job will most likely lack previous experience in similar positions. Selecting the right person for the job will be difficult and I encourage everyone to talk to board members about what qualities they would like to see in the new ED.
Finally, the packets for the 2007 annual meeting will be mailed soon. I have submitted several pieces of legislation based on topics discussed at the promoters meeting. Please make sure your club takes the time to read over ALL of the information and vote. The voice of the clubs is essential to the continued success of the ACA.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Anniversary
Today was the two year marker for Beth and I. We went out for dinner at a restaurant that I will mercifully let remain anonymous. I got the Ono and a "Spicy Asian Salad". It should have been labeled massive fire gut salad. The Ono was pretty clearly the left overs from the weekend. It sounded good on the menu but was a horrible mix of unrelated flavor in reality. Curry, fish and bread??? We also guessed it could have been the "B" squad in the kitchen, in reality it was probably the "C". No matter what, this is what I felt like doing when I got home:
Friday, September 21, 2007
Which way to go?
There has been a lot of talk since the ACA Executive Director tendered her resignation about whether or not the ACA should return to the USAC as a sanctioning body and have the ACA be the local association. I believe there is a time and a place for everything, including returning to the federation but that time is NOT right now.
It is inevitable that someday the ACA will be forced to return to USAC. This is not solely to keep the members happy but is a true necessity in the current insurance market. With rising costs of primary insurance, more racers are hitting the start line without it and relying on the secondary policy that the ACA and USAC offer. The ACA pays in a small fraction of what USAC pays into their policy yet we're getting almost the same benefits. In 2008 the ACA will pass on the per rider, per day insurance surchaerge increase that was received in 2007. The ACA managed to pay that increase for the promoters in 2007. Unless there is a dramatic change in the insurance industry standards, the ACA should expect to see their rates continue to rise into the foreseeable future. At some point the benefits that the ACA provides will no longer outweigh the additional cost of insurance surcharges and promoters will be forced to permit through USAC. It is my best guess that this will happen within the next 3-5 years.
Despite the need to eventually become a USAC Local Association it would be a mistake to do so at this stage in the associations development. The transition to USAC should be at least a year long process to ensure that promoter and racer benefits from ACA are not compromised during the move. Additionally, the ACA should use its current financial strengths to improve it's members benefits prior to reintegration. These could include, but are not be limited to, a new website for even faster results and points tabulations, online license sales, online race registration, race kit improvements, improved executive transparency and more detailed documents on the operation of the association. By striving to offer more benefits to members while maintaining its focus on grassroots racing and junior development the ACA would increase the value of the association in the eyes of the USAC. If lines of communication between the organizations were open during the solidification of ACA improvements it would ensure a smooth and positive transition to the USAC when the time is right at some point in the next 1-3 years. If developed and executed correctly the ACA could become the standard by which all other Local Associations are evaluated.
I encourage everyone to support the Executive Committee in an effort to appoint an interim Executive Director to ensure a smooth transition on October 22nd. Obviously this is not a position that can be transitioned overnight. Also encourage them to conduct a thorough search for applicants to review in order to find the best candidate for Executive Director. That candidate should be committed to work for the ACA and it's Executive Committee with goals to improve benefits, maintain a focus of grassroots junior development, and establish open communication with USAC in an effort to become the Local Association within 1-3 years.
It is inevitable that someday the ACA will be forced to return to USAC. This is not solely to keep the members happy but is a true necessity in the current insurance market. With rising costs of primary insurance, more racers are hitting the start line without it and relying on the secondary policy that the ACA and USAC offer. The ACA pays in a small fraction of what USAC pays into their policy yet we're getting almost the same benefits. In 2008 the ACA will pass on the per rider, per day insurance surchaerge increase that was received in 2007. The ACA managed to pay that increase for the promoters in 2007. Unless there is a dramatic change in the insurance industry standards, the ACA should expect to see their rates continue to rise into the foreseeable future. At some point the benefits that the ACA provides will no longer outweigh the additional cost of insurance surcharges and promoters will be forced to permit through USAC. It is my best guess that this will happen within the next 3-5 years.
Despite the need to eventually become a USAC Local Association it would be a mistake to do so at this stage in the associations development. The transition to USAC should be at least a year long process to ensure that promoter and racer benefits from ACA are not compromised during the move. Additionally, the ACA should use its current financial strengths to improve it's members benefits prior to reintegration. These could include, but are not be limited to, a new website for even faster results and points tabulations, online license sales, online race registration, race kit improvements, improved executive transparency and more detailed documents on the operation of the association. By striving to offer more benefits to members while maintaining its focus on grassroots racing and junior development the ACA would increase the value of the association in the eyes of the USAC. If lines of communication between the organizations were open during the solidification of ACA improvements it would ensure a smooth and positive transition to the USAC when the time is right at some point in the next 1-3 years. If developed and executed correctly the ACA could become the standard by which all other Local Associations are evaluated.
I encourage everyone to support the Executive Committee in an effort to appoint an interim Executive Director to ensure a smooth transition on October 22nd. Obviously this is not a position that can be transitioned overnight. Also encourage them to conduct a thorough search for applicants to review in order to find the best candidate for Executive Director. That candidate should be committed to work for the ACA and it's Executive Committee with goals to improve benefits, maintain a focus of grassroots junior development, and establish open communication with USAC in an effort to become the Local Association within 1-3 years.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Fall Is Almost Here
I'm a big fan of riding my mountain bike in the fall. Every year I seem to get the feeling that I'm not so bad at it. Then I watch something like this and my ego returns to the proper level..
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Sign the Petition
If you care about Colorado racing, please read and think about signing the following petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/acawatchdog
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/acawatchdog
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Unhappy with the ACA???
If you are questioning why so many dedicated individuals are leaving ACA, take some action!
Since resigning from the EC last week I've received around 20 supportive e-mails asking what can be done to rectify the developing situation with the ACA Staff and Executive Committee. While I slowly get back to these individuals and clubs below is a list of items for you to consider.
1. Go to an Executive Committee meeting and see what it's like. Ask some hard questions of the committee and staff. Ask a Committee member for more information:
http://www.americancycling.org/info/who/07-ACA-Executive-Committee-and-Staff.pdf
2. Get involved. Join the Executive Committee and try to change things from the inside. If you try this I wish you the best of luck as I was completely unsuccessful after 3 years of unwavering dedication to the cause.
3. Communicate. If your mind is made up that the current Executive Director is no longer the right person for that position, tell your teamates and club leaders. Have them all thank the Executive Director for years of stellar service and encourage her to consider that the organization has outgrown her capabilities and a resignation is in order.
4. Race, it's why we all care about this and it's a great way to show support for the local racing community.
See you on the road.
Since resigning from the EC last week I've received around 20 supportive e-mails asking what can be done to rectify the developing situation with the ACA Staff and Executive Committee. While I slowly get back to these individuals and clubs below is a list of items for you to consider.
1. Go to an Executive Committee meeting and see what it's like. Ask some hard questions of the committee and staff. Ask a Committee member for more information:
http://www.americancycling.org/info/who/07-ACA-Executive-Committee-and-Staff.pdf
2. Get involved. Join the Executive Committee and try to change things from the inside. If you try this I wish you the best of luck as I was completely unsuccessful after 3 years of unwavering dedication to the cause.
3. Communicate. If your mind is made up that the current Executive Director is no longer the right person for that position, tell your teamates and club leaders. Have them all thank the Executive Director for years of stellar service and encourage her to consider that the organization has outgrown her capabilities and a resignation is in order.
4. Race, it's why we all care about this and it's a great way to show support for the local racing community.
See you on the road.
Reinforcement
From the ACA Website:
"...we need to be very, very careful that by "stirring the pot" with questions of and challenges to our staff that we don't rock the boat so much that we lose the very people who's love of and passion for the sport has brought the ACA to the point it is at today."
I find it strange that the Executive Committee is reinforcing one of the reasons I resigned. For 3 years I learned never to question the Executive Director. It's pretty twisted how the Director manages the Committee versus the Committee managing the Director. If you don't believe me go to an EC meeting and see for yourself. They are open to ACA members.
"...we need to be very, very careful that by "stirring the pot" with questions of and challenges to our staff that we don't rock the boat so much that we lose the very people who's love of and passion for the sport has brought the ACA to the point it is at today."
I find it strange that the Executive Committee is reinforcing one of the reasons I resigned. For 3 years I learned never to question the Executive Director. It's pretty twisted how the Director manages the Committee versus the Committee managing the Director. If you don't believe me go to an EC meeting and see for yourself. They are open to ACA members.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Jon Tarkington
July12th, 2007
Attn: All Members of the American Cycling Association
RE: Resignation from ACA Executive Committee
Members of the ACA,
As many of you know the driving force behind the ACA’s development programs is the Executive Director, Beth Wrenn-Estes. Through the years she has done a tremendous job building the ACA into what it is today. There are over 3000 individual members and many development programs aimed at continuing this growth. Unfortunately, the Association has now outgrown the capabilities of the current Executive Director. Seeing as Mrs. Wrenn-Estes is no longer the correct person to serve as the Association’s day-to-day leader, perhaps she could fill a new position fit to her specialties, such as grassroots development program coordinator.
Over the past month the ACA lost a longtime supporter and official, Andy Rosen. Because of this incident a large number officials decided to no longer work races with or for Beth Wrenn-Estes. Two members of the Executive Committee have also resigned in the past weeks.
As a member of the Executive Committee for the past 3 years I have developed a deeply rooted passion for the continued success of the ACA. This year nearly the entire Executive Committee clearly shared that passion. The only obstacle prohibiting that passion for success from being put into action was the Executive Director. Meetings have had a feeling of hostility and fear of heavy-handed anger from our primary staff person. Many, if not most, ideas are swiftly and firmly put down if they are not in line with her personal views of the association. This type of aggressive behavior clearly contributed to Mr. Rosen’s resignation as well as many official’s unwillingness to work with Mrs. Wrenn-Estes.
The behavior of the Executive Director has made it difficult for the Executive Committee to achieve their goal of ensuring the ACA continues to prosper well into the future. The Committee has a fiduciary duty to the members to ensure financial prosperity. This is complicated, if not impossible, to do with Executive Director also acting as Treasurer. Many non-profit organizations would consider this dual role to be completely un-ethical. Again, any questioning of this conflict of interest results in great anger and accusations of mistrust by the Executive Committee. Accusations of mistrust by Mrs. Wrenn-Estes have usually been accompanied by threats of resignation (refer to e-mail attached below). This is clearly not the leadership needed for a burgeoning organization.
It is with great regret that I must resign from the Executive Committee, effective immediately. I cannot proceed on the committee without being able to function to the best of my abilities, something that is clearly not possible with the current Executive Director. I feel that such a drastic measure is in order to alert you, the membership, to the current situation. It is only a matter of time before more committee members depart and the ACA suffers irreconcilable damages. It is my sincere hope that you will care enough about the racing you enjoy to encourage the remaining Committee members and your club representatives to intervene in order to rectify this downward spiral.
Respectfully Yours,
Jon Tarkington
July12th, 2007
Attn: All Members of the American Cycling Association
RE: Resignation from ACA Executive Committee
Members of the ACA,
As many of you know the driving force behind the ACA’s development programs is the Executive Director, Beth Wrenn-Estes. Through the years she has done a tremendous job building the ACA into what it is today. There are over 3000 individual members and many development programs aimed at continuing this growth. Unfortunately, the Association has now outgrown the capabilities of the current Executive Director. Seeing as Mrs. Wrenn-Estes is no longer the correct person to serve as the Association’s day-to-day leader, perhaps she could fill a new position fit to her specialties, such as grassroots development program coordinator.
Over the past month the ACA lost a longtime supporter and official, Andy Rosen. Because of this incident a large number officials decided to no longer work races with or for Beth Wrenn-Estes. Two members of the Executive Committee have also resigned in the past weeks.
As a member of the Executive Committee for the past 3 years I have developed a deeply rooted passion for the continued success of the ACA. This year nearly the entire Executive Committee clearly shared that passion. The only obstacle prohibiting that passion for success from being put into action was the Executive Director. Meetings have had a feeling of hostility and fear of heavy-handed anger from our primary staff person. Many, if not most, ideas are swiftly and firmly put down if they are not in line with her personal views of the association. This type of aggressive behavior clearly contributed to Mr. Rosen’s resignation as well as many official’s unwillingness to work with Mrs. Wrenn-Estes.
The behavior of the Executive Director has made it difficult for the Executive Committee to achieve their goal of ensuring the ACA continues to prosper well into the future. The Committee has a fiduciary duty to the members to ensure financial prosperity. This is complicated, if not impossible, to do with Executive Director also acting as Treasurer. Many non-profit organizations would consider this dual role to be completely un-ethical. Again, any questioning of this conflict of interest results in great anger and accusations of mistrust by the Executive Committee. Accusations of mistrust by Mrs. Wrenn-Estes have usually been accompanied by threats of resignation (refer to e-mail attached below). This is clearly not the leadership needed for a burgeoning organization.
It is with great regret that I must resign from the Executive Committee, effective immediately. I cannot proceed on the committee without being able to function to the best of my abilities, something that is clearly not possible with the current Executive Director. I feel that such a drastic measure is in order to alert you, the membership, to the current situation. It is only a matter of time before more committee members depart and the ACA suffers irreconcilable damages. It is my sincere hope that you will care enough about the racing you enjoy to encourage the remaining Committee members and your club representatives to intervene in order to rectify this downward spiral.
Respectfully Yours,
Jon Tarkington
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Lincoln Plating 07
I first did this race two years ago and found it a really well run and fun race. I was eager to not attend the AST crit so I decided to head out to Lincoln, Nebraska for a quick weekend race. The drive wasn't all that bad either way minus some EPIC winds on the way home. I thought for sure we were going off the road a few times.
The TT was what it should be, hard. Scott Tietzel had a really good ride in 4th with Ross and I a bit off the pace. After a fast trip back to the hotel for a shower and a bite to eat we were back out at the race site for the road race. It followed the trend of RR's this year and was shortened due to high winds and slow times. The first attack detonated and came back without anyone chasing. The next break had HART strongman Wes Hartman in it so we had to chase with a few other guys. After a lap and a half of chasing it was back together again with everyone looking a bit ragged already. The 30-50mph gusts were pretty draining. Dan Porter was dangling off the front of the group so I bridged up him and it looked like the field was letting us go. Unfortunately, on the next cross wind stretch the other big HART strongman Randy Reichardt bridged across to us. I was pretty bummed not to see Tietzel on his wheel. Because of Randy place behind Scott in the TT and the fact I was pretty cooked after the long chase I decided to sit on and let the HART teammates ride Randy into the leaders jersey if they could.
They did just that AND had me on the ropes a couple of times along the way. I managed to attack and shed Porter a few Km from the finish. The downside of that was that I had tow Randy to the line or risk getting 3rd if Porter caught back on. The move gave Randy the stage win and moved the 3 of us into the top 3 on GC. That's the way it stayed through the next days rather moist circuit race. Scott and Ross respectively ended up 7th and 19th
A big thanks goes out to race promoter John Lefler and sponsor Lincoln Plating. John's dedication to the sport is impressive and he puts on a GREAT event. It would be nice if all the people who complain about the office park crit problem in Colorado (specifically AST) would skip those in favor of races like Lincoln plating. We left at noon on Friday and got back @10 on Sunday. The trip was well worth the time and money for a such an action packed event.
March/April
After the epic Cateye road race a week of good training brought the Koppenberg Circuit. This race has always been fairly straight forward, follow the strong guys as long as you can. I did just that and not much more, ending up at the back of the lead group. Not-so-Mini-Phinney made one heck of an impression on me there, that kid appears to have ALL the goods to make it big in bike racing if he wants to. It will be entertaining to watch his career unfold.
After a weather weekend off of racing Beth and I headed to Texas for some family functions, including my nephew's birthday. I managed to race EARLY the next morning but was feeling the 3+ hrs I had spent in the jumpy castle the day before. It was an experience I haven't had in a while, I was there solo and there were several large teams present. Just like CO those teams just kept attacking until an acceptable group got off. I missed that group so decided to sit, chill and see what I could do at the end. The break had 2:30 at the start of the last climbing stretch. I tried to bridge across and got within 30 seconds before hitting a long headwind stretch that ended my attempt. A few guys came up to me and we road together until the finish. The racing scene seemed very similar to Colorado, although it was nice not to have a sizable portion of the pro peleton on hand to dose out pain.
Next up was quick weekend trip to Nebraska to avoid the dreaded AST crit.
After a weather weekend off of racing Beth and I headed to Texas for some family functions, including my nephew's birthday. I managed to race EARLY the next morning but was feeling the 3+ hrs I had spent in the jumpy castle the day before. It was an experience I haven't had in a while, I was there solo and there were several large teams present. Just like CO those teams just kept attacking until an acceptable group got off. I missed that group so decided to sit, chill and see what I could do at the end. The break had 2:30 at the start of the last climbing stretch. I tried to bridge across and got within 30 seconds before hitting a long headwind stretch that ended my attempt. A few guys came up to me and we road together until the finish. The racing scene seemed very similar to Colorado, although it was nice not to have a sizable portion of the pro peleton on hand to dose out pain.
Next up was quick weekend trip to Nebraska to avoid the dreaded AST crit.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Cateye RR- Good Idea??
Was doing the road race yesterday a good idea? Let's see...
Was it good for my bike? Probably not the best. I even used heavy duty motorcycle chain lube before I left.
The Garden Gnome Seems to think it was good, he got a rare ride on my dirty steed. I'm pretty sure he was the voice who kept telling me to ride out and race everytime I looked out the window that Saturday morning.
My sweet wife prewashed my clothes in her bath water as soon as I got home. I had already done a quick rinse of everything in the drainage ditch next to the car before tossing into a dirty wet pile in my bag at the race.
Peek a Boo, I don't really see you! This was taken 3 hrs after we finished when I finally was able to get in the shower after cleaning everything else up. It's the next monring and things are still a bit blurry. My glasses served an ornamental, not functional purpose today.
Baker was on another level today. He smoked what was left of the field by 5 minutes, solo from the second of 6 laps.
All in all it was an epic race and good training when I would normally have just sat inside and taken a rest day.
Was it good for my bike? Probably not the best. I even used heavy duty motorcycle chain lube before I left.
The Garden Gnome Seems to think it was good, he got a rare ride on my dirty steed. I'm pretty sure he was the voice who kept telling me to ride out and race everytime I looked out the window that Saturday morning.
My sweet wife prewashed my clothes in her bath water as soon as I got home. I had already done a quick rinse of everything in the drainage ditch next to the car before tossing into a dirty wet pile in my bag at the race.
Peek a Boo, I don't really see you! This was taken 3 hrs after we finished when I finally was able to get in the shower after cleaning everything else up. It's the next monring and things are still a bit blurry. My glasses served an ornamental, not functional purpose today.
Baker was on another level today. He smoked what was left of the field by 5 minutes, solo from the second of 6 laps.
All in all it was an epic race and good training when I would normally have just sat inside and taken a rest day.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Off and Running
The local scene is underway for the year. As usual, the first Stazio races were probably some of the hardest of the year with a stacked field duking it out to get ready for their spring NRC campaign. Those race have revealed some new faces to watch this season. The first is obviously Taylor Phinney. That guy had me on the ropes several times during the first Stazio race, and he's 16! His family seems to be pretty supportive in all the right ways as well. I see him going a long way this season. Next, I'd be willing to bet that Corey Carlson will begin to be someone to watch this season. The raced cross HARD and is right back out there again for the road season. It shows some love for the sport and that goes a long way to suffering through the school of hard knocks. Finally, you won't see much of him but Peter Horn could finally have the breakthrough year he's been working towards. Peter attends Vassar and spends his summer at the Cycling Center in Belgium. He'll be coming home from Europe for nationals this year and I think a lot of us will have our fingers crossed for him.
Also coming into form right now are the squirrels in our back yard. We've watched these guys do some long slow work all winter long. Over the past few weeks they have really stepped it up. You should see some of the tree to tree moves these guys are pulling off, it's EXTREME!! Besides the big air they have picked up some incredible speed. I'm seriously thinking something is up, their spaz level has gone from 3 to 10+ in the past few days alone. Right now the squirrels are really smashing the combined efforts of the neighborhood cats and deer for back yard dominance. I would love to see the panicked looks on their rabid faces if I brought in USADA to ensure that our back yard is a clean playing field.
Also coming into form right now are the squirrels in our back yard. We've watched these guys do some long slow work all winter long. Over the past few weeks they have really stepped it up. You should see some of the tree to tree moves these guys are pulling off, it's EXTREME!! Besides the big air they have picked up some incredible speed. I'm seriously thinking something is up, their spaz level has gone from 3 to 10+ in the past few days alone. Right now the squirrels are really smashing the combined efforts of the neighborhood cats and deer for back yard dominance. I would love to see the panicked looks on their rabid faces if I brought in USADA to ensure that our back yard is a clean playing field.
Monday, February 26, 2007
VOS
Despite what others might say, I like Valley of the Sun. It's true, the traffic sucks, the courses aren't very interesting and it's a pretty long drive. But the race is usually very predictable and it's pretty easy to make it into a great training weekend. I got around 11hrs in between the afternoon we got there and the end of the crit. Not bad when it's just about the only stage race in the region during February. It is always a good measure of where you're at and where you need to go with your training. I was pleasantly surprised with my form. It looks like all those mornings on my skate skis payed off a little.
I've got some work to do to get down to race weight but I think I've got time for that. No real travel race this year so I've got until Lookout to shed some lbs.
One person who's on decent form is my wife. Dang, she's rolling and is just starting to get her training on track. She actually got a result at VOS (8th overall, 5th TT). That's pretty rare for a local CO person.
The local fun starts this weekend with a TT out by the old Buckeye RR course. I predict searing lung pain from the cold air. I'm hoping one of the guys who did the Tour of California shows up and shows how out of shape the local crew is now.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Yep
It's official, the combination of unusually bad weather and a new office is making me feel more and more like this guy every day.
His name is Goliath and he got stuck in a doggy door trying to steal some other cat's food. Read more about this larger than average kitty. I'm actually going to start riding inside to avoid continuing on my current ballooning trend.
His name is Goliath and he got stuck in a doggy door trying to steal some other cat's food. Read more about this larger than average kitty. I'm actually going to start riding inside to avoid continuing on my current ballooning trend.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Am I cut out for Colorado?
I'm pretty much done with winter. Our Christmas trip to Texas came and went way too fast. At this point I would give anything to head back to South Texas for a weekend. I would go somewhere to ride but my road bike has had a flat for about a month and I'm not too motivated to change it.
The one saving grace is skate skiing. I tried my first race over the weekend and it can be described in two words, REALY HARD. By far it was the hardest 20 minutes I've ever done. The good news is that I'm still pretty out of shape and am motivated to do quite a bit more racing this year. Here I am trying not fall down:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
