Auld Lang Syne~TS Legends
The Holidays are over and '02 is officially in the can. It's sitting by the curb along with all the boxes, wrapping paper and pretty bows I so diligently placed on all my gifts. The tree is still up; I'll put it away on my days off at Easter.
2002 was a tough year. The end of my bike race season was full of crash stories and ER trips. My non-biking life didn't go much better. The slowing economy hit my business about the time I purchased a new truck. No bike upgrades for this year. A long term relationship of 9 years ended with a somber crash. No trips to the ER or long list of doctors could repair that one. Team LATR turned into team Lonely as most of the members dropped out of the Midwest Fat Tire points chase to attend to other responsibilities.
2002 was also a learning year. I learned that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger, (at least as far as the bike crashes go). As far as the relationship thing, whatever doesn't kill you just sucks. I also learned that the Death Ride is still a bitch, rocks hurt, and there are a lot of things you can't do with one arm in a sling.
The Sprad Tracks newsletter went online as a web page October 18th 2002. I learned that can be an all consuming task if you let it. I am still looking at different hosts and ways of doing the web page. For now it will remain as it is. Changes will be made throughout the upcoming New Year. If you see something you like or don't like, e-mail me with your suggestions. If you have recommendations for something you think I should be doing, pass that along as well. The opinion poll section was changed to a Bravenet sponsored poll. It allows you to submit your responses, and see the poll results. The opinion polls haven't been the most popular feature of the newsletter or web page. I will continue to run it for a few more publishings. If the response stays low, that page may be eliminated. The Upcoming Events page has returned. Fat tire events are quickly filling up my new calendar. I will add certain events as possible. For a more complete event calendar go to LMBC's website, the e-ddress is provided on the links page. The promised rider bios are still on the agenda, they have just been moved to a back burner while I get other things completed.
As the days of auld lang syne pass behind us, the days of a promising new year are just beginning to unfold. In an effort to better promote mountain biking in West/Central Kansas I am attempting to unite the various small groups in our area into a larger coalition of mountain bike riders. No matter what she says, size does matter. Larger numbers of riders make it easier to promote events, initiate changes, and participate in community endeavors on a larger scale. If you have a group of riders, a few friends or just yourself and would like to become part of the bigger picture contact me, a team LATR member or one of our friends at Golden Belt Bicycle Company in Great Bend. The eastern riders have a couple of strong organizations for promoting mountain biking with LMBC and Earthriders in KC. Our Wild West Riders could benefit by following their lead, and joining forces with larger organizations such as the Kansas Trails Council (KTC) or (IMBA), the International Mountain Bike Assoc. New trails are being blazed, new events are being formulated, and new thoughts are being thunk. Join in on the fun and adventure! Join the club. See you on the trails.
T~
