Quick Post

Before I joke around, I like 1a and 1b and I also agree with Chop that 3b and 3c are very nice as well. Mike's favorite is ok, but not a top choice of mine. As cool as black and white looks I think we need to have both a little blue and red on our jerseys. If it wasn't for Ship we wouldn't be making these so maybe we owe them at least a little color on top of our 13,000 dollars for a year of joy. Just a thought.

Just to clear the air, I'd like to inform anyone who is confused (cough, Cody and Mike) that all of the jersey designs that have the vertical Shippensburg on them look silly.

I still like 1a and 1b because they would look really intimidating at the line. (example) Thor Hushovd with his massive legs but more importantly his frightening black attire wins races before they even start. Who wants to pass a man who isn't afraid to throw you from your bike for a victory sporting a jersey as fierce as 1a and 1b.

this is the one I like

I like the idea of having two jerseys: each the same, but with the white and black reversed.

Obviously not everyone would need to buy both--we'd pick one as the main design, where if you're only going to buy one you'd buy that one--but for those of you buying two, you might as well have a little something to change things up a bit. One design for the shorts, though. A design that would work with either jersey.

Anyway, the kit posted above is my favorite. Room for one sponsor logo on the front (but not as much print as this last year) as well as room on both sleeves. Smaller sponsors can get spots on the back pockets. The collar things could stay or go. Or be solid red. But all in all I think the sort of understated chevron design is quite striking. And as much as I like 4b below, I think we pretty much have to at least make a nod to the school colors.

...

So, I know what Chop and Mike like. No one else has weighed in. Is it ambivalence or fear that keeps you all from commenting?

'10 kit concepts

(1a)

(1b)

(2a)


(2b)


(3a)


(3b)


(3c)


(these bibs go with design #3, but the side panels could go either way--white with black stripes or black with white stripes)


(4a)


(4b)


(4c)


(5a)


(5b)


(6a)
On this one I'm actually thinking in place of the solid white stripe on the sleeves there would be a "SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY," in the same font as elsewhere, written around the cuff of the sleeve like a stripe.


(6b)
designs #6a & #6b have bibs to go with them, below


(7a)


(7b)


(8)

YBR/SMVC/SUCC Summer Smackdown Round Three -- RESULTS

Yesterday was round three of the Summer Smackdown--a 6.5 mile hill climb up Big Flat. Thirteen hungry participants (well, one wasn't that hungry) toed the line.

RESULTS (updated):

(1) Michael Maret (Ship Cycling)
(2) Nathan Goates (Ship Cycling)
(3) Pat Hankins (SMVC)
(4) Robert Snyder (SMVC)
(5) Brian Hopkins (YBR)
(6) Tim Rohrbaugh (SMVC)
(7) Joe Kaehler (SMVC)
(8) Jim Hartnet (SMVC)
(9) Matt Ciccocioppo (Ship Cycling)
(10) Paul Polensky (YBR)
(11) Rich Schaffer (SMVC)
(12) Chris Snyder (USMC)
(13) Cathy Snyder (SMVC)

A hearty congratulations to the South Mountain Velo Club for being able to field a full team for all three events. An automatic DQ for Ship Cycling and YBR in Rounds 2 & 3. Boo. Hiss.

I can't speak for YBR, but frankly I'm embarrassed Ship Cycling couldn't get four riders out to each event. It would have obviously been easier during the school year, but I'm still embarrassed. (Cody, Joe, Chris, Pete...we needed y'all.)

...

NEXT UP:

(1) A special bonus ROUND FOUR of the Summer Smackdown: The Team Time Trial.

Stay tuned for details on place and confirmation on date, but right now we're planning on August 25, 26, or 27th. Get your team of four together now.

(2) THE (ALMOST) HALF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.

If you haven't heard about it yet, read up here. This is going to be great.

Unfortunately, there are about a 1000 weekend conflicts in September, so I'm thinking we schedule for Labor Day. That's Monday, September 7. A few weeks before the real world championships, but I don't want to schedule over the Pine Grove Furnace TT (9/19) or the great cross races going on throughout September.

So save the date! You know you're going to want to get out and do something long on Labor Day anyway, make it The (Almost) Half World Championship.

You. Could. Be. The (Almost) Half Champion of the World!

(Special prizes for the last three finishers. More details to come.)

the (almost) half world championship

Alright, y'all. I've been a' thinking...

** UPDATED 9/23 **

The UCI World Championships are being held this year in Mendrisio, Switzerland, September 23-27. (World Championship events are single-day events, but the larger event is held over many days because there are several categories--TT & RR for Elite Men and Women, and the U23 TT & RR.) This year, the road race course is held over a 8.5 mile circuit with 800 ft of elevation gain per lap. The elite men do 19 laps (163 miles and 15,300 ft of climbing).

One month after the UCI World Championships (we do things a little slow here in south-central) we will host our own, (almost) half world championship. Saturday, October 24.

I've mapped out an 8.8 mile circuit with 740 ft of climbing per lap (as close as I could find to the length and elevation profile of the Mendrisio course--and, frankly, it's pretty darn close).


Since the elite men in Switzerland will do 19 laps for 163 miles, we'll do 9 laps for 79 miles (almost half). The elite men in Switzerland will have climbed 15,300 feet, we'll do 6,700 (almost half).

And so it's The (Almost) Half World Championship!

You can see the map and elevation profile above. Course will run counter-clockwise, which means some left-hand turns and a few straight-through stop signs, but traffic will be low, and after a few times up Horse Killer you'll be too tired to care anyway. The start/finish will be at about where the little red dot is in the picture above.

So anyway...don't stop training. You won't want to miss this one.

You. Could. Be. The (Almost) Half Champion of the World!

(And if you want come come play, but 79 miles with 6,700 ft of climbing sounds a bit much, we might could crown an (almost) quarter world champion as well (5 laps, 44 miles). But one quarter of a crown is going to have a hard time staying on your head...)

a potpourri of pics

From a few weeks ago at the Tuesday nighter:


Let me tell you, I've been pleased as punch with the TNR lately. We seem to have ourselves a fast, committed core group. The other day when we had seven riders contesting the finish... Good stuff.

And this last one is for Chop. In Chicago's Lincoln Park on Sunday:

Disaster Strikes at Deodate

The Deodate race today was on a really enjoyable course, with the exception of the narrow roads and guys who think that it is cool to ride 4 wide, and the weather was perfect. The Cat. 4 race started off pretty slow and, more or less, kept the same speed throughout the whole of the race. It was beginning to look like Mike, Jon and I had a pretty good chance of finishing this race in good positions. Especially Mike, because he needs as many points as he can get in order to race A in the next Collegiate season. Sadly, my race ended early in lap 4 when someone in front of me went down, taking out me and several other riders. I tried like hell to catch back up to the group but the crash had happened on the longest hill of the course and they were just going to fast. I finished the lap and respectfully bowed out with a big painful DNF. So goes life I suppose.

Deodate Road Race Topo

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/pa/deodate%2c%20dauphin%20county/411124949366467011