Happy Long Weekend!

"Happy Long Weekend" seems to be the most politically correct way to wish you all a nice, relaxing time this weekend. No matter what religion you practice, I hope this weekend is filled with the family you love, good friends, stimulating conversation and yummy food. After all, that is what the whole season should be about - starting with Hannukah and going right through the New Year!

To those of you celebrating on the 25th -- Happy Christmas!

Just a tiny pre-holiday tidbit. Thanks for stopping by.

Ikea, Masi and Spokesmen

Here are a few tidbits for a chilly New England morning: Ikea appears to be one heck of a green company this year. BikeBiz is reporting that Ikea UK gave away 9,000 folding bikes to its employees this week. In addition to that, they were given 15% off their travel tickets to increase use of public transportation. That's pretty dang cool. It's a great gift for both the person and their health as well as the health of the environment. Not to mention, if the person can commute to work on their bike it will help alleviate some traffic, which is good for everyone's mental health!

Last week I had the pleasure of joining The Spokesmen podcast, which is up for everyone to listen to. As I mentioned, it is a great group of folks talking about all things cycling related. I'm flattered that the guys have voted in this gal and look forward to many more chats with the group.

This episode the Spokesmen (or maybe now the 'Spokespeople'?) discussed topics that we felt were hot in 2006 - cycling related, of course. I chose to discuss how many more companies are now embracing new media including dealers, manufacturers and even the traditional media themselves. As we all know, one of the best examples of this is Masi Bicycles. Long before he was "New York Times Jackson", their brand manager was, simply, "The MasiGuy".

Now, Masiguy is running a video contest. Talk about using the 'new media'! This is great! What started as a spoof of his 'Daily Drive' photo feature by Tim Grahl and then Fritz got into the act with his video. Not to be out done, Phil took the spoof down under to Austrailia and added his video to the mix. Check them out, they are pretty funny.

Well, Tim liked the videos so much that he's running this great contest. Make a video of your daily drive, post it on YouTube and let him know where to find it by the end of January. If he and the other viewers (yes, you get to vote, too!) like your video best you'll win a sweet Masi frame. How cool is that? Check out his announcement for all the details.

Get in on the contest - the prize is fantastic. Our own Cubbie has made a video already so it's 'Game On'! Good luck.

Just some random cycling tidbits for today. Thanks for stopping by.

This one's for you Tara!

The thing I like most about the holidays is, inevitably, you hear from someone that you didn't expect to each year. Be it in a card, or a phone call, email and now via blogs. It's always fun to see who it will be each year.

With schedules being what they are, mine being hectic and not being able to keep up with my favorite bloggers as much as I'd like and her starting a company at such a fast pace I don't know how she does it, I haven't kept up with Tara Hunt as much as I'd like. Well, this week she let me know that somewhere along the line I've popped into her brain, she wanted to let me know and wants to know a little bit more about me. She's tagged me so I've got to come up with 5 things you all don't know about me.

And away we go....

1. I love popcorn.
2. My favorite NASCAR driver is Jeff Gordon.
3. I'm not a big fan of cartoons.
4. My favorite author is Dennis Lehane.
5. Rotties are my favorite dog.

Tara, thanks for the unexpected surprise! Happy Holidays to you and your family.

Just a little meme tidbit for today. Thanks for stopping by.

Time Magazine's Person of the Year. Me! And You!

Time Magazine's person of the year has been named and it is all of us! In an article written by Lev Grossman, Time talks about YouTube, Second Life, Wikipedia, MySpace and everything else that creates the online community.

"...for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing

the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating

the pros at their own game, TIME's Person of the Year for 2006 is you."

This week on the Bulldog Reporter Audio panel that I participated in we discussed how to get across to management at companies, be it your own or a client, that blogging and new media in general is as significant as it is. Well, I think this appointment by Time will go a long way to showing some of the folks that may still not be aware of the power of new media just what it is all about.

"It's a story about community and collaboration on a scale

never seen before. It's about the cosmic compendium of

knowledge Wikipedia and the million-channel people's network

YouTube and the online metropolis MySpace. It's about the

many wresting power from the few and helping one

another for nothing and how that will not only change

the world, but also change the way the world changes. "

What a great choice, Time. Bravo!

And bravo to everyone who has made this happen, including YOU!

Just a little tidbit for us all today. Thanks for stopping by.

What does a Bulldog Conference and a Cycling Podcast Have In Common??

At the end of this week two things are going to happen that have me very flattered - and give you the opportunity to hear a few things, "straight from the horses mouth", as they say. Whether that is good or bad is up to you to decide.

The first happens Thursday when I'm on a Bulldog Reporter Audio Conference panel. The conference is: "Responding to Crisis Online: Communicators at Top Brands Share Proven Tactics for Responding to Negative Bloggers." I'll be joined on the panel by Bob Pearson, Vice President at Dell and Billy Sanez, Media Spokesperson at American Airlines. These folks have had their share of crisis in the blogosphere, too. I'm just as interested in what they have to say, and learning from them, as our listeners will be, I'm sure.

The moderator is none other than Brian Pittman who is the person behind the popular 'Daily Dog'. We've chatted and emailed a few times in the last week or so. He's fun and energetic to talk to so I think he'll make sure we move along and give listeners some good tips from our experiences. I'm looking forward to it. If you'd like to join us there is still time to sign up on their website.

The second happens on Friday. For a month or so now a group of folks have been asking me to join their podcast but my schedule didn't allow. However, this week they changed their schedule to accommodate me (no pressure there!) so I am very proud to announce that I'll be joining The Spokesmen Podcast this week for their final broadcast of the year. This group consists of David Bernstein of the famed The Fredcast, Carlton Reid editor of BikeBiz, Tim Grahl of Crooked Cog Network, Jeremy from Triathlon Radio and, of course, my good friend, "New York Times"Jackson from Masiguy.

We are going to talk about the stories that were big news in cycling in 2006. We've each chosen a topic, will introduce it and see where the group takes it. As we've discussed many times here, I'm not a bike 'geek' so my topic won't be completely bike related. Check it out to see what we've all chosen. I think David usually goes live with the podcast a day or so after we record. I'm looking forward to joining the guys and they have been super kind about inviting me to join them every time they record, but I wonder how they'll truly feel when a gal invades them? Join us and see!

So, there you have it. I may have been 'quiet' on the blog for a couple of weeks, but there's no stopping me now, right?

Just a couple of tidbits for today. Thanks for stopping by.

Time to say "thank you"

No matter what holiday you choose to celebrate, or not, this month in business this is a traditional time to say, 'thank you' to customers, partners and associates. It's the end of a long year and it's a nice time to thank your customers for their patronage - without them your business wouldn't survive. It's nice to thank your vendors and associates, too. Without them, you can't service your customers well. It doesn't have to be much - a card, an email even, a sale or coupon, or maybe just a simple, "thank you, we truly appreciate your business" when you see them. It depends on the type of business you have, what your budgets are and who your clients and vendors are - and, of course, with big corporations, what the laws are.

However, to stay ahead of the competition you need to find ways to stand out to customers. Sometimes it is good to not be traditional and stand apart from the crowd. Your gesture will be remembered far longer and stand out rather than be jumbled in with the crowd. In the last year I've been very fortunate to recieve two huge "thank yous" that completely blew me away. Neither have come in the last month, but both will be remembered and treasured forever.

Last winter I received a letter from the Falmouth Road Race directors. It mentioned that the race was building a 'park' at the finish line with some benches and a brick path. It was something to remind folks at other times of the year that something special happens at that spot each and every August. It is also a place where people can sit and enjoy the ocean view. People could buy bricks and put their names on them or a little message for everyone to see. However, the race directors decided to add some of their own bricks in there for key, long time race workers. The letter was informing me that I would have a brick, too, come May. Wow.

This summer I took a trip with my mother to go see my brick. Here is what we found.

This is a view of the whole 'park'. Great view, huh? This photo was taken at the finish line of the race. It's a great place to be.

This is 'my brick'. Yes, I share it with some other key volunteers, but it is completely fitting that I share it with the Smiths as they are long-time, close friends. Sue is my mentor, she taught me all of the foundations that I needed to work in the business I'm in and be successful at it. She's also the person who brought me into the Falmouth family the first year - 15 years ago.

The second huge "thank you" came in September when I got a call from Dave Perewitz asking me what I was doing that coming Saturday. He asked if I'd come to their shop because he wanted to show me something. In the last year Dave and his family have truly made me feel like part of their family so it would take something very important for me to turn down such a simple request from Dave.

I had no idea what to expect - maybe he had a 'special guest' coming by that he wanted me to meet (you never know who you will run into a Dave's) or maybe he was building a super special motorcycle that he wanted to give me a sneak peek at before it went out the door. No matter what I thought it couldn't prepare me for what was waiting for me. When I arrived at the shop I was completely surprised to be presented with my very own custom painted, flamed (!) trashcan. Yes, I have my very own Perewitz paint job! Holy Moly!

This can is a one-of-a-kind and can not be bought anywhere. No, not just because it has my name on it....Dave doesn't sell these, he only makes them as gifts and as items for charity auctions. Here was my very own. I couldn't believe my eyes. Why did Dave give it to me? Because they wanted to thank me for all the help I'd given them with their charity events, which I gladly did because the beneficiary of all was the National MS Society - an organization that is near and dear to both our hearts. And, let's face it, getting the NASCAR driver signatures for the helmet for the auction wasn't exactly a 'chore'! But, Dave wanted to say 'thanks', in his own special way. Again, WOW! And, by the way, you know I don't use this for trash, right?

Both of these gifts are grand in scale and I am humbled by them. But, the point I was making is that sometimes you don't have to be traditional to make an impact with your 'thank you'. And, your 'thank you' doesn't have to be huge in scale, although, to me, both of these are. They are memorable gifts because of what they are but also the timing - they were given at no particular time of year. The Falmouth directors didn't thank me at the end of the year - if I'm not mistaken, the letter came in February. Random time, but wonderful - a touch of summer in February in New England (brr!). That in and of itself is priceless! Dave didn't thank me at the end of the year, either, rather at a random time, when I least expected it.

Take a note from these folks - sure, feel free to say 'thank you' now, but also think about how you may thank your customers and associates at a different time of year, when they are truly going to remember it, away from the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Maybe a take on the 'Christmas in July' theme or something equally as non-traditional. Think outside the box, or can, as the case may be.

Just a random tidbit for today and THANK YOU for stopping by.

Where have you been?

Yikes! I've heard that more than once in the last couple of weeks. I didn't mean to abandon the blog, but sometimes it just happens. It stared with a 24-hour flu, which turned into a week and a half cold - neither of which inspired me to blog. I did, however, get addicted to CSI: Miami since there was a marathon on one of the weekends I was out of it with the cold. I started thinking it was hokey (I love the original CSI and have a friend who works on the show, but David Caruso kind of annoyed me), but it was either that or football, football, football. I'm sorry to my football loving friends (you know who you are), but I needed something else. Well, Mr. Caruso and his team grew on me. I'm now addicted. If any of you are interested, they are playing an episode a night on A&E now. It's perfect for us addicts. Hey...there are worse things in life to be attached to, right?

Anywho....I've come across a few things in the last couple of days that made me smile and I wanted to share them with you. First, is the online holiday card from Specialized. I'm normally a traditionalist when it comes to the holiday cards - mail them, please. But this is just fascinating. It's "The Nutcracker Suite" performed on bicycle parts. I'm not kidding. Check it out.

The other thing that I've come across gave me a smile so big I thought my cheeks were going to crack. It started with a Google Alert for "Tyler Hamilton" with the Cyclingnews.com article, "Tyler Hamilton Meets His New Tinkoff Teammates". I clicked on it and found this photo. Rock on, Tyler!

Just a little tidbit for today. Thanks for stopping by.

Tyler's Back!

It's official! Tyler Hamilton has signed with the new cycling team, Tinkoff Credit Systems.

Congratulations to Tyler and Haven. It's been a long time coming.

Now...I'm off to figure out how to order some new team gear in support.

Just a tiny cycling tidbit for today. Thanks for stopping by.

It's Officially Thanksgiving!

Snoopy, the Flying Ace, has passed the flagship store in New York's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Here's hoping that you all have some good things to be thankful for today, no matter where you live. And to my friends here in the U.S. "Happy Thanksgiving"!

Thanks for stopping by.

Congratulations Jimmie Johnson!

Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images

The NASCAR season is over for 2006. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson was the most consistent driver of the year and takes home the Cup. Congratulations to Jimmie, Chad Knaus and the whole Hendrick Motorsports organization, including his car co-owner Jeff Gordon, who just so happens to have 4 championships himself! Jimmie is going to be a great champion!

Just a tiny tidbit. Thanks for stopping by.

Tyler Hamilton's Signs Team Contract!

Cyclingnews reported this morning that, in Nevada this weekend, Tyler said that he'd signed a contract, but didn't name a team. It is now being reported that the owner of the Tinkoff Credit Systems team is saying that Tyler is part of their new team. No official announcement has come out, but Tyler posted to his website today after a long absence. He details his relay team's Ironman adventure over the weekend (he kicked butt on the bike) and ends with, "As for everything else in my life, stay tuned... "

Sounds like an official announcement can't be far off. I see some Tinkoff team gear in my future....

In other team news, it seems as if Ivan Basso is with Discovery now and looks good in their gear. Congrats to him.

Just a little cycling tidbit for today. Thanks for stopping by.

To Blog or Not To Blog....

Yesterday (Sunday), I thought all day, "I need to blog". However, yesterday turned into an old-fashioned rainy Sunday. Some reading - I'm on a Stephen White kick these days - and some watching NASCAR. Perfect for a dreary Sunday in November. So, no blogging, but it was a relaxing day before the start of a hectic week. Blogging will resume this week for sure.

What did you do with your Sunday? I hope it was equally as nice. Happy Monday, y'all!

Just a quick, little tidbit for today. Thanks for stopping by.

Congratulations Deval Patrick!

The voters of Massachusetts made history yesterday when they elected Deval Patrick as the new governor. He is the first African American governor of the state and only the second ever elected in the country. Congratulations!

What an interesting night for the country. Some huge changes coming.

Just a morning tidbit. Thanks for stopping by.

Election Day 2006

The polls are open here in New England. No matter who you are voting for today, just get out and vote! Don't assume that your favorite candidate is a shoe-in. Go. Make the effort. Have a voice. Vote.

I'm off to vote right now. Thanks for stopping by.

Random Cycling Tidbits

Tyler Hamilton has changed the colors of his website from Phonak green. Seems to be more generic....then again, I haven't seen a color scheme for the new Tinkoff team that he's been rumored to be talking with now. That is an interesting situation that I'm watching closely.

Speaking of Tyler, his foundation announced the route for MS Global next year. What is MS Global? It's 8 days on the bike in Europe having a challenging, yet great time, all while raising money for Multiple Sclerosis programs. Here is what the THF has to say about the funds raised by this bike event:

A portion of the proceeds goes to fund the Jacqueline du Pre Research Fellowship & Grant through the MSIF. Increase public awareness of MS ,MSIF and THF. Promoting the health and personal empowerment of individuals with MS through cycling.

This year the riders will be tackling the might Dolomites! This is just an 'all good' event! If you are interested in joining this group of riders, check out the information on the website.

Austin, Texas is getting its own pro race in June, 2007. Read about the 2007 Austin Invitational here. C'mon, does this surprise anyone? Austin....the home of some racer-or-other that you might know about....what's his name anyway?

The big news for the cycling trade this week is that Eurobike, the largest bicycle tradeshow in Europe, has decided to have a go of it here in the U.S. They will compete with the only bicycle tradeshow in the country, Interbike. What do I think about this interesting bit of news? I've written all about it over the the Krew's site. Check it out.

What is a cycling tidbit section without Lance ? He's still not gone from the public eye. He's in New York to run the New York City Marathon tomorrow (November 5) and looking complete the course in 3-hours. He's been taking some running advice from the mother of his kids, too. Since she did well in her NYC Marathon debut, that might be a smart idea.

Just a few little tidbits for this Fall Saturday in New England. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to one and all! Please drive carefully tonight as there will be lots of ghosts, gobblins, witches and other assorted little ones on the streets all on a healthy dose of sugar! They may not always be aware of their surroundings as they get zoned in on the next 'fix' - getting to the next house. Drive with a little extra caution.

Wishing you all a safe, fun evening. And if some of the candy in the bowl calls your name....indulge a little!

Just a little tidbit for this morning. Thanks for stopping by.

Professional Cycling - A Messy Situation

Back in July the Tour de France was rocked when the world learned about 'Operation Puerto'. Top names were tossed from Le Tour because of some alleged scandal. I know that everyone involved with cycling has a strong opinion about all of this and I'm no different.

From the beginning I didn't think it was quite fair that all of these guys were tossed by their teams before 'the big dance' on suspicion alone. Now, before you get all uppity, I do understand the teams wanting to be firm on doping and drugs. No arguement from me there. However, I live in a country where you are innocent until proven guilty. There was no confirmation about any of this 'evidence', just names on a list and 'poof' - gone from the Tour Day France. Ullrich, Vino (because they couldn't field a whole team) and Basso among others. Gone.

I have to say that, right or wrong, I was pretty correct - that some conclusions were jumped to that can't be proven. Including the clearing of Ivan Basso and now the Spanish authorities have dropped the whole affair. If you want to see a good detailed run down of the whole mess from the beginning check out cyclingnews.com's coverage.

The Spanish did not feel they had enough evidence to go forward with any further investigations. Hopefully, they are correct. However, the damage to cycling has been done, it is a doozie and, for those of us who love the sport, it's heartbreaking.

People's livelihoods have been compromised, possibly for the rest of their racing days. Teams have fired riders. Riders have left teams. Teams have had to disband all-together. Sponsor dollars have gone down the potty. Sponsors have walked away from the sport, maybe never to return again. All because of a list - and an unsubstanciated list at that. One that now is not being persued any longer. There will forever be doubters as to every single person on that list. Were they guilty and got away with it? Some will say, "we know so and so is guilty". All because they were on that list. Well, the authorities didn't think there was enough evidence so what makes me or anyone else out here just reading things on the internet expert enough to pass that judgement?

Pat McQuaid is frustrated, as he should be. The whole shananigans has bought more than just a black eye to his beloved sport. His solution? Have each of the riders implicated in this mess give DNA samples to prove that they are innocent. Excuse me? Didn't the Spanish authorities say there wasn't enough evidence to go forward with this? Maybe that doesn't mean everyone on that list is clean. Maybe someone will get away with something, but maybe, just maybe there are a lot more innocent people on that list than not. I'd like to think so. However, it isn't up to me to decide - the authorities did that and we have to live with it. That's the way the legal system works.

I, for one, won't hold it against anyone if they don't submit to a DNA sample for McQuaid because, personally, I wouldn't either. Think of it this way -- you are on that list and you truly are innocent (McQuaid conceeds that there are innocent people on that list). You have lost a whole season of not only doing something you love, but also been barred from making a living at. You may have lost sponsors and even your team over this. And, your name will forever cause cycling fans to have a doubt about you and never truly think of you the same way again. Would you be so willing to give in to McQuaid's 'solution'? Or would you be a little bitter at your treatment, where your word meant nothing, and simply tell him, 'you will not be getting my DNA."?

That's just my little opinion on the whole situation - I know you will have your own strong opinions - feel free to share them.

I wish we could turn back the clock and redo the Tour Day France over again, with all the players....wouldn't that be something to watch? Ah well, there is always 2007.

Just a little cycling tidbit for today. Thanks for stopping by.

Random Tidbits

It's been awhile, but I've been collecting little tidbits the last week or so to share. Here are a few random pieces of info, that I think are interesting or fun, that I've picked up to share:

The Beachcruiser (update: link now fixed!)reports that you will be able to get Harley Davidson Beef Jerky in January. Beef Jerky and riders don't surprise me. However, I personally associate Harley Davidson with high end merchandise. So, this is a little curious to me. But, more power to them.

Denis Leary doesn't joke around when it comes to the welfare of firefighters. He started The Leary Firefighters Foundation six years ago and raised millions to help firefighters around the country. Recently, he went to New Orleans to present the fire department there with 15 search and rescue boats. The department previously had none. This seems like a must for these folks. Bravo, Denis!

Ever wonder what it is like to be a bike messenger in New York City? One of the best known is a guy named Squid. Here is a piece that World of Adventure Sports broadcast last month on Squid and some messengers in NYC. Check it out.

Speaking of Squid, if you'd like to see some great photography of messengers and bike events, check out his wife's website. Amy's a pro photog and a super sweet lady.

Keeping with the messenger theme...here's some television footage of this year's Cycle Messenger World Series held in Sydney, Australia earlier this month. The little boy right at the start is just too cute.

Know your movies? Check out M&Ms online game "50 Dark Movies, Hidden in a Painting". It's perfect for Halloween time. It's another promotion for their dark chocolate M&Ms, which are a little addicting. Good for the folks in their marketing department - they didn't miss a beat when their first promo was cut short.

If you are a super respected custom motorcycle builder what do you do at Biketoberfest in Daytona? Well, Dave Perewitz rescues a turtle from possible death. Nicely done, Dave!

Just a few tidbits for this Sunday afternoon. Thanks for stopping by.

Update: Thanks to Train The Beachcruiser link is now fixed! My apologies.

Where's Lance?

Did any of you think that you might not hear anything about Lance Armstrong after he retired from cycling? Personally, I thought Lance-mania would die down a little bit by now. But, I think we hear about him more now than we ever did when he was training. It seemed like everywhere I turned this week, I was reading about or seeing Lance.

Here are just a few of the places he's been in the last week.

He bought a new hybrid car.

"I drive a hybrid because I firmly believe that we are at a

critical time in our Earth's life," Armstrong said by

e-mail this week. "The evidence of global warming is,

to me, overwhelming, and I feel the need to do my part."

Bravo, Lance!

He talked about his relationship with Matthew McConaughey. They're just friends. Did you really think any differently?

He has 'denounced accusations' of a new book by the same guys that wrote, "L.A. Confidential: The Secrets of Lance Armstrong".

And, lastly, he's been training for the New York City Marathon on November 5. Here's the training shot, ladies.

In case you were wondering, he's not sitting still next week either. He's visiting Lexington, Kentucky as part of the President's Cancer Panel on Monday.

No, we'll be seeing Lance for a long, long time. I only hope it is more for his supporting cancer research and programs and even his environmental stance rather than the athletics or the defending against attacks on his cycling career (news flash - he's retired now!). For whatever reason, people really listen to Lance. He has the ability to continue do some real good in the world. I wish him well in that.

Just a little tidbit for today. Thanks for stopping by.

Tyler On His Way Back

Velonews is reporting that on Monday Tyler Hamilton may be announced as part of the brand new Tinkoff cycling team. This just makes Friday that much more enjoyable!

Just a tiny, happy tidbit for today. Thanks for stopping by.