What Did He See?

 Today is Groundhog Day.

According to ancient folklore, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, six more weeks of winter will follow. If he doesn’t, spring is imminent.

Drumroll…

Six more weeks.  Well, that is more or less when Spring Equinox, a.k.a. the “official “ first day of Spring arrives.

Sometimes I think Andy Warhol had Phil in mind when he said that everyone will have 15 minutes of fame.

I wonder what he does during the rest of the year.

Update:  Staten Island Chuck, out local “colleague “ of Phil, didn’t see his shadow.

A Legend Remains Off-Limits

 The exact place and moment mountain biking was “born” has been debated. What hasn’t been disputed, however, is that it evolved from a few young people (their inhibitions possibly loosened by an herb, if you know what I mean) bombing down fire trails and rocky paths in Northern California and Upper New England (where cyclo-cross enjoyed some popularity) on old Schwinn ballon-tired bikes they bought for a couple of dollars in thrift stores or found in the rubbish.  Depending on whom you ask, that would have been in the early 1970s, or possibly even the 1960s.

Of course, it wasn’t called “mountain biking” or “off-road riding” until much later—after folks like Gary Fisher started to modify those bikes with derailleurs and cantilever brakes (coaster brakes on those old bikes burned out during long, steep descents) and Joe Breeze made bikes specifically for the purpose.

Another agreed-upon part of mountain bike lore:  One of its shrines, so to speak, is Mount Tamalpais, which offers stunning views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean. In fact, “Mount Tam” is so iconic—in a way that l’Alpe d’Huez is in road bike racing—that bicycles, parts, accessories and clothing have been named for it.

Mountain bikers before it was “mountain biking “ on Mount Tamalpais during the 1970s.  Photo by Wende Cragg.

There are, however, some major differences between the two peaks. For one, the summit of Huez, in the French Alps, is about three times as high as “Tam.” And the views, while stunning, are entirely different. 

Also, there is a paved road with 21 virages, which is open to cyclists except, of course, when the race is approaching. (I climbed it in 2001, just before a ride up another iconic Tour de France climb would change my life. Tamalpais, on the other hand, is accessible only by trails—which have been off-limits to cyclists for about four decades.

In October, local cyclists thought they’d won “their” mountain back after the ban was lifted.  Or so they thought.

Photo by Maureen Gaffney for Outside magazine.

Just when they were ready to take a celebratory ride on the trails, a judge issued a restraining order. Turns out, several groups and the water safety commission lobbied against the opening. They cited concerns about dangers to plant and animal life—which includes rare species—and the water supply.  

Those concerns have been the basis of other bans, mainly in National and State parks.  Opening “Tam” would have involved only two trails: one for conventional mountain bikes, the other for electric mountain bikes.  I can’t help but to think the latter may have been a reason for the lobbying and the judge’s ruling:  They believe (perhaps rightly) that noise and vibrations from eBikes (which didn’t exist 40 years ago) will disturb wildlife.

It will be interesting, to say the least, to see whether Otis Guy, now 71 years old and part of the protest against the judge’s order, will ever be able to ride again on the mountain he, Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze and others made into a shrine of their beloved sport half a century ago.

QBP: DEI!

 Blame it on DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and the organization’s “woke” agenda.

At least, that’s what he-whom-I-will-not-name would do if he paid any attention to the bicycle industry.

I’m talking about Quality Bicycle Products which, as their name implies, supplies fine bikes, parts and accessories to retailers. They are known in the industry for their efforts to promote DEI, not only within their own ranks, but also the industry.

One example of the latter was their mechanics’ school, which offered scholarships to “women, trans, non-binary, non-conforming or intersex” US residents who worked in the industry.

Notice that I wrote of the school in the past tense:  It closed about a year and a half ago. Were he President, and had he paid attention to the bike industry, the Fake Tan Fūhrer (FTF) would have screamed, “DEI! Woke!”

 In reality, QBP’s decision to close its academy had, to some degree, to do with the “bust” that afflicted the industry after the “boom” early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Then again, other schools, like that of United Bicycle Institute, have had waiting lists. 

Why? Well, schools like UBI and Appalachian don’t limit their enrollment to people already employed in the industry. While some UBI and Appalachian students work in the business, others are young people or career-changers who want to work in the bike trade. Still others are home mechanics who simply want to improve their skills.

On the other hand, QBP’s policy meant that few mechanics, of whatever gender identity or expression, could attend. Few bike shops could or would pay the tuition (and lodging and travel expenses) to send their mechanics to school: Shop owners and mechanics usually train employees themselves and expect those employees to augment their knowledge with online resources. (In my day, we used books and manuals.) So, attendees tended to be either scholarship recipients or better-paid employees of bike-related companies—like QBP.

Speaking of whom:  QBP is laying off two percent of its workforce. That will be the company’s third reduction of staff numbers in just over two years. Of course, QBP isn’t the only bicycle-related concern to let go of employees (or close altogether) in the wake of the “crash” that followed the “sugar rush,” so to speak, of increased demand during the pandemic. But if FTF were watching:  “DEI! Woke agenda! Send the military to the border!”