15, January 2008

Greetings -

Thanks for bearing with me as I attempt to draw the curtain on the 2007season for the
Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team. In my last several emails I let the voice(s) of others be
heard. I want all of our friends, supporters, and sponsors to know us intimately atmo*. We
represent not only ourselves, but you too. The team is a family and a troupe and then some.
While we spend nearly 5 months on the road and at race venues together, it would hardly be
possible without the sponsors and folks who cheer us on. We've heard from Dave, Justin,
Pookums, Alie, and Mooch from the team, and from Roland Murphy of RGM Watches, Jason
First from Crank Brothers, and Morgan Nicol from Oval Concepts. Today I'll let you know what
Amy Wallace and Jon Hamblen have to say.

From the Issimo -
I guess you could say I'm easily distractable. For example, just a week into cross season this
year, I'm out on this training ride with Alie. We're cruising home from Concord and go by this
big empty swamp area. empty, except for.... wha?! there's a bike in that swamp, who puts a
*CRASHHH*pavement oooops - this is what you get for forgetting to pay attention while riding
alongside a buddy.

Unfortunately, I also fell victim to forgettingtopayattentionitis during a race or two this season.
This would happen for one of two reasons, the first being those awful sections of a course that
send you way out into the far reaches of a grassy venue where all you can hear are the crickets
chirping... chirping... chirping... are they crickets? or maybe cicadas? is that how you spell cicada?

The mind wanders, if you get me.The other cause of my frequent distraction in a race would be
the times where I see a friend cheering on the sidelines and I somehow try to acknowledge them,
which most often set me off track or into some course tape. Perhaps you can see my conflict
here... both trouble with focusing when I'm racing in nowhere land, and trouble focusing when I
see somebody watching.

Stay with me while I digress for a minute... let's go to the New Jersey stop of the USGP race
series in November. In the fashion of my recent races, I was having a nothing spectacular but
still a good time sort of race. After a second-lap crash and quick mechanical set me back 10
places further than I had been sitting, I would say my okay race had turned into a crummy race.
Keep in mind that when you're riding in the back of the pack, you only get we-love-you-anyway
sort of cheers from your teammates (thanks guys), you-can-stop-now-and-save-energy-for-
tomorrow's-race from the pit crew (thanks Richard), and of course the ever-encouraging pity
cheers from strangers. At the Verge of taking Richard's advice and calling it a day, wondering
what sort of food I had in the car, and thinking about how funny Richard's shrunken wool hat
looked, I stumbled upon the cure for forgettingtopayattentionitis. I can't call it a simple cure,
because it was hard earned on this particular day - but I found what I needed to get my head in
the game and keep wanting more. The solution is to race to the intoxicating sound of a steady
roar... In perhaps the longest section of sand pit you've ever seen in a cross race, a huge crowd
had gathered at this New Jersey sand pit to see if anyone could ride the whole length of it.
Nobody had done it. Keep in mind that by lap 4 they weren't there to watch me, but the crowd
was paying attention because they were perhaps waiting for the leader to follow up soon after me!
I made a quick decision just before diving into the sandpit for the last time that I was going to
give this sandpit everything I had. I sprinted in, coasted to the corner, and started mashing...
people were cheering, and I eked out a few more pedal strokes... more people started cheering,
and the end of sand pit was still so far away... the cheering got louder, and the screaming turned
to a roar in my ears and don't stop now as I realized I was going to make it through this sand pit.
I made it to the other end. I rode the whole sandpit, and rode out still hearing people cheering
behind me. Had I had thoughts of quitting this race?... did I say that?... screw that, I wanna go
back around and ride this sand pit again atmo.

Long story short, I guess I love to race because of those miraculous occasions where you prove
to yourself that you're capable of more than you thought possible, and you get a little public
acknowledgment for it along with your personal satisfaction. Isn't that part of the reason we all
race? We just wanna look good. Of course riding for this team helps each of us out a lot, because
believe me, We Look Good.

I forget if I digressed, or if I came back from that, or if I'm still talking about being distractable.
Forget all that. All you need to take away from this is that We on this Team love this sh*t - we
friggin love it atmo - and maybe we need a dull roar from the crowd to help us through the crummy
races sometimes, but everyone on this Team has got the passion and the drive and the crazy
love for cyclocross that can earn that wonderful memorable roar of the crowd.
(Ed. note 1: distractable??)
(Ed. note 2: see that famous issimo high style and grace here.)

From MC Jonny (to the tune of NUTHIN BUT A G THANG) -
NUTHIN BUT A CX THANG
One, two, three and to the fo'
E-Richie Rich and Dave are at the do'
Ready to make an entrance, so back on up
(cause you know we 'bout to rip the course up)
Gimme the bike first, so I can bust like a bubble
New England and the Carolinas together, now you know you in trouble
Ain't nothin but a cross thang, baaaaabay!
Eight loced out crossers so they're craaaaazay!
RGM Watches is the label that paaaaays me!
Indefatigable, so please don't try to fatigue this (hell yeah)
But, uh, back to the lecture at hand
Perfection is imperfect, so I'm a let em understand
1/8th the number one affiliation
And before me number up my skinsuit i have to find registration
You never know it could be rainin there man,
And freezin there man, and at the same time breezin there man
Now you know we love that crap, chap
Aint no course can stop us when we snap
(yeah) now thats realer than real-deal holyfield
And now all you bro's and betty's know how I feel
Well if its good enough to break that carbon chunk
We'll take a small piece of some of that steel funk

Its like this and like that and like this and uh
Its like that and like this and like that and uh
Its like this and like that and like this and uh
Richie, creep to the bike like a phantom

At this point there should be no wonder as to why I love these cats so much, and why autumn
matters most around here. As we've been heard to say: 'Cross Fukignc Rules Atmo!

See you with more of the same in a day or three.

Thanks for reading.
e-RICHIE©™®
*according to my opinion
______________________________
Thank you for your interest and support.
The Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team is sponsored by RGM Watches, Rex Chiu,
Radix Group LLC, Ozell, Stankus Architects Associates, as well as by Cane Creek,
Crank Brothers, Rudy Project, Oval Concepts, Challenge, VergeSport, Wippermann,
Selle San Marco, JB Custom Paint, Nelly's Deli, and The Wheatmarket
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