Outside Mag. on Kerry's Cycling

" Kerry can also bounce his likeability if he plays up his cycling.
At a time when Lance Armstrong has helped road riding become one of
America's fastest-growing pursuits, we've seen very little of Kerry
on his bike‹except for an early-summer wipeout that was picked up by
the press. When he does roll into view, he's coming on too fancy,
brandishing an ultra-trendy LIVESTRONG bracelet and toting his
$8,000 Serotta Ottrot with him on the campaign jet.

" The result? He looks like a loser who's bought into a new sport
with top-of-the-line equipment, only to be smoked by guys with
cheaper but authentically worn-out gear. It's probably too late for
Kerry to dump the Serotta for a proletarian ride (although we happen
to have a vintage, rusting Schwinn we'd part with for only $2,000),
so his best shot at legitimacy is to take a couple of strategic
spins. A strong finish‹or a flashy wreck‹in a local criterium would
build street cred. A Sunday ride with Lance would go a long way as a
photo op. And, again, he must at all costs avoid being photographed
in tight shorts."

http://outside.away.com/outside/decision04/index_3.html

Alas, I guess America's not yet ready to see its commander in chief
in lycra.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 08:32:19 -0700, Terry Morse
wrote:

A strong finish‹or a flashy wreck‹in a local criterium would
build street cred. A Sunday ride with Lance would go a long way as a
photo op. And, again, he must at all costs avoid being photographed
in tight shorts."

http://outside.away.com/outside/decision04/index_3.html

Alas, I guess America's not yet ready to see its commander in chief
in lycra.

I'm trying to figure out how he's going to get 'street cred' riding in
a crit while not wearing tight (presumably lycra) shorts. I've seen a
few crit starts and a person in loose shorts would stand out more than
a bit, other than the old Citizens races. Not much street cred to be
gotten there.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

On 2004-10-14, Terry Morse wrote:

" Kerry can also bounce his likeability if he plays up his cycling.
At a time when Lance Armstrong has helped road riding become one of
America's fastest-growing pursuits, we've seen very little of Kerry
on his bike‹except for an early-summer wipeout that was picked up by
the press. When he does roll into view, he's coming on too fancy,
brandishing an ultra-trendy LIVESTRONG bracelet and toting his
$8,000 Serotta Ottrot with him on the campaign jet.

" The result? He looks like a loser who's bought into a new sport
with top-of-the-line equipment, only to be smoked by guys with
cheaper but authentically worn-out gear. It's probably too late for
Kerry to dump the Serotta for a proletarian ride (although we happen
to have a vintage, rusting Schwinn we'd part with for only $2,000),
so his best shot at legitimacy is to take a couple of strategic
spins. A strong finish‹or a flashy wreck‹in a local criterium would
build street cred. A Sunday ride with Lance would go a long way as a
photo op. And, again, he must at all costs avoid being photographed
in tight shorts."

http://outside.away.com/outside/decision04/index_3.html

Alas, I guess America's not yet ready to see its commander in chief
in lycra.

And here I thought people rode their bikes and windsurfed because they
enjoyed it. Shows what I know -- I've been doing it all wrong. I guess
I'll have to hire some Outside Magazine image consultants before I go for
another ride.

--

-John )

Maybe it's just my advancing age, but Outside magazine often seems a bit
weird. I pick it up at the library from time to time, because I really
do love cycling, kayaking, hiking, etc...

.... but like Buycycling, it seems too equipment-freakish, too centered
on risking your life to prove you're macho, with the added kicker of
frequent articles promoting the newest undiscovered, unspoiled
wilderness for you to drive to in your SUV.

sigh I guess if Kerry wants to appeal to that crowd, he _could_ don
baggy shorts and crash in a crit. But it sounds like a weird idea to
me, the kind that makes sense only to an Outside reader.


--
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com.
Substitute cc dot ysu dot
edu]

=v= Shocking photo of Kerry not wearing a helmet and talking on
a cellphone while biking:

http://tinyurl.com/3lczc

a.k.a.

http://photos.reuters.com/Pictures/V...AIGN-KERRY.jpg

_Jym_

"John Thompson" wrote in message
...
On 2004-10-14, Terry Morse wrote:

" Kerry can also bounce his likeability if he plays up his cycling.
At a time when Lance Armstrong has helped road riding become one of
America's fastest-growing pursuits, we've seen very little of Kerry
on his bike
the press. When he does roll into view, he's coming on too fancy,
brandishing an ultra-trendy LIVESTRONG bracelet and toting his
$8,000 Serotta Ottrot with him on the campaign jet.

" The result? He looks like a loser who's bought into a new sport
with top-of-the-line equipment, only to be smoked by guys with
cheaper but authentically worn-out gear. It's probably too late for
Kerry to dump the Serotta for a proletarian ride (although we happen
to have a vintage, rusting Schwinn we'd part with for only $2,000),
so his best shot at legitimacy is to take a couple of strategic
spins. A strong finish
build street cred. A Sunday ride with Lance would go a long way as a
photo op. And, again, he must at all costs avoid being photographed
in tight shorts."

http://outside.away.com/outside/decision04/index_3.html

Alas, I guess America's not yet ready to see its commander in chief
in lycra.

And here I thought people rode their bikes and windsurfed because they
enjoyed it. Shows what I know -- I've been doing it all wrong. I guess
I'll have to hire some Outside Magazine image consultants before I go for
another ride.


Never mind the right bike, how about the right bottled water. For that,
though, Kerry seems to be his own image consultant. From the NY Times:

------------------------------------------
On an evening in August, just after a campaign swing through the Southwest,
Kerry and I met, for the second of three conversations about terrorism and
national security, in a hotel room overlooking the Ferris wheel on the Santa
Monica pier. A row of Evian water bottles had been thoughtfully placed on a
nearby table. Kerry frowned.

''Can we get any of my water?'' he asked Stephanie Cutter, his
communications director, who dutifully scurried from the room. I asked
Kerry, out of sheer curiosity, what he didn't like about Evian.

''I hate that stuff,'' Kerry explained to me. ''They pack it full of
minerals.''

''What kind of water do you drink?'' I asked, trying to make conversation.

''Plain old American water,'' he said.

''You mean tap water?''

''No,'' Kerry replied deliberately. He seemed now to sense some kind of
trap. I was left to imagine what was going through his head. If I admit that
I drink bottled water, then he might say I'm out of touch with ordinary
voters. But doesn't demanding my own brand of water seem even more
aristocratic? Then again, Evian is French -- important to stay away from
anything even remotely French.

''There are all kinds of waters,'' he said finally. Pause. ''Saratoga
Spring.'' This seemed to have exhausted his list. ''Sometimes I drink tap
water,'' he added.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/10/ma...rint&position=

Never mind the right bike, how about the right bottled water.

=v= Sounds like a scene out of _The_Player_.

=v= And of course, the Shrub prefers arsenicated water.
_Jym_

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In article ,
Frank Krygowski wrote:
Maybe it's just my advancing age, but Outside magazine often seems a bit
weird. I pick it up at the library from time to time, because I really
do love cycling, kayaking, hiking, etc...

... but like Buycycling, it seems too equipment-freakish, too centered
on risking your life to prove you're macho, with the added kicker of
frequent articles promoting the newest undiscovered, unspoiled
wilderness for you to drive to in your SUV.


_ Yeah, mostly it's like that and it gets a bit worse every year,
but unlike 99% of outdoor sports magazines they actually
mistakenly hire real writers every once in a while and let them
write something interesting. Just when I'm about to cancel my
subscription I read something interesting. I'd say there's
something worth reading about every other issue and the rest is
easy to ignore.

_ Booker C. Bense



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Curtis L. Russell wrote:
On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 08:32:19 -0700, Terry Morse
wrote:


A strong finish‹or a flashy wreck‹in a local criterium would
build street cred. A Sunday ride with Lance would go a long way as a
photo op. And, again, he must at all costs avoid being photographed
in tight shorts."

http://outside.away.com/outside/decision04/index_3.html

Alas, I guess America's not yet ready to see its commander in chief
in lycra.


I'm trying to figure out how he's going to get 'street cred'

I'm still snorting my tea over "Senator Hairspray."

*snort* *snort* *snorfle*

-km

--
Only cowards fight kids -- unidentified Moscow protester

http://community.webshots.com/user/blackrosequilts
proud to be owned by a yorkie

Booker C. Bense
. stanford.edu wrote:

_ Yeah, mostly it's like that and it gets a bit worse every year,
but unlike 99% of outdoor sports magazines they actually
mistakenly hire real writers every once in a while and let them
write something interesting. Just when I'm about to cancel my
subscription I read something interesting. I'd say there's
something worth reading about every other issue and the rest is
easy to ignore.

I used to really look forward to getting my copy about 10 years ago...
having looked at it lately, I don't miss much (except for those
intermitent excellent articles).

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame