For those that want to know, there are many things that make the Breck Epic a super convenient stage race (as far as stage races go). You can ship your bike out instead of flying with it, thus saving a lot of money. There are affordable shuttle services that can take you from the Denver airport to Breck and back. The town is super small, so if you don't have a car while your there, it's not a problem to use your bike to get around (I clocked an extra 25+ non-race miles on my bike over seven days). If you don't feel like camping, there are plenty of reasonably priced accommodations....
depending on your standards.
I think some people are intimidated by the altitude. I can see why, since even Basso, Evans, and Schleck whine about it. It does make things hard, and if you want to be competitive, it's best if you can get out there early to acclimate. I'm pretty sure most people sign up for a stage race for the adventure of it all, and there's no reason to think that the altitude will keep you from having a great time. Breck is spectacular and the views and trails are among the best I've ever experienced. You're cheating yourself if you don't give it a try because you're scared of some thin air.
While I was on blog vacation, Backcountry Research finally released the much anticipated Tülbag (pronounced tūl-bahg)...
I'm happy with the way the Tülbag turned out, although, as it has been pointed out to me by an astute reader, the current hang tags have a grammatical error of epic proportions. I have to take the blame on that one, and now and forever I'll be double checking my use of "lay" and "lie". Hopefully I can find my dictionary... it's got to be laying around here somewhere.
I used my Tülbag at the Breck Epic and was pleased by its performance. Most of the time, I hardly noticed it was there, but when I needed it.... oh, what can I really say? It's a tough bag with a well thought out design, it's expertly constructed, and it holds my tools and spare bits. Simple, solid, perfect.
I did use the new Back Forty strap at the Breck Epic as well. I could show you some action pictures, but the racing photos have been taken down from my blog. Why? The first email I got from the photographer said:
"...I'm sending photos out to bloggers no cost to help drive traffic to my site."
Then after I posted the images (with links to the photographer's site) yesterday, I got this email:
"So did you not care about the the note with the photos stating that all images are for review purposes only? That acts as a legal contract, for your info.
The fact that you went ahead and posted 6 images without my approval shows you have little respect for me and my career. The submission was very clear... if you took the time to read it.
This email will follow with a formal invoice for your illegal use of my images. It a bummer that even yourself would take advantage. Dude, I don't work for free."
Rather than sort through the confusion, I removed the images from yesterday's post. I guess free isn't free, or at the very least, has subtle limitations I didn't comprehend. I respect the work that photographers do, but some communication breakdown seems to have put me in an awkward place. My bad, my apologies to all. You will not get to see his excellent work here.
You'll have to settle for this:
from Jeff Kerkove's Gold Dust video
Back to the Back Forty....
I like the fact that it is more versatile than the Hitch and can go anywhere on the bike you can strap it down. It's slightly easier to use, load, and mount/remove. Sure, it's not as sexy as the Hitch, all tucked up under the saddle nice and tidy, but it's more adaptable to a variety of load sizes and positions. It does not come in all the fashionable colors, but at least black goes well with formal and casual wear.
I guess you can see the Back Forty waiting for its first use in Peter's shitty iPhone photo. I've got a new, semi-top secret method for loading tubes in the straps, but all my shit (tubes, CO2, whatnot) are in the box being shipped back to my house, so perhaps I'll let you in on my new method as I prepare for the Shenandoah 100 next week.
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20 comments:
An accusation of illegal activity that includes "bummer" and "dude"...hilarious!
Too bad the photo man came down on you so hard. Seems he's at least partially to blame if his terms of use were not clear. It is (was) excellent work and in fact did drive me to his site. Not so sure about his claim of a "legal contract" though.
The videos are (are still) awesome!
Advocat
"I guess you can I was prepared to use it in Peter"
wv: cystr
Oh cr@p. Shenandoah is next week already?
eff that photog anyways! I have all the Dicky porn I can handle already!
what an idiot, now no one will see that asshats shitty pics
It's a rough and sensitive spot, between a photographer and the people he takes pictures of. Thanks for taking the high road in the situation...
A lesson learned from TSE'11 is to make it simple for bloggers and sponsors. The giant pre-race email of photography terms was frightening for everyone.
Too many rules = Too few photos seen = Too little traffic = Too many profanities
I think I will be happier to see more photos on more blogs with my website printed along the bottom.
And anyone who is interested in using a photo in an legit ad campaign for the $$$ won't want the watermark on there anyway.
Just because something has 'no cost' does not mean that it is free.
Think about it!!
You'd better tell Sonya about the pic thing too.
speaking of grammatical errors: "I guess you can I was prepared to use it in Peter's shitty iPhone photo."
No one wants to talk Tülbags?
Whatever.
I don't want to talk Tulbags, I want a Tulebag in my hands.
FYI: The email that had the pictures attached to it did have this notice:
*All images attached to this email are for review purposes only. Any and all use must first be approved by ******* prior to the use. For any questions or concerns please contact ****** directly.
Just wanna make that clear.
Whatever...photog douchebag. Self-importance annoys me. I saw them yesterday anyway, so I guess he can invoice you for the cost of "incepting" them out of me? You'll have to check with Leo...
Yeah, I'll talk Tulbags. I think the photographer is a Tulbag.
"Hey, here's some cool shots I took of you racing to post up on your blog! - but you gotta pay me to use them. Yeah that's right, you have to pay ME to advertise MY services."
Whatever.
Mr. Photog cracks me up, he acts like an idiot (after taking a graven image of your spirit!) and then thanks you for taking the high road. Paparazzi. I hope you find a way to release your spirit from his f*$@#(&ing memory card. Wait till Backcountry sees the photos of the Tulbag. Oh my. Maybe you can download your spirit into a younger body?
If somebody emails me something, I am going to do whatever I want with it. Jagoff spambucket arsewipe.
The stamp in corner of his images should be enough to proteck him against you making millions off his photos. I am guessing THIS isnt doing much for burgeoning career. So did you send out my check yet, or do I need to send you another invoice.
Did the BE entry/waiver forms you signed to race give anyone the right to produce and sell for profit images or photos of you? As a photographer and a lawyer I have learned that it's a two way street, both the photographer and the subject have certain rights. You did him a favor by getting his name out there. Besides if he ever read your blog he would know that your cheap ass was not going to buy his photos.
Dicky, don't worry about that photographer's deal. If he cared so much about you purchasing his images for use on your blog he should have explicitly spelled out for you what you could and could not do with them (those boiler plate legal statements at the end of email messages are BS). Plus, he should have included an order form for you to fill out in case you wanted to purchase any. As a journalist for the past 10 years, I’m aware of photo credit and usage rights, and I take it seriously. But, it’s not like you didn’t give him due credit or took them directly from his site without any communication. Anyway, knowing that this guy came down on you made me feel a bit badly about my note about lay vs. lie. I’m just trying to help, fellow journalist. One thing my old journalism professor said that may help you remember the difference is, "It's one thing to get lied to, but it's another thing to get laid."
Peace.
Chris
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