support your local cross race

people, places and things all exist for a reason imho. mostly good, sometimes bad, but always for a reason. no listing necessary, you get the point.

las vegas

ok... i get it. 60 years ago some guy kind of dared himself to turn a hopeless desert town into a resort destination and was largely successful in doing so. it's the fastest growing city in the us, and if you are into gambling, what better place to loose all your money.

it's grown well beyond gambling though. they have created a place where people can go to see a whole bunch of things at once rather than travelling the world to see those things where they belong. why go to see the eiffel tower in paris, the canals of venice, the wonders of ancient rome, the pyramids, a circus, first rate musical and performing artists... when you can go to one place and see it all?

las vegas is a cultural wal mart

yesterday they hosted a cyclocross race. they called it cross vegas... how cute. guess who was at the podium ceremony. (if you said "an elvis impersonator" you ah wicket smaat) it was a big production... under the lights... i'm sure the announcer at one point or another uttered the phrase "cross vegas style"

how very upsetting

the top north american guys and gals were all there of course, the cash being offered was too great to pass up. i don't blame them one bit, i'd have gone if i were an elite racer as well. but ask yourself this... why there were no amateur races?

i'll take my cross the old fashioned way thank you. give me the killer Bs in New England, the halloween antics in the Northwest, and the mid atlantic master's any day over a pro race in las vegas. some day, I'll take a trip and see a pro race in Europe, where it has meaning. maybe i'll even visit the eiffel tower while i'm there.