Kona Minus 12

Friday of race week. Like the day before Christmas. All the work has been, or is supposed to have been, done. The compression stockings have been hung with a modicum of care. It is time to try to get some rest, put some quality carbos into the boiler and try to settle down, calm, or in some way appease the runaway freight train known as 0645 minus 12, and counting.

We are back in the condo doing the last minute prep for tomorrows shoot. In an hour we are meeting for the annual sales meeting dinner across the street at Jamisons. I need to behave and get back early. The good news is that after 12 months of a relentless PR barrage on the Kona staff to allow us to shoot from the pack, vice last years lead vehicle protocol, they, John in particular, finally saw the light and granted us permission. The bad news is that I packed gear to shoot from a car and hence had to scramble this afternoon after the expo closed to make shift a camera rig capable of handling the gig. Also....

Not only did we have a great show, promoting the RCVs, but we establish a few new and exciting partnerships. First on that list is are the folks at MyAthleteGPS.com. Here are the broad strokes: Their service allows you to follow an athlete as he or she traverses an event course. Using GPS, the athlete carries a small transponder to send a signal that is picked up and then relayed vis their web site to friends, family and any interested parties. You log on, enter user name and password and then follow the athlete on a Google map, updates every one or two minutes. Are you seeing what I am seeing?????? Are you thinking that a marriage with the RCVs as I am out filming carrying one of their transponders could create a whole new training experience???? Good, so am I.

Tomorrow starting at nine Kona time, me, my Harley pilot Neil, and a MyAthleteGPS.com transponder will cruise the legendary Queen K for six hours or 112 miles whichever comes first. You can follow by going to www.MyAthleteGPS.com/track and enter MA2 for both user name and password. I am "athlete" number 151, name: CompuTrainer-RCV. You can thusly, log on and follow my progress and see exactly what will soon become the 2008 Kona RCV. I will leave it to you to ponder the possibilities.

And my buddy Jim Major stopped by the booth today. He and Scott Tinley are playing at the little pizza joint downtown tomorrow from 5-9. I gotta get there. I gave Jim, who further added to his legend by wearing a Obama Would Go T-shirt, a copy of the Kona DVD and fessed up to using one of the great tunes from the One Blue Eye CD on the score. I hope he will like it. He also mentioned that Disney is doing a Eddie Would Go film and want to use his award winning song of the same name. He said they are cheap. I wonder what that makes me. I can honestly say unabashedly, that you should go here, now and buy this incredible CD. Blog that, Disney!!!!

The magnanimous Mr. K. Mackinnon at Ironmanlive.com has also gregariously agreed to post 2-5 minute RCV highlights of every event we do from this point forward. That is huge as their hourly hit count surpasses a year of what RCVman does. Great promotion and exposure. And starting tomorrow.

The Kona 30th celebration is now at zero minus 13.

Photos: T-B: The Bob and Mike annual entry to the athletes parade on Tuesday.
The IM expo announcing year 30. Wow.
Phil, RCVman on to the prank, and One Blue Eye hissself Jim Major.
The original crew at the start of the inaugural Kona RCV Fun Ride on Wednesday.

Kona Thursday

Thursday of race week in Kona. LOTS has gone gone down and all of it good, big time stuff. I will talk about how good very soon, but for today here is a set of stills from the pro race brief. Top to bottom:

Norman Stadler doing his best Jackson Browne imitation.
Farris al Sultan looking fit as a fiddle.
Chrissy Wellington with her bouquet as reigning IM Queen.
And my heros Thomas Hellreigel and Luke van Lierde still after it.

Go to www.Ironmanlive.com for a link to the (much discussed) Kona DVD and a terrific recap of the RCV Fun Ride from Ironman senior editor and all around great guy Kevin Mackinnon.

Oh, and we're shooting from the pack on Saturday.

Like I said, big time stuff. I will get in a longer, more detailed report after the Expo closes tomorrow at noon. That's five Central. Then again, better count on six Cenrtal as we're still on Hawaii time.

Aloha and Mahalo.

Aloha and Mahalo

Out to the airport. Long day of travel over the big pond. Check in at the CT booth upon arrival and then go pick up the scooter for Wednesdays RCV shoot. I would REALLY like to catch the debates tonight but we'll have to see how that shakes out. I should have time and WiFi at the White Sands to do a daily update (plus there's no loss for material), so stay tuned and we'll chat soon. Mahalo.

Heart of the Matter

Last minute prep 'n pack for Kona. We are outta here tomorrow morning at O dark thirty. Lot's left to do. All systems are go. RCV Fun Ride is Wednesday and it's looking OK, meetings with the race officials all set, banners printed, DVDs packed. Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile. And rip one more iMix. So here ya go. I will try after my CT spin this afternoon to get back and post some political commentary 'cause I know that you are counting on my faux pearls of wisdom to help you convince those that haven't registered as yet to do so. And quick. So we need some bullet points to help us get to the heart of the matter. In the meantime, enjoy this (might be a PB):

And please disregard the doubles. Guess the folks at Apple like Mr. Henley and U2 as much as I do. Aloha.

Kona bound

Gearing up for the last RCV gig of the year. That would be the 30th anniversary of Ironman Hawaii to be staged Saturday, October 11 on the Big Island. For either of you that haven't as yet made this triathlon pilgramige, it is worth every penny of travel related cost. I have tons of SD video and maybe 1K still photos of this locale and event going back to 1989, my first witness to the magic of the islands, so if I can squeeze some free creative time in the schedule over the next 72 hours, I'll try a scrapbook collage or something. There are a few updates that you might be interested in regarding our RCV Fun Ride on Wednesday morning. Here is the press release:

Cervelo adds to Real Course Video Fun Ride.

The CompuTrainer Real Course Video Fun Ride just got a lot more fun. CompuTrainer and Cervelo announce an exclusive opportunity for a dozen athletes to test ride a Cervelo for the October 8 RCV fun ride in Kona. Here's how it works: Interested parties MUST sign up at the Cervelo tent at the Expo site by five o'clock Tuesday the 7th. You must fill out a waiver, bring your pedals, and request a bike model and your size. On Wednesday morning at 8:15, you simply pick up your test ride, take it to the RCV ride start at the Old Airport, do the RCV 25 mile ride, and then return the bike to the Cervelo tent right away. Simple as that!!!.

And for your efforts you not only get to test ride the best bike in the biz, but also get a free copy of the Real Course Video, with race week bonus material, compliments of CompuTrainer mailed to you upon completion.

Remember, we have only 12 bikes for this, so first register here (link to CT registration form) for the RCV ride and then get to the Cervelo tent early and get signed up for a test ride. See you in Kona.

Add: www.cervelo.com

So that is good news for a dozen folks who want to test ride the Cervelo sexy beast, and have a supporting role in the FREE Kona RCV.

I also assembled another iTunes iMix for your listening pleasure. This one is the fourth in a series of mixes I am calling Nighttime. The moniker and sequencing should be fairly indicative as to its content and chronology. iTunes is kinda touchy as you can only use tunes that they have available for sale and only some versions of some songs. So just when you think that you have concocted the perfect combination of mood, feel, tempo, lyric, style, inuendo, instrumental tone, groove and cord structure, one or more songs are not available. Dang. So please accept this apology with the understanding that the live versions of "Goodnight Moon" by Jack Ingram and "Alison" by Elvis Costello were not my first choices. Here are the Nighttime IV liner notes if you are still curious.

RCVman spends most of his time training to race, making a high energy music component a must. But when things need to slow down a bit? This is the fourth in a collection called Nighttime. When the sun goes down and it's time to take a deep breath, relax, recharge and enjoy. Number IV has a distinctive California feel from about 1970, a point on the musical time line that remains as valid then as now. I recommend Nighttime IV be paired with headphones, a fire, a glass of Spanish Rioja and smoked oysters.

The Time Travelers Wife

An Unconventional Book Report.

RCVman Thursday, 19 June, 2008.

I am sitting with my hostel mates in Nice, France discussing literature. They are two Canadian college girls, intelligent, outgoing and on the last leg of a three week jaunt through Europe. I like them both. They remind me of a time when I was young and innocent and in search of some combination of experience, fun, adventure and meaning. I have always found it interesting that this calling to college grads is louder and clearer in Western Europe than other spots. Maybe it is.

We are exchanging top five lists. Music, film, art, cities. We get to literature and I lead with my standard, across all genre picks; Robbins, Kerouac, Stienbeck, Fowels, Heinlein, and yield the floor.

Sallinger, Dickinson, Conrad, Kingsolver, Miller.

Dick, Bukowski, Bronte, Tolkien, Niffenegger.

Niffenegger? I say.

Audrey Niffenegger. The Time Travelers Wife.

My favorite all time book, she says.

News to me. I will assume by the title that it is science fiction?

More of a love story.

Really?

Yeah, and the protagonist has a very rare DNA infliction that causes involuntary time travel, which as you can imagine, causes some rather bizarre situations and circumstances, as he is in love with a woman he can only see occasionally as time travel permits and or restricts. The predestination paradox, too, as it applies to love, life and God, even 9-11.

WOW.

It is SOOOOO good.

I am intrigued, envisioning a combination of Minority Report, Fifty Years of Solitude and Oedipus as they decide that it is time to go meet their friends for dinner.

I bid them an enjoyable evening on the town and grab my iPhone to make this addition:

Read: The Time Travelers Wife by A. Niffenegger.

I humbly suggest you do likewise.

Chapter 80

Chapter 80

"There are market forces at work here that could completely change the way we are doing business today by noon tomorrow."

That got his attention and he gave the kid on the treadmill to his right a long look.

The kid did have a modicum of street cred, and a history with the company. That was worth at least a listen to his ideas, so he, somewhat begrudgingly, engaged.

"Oh?"

"Fuck yeah, look at the technology, the shit they are doing in gaming, WiiFit, wireless, HD video, memory capability, video codecs, metallurgy, carbon fiber, data transfer, electronic media. You don't think there are a hundred MIT grads out there RIGHT THIS FUCKING INSTANT playing with all this in their rooms? Do you really think that our dinosauric hardware will withstand the next wave? Dude, go ask Ford, GM and that other outdated company. It is all about change, adaptation and the visionary use of new third party technologies and applications. We have the advantage, we have been doing this for almost 30 fucking years. We either re-tool now and use our leverage to keep existing market share and introduce a new product line, or we go the way of the brontosaurs. It is as simple as that."

Knowing that it is never as simple as that, he reached for his towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"And I suppose that you have a plan?"

"Oh, yeah."