The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

---

NORBA should provide neutral support
Editor:
I personally don't what the big deal is in trying to figure out the appropriate level of support for NORBA racing. The most equitable solution seems clear. Allow neutral support only so that the aspiring independent racer isn't put at a disadvantage.

Have a pit with wheels, tires, tubes, pumps (no CO2 cartridges) chains and multi-tools, and if the damage is beyond the scope of repair allowed by the pit, (broken frame, trashed headset) that's too bad. Nobody ever said luck wasn't part of bike racing. That will also prevent well-funded racers from riding disposable parts.

To me there's no "what about?" about it. Everyone involved is making it more complicated than it needs to be.

Cody Stephenson
Durango, Colorado

Great minds think alike
Editor:
We've been using the "unofficial" tech assistance feature for the past three years at our Wednesday Night Dirt Crits. We just loan out a wheel, ready to go/cassette and provide a chain or a tube as a freebie. Rarely is there a compatibility problem. Racers seem all right with it here. And since it's close to the start-finish area, the whole episode adds to the reality aspect of the race for the spectators.

But you've got to have some pumpin' UCI-sanctioned Euro beat for the racers to stay motivated during the fix. That's essential!

Chuck Scarpelli
Santa Rosa, California

NORBA’s stance is abominable
Editor:
It is an absolute abomination that USA Cycling has dropped NORBA's self-sufficiency rule. Not only is this one of the basic tenets of the sport, but it also breeds better bikes and riders. By allowing mechanical assistance, and possibly bike changes, bicycle and component design will suffer as disposable parts become acceptable. This will adversely affect the safety of all riders, and ultimately hurt the sport. Will we soon see XC races where riders change to a "climbing" bike, like they do now in the Tour de France?

This is yet another example where USA Cycling is out of touch with its membership. A radical change to such a fundamental rule should have been brought to the membership first! It is deserving of consideration analogous to adopting a constitutional amendment. And the "keeping up with the Euros" argument is bunk. We can't turn the tide on European dominance overnight with a rule change (or the latest super-bike). For that we need to start over with the basics, some of which we're abandoning.

As someone who has raced (USCF and NORBA for 25+ years) and promoted races, I feel that USA Cycling has thrown us under the bus yet again. This hurts promoters, officials, and 99 percent of the riders for the perceived benefit of a few elites. Time to take our sport back.

Todd Holland
Amherst, Massachusetts

Tour of California may run into ski-season weather
Editor:
I absolutely love the idea of a UCI stage race in California! The Sierras offer some great climbs, and California in general will be a great place for the race. Proximity of large cities will allow for more spectators to see world class racers do their stuff.

However, did any of the promoters take into consideration the weather that time of year? Sunny California, yes, but February is the prime time for skiing in Tahoe – lots of snow! Northern California’s wet season usually runs through the end of March. It'll be interesting to see how California Secretary of Education Richard Riordan will work with Gerard Bisceglia and Hein Verbruggen to resolve the logistics as well as dealing with what could be a wet race and stages canceled due to snow in the Sierras.

I hate sounding like a naysayer and really want to see a UCI-sanctioned tour in California, but February north of Bakersfield might be iffy that time of year.

Jim Volsansky
San Ramon, California

Thanks to Central Valley Classic sponsors
Editor:
After hearing all the wailing from Colorado about finding race title sponsors, allow me to at least put out a national-level "thank you" for good guys who in Fresno, California, put out the money to help underwrite an National Racing Calendar event in this area, the very successful inaugural Central Valley Classic, spearheaded by the inimitable Mike Shuemake of Central Valley Cycling. When I put together our local cycling-club newsletter this month, I made sure that I included photos of the major title sponsor, Lou Herwaldt of our local Subaru dealership, and Zane Hammond, operator of a local construction company. (I couldn't quite figure out who was involved with some of the other sponsors, such as Cognos ... give me another chance.) Take a look after the first of the month at The Rough Draft on our website, located at www.fresnocycling.com. Regardless of where you are, make sure that your sponsors know how much you appreciate them ... and how much you'd like them back for next year!

Alan Birnbaum
Fresno Cycling Club

Does USA Cycling help unite sponsors, promoters?
Editor:
In regards to USA Cycling CEO Gerard Bisceglia’s comments in Wednesday’s Mailbag, if we are waiting for a sponsor to come to us, then our sport is already in trouble.

What exactly are USA Cycling's and Mr. Bisceglia's roles in seeking out prospective sponsors to partner with entities wishing to host cycling events? In the three years he has led USA Cycling, the only new headline-grabbing races that have been added to the calendar have been brought to the table by Tailwind/PCT, Georgia Partnership for Economic Development (GPED), and now Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG).

As a USA Cycling member I would like to ask Mr. Bisceglia what he and his team are doing to take advantage of sponsorship opportunities while they exist. Please help us understand what it is exactly that you do for the sport and for us, besides just showing up at press conferences to sanction an event after everyone else has done all the work and taken all the risks. Thanks.

Dave Colvin
Los Angeles, California

Meanwhile, in New Mexico, stage racing lives
Editor:
Stage racing is alive and well in New Mexico! Just south of Colorado is a beautiful state with a very competitive race scene. While it is unfortunate that major stage races like the Coors Classic are defunct, there is a national-caliber event in Silver City that has been successful for 18 years - the Tour of the Gila. Five days of climbing and a crit in downtown Silver Cit, that promoter Jack Brennan has perfected to the point of attracting pro and amateur teams from around the county. It was reported to be Lance's first choice last year, before he got a better offer to do the Tour of Georgia.

In addition, we have several other weekend stage races that attract racers from our neighboring states. Our 12-event New Mexico Road Series has three stage races, with the final event being a three-race spectacle in Taos. It features a scenic road race, uphill time trial, and high-altitude crit. The full calendar of road and mountain-bike racing in the southern Rocky Mountain area can be found at www.nmcycling.org.

Tom Spross
Corrales, New Mexico
New Mexico Road Series Director

Pound’s the problem, not Verbruggen
Editor:
Regarding the slam of Hein Verbruggen by Tim Roberts in Monday’s Mailbag: I think he's accusing the wrong guy. Dick Pound is a bureaucrat who is protecting his job and fat salary at the expense of pro riders who have been pronounced guilty until proven-innocent, based on new, clearly sketchy lab tests. Mr. Pound's interviews on VeloNews.com have shown me he's not interested in fairness, only in promoting his position.

Gary Noe
Sacramento, California

---

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.