Randomonium

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

Feedback:

I ran a question by y'all last Friday about what it was you liked about this blog and should I run a survey to ascertain whether or not I should focus this blog on certain, more popular elements which might be more interesting for those who come here. 

Well, I think it would be fair to say that the result of the feedback is that (a) NO- there will not be a survey if you have anything to say about that, and (b) DON"T GO CHANGIN' THE BLOG! 

Okay, I hear ya, loud and clear! I also want to thank you that commented for such kind and encouraging words. You folks are the best! Thank you! Now, since you've spoken so clearly and in the numbers that you have, I will just keep on 'keepin' on' with things as they have been. Oh, yeah.....there may be a tweak here and there. A new idea for a series, perhaps. But as far as I can tell, y'all don't mind that, so I'll plan on forging ahead for the foreseeable future.

Ahh!! It burns!!

A Note On The "Virtual Turkey Burn": 

I realized pretty early on that this is going to take more space than this coming Saturday can handle. So, (as of this writing), I am aware of two reports which, on their own, are separate blog posts. What to do?

I have a really packed line up for the blog this December. Bike reports, looking back on 2021, and more have all been features here which fill a lot of space in December. I'm already scheduling double posts on "Bikes of 2021" as it is. 

So, I have decided that if I get more detailed reports, which would be fantastic, that they will be scheduled as separate posts in between all the normal end of the year fare here. That means that tomorrow you will get my report, and the others will follow in the order that I receive them, starting Saturday. If some are a mention, a line or two, and an image, those will be compiled into one post. 

I'm not sure what, if anything, will be submitted beyond the two I am aware of now, so this all may be much fuss about not much. Stay tuned......

From a GTDRI

International Influence:

There are some "negative nancy's" out there who say that "It doesn't matter what you do, your individual actions don't matter. The World will keep on turning and 'The Man' will always win.", or some such depressing malediction based on that thought. Well, I'm here to tell you that all is simply rubbish. 

How can I be so bold? Well, at the risk of looking like a braggart, 'look at me', as an example, and I bet YOU reading this are also a part of this. What am I talking about? Well, it's gravel grinding! That's all! It's something that has spread so far and so wide that the bicycle industry is all gaga over it, events on the magnitude of the largest cycling events ever are based upon it, and it has reached world-wide proportions. If you've turned a pedal on gravel here in the USA, go ahead, pat yerself on the back, because you helped push this thing along until even writers in foreign countries are asking me about what the heck is going on here. 

The latest example of just how far this nutty idea has gone was exemplified to me recently when a journalist from Italy contacted me on Instagram asking about Trans Iowa and whether or not some images could be used which this journalist had come across. After a few messages and a bit of time, this article appeared on a site called "Lifegate", which is in the Italian language. 

I encourage you to translate that article (Google Translate works well) and tell me if you don't think that is a beautifully written article about the gravel scene. Maybe it is just me, but anything I have read or heard from an Italian language writer or speaker has a little extra passion and 'something' to it that hits me a lot differently than English writers and speakers do. Anyway, it's well worth the effort to translate it and read. 

The bottom line here though is that Italians have taken to this form of cycling enjoyment with a verve and passion that I find refreshing. It is important to me that the writer saw that it isn't all just a racing scene- far from it! I only wish that our mainstream cycling journalists could see that competitiveness isn't the focus or goal of the gravel scene. 

New Twists In Shipping Saga:

Occasionally I update you all here on what is going on in the supply chain. When I first started referencing these issues, hardly anyone was talking about it, but now you see news on mainstream news outlets talking about the L.A./Long Beach ship 'parking lot' issues and what not. But as I've said all along, this entire deal is so complex that it is not due to just ships piling up at one point in the world.

The latest news is that China has imposed a seven week quarantine for any seamen coming into the country to help quell COVID issues. China is much more aggressive than just about anywhere else when it comes to lock downs involving COVID. Their policies are very strict, and this fairly new edict which involves crew changes and the ability of crew members to disembark in China is going to have a big effect on the supply chain going forward. 

There are some really interesting , (and rather alarming), motivations for this and other things China is doing with regard to worldwide shipping. I keep up with most of it by watching a You Tube channel called "What's Going On With Shipping", by the way. You can check out the latest video where I learned about this new issue with the quarantining of seamen here. If you find these sorts of things fascinating, subscribe to that channel and you'll find out all sorts of things you never knew. (Just seeing how much sea traffic is out there is mind blowing!) Check it out....

Okay, enough random stuff for one day! Thanks for reading G-Ted Productions!