Subject: RE: Clear Lake Sprint/International I was one of the bunch (if you consider me, Todd, Ben and his wife a bunch ) of triathletes who went up to the city council chamber that night and spoke. I'm not associated with the race in any way except that I did it last year and enjoyed it. As you all are aware, the resolution before the council not only passed but passed unanimously to allow the race. After the meeting, I had a chance to talk to the police chief who was actually the one who brought up the issue to the council. His take on the whole thing was that the communication between the race, council and his office was not as it should have been and he felt the council allowed the race to happen without giving his office enough information and in a timely manner. As a result, his office ended up scrambling to cover intersections properly on Saturday and answering a couple of hundred emails and voice mails from angry citizens Monday because they had not put out the message signs to let them know the race was happening that weekend. He made a point to tell me twice that he and his office support the race 100% and it was not his intention to have the race shut down. He didn't blame Greg for the problems and hoped people would understand the position his office was in. The only reason he brought the motion before council was to make sure Greg, the city and the police worked together to make sure that the safety issues on 96 and the traffic mess on 270/2094/518 don't happen again. They want to do their utmost to keep all of us safe and upright and he felt this was the best avenue. Again, I am not a part of the race organization or the city but I left the meeting feeling like things, at least from a League City perspective, should run a lot smoother this year. That being said, I agree with Mr. Ritter that we all need to make sure we are racing with class wherever we are competing. I know it's hard to believe but the vast majority of residents of any town could care less about our bike splits. They've got a bear claw waiting for them at Shipleys and we're in their way. And the poor souls in blue polyester that get to listen to them don't get paid near enough when it's 65 degrees let alone when it's 92. A wave, a smile and a thank you goes a long way. A handshake and a thank you for the organizers and volunteers isn't a bad idea either. Hope everyone has a great race. See you out there. Mike |