[conspire] (forw) Re: Reminder: 2022 Solvang Century

[Rick Moen]

For a couple of decades, I'd been looking forward to a century bicycle
ride in the spring, in the Santa Ynez Valley (Buellton / Solvang / Santa
Ynez area) called Solvang Century.  It was operated by a wonderful
central-coast cardiac health outfit named SCOR.  Last year, after having
the disaster of the ride getting cancelled by Santa Barbara County only
about a day before it would occur, SCOR was sadly obliged (partly by
unrecoverable expenses) to cease sponsoring the ride.  

They tried to help out, though, by passing everything to a Utah outfit
named Planet Ultra.  And, my, my, that hasn't gone well.

So, on Saturday, March 5th, I'll probably be taking a long bicycle ride
somewhere, but it won't be anywhere near these asshats.

If you see that any recreational event is being operated by "Planet
Ultra, Inc.", I would personally recommend achieving exercise by running
in the other direction.


----- Forwarded message from Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> -----

Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2022 01:06:16 -0800
From: Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com>
To: Planet Ultra <scorproductions at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Reminder: 2022 Solvang Century
Organization: If you lived here, you'd be $HOME already.

[Randy, if you see this, it's very much _not_ aimed at you, and I 
thank you once again for many years of enjoyment at Solvang Century.
Please pass this along to the new guys.  Thanks.]


Quoting Planet Ultra (scorproductions at gmail.com):

> Registration Is Now OPEN The 2022 Solvang Century Returns! We're
> excited to announce the resurgence of this event - with a launch date
> of Saturday, March 5, 2022.  Planet Ultra's Solvang Century re-boot
> will focus on the pure joy of cycling, with the traditional century
> and metric century routes and wonderful on-course support.

I'm sure some of you Planet Ultra, Inc. people are nice folks, but I'm
writing hoping to reach Planet Ultra (not Randy and SCOR) and say why
I'm bailing out of 2022 and will not be coming back.

One, requiring us to sign, of all things, an antidoping agreement --
with a third-party outfit I've never heard of, and have no reason to
deal with, named "USA Cycling" -- over a half-century or metric century
or century pleasure ride, timed or not, is utterly absurd and a complete
deal-breaker.  I do not partake of either legal or illegal drugs, but
that is not the point:  Expecting me to agree "submit to drug testing"
when I am not a competitive athlete is laughably unacceptable, and it's
inexcusable that you would expect this.

Two, I also have to sign over a big batch of legal rights to _a
different_ commercial outfit called RunSignup, Inc., and then pay them a
$7.30 "service fee" just in order to pay _you_ money for my "race
application" (when I'm not racing, guys)?  And also sign over a bunch of
rights to RunSignup, Inc.'s business partners, including friggin'
Facebook?  _Facebook_, the worst privacy-violator on Earth?

The third (and most minor) thing is that suddenly I find that my 15%
discount in recognition of many years of loyalty to SCOR is regarded as
expired, i.e., I am being treated as someone whose past commitment
is not valued.  (Yes, I see in reviewing old mails that the SCOR2020
discount coupon was stated to be good only to a week in the past.  But,
seriously, this is _not_ the way to retain loyal participants.)

Fourth, I have to agree to not sue, no matter how negligent or outright
malicious, _both_ Planet Ultra, Inc. _and_ also some other bunch of
jokers I've never even heard of named "California Triple Crown", _plus_ 
I need to similarly give special legal indemnification to "all involved
municipalities or other public entities and their respective agents and
employees", _and_ also indemnify all of those parties for "any and all
liabilities or claims made by other individuals or entities"?

Fifth, you require that I give consent in advance to "medical treatment
which may be deemed advisable", whether I or my spouse agree or not?

So, anyway, I have many other places to spend a Saturday riding, and
many other people I can ride with, and apparently it's just not going to
be you.

Good bye and good luck.  I do not concur that Solvang Century is being
"Re-booted, Re-newed, Re-Vitalized by Planet Ultra!"  It died, and you
guys are desecrating the corpse.  

Oh, and please, Planet Ultra, Inc., stay out of California, will you?
We really don't like your attitude, here.  Maybe that kind of abusive 
treatment flies in Utah, but not in my state.

-- Rick M.


----- End forwarded message -----