ANNUAL TRIBE MEETING IS ALL ABOUT YETI'S HISTORY & FUTURE

"We're responsible for our own direction," said Brett Hahn, the general manager of Yeti, to the Boulder Daily Camera in 1995. "Schwinn has no desire to blend images."
For true Yeti brand enthusiasts, there is no better place to walk among the company leaders and movers, both past and present, than at the annual Yeti tribe gathering.

Former Yeti General Manager Brett Hahn, (right), yours truly and "Big" Joe Henderson enjoy going through decades of Yeti memorabilia collected by Hahn. Hahn is ever active in the cycling world as Continental Tire's North American Brand Manager for cycling. The lucky dude also lives in Durango, home of some of the world's best known cycling and cyclist.

Henderson was one of only two employees kept when the Durango site was closed in 1999 by new owner Schwinn. True to Brett's statement in 1995, the company has kept it's own image and remains one of the industry's strongest "nitch" brands. For a glimpse into the company's fascinating history check out http://yetifan.com/the_history_of_yeti.html .

Current Yeti "Bossman" Cris Conroy drops his ride in dirt with the rest of the tribe after a full day's ride on legendary Fruita singletracks.

Tribe gathering bring out the common 575 Enduros and collector items such as one of Yeti's first generation rear suspension mountain bikes.

Poor souls knotted up from the kidney jarring desert descents were treated to a massage before applying Oskar Blue's general pain relief medication..

Yeti's future looks bright with the free ride and downhill bunch. Although pretty much ignored in the '08 company brochure, the XC crowd is buzzing over the introduction of the first all carbon ASR. Yep, still waiting for mine.

See you next year!!!

See, I Told You We Were Eating Too Much Pasta!!

What does Dave Strouse, Floyd Landis and Bronco's QB Jay Cutler have in common? We all inject HORMONES!!

Wait a minute, Floyd had a different reason.

Annual trip to endocrinologist Dr. Higgins in Boulder confirms that I have been mis-behav'n, am over weight, have a higher than 7% A1C, elevated cholesterol and don't keep track of my blood glucose levels like I should. The treatment now goes to the next level of pre-meal injections.

Motivation for racing and exercising comes from the fact that "Sarge" has been a Type 2 diabetic since 1991. I don't play on that fact or seek pity but instead join the millions of folks world wide including Jay Cutler, who lives daily with a lazy pancreas.

I'm lucky-Type 2 diabetes means I do produce some insulin- necessary for converting sugar to energy. Previous management consisted of 2 oral medications and 1 long acting insulin injection at night.

Jay's pancreas has shut down all together (Type 1) meaning all of his insulin must be provided by injections.

The handy Humalog pens will accompany both of us to insure we are able to keep a balanced carbohydrate intake and circulating insulin level. It's a complicated chemistry equation you can learn more about at: http://www.diabetes.org/ and http://www.diabetes-excercise.org/ .

While most folks with diabetes are overweight and lead a sedimentary lifestyle, I was atypical and first diagnosed after a sudden weight loss, typical frequent urination, constant thirst and fatigue. Family history of diabetes included only one paternal aunt that developed Type 1 in her 50's.

During extended XC racing, I consciously take on Powerbar gel packs every 45 minutes. The stream of carbs at these intervals insures that the insulin I injected and the daily oral medications I take don't do their job too well and cause a "bonk" serious enough to prevent "vital functions" to proceed.

Sheri Colberg's "The Diabetic Athlete" has provided tons of useful training information and guided me through the complicated process of balancing diet, medication and extreme exercise. What I have learned is exercise is 75% of the equation. I love a challenge!

If you're looking for a fun group ride, join me August 23 at the Boulder County fairground for the 2008 Tour de Cure fundraiser benefiting diabetes research. For more info visit: http://tour.diabetes.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TC_homepage

As for Floyd, I don't understand what his problem is.