So I'm sitting there at my office and one of those letters comes in that you have to sign for. I'm forever getting those things from the wifeage and the envelope usually contains the weekends "honeydo" list. The receipt verification is brilliant on her part as I can't claim ignorance though I still try. But this time the letter was something entirely different and though not intended for me, I couldn't help but read it. Clearly aimed for Tim Watson on Rock Lobster, I forwarded it accordingly. Have a look:

Dear Tim-
As you may recall, you lost control of your bicycle on Sunday November 8th at the CCCX bike race at Toro Park. As a result of your rather suspect bike handling, damage resulted to my rear Zipp wheel. The attached photo clearly shows you standing on my spokes. As a result of your clumsiness, one of the spokes let go and tore out of the carbon rim. This, in effect, destroyed my wheel. Complicating the matter, this wheel was brand new. I had recently received shipment of the wheel and this was, in fact, my first race on said wheel. I recognize that bike racing is an inherently dangerous sport and that at times, the discipline of cyclocross in particular, racing can be exceptionally harsh on equipment. At no time did I anticipate that a fellow competitor would resort to such lousy skills. This is the master A category after all. We are expected to know how to handle our rides with aplomb or else remain in one of the lower ranks. Sure, there are some outliers like John Mundelius (also known as the Tumbleweed in the Strawberry circles) who will fling himself on the ground for no reason, but the field, by and large knows how to handle themselves. As a result, I cannot help but think that you are 100% at fault for this egregious act to my wheel. I will await and expect full remediation in prompt fashion. I do get a steep discount on Zipp wheels because, as you may well know, I race on the deepest and most talented master’s cyclocross team in the nation. Your team is good too, just not as good as mine. I do not expect you to pay full retail to replace my wheel, just reimburse me for my cost. If you have any questions, we can discuss at any of the next upcoming races.


Kind Regards,

Eric Bustos
Cal Giant Strawberries Racing Team



No doubt a bold move by Bustos and I would love to be a fly on the wall when this thing comes to a boil. Not sure I like being called a Tumbleweed. Anyway, hope you are well.

Johnny GoFast