1. I may be killing myself I don't know. The system uses plastic tubing and what looks to be an ordinary plastic bag (inside the air receiver); some or all of the plastic in the system outgasses what could be toxic chemicals. There is a horrible plastic odor when you put the mask on, which I eventually get used to, but am I poisoning myself? To be fair, it has diminished a bit, but if I were Higher Peak, I would examine alternatives.
2. The pipe ladder in the air receiver broke. The twine that supports the heavy pipes was folded over and secured with a zip tie and then this loop was placed over the hooks in the air receiver. The zip tie wasn't pulled tight enough and the twine slipped through, so when I checked it the pipes were hanging from just one side. There wasn't enough left at the end to tie it with any kind of knot, so I zip tied it to repair it.
3. The hooks that hold up the pipe ladder are straining against the sides and my fear is that they will pull through. This part of the system was definitely not designed, more like cobbled together to solve a problem.
4. I started at approximately 5500' for one week and just completed a week at approximately 7000'. My next step is to raise it to 8500'. I say approximately because I didn't get the $220 optional oxygen analyzer.
5. My blood tests are two weeks away, so I don't know if this is worth it yet. I will let you know.

Labels: Altitude Simulator, flaws, Higher Peak, plastic

Now that we finally have some facts, I'd like to address a few things.

• From 1997 to 2006, the UMCA membership has gone from 700 to 1650. Over the same time frame participation in road cycling overall has roughly tripled. Some would say that a rising tide lifts all boats.
  
• It is an accepted fact to John Hughes that several hundred members choose not to renew their memberships each year making it necessary to recruit new members. I think the UMCA could do a better job retaining these members. Putting a "This is your Last Issue, Please Renew" cover is a common tactic for other magazines. Sending out a postcard or envelope after the membership lapses is also a common tactic. Finally, make it easy for people to renew with an online form and I think retention rates will skyrocket.
  
• What is the UMCA doing to recruit new members besides requiring membership to participate in certain events? Are they co-marketing with RUSA? Are they Co-Marketing with USA Cycling? Are they Co-Marketing with Hammer Nutrition?
  
• While I'm on the subject of Co-Marketing...How about attracting Ultra Mountain Bikers? How about Tandems and Recumbents? Is ULTRACYCLING providing them with worthy content? What are we doing to recruit them?
  
• John states that his goal is to provide "authoritative content" in ULTRACYCLING and it is not a vehicle for advertising. I ask, then why have advertising at all? If you are going to have advertising, you might as well do it right. I'm not saying the magazine has to look like VANITY FAIR with 200 pages of advertisements and you have to hunt for the articles, but a healthy dose of adverts doesn't take away from the content and gives you the funds to print in COLOR and to hire a support staff.
  
• The Constitution and Bylaws clearly state that the UMCA and RAAM are separate organizations, but the UMCA purchased the Race Across America intellectual property. The argument is that the ACTUAL PHYSICAL RACE is held by another company. That's splitting hairs if you ask me and violates the letter and spirit of the Official Governing documents. How hard is it to propose a change to the bylaws to make this legal? Not hard at all.
  

Labels: flaws, UMCA