Tour of California - Captain America

Captain America indeed. Big George Hincapie is filling out the suit nicely, right out of the chute. He already had it made, with the chiseled features and his status as elder road captain. But today he threw in the hero part with the way he took care of Levi, and it nearly got me teary. Yeah, I'm all cynic on the outside, but with a soft, gooey center. ;-)

It's just one of the things I love most about cycling, the teamwork. Everyone's down in a mess, and Captain America is right there, making sure Levi is all set, then taking him home like a speed demon. Turns out the great effort wasn't vital in the end, but don't ruin my fun! Levi's show of appreciation to George after the finish was touching, not yet knowing about the neutralization, probably thinking his overall chances may have been lost, but recognizing George did his job well.

Not to take anything away from his one-day classic efforts or individual stage wins, but after last year's unwieldy expectations in the Tour, it's nice to see George back where he belongs in a big stage race - First Lieutenant, er, Captain, protecting his guy.

I'm happy to spread the love, big Jens Voigt also had me cheering with delight as he powered down the road in lead out for his guy. Gotta love his attitude - don't talk to me about all this peripheral nonsense in cycling, just let me get on my bike and show them how it's done. Rock on, Jens.

How frustrating for Dave Z. Here's hoping he's not too badly hurt, and Floyd can take him out for a beer. Still waiting to hear on Basso's knee; I'm sure that's a collective holding of the breath in the Disco camp this evening.