Spinnin' Wheel

Tour of California 2009 Stage 5: It's All About The Bobke

2009-02-19T20:22:00.002-05:00

It was another lovely day at the Tour, great weather and no crashes to speak of this time! Although it's always fun to watch the riders having a chat and a laugh and going through great scenery, it was a bit of a sleeper. Fortunately, there was plenty of excitement surrounding Fatty's latest fundraising coup - getting Bob Roll to shave his head! I'm sure someone will come up with better video, but I had my camera handy and caught this footage, from both TourTracker on my computer and Versus on my TV. I'm signed up for the Philly LiveStrong Challenge, I have to get cracking on some good fundraising ideas!

Tour of California 2009 Stage 4: You Had To Be There

2009-02-18T23:06:00.004-05:00

That was going to be my entire post, you had to be there. (And by there, I mean on the other side of the country, watching online.) So much happened today, any commentary/analysis couldn't possibly begin to do it justice. First and foremost, of course, was the brilliant sunshine. Morale has been low in the peloton, and the boys were very happy to see the sun this morning. Oops, I'm using riders' Twitters as a source for my post, Frankie Andreu wouldn't approve. But I'm not a real journalist, so maybe he'll forgive me. You don't have to Twitter yourself Frankie, just sign up to follow others' tweets, much easier that way!

What a thrill it is to see these stages from the very beginning, I wish we had more opportunities to do that in the Grand Tours. In the neutral zone, I got to enjoy Dave Zabriskie chatting with Levi Leipheimer, and then DZ taking his customary surge right out of the pack. A few minutes later, my heart was in my throat as Zabriskie sidled up along Floyd Landis. There they were again, laughing constantly, one can only imagine at what ridiculousness. When Floyd won the Tour, that was the sight I was most anxious to see on the final cruise into Paris - Floyd and DZ side by side, cracking each other up. What a trip to see it again, after so much has changed.

Many a rider diary has provided eloquent descriptions of crazy stage starts, but there's nothing like seeing it for oneself. The riding was hardcore for nearly two hours straight, completely insane. One attack after another, providing great entertainment. There was Christian Vande Velde and George Hincapie in the same break, wouldn't that have been fun! No one's letting either one of them back in the race though, no dice. And classic Jens Voigt - enough of this messing around, just ride as hard as you can. Frankie was giving Tom Danielson a hard time for sitting on Jens, but I don't think Tom was trying to get in a break. With Jens so high up in the standings, I would guess Tom was pegging him just like Chris Horner was, either on his own behalf or Zabriskie's. I think it was Horner, there were so many combinations in that flurry, it was hard to keep track. And Floyd again, doing his best to get in the break any way he could. But like all the other big boys mentioned above, he's not going to be allowed back in either. The TT and Palomar will give all these guys another shot at showing their stuff, I'm looking forward to it.

Francisco Mancebo, dear, I know you want the KOM points, but if they're not letting guys five minutes back in the break, do you really think they're going to let you? He finally saw the light - well, let's be honest, was made to see the light, and the boys could finally breathe again. Seeing Lance set tempo for long stretches at the front of the entire peloton is quite a sight. He's worked piecemeal for teammates in the past, but never quite like this. Another thing I still can't get used to, that beefy upper body. I wonder if it will still be around in May and July.

With several horrible crashes yesterday, I was hoping for a safer time in the sun today. No such luck, with sickening crashes involving Kim Kirchen, Oscar Freire, and Scott Nydam; still waiting to hear on prognoses. [Yikes, both involved jackets and Scott was almost run over, broken bones all around.] Another scary moment came when Vande Velde went down, clearly hurting his knee. He was pretty well out of contention, but I'm sure he wants to do a solid TT, I hope the damage isn't too great. Kirchen and Freire were both in a lot of pain, it's such a horrible sight to see someone's season go south right off the bat. The upside is they have time to recover for big races down the line, but Freire clearly had his sights on winning the day, such a shame. His teammate took a flyer at the end to try and salvage the day for Rabobank, but it was another day for the sprinters.

The chalk art on the home stretch was really beautiful, quite impressive, but they really need to rethink that concept. We finally got a clear, dry day, and still couldn't see the sprinters amidst all the dust! Garmin's Tyler Farrar made a nice effort, but Mark Cavendish wouldn't be denied today.

Most courageous of the day went to Tyler Hamilton - I figured that one was coming, given how that jersey was shaking out. Snarks and irony aside, the present facts are these - his mother is battling cancer, he sacrificed training to be with her, and he's done a workman's job for his team all week. Including today, working for Mancebo before having the break to himself.

The Tour Tracker was in fine form today; things go a lot smoother with plenty of live video and all systems firing. And they had fun guests - Dave Towle and Frankie Andreu make a great pair in the booth. Lively, meaty discussions about what was happening on the road and cycling in general, much more engaging than the watered-down prattle on Versus. JoE Silva is a lovely man, but his pacing can be excruciating; the flow with Dave along was much better. I think JoE just needs to stop trying to do so many things at once. I know, easy for me to say, but just let Frankie talk for a minute if you need to figure something out. Bobby Julich also stopped in again, always great to hear from him. I did my part to get Frankie and JoE to mention the Team Fatty/Bob Roll Head Shave Challenge, but perhaps my e-mail got there too late. Maybe tomorrow!

Production assistant tip of the day: Actually, Phil and Paul, Levi doesn't know the route at all. He just said as much on your broadcast, not five minutes ago.

Tour of California 2009 Stage 2: The Young And The Restless

2009-02-16T19:30:00.003-05:00

Still waiting to hear on Andy Jacques-Maynes, hoping it's nothing serious. [Thankfully not serious, according to this.]

The pictures weren't always pretty, but we had pictures! It kind of kills one's day, but it sure is fun to watch a race from absolute start to finish. To see all the fits and starts and then the break of the day get away. To go through all of the ups and downs, in terrain and weather and speed and excitement. Good stuff.

Steve Cozza said his legs were good on the Garmin-Slipstream website this morning, and he made good on his declaration by being one of the first to break away. Soon joined of course by Tom Peterson, he of the missed Prologue start due to a flat. All that was behind him today, though, as he held on to Levi Leipheimer when no one else could and got the stage win for his efforts.

Perfectly legitimate win, good for him and for Garmin. Peterson was in the original break, slogging away all day while Leipheimer was safely tucked in the peloton. Considering how everyone else fell away, it looked like Peterson would have won it even if Levi hadn't come along. Jonathan Vaughters called it himself hours before the finish, on a Twitter he's likely to print out and frame. And when Levi went, nothing else Peterson could do but sit on. Tom Danielson and Dave Zabriskie are right up there in the standings, Peterson couldn't pull Levi away from them. And on the line, two things - if you want the win, you have to go for it, and, Peterson took a few seconds in time bonuses away from Levi, again helping out Danielson and Zabriskie. Hey, it's not like this race hasn't come down to seconds before.

That's why I was surprised Levi seemed to let up well before the line, I would have thought he would crank it all the way in. In the end, he only gained 20 seconds on his remaining rivals. Worth the attack, that could be the margin of victory in the end, but still, he could have had a few more. We've seen Levi do so many of these mad man attacks, to very mixed results, I'm happy it worked out for him today. It's a source of humor to some, but if this is the slice of the cycling world he wants for himself, why not? Aside from that questionable ruling the first time around, he's earned his place here. He wants it more than anyone and is willing to go out and get it. So I smiled as he kissed his jersey so emotionally, and gave another fiery-eyed interview to Bobke after a well-fought stage. I believe him when he said he went for it to stay warm, I thought all those guys were crazy for stripping down so much, even if it was close to the end!

Lord only knows who'll get most courageous rider today. [Okay, finally one that makes sense - Ben Jacques-Maynes. I don't know if it was for helping design the course, but riding on after your twin brother passes you in an ambulance works for me.]

Production assistant tip of the day: he's taking a leak, Phil and Paul, not forming an echelon.

Tour of California 2009 Stage 1: Women and Children First

2009-02-16T11:19:00.003-05:00

No, not in the disaster sense, although we had the water for it. With no live video for much of the men's race, we were treated to the women's crit and the adorable kids races at the finish. Good sports all, including the great crowds cheering them on.

I hereby volunteer to be a production assistant on Versus. Phil and Paul know cycling backwards and forwards, but they're in that little booth, and looking at so many different things, sometimes they just need someone outside the bubble to pass them a note. As in, hey, Johan says they took the GC standings on the first time across the line. Instead we get all kinds of unnecessary panic about how much time they're giving back to Mancebo. Maybe they'll have their Twitter on today.

The race decision was something of karmic payback to Levi Leipheimer I guess. After that extremely dodgy decision a couple of years ago that basically gifted him the jersey, this time it went against him. Astana surely would've caught Mancebo if they had all three laps. Thanks in most part to Chris Horner; it was great to see him getting mad props from Levi and Lance after the race. Silence-Lotto was crazy to let him go - he is such a great workhorse with such a great attitude. There's a job to do and he does it, in spades. And I love how he's not letting the Astana machine change him - still went out last night for In-N-Out burgers and fries and a shake. Rock on, Chris!

I never thought I'd follow Johan or Lance's twitters, but I'll give them this, best race information yesterday. Johan for what was happening on the road, and Lance for that tidbit about Horner's dinner last night. Fredcast also giving good road information, it should be noted.

Great to see Dave Zabriskie and Tom Danielson of Garmin-Slipstream made the break yesterday, they both look to be ready and hungry for solid comeback seasons. Sorry to see Christian Vande Velde miss it. I know, the new baby, and it's early in the season, but darling, if you want to be in the conversation, you have to be in the conversation. Maybe there was something specific to yesterday, I'll have to check in with the team website in the morning. Even Basso managed to get in there, even though he's just on a "training ride."

Speaking of Basso, most courageous rider? Ivan "most chicken-s*** non-confession confession" Basso? Curiouser and curiouser, that jersey. Another thing to check this morning, maybe they meant Nibali.

Here's what I love - people chatting on Tour Tracker, for hours on end, complaining about the commentators. Mind you, there was no race video, no GPS tracking, and the text play-by-play was more or less cribbing off cyclingnews - the only thing there was commentary!! Seriously, people, go to the tickers at cyclingnews or VeloNews, leave us in peace. I thought Frankie Andreu and JoE Silva did an admirable job with what they had. They were just as frustrated as we at home, but had to keep the patter going.

Tour of California 2009 Prologue: Be Still My Beating Heart

2009-02-14T22:09:00.002-05:00

Am I really going to do this again? A relevant question on so many levels, but I find myself with excess energy after watching the boys start things off in California, so here I am.

Reading the end of the start list this morning, I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat. It wasn't entirely good or bad, just quite a sight to see all those names together. Whatever else, they can all ride the heck out of their bikes, and each year the pipe dream of a level playing field gets slightly more reasonable. Sort of. Maybe. Just a little.

I've always loved Fabian Cancellara, but a bad taste lingers from his odd behavior last year when the rumors were flying. So, not quite as much fun to watch his typical mad dash, but still impressive I suppose. Levi Leipheimer still wins for best face on the start ramp, his eyes were positively popping, good enough for second on the day. Dave Zabriskie of my beloved Garmin-Slipstream coming in a very nice third, great effort and hopefully a good start to a healthy season!

Svein Tuft of Garmin also looking good, he strikes me as someone who will not let the hype get in the way and will just get down to business. George Hincapie was none too happy with his result, but sixth in this field is nothing to sneeze at. Or else he was mad about those ugly-ass kits Columbia is sporting this year. I guess some people like them, but I just don't see it. Floyd Landis looked a bundle of anticipation on the start ramp, understandably so. No matter what, he paid a far bigger price than he ought to have, and I hope he settles into the race and has a good season. Yes, I'm the one who backed Paul Kimmage against Lance yesterday, but hey, we can't agree on everything.

As for the coverage, things got off to a rollicking good start with the unintentional comic stylings of Phil and Paul, unaware that the audio was live on the Tour Tracker site. Sniffing, slurping, swearing, name-calling, putting on American accents - it was quite the hoot. Rather more enjoyable than when they realized they were on air and went back into clichéd announcer mode.

Fortunately we soon had Frankie Andreu on the website, always my favorite commentator. They had ongoing audio difficulties, but when I could hear him Frankie was his usual insightful self. And the consummate professional, talking about Lance like he did any other rider. He and JoE Silva ran into their own open mic problems after the video ended, more fun stuff as we discovered they were not getting the best of information as they were commentating. Seriously, they have to do this open mic thing every day, it's highly entertaining!

Versus spent half their coverage on features, while actual racing was going on, but have to reintroduce the sport to the masses and all that, I suppose. Almost not worth bothering with them, but they had a couple of rider interviews, and once they got to the racing their feed was a bit ahead of online. I watch a few other sports, and I'm not saying no one else kisses ass, but it seems to me no other sport comes close to the charade of cycling commentary on Versus. It gets downright bizarre after awhile, really. I know he pays the bills, and he's why we get to see more live coverage this year, but can we not have a scintilla of objectivity, the least acknowledgment that he's not every fan's favorite? Eh, probably not.

Jersey confusion: smart move, Rabobank, you get an extra rider each day (provided the best young rider is not already on Rabobank). We'll see if it makes for confusing viewing. Lance getting courageous rider - okay, it's sponsored by the cancer thing, so I suppose it was inevitable, but I think they should've left it for tomorrow, like the KOM jersey.

This Month in Lance: A Reenactment

2008-09-28T18:35:00.004-05:00

VeloNewsTV had an interesting edit of the Lance press conference, leaving out the second exchange with Greg LeMond. So here's my edit, along with a few other choice scenes from the annals of HRH. (Scroll over the bottom to pause, etc.)

When Worlds Collide: Lance, Greg, and how 'bout that TT?

2008-09-25T23:57:00.003-05:00

Let's get to the actual cycling first, because isn't that what it's all about? Garmin-Chipotle is continuing to get over that bridesmaid hurdle. We had Christian Vande Velde winning a hard-fought Tour of Missouri, and this week Tyler Farrar getting a sweet win in France. Big congrats to both and to the great teammates that got them there.

And huge congrats to Dave Zabriskie for taking third in the TT at Worlds. This one doesn't belong in bridesmaid status - it continues a great comeback from a tough injury. Watching him on the podium I flashed back to him on the side of the road in the Giro, and marveled at the work he's had to do in between. You can tell the back still gives him trouble, I don't think that was impatience that caused him to have his hand on his hip up there. So thank you, DZ, for a strong and gutsy performance. Speaking of the podium, kudos to Universal Sports for showing it to us! I've been nagging them about how we fans need our closure when the race is done, and they've finally listened. We like to see the honor, the joy, DZ swatting at bugs, priceless. And Universal had Frankie Andreu commentating, double bonus! Hugs to David Millar - Top Ten is nothing to sneeze at, but I know you were thirsting for more.

Great rides too, of course, by Bert Grabsch for the win and new Garmin rider Svein Tuft for second. Svein has to be happy with that, even if he'll have that tickling "what might have been" without the bike change at the end. Too bad for Levi Leipheimer, the dreaded fourth. With the table getting full there at Astana you know he wants to grab the choice bits when he can. Alberto Contador had some nerve making those comments about Levi the other day. With any luck, Levi won't have to work his butt off for the Kid anymore. Or the Kid might get a whole new perspective on Levi's shoes if he sticks around.

And so we come around to that other thing. Jonathan Vaughters talked me down a couple weeks ago - it's only for a year, bring it on, it's all the more incentive for us to do well. But now he's come for Taylor Phinney. Okay, don't speak out, I get it, to the general public you'll just be that guy with funny sideburns who made kids with cancer cry. But for heaven's sake, talk to Taylor! Alright, things I cannot change… I can't believe the team will be run in the way JV experienced as a youngster. One, because that would just be too damn sad. Two, because that wouldn't give Lance currency in today's world, and he's all about currency.

It's fitting that Lance was with Bill Clinton this week. They're both very smart, articulate, deep on whatever issue they're speaking about. They have great ideas and have done great things. And they both screw all that up with the crap they do along with it. Big Tobacco took my Mama, and anyone who wants to wale on them is typically my friend for life. But I can't separate the two that easily. I can admire and support the cancer initiative, but I can't jump up and down for Lance. Not that he cares, but I think it's kind of sad.

So yeah, he's smart and articulate, but he also has an annoying penchant for using the royal "we," and for shamelessly declaring others' good ideas as if he invented them. Never before could a rider prove himself clean - that's funny, I thought Garmin-Chipotle did a pretty fine job of that this year. Youth development is what this sport needs - uh, yes, and it's what this sport has in Garmin's development team. Hey, the more the merrier, but while you were snubbing your nose at the sport for a couple of years, others were actually taking care of it. JV talks me down once again, noting ever so wryly that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

About that new transparency. Lance said ask me anything, put any reporter on the line, a brand new day. But then he says yesterday and today - talk to the Don. After today, he won't talk about doping anymore, he'll just point to Catlin's tests. I guess that's one thing he's not cribbing from Garmin - they showed that transparency involves a lot more than numbers. If your concept is that this year proves something about the past, you have to talk about the past.

And talk to Greg LeMond, apparently. The cancer stuff is great, but all that gushing was getting a bit much, so I was happy Greg was front and center at today's Interbike press conference. Whatever faces they were making at each other, I think they both handled it well. Lance's blood must have been boiling, but he didn't fly off the handle. He moved things along, but allowed Greg to get more than a few words out. Greg asked some very reasonable and intelligent questions. He's so passionate about this stuff, it sometimes gets in the way of coherent sentences, but from what I could hear he did well. The news buzz is on the flashpoints, but the whole thing is worth a listen - check out The FredCast for full audio.

Dr. Catlin is well-respected, but I have to say he came off a bit befuddled in the whole exchange. He seems to know the old-fashioned kind of doping detection inside and out, but I was surprised he wasn't more up to speed on what LeMond was talking about. You can't be an expert in everything, but if anti-doping is your field, the LeMond stuff isn't exactly unheard of before today. To his credit, he appeared interested and if I heard correctly, suggested talking to LeMond later. Overall, though, Catlin didn't inspire a lot of confidence that this is going to be the harshest possible look at Lance for the next year.

Not that it matters. Like Lance said, it's just another box to be checked for him, and for the general public. Telling, that - a box I need to check, not a heartfelt passion to clean up the sport. Then again, according to Lance he's not from a particularly dirty generation, so I guess that's consistent. He loves the bike, he loves his sport, I believe that is absolutely genuine. I just wish the rest could be half as much.

Love and Hugs to Garmin-Chipotle

2008-09-10T21:32:00.005-05:00

My version of the Serenity Prayer today was to listen to Green Day's American Idiot album at high volume, and I have to say it worked rather well. One of the great albums of all time, that.

So yesterday was like when John Paul sent the text message to Sarah so she would find out about him and Craig and...yeah, nevermind, no one's going to get that Hollyoaks reference. I don't regret the emotions, they're still there, but it was perhaps rash to haul Jonathan Vaughters into it wholesale. So, sorry JV, and thank you for your lovely official comment today. Paul Kimmage is a brilliant idea - now we'll see if Lance really means it about full transparency. Still proves nothing about the past, but if this thing is going to happen, Kimmage is the number one choice. I liked Bob Stapleton's comments also, nice and straightforward, not afraid to call it as he sees it. Well done by the two teams threatened most by the blinding light that is Lance coverage.

Tom Danielson's remarks were intriguingly gushing, especially given how Lance has sneered at him lately. Is he angling to get "back" on Astana?

Enough of the blinding light, how about that Garmin-Chipotle team in Missouri today? Awesome ride by Christian Vande Velde to take yellow - don't let it go VdV! And top rides by Dave Zabriskie, Tom Danielson, Danny Pate, and Steve Cozza, way to go boys! All of this sadly tempered by the horrible crash of Blake Caldwell, medical report here. Sending all best wishes to Blake for a good recovery.

Great ride by George Hincapie as well. Now if I can just get the on-demand video to play all the way through, I might actually get to see some of this race.

Lance Reaction: Spill 'Em If You've Got 'Em

2008-09-10T00:31:00.002-05:00

Beans, that is. I'm talking to you, Jonathan Vaughters. And any other of those former Posties you hang with who might be able to enlighten us. Or Kevin Livingston. Or Frankie Andreu. I know, Frankie, you gave at the office, but it's all hands on deck. There's strength in numbers. If you all have the truth I think you have, and speak as one, his smear machine won't work.

As long as Lance was leaving well enough alone, and the sport was moving forward, I was fine with Vaughters' coyness. But JV, the time for coyness is over. I haven't walked a mile in your shoes, so I have no right to demand you say anything. But I can ask, plead, beg. You and everyone at Garmin-Chipotle have done so much, so much more than others, to save this sport and to make the fan experience richer than we could imagine. But this is the moment. This is the moment you stand up for your sport like never before. The moment we either take a huge, painful, ugly step forward or a huge, painful, ugly slide backwards.

Tyler Hamilton winning the US Pro was bad enough, but it's a bike race, s*** happens. I know the Garmin boys tried. But this, this would be such a slap in the face. Next year the American press should be all about Christian Vande Velde going for that podium, Danny Pate and/or Will Frischkorn going one better than this year and getting that stage win, Tom Danielson's triumph at long last (a girl can dream…). Or Lucas or Tyler or whoever is doing great things at any given moment. But it won't, it'll all be about him. Whether he's clipping his toenails or actually racing, it'll all be about him. To borrow a word from Barack Obama, Enough.

Why am I dumping this all at Garmin's feet? Because they have made us feel the pain of those years. They have shown us the struggle. They have shown us how you find a new way. They have shown us how free and joyful and fulfilling that way can be, for rider and fan alike. They are the ones on whose behalf I am most angry and sad tonight. And they are the ones chock-a-block full of people who probably/maybe/perhaps know about such things.

I don't know what Lance took. I don't know if anyone at Garmin does either. But I'm a diehard fan, and this is where my head's at and I feel so strongly that if there is something to be done, it must be done. Now. Don't let this go an inch further, we have come too far and are having too much fun for that.

Ironically, I finally got my hands on the latest Bicycling magazine this evening, to see what excerpt they used from my Johan rant. I picked up the latest Men's Journal, too, for the Garmin article rather than the guy on the front. In a vaguely cathartic act, I immediately ripped off the cover and tore it into little pieces. I say this not out of pride or defiance, but for the point of the reaction itself. This is how deep it cuts, this is how wrenched my heart is at the thought. This is how much I love this sport and how painful it is when the clouds return.

Back in the day, I would've bought the thing because he was on the cover. And carefully clipped and saved it. But once you've read and heard enough, you just can't go back. I've got a family full of cancer, including some very tough battles as we speak. I wore the wristband before anyone knew what it was, didn't leave my arm for four years. I appreciate what the man has done for cancer. He says this is about cancer, but really? This is the only way he can do something big for cancer? Or is that supposed to make us skeptics keep quiet - well, it's for cancer, so we can't protest too much. Sure, it's for the cancer work, but it's also because he loves to beat people and needs another fix.

And to prove he can win clean. Hmmm, prove to himself maybe. Though I always wondered if that's what 2003 was about, doing honor to number five and all that. But maybe he was just unlucky that year. Funny how you can envision different perspectives, though - there, see, I proved I can win clean, so I deserve to win every time out, so let's go back to the old program to make sure I do. Because, you know, we might as well win.

But of course the idea is to prove to everyone else. But as people have already pointed out, it doesn't work that way. Proving he can win one clean doesn't mean all the rest were. Lance is an extremely talented bike racer. He prepares tirelessly and meticulously and has the killer instinct of all killer instincts. So sure, he can win. It's the winning every time, the body almost never breaking down, that raises the eyebrows. If he wants to prove the past wins, let's see some blood values from then. Surely Ferrari has a stack of them somewhere. I know, he passed all the official tests (sort of), but I'm talking the day-in day-out stuff.

Racing again is such a tremendous risk - of crashing with serious injury, of finding you're not the big bad boss anymore, of losing. Why would he possibly want to risk all that? Okay, he loves risks, but still. It doesn't prove the past was clean, so it could only prove this one was clean. And the only logical reason to risk it all and do one clean is because the others weren't. Not that logic is a given.

Speaking of logic, one can hope the Tour won't take him back. It's not like they've needed a real reason to choose who they like in the past, so why not? You'll only tick off the same people who were ticked off about Astana this year, so it's a wash.

And then there's George Hincapie. I sincerely hope Lance does not try to get him back. And that George doesn't want to go back. One of my most treasured memories of this year is how Hincapie guided his young team and delivered them to the line again and again. He is exactly where he belongs.

Winning isn't a given either. A lot of things can happen, and it's likely things won't come as easily as they used to, for whatever reason. It would be very sweet to see Garmin beat him - whoever, at whichever race. But it wouldn't be worth the renewal of Lance-o-Rama in the coverage. Who would've thought, I'm nostalgic for the days of being appalled by his dating habits or how much water he's wasting. I'll take that news over this any day.

Oh, yeah, and what CFA said.

Tour de France 2008 Wrap-up: All For Carlos

2008-07-28T21:09:00.004-05:00

There's always that odd sensation when the Tour ends, like coming out of a tunnel. All of those tasks and thoughts and issues that got pushed aside for three weeks come back into bright focus, to mixed effect. Ah well, all good things as they say.

Carlos Sastre may just have given "tranquilo" back its good name. In recent years, that word has been uttered by many an accused doper, only to be followed by confession or definitive proof. But this tranquilo was about Sastre riding his race, not getting caught in the trap of outside pressure or team politics or trying something different at the last minute. He celebrated as he wanted on L'Alpe d'Huez, and he didn't blow himself up trying for too much on the TT. He had the luxury in the TT of knowing things were going his way, but in both cases he went with the attitude of doing his own thing and letting the chips fall where they may. I'm no expert, but I imagine relaxation opens the blood vessels - he may be onto something.

It seems that the way to win is either being a cold killer or a cool customer. That in-between where your heart and head get too stirred up seems to get you in trouble. I don't think it's the emotion itself, that emotion kept Cadel Evans going after he crashed, and got him his first yellow jersey. I was glad to see how much he wanted it and how much it meant to him. But it's the energy it takes, energy you need in the final race to the line. Perhaps unfair for a number of reasons, but I already find myself seeing Evans as the next Jan Ullrich. It won't be the same guy he loses to each time, but it could be a succession of little Spaniards if Alberto Contador is back next year. I haven't caught up on all the analyses, so I don't know if it's been discussed somewhere, but Evans' position in the TT seemed awfully f***ed to me. His arms were so low, it looked like he could topple forward at any moment. It may be aerodynamic, but can you get power? Surely they check that in the wind tunnel too.

George Hincapie put in a heroic ride, 10th in the TT, a shredded left side not stopping his usual solid performance. He talked so matter-of-factly about his injuries afterwards, it's moments like that that always make me pause and think about what these riders go through. Unbelievable pain, all in a day's work.

It was Jens Voigt who talked about this year being "all for Carlos," and I couldn't be happier for Voigt and the whole team. All that second-guessing about doing too much work and not taking enough time at the right spots, I'm really glad it worked out for them and they got to take home yellow for Carlos and for the team classification. It was an awful bit of luck, yet somehow fitting that Jens managed to actually work his butt off and lose his saddle in the final laps on the Champs.

Frank Schleck reaching for Andy as they crossed the line was a poignant moment in more ways than one. The brothers were celebrating their dream of just being there together, let alone their joint success. But the other telling thing was that at the moment Frank was reaching out, Andy had his eyes on Carlos. He held hands with Frank briefly, but then moved up to Carlos for an arm around the shoulder. Now, the brothers will be sharing memories of this Tour in their living rooms together for the rest of their lives, but I think Andy was looking at where he's headed in years to come. He will surpass his brother, as Frank himself acknowledges, and I hope it stays the same between them as that happens.

The Champs-Elysees is a grand finish any way you slice it, and is another one of those reminders that the event is bigger than any one rider. The peloton, the big wide monster that ate up the narrow country roads, suddenly looks tiny as they rattle over the cobbles towards the Arc de Triomphe. Likewise, the riders on the final podium always look like little kids, in wide-eyed awe of where they find themselves.

Speaking of where they find themselves, Garmin-Chipotle was such a great source of joy, inspiration, and just plain fun for the whole three weeks - thanks boys! Christian Vande Velde has wisely and thankfully gone the cool cucumber route with his newfound status. He too rode his own race in the TT, and finished ahead of all the GC contenders. If he hadn't have fallen in that descent, Vande Velde would have been on the podium for sure. Which is fine, he fell and the others didn’t, no complaints there. The point is what that means for the future - his talent and durability are right up there with the top contenders.

Christian is already looking forward to next year, aren't we all! Heck, even Kimmage is on board. My wish list: a TTT with real time gaps, a healthy Dave Zabriskie, and a fit Tom Danielson. It may still be tough to end up with yellow in Paris, but if we had all that next year, he'd be in yellow at some point! You know what would be really fun - if there was a TTT and an opportunity to pass the jersey around - let Danny Pate have it for a day, see if that finally makes him feel good! I love Danny, he is a hoot in his interviews, what a sweetheart. It has been great to see the Tour through his eyes, and those of Will Frischkorn, who wrote such wonderful diary entries for VeloNews. They were a great insight into a first Tour experience.

David Millar provided great insight into a man's soul with his diary - no ghost writer needed when he writes his book! His heart was on his sleeve, on and off the bike, and as I commented on the team site, his heart fuels this team. Millar was at once humbled and elevated by his team and what they accomplished their first time out. One of the great quiet moments after the TT was Millar waiting patiently, standing off to the side with his head down, as Vande Velde was interviewed by Neal Rogers for VeloNewsTV. When VdV was finished, he walked away from the camera, noticed Millar, and the two exchanged a warm grasp. Another glimpse into what makes Garmin-Chipotle special - these guys aren't just teammates, they get each other, they give "believe in each other" a whole new meaning.

And it's for that reason that I gain such pleasure from a silly little thing like having the Garmin team car on my GPS. Every time the drive home was getting boring and endless, a quick glance over to the little dots of argyle driving along with me gave me a smile and sent me reminiscing about the glorious past three weeks. And now it's on to the next… Wishing a safe and healthy Olympics for all our boys!

Tour de France 2008 Stage 19: A Word For Our Sponsors

2008-07-25T22:27:00.005-05:00

Well, first a word for Sylvain Chavanel. Too bad for the sprinters, but what a thrilling victory for Chavanel. He dissolved in tears after the finish, for a number of reasons. The one that immediately came to my mind was this time last year. He had made it through the mountains, and was best-placed Frenchman, when he had to abruptly leave the Tour because of a teammate's doping. The injustice was hard for me to swallow, I can't imagine what it was like for him. Congratulations to him for a happier ending this year.

Having a decidedly unhappy ending were Romain Feillu, Fabian Wegmann, and fan favorite Juan Antonio Flecha, who all finished outside the time limit. Like Damiano Cunego, unable to start today, so close to Paris and yet so far.

About those sponsors - a great big thank you to Jonathan Vaughters or Doug Ellis or whoever got such cool sponsors for our boys in argyle. I would love the team whatever the name on the jersey, but it's a lot more fun to support Garmin and Chipotle than, say, a snoring product for which I have no need.

The nearest Chipotle restaurant in my neck of the woods is four hours away, in a different state. As luck would have it, I had to go right by it today on a trip. Very lucky, because now we don't ever have to find out if I would've driven four hours just to go there in July for a Le Burrito. Could happen, I'm weird that way.

I've been wanting a GPS for a while, and it became clear recently just which one I should get.

So, here's my new Garmin GPS, delivering me to my nearest Chipotle restaurant.

It worked beautifully, even had all the little roads in my area that just got named a couple of years ago for 911 service. I messed with its head a little, taking the known shortcuts out of town, but she eventually caught up with me. As for Le Burrito - fantastic, I sure hope Chipotle expands to Maine some day! Delicious combo, served up by friendly staff, well worth the stop. And I'm not just kissing Garmin-Chipotle booty. If either of these products had disappointed me, I would tell. I'm weird that way too.

So this is what I do stuck in a hotel without Versus on the eve of the TT of all TTs, my little way of rooting for my boys:And let me tell you, it was tricky, I had to find a state that didn't have a city named Paris! Did I mention I was weird?

Oh my goodness, I just realized I can make my vehicle icon on the GPS be the Team Garmin chase car! Too. Cool. Stay tuned, I may take an updated pic tomorrow...

All giddiness aside, I hope it doesn't rain and I hope everyone does their best and nothing, ahem, weird happens and may the best man win! If Christian Vande Velde makes the podium, I just may have to take that Le Burrito detour on the way home too.

Tour de France 2008 Stage 18: Back In The Saddle

2008-07-24T22:39:00.002-05:00

Happy days are here again for Team Columbia! Marcus Burghardt gave Columbia their fifth stage win and no doubt lifted morale after yesterday's crashfest. George Hincapie's crash was quite serious, as he described it on VeloNewsTV, he thought at first he might not even be able to continue. It was very sad to see him all bandaged and seeping this morning. He's very high on the list of Tours completed, he'll make it through this one if at all possible.

An even sadder sight was Damiano Cunego, in a horrible crash early on. He struggled through the entire stage, arriving some twenty minutes after the winner. He hoped to be able to continue, and wanted to ensure his loyal teammates, by his side, made the time cut. His injuries proved too serious, though, and he will apparently not be able to take the start tomorrow. Each individual case is unique, and we can't know just what was going on with each person, but there have been a few GC contenders who dropped out at the first sign of their Tour not going as planned. Cunego, who planned his whole year on the Tour, has had many days of disappointment as it became clear his Tour was not going to be a success. But to his credit he never gave up, even today with deep cuts and a chest injury. It will be interesting to see if he goes back to the Giro next year, or redoubles his efforts and takes another crack at the Tour. In any case, best wishes for a speedy recovery. On a day we went by an Andre Kivilev memorial, I'm thankful Cunego's injuries were not more serious.

Frankie Andreu back in the Versus booth, woohoo! I'm glad they finally came to their senses, on that front at least. Frankie was talking a mile a minute, making up for lost time, but his comments were spot-on and had me laughing with delight. Great to have him back, hope it continues.

Andy Schleck protecting his white jersey towards the finish was a lot of fun. Frank described him as a puppy dog the other day, and that's exactly what he is. You could practically see his tail wagging on d'Huez yesterday, as he jumped around the GC group with the greatest of ease, just about riding circles around them. Johan was seriously crushin' on Andy, giggling at the talent he was seeing before his eyes. Hands off, buddy, you can't have this one! Frank says Andy needs to get away from the apron strings and toughen up, but it was Andy who had the wise perspective yesterday, describing on VeloNewsTV how he was urging Frank to enjoy the moment, right there in the middle of the climb. I haven't had this much fun watching brothers work together since Dean and Scott Winters were tearing it up on HBO's Oz.

Tour de France 2008 Stage 17: Random

2008-07-23T16:32:00.003-05:00

I'm pressed for time, so just a few random thoughts on L'Alpe d'Huez.

Oddly, I think yesterday was more fun. Maybe I'll feel differently after I watch again this evening, without the scattered stress of not knowing what will happen. Fantastic weather again, couldn't ask for a better day. Insane fans - as many crazy days as there's been on d'Huez, I swear I don't remember quite so much risky intermingling with the cyclists as there was today. Maybe it was because it wasn't entirely packed, with some opting for Croix de Fer, gave more room for people to be silly.

I would love Carlos Sastre to win the Tour de France. He's such an unsung hero, it would be fun. And CSC-Saxo Bank buried themselves completely this Tour, the top prize would be a just reward. Unfortunately, it's not likely to happen. Looking at last year's final TT, Cadel Evans took loads of time from Sastre, so it should be no problem to pass him on Saturday. But, never say never, tomorrow's a tough day and anything can happen in a time trial, be it equipment or weather or nerves or yellow wings. I'm also fine with Evans taking it - presuming things go as they have been, he'll have earned it.

I'm not second-guessing, I'm genuinely curious - if by going up the road you're gaining time on Denis Menchov and limiting Sastre's gains, what does it matter if you have a Schleck on your wheel? I mean, if you think you're going to blow up and can't hold a faster pace, fine. But if the only reason you slow down is because the group caught up, I'm not getting it. Who cares who is doing the work or who is going to come around who at the finish, if you're helping your placement? Sastre was clearly going to win the stage, so there's no issue on that. You don't put time into everyone, but if the choice is putting time into two guys or no guys, why not take two?

I don't know, I guess they didn't have much left in the tank anyway. Evans and Christian Vande Velde both finally went for it at different points, not caring who got on their wheel, and still couldn't make big gains. But by then Menchov had caught back on, seems like a big opportunity to crack him was missed, as Vande Velde acknowledged after the finish. You know me, never been a fan of that cat and mouse stuff.

In any case, fabulous stage for CSC, good on Sastre for zooming to the top, good on the Schlecks for sacrificing to cover the moves. Can't wait until it's Andy's turn, he's going to be a fun one to watch as a leader down the road. One thing, Carlos, dear, you had to do the whole salute thing before the line? Those are precious seconds, baby, you'll rue the day if you need them on Saturday!

Fabulous too for Christian Vande Velde, bouncing right back from yesterday to have a strong stage and even put in some attacks. He clearly left it all out there, wobbling after the line, and is rightfully delighted with his ride. Tom Danielson, hope you're watching VeloNewsTV and take VdV's words to heart - keep working from now until next June, so you can be beside him next time!

Team Columbia - love and hugs boys, the road was not kind to you today. Three guys taking nasty spills, including George Hincapie, who had holes in his jersey and shorts, not a happy sight. And Kim Kirchen couldn't hold the lead group as he did yesterday, falling further back. Best wishes to bounce back in the coming days - tomorrow could be a day for Hincapie again, and Kirchen should have a good TT.

And the most random of all - Michael Douglas???

Tour de France 2008 Stage 16: Yes, Bobby, It Is

2008-07-22T22:31:00.004-05:00

Bobby Julich has been dropping in on Cyclingnews' live race reports for the Tour, and today he asked if it was always this stressful to watch the race on TV. Yes, Bobby, now you know what you guys put us through! Today didn't bring all the results I hoped for, but it was undeniably a brilliant Tour stage. Fantastic weather, making for gorgeous vistas and dry roads, and very enjoyable viewing. Epic, moonscape mountainsides with summits that seem to float in the sky. Tomorrow is the queen stage, but today was certainly an excellent warm-up.

Johan wasn't impressed by what CSC-Saxo Bank got for their efforts, but whatever the case, those efforts were fun to watch again today. One can't help but marvel at the dedication, the strategic placing, and the cool professionalism. Whether they led early or came back from the breaks ahead, each guy gave their supreme effort. Amidst all that, it was a delight to see Tough Man Stuart O'Grady smiling and blowing kisses in the feed zone. And of course Jens Voigt, dropping back to water the GC group, then hopping on front to drive the pace some more. He hasn't been allowed to go on his escapades this Tour, but my guess is that he's enjoying this stuff just as much, if not more. He still gets to be the mad warrior, and it's all for the good of the team. Andy Schleck gave tireless support to brother Frank again, and happily took the white jersey as an added bonus. What fun it will be tomorrow, to see them scaling L'Alpe in yellow and white, I hope they make it up together just as they did today.

As for what they got, it wasn't nothin'. They gained time on Denis Menchov, who also reportedly had cramps at the finish, so maybe they took something out of him for tomorrow as well. And they took significant time on Christian Vande Velde. Going on TT skills, a likely podium has been Cadel Evans, Menchov, and Vande Velde. So, hurting two of those guys, Carlos Sastre may get his real-time podium yet.

Ah, yes, the stressful part of the day. That agonizing game of Where's Christian? With only so many cameras on the road, once Vande Velde was dropped from the GC group, we didn't see him again until the finish. So we didn't know - was he hovering just off the back, or had he dropped like a stone and lost huge chunks? I was betting on just off the back, but it was the day after the rest day, and he is in uncharted territory, and you just never know! He was indeed hanging tough, and if not for the crash on the descent, it wouldn't have even been considered a bad day. Great job by teammate Ryder Hesjedal, dropping back from the break to pace Vande Velde up the rest of the climb and be with him on the descent. Tomorrow will tell the story, but Vande Velde still has a shot at the podium, and anything top ten will still be a great achievement for him and Garmin-Chipotle.

Stress redux - that crazy-ass descent. John Lee Augustyn and his baby face went flying over the edge, thank goodness he was alright. Kudos to him for great reflexes, managing to stop himself from sliding all the way down. And good luck with clipping right out of the bike, so it didn't drag him down. It was rather a risky move for Versus to show all that video from crashes past on such a stage, it's a good thing for them too that Augustyn provided drama but not injury. I'm really glad Evans didn't deck it when he came around the bend and almost ran into the doctor's moto. After (according to P&P) going to the trouble to ride the descent in training so he'd be sure to have a feel for it, that would've been a real shame.

Not so much stress, but sympathy after the stage for George Hincapie. It was a rare and very real opportunity for him to take the stage, but with that wild descent he just couldn't catch back on. He was heartbroken afterwards, he could hardly talk. Hincapie has done so much for Team Columbia this year, I want him to have a few spoils for himself! I'm glad for Cyril Dessel, though. He did a major amount of work on the climb, dragging those guys up. And since teammate Tadej Valjavec fell off towards the end, it's great that Dessel could more than salvage the effort with the stage win.

No Frankie Andreu commentary again tonight on Versus. Grrrrr. Johan's not there the whole time, what's the problem??

Tour de France 2008 Stage 15: Mix of Sun and Clouds

2008-07-21T00:50:00.002-05:00

Sun: Garmin-Chipotle boys Christian Vande Velde and Danny Pate - both showed great form, hanging tough and doing the Argyle proud in both exciting finishes - that for the stage and that for the GC contenders. After all of Jonathan Vaughter's dreams and plans for these two, to get them where they rightfully belong in the sport, and to promote the environment in which they can rightfully succeed, he must have been thrilled to see Pate contesting for the stage and Vande Velde still contesting for the jersey. Why do I get so emotional about Christian's success? This excellent article on VdV by Paul Kimmage pretty much says it all. If that one doesn't have you reaching for a hanky, well, you probably enjoyed Versus' coverage tonight.

Simon Gerrans - I really don't know much about him, but P&P certify him as one of the nicest guys in the peloton, and his salute was adorable, as was his big smile on the podium. He started with a closed mouth, probably a reflex with his braces, but forget that, this is the Tour de France podium! He let loose, and it was a beautiful grin. If Danny had to lose to somebody, I'll take Gerrans.

The Brothers Schleck - the cute brother story pays big dividends as Andy gave everything but a kidney to get Frank in yellow. Andy attacked, fell back, clawed his way to the front again, and rinse and repeat for several cycles. This not only helped Frank, but also Carlos Sastre, who gained back some much-needed time. Cadel Evans looked vulnerable a couple of times, we'll have to see if that was just him getting his Alps legs, or if he's in real trouble. Seeing the brothers work together, and Frank's sparkling eyes as he received the yellow jersey, I couldn't help but think back to that heart-stopping crash last month at the Tour de Suisse, and how all of this might not have been. The whole CSC-Saxo Bank team buried themselves again today, and will have a nice rest day to enjoy being in yellow - jersey and numbers.

Clouds: Oscar Pereiro's crash. I didn't like the looks of this descent, from the moment Danny Pate was trying to zip his jacket right before the first hairpin bend. The pictures of Pereiro looked awful, the riders who had seen it looked horribly shaken, and those were very tense moments before we learned that he was moving and that the injuries were not critical. Whatever other issues there are with Pereiro, I was impressed with how loyal he was this Tour to Alejandro Valverde's interests. Phil always liked to joke about that time Oscar fell off while eating his lunch a few years ago, probably time to retire that one.

Round-about Rink: Mass carnage on both sides of the circle, including most of the Garmin-Chipotle squad, not the usual pretty site for that particular traffic furniture. Glad to hear everyone apparently made it through alright, and will hopefully get things all patched up on the rest day.

I'll be here all week: Yes, it's Johan week on Versus. His comments themselves this evening were fine for the most part, so that was something of a relief. Of course they stayed safe, nothing in the doping arena, and were generally focused on and respectful of the race at hand. As for his friendly American book signing crowds, they must have those Bush-Cheney screeners out front gathering loyalty oaths. Not that I would pull a Jane Fonda on him, but there are hard questions to be asked.

The most disappointing part of the evening was the absence of Frankie Andreu in the booth. Obviously they aren't going to be there at the same time, but I was happy when I saw Bruyneel would be doing just part of the broadcast, and held out hope that would mean we would still get our Frankie fix. Not tonight, I sure hope he comes back on Tuesday, because if he doesn't, that would be seriously wrong. The whole Take Back campaign already had its farcical elements, but if they give Frankie the boot in favor of Johan, it's all over.

Even if Johan was an angel, it's still kind of annoying. Here we have a great new clean American team, and a really nice, clean American guy holding his own in the Top Five on GC. Let's focus on that, let's celebrate that. We don't need the Pavlovian "Lance" bell to garner interest from the home viewer. It just pulls us back, instead of moving us forward. And forward is definitely where this sport needs to go.

Tour de France 2008 Stage 12: It Happens

2008-07-17T21:05:00.002-05:00

There's always some sadness when guys get caught, just because you know how it's going to play in the MSM. But today's departure of Riccardo Ricco was mostly relief for me. Last year, when Rasmussen was yanked, there had been so much turmoil that there was oddly little relief. But we got this done before the Alps, before Ricco took his coveted Alpe d'Huez stage and climbed into the top five and secured the mountains and young rider jerseys. Now, we'll see who else does supernatural things on the day, but at least we've eliminated a few of the major suspects.

I was surprised to read around the web that people were big fans of Ricco, believing and excited about the young new star. I envy their ability to still believe whole-heartedly. Not that I automatically condemn anyone who rides away from the peloton, but I can't help but at least ask the question of anyone who does. It just seems so clear now how unnatural it is to easily ride away on multiple occasions.

Which brings me directly to my next point. These Lance retrospectives on Versus are bizarre to watch, especially at this time in the sport. If they were put into full, open perspective, they might still work. But to just run them straight, as if nothing fishy was going on, and then go right back to ripping Ricco a new one and praising Garmin and Columbia and the new era - it all gets a little Twilight Zone. And we haven't even had the week of Johan Bruyneel yet, I shudder to think. I'll give this to Bob Roll - he is always very careful to add some variation of "now" to his rants against current dopers.

I guess the shock and outrage seen in force today comes from being a fan, and loving the sport. But David Millar is right, it's never going to end. We shouldn't be any more surprised by it than we are by drunk drivers or embezzlers or identity thefts. People break the rules in every profession, in every sector of society. Cycling can't expect to be any different.

And as such should also not be seen as a farce or not worth contesting. Yeah, I'm talking to you Michael Wilbon. I love you most days, but make very rude gestures at my TV screen whenever you open your mouth about cycling on PTI. Is baseball a joke? Football? Should we not bother with the World Series or the NFL Playoffs? What do you think we would find if we tested several players each day? This is what ticks me off about days like today. That this makes the headlines and not Christian Vande Velde. That people think this means it's the dirtiest sport around, instead of becoming the cleanest. David Millar, eloquent and moving as ever, writes about how unfair this is to Vande Velde in today's diary entry.

Millar also has kind words for Mark Cavendish, and kudos to him for win number three today. Columbia did another impressive job in the final Ks, but Cav himself was left to his own devices right towards the end and came through admirably.

I wondered how Cadel Evans could ever work his way into my heart, but he seems to be getting there. Doesn't mean I have to love him head to toe, but his podium emotions and his love affair with his stuffed lion have quite endeared him to me. I'm a sucker for a stuffed animal, and I just love how he kisses it like the podium girls and snuggled with it on the rest day. As for those contretemps with the reporters - shoot, can you blame him? I mean really, touching his shoulder? We saw how he favored it and how it was bleeding through his jersey, what was the reporter thinking? I do have to disagree on the kit choice. I'm with Kim Kirchen, I prefer just going yellow on the jersey and not the shorts for a workaday ride, but Evans earned the thing, I guess he can dress however he likes.

This is what I really need to know - did Garmin-Chipotle owner Doug Ellis, Garmin-Chipotle manager Jonathan Vaughters, and Chipotle CEO Steve Ells all go glasses shopping together? Or is that what drew them to each other? They saw those snappy little black frames across a crowded room and the sparks flew and they knew they all had to go into business together.

Tour de France 2008 Stage 10: I Will Possess Your Heart

2008-07-14T21:46:00.002-05:00

The symbol of this year's Tour is a heart, and I found mine overflowing today. I love this sport. I love the riders who leave it all on the road, for nothing else than to help a teammate. I love the fans who come out in enormous numbers and cheer every last rider. I love the directors in the cars who look after their boys all along the route. I love the leaders who use years of sacrifice and training and hard knocks to keep going when all others fall away. I love how we all love it, how we throw all rationality out the window and go on pure heart - to compete in it, to stand on the side of the road, or to squint at computer screens for hours on end across the world.

"How I wish you could see the potential…" No, I'm not stalking Christian Vande Velde, but Death Cab For Cutie's brilliantly creepy song aptly describes the relationship both rider and fan have with the Tour. The Tour calls to us, sucks us in, and won't let us go. The tiny voice in the back of Vande Velde's head all these years has grown large and in charge as he is finally reaching his full potential, holding his third place in the high mountains. To get to that familiar mountain scene, the tiny select group out of which the final winner is likely to come, and to see Vande Velde comfortably in that group, is a very beautiful thing. There's a long way to go, but this was a very big test, and Christian passed with flying colors.

The whole Garmin-Chipotle team worked their hearts out today, first the guys chasing down that big ole break at the start, then the rest of the guys hanging as long as they could on the climbs. How sweet was David Millar, suffering up the Tourmalet, calling out an apology to director Matt White. Whitey handled it beautifully, reassuring Millar and telling him to take care.

Boing! Jens Voigt finally got to uncoil his spring today (Where Is Jens? clip), and he and his teammates left a trail of bodies in their wake. I just had to laugh and laugh as we saw one of the greatest displays of The Beast ever. The Bear did his share as well, Fabian Cancellara turning himself inside out in the break. In what other sport do you have such a scenario - a world class superstar one day, just another cog in the team wheel the next. It was a brilliant strategy by Bjarne Riis, putting Cancellara out front, setting Jens and friends loose, and having them meet up in the valley to close the door on Alejandro Valverde and Damiano Cunego. It's too bad they missed yellow by just a tick, but I'm sure they'll take satisfaction in moving Frank Schleck and Carlos Sastre up in the standings, and seemingly eliminating some of the competition.

Versus has been playing a great commercial the past few days, with Jonathan Vaughters' voiceover about jumping out of your car in your underwear to appreciate crashing in a professional bike race. Cadel Evans brings to mind the part they leave out - do that, then scrub the wounds raw, then get up the next day and ride your bike for four-plus hours up some of the most difficult climbs in the world. All due respect to Evans for hanging tough today and taking yellow. And for being overcome with emotion on the podium. I can't help taking him to heart after that.

I'll enjoy the rest day as much as anyone, sleep is always nice, but I'm with Christian Vande Velde. It's a shame there isn't another stage tomorrow, after such an inspiring day as today.

Special Edition: Chris Horner Rocks

2008-07-13T21:52:00.004-05:00

I was missing Chris Horner at the Tour, with his lively and frank interviews. Lo and behold, he still manages to give us all a huge smile in July. Here's the story of how Horner carried another rider, and his bike, up the final 2K of Saturday's stage at the Cascade Cycling Classic. Here's video (at the end, after the logo).

Tour de France 2008 Stage 9: TLC

2008-07-13T12:22:00.002-05:00

Today was a day to take care. For the GC guys, take care of their current standing and their bodies and save as much as they can for tomorrow. Most of them accomplished this well, although Cadel Evans had a great fright on the body front. We didn't see the crash, but it must have been a heart-stopper, considering the spots where he lost clothing and/or skin - the top of his back, the top front of his thigh, and an elbow. There was also some injury to his shoulder, we'll have to wait for the post-race reports to see if it was anything too worrisome.

Cadel's team took immediate care, hovering as he got a bike change, and then all around him as they worked their way back to the peloton. After he caught his breath, and at a convenient point in the road, Evans made his way back to race doctor Gerard Porte. We don't get to really hear what is said in those visits to the doctor's car, but I always get a clear sense of Dr. Porte giving tender loving care to his riders. Not that he's too gentle, have to give those wounds a good scrub, but he checks them out head to toe, does everything he possibly can for them, and sends them on their way with a kind pat on the shoulder. His ability to do this at high speeds on changing roads with all serenity never ceases to amaze. Equally amazing, of course, is the ability of tough-as-nails riders to receive such treatment balanced on their bikes, never wavering as raw flesh is assaulted with antiseptic wipes. Evans will get further nursing from the team tonight, with hopes that any stiffness from his injuries will hold off until the rest day.

We saw all the teams taking care of their leaders on this first test in the mountains. Caisse d'Epargne were all over the place, sending riders up the road if that suited, then dropping them back if they were needed there, setting pace when they had to, generally showing their strength in numbers and climbing ability.

Gerolsteiner were also hard at work, to mixed results. Sebastian Lang led the day for quite a while, before his head shook in resignation as Riccardo Ricco zoomed past. Stefan Schumacher made a brief bid to gain some time back, but not only could he not hold it, he ended up gapped at the finish. Bernhard Kohl made a gutsy push at the summit of the final climb to try and secure the mountains jersey for teammate Lang. He took third away from David De La Fuente, but unfortunately fourth was enough for him to hold on to the polka dots. I also felt for the lone Gerolsteiner soigneur at that summit, trying so hard to care for his guys as they came by. He was a little surprised I think to see Ricco come over first, and then neither Lang nor Kohl were interested in a musette. He was finally able to give one away, to Markus Fothen, so at least it was worth the trip! And Lang will have the red number tomorrow for his efforts.

Team Columbia were a bit scarce in the final selection, but they had worked so hard all week caring for both Kim Kirchen and Mark Cavendish, you can hardly blame them. And though Kirchen struggled a bit, he held his own and finished with the first group. Meanwhile, Papa George Hincapie had a virtual arm around young rider Thomas Lovkvist, seeing him home safely. Lovkvist lost the white jersey, but Hincapie made sure he didn't lose his way and paced him steadily down to the finish.

Garmin-Chipotle were of course looking after Christian Vande Velde. Danny Pate and Ryder Hesjedal gave solid efforts before falling off the pace, first Danny and later Ryder. David Millar lasted even longer, just slipping back towards the end to finish in the third group. Trent Lowe stuck with Vande Velde on the final climb, and finished in the second group. As Christian mentioned a couple of days ago, he took very good care of himself and finished with the leading group, and now sits in third place. (I'm sure the TLC from his wife last night helped as well.) Christian Vande Velde, in third place overall, after the first mountain stage, in the Tour de France. Go ahead, read that one a few times, it never gets old.

Tour de France Stages 7 & 8: You Can Count On Me

2008-07-12T12:10:00.004-05:00

Instead of focusing on the guy who let down his team, let's celebrate the ones who didn't. Team Columbia put on another fantastic display today. At this rate, we're going to run out of ways to describe their strength and success! Columbia did their job leading the peleton for much of the day, in utterly miserable conditions. Through flat tires and slippery spills, they hustled back up to the front and got right back to work. We saw George Hincapie patrolling his troops, presumably giving out directions and encouragement. It's so enjoyable to see him in this role. He's good at it and looks to be having a lot of fun doing it.

After letting some of the other teams hammer away towards the finish, Columbia got back on front again in the closing kilometers and gave everything they had left to lead it out for Mark Cavendish. Some of the other riders got back in front in the last K, and I was worried Cavendish might have gotten lost. But he still had Gerald Ciolek with him, and the two of them poured it on and came out with a brilliant one-two. Cavendish is so young and powerful, he hardly needs any extra push. But as he's said, with a team like that, you just can't let them down, and they're all there with him in spirit as he crosses the line.

Credit Agricole worked like dogs towards the end, you have to feel for them and Thor Hushovd for not having that same reward awaiting them. Also working hard were Liquigas, desperately trying to have something else to talk about after the stage than Manuel Beltran. I feel for them in more ways than one. I know tossing the whole team out is meant to be a powerful disincentive, but it apparently doesn't work as such, and is so unfair to the other teammates. Indications are that they will not have to leave, and I’m fine with that.

I was out of town yesterday, so didn't get to see Stage 7 until late, after the Beltran news broke. As I was just starting to read about it online, the start of the show was playing on my DVR, and there was an adorable little boy in a yellow jersey, riding the finish in some pre-stage event. That gave my heart a tug. Come on guys, let's give that kid a sport to grow into, and a day to be proud of.

On Stage 7, CSC-Saxo Bank looked great amassed at the front in the split, even if there was disagreement on their tactics. Each one so strong, so talented, so impassioned, it was a stirring sight. Congratulations to them for taking over the yellow numbers. Hearing that the rivalry between the Schleck brothers and Kim Kirchen may have had something to do with it does sour the feeling a bit. But at this stage of the game, I think CSC were making a statement beyond that, and racing for their own gains rather than out of spite. [Frank Schleck agrees, disputing the rivalry at VeloNewsTV (also worth watching for an adorable bit where Jens collects his autograph for a kid!)] And you know Jens Voigt could care less about such silliness, he just wants to race hard!

Garmin-Chipotle did some animating of their own yesterday, and though it didn't work out quite as planned, it's great to see them mixing it up and riding their hearts out for each other. David Millar looked all heart, slathered up in sunscreen, busting his butt in the break as his tire went flat. Despite the dashing of his grand plans, he hung in again for a decent finish. As usual, he gives a fascinating full description of the drama in his diary. Sounds like he had drama again today with a mechanical right at the end, and again his team came through, pacing him back to finish with the pack. The quiet heart of Christian Vande Velde is shining through, as he continues to delight in his new role. He stuck to the front on a very hard and changeable day, finishing with the final select group to hold his fourth place. Tomorrow will be a big test for his GC hopes, and his team and the fans of Argyle everywhere can count on him to give it his best effort. Garmin-Chipotle is the very embodiment of the audacity of hope, and I will keep my eyes on them rather than those whose skulls are too impossibly thick to get the message.

Tour de France 2008 Stage 6: Confidence Game

2008-07-10T20:42:00.002-05:00

Youthful exuberance takes the day again, this time with Riccardo Ricco getting his first Tour win. He could use some charm lessons from Mark Cavendish, but I think his bluster comes from a similar place, so maybe he'll learn.

Just as I was warming up to Cadel Evans, he goes and shoves a Gendarme! Cadel, Cadel, you'll need those guys later! As all the commentators said, nervous moments for him, but he's got to watch that. He was all cool customer by the end though, marking Alejandro Valverde as easy as you please. It's very early, but Evans is certainly living up to his designation as man to beat.

It's too bad for Stefan Schumacher, to lose yellow like that, but I'm happy for Kim Kirchen and Team Columbia. It's great to see them hold three jerseys, and to see Garmin-Chipotle have two in the top five with Christian Vande Velde and David Millar. It sounds like Millar may not be there for long, but they're still hanging onto the team classification, so don't go too soon David!

Christian's name begs for all kinds of cheesy wordplay, but out of respect for his awesome ride today, I vow to refrain from going down that road. It was thrilling to see Vande Velde off the front, looking strong, with even the chance of going for yellow. He was up there playing the same role as companion Leonardo Piepoli, softening the field for their guys Millar and Ricco, but his own high place in the standings gave it that extra excitement. He was sweet afterwards - yeah, I guess I do need to start looking out for myself. Yes, Christian, you can be a Top Ten rider, get used to it!

Seeing all the GC guys in a select group, going uphill, perfect appetizer for the days to come. I'll miss Mauricio Soler and his Triplets of Belleville face, but the rest of the boys should make for some good, ahem, clean fun!

Tour de France 2008 Stage 5: Take One For The Team

2008-07-09T20:51:00.002-05:00

There's no I in Garmin-Chipotle or Columbia. Oh, okay, there is, but that's just a technicality! Awesome teamwork by Columbia today, working with the other teams to keep the gap manageable, and then sending every rider to the front for a good old-fashioned dominating train towards the finish. I really don't need any more reasons to love George Hincapie, but he keeps coming up with them. He hammered back up to the racing peloton after a presumed mechanical, caught on, worked his way up, and then hammered smack on the front in the final Ks. Columbia is supremely lucky to have him, and they know it.

Mark Cavendish made it all worth it, getting that first Tour win in fine fashion. He walks the talk, and gives all due credit to his team. I do believe he has matured over the past year, learning all the time from guys like Hincapie no doubt. Credit Agricole's work didn't go for naught either, as Thor Hushovd did well enough to take over the green jersey.

From the young stuff to the old hands - a nice routine day like today in the brilliant sunshine is always good for some fun camera shots. My favorite from today was Erik Zabel and Jens Voigt chatting and laughing. Zabel doesn't win many these days, but he's always just off the mark. He may be battling for green yet.

Garmin-Chipotle's team spirit is evident in everything they do, but especially poignant in this tale from David Millar about very nearly getting caught out in the split on Monday. His diaries are a must-read, he tells great stories with great passion. He often talks about what a new and wonderful experience this team is for him, to have others depend on him, and to depend on and trust others. More good stuff on the team, and their significance, can be found in this Bicycling article by Joe Lindsey.

It seems like media saturation on Garmin-Chipotle, but people are still missing the message, so I hope it continues. I hope more people start to realize what it was like before, and the significance of what the clean teams are doing. Columbia is lucky to have George, and cycling is lucky to have Doug Ellis, Jonathan Vaughters and Bob Stapleton. Just as we hear about the great environment on the Garmin-Chipotle squad, Michael Barry tells us Team Columbia is also a very happy place to be. And they're winning races left, right and center, so it turns out you can do both!

Both teams will be on full display tomorrow up to Super-Besse, I can't wait!

Tour de France 2008 Stage 4: I Love A Parade

2008-07-08T19:25:00.001-05:00

This is what we missed with the absence of the Prologue. After a few days of bunching up against the weather, we got to see each of our guys one by one. No surprise after their strong showings in the Giro TTs, Danny Pate and Jens Voigt set best times early. Understated as ever, Pate did his job for Garmin-Chipotle, scouting the course and keeping the team on top. Voigt provided his typical high level of viewer entertainment, battling all the way with his raw animal instincts on display.

Carlos Sastre was consistent as ever with his second-tier performance, and there is something decidedly comforting in that. I don't know why Phil and Paul were so hard on Alejandro Valverde, he was amongst many of the other contenders who aren't great at TTs. I guess it was his strong Dauphine TT in June, but a little up and down suits me fine. I have to say I was actually relieved - sad, but true.

Christian Vande Velde put in an awesome ride, keeping the Garmin-Chipotle momentum going. There was a freaky camera shot of him from behind, his head didn't look particularly attached to his body. But dude, where's your yellow number? Ah well, you'll get to wear them again tomorrow thanks to your hard work. Vande Velde finished ahead of a number of GC contenders, that will serve him well as he tries to stay in the Top Ten in the mountains.

Also besting most of his rivals was Cadel Evans, sitting pretty with fourth best time. He gave a great smile as he was warming up. That goes a long way to getting some new fans, Cadel, keep it up!

Team Columbia rolls on, with Kim Kirchen, George Hincapie, and Thomas Lovkvist in the Top Eleven. All eyes will be on Kirchen as we go to the mountains, to see if he can keep this up. Hincapie's fluid style is always a pleasure to watch, I was glad to see him with a top finish. And Lovkvist matches Kirchen's green jersey with white, taking over the young rider classification.

Didn't Jonathan Vaughters ask someone to shoot him if he was ever driving the car behind? I guess TTs are a special exception. Robbie Ventura behaved himself quite well, zipping it every time JV went to talk to Millar. Still, heck of a nervy move to have him in the front seat on a day like that! Watching JV realize the win was going to be a long shot was moving. He wanted it so bad for the team, but you could see he also wanted it for David Millar. Garmin-Chipotle has come so far so fast, it seems odd to be even a little disappointed with a showing as impressive as today. But they're setting the bar high, challenging themselves to go for the big wins out of the box. And rightly so, you'll never get there if you don't. But I hope they can also revel in such a spectacular day for Garmin-Chipotle, with Millar back on his game, and Vande Velde and Pate living up to their potential. I can't wait to watch them battle it out with Kirchen in the days to come!

And then there were those surprises. Fabian Cancellara is indeed not a robot, as he pointed out, and aren't we all glad of that. When he's on, he shows so much heart, he's thrilling to watch. But, you can't win them all. Too bad it was today of all days that he was a touch off, but he'll be back. Eyebrows were animated everywhere at Stefan Schumacher's crushing performance. It doesn't come entirely out of left field, though. Cancellara himself pegged Schumacher for a chance at challenging him on this day. And there were several independent accounts of the dead calm Stefan lucked into during his ride.

Fingers crossed for those poor sprinters tomorrow, they ought to get at least one good one in before the climbing starts!

Tour de France 2008 Stage 3: When Argyle Attacks!

2008-07-07T19:59:00.003-05:00

They came to animate, and animate they did - Garmin-Chipotle's Will Frischkorn jumped at the start today and managed the tricky feat of staying away all day long. And very nearly won the stage; his good-natured disappointment in second place was wholly endearing. Argyle fans have a special spirit and loyalty, and they were jumping up and down all morning long around the world it seems. I worry sometimes about how hard we all want so much for this team, so it's great on a day like today when things go right.

Will got aggressive rider on the day, and his exploits helped move the team into first place overall. Tomorrow is the day Garmin-Chipotle has been looking forward to, but they got a great head start today! So the team should all have yellow numbers in the TT, but I wonder, does Frischkorn get an orange one? Just kidding, I suppose he'll get the red. I was so proud of him, working well in the break and guiding them through that tricky furniture with 44K to go. Of course these guys have plenty of race experience, but something about it being their first Tour, makes me feel all maternal. And he hung right in there in the final Ks, following the attacks. Will wished he did a couple of things differently, but it was a great effort and with his penchant for breakaways he just might get another chance of a lifetime down the road.

Heads-up riding by David Millar and Christian Vande Velde held their places when the split came. Romain Feillu's lead might make it tricky to get yellow, but they'll still want to go for the big win in the TT. Ryder Hesjedal was not so lucky and got caught out, but he'll come back in the mountains. Martijn Maaskant was a cool customer when his jacket got caught in his wheel in the early going. No panic, he tried carefully to fix it himself, then stood by patiently as the mechanic got the job done. I'm obviously quite partial to the Burrito Boys, but they make it easy, don't they? Jonathan Vaughters was on Sputnik today, talking about how one of the great dividends of their clean-team concept is that the riders are just so darn happy. They're not stressed about whether to dope or not, not stressed about whether their teammates are getting an unfair advantage or not - or putting the team at risk; they can fully enjoy their successes and be one big happy family.

I do have to question one team decision, though. Robbie Ventura in the car w/JV following David Millar in the TT? Are they going to keep duct tape at hand? I kid because I love, Robbie, but really, can you keep quiet in the back for such an exciting ride? I know I couldn't!

With Feillu in yellow, and the stage win by Samuel Dumoulin, the French continue to have plenty to cheer about. A touch of sadness that Christophe Moreau was one of the big losers in that third group, perhaps he'll be able to go for a stage now. He dropped away at the end, but you have to feel for Paolo Longo Borghini. He was the only one of the four who got nothing for his troubles. Although, sitting second on GC for a day isn't bad.

As if the day wasn't exciting enough, we had not one protest interruption but two! First on the road, where thankfully there were just the leading four to squeeze through while Christian Prudhomme negotiated the peace. They managed to clear the road for the full pack, still several minutes behind. And then we had the jarring sight of a protester jumping up in front of Dumoulin on the podium - bad form indeed! You're not going to win anyone to your cause that way, interrupting the Frenchman's glory. But I have to say it was worth it to see the immediate and massive assault on the guy by Bernard Hinault himself, classic! Not caring for a second if the protester broke his neck or the like, Hinault blasted him from behind and sent him flying off the podium. The Badger didn't stop there, he then helped the gendarmes wrestle the interloper into custody. Message sent - don't mess with my podium.

There were some sunny patches on the route, but conditions were miserable at times, faces squished against the rain and wind. This surely hampered efforts to bring back the break, even before the big crash split the pack. Denis Menchov got a double whammy with that split. He would have been looking to the TT to gain time on some of the pure climber contenders, and now has a hole to dig out of from the start. And, he spent precious energy trying to catch back on, so will perhaps not be at full strength tomorrow. I would mention Riccardo Ricco also needing help going into the TT, but he huffed after the finish that he wasn't there for GC, so never mind.

The straw castle with the "river" full of boaters and the "road" full of stationary cyclists gets first prize so far for fan display, fantastic! It reminded me of my childhood when I would get my dozen or more Fisher-Price toys out all at once and set up the castle surrounded by the peasant towns and farms.

Unfinished business from last night: Greg LeMond was indeed a guest. I have to identify with his jumbled expression of thoughts, I run into that myself. It's all clear in our heads, but we can't all be smooth talkers. Seeing him there, and especially his interview with Frankie Andreu on the Versus site, it was like some pleasant alternate universe. A former winner coming 'round, commenting on the race. Of course the subject matter included doping, but the idea of his visit, as a natural thing, when it wasn't for so many years. There were a number of things that went into that not happening for a while, including Greg's own issues, but hopefully he is healing, the sport is healing, and we can see him pop up regularly in years to come.

Here's a good David Millar article by Paul Kimmage, thanks to CFA for the heads up. The passage about him in jail is very interesting, how the "legal advice" mindset kicks in, and how he was determined to stay defiant until a kind gesture from one of the officers made him break down and face a new reality. It makes you wonder about others who have gone down that road, what might have been.

Tour de France 2008 Stage 2: Frenchies Day Out

2008-07-06T12:31:00.002-05:00

Before we get to today's action, a few thoughts on Versus' primetime show. Givin' the love to Greg LeMond, nice to see. And today Phil and Paul mentioned he's on the race; wouldn't it be lovely to have him drop by the desk in primetime. As I did last year, I very much enjoyed Frankie Andreu and Robbie Ventura when they joined in the call. I don't know if it's the removed location of the booth, or just Bob Roll's influence, but the primetime coverage has that tendency to ramble and get alarmingly away from the race at hand. Frankie and Robbie both do an excellent job of bringing it back on point, and offering sharp insights and sound perspective on the action.

I wouldn't mind seeing how Frankie and Robbie do in the booth for a whole race, just the two of them. Note to Versus - give them a try sometime, at a smaller race if you like, let's see if it's got potential. Purists would howl, but why not have an American duo calling the race for an American audience. And I dare say they have more potential than Steve Schlanger and John Eustice. God bless them, but it was painful to watch them call the Tour of Pennsylvania. Just goes to show that great cycling knowledge (Eustice) does not always translate into great commentating skill.

I have already sent my thoughts to Saab directly, and I encourage all of you to do the same - a Tour commercial that repeats itself three times within the ad is cruel and unusual punishment for the faithful viewer. I explained to them that we watch this thing for six hours a day or so, each day for three weeks, and thus an ad like that will not make us see the brand favorably and indeed will make us actually come to hate it. But hey, thanks for sponsoring the coverage.

Thomas Voeckler was redundant today, but for good reason. He wanted to secure that mountains jersey for the next few days, so off he went with Sylvain Chavanel for the long break of the day. Joined later by Christophe Moreau and teammate David Le Lay, it was all France on front, making for easy chatting amongst the bunch. Phil and Paul were questioning Moreau for a bit, but come on, a chance for a Frenchman to be in yellow, it would be unpatriotic not to try! They made a good go of it, but the difficult finish saw them swept up as expected.

At least a French team took the day, as Thor Hushovd kept his clear blue eyes on the prize and brought it home for Credit Agricole. Alejandro Valverde came dangerously close to taking another one, easy boy. Kim Kirchen made a nice surge to secure the green jersey for Team Columbia. Probably only for a day, as tomorrow is finally a true sprinter's stage, and Thor should at least be in the thick of it.

Mauricio Soler struggled badly today with his injuries, a very sad sight to see. If he can go on, the next few days would give him a chance to recover if he wants to make a run in the mountains. Garmin-Chipotle were more visible in the peloton today - I think their kits are easy enough to pick out, although I do miss the bold argyle. And I think they were sporting black arm warmers, which would be a crying shame. I loved those argyle warmers and have been dying to get some for my own arms and legs! Danny Pate was simply adorable in his VeloNewsTV interview, as was Will Frischkorn in his VeloNews diary. I hope it's a great first Tour for them, and I look forward to more from their perspective.

Tour de France 2008 Stage 1: Isn't It A Piti

2008-07-05T11:51:00.003-05:00

So this is our Brand New Start, eh? Oh, I hope so. It would have been so much, er, cleaner if Columbia and Kim Kirchen had held on. Meaning, at the least, it would have fit in with Versus' theme, and the pushing of the American teams. I'll give him this, Alejandro Valverde is a colorful winner, what with his new national champion's accents on his kit and bike.

Lovely opening to the show from Versus. Those dramatic voice-over pieces can be goofy sometimes, but this one hit just the right notes. And Take Back The Tour indeed - we've taken it back from Al Trautwig - oh happy day! Craig Hummer was a little nervous, but he worked it out, as Randy would say. A little clunky to go from the stirring opening to a review of random dopers in other sports, but I guess they have to make the "come on in, the water's fine" pitch.

And I see they reworked their big commercial - Alexandre Vinokourov going backwards into the start house instead of David Millar. If nothing else, I'm sure Saunier Duval got on Versus to fix that one.

Happy to have Frankie Andreu still on board, hope he's back at the desk for primetime as last year. Robbie Ventura is still a little green behind the mic, but if Frankie is any indication, Robbie has the potential to grow into it nicely. And he's got that infectious enthusiasm. The green screen behind Phil and Paul is a nice idea, it makes you think they're not so packed into a tiny booth.

After watching the Giro on RAI, and so many spring races online, all the commercials on Versus are a shock to the system. Thank goodness for online streaming to fill the gaps. It seemed like all the good fans-in-costumes shots came during commercials, can't miss those! The ads can be amusing though. Lance's voice on the Trek commercial caught my attention, and then I had to chuckle when his face came on at the end. A perfectly normal roundness to it for a mere mortal, but to see Lance's face with flesh on his bones in July takes some getting used to.

As for the racing at hand, it was fun to see the smiles and chats in the early going. And just heartbreaking to see the crashes, months of dreams and planning coming to a screeching halt on the very first day. The break kept things lively, with the hotly contested sprints and mountain points. Thomas Voeckler has such a proper little riding style, makes me smile every time. French TV loves to show him of course, so at least he's entertaining to watch. Good for him for getting ahead at the finish to secure the polka dot jersey. I give him credit for trying something every year to justify the endless attention, not just resting on the laurels of his memorable run in yellow some years ago.

Handshake, catch, exciting run into the finish, we're back in business. Thankfully the bridge drama did not live up to its hype, but in fairness there was random crash drama moments earlier that split up the field before they hit the hard right. I haven't seen the full rundown yet, but it seems our favorites kept their heads about them and made the front split, losing only a second to Valverde. Save of course Mauricio Soler, injured in that random crash. I dearly hope it's not serious and he can battle on. George Hincapie and Christian Vande Velde were looking fully adrenalized after the finish, in their fresh buzz cuts, glad to make it through day one safely and ready for more action!

When the Versus coverage was over, I switched over to Wimbledon. The men's doubles final came on and there was some Serbian dude serving who looked vaguely like Salvatore Commesso, and I thought, where's his helmet? Oops, switch gears. I'll have to catch a replay of the women's match sometime, sounds like the sisters finally had a good one, good on Venus for getting back on top.

Tour de France 2008: Building A Rainbow

2008-07-04T00:16:00.004-05:00

Dedicated to the late, great Tim Russert, who somehow managed to give his family and friends a brilliant double rainbow that spanned our nation's capital directly after his memorial service, while they were playing Over The Rainbow no less.

I was putting away some old Tour memorabilia the other day, and rather ironically uncovered a groovy poster I have from the '70s, Building a Rainbow (not a great representation, but you get the idea). It's a depiction of a construction site, where thousands of little workers are, naturally, building a rainbow. It's full of social commentary - workers dying, fighting, unionizing, being kept separate from Management. As we approach this year's Tour de France, I think the statement of that poster matches the spectacle that takes place each July. The Tour is a grand, beautiful thing, but underneath/behind/all around there is strife and pain and the struggle for fairness and justice.

I'm going to try very hard to concentrate on the beauty these next three weeks. Not to ignore or bury the difficulties, but to not wallow and despair. Another big scandal seems unimaginable, but it did last year, too, and look how that turned out. Whatever happens, things are moving in the right direction so with any luck it won't be something big enough to put the whole sport at risk.

I can't get myself excited about the big favorites, but maybe they'll show me something as the race goes along to endear themselves. The fact that Alejandro Valverde skated clean from Puerto still rankles, but I have some vague hope that his subsequent fall from form indicated some kind of cold turkey and now he's the real deal. (Remember, trying to stay positive!) Cadel Evans - well, Joe Lindsey hit that one on the head, Tubbs needs a personality transplant to find his way into my heart. Oops, positive, hmmm, well he's attacked a couple of times this season, good on 'im.

The guys I'm really looking forward to will be stage hunters and road captains. George Hincapie, guiding his Team Columbia as he has so well all season long, and hopefully getting himself a stage along the way. Christian Vande Velde and David Millar, also leading their young team Garmin-Chipotle, in great form, in great spirits, and looking to leave a serious mark on the race. Jens Voigt and Fabian Cancellara, with their boundless enthusiasm and thrilling killer instinct. Stuart O'Grady, tough as nails. Andy and Frank Schleck - I'm a sucker for a cute brother story, bonus - they can ride the heck out of their bikes, and either one could be a contender. Thor Hushovd, the gentle giant.

And Danny Pate. I get misty-eyed just thinking about him in the Tour, what a story. I'd give a link to one of the recent mentions of his journey, but the Garmin-Chipotle boys have given approximately 5,000 interviews in the past week, so I wouldn't know where to begin. The short of it is he is a great talent, but made his career in the States because of the rampant doping overseas. Jonathan Vaughters talks with great emotion about finally getting Pate where he always belonged - racing with the best in the Big Show.

Garmin-Chipotle unveiled the new kit. I don't know that the argyle needs to be that subtle, but it's still there, so that's good. Biting my tongue about the white shorts. Must. Stay. Positive. Pray for sun, boys, that's all I'm sayin'. I loved the packing list they gave on the team site, I'm so glad they're sponsored by Clif Bar. I literally do not know what I would do without Clif products - I have a Luna Bar for lunch every day, Clif Bars and Shots and Bloks are my staples on rides and hikes, I would be lost without them!

VeloNewsTV has already got me staying up late to keep up - next week will be impossible! Delight once again in the smooth (and endearingly convoluted) stylings of Neal Rogers. How sad it is that he has no Dave Zabriskie nor Chris Horner this year, but I'm sure he'll still have plenty of fun content for us. That was good stuff in Girona, riding with the big boys (and Christian's wife, love that).

As the doping cases go on in the courts, as the alphabet soups snipe at each other, I still can't wait for Saturday. The past couple of days, whenever that "The Tour starts on Saturday!" flash crosses my mind, I smile and tear up. If I can dare to dip into the soup and quote Patrice Clerc, "A chapter can never be more important than its book." He was talking about Lance, but could just as well have been talking about the current difficulties. For whatever the chatter is, whatever comes up, there will be racing. There will be teamwork and sporting gestures and heartfelt wins and near misses and newspapers up the jumpers and idiot fans getting in the way and laughter and shenanigans and tears and pain and annoying commentary and water-bottle humpbacks and colors and sun and flowers and speed and grace and suffering and effort, supreme effort. Nowhere else I want to be.

I was giving my bikes a thorough wash and lube today, imagining all those team mechanics across the sea doing the same on a much grander scale - more bikes, greater love and devotion, and bigger butterflies in their stomachs. I'm ready to ride and ready to watch. Go get 'em JV.

Bicycling Magazine: Bruyneel as Bambi

2008-07-01T21:29:00.002-05:00

Dear Bicycling and Marc Peruzzi,

So is the head-in-the-sand article on Astana and Johan Bruyneel part of the book deal or what? Some of the stuff in "Blackballed" would be funny if it weren't so, well, sad. Mentioning Manolo Saiz being caught red-handed in one paragraph, then Bruyneel's Tour exploits, under the direction of Saiz, in the (cough) mid-90s, in another. And then we have Alberto Contador, a rider under both Saiz and Bruyneel, and his wacky no-preparation win at the Giro, comparing him to Marco Pantani no less. Granted, he didn't run away with it, so one can hope, but still, you have to recognize the gross irony in how the article lays it out.

Will we never lay to rest this canard about "The French"? It's not that Johan and Lance won, it's how they won. We hear from Jonathan Vaughters (in the infamous IM) that there was a big difference in the medical programs of Postal and the French teams. To put Bruyneel's sneering spin out there without that obvious rebuttal is annoying.

Comparing knee bashing and dog fighting to the entrenched, deadly, pervasive doping that many riders suffered under is ridiculous at best.

Equally offensive is saying Astana is among the "vanguard" of the anti-doping movement. For years, Bruyneel and his various teams' silence on doping was deafening. Well, actually, I guess that's not quite right - they did make themselves heard in the peloton, bullying anyone who tried to speak out against doping. Even now the most you usually hear is a defensive mentioning of their program, not discussion of how bad things were in the past and relief at a new direction. Bruyneel's signing of Ivan Basso made it clear where his priorities lay. And he didn't "fire him a few weeks later" - it was five months later, when Basso's hand was forced by CONI, that he resigned from the team.

It wasn't one "old sample," of Lance's urine, there were several. And it wasn't that the tests were inconclusive, it was that they were for research purposes and thus unusable to bring sanctions.

I'm all for understanding that some guys were a product of their time, but there were those who followed and those who led, misled, and wielded their power and money to protect their lifestyle.

I'm not even saying Astana should've been excluded. I like Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner, even if I wonder why they would go back (in Levi's case) to the Bruyneel machine. Heck, maybe even Johan is on the up and up, taking the new way as just the next challenge for him to solve. My objection is to a sloppy article that paints a picture of Bruyneel as a horrendously wronged innocent in a travesty of justice. Even before I did my homework I wouldn't have thought that.

I know the deal is if you dig too deep you lose access, but here's a thought - if everyone else started speaking the whole truth, the all-powerful become some guys behind a curtain, and then who cares if you have access?

Millar on HBO, Garmin Roster, Papa Georgio x2!

2008-06-24T22:21:00.004-05:00

I just watched the David Millar piece on HBO's Real Sports. I always cringe a little going into these things, knowing how the MSM covers our "niche" sports. But this one wasn't bad as those things go. I don't understand people who have a hate on for Millar, and I never quite get if it's him they don't like or just the media reaction to him. I like him plenty, and have no problem with people paying attention to him. The more I read about how oppressive the atmosphere was back in the day, it makes perfect sense to me why he and Jonathan Vaughters make such a big deal about Garmin-Chipotle. No one's looking for a pity party, but it was a very difficult thing they went through for many years. So to now get a chance to do things differently, to talk openly, to save a crop of young riders from ever having to feel that pressure or experience that disillusionment, I'd be shouting it from the rooftops too! There are those who saw the drugs as just another piece of the puzzle, but for those who didn't, there was a lot of pain there, and that fuels their outspokenness today.

Not to mention how completely entrenched doping is (dare I say was?) in the sport. You're not going to change that with a one-time press release about your testing program. If you're going to slay this beast, you've got to be loud and repetitive and beat it into submission. If some people are tired of hearing about Garmin-Chipotle and David Millar, good, beats being tired of hearing about Puerto and Piti.

Interesting close to the piece, Bryant Gumbel's klatch with reporter Jon Frankel. Well, first Frankel blows a question about who was writing checks before Garmin came along, leaving Doug Ellis out of the picture and making it seem like the current team all sprang from Vaughters' 50K. But then, Gumbel goes there and says okay, so how is it Lance Armstrong can still be considered the big hero? Frankel, visions of lawsuits dancing in his head, smiles/grimaces and suggests that Lance would answer with the "never tested positive" line. Reflecting the times in which we live, Gumbel sniffs and puts him in the sinking ship with Bonds, Clemens, and the like. Frankel, more grin this time, allows "we agree on this," and they leave it there. I'd call that progress.

Just as I don't understand the Millar haters, I don't understand the Lance haters either, I mean the ones who have venom in their veins for him and anyone who likes him. There's plenty I don't like, but it doesn't make my blood boil. I'm just looking for a more open and realistic discussion. Because how can we know if they're making progress if people can't talk about where they've been? That's why Millar is one of the few people you can have a reasonable discussion about this with.

Garmin-Chipotle announced their Tour de France squad, and a lovely squad it is. The experience of guys like Millar and Christian Vande Velde, and also the fresh new faces making it to their first Tour, I'm excited for all of them! Tom Danielson is not among them, sad to say. Tom is a puzzle, but I take comfort in the fact that I think he's in the right place, on the right team. If there's a way for him to make it, they'll find it, and take good care of him along the way. I didn't appreciate Lance's snide reference the other day - well, like I said, I'm glad Tom is where he is now and not where he used to be.

Another happy announcement - the latest addition to the Hincapie family - baby Enzo! Congrats to George and Mel, can't wait to see iPhone photos of Julia playing with Enzo!

Who's Taking Who?

2008-06-22T23:42:00.005-05:00

So, Versus, let me get this straight - we're taking the Tour de France back from all the guys since '96…except one. If you just saw the shortened version of the "backwards" ad on today's Tour de Suisse coverage (viewable at CFA), let me direct you to the full version on the Versus website. That version includes Ivan Basso (with Lance conveniently obscured), then jumps back to Bjarne Riis and Marco Pantani. I have to wonder if someone realized that gaping gap was a little silly, and went with the shorter version.

I get why they don't include Lance, but if you want to Take Back The Tour, two of the people from whom it is to be taken are Johan Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong. Instead, Lance is still the demi-god and we get to have Johan for a week selling his new book that presumably tells only half the story. I will give this to Versus, they are allowing comments against Johan (and his anticipated commentary) on its Take Back The Tour site.

Yes, I have praised Johan on this site before, and previously gave Lance the benefit of the doubt on this score. Let's just say I'm seeing some baseball players of my own these days, funny what happens when you stop and really look at the he said-he said versions side by side. And to include them in the bunch does not negate all the legitimate hard work and preparation that they did, it is to acknowledge that they are part and parcel of the era from which we are struggling to escape.

I've made clear my affection for Erik Zabel and Floyd Landis, and it's sad to see them in the ad, but not uncalled for. Zabel's drug use was very limited, if you believe his account, and he had plenty of clean years at the Tour, but his confession was one of those painful moments for the sport last year, so I guess it belongs. As for Floyd, it's as I've said before, even if he was innocent of that charge, the whole ordeal is something the sport wants to get away from. And whatever he did or didn't do to win that Tour, the contradictory evidence out there (including his own statements) about his personal knowledge of doping remains troubling.

I was puzzled by David Millar in the Saunier Duval kit, rather than Cofidis. Someone at Podium Café suggested that it might make sense because it was on the words "brand new start." In that case, he ought to have been the one going forward, no?

So, how will I take back the Tour? I'll listen for Frankie Andreu in the commentary box, and root for Garmin-Chipotle and Columbia and my faves on CSC, and enjoy all the thrills and fun traditions that the controversies can't touch.

Speaking of thrills, there was actual racing between the ads at the Tour de Suisse. Fabian Cancellara had two rippers this week, one long, one short, both immensely fun to watch. Especially with the added bonus of his adorable baby girl waiting for him after each one. Looking forward to him at the Tour, and to Frank Schleck, whom we all thought we might have lost in that unbelievable crash mid-week. A big thank you to the kind tree that caught him with its limbs, so that he did not break his. And big kudos to Bobby Julich for running interference for Fab on that first win, sad to hear him say he won't be making the Tour this year.

Post-Giro 2008: The World I Know

2008-06-03T00:43:00.003-05:00

As a board-certified Cougar for Cook, that song (as sung by David) has been in heavy rotation on my iPod, and about fits my mood as I recover from the Giro.

Damn there's nothing like Stanley Cup hockey. The speed, the suspense, the crowd noise - I don't follow hockey now like I used to, but I'm instantly sucked in and now up past my bedtime in triple OT.

Oh yeah, the Giro. I couldn't seem to find the time to post as the race went on. Fortunately, CFA was speaking my mind on a regular basis. Most pointedly in the last paragraph here, on being a cycling fan in this day and age. Amen, brother.

My ambivalence over the GC contenders continues. I was encouraged that they were each having good and bad days, and no one was running away with it, but I hate being reduced to thinking that way. Continuing to let CFA do the heavy lifting, the second paragraph here is as good a last word as any on them.

I resorted to focusing on the Slipstream-Chipotle boys, and delighting in their internal victories. Great finish for Christian Vande Velde and Danny Pate. And I loved seeing Jens Voigt take a stage, I had a hunch he would after seeing his pedals in anger on the insane mountain TT.

Mark Cavendish is still a punk, but I have to give him credit for finishing his first Grand Tour, especially such a grueling one as this. And helping Andre Greipel win a stage, even though it got messy afterwards.

As for Sella and his miracle CSF team, ugh. I was moved by Sella's emotion on his first win; I was moved by him stopping in the middle of the race to hug his Papa. He seems like a very nice guy, and very well may be. But in one of the most grueling grand tours in recent memory, he won three mountain stages and very nearly won two more. He had a consistency that the best riders in the world couldn't match. I really don't know how Phil and Paul call it straight. "Gee, Paul, his winning margin in the green jersey competition is the largest I've ever seen, isn't that lovely." I realize they can't just accuse a guy, but can't you at least acknowledge a few raised eyebrows? Bad for business I suppose, but still, the way they call it, it's like they aren't even suspicious. They're either very good actors or that's just how you have to see things to be a professional commentator.

I can't even escape doping in my guilty pleasure, the steamy love story that is Ollian on German soap Verbotene Liebe. Big conflict as talented boxer Christian is tempted by steroids and boyfriend Olli frets. Is nothing sacred?

Not to harp on P&P, but I dare say I think they're really losing it. Phil fumbles more and more, they both get overly hysterical and try and outdo each other with predictions and action calls, it's getting a bit unseemly. Even the greats have to go sometime, I say bring on Frankie Andreu! Who to pair him with - maybe Paul would work, it would be a new marriage so perhaps the old bad habits wouldn't apply. Bobke might be awkward, what with him being "I have a career because of Lance," and Frankie being "I've lost a number of career opportunities because of Lance." In any case, Frankie's really grown as a commentator, and it would be nice to have someone not invested in the Lance lore for a change.

An undisputed highlight of the weekend is the arrival of baby Waylon Zabriskie - congrats to Dave and Randi, he's beautiful!

Giro d'Italia 2008 Stages 7 & 8: Inspired By True Events

2008-05-17T21:47:00.002-05:00

Watching this Giro is kind of like watching a docu-drama. You want to take it on its face value and just enjoy the ride. But you're afraid of finding out later that significant facts were fictionalized, thus changing the whole feeling of the story. I want to believe that no one is so stupid to still be doping now, but people do stupid s*** every day, why should cycling be different?

So yesterday, when there is a blistering attack by Danilo Di Luca, and Riccardo Ricco and Alberto Contador jump on it, and they meet up with Leonardo Piepoli, and the four of them put on a good show gaining time on the other rivals, what to do? In the moment, it was fun - that's why they call him Killer, look at his face, what great effort and intensity, he could make plants wilt with that fierce gaze. Ricco and Piepoli are the Dynamic Duo once again, what great work Piepoli does for his man Ricco. Contador has such great instincts, you can see what Johan saw in him, look how he sweeps by Joaquin Rodriguez (who tried to go with Di Luca, but quickly faded) - excuse me, I'm with the big boys, see ya. Contador talked of testing the form, maybe going home, but in the moment he is a fierce competitor and gives it his all. Always alert, he was right on Di Luca's wheel for much of the stage, watching him like a hawk, and was ready to go when the moment came.

But what of the whispers and outright charges in their past? Should they even be here? On the same day Alessandro Petacchi is fired by Milram, here is Piepoli in the thick of the race. Ricco makes suggestive remarks after the race about where Contador really was on his vacation. Ironic, considering it was Ricco and Di Luca who had the pre-adolescent hormone levels last year. I guess Contador has had the least dirt stick of the four, but those Puerto questions linger. To be fair, I haven't studied any of their cases in depth, so I'm just giving the fan-on-the-street perspective, but I know I'm not the only one seeing things from this angle.

So do we consider all that sins of the past and give them the benefit of the doubt? Do we just call the race as it is and hope nothing comes along later to burst the bubble? I disagreed with all those fans who said they were through with pro cycling, and couldn't watch anymore. I didn't understand how they could just turn their backs on such a beautiful sport and throw the baby out with the bathwater. I'll keep watching, but on days like these, you do see the conflict. It's kind of sad when you find yourself encouraged by signs of fatigue - look, Contador fell off towards the end, and Di Luca was really struggling. They're really hurting, it must be a clean effort, right? Right?

Okay, back to the baby. After their emotional embrace on Thursday, it was fun to watch Paolo Bettini take such care of Giovanni Visconti in pink on Friday. Being under the world champion's wing in the leader's jersey on a Grand Tour, that's a story for the grandkids. Today was a stage for Bettini, so it was Visconti returning the favor as best he could. It all caught up to him and he went backwards a little in the final kilometer, but still held on to pink. Bettini nearly made it for the win, coming up just short on Ricco. Too bad, it would've been nice after all he'd done for Visconti.

Christian Vande Velde continues to carry the flag for Slipstream-Chipotle, still hanging in there amongst the contenders. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy, I wish him a smokin'-hot TT on Tuesday.

Valiant effort by Adam Hansen of Team High Road. With the way breaks have been making it this week, can't blame him for trying to be last man standing today. But the gasket blew in the closing kilometers, and the big guns were hungry for their shot. I was with the RAI guys, alarmed at Di Luca in the back of the pack with just a few K to go. His slingshot to the front a few moments later was impressive, but alas, too early. Piepoli and Ricco were at it again, the former setting up the latter for his second stage win. Whatever else, they do work well together.

In our RAI tidbit of the day - I knew there was a dude named Francesco out there on a motorcycle in the peloton, but I didn't realize he was doing face-to-face interviews with the team directors! Just like the riders, he sidles up to the team cars and sticks his microphone in the window. Seems a little more dicey than when the bikes do it, but I guess they all know what they're doing. It's like at the Preakness, where the chick on the horse interviews the winning jockey as he's cooling down his steed. Yeah, just like at the Preakness, where the pre-game show was filled with discussions of steroid use, and that sticks in the back of your mind as you try to enjoy Big Brown dusting the field again.

Giro d'Italia 2008 Stage 6: Smile

2008-05-16T07:27:00.004-05:00

A few smiles from yesterday:

Rumor has it Pavel Brutt was something of a wheelsucker on his Stage 5 win, no such problems with Matteo Priamo. He did more than his share of work in the break from the break, and won off the front coming to the line.

Giovanni Visconti also made a great effort to the line, and traded in his national champion's jersey for pink. When he got the news that pink was his, he broke into a tremendous grin that didn't leave his face through the whole post-race show. Watching dreams come true before your eyes is a joy to behold.

Enrico Gasparotto has been a staple at the front this week, looking focused as he led the Barloworld train for Mauricio Soler. So it was a delight to see him in a more relaxed mode on the post-race show, being interviewed by a little girl. Gasparotto's grin was as big as Visconti's as the girl earnestly asked her questions. I had no idea what they were saying of course, but the smiles needed no translation and it's such precious moments that keep me tuned in to RAI despite my language deficit.

Dave Zabriskie's latest blog entry (May 15) made me smile, laugh, and cry. One of many things he is sure to pass on to his little one is a healthy dose of perspective. Another brilliant entry by a brilliant guy, I hope he is resting well now.

Giro d'Italia 2008 Stage 5: Arrrgh-yle Redux

2008-05-14T20:40:00.004-05:00

Alright, for those of you searching on "David Millar bike throw," or "David Miller bike toss," or "hurl," or whatnot, here is what youtube has so far. But really, I would hold out for live action, because the slo-mo doesn't do Millar's throw justice. [And here we go, check out the full-speed Eurosport highlight at Steephill.]

He's already had someone tsk tsk-ing him on the team site, but most of the comments are supportive. I'm firmly in the latter category - what else is there to do in such a situation? Grand Tour. Made the break that got away. The break stayed away to the finish. He looked to be the strongest in said winning break. His chain broke. In the final kilometer. If ever there was a moment to hurl a bike, that's it. Millar and Jonathan Vaughters each have pitch-perfect post-race reflections, typical of what makes Slipstream-Chipotle such a loveable team.

Millar seemed to convey the same sentiments in a gracious interview on the RAI post-race show. I still have a little of my high-school French, and I think he said something about wanting to still win a stage here. Looking forward to it, David, great attitude!

I really have to learn Italian. I don't know what they're saying most of the time, but I still feel confident that RAI has the best race coverage on the planet. The camera shots - of the fans and of the race, groovy music intros, creative video montages, on-screen stats like the respective speeds of the break and the chase, comments on the scene, lengthy post-race show with several riders hanging out to chat, and an overall congenial attitude make it a pleasure in any language. They were even rockin' Green Day today, love it!

Giro d'Italia 2008 Stage 4: Good Thing

2008-05-13T20:48:00.005-05:00

Not much to say about today's stage, except it's a darn good thing Mark Cavendish came through with the win. His team worked from start to finish to give him the chance, and he did well to repay their efforts. For much of the sleepy stage, there was a lone High Road rider smack on the front, leading Liquigas and the rest so that Rik Verbrugghe was at least kept in the same time zone. And then when Cavendish was lost on the final climb, they brought him back. And when he was a few too many riders behind going into the stretch, teammate Tony Martin moved him up into the perfect spot. Heck, even Paolo Bettini helped the kid out, you've got to honor that!

Cavendish was his usual cocky self after, but he did also give great credit to his team, and Bettini. It's good to see that these things make a big impression on him, and I like to think he's learning and growing as he goes.

The day was not without nasty crashes, but at least it was better than yesterday. Shoes seem to be a recurring theme this week, today we had a Gerolsteiner rider getting two new shoes out of the trunk of the team car after a crash. The peloton was going slow, but still, that must've been one heck of a haul to get back on after such a long stop. Thank you, Giro gods, for keeping a couple of my Slipstream-Chipotle guys from crashing into that dog! I'd like to have seen their heart meters after that one. No thank you to whoever thought it would be a brilliant idea to toss pink streamers over the peloton as they're riding like bats out of hell. At least one got caught up in a rider's wheel, thankfully on the non-chain side. The balloons, too, Erik Zabel had to dodge one right after the line, come on people! As for the final crash, the guys at RAI had the only word for it - bruttissimo. Some things just don't need translating.

Giro d'Italia 2008 Stage 3: Feeling Their Pain

2008-05-12T22:48:00.002-05:00

Suffering is the hallmark of cycling, but therein lies a dichotomy that has been front and center in the early days of this Giro. We love to watch the riders suffer - up a mountain, in a time trial, in a valiant attempt to hold off the chasing peloton, in a fierce sprint. They push their bodies to the limit and we stand in awe and respect of their hard work and determination.

But when they crash, especially as horribly as they did today, it is a suffering we almost can't watch. We hate it, we wish it never happened, we want it to stop. Versus may build their marketing campaign around the "excitement" of spectacular bicycle crashes, but I have to think most true fans of the sport take no pleasure in them. We marvel at them, and at the survivors who manage to shake it off and continue on, but our hearts sink and our breath catches each time as we assess the damage.

Having noted how hard they are to watch, I will say that RAI offers excellent coverage of them. I don't recall ever seeing so much follow up of the immediate aftermath. We saw all the tangled bikes, and guys wandering about, looking for bikes, teammates, wheels, even shoes. Side note to David Millar - to be able to write a lovely little piece like that after a day like today, brilliant, and such a gift to the fans. I don't know if the bus is the most comfortable place for Dave Zabriskie, but I like the idea of him being with the guys until he gets to go home.

Just as it was so heartbreaking to watch Zabriskie yesterday, today it was the same watching Brad McGee. First the long time lying on the road, then hunched over, then in that angelic kneel. There was just something about it, his uniform was still clean, his two feet perfectly together, his body so still while the doctors attended to his broken collarbone. And then that horrible jolt of pain as he tried to lie back on the stretcher. As if that wasn't bad enough, I was crushed to find out later that teammate Stuart O'Grady suffered the very same fate. It was so good to see him back this year after last year's horrific crash in the Tour, how frustrated he must be.

Crashes aside, RAI is delightful to watch. I added it to my satellite programming, so I get to watch it on regular TV instead of squinting at the computer. They had a fun opening montage, and a previous day recap which included a smiling Christian Vande Velde in the pink jersey, toasting to the camera with his water bottle. With the bubbling Italian commentary, I feel just like Bill Cosby's Cliff Huxtable when his wife spoke Spanish, "I just listen for my name."

In this case, it's the riders' names, and it's funny how much you can pick up in context. Today's vocabulary word was mano (hand), which I picked up as they discussed first Soler's injury from yesterday, and then Ricco's today. I even got that they were saying a hand injury is bad, given how crucial hands are to cycling. It works both ways, though, once I knew what they were talking about, I was interested in what they had to say about it and wished I could understand more. For example, I easily picked out "salbutamol," "asthma," and "Petacchi," but then couldn't tell what their commentary on the situation was. I gathered, though, that they didn't enjoy the double standard enjoyed by Piepoli. And then there was something later about Armstrong's legendary ride into Gap, I was dying to know what connection they were making there!

RAI is not subtle about their T&A shots, but they show plenty of kids and old folks, too, so you just have to smile. And where else do you get to see Robbie McEwen do an interview in Italian, including congratulating Petacchi on his new bambino.

Other fun shots of the day included Alberto Contador outstripping teammate Antonio Colom to get back to the peloton. Watching he and Levi Leipheimer, it's like an old dog being thrown back in the hunt. They weren't training for it, but their instincts are there and they fall right back into the race.

Astana provided a number of dicey moments on the day - Colom getting a repaired shoe from the team car and proceeding to let go of the car and put the shoe on while rolling along. He immediately fell back off the team car's pace, just as what appeared to be a race official's care came right up behind him. I guess it all worked out though, as he took a flier off the front in the closing kilometers. In a more humorous incident, an unknown Astana rider went astray around some traffic furniture and had to come back into the race through the crowds lining the road.

There were a lot of multiple pacelines on the front, Barloworld in particular out in force. I hope Soler's hand is feeling better!

I love Erik Zabel, and was happy to see him take a strong second in the rough and tumble final sprint. As for Liquigas, look how much fun you're having, still in pink and Daniele Bennati winning the stage, what do you need with Ivan Basso? (I'm not a Basso hater, I just get squirmy at the shadier aspects of the whole thing.)

Giro d'Italia 2008 Stage 2: Arrrrgh-yle

2008-05-11T20:41:00.003-05:00

After their brilliant TTT win yesterday, Slipstream-Chipotle was awesome again today, although heartbreak replaced jubilation as the emotion of the day. I settled in with breakfast, ready to enjoy Christian Vande Velde in pink and the Argyle Armada leading the pack. And that I did, the guys looked great and worked their tails off once again in defense of the jersey. Especially Magnus Backstedt, who seemed forever on the front drilling away. Much as I adore the argyle, it's fun and impressive to see all the national jerseys on Slipstream, three in the TTT, and three on the road stages, with only one overlap.

Then came the shot of the rider-less bike, on the left half of the road. I couldn't tell whose bike it was, but I was immediately thinking, where's the rider, where's the rider? And then they panned over to the right side of the road, and there was the instantly recognizable Dave Zabriskie, lying in the grass in a very bad pose. It was awful to watch, he was so pale, with his brow furrowed in shock, pain, and confusion. He was obviously in a lot of pain, and having trouble breathing deeply, I just wanted to reach through the screen and give him strength. Zabriskie is such an internal guy, watching him quietly suffer as he was lifted up onto the stretcher and wheeled away, I couldn't help but be reminded of his horrible crash in yellow at the Tour. (He joked yesterday about not wanting the pink jersey, I'm sure he was doubly glad today to not have it.) He had that same stoic look then as the reporters and photographers mercilessly jostled his bloody and battered body while he was trying to make it to the team car. He's often called quirky and goofy, but let's not forget, Zabriskie is also tough as nails.

Vande Velde mentioned how he will miss Zabriskie, and the smiles he brings, over the next few weeks, and so will we all. DZ is a joy to watch on the bike, and to listen to off the bike. Maybe he can come up with those Marvel characters for his teammates while he recovers (see May 6 entry). I'm glad to hear the injury is not a serious one, and hope he will recover well and be able to rock his baby and all that fun stuff when the little one arrives later this month.

Things of course could've been much worse, as they were for Fausto Munoz Esparza, recently paralyzed in the Tour of Gila. He joins DZ in my thoughts and best wishes, it's a hard and uncertain road ahead for him.

Getting back to today's stage, the boys kept things under control as long as they could, and David Millar did a great turn as Vande Velde's last ally going in to the closing circuit. (As a side note, the Norway feed sure picked a random time to up and leave the race for some studio show, but fortunately cyclingfans and steephill had all the links needed to find continuous coverage.) But then it was all up to Christian, and it was great to see him give his all and battle 'til the end, sensibly following the strong wheels where he could. One second is always a frustrating margin, but they knew keeping the jersey would be a tough ask on a day like today, and they gave their all, so I agree with the posts by Christian and others on the team website, no regrets and no shame. Julian Dean deserves a mention as well, for keeping his place in the paceline, shredded left side and all. The pressure's off, they can recuperate and decide where in the race they want to spice things up again.

Who knows what the whole story is with Danilo Di Luca, but it must be said his team had a good showing taking over the pace at the end and setting him up for a good result. And nice to see Riccardo Ricco pedaling his bike across the line instead of throwing it. Ironic for Slipstream to hand the jersey over to Liquigas, of all teams, but I have nothing against Franco Pellizotti, so good on him for the extra effort in the end and realizing every Italian boy's dream.

Speaking of quietly heroic athletes who get the crap beat out of them and come back for more, today's movie recommendation is The Rocket, about hockey great Maurice Richard. Not a fancy movie, but the compelling story carries the day. Ironically, the DVD offers a version dubbed in English, but I'd recommend the original French with subtitles. There's a bunch of dialogue in English anyway, and even though it's just actors, it seems wrong to not let them speak French, given the subject matter.

Tour de Georgia 2008 Stage 7/Liege-Bastogne-Liege: All In The Family

2008-04-27T19:45:00.003-05:00

As I have said many times, one of the things I love most about cycling is the team aspect. The sacrifices and hard work and tender care that teammates give to one another are heartwarming and inspiring. How touching it was this week to see on display the "brotherhood" of Ian MacGregor and Timmy Duggan, and to see the riders on Slipstream-Chipotle burying themselves for the TTT victory and to keep Trent Lowe on the podium. So imagine my delight this morning, watching actual brothers Frank and Andy Schleck working in beautiful tandem at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

They didn't get the win, but it was a great effort and wonderful to watch. Andy powered up the road, and only a select few were able to follow, including brother Frank. The moment when the chase bridged up to Andy was priceless, Andy seeing Frank then hopping right on front and powering some more. As they went along, there were a few moments of literally putting their heads together to work out the strategy. I couldn't help but think of them as kids, probably racing around the neighborhood, and now here they were, in a grand old Classic, zooming off the front. I have to say, got me a bit misty-eyed. After their brief time together, Andy took off again, keeping pressure on the "other two" - Alejandro Valverde and Davide Rebellin, and allowing Frank to sit on and save as much energy as he could. When they caught him again on the last climb, Frank did his best to pull away, but he just didn't have enough. He hung in for third, and Andy followed soon after in fourth. Not the best they hoped for, but still pretty amazing. And a great result for young Andy, his best in a classic. The brothers had a warm embrace at the finish, and Frank had many kind words for Andy. Can't wait to see their next collaboration!

Moving on to Georgia, we have Papa - as in George Hincapie. Face it George, if ever there was a Papa Bear, you are it, so it's going to stick whether you like it or not! This week had me thinking of a new jersey - MVP. Like we need another jersey, I know, but still. George Hincapie was hands-down the MVP in Georgia. He played key roles in all of their victories - the stage wins, the points jersey, the overall. We heard from Greg Henderson about how Hincapie shepherded him through the early stages, placing him to be up in all the sprints, especially the one he took. And then in the TTT, Hincapie's wealth of experience and super engine kept them close, which of course came in handy when the seconds were counted on Brasstown Bald. (Had to get a "super" in there, George's favorite adjective.)

He missed out on the Stage 5 win, but more than made up for that by spending the evening tutoring Kanstantin Sivtsov on just how to play Brasstown. As Sivtsov breathlessly explained after the finish, he did just what George said and it worked to perfection. Finally, there was Big George today, watching over both the blue and yellow jerseys, making sure no one messed with High Road. He led the way over the Finish line on almost every lap of the circuit, and could be seen directing his charges at other points in the race. Henderson came through again, a great cap to a fantastic week for Team High Road. Great leadership, great performances, and one big happy family.

Slipstream-Chipotle has plenty to be happy about as well. A great finish for Trent Lowe, margin be damned, and a great performance by the team. They worked hard and worked well together, very positive signs going into the Giro and Tour. And Timmy Duggan is coming along on his recovery, able to post again at the team website today, a very welcome sight.

Coverage and injuries aside, all in all a fine week of racing. Now to catch up on life and sleep before the Giro starts!

Tour de Georgia 2008 Stage 6: Tunnel Vision

2008-04-26T16:46:00.003-05:00

Well, it was tunnel vision of one kind or another, still awaiting post-race interviews to see whether it was that of passing out with exhaustion, or that of forgetting to read the top 10 on GC. The latter would be pretty frustrating, but I guess it's as legitimate as the first. That's bike racing, you've got to keep body and mind engaged. I would just feel bad if someone was screaming in Trent Lowe's ear to stay with Levi Leipheimer, but I have to think if he really had the gas, he would've gone with Kanstantin Sivtsov. Or gone earlier on Levi, if nothing else to get more time on him, even if he was clueless about Sivtsov.

It's tough for Slipstream-Chipotle, though. They've played it so well up to now, and have the sentimental factor going for them. And even today, when it seemed they played it all wrong, even according to their Twitter updates, it looked at first like they had survived on top after all. So if they lost it in the end due to inattention, that would be a crying shame. But, valuable lesson learned I suppose. And still a great race for Trent, to be in the final selection on the big climb, I don't mean to take that for granted!

Meantime, hats off to Team High Road, the hits just keep on comin'! Slipstream gets all the press, even though High Road has been winning things left and right, so it is kind of a chuckle to see them slip right under the shadow of the Slipstream/Astana showdown and grab the stage and the lead. Tomorrow could be a wild one, if there's any chance of really doing something, but Sivtsov will have George Hincapie looking after him, and as we know, Papa Georgio is the best. Sounds like Sivtsov is a sweetheart, good for him!

I hope Levi is properly humble to his teammates this time. They executed to perfection, and he couldn't take it home. If you can't, you can't, but it's ironic after his post-TTT comments.

Tommy Danielson - well, I'll wait and see what he has to say for himself, maybe he just had to work too hard because of the team's earlier gamble. I really hope he comes good in the Giro.

WCSN - you are dead to me. Well, until tomorrow when I will be a beggar unable to be a chooser, and sit through your misery for one more day. Unbelievable. Really, I was in shock for several minutes. And this is the thing - not only does not being able to see the race really suck, but having the coverage be an issue in and of itself, distracting from the race, is annoying beyond measure. It looked like Moto 2 was a camera phone sometimes, but I didn't care, I was glad they improvised better than yesterday and kept the coverage going. And when it broke up so much on Brasstown, that was aggravating, but I hung in there. But to miss the attack by Lowe, and to miss he and Levi crossing the line, unforgivable. They had some bizarre stationary camera at the finish, that was coming across in black-and-white, but that would've been delightful compared to no image at all! I still can't believe they didn't show it. Please tell me Versus had a camera of its own and we might get to see it whenever the heck it is they deign to show coverage. Or Steephill might have some home video of it, there were a lot of people there, one can only hope. The only redeeming thing WCSN had to offer today was that shot of Barbie on the moto. Having just seen Lars and the Real Girl, it gave me a good laugh. Excellent movie, by the way, Ryan Gosling is a gift. Steve Schlanger, not so much. (I know, but it occurred to me that if I never used his actual name, he wouldn't get a Google Blog Alert from this place, and he would lose out on all the, ahem, constructive criticism I have for him.)

Tour de Georgia 2008 Stage 5: My Kingdom for a Moto

2008-04-25T19:53:00.002-05:00

More good news on Timmy Duggan, they were able to do surgery today on the collarbone. Ian MacGregor has been great about posting updates, those two are a great story of friendship. It was great to see pictures today of the "Just Go Harder" seatposts on the Slipstream bikes, and hear Tom Danielson talk about how they motivated the team during the TTT.

As for today's stage, it was a tough one, wish we'd seen more of it! The break certainly got its money's worth, with only one working moto, they got all the air time! Couldn't they stick the other camera guy in a car with a sunroof or something? Just to get some pictures from the peloton? It made for very strange viewing. We got the word from CyclingNews that all four in the break were certified Nice Guys, and they provided some animated moments. But seeing the main pack gives a better sense of the course, where it breaks people up, and how guys are going. The lack of audio for a long time was generally recognized as a bonus by the viewing public, but I do like to hear the race sounds.

Thank goodness for CyclingNews. Their live race reports are the best around, always with great details, background, context and humor. So I used them to provide the commentary to the silent images, and learned all sorts of fun things, like how the Health Net car crashed and they duct-taped the deployed air bags to the steering wheel so they could keep driving. And how the peloton was bathed in manure fumes due to an errant truck. Oh, what these boys have to endure.

Wild little finish, I almost can't blame the remaining moto for having a hard time keeping track of it. It was so funny to see the catch, not having seen the pack for the entire day - there you are, I thought you were still in this race! Great day for the domestic squads, making up the break and taking the win with Bissell's Richard England. I did feel bad for George Hincapie, though, he was going for the win but misjudged it.

Great to see Slipstream-Chipotle's Trent Lowe in yellow, I hope they keep the argyle rockin' right up Brasstown Bald. Levi "Man on Fire" Leipheimer was a lot of fun in the Tour of California, but I find myself not so much rooting for him here. His comments yesterday were kind of pissy and didn't have that team spirit so evident with guys on, say, Slipstream and High Road. I always try to cut guys slack for post-race comments, they're spent and in the moment and stuff just tumbles out of their mouth. I'm just saying it doesn't inspire much cheerleading.

As sketchy as the video of the actual race has been, the stuff at VeloNews TV has been outstanding as always. England's lengthy comments about today's win, Christian Vande Velde's breezy chat at the start, Danielson's straight-from-the-heart talk about the crash, Slipstream chiropractor Kevin Reichlin's engaging conversation about Timmy, Bobby Julich's voice of experience. Each great nuggets on their own, and together, a veritable treasure chest for the rabid fan to eat up daily. Oh, whatever will I do next week. I'll have to talk about things like Ivan Basso signing with Liquigas, joy.

Tour de Georgia 2008 Stage 4: Argyle Smile

2008-04-24T20:03:00.005-05:00

The news on Timmy Duggan continues to be encouraging, what a relief. And the day just got better from there, as Slipstream-Chipotle pulled off a most excellent win in the TTT. They burned all their booster rockets, just four guys left crossing the line, but all the key players were there. Duggan wasn't able to help in the way Jonathan Vaughters originally planned for today, but he still played a key role, giving the rest of the guys that extra inspiration to lay it all out there. (Okay, I'm going to stop linking to Slipstream, but while you're there, check out Vaughter's piece on the dangers of cycling, very nice.)

Tom Danielson drilling it before the nasty hill, Dave Zabriskie and Christian Vande Velde powering through like old pros, great effort by the whole team. Speaking of great efforts, there's nothing prettier than Papa George Hincapie in a TTT. (Yeah, that name is sticking, hope he likes it!) [Uh oh, just watched the videos at VeloNews, great as always, and he doesn't want it to stick! Sorry George, you might lose this one!] On a blood bath of a day when every team was shedding riders left and right, Team High Road was very impressive, keeping most of the team intact. Not only did they not lose sprinter Greg Henderson, he led them across the line, keeping himself in yellow for one more day.

This TTT on a race track was one wacky idea, but it sure made for intriguing viewing. That steep hill was wild - guys losing chains, losing contact, losing their lunch. I loved the race official on the moto, wagging his finger at the Jittery Joe's team car, that was hilarious. And it was just such a random setting, but great for attracting the crowds!

Radio Guy made my head explode a couple of times - "cycling is, at its core, an individual sport, [so how in the heck do they handle this crazy team concept on special days like today]?" "Slipstream is down to seven riders, they’ve dropped one…" Yes dear, that would be the one in the ICU. Then, when Slipstream was actually losing riders, he was giggling like a school girl, making an awful comment on the Basinger/Baldwin divorce, and then a lame joke about all his favorite actresses buying all the towns in the area. Seriously, dude, get a grip. (I do know his name, but he's Radio Guy until he earns something otherwise.) I will say, he almost gets a Steve for being all over the Ivan Dominguez question.

WCSN totally redeemed itself today, though, with a visit by Danielson and Vande Velde to the booth. They were a hoot, obviously pumped after such a great ride. Astana was riding while they were there, perfect, the trash talk was flying. Nothing nasty, just lots of healthy swagger. And a little post-race amnesia on Tommy's part, seemed to forget they dropped a few guys too! Classic CVV - I'm sure JV was giving us lots of great info, but I took my radio out before the start. It was great to see them so happy, I hope they and the rest of the Argyle boys have a great evening and are able to share it in some way with Timmy.

Tour de Georgia 2008 Stage 3: The Hardest Part

2008-04-23T19:26:00.003-05:00

I'm with JV, this is not what I want to be writing about. There are those crashes where you groan and wince in commiseration with the downed riders. And then there are those that stop you in your tracks and make you hold your breath. We didn't see this one as it happened, but when the camera went to a seriously down Timmy Duggan, this one instantly became the latter. Seeing bikes broken in two, Corey Collier leaning on the bridge, having a hard time shaking it off, and the ominous huddle around Duggan, it was a hard scene to watch.

And then waiting - waiting to hear who it was. I don't know why that matters so much, I guess you just want to know who to be thinking about. Waiting to hear any updates, any tidbit on what the injury is, because it did not look good. Hearing the ambulance, what must the boys be thinking as it goes past. Trying to catch any glimpse of Slipstream-Chipotle riders, how do they look, what are they hearing. It was one of those stages, after that, the break established and just miles to go before you race. So it was probably a combination of that and worrying about Duggan, but I had a feeling of suspended animation until the finishing circuits.

At last, some details from CyclingNews - I wondered if he was convulsing, I was having flashbacks to that horrible downhill skiing accident earlier this year. I hope "keeping him overnight" implies that it's just overnight, and he should be okay, relatively speaking. And nice note about George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer acting as patrons, how our boys have grown.

CSC made good on their word, helping out on front today to make up for yesterday. First it was just a token guy, but as things got closer, they stepped up. But it was Toyota-United's job most of the day, only to see Ivan Dominguez crumple in the closing circuits. I admit, it was kind of a curious sight, but WCSN spent way too much time showing him back there! Especially when the picture kept breaking up - we get it, he cracked, show us the guys still going!

Some nice fliers on the circuits, but it all came together for a tight sprint. Greg Henderson finally got his win, on a banner day for High Road. The announcers thought he was a Type-1 guy, even going so far as to say he would get flack for falsely celebrating the win. Hey, you don't show us the podiums, but even I knew that looked like the points jersey. I mean, honest mistake in the moment, but when you hear it's Henderson, try to connect the dots. Tyler Farrar came in a very nice third, and took the young rider's jersey, both will be a good boost for the Slipstream-Chipotle camp on such a difficult day.

VeloNews has some wonderful quotes on the High Road lead-out, particularly about George Hincapie - classy start to finish today, no surprise there. Papa Georgio, I love it!

I appreciate the WCSN coverage, really, but I wish they could show us at least one replay of the finish, and stick around for those podiums! And the picture seems to have a knack for breaking up just at the most crucial moments. While I'm at it, the commentating could use some tightening up. They get very ramble-y - I know, it's not a hugely dynamic stage, but that's all the more reason to make the most of things that do happen. I had to laugh early in today's stage, the guy with the radio voice is rambling on about something, and a rider in a fledgling break suddenly drops like a lead balloon, right off the back and way over to the side of the road. Well, Radio Guy, seeming almost mildly annoyed, says something like "oh, I guess he has a mechanical, anyway, as I was saying," like, before I was so rudely interrupted by the actual race! Too funny. I know it's not an easy job, but at least stay with what's happening on the road. On the upside, looks like all three stages so far are available for on-demand viewing, can't complain about that.

More on that banner day for High Road - Kim Kirchen took a soggy thriller at Fleche Wallonne. I just caught a few glimpses of the race, on a blurry feed made only blurrier by the rain, but it seemed pretty exciting to me! Cadel Evans was looking good on the nasty final climb, but then Kirchen surged past him for the win. He was so happy, very sweet to see him after the finish, completely soaked and muddy, endlessly embracing what I assume to be his wife.

Speaking of embracing and banner days, Luke and Noah finally kissed again on ATWT! I know, way random, but seriously, it's about time. (Yes, I'm one of those middle-aged straight women rooting for the young lovebirds, so be it.)

Tour de Georgia 2008 Stage 1: What A Finish!

2008-04-21T20:42:00.003-05:00

By which I mean, of course, the women's race at today's Boston Marathon. I would say it about today's opening stage in Georgia, if WCSN hadn't lost the picture a few hundred meters from the finish! It was sketchy coverage all day long, so to not even get the payoff of seeing anyone cross the line was pretty sad. I hope it was opening-day glitches, because I'll be a lot more agitated if it's like this for the TTT or Brasstown Bald. They didn't have a lot to work with, I'll give them that, but the commentary was kind of a snooze too. Nathan O'Neill is a great bike rider, and that was a very sweet story about meeting his wife, but let's hear about the race at hand! In the bits we did get to see, it was great to see Chris Horner in that little break, and Dave Zabriskie leading the charge through another section.

Similar problems with Amstel Gold on Sunday. Cycling.tv's free coverage was at such a low bitrate you couldn't tell who was who, it was hardly worth it. Then Eurosport came on, which had lovely video, though it froze occasionally and the audio was choppy. So, I got to see it, but never got enough in the rhythm to get a good sense of the day. I get spoiled by those days when there's clear live video for the whole race, I want it every time! I repeat my praise for Sean Kelly though, love his commentary. Phil & Paul are in the hall of fame, to be sure, but Phil is getting dotty and they're both a little too excitable, and the competition between them gets in the way sometimes. (I know, sacrilege to criticize such icons, but it is done with all due respect and affection.)

I'll give in to the relentless Versus marketing machine and mention Lance in the Marathon. Thankfully they didn't show much of him during the elite race, keeping the focus correctly on the actual contenders. But of course when that was over we got full-on Lance-cam until he finished. And why does he get his own banner? First guy named Lance Armstrong to cross the line? At least he seemed appropriately confused by it. And appeared to be without entourage during the race, getting his own water this time. I mean, if you're gonna do it, do it like everyone else, right? Al Trautwig was his usual fawning self, trying to spin Lance's time so it seemed better than it was (not that it was bad to begin with, which kind of made it even more embarrassing). Heaven help me, but he needs to have a beer with Murphy and Dugard some time.

Paris-Roubaix 2008: Beauty and The Beast

2008-04-13T11:57:00.007-05:00

Mud is dramatic and all, but I have to say I was happy for the riders to see blue skies and sun at today's Paris-Roubaix - the cobbles are torture enough! Likewise for the home viewer - we've already got shaking cameras from the cobbles, it's nice to not have to look through raindrops as well. The gorgeous weather made for spectacular viewing and a great race. Of course there was that one rain cloud, hovering over George Hincapie forevermore. Clearly, the earth will stop revolving on its axis if Hincapie ever wins this thing.

Teamwork is one of my favorite things about cycling, and is as strong at P-R as anywhere. So much can happen, you really have to look out for your guy. Quick Step and CSC both put on an excellent show in that category. They kept a strong presence at the front, and each got two strong guys in the final break from the peloton. They were able to play their cards perfectly, ready for the win with whichever pair made it away. I especially love to see Hincapie taken care of, and High Road did a nice job of it for a while. There was Bernhard Eisel, snagging a bottle and offering it to George before he took it for himself. And Servais Knaven anchored to Filippo Pozatto's wheel as he came back, covering all the bases.

But then, as we've come to dread, suddenly Hincapie was gone. With so much going on, we didn't see what happened. It appeared to be a mechanical, as George was waving his arms frantically while trying to catch back on. (Just read over at VeloNews that he flatted twice, argh.) High Road lost big in the team car order lottery, second to last. However true it is that you make your own luck out on the road, this is one piece of bad luck George had no control over. What a shame if it cost him a chance at the podium. Watching him weave through the team cars on the narrow road to get back on - yeah, I didn't need those years off my life! Holy guacamole, that was dicey. And then, along with the rest of the peloton, he was out of sight out of mind. Such are the cold, hard facts of staying where the action is. Once upon a time Hincapie would've been thrilled with a "Top Ten" finish in ninth, but today it must've been a bitter pill.

Speaking of being thrilled with a Top Ten Five finish, can we get a little Captain & Tennille, please? I'm talkin' Maaskant Love. Following up on his strong finish last week at Flanders, Martijn Maaskant of Slipstream Chipotle continued to impress. To be in the final big break, with all the strongmen of the race, well done. He appeared to sit on quite a bit, so I wonder how well his attack at the end to snag fourth sat with the other guys, especially Leif Hoste, who wasn't getting any help from Stijn Devolder or Stuart O'Grady as it was. [CyclingNews reports that Stuey and Stijn were getting cagey with each other, so I guess no qualms there, good on the kid for going for it!] But it sure was fun to see a solo Slipstream rider in the velo. I know they had big hopes for this race, and given how it went, they have to be thrilled with fourth. Especially with Maaskant, strength for the future!

Watching Fabian Cancellara, Tom Boonen, and Alessandro Ballan zoom along at the front, I thought the wheels in their minds must be spinning as fast as those on their bikes, thinking of how to play it in the velo. My heart broke for George, but with the sun, the other favorites out front, the massive fans, it was a beautiful sight. They had plenty of time, so it was a relief to see a lack of big games as they got close.

When Cancellara started stretching his legs in the final kilometers, I hoped he was just working out the cobbled kinks for a strong finish. But alas, it was cramps, and when Boonen went for the line he could not follow. Nice win for Tom, you knew he was smarting after last week, teammate or no. That cobblestone trophy always gives me the willies, especially when small children are on the podium as well (as Julia Hincapie was a few years ago). Thankfully Boonen didn't even try to hold it by the base - smart racer, smart trophy-lifter.

I really have to learn Danish, I love the tone and rhythm of the Sputnik commentators. Given Eurosport's late and choppy audio entry on the race, I didn't even bother listening to them. It's not like I couldn't tell what was happening at that point! And Sputnik had a lovely post-race show. Again, couldn't understand much, but good video and some of the post-race interviews were in English, bonus! And now it's on to Davis Cup, can Andy Roddick hold off the Frenchies? And the Masters - I am so not a golf fan whatsoever, but even I want to see if the kids can hold off the big guns again today. Great day to be a sports fan.

A couple of notes I didn't get to post earlier in the week:

I was greatly saddened to hear of Randy Van Zee's death in a cycling accident last weekend. I don't generally follow RAAM, but there was a fantastic documentary on the 2004 race, by Stephen Auerbach. Whatever you think about ultra-marathon racing, the video is compelling and beautifully done. Randy is one of the more endearing subjects in the video, so gentle and good-humored, even as he goes through agony. His neck muscles gave out, so he had to wear a contraption to keep his head up. Then he crashed and "hurt his hip," and couldn't swing his leg over the bike. He had to have someone slide it up between his legs. But he kept on going, and finished. With a broken pelvis. He had a great attitude and spirit, and I'm glad we all got to know him just a little bit.

In an odd twist of fate, there was a hauntingly similar image on Friday's stage 5 of the Vuelta al País Vasco that left me clutching my heart. I had the live video streaming on my computer, about the only way we get to see Astana this year, not to mention Alberto Contador battling Cadel Evans and the like. The weather was brutal, pouring rain and cold, as a small leading group came into the final kilometers. There was a very nasty right turn, I just knew someone would go down. Through the rain on the camera, I could see that someone did, but then they had to follow Contador and Damiano Cunego battling it out for the win. When the camera went back, there was David Herrero, clearly in a great deal of pain, trying to get back on his bike, but seemingly unable to move his right leg. But he was fourth on GC, and leading the points classification, so nothing was going to keep him down. Two guys had to lift him up and slide him onto the seat, it was difficult to watch. One of the guys then ran alongside him, pushing and/or steadying, for some distance, until he got too winded and had to drop off. Herrero made it to the line, crying and pedaling only with his left foot, his right leg hanging uselessly on the other side, completely heart-wrenching. He crossed the line alone, and I was yelling at the crowd monitor guy to reach out and help him, I was so afraid he was going to flop over on that right side. No broken bones, but he was unable to start the final stage on Saturday, what a disappointment.

Flanders: That's Why They Call It A Classic

2008-04-06T22:15:00.002-05:00

It's been great racing all spring, and Flanders continued that trend and then some today. Just what you love to see in a spring race - snow, hail, rain, guys caked with mud head-to-toe, breath visible in the cold air as they struggle up the cobbles, and drama aplenty.

I'm really glad I got up to watch it live, seeing now how it was mercilessly sliced and diced for the Versus broadcast. And there was the added bonus of Sean Kelly commentating on Eurosport. All due respect to P&P, but Mr. Kelly does a lovely, understated job of it. The UK video stream was a bit dicey, so I switched to another country, with the UK audio going. They were out of sync then, with the audio a minute or so ahead. It worked out, though, because I was helpfully alerted to keep an eye out for notable visuals about to unfold.

It seems cruel somehow to love watching the riders suffer on the climbs, but it's just so epic. To know how strong these guys are, and to see them giving maximum effort to make it up, or get off and walk, you know how tough it must be, and I love them all for getting through it.

It's a real shame Versus skipped Leif Hoste's mechanical, that was quite the moment. There he was a big favorite, standing like a spectator on the side of the road as he had to wait interminably for the team car to make it to him. He looked the calm professional, but his insides must have been churning. And Oscar Freire's attack was a nice move while it lasted, a bit of a disservice to just show him getting caught.

George Hincapie was in fine form, making all the important moves, except of course that last one. But it was great to see him in the break, muddy face and grinding away. A well-earned fifth place for Big George, here's hoping it sets him up well for next week.

When the sun finally came out, and guys were peeling off layers left and right, it was kind of like Superman - as the dirty garments were discarded, the fresh bright colors of clean jerseys underneath were revealed. Stijn Devolder certainly took that to heart, deciding he would be the one to fly away from the field.

Watching him barrel along, earpiece dangling uselessly, I thought of one of the April Fool's jokes at VeloNews this week. I'm not big on April Fool's, but this was a fun satirical look at today's riders going without radios. Devolder's comments after the race could've been straight out of the faux piece, something along the lines of not having any idea what the gap was and just riding as fast as he could.

That was a crazy stretch after Devolder flew, motorcycles were everywhere, it was like the chasers had accidentally stumbled upon a pack of Hells Angels. As the chase went along, there were those frustrating tactical games. It seems crazy that some combination of guys couldn't put it together to bridge the gap, Devolder was so close. I get that if they pulled Tom Boonen up, they had very little chance of winning, but still, isn't little chance better than no chance? And if you're resigned to losing anyway, isn't a podium place better than nothing? Oh well, after what those guys went through today, who am I to question them.

I had to be happy for the robust Belgian fans. They didn't let the weather dampen their spirits all day long, what a great reward to see their national champion take the win in fantastic style. And Devolder was delightful after the finish, that huge grin and happily bewildered look in his eyes, still trying to take in what he'd just done. Aside from that little "rest" in the break, he worked like a dog all day long and it was a well-deserved win on a great day of racing.

Milan-San Remo: So Smooth

2008-03-23T22:20:00.004-05:00

Can you call something so powerful smooth? Somehow they both work. Maybe it's the lyrics in my head, "Gimme your heart make it real, Or else forget about it." I have a feeling I have used that line before, but how better to describe Fabian Cancellara's decisive move? That aerial shot was fantastic, showing his glance back and then making the acceleration, such power and effort, what a great move. That's the kind of power that can only come from instinct. No time to overthink, just go with your gut.

A guy with such a mellifluous name as Fabian Cancellara shouldn't need so many nicknames, but I guess one is always looking for more words to describe his Fab-ness, so we get The Bear, Tony Montana, and Spartacus. Whatever you call him, the dude can ride a bike. He comes off a little arrogant in interviews, but why the heck not, when you can deliver like that. And there's always a sense of fun along with it, so a lot can be forgiven. As long as he doesn't have a corresponding portrait like this (click on number 4, if you dare) over his mantel, we're okay (thank you, Joe Lindsey - or not, given that such a thing is now forever seared into my brain).

Nice last week, San Remo yesterday, I'm loving these races by the water in nice weather, so gorgeous. And such exciting racing. One powerful attack after the other, each with heavy hitters so had to be taken seriously. I never, ever want to ride a bike on those twisty, steep, narrow roads, but I'll never tire of watching the pros do it. With the sun coming through the buildings, and the bent legs as the riders lean in unison, what a sight. I'm glad there wasn't the bloodbath of last year, though we did get a couple of hair-raising crashes this time around.

In the kudos department, to Will Frischkorn, for spending most of the race out in front, flying those Slipstream Chipotle colors as we've come to expect this year. I hope potential title sponsors are taking note, if you go with the burrito boys, guaranteed major air time. And to with High Road, Thomas Lovkvist making another great showing, with George Hincapie at hand as usual. And of course CSC, showing their power and class once again. Not just in the win, but in the way they displayed teamwork at its best in the fantastic chase. I don't think Liquigas are looking for a sponsor at the moment, but they were a major part of that great chase as well, I trust they took pride in their second place.

With such a fine race, I guess I can't blame Versus for having it take up most of the show, but Tirreno-Adriatico got short shrift in the process. They didn't even show Ricco's bike toss, and gave a bit of a misimpression on the steep climb - it wasn't just the motorbikes making guys walk! Ah well, at least they showed it, so we can see who's going well, and appreciate Fabian's double win. And if you didn't have enough fun with all that, you could watch both American Flyers and Breaking Away on cable tonight, how much more cheesy goodness could you want? (Not to mention helpful research for the Dave Zabriskie - Kevin Costner survey.)

Go Argyle!

2008-03-20T19:43:00.006-05:00

Paris-Nice was shaky, Dugard's turd took place at a Chipotle restaurant, would they make it??

Well of course they're in the Tour, how can you leave this guy out??

Woohoo Slipstream/Chipotle H3O, can't wait to see argyle animating the Big Show!

(Photo of Dave Zabriskie by Graham Watson)

This Ride's For You

2008-03-18T18:52:00.003-05:00

I rode my bike today. Endless snow and illness have made these past few months the longest I've gone without riding outside in four years. Today was it. The sky was blue, the wind was light, the temp was in the 40s, the sun was still above the trees when I got home from work, the frost heaves have settled just a bit. And more snow, ice and rain predicted for tomorrow and beyond. I threw on a random assortment of synthetic clothing, pumped up the tires on the mountain bike (key words being "just a bit" on those frost heaves), and off I went.

Joy. The steering a little wobbly at first (especially on my mushy driveway), but the cadence fell right back in. Cool air searing my lungs, wind-induced tears drying on my face, numb fingertips fumbling with the gear shifts. Laughter and thoughts of not being able to walk tomorrow as I went right for the big hill down the street (hey, I've been doing my weights). Past my sister's house, by the truck gathering sap from the maple trees, over the crest that delivers a stunning view of the river coming in from the sea, past the aromatic freshly-cut trees hauled out from the forest, down the road with the two bad bumps, by the open field that always looks like it would be good for x-country skiing, look right to see the sand bar at low tide, scoot by a new scary big dog (was he on a chain?), past the town dock, over those divots where the road sometimes disappears, by an enormous dog (on a leash, but I don't like the way the girl on the other end pushes him way aside and averts his eyes), around the slippery corner with a winter's worth of gravel still splayed across it, look longingly at the ribbon of road stretched out ahead, glide down to the driveway, maneuver through the muck. Home. (I ain't talkin' about the house.)

Yes, now I think I can take the snow tomorrow. If not for that little excursion, I just might have lost it. I hear the birds chirping. I … okay, it's Maine, that's about it for signs of Spring, still a couple of months off. But the point is I know it's coming.

In addition to my run-on ruminations above, I found myself dedicating my ride to a few folks in my thoughts today. Because I knew they knew this joy, this appreciation of just being able to get a ride in on a nice day.

So, this ride's for you:

Linus Gerdemann, heal well and study those Tour routes.

Fatty and Susan, buon giorno! (Sorry, that's all I can write without crying. :-)

George Hincapie, who took a hard spill today trying to lead out the punk.

Bobby Julich, for doing what you can to prove the sport clean.

Kevin van Impe. And Jayden.

Kristy Gough and Matt Peterson.

David Millar, hope you're feeling better.

Christian Vande Velde. (Heads up, VeloNews, I believe he's an American in Paris-Nice.)

Fabian Cancellara, Happy Birthday to the boy in blue.

Thor Hushovd, for enjoying the view in Nice.

Chris Horner, who has been shut out of any Olympic-qualifying races because he took the deal he deserved at the last minute.

Levi Leipheimer, let him ride.

Dave Zabriskie, for Yield to Life and rockin' the 'stache for 2nd place behind Fab in the TT.

Do The Test, may it be shown to every man, woman and child in the world.

Floyd Landis, no matter what.

UCI and ASO - take a ride yourself, remember what it's all about.

Linus Gerdemann

2008-03-17T09:32:00.003-05:00

No cute title for this one, holy crap, unbelievable.

Our boy Linus crashed in the TT at Tirreno-Adriatico yesterday. I saw the pictures last night of him afterwards, and was horrified then, he looked awful. But considering he had finished the stage, eighth no less, I hoped he would be okay.

Not so much. He broke his femur. He broke his femur, got back on his bike, finished the stage, and came in eighth. Okay, riding with a broken collarbone, or even a broken wrist, is one thing, but a broken leg?? Good heavens.

Out for six weeks, what a heartbreaker. Wishing you all the best Linus, come back to us soon!

Paris-Nice Stage 7: LL Cool

2008-03-16T16:25:00.002-05:00

Thank heavens for Sputnik. Eleven-inch, crystal clear, live video. What a concept. Fantastic pictures on a sparkling day by the water, and another thrilling race on the road. Once again it was an attack on the descent that was the big move - kids, don't try this at home! Luis Leon Sanchez defied the laws of physics in his unbelievably fast and skillful descent, I believe my mouth was actually hanging open. Crazy, crazy stuff, but it got him to the lead pack, and then shot him out from them for the stage win, just barely hanging on as a couple of riders were bridging back up to him. I don't know how he held on to those corners, he was about sideways in some of them.

I'm so glad he pulled it out, because I love that kind of initiative in the closing kilometers. The lead group was something like seven seconds ahead of the peloton, and they're all looking at each other and getting resigned to being caught. Good on Sanchez for not having any of that and continuing his pursuit for the win and moving into top 5 on GC. Didn't quite get enough to take the white jersey from Robert Gesink, but Sanchez looked plenty happy at the finish.

Bravo to Davide Rebellin for holding on to his slim lead and finally getting the top spot on the podium, after coming so close before. Nice win for the old guys! Yaroslav Popovych holds on to third, glad to see him in a podium spot. He poured on the gas just at the end, presumably to keep Gesink from sneaking by him, well done. Trent Lowe flew the Slipstream colors there in the break and on the final climb, nice to see after the tough week he's had. Bobby Julich again in the break, showing nice form in his home away from home.

Just watched again on Versus, and got to see that crash by Gesink and Nocentini, Gesink almost going over the wall into who knows what, yikes! I think young Gesink is going to be in a world of hurt tomorrow, but his good showing here will be a nice reward. Looking forward to Milan-San Remo next weekend, and the chance to see more Tirreno-Adriatico. (Hooray for Fabian Cancellara and Dave Zabriskie today!) My brief, international nightmare with Cycling.tv is soon to be over; they don't seem able to handle Macs very well, so I'm canceling already. It would be nice if they could get it together over there, it's such a great idea and thus far such horrible execution.

Paris-Nice Stage 6: Fade to White

2008-03-15T15:46:00.003-05:00

The title could well refer to the weather outside my window. Another Saturday, another snowstorm. Silly me thought I'd be riding my bike this weekend. So it's back to watching the pros, in balmy France and Italy. No, the title refers to young Robert Gesink, who lost yellow today but retains the white jersey as best young rider.

It was a long, arduous stage with many mountains to cross. Cycling.tv was its usual special self, so I only saw towards the end, and a horrible picture at that. Looking forward to perhaps a better stream later today in video on demand. I will say, though, that even pixelated racing can keep you on the edge of your seat!

Bobby Julich was in the break with teammate Chris Sorensen, CSC determined to fly the colors as much as possible while looking for a new sponsor. Julich and Sorensen tag-teamed the attacks, Bobby getting away on the one that stuck, with Mathieu Sprick. It was a crazy descent, with many close calls and a couple of gasp-worthy crashes. One of those involved Sprick - he and Julich were careening down together, and then suddenly Sprick was not there. It went by fast, but he appeared to be in the bushes on some kind of turn-off. Frank Schleck was the other gasp, taking a turn too wide and just slamming sideways into a rock face, beyond ouch.

I was cheering Bobby on, hoping against hope that he would pull it out. But his small group of immediate pursuers had bigger fish to fry, they were going for yellow and Gesink was in big trouble, so they chased Bobby down. At least Bobby stayed with them to the end, not having to do any more work after his long haul. And I thought yellow with one last escort was sad - how about yellow with no one - not even anyone catching up on the descent and flat into the finish. Poor Gesink, fading fast, had a horrible descent and was left to lead a whole line of riders towards the finish, as none of them were obligated to help. None save polka-dot wearer Clement Lhotellerie, who was trying to salvage his top 10 spot, but it seemed like mostly yellow on front.

In the end it was plucky Sylvain Chavanel, soothing his Ventoux disappointment with a solo attack and win in the closing kilometer. He was fist-pumping and shouting all the way across the line, one very happy French dude. Julich slipped in for third on the day, and Davide Rebellin came in fifth to take yellow. Thor Hushovd powered his way over the mountains and came in the second finishing group, along with Yaroslav Popovych, who moves up to third on GC. Gesink was in the third group, just 1:29 back, but all the difference in the world. Sprick and Schleck finished in the next small group at 2:01 back, bless their souls, I hope that means they weren't too badly hurt. Should be another thriller tomorrow, and we actually get to see it on real TV!

Tirreno-Adriatico Stages 1-3: Stop The Insanity!

2008-03-15T03:34:00.002-05:00

Great field, wacky finishes, fun race they've got down here in Italy! Too bad we only get brief highlights, but I'm happy to have them. Star-studded bunch sprint in Stage 1, taken by Oscar Freire over Alessandro Petacchi.

We just got the final kilometer of Stage 2, but worth it if only to see Riccardo Ricco throw his bike across the finish line for fifth place. Now when you hear that, normally you think of that sprinter's thrust, arms out and head down as they zoom across. No, I mean he was walking on the road, picked up his bike and threw it over the line, trotting across after it. He had been in the winning break, with a teammate, when right towards the end he and Linus Gerdemann touched wheels and Ricco broke some spokes. CyclingNews gets into who might be to blame, noting well Ricco's colorful personality. Ricco's hopes of exacting revenge on the race today in Stage 3 were dashed when he was involved in an early crash. He finished the stage, tattered and torn, but nearly last to cross the line.

Let's talk about that Stage 3 - Holy Guacamole, I've never seen anything like it! The climb up to the eventual finish included an insane 20% gradient, and they had to do it twice! Lots of guys, top pro riders, were having to walk up it. Some because their legs blew out, some because they got caught behind others who blew, and there was no way to keep pedaling up that thing unless you could keep all momentum going. Several motorbikes couldn't even make it up, causing a horrible mess. The motorbikes were sideways, or stuck in the middle of the road, so riders couldn't get past them at all, and there goes another batch who have to walk up.

You occasionally see a fan push a rider up any random climb in a race, and it's always nerve-wracking and annoying. But here, there were some riders who were completely cross-eyed, and the pushes from the fans were the only thing keeping them upright. So for these riders, there was a whole line of fans pushing them up, one would hand off to the next, and so on, until the rider could get under his own power again. Riders were zigzagging completely across the road and back, coming perilously close to tipping right into the barriers on many occasions. It was mayhem, I tell you, mayhem!

Hats off to Joaquim Rodriguez for gutting out the win. Among the boys suffering like dogs were many of our favorites, such as George Hincapie, setting up teammates Gerdemann and Thomas Lovkvist for high finishes. Fabian Cancellara, coming in a very impressive tenth on the day - as Cycling.tv pointed out, he's not a light fella, and to drag himself up ahead of most of the pack was quite a feat. Dave Zabriskie, farther back in the pack - oh, to be a fly on the wall of his brain at that moment.

It's kind of confusing, following both of these races at once, but the more the merrier!

Paris-Nice Stages 4 and 5: To The Moon And Beyond

2008-03-15T01:52:00.002-05:00

Well, apparently I can wait for Ventoux. Grrr. I caught glimpses live on Thursday, so it wasn't a total loss, but I've been battling with Cycling.tv for two days to see the complete broadcast. I finally got it all to work tonight, so am playing catching up.

Okay, Mont Ventoux: The blue skies were indeed here to stay, it was so reassuring to see the guys' bare arms and legs again, and brilliant sunshine all around. Jens Voigt. Sigh. You couldn't create a better character if you tried. There he was with his trademark grimace, pulling away from the break and going it alone on a valiant effort that looked for a bit like it just might succeed. The VeloNews live coverage today mentioned the complications there were with his newborn baby, and how as a result he hadn't been riding much leading up to this. I trust she's doing better, as he is racing again, and send best wishes to the whole brood. CSC have had such a rough time of it in this race, typical Jens to come back fighting. And on the day we learned no more CSC after this year. That's going to be at least as weird as no Postal was back in the day. More, even, because CSC is such a team's team.

Jens couldn't quite make it, but even in defeat he showed his greatness. He was cracking, no doubt about it, but when the pursuing break caught him, he didn't just let them pass him by. He saw teammate Frank Schleck in the small group, and so he hopped right on front of the foursome and did his level best to set tempo for Frank! Jens couldn't last long, but that he even tried shows the measure of the man.

Always a sad sight, the yellow jersey going backwards with just one loyal teammate alongside. And so it was with Sylvain Chavanel. Lots of guys popped on the slopes of Ventoux, but he had great hopes of not being one of them this day.

Yaroslav Popovych found out that it doesn't always quite work out to have your Tour GC man working for you in the smaller races. Cadel Evans was trying to pull Popo to the yellow jersey, but set the tempo too high, and all it did was give Robert Gesink incentive to launch an attack. Only Evans could follow, so it was just the two of them to the end. I'm not sure I like Cadel zipping around for the win, he could've at least gone side-by-side to Gesink in the final stretch. But that's racing, and Gesink did get yellow for his efforts.

On to Stage 5, which saw a big ole' breakaway for much of the day. Caught a glimpse of Christian Vande Velde, towards the back of the pack, brighter days ahead Christian! And get well soon to David Millar, I'm glad he's taking care of himself. Gutsy attack by Carlos Barredo towards the end, well done for the stage win and a move up on GC. From the sun to the sea, on to Tirreno-Adriatico…

Paris-Nice Stage 3: Blue Skies

2008-03-12T21:35:00.005-05:00

I hope it's nothin' but blue skies from now on! We finally got to see some at the end of today's stage, a very welcome sight.

So happy for Sylvain Chavanel, a sentimental favorite of mine for sure. After the great highs and then crushing disappointment in last year's Tour, it's a delight to see him in yellow. I'd love to see him take the whole thing, or Yaroslav Popovych, who we did indeed get to see more of today, either works for me!

Remembering Andrei Kivilev today, and sending hugs out to our CSC and Slipstream boys who are having such a rough go of it. And Michael Rogers, get well soon! And Tom Danielson, fix your back! Oy, what's a mother hen to do?

Can't wait for Ventoux tomorrow!

Paris-Nice Stage 2: Gorillas In The Mist

2008-03-11T22:33:00.003-05:00

You know, when they're bunched up, out of the saddle, trying to catch up or get to the finish, rocking back and forth - there's a little gorilla in there, don't you think? And today at Paris-Nice it was once more through the mist and fog, and rain and wind. It wasn't quite as bad as the post-apocalyptic nightmare of yesterday, but not by too much. Once again we had dirty butts and rain capes and more games of name that rider through the watery lens.

Yesterday, when those two Silence-Lotto riders bridged up to the leading group with Frank Schleck, I thought one of them must be Yaroslav Popovych, but it was hard to see in the rain. I've been looking forward to seeing him this year, if they ever get to the sun this week, hopefully we'll see more of him! We're seeing plenty of Gert Steegmans, and amen to that, he's so loveable with that cherubic face on top of that massive power. It's always great to see lead-out men get their own chance to shine.

Today Gert and Thor Hushovd survived another brutal stage to give us a good show. From the intermediate sprint to the duel at the finish, they showed incredible power and fight. I love both these guys, and I love how they didn't let the elements get in the way of some awesome racing. I'm sorry so many other guys got banged up, I hope they can hang in there and have their day in the mountains.

Thor was part of another awesome moment today, one that nearly brought me to tears just by it's sheer beauty. It was caught by an aerial shot, the perfect perspective from which to see the magic of cycling teamwork. Thor was off the back, of course in yellow, and had one green teammate in front of him, pacing him back to the group. When they caught up they kept right on going, zooming up the side of the pack. As they went along, they picked up more greenies one by one. Each guy would be rolling along, then his head would jerk up, then he would jump right on the front of the green train with the yellow caboose and get instantly in sync. Before you knew it they were at the front of the pack in perfect formation. I use the word beauty a lot in these pages, perhaps too much, but how else to describe it? It was a simple thing, but breathtaking in it's precision and professionalism. Did I mention I love this sport?

Two others that loved this sport were lost on Sunday in a heartbreaking crash on a training ride. CyclingNews and VeloNews both have moving tributes. What can you say, losing such beautiful people much too early never makes a damn bit of sense. If you haven't checked out Dave Zabriskie's Yield To Life organization yet, now would be a fitting time for a donation.

Paris-Nice Prologue: The Thunder Rolls

2008-03-09T19:57:00.004-05:00

A brief, soggy day at Paris-Nice, so just a few thoughts on the weekend.

I hope the Monte Paschi Eroica gets some video coverage next year, it sounds like a fun race and seems to be catching on well. Congrats to Fabian Cancellara on his victory, it seems he was turning his pedals in more than a little anger. CafePress will surely have his "big piece of…" line on T-shirts within the week.

As VeloNews recognized, Paris-Nice was remarkably business as usual in the prologue. Whatever was going on inside buses and hotels and press rooms, the guys got on their bikes and rode. On the one hand, it points to the simplicity of it all - in the end, it's just about guys riding their bikes. But on the other hand, getting each one of those riders safely through a slippery and curvy course, and certifying times and winners and proper bikes, and presenting flowers and lions and the rest - that all doesn't happen by itself. So as much as we'd like to push the UCI and ASO aside and just let them race, there isn't a race without organization. So they have to work it out one way or another.

It's poetic that gentle giant Thor Hushovd won the prologue. How can you punish a sweetheart like him, one of the good guys of the peloton? Not that I have any basis for such hope, but I hope cooler heads prevail in the purported post-race meeting between all concerned parties. It wasn't a great day of racing, with the short distance and so many riders being cautious. But it was racing - the top guys gave their all, and the post-race talk was of who was banged up and who wants to do well in which stage - just as it should be. Ride on.

P.S.
Riding off into the sunset this evening was one of the greatest television series of all time, The Wire (HBO). Nowhere else (except preceding projects by these folks) will you find such a textured and varied cast, and such a searing yet loving look at our nation's urban struggles. For the past fifteen years, from Homicide: LOTS to The Corner to The Wire, David Simon has made me know and care more about Baltimore than any place I've actually lived. As he so unflinchingly portrays, the problems go on, and so to I hope will he. On a lighter note, a few sly references along the way and the fleeting appearance of the ubiquitous Det. John Munch in a recent episode ensure that The Wire takes up residence, along with 90% of all television, inside Tommy Westphall's head. God bless Tom Fontana.

Love of the Game

2008-03-07T23:36:00.003-05:00

If I thought the honchos at the UCI and ASO were intimately familiar with American football, I would make them all watch Brett Favre's retirement press conference. There is so much they could learn from the man - complete lack of guile, unadorned honesty, a rich and full heart, thoughtfulness, appreciation, disinterest in the sound of his own voice, honor, duty, and, above all, love of the game.

Favre's emotions overflowed many times. He cried, he talked about how tough it is to do his job, he said he can't give anymore. Not because he is melodramatic or self-important or has no life outside of football. On the contrary, his perspective is healthier than most. We have watched him go through so much - playing with injuries, losing so many close loved ones, his wife's battle with cancer, his own battle with addiction. No, his deep emotion comes from a very real and humble love of his sport. The greats in any sport have it - it's far beyond a job or a meal ticket, it's what they were put on this earth to do. And they appreciate that privilege every day. They give everything, they set high goals and work relentlessly to achieve them, sacrificing much along the way. They relish in the details and moments that make their sport special. It's simple yet deeply rich, and one of the more beautiful things in sport. Favre is not perfect, that's what makes him so genuine, but he is football at its best.

We all know the peloton is not perfect either, but those honchos I speak of would do well to think of cycling at its best. Riders enduring unimaginable conditions, dropping out only if they can no longer grip the bars. George Hincapie riding hard for a hundred miles with a broken wrist, because he didn't want to let his team down. Thomas Voeckler rounding that turn on a mountain finish in 2004, holding on to yellow for one more day. Brent Lancaster not letting his first chance in Le Tour slip away - riding on a stomach empty from throwing up all night, and later in the same stage, twisting in the air so he wouldn't land on his bad collarbone. Stage 16 of last year's Giro: riding through a snowstorm, Pavel Brutt's fingers were frozen to the handlebar. Another rider from a different team, whom Brutt apparently didn't even know personally, not only noticed Brutt wasn't eating, but when Brutt explained why, the other rider took Brutt's sandwich from his back pocket and fed it to him. Soon after, the whole peloton stopped in a tunnel to put on some more clothes. As I've said before, this is what loving cycling looks like.

They just want to ride their bikes. This is what they love, what they train for, what they dreamt of as children. They are tough as nails and welcome any challenge. Pain, risk, cold, heat, hail or high water - these things don't scare cyclists. What scares them is not being able to ride. So shame on you, honchos, for putting fear into the fearless. For letting your stubborn power plays threaten what is so near and dear to cyclists' hearts. For toying with their World and Olympic dreams, let alone their Spring Classic dreams. They will bear any burden to stay on the bike and in the race. You need to do the same, whatever it takes to coordinate, compromise, and get over yourselves - and let the riders ride.

I get emotional about these things (pssst…I love cycling a bit myself). I realize we're not talking the Middle East peace crisis. (And really, shouldn't that fact make it a little easier to solve?) But sport is one of those grand distractions that makes the rest bearable. It is thrilling, and beautiful, and inspirational. Back in January, I spent my birthday sick as a dog on the couch. But there was Brett Favre, in a blizzard, scrambling and tossing and leading his team to an exquisite victory. I couldn't have been happier, and I will remember that birthday always with great joy. So thanks, Brett, for loving the game with all your heart. Would that others could be so inclined.

ToC Stage 7: Love To Eat Them Mousies

2008-02-24T21:26:00.004-05:00

Woohoo! What a great finish to a soggy, tough week in California. Hooray for George Hincapie, for Levi Leipheimer, for David Millar, Christian Vande Velde, Dave Zabriskie, Chris Horner - so many of my favorites did well, even battling illness as DZ and Horner were. I think my only top guy who missed out on the action was Jens Voigt. I know he wasn't feeling great, so I'm sorry he wasn't in the mix, but I look forward to plenty of action from him as the season progresses.

Crazy action from Kilometer Zero. It was a greatly diminished peloton, but what remained still had some fight in them. Michael Creed went a little nuts, I had to wonder if that was him or Michael Ball looking for even more publicity. At least Creed was still in it at the end. Nice attack on the big climb by Slipstream. Astana were obviously rock solid, but you can't just give up, you have to fight to the end, so good on Slipstream.

One of my mother's favorite T-shirts was the famous cartoon by B Kliban referenced above. I couldn't help but think of it in the final circuits today. Cat and mouse games in cycling give me fits. It's such a gamble, and results in failure so many times, it has me pulling my hair out every time. I thought it might be Rollin all over again, George still with good legs but waiting for the whole group to chase with him. Great run for Tom Zirbel - beast of a man, but he can get those pounds moving!

I had my doubts (forgive me!), but George did just enough to keep Zirbel within reach. I could see George had enough to bridge the gap, and I was afraid he was playing too many games. I had a feeling he could blow past Zirbel, and was relieved when he finally made the move. But then they all grouped up again, and started playing games again, argh! With the peloton swooping in, I wondered just how many years they wanted to take off my life. Out of nowhere I started saying "don't get hinky Hincie," delirium clearly setting in.

Another wave of relief as George made the final push for the line, and wild cheering as he crossed it with arms raised. It's been such a tough week for George. He was spreading his wings in a stage race, able to really race for himself, but hitting bumps along the way and not quite succeeding as he'd hoped. So it's so great to see him pull it out today, he can take that into the Spring as a boost, instead of a burdensome pile of almosts.

It's not that I think last year wasn't a real win for Levi - the race is what it is - but I'm glad he defended this year outright, no qualifications. He showed off his great strength and the great strength of his team. They couldn't have made a better statement. I love that Bobke is shamelessly partial, throwing up a softball question for Levi to make his emphatic point in the post-race interview.

In addition to the guys mentioned above, I was happy for the domestic teams that did well in so many breaks and took a couple of jerseys in the end. Especially Scott Nydam, who takes the KOM jersey home as great medicine for his dad.

I don't know that I've ever had such a love/hate relationship as I do with Versus. Please, tell me, what is so special about 7:18?? We can see Bob is standing with George, we couldn't squeeze that in? Show the World Combat League fans some real tough guys, stick around for the presentation! (As a side note, great/horrible stories from the announcers on cycling.tv about their worst crashes, oh my.) I couldn't even get the presentation on the Amgen website, they just had Frankie and JoE chatting for a while. Sorry, we can't all fly to California to see it in person. I need some closure, people!

Oh happy, happy day. I'll be a zombie at work tomorrow, but I stayed up to watch the repeat on Versus, just in case. Lo and behold, they had presentations galore - stage podiums, final podiums, Levi kissing his wife, Christian holding his baby, flowers, champagne, a second Levi interview, and an interview with George. George looked so worn out in all the interviews this week, but in this one he looked like a new man, I'm so happy for him! Okay, now I can go to sleep...

ToC Stage 6: Cheeky Dos And Don’ts

2008-02-23T20:01:00.001-05:00

A world-class time trialer taking a flyer in the final circuit to try and grab the yellow jersey - cheeky at its best. Hanging on to the team car to regain the pack and then charging to the front to try and take the sprint - not so much.

David Millar was the former, making the one move he could on the day. I love his fighting spirit, his not taking a moment for granted, and his refusal to be complacent with a well-deserved second place. I hope tomorrow provides greater opportunities for such fireworks.

And of course the latter is Mark Cavendish. I'm sure it wasn't an easy thing to work his way back up front and get across the line first. But if you get even the briefest chance to rest on the car before you do that, it can't be a legitimate victory. And so it was that he was rightly relegated. One could jump all over him for such a move, but it's not like no one else tries it now and again. Totally different context, much further from the finish, but let's remember Levi got nailed for the same thing in last year's Tour de France and it cost him second place on the final podium. Young Mark lost his win, lesson learned perhaps, I hope he doesn't make any stupid moves tomorrow in revenge.

Still waiting to hear about the injuries of Freddie Rodriguez and Vladimir Gusev, hope it's not too bad for either.

So an unusual end, in more ways than one, to a fairly routine day. (Easy for me to say, I know.) I guess the guys were pretty tuckered from the previous couple of days. I hope they've recovered a bit and give us a little more action for the final day tomorrow!

ToC Stage 5: Don't Make Me Angry

2008-02-23T14:29:00.002-05:00

Seeing Levi Leipheimer spitting fire in the start house, with that demonic look on his face, he very well could've turned colors and started to burst out of his golden skinsuit. But it was the field that ended up shredded and green with envy as Levi took a strong, defiant win in yesterday's fantastic Time Trial. Maybe his opponents don't like him when he's angry, but I love him!

Last year in California it was the Basso debacle, and Levi powered up Telegraph Hill with a fierceness I'd never seen before. He kept the fire stoked throughout the year, and with the added fuel of Contador's surge, laid down another beauty in the final TT of the Tour de France. And now this year, with the biggest blow of all in ASO's derelict decisions, Levi is turning the pedals in fury and it's awesome to watch. It's like Lyle Lovett's Road to Ensenada album - I hate that he had to go through heartbreak to get there, but the result is exquisite.

I don't want to give all the credit to the adversity, Levi has always worked hard and dedicated himself to being a top rider. Then there's maturity, and finally being on a rock solid team, and so on, but the anger has added that extra spark. He has also known what to do with it, using it to fire him up instead of burn him down. And wisely leaving it on the course, remaining the congenial, soft-spoken guy after the racing's done. Having Viatcheslav Ekimov in your ear doesn't hurt either, great to see the Iron Man still in the mix.

I'm so glad we got sunshine and dry roads for the top guys. They were able to go all out, and we got raw, pure competition from several of the best in the business - a true race of truth. The riders did still have the wind to contend with, which makes Levi's win all the more impressive, slight guy that he is. Christian Vande Velde was also mightily impressive, not feeling great at the start and getting blown sideways, but powering through for an excellent third place. If ever we can call second place triumphant, it has to be with David Millar's powerful performance. Phil and Paul's declaration that he is back was choked with emotion, rightfully so. Great day for Slipstream, going 2-3 with Dave Zabriskie not far behind.

Not so great for Fabian Cancellara - as Levi says, these guys are not machines. Fabian was backpedaling a bit in his post-race interviews, skirting the line of making excuses, but I'm trying to give him the benefit of the translation and the disappointment he was feeling. And poor George Hincapie didn't even get coverage on Versus. He's not far enough behind that anyone's going to let him go on a long break, but I'm sure he'll be trying a move today or tomorrow to try and salvage things.

Versus keeps running that commercial with Levi, they must be thrilled he's defending well. But I think they need to rework it a bit. Levi's voiceover declaring himself a "quietly confident" rider is passé. His confidence is loud and proud these days. He's looking like a voracious shark with a fire in his belly. CSC and Slipstream will throw their best at him this weekend, but they just might need a bigger boat.

ToC Stage 4: They're All Studs Today

2008-02-22T00:15:00.004-05:00

Every last one, including Jackson Stewart, who reportedly had to abandon to get treated for hypothermia. Seven hours in the cold, blowing rain. You can't even slap an adequate label on that, it's just plain miserable. A couple of years ago, I got caught out riding solo in a cold and nasty Nor'easter. It was just a 17-mile loop, but I was hanging on for life towards the end. When I made it home and stepped inside, I just stood there, dripping, for the longest time, my body going through all sorts of nasty sensations. I only see out of one eye as it is, and the vision in that "good" eye was blurred for a couple of hours afterwards. I believe the comment I made in my riding diary was: Don't ever do that again. Which is not at all to imply that I have any idea what these guys went through today, but rather to emphasize that I can't imagine. I mean, it's not live combat or anything, but as bike racing goes, a heck of a tough day.

Watching George Hincapie in the break, I kept thinking of his head-to-toe road rash. What does that feel like in the cold and wet, and having to wear clothing on all of it? One imagines he had the idea all day that a stage win would make it worth it, and he did well to at least make the chase, but how disappointing to fall just that little bit short in the end. Watching Dominique Rollin run away with it at the last, in addition to being impressed by the great move, I kept thinking of his bare-nekkid legs! I guess he was pumping them fast enough to keep warm.

Watching Astana toil away interminably at the front until CSC finally took a turn in the last miles, again I thought of France. A team that is willing to do the work, keep things under control, beyond their obligatory defense of yellow. Again, a team you might want to have around in, say, a major stage race.

I finally got the video working today, and watched the last few hours live on the Amgen Tour of California site. The irony was that their cameras were out for over an hour, but credit to Frankie Andreu and JoE Silva (sic) for keeping it interesting. That Frankie is getting good at this commentating thing; he offered some very nice insights from a rider's perspective.

In my best Johnny Carson "I did not know that," interesting to see riders hiking up their jackets just before crossing the line, required to have their numbers showing. Some of them did it, but others were not as attentive. With a day like today, I trust the officials will cut them some slack. Good job to the Kelly Benefit soigneurs, ready with cups of hot tea for their guys at the finish.

David Millar hugging Levi Leipheimer in commiseration after the finish is one of those moments I love in a bike race, but I have to admit my first thought was - no! Slipstream has the dreaded disease amongst them, stay away Levi! David's been going good, though, so hopefully he's still healthy.

More rain predicted for tomorrow - again No! Takes the pure fun out of a crucial time trial, but will no doubt be just as exciting. If nothing else, these days are getting the guys in shape for the Spring Classics. Although I believe the idea was to have fun in the sun before the nastiness Over There. Fingers crossed for the weekend.

Just watched the Versus broadcast. I gushed over Levi yesterday, but I have to say again, I really like the tough, confident competitor he's become. Didn't hesitate for a moment when he looked Bobke square in the eyes and said that yes, he could win tomorrow. Not guaranteeing it, knowing full well who's right behind him, but saying he could - and, the tricky part, believing it. And just when I worried I might be dramatizing the day too much, there Levi says it's in the top three worst days he's had on a bike. For a guy that's ridden his bike most every day since childhood, that's saying something.

ToC Stage 3 - Through The Wringer

2008-02-21T01:00:00.008-05:00

Nah, I'm not talking about the riders, I mean me! Okay, so it was kind of a tough day for them, too, but what an emotional roller coaster to watch.

In the Don't Go Breakin' My Heart category, we have Tyler Farrar having to abandon in yellow with a stomach bug. He was soooo happy yesterday, walking on air, eyes brimming with tears of joy. And today he was sitting so low in the sag wagon, you could barely see him. I hope he takes solace in how well he enjoyed his moment, and the sure knowledge that he'll be back zooming soon. And Mr. George Hincapie. A puzzling move once you saw how it worked out, but I guess you just don't know until you try it. Given how many guys who were just gone on the climbs managed to get back to that close chase at the end, I was surprised he fell so far. Oh well, hope there are brighter days ahead in the spring for George. And what about Tommy Danielson? I really hope he can pull it together this season and continue building on that potential.

But plenty to raise the spirits as well. Paul is coming up with some good lines in this race, today it was Chechu Rubiera as Stud. Chechu seems like such a sweetheart. There was a picture of him a while back, I can't remember where, of him in pajamas with some cute print, and that's how I always picture him. So it's funny to attach the name stud to that, but boy, was it true today! As Levi said afterwards, the Chechu of old with endless cranking ability for his leader.

And I was so proud to see Levi Leipheimer, Dave Zabriskie, and Chris Horner in that tiny lead group, all looking so good! DZ showed us last year he's gotten some climbing legs, keep it up! As a side note, are he and Cozza in some kind of mustache contest? Just as Astana intended it seems, there was even a touch of sadness watching their great work today. Because you see how strong Levi is, and hear what a leader he was during the stage, and see how well his support guys are going, and you can just picture them in France. I don't know if the substantial rumblings can change things at this point, but at least there are rumblings. So while it was tough to see all that grueling work come down to not so much time gained, there were larger purposes served.

Cyclingnews has been mentioning for a couple of days now Scott Nydam's blog, and his extra motivation to get in the breakaways and hang on to that KOM jersey. His dad is fighting cancer, and Scott is doing him very proud. The entry where he discloses his dad's illness is quite moving, and something I can really identify with. I wish them both all the best. With all credit to that, there's also a great little passage about Levi, and what he's done for Scott. If anyone's listening, this Levi guy sounds like a worthy champion any race should be happy to have.

Levi and Gesink were a fierce pair screaming home to victory, but also gave me a chuckle at their distinct Mutt and Jeff appearance. Gesink all lanky, like so many of those Rabobank guys are, and Levi a compact firecracker with those thighs of steel.

I tried to watch some video during the day, but with mixed results. So it was still a disappointment to just have the one hour on Versus. This is the kind of day, if it was the Tour, where you wouldn't take your eyes off the screen. You would feel exhausted just from watching it, and feel like you had shared in something with the riders. I had that a little bit, having followed it all day in one form or another, but it wasn't quite the same. Nevertheless, I'm always glad for what Versus gives us, and glad this race has quickly grown into real coverage instead of those glorified commercials of the first year.

Time Trials are always nail-biters, but Friday is going to be a ripper. So many great clock-racers made it to that lead chase group, Zabriskie, Millar, Cancellara, and of course Levi out in front - and all such great guys, I'll be cheering for them all!

Tour of California Stage 1: Field of Dreams

2008-02-19T00:27:00.003-05:00

Versus is killing me with this late schedule, so I'm just going to rip through this one, kind of like how they ripped through today's race. I can't get over this field, I have to keep pinching myself - he's here, and him, and him, and oh yeah him! Kudos to the ToC, long may it reign. And a women's crit thrown in for good measure, more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

David Millar continues to make the most of his second chance - dropping the field just like that to lead Tyler Farrar out for one of the intermediate sprints, and then pouring it on again towards the end of the stage. Right out of the chute, showing the same passion that was so endearing in last year's Tour de France. I'm glad he made it back into the peloton before second chances were taken off the menu.

I swear Paul was going to say "big Belgian butt," about what Tom Boonen has to drag over the mountains. Cracked me up, he caught himself and hastily said "body" instead.

Levi's kit is more Up With People than Captain America, yes? Who decides that - is it US Cycling, or the team designer? Snappy little outfit, granted, but it doesn't scream USA. Maybe that's the idea, the man does have to ride overseas after all. I wonder if he likes it, or if it's like the year the Olympic medals were mostly glass - you've been dreaming about wearing it your whole life, and then this is what you get. Update: Ah, the wonders of newly installed DSL - I can now watch VeloNews videos to my heart's content. And upon doing so, saw that Neal Rogers helpfully asked Levi about his kit. Levi acknowledged that people are loving or hating it, Neal loves it, Levi asked for something different than the jerseys of recent years, Trek designed it, Levi likes it a lot. Thanks Neal!

Speaking of kits, got a better look at BMC and CSC today - everyone's going with the white theme! I guess Rock Racing used up all the black crayons. Don't even get me started on the whole barbed-wire thing, fashion statement indeed.

Georgie, Georgie - seriously, dude, can we not make crashing in California a tradition? Looks like you made it out relatively okay today, please, stay healthy!

I hate to have the broadcast only be an hour, but it does keep you on the edge of your seat, phew! Way to go JJ and CSC, see y'all tomorrow!

Pale, Restless, and Ready

2008-02-18T00:11:00.002-05:00

You know you're enduring a bad winter when you start to literally dream about clear roads. I had such a dream the night before last, and that was the entire dream - me standing in the middle of a road devoid of snow and ice and sand and salt, laughing and jumping up and down because the road was clear. And smooth. Just as the precipitation this winter in Maine has been diabolical from day one, so now the frost heaves are as bad as ever. The roads have become a jolting, jarring obstacle course straight out of an all-terrain vehicle advertisement. If it's not the actual heaves in the pavement itself, it's islands of packed ice and snow left from the dreaded "wintry mix" of recent storms. I used to pride myself on riding outside at least one weekend a month during the winter, but no such fun this year. When the one real shot came during the January Thaw, I was in the middle of a six-week virus from hell that I'm still trying to recover fully from.

So it will still be a while before I can get out on the roads here, but at least now I can watch cycling again! I've been following the early races online, but nothing gets the juices flowing like hearing the whirs and clicks and seeing the thrills and spills as they unfold. Or as they are sliced and diced into a compact one-hour show, but we'll take what we can get! Now we can see who's showing early form, get accustomed to guys on their new teams, cackle with glee over DZ's latest facial hair stylings, and check out this year's kits. I see Saunier-Duval are still sporting their little pee-pees, Quick-Step is going with more white, High Road has gone completely white - are they all trying to look extra-clean or what? Astana is looking a little funky, and I don't mean that in a good way. And Rock Racing is way-funky - I don't agree with those green stripes, not flattering at all. I know, Michael Ball is Mr. Haute Couture, but I never understood that stuff either, so I guess it stands to reason.

The Tour of Qatar was our appetizer last night on VS. Being crammed into an hour doesn't help, I suppose, but it still strikes me as an odd little race. A slight peloton slogging away on a barren landscape, with very few spectators it seems, even at the finishes. But hey, it's racing and it gives Tom Boonen a chance to get his grinning mug some airplay. It was nice to see Slipstream-Chipotle mixing it up, but of course that hit a sour note with the nasty crash of Maggy Backstedt. Here's hoping he makes it back for some classics. I was also bummed that basketball ran over, so we didn't get to see the TTT stage; that would've been a lovely way to start the viewing season.

And then today we had California, in all its sunny glory, lucky bastards. (I'm not bitter, I'm not bitter…) Did PP & B have jet lag or what? That "pre-game" was dreadful, they couldn't even get it up to talk about Levi and Contador being out of the Tour! Jet lag, or maybe they're as weary as the rest of us with that aspect of the sport, but come on, you gotta be able to muster up some outrage on that one. Although, seeing as we are back in California, it does remind one that our very own race organizers did some pretty sketchy bending of the rules last year to keep Levi in yellow. Totally different scale, yeah, but I'm just sayin'.

The boys finally got their wild excitement on for the actual racing. Which, of course, was going on all during the first hour filler, but as usual we only got to see the second half. It's nice for folks to get to know the new teams, but throw us a bone or two to keep us awake! My eyes did perk up upon seeing a glimpse of Floyd Landis at the pre-race event, and a Floyd Fairness Fund T-Shirt in the crowd at today's race.

I can't say I love the new all-flat opening day, but it's always fun to watch Fabulous Fabian show the field how it's done. As he did so many times last year, Fab gave a finishing effort like no one else's, and reaped the just rewards. Nice to see he's starting right where he left off, hope we get another thrilling season from him. Forget the cheese, he was the answer to "Where's The Beef?" today.

Levi was disappointed to break his "winning streak," but he did just fine for himself. Placed right up among the specialists, and ahead of his likely rivals. I look forward to he and George duking it out in earnest this year, instead of all that drama about who has to work for whom in which races. And I hope Jens can fight this one out too, but those scrapes from his training spill looked nast-y! I hate to see him like that, but I love to see him, and all the guys, back in the saddle again for another season.

Climb Every Mountain

2007-10-12T00:24:00.000-05:00

I loved the bike before Floyd Landis was even born, so I've spent plenty of miles riding with other thoughts in my head, but these days, Floyd is always along for the ride. There are any number of other things knocking around in there, and a lot of just plain enjoying the day, but Floyd is inevitably somewhere in the mix. And it always brings a smile to my face - sometimes wistful, sometimes wry, sometimes mischievous - all with a solid underpinning of defiance. I trust Floyd will carry the same through his CAS journey.

The Sunday after the arb's decision came out was my last big ride before the Cadillac Challenge the following week. In an attempt to make up in intensity what I was lacking in miles logged, I did the Park Loop Road twice. Not overly strenuous, about 44 miles, but plenty of climbing to get the legs moving. The sun was shining, the scenery was sparkling, and I soaked it all in as I rode. I felt the joy and beauty of riding that we all hope Floyd can find again. And so I thought of him, and hoped he might be letting go on a ride himself that day. After I got back to the parking lot at the Acadia Visitor's Center, I was sitting on my bumper, having a snack, soaking in just a little more sun, loving life. As I got up to gather my bag to go change, at that moment, there was a group of Mennonites from Pennsylvania getting back into their van in the next row over.

I stood by my car, staring, struck by the exquisite timing and "it's a sign!" of it all. They probably thought I was just another ignoramus wondering why they were dressed that way. But I was actually jumping up and down inside, thinking, "Hey! Do you see my Smith and Nephew jersey? Do you know what that means? Are you Floyd supporters too?" I almost wanted to shout, "Go Floyd!" but I'm much too shy for that. And I suppose that would make me the ignoramus, making gross generalizations based on their appearance, but hey, they were from Pennsylvania, would it really be a stretch? Heck, you can even leave out the Mennonite part; I grew up in PA and consider Floyd one of "my own." Why I didn't go directly to buy a lottery ticket I'll never know, but I guess I chose to enjoy the synergy of the moment rather than see it as a harbinger of capital gain. I'm sure Arlene would prefer it that way, even if the lottery ticket would be for Floyd's benefit.

I was back in my S&N jersey the following Sunday for the Challenge, and we had another gorgeous gift of a day. There had to be a couple hundred cyclists there, and not one said anything about my jersey. I always wonder if this is: a) because there just aren't as many of us out there as we think, and no one recognized it; or b) because they were secretly laughing at what they saw to be a pathetic fanatic. In either case, their loss, I wore it proud as always!

I did the 72-mile version, and despite my lack of serious miles this year, it flew by. I rode for me, to enjoy the moment and the Park and the day and the challenge. I rode for my Dad, with whom I've shared countless hikes at Acadia, including a howling day up Cadillac Mountain some years ago. And I rode for Floyd, to remember what it's all about, to not lose sight of the joy of riding and what they can't take away.

The diabolical beauty of the Cadillac Challenge is that it ends going up Cadillac, named one of the best climbs in America. I repeated the One Tough Bitch mantra all the way up - I will be forever grateful to Floyd for inspiring it and Amber for perfectly naming it, it gets me up a lot of climbs. Then it was Who's Yer Daddy as I sailed into the summit and slurped the awaiting hot chocolate. The great thing about this ride is that the super-fit Century guys catch up with us Metric mortals somewhere along the Loop Road, and we get to celebrate the summit together.

Speaking of cycling heroes, Tony Mourkas and family are of the highest order - they put on a marvelous ride without all the unnecessary fuss and muss, and with the essentials - good roads, good cheer, and a love of the sport. And of course hot cocoa.

I wish it were as simple for Floyd, and that this next mountain he's chosen to climb were as easy (for him) as Cadillac and the view from the top as spectacular. At the very least, I hope he has a kick-ass ride on his birthday.

The Sun Is Sinking Low

2007-09-21T00:45:00.000-05:00

One of Simon and Garfunkel's lesser-known tunes, The Sun Is Burning is an earth-shattering little ditty. It has a lovely singsong melody that can just slip in one ear and out the other without a second thought. But if you actually pay attention and listen to the words, it is a devastating tale that will stop you in your tracks. The Floyd Landis case is kinda like that. For the ignorant masses, it was a buried story in evening newscasts. If it made an impression at all, it was probably, "is that thing still going on?" For those of us who have been following every detail every day for over a year, it was pretty much how Floyd summed it up - no big surprise, but still hurts like hell.

It's not that all hope is lost. Appeals are possible, other court action is possible. Floyd is young and healthy and strong and will find his way, in professional cycling or not. There are things not even the all-powerful bureaucracy can take away from him (or us). But there was that one hope, that possibility that hung out there in the mist, daring us to dream. The general public will never understand, he will never get that year back, or the endorsements, or the proper party, but…but…if the panel rules for him, that will be something. That will be big news. People will notice. They will reconsider. They will apologize for the ignorant and hurtful arrows they slung his way. He will be a person again, instead of a pundit's plaything. If…If…

But no, it was an afterthought of a story, and just reinforced all the inaccuracies. I was maintaining an even keel most of the afternoon, but I lost it watching PTI on ESPN. I generally enjoy those guys, and have respect for them. They have their silliness and zingers, but I've seen them treat a lot of sensational stories with restraint and sensitivity. And so it made it that much more upsetting to see them spout endless ignorant rants about Floyd and cycling in general. Saying neither he nor cycling deserved any time to be talked about, making Pound-ish comments about his testosterone, hoping he will now go away, even comparing him to O.J. Simpson of all things. I was furious and hurt and really wanted to throw something. Here's hoping John Eustice can corner them in the break room and straighten them out.

The editor in me wants to stop using the word ignorant in every paragraph, but it's such a pillar in this whole fiasco. It's what makes it so frustrating and heartbreaking. It's behind so many comments and actions, from sportscasters to people on the street to the highest officials in cycling. People on the street get a pass, we all can't know everything about everything, but if you don't know, keep your mouth shut. But reporters and, more importantly, officials - I will never understand how they can just blather on with such authority when they're not intimately familiar with the facts. If someone is truly versed in the facts, and has a genuine different opinion, I'm all ears. But I never seem to get that impression from those who get the microphones. I will say that several outfits did do a reasonable job with today's story, staying appropriately neutral and using phrases like "lost his appeal" rather than "did take drugs," acknowledging what the decision was (and was not).

It's such a cliché to put the loss in perspective - of course there are greater crises in the world, this just happens to be one we care a whole lot about. But it is worth considering. As injustices go, some bigger and badder ones were in the news this very day, take your pick. Life sucks all around, as Querns used to say.

And cycling goes on. Ironies abound in the Vuelta. As Oscar Pereiro deals with his new, ahem, situation, Denis Menchov is on his way to getting a "real" win to go along with his win-by-default a couple of years ago after Heras' doping troubles. One wonders - is he pissed that a big doping story is going to get in the way of this one too, or happy that the story isn't so big, so won't get in the way. Come to think of it, he better not be thinking that far ahead anyway, because CSC put on a show Thursday and will be hungry for more on Friday's tough stage. Yes, in case anyone noticed, the Vuelta got it in gear today. Christian Vande Velde and friends had a smashing day, with Carlos Sastre topping it off with the big attack. CVV is the man, doing that at the end of a long season, and hurting like a dog, HTFU indeed. Carlos, dear, same to you and all due respect, but you're really starting to overdo it on the bluffing thing.

Friday is Peace Day, if only. But I will wear my Funky Floyd T with pride, follow the Vuelta breathlessly, and hopefully get in a ride before the sun goes down. Hard to do these days, the sun actually is getting low up here, but I'll find a way - can't keep me off the bike. Right Floyd?

Deutschland Tour Stage 5: True Grit

2007-08-14T19:21:00.000-05:00

Strength in numbers doesn't always work for you. In 1969, Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman had each other in the best actor category, but they split the vote and John Wayne won for the aforementioned cowboy movie of a different kind. And today at the Deutschland Tour, we saw true grit beat the numbers again, as Jens Voigt put on a great, gutsy performance to stay in the lead.

Brutal was the word of the day, as the Pro Tour reached its highest point of the year with the final climb on today's stage. Lampre and Discovery worked hard, and together, up to the base of the climb, setting a hard tempo and trying to isolate Jens. They did a fine job, and it was nice to see the Discovery train at work, knowing I had to appreciate these moments before they're gone! Jens just had Chris Sorensen, but as the climb started in earnest the Disco and Lampre boys melted away, leaving Levi Leipheimer and Damiano Cunego to fend for themselves anyway. Sorensen worked for Jens as long as he could, but fell off as the group shrank even further.

Neither Levi nor Cunego could come through on their teams' work. They gave it a valiant try, but Jens was on a mission and dropped them both in the final kilometers, picking up valuable time before Friday's Time Trial. As the commentators said, Jens has a great suffer face, and it was on all the way up. You know how much he wants this - to defend, to win clean for Germany, for his sport. Big Jens has a big heart, and it was great to watch. David Lopez Garcia had pulled away at about 6K to go, and took the stage, looking very happy crossing the line.

Jens, second on the day, was completely spent. He got off his bike and sat on the ground soon after the finish. He was there, leaning against the barriers, for a good while, toweling off, changing shirts, having a drink. But he was happy, and had that great big grin come podium time.

It was great to see Linus Gerdemann again, with his helmet at that rakish angle - German TV cuts to him kind of like French TV cuts to Thomas Voeckler. Here's hoping Linus actually progresses from his first 15 minutes! Thomas, dear, I kid because I love.

Great shots of the day - the riders went through a toll booth halfway up the climb! You don't see that every day. Good thing it was on the climb, as they were a small group already in single file. There were great shots from the helicopter of the steep grade, it was a monster climb. Several times WCSN dropped the commentary and just showed the feed, and it was really nice. One time was during a stretch of road with no fans, so it was almost silent, just the whir of the helicopter and faint noise of the small pack of riders. It was great to have a few moments of what the riders hear (provided they weren't getting screamed at in their ear). Context aside, something we can all relate to - breathing, pedaling, just trying to get to the top. Those passages were worth the five bucks alone!

Obviously, I love me some Tour, but I like these smaller races too. It really is all about the bike, kind of nice without so much pomp and circumstance. The Devil was still there, though!

Update on Uran - our pond crasher of yesterday. VeloNews reports he was being operated on all night, with broken ribs on both sides. CyclingNews reports that he broke both elbows and his right wrist. Sadly, I'm guessing they're both right, and as CN said, he has a long road ahead of him.

Sprinters stages coming up, Zabel is only one point behind, go Erik!

So In Love

2007-08-11T20:45:00.000-05:00

Amber has nothing to worry about, it's not like that, but I am so in love with Floyd Landis right now! Our boy rocked at Leadville today, and I'm so happy for him I could just burst! It probably helps that I'm a little delirious from a four-hour ride myself today, but hang with me. TBV has good photos and stats, and VeloNews has a good quote. Floyd, baby, you didn't have to take my blood comment literally! Congrats to Dave Wiens on his fifth win - I'm sure if I had followed every detail of his life for the past year, I'd be just as happy for him. ;-) Of course I want Floyd back in Pro Tour races, but if that is not to be, I hope he can keep doing things like this. There is nothing more joyful to me than watching talented people do what they were put on this earth to do. And it seems to make them pretty happy, too. :-)

May I also profess my love for Jens Voigt? And Fabian, and Bobby, and Levi, George and Tommy, and so on and so on. CSC did some rockin' themselves at the Tour of Germany, winning the TTT. Classic Jens - he went for a one-second time bonus yesterday, so he could be in yellow today if the team won. I could quote everything Jens said, because I loved it all, but I'll just give the links, here and here. My personal favorite: "The course was very challenging and almost disgustingly hilly." And in the middle of all that, giving props to the DC riders and staff, a class act as always. Disco came in a solid second, and Tommy D is getting his racing legs back, can't wait to see what he can do!

I was wearing my Smith & Nephew jersey today, and thinking about both of these races as I rode, so it was great to come home and see the results. My ride, all things being relative, was a great one - sunny skies, stunning scenery, a new saddle, and I didn't run into any small children or horses! (It's Acadia in the summer, one has to be thankful for such things.) I even managed to take some photos, I'll try and get them up somewhere soon.

Another Day

2007-08-10T23:50:00.000-05:00

Disco realized they had to explain themselves, and made some interesting comments. (I use "Disco," because it's easier than naming the four guys, and has always meant the team rather than the sponsor anyway.) So, it was a walking away more than a being forced out. I mean, the environment is what they decided they didn't want to deal with, but it was them deciding rather than a lack of sponsors. There's spin there, but I think the spin is backing up why they wanted to leave, not the fact that they did want to leave. The story on Johan (same link) also provides some insight - how this is how he's made each cycling decision along the way, quick and painless. Painless for him, of course; we can still feel bad for the riders and staff. But for the four horsemen, if they're not feelin' it anymore, it makes sense to leave. We thought they might be good pillars for the future of cycling, but if they don't want to fight that fight, as Lance said, they're not our guys. So long, and thanks for all the fish; we'll always have Paris. (someone had to say it ;)

Speaking of fish, plenty other in the sea to be happy about. As Axel Merckx says goodbye, we have a gene-pool double-dipper in Taylor Phinney, who just won the Junior World Time Trial Championship. That's got to be the best medicine for Dad.

The Tour of Germany is under way, with Robert Forster taking the opening stage. As the man said himself, a German rider, on a German team, in a German race, that's got to soothe things in Germany a bit. Also fun to read about Fabian Cancellara working for JJ Haedo, love that team spirit. And next up is a TTT, what's more fun than that?

And Floyd is racing his bicycle, can I get an Amen? As I said, it's been so soothing to read about him training the last few weeks. It's where he belongs, and it means he'll have fun on Saturday. Fun in that blood, sweat, tears, pushing themselves to the limit way that professional cyclists like to have fun. :-)

Wild Blue Yonder

2007-08-10T10:06:00.000-05:00

On the demise of Discovery, just a few thoughts off the top of my head for now:

I had somewhat mixed feelings, which I think mirrors some of the issues in cycling. I've been annoyed at Johan for signing OP riders, and the team's deafening silence on doping issues, and have had my suspicions that Johan is of the old guard. But, how he runs a race is one of the more beautiful sights in all of sports. (see Disco Apocalypse entry) It's like how I feel about Lance - I don't always like him, but I sure do love to see him ride.

Yes, I think Levi will land on his feet, as suggested at VeloNews. But he's a guy who particularly benefited from having a strong team around him, and had finally gotten back to one, so there's something sad in that. Maybe he can go back to Rabobank, they have a rock-solid support team now!

Disco had such a good team atmosphere, despite whatever class system went on, I worry about the guys in that respect also. They seemed to flourish in it; will they be able to continue on the same track with other teams? Guys like Popovych, Danielson, Brajkovic. Johan had great patience in developing riders, I hope they can find that elsewhere. We've seen what a difference team atmosphere can make, like how T-Mobile killed Bobby Julich and others. I'm sure some things were done wrong at Disco, but a lot was done right, it was a tight operation. If the staff all find jobs elsewhere, do they bring that, or does it get diluted?

I agree with Marty, Bruce Springsteen's Dublin Sessions CD is awesome traveling music. And so it is with that version of Blinded By The Light that I think of one of the probable stumbling blocks in finding a new sponsor. Johan's signing of four OP riders. I don't want to go too far on that bandwagon, of it being the sole reason for Disco's demise, but it made an impression. It rankled me, and many others, from the start, and perhaps gave insight into Johan's blind need to win. Yes, it is confounding that the GC and Team winner of the Tour can't find a sponsor, but would the picture be different if it had been Levi on the top of the podium? And I don't just mean the American angle.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed the book, Daniel Coyle was tiresome with his Tom-Wolfe-wannabe symbolism in Lance Armstrong's War. But the basic ideas did have merit, including the river of money flowing beneath the feet of a bunch of (mostly) guys who by luck or design caught the Blue Train. That flow just came to a screeching halt and I imagine some people are going to have some sleepless nights. Here's hoping they followed the age-old advice to diversify and aren't all left holding empty baskets.

Lance and Johan's comments strike me as a tad disingenuous - we might be back if the sport figures itself out. Oh, please, don't do us any favors. ;-) How about staying and fighting and making sure it does? It's a little like - we can't find a sponsor - oh, we didn't want you anyway. Yeah, right, 'cause you had no fun winning the Tour again, huh? Are you telling me Lance can't float them a year to see if the situation improves? Heck, he can even incorporate the cancer thing - Team LiveStrong. Ah, well, as Lance said, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of some form of this program.

TdF Stage 20: Search For Tomorrow

2007-07-30T20:10:00.000-05:00

I always got a kick out of how Lance suddenly looked 12-years old on the podium, year after year. It was like after all the fight and the swagger and the ruthlessness, he was still a kid with a dream. I didn't get that so much with Alberto Contador yesterday, but maybe that's because he already looks 12! He kind of goes the other way, in fact; you get glimpses of fire and swagger that show he isn't just a babyface. Like the way he tugged his jersey around the collar - yeah, that's right, I'm the boss.

There was much made of the youngster versus the veterans in the top three. That works with Levi Leipheimer, but not so much with Cadel Evans. Cadel has a few years on Alberto, but has only been a pro for two more years, and had only a few more career wins coming into the Tour. It's only Cadel's third Tour - and it would have been Alberto's third Tour as well if he wasn't kicked out last year. Cadel has had an amazing path at the Tour - 8th, 5th, and now 2nd. He's not going anywhere, he'll be in the fight for a few more years to come.

Levi could taste it this year, and is rarin' to come back and win it. I'd give him a chance. He saw how much he had left at the end this year, so maybe he can fine-tune that peak-fitness dial and bring it on a little earlier next time.

I have grave doubts that Floyd Landis will ever get another shot. No matter what decision comes down on his case, I can't see him being "allowed" back in this climate. Meaning, even if he's fully eligible, his presence won't be tolerated. I fear he will be the victim of the sea change we saw this year, where no less than the yellow jersey can be plucked from the race by no less than his own team, in a sense because no one wanted to see him win. We thought there was a rush to judgment on Floyd last year, but that got dropped like a sprinter in the mountains compared to the lightning speed this year that the likes of Alexandre Vinokourov got branded an evil heathen after one blood test.

Riders, teams, organizers, fans, and press are all so fed up with the doping, they want it all gone, banished, never to return. There was instant talk of a lifetime ban for Vino, because he was seen as such an insult to the race. Now, whatever ban he might get for his two positives will spell the end of his career anyway, but that's beside the point, the prevailing mood is no mercy, no benefit of the doubt, no second chances. So even if Floyd is completely innocent, and people (other than his original supporters) actually believe it, I think he will smack too much of "that" past, that dark cloud that cycling is so desperately trying to be reborn out of. There were so many things lost by way of Floyd's situation, each of them a heartbreaker, and I hate to think that one of those things is that we'll never get to really see what he can do with that new hip. Maybe I'm being too pessimistic, maybe we'll at least get to see him racing in the other Grand Tours or big races. And maybe something will finally give at LNDD and Floyd can be welcomed back to France. I can't say I'm optimistic, though.

I never paid close attention to Tyler Hamilton's case. He never grabbed me as much as someone like Floyd, and he always has that kind of vacant look in his eyes that doesn't breed confidence. But some of it has come back to me in recent days, with all the Vino talk. And I remember that though this test sounds straightforward, it is fairly new in cycling, with Tyler being one of the first cases. Vanishing twins aside, I think we do owe it to Vino to at least hear him out. In addition to the general climate, I think there were aspects of his background that made judgment come quicker. But I think of how I reacted to people who just wrote off Floyd, and said vile things about him, and it makes me want to be careful with Vino. It has been shown that someone is still stupid enough to use testosterone in the Tour de France, so I know the stupid argument isn't foolproof, so to speak, but really, that would've been so stupid of Vino. Especially given that he doesn't just carry a team or a random company on his back, he's carrying his whole nation.

Oh, yes, we were talking about an actual race, weren't we? Happier thoughts - I thought it couldn't get any better than Eki leading off on the Champs last year, and that's still a Top-Ten moment, but how thrilling was it to see George Hincapie charging down the cobbles to lead the peloton home. Resplendent in his Stars and Stripes, the ultimate road captain shepherding another yellow jersey to victory. Tears and goose bumps all around.

George is a perennial favorite of mine, along with Jens Voigt and assorted others. This year added some new favorites, guys who represented the soul of the Tour and kept me smiling through all the difficulties. There was Fabian Cancellara, such a delight the first week. And even though he tired as the race wore on, he kept smiling and working for the team and trying to get another win here and there. He was even up amongst in yesterday, coming in just behind the sprinters.

And David Millar, wearing his heart and his prickly heat on his sleeve. I can't imagine how uncomfortable and exhausting it must have been to fight that rash every day, but it didn't dampen his effort one bit. He gave his all in a number of breakaways, and remarkably also in the mountain stages, sometimes setting a crushing pace for the whole peloton. His frank and heartfelt comments on the doping issue were moving and refreshing, and credible from someone who's been there. As if he hadn't been through enough already, then his tires explode, on two different bikes, on the final TT, unbelievable. He was close enough to the start that they could ride Iban Mayo's bike to him so he could at least keep on riding, but of course all was lost in terms of time on the stage. I look forward to seeing him bring it again next year, hopefully with fewer problems!

I guess there's only so many times I can express respect and affection for Yaroslav Popovych, but he just came through every day, how can one not take notice? His hard work and positive energy were a joy to watch and inspiring to witness, right through the final TT and the ride into Paris. Once upon a time he was going to be the Next Big Thing, but he hit a plateau, and here comes Contador just sweeping right by him. But Popo did take a big step up this year, and perhaps found he is better suited as a super-domestique. Or maybe he will be a late(r) bloomer, 8th on GC ain't bad! Wherever he finds his place, I'll be watching and cheering him on. Yes, there are an abundance of good memories from this Tour, I wish everyone could've seen as much of them as that other stuff.

A hearty thanks for all the support and encouragement to keep me coming back day after day. It's always great to talk Tour with people that "get" it! I don't know who's in and who's out, but I'm already looking forward to the Vuelta!

R.I.P. Bill Walsh, a genius and a pioneer.

TdF Stage 19: Unchain My Heart

2007-07-28T13:14:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's almost time for the Tour to set me free for another year, but I'm savoring every last drop. I can't say it was as emotional as in some years past, but the final TT was as thrilling as it gets and I was literally on the edge of my seat (when I could stay seated, that is). I was rooting hard for Cadel Evans and Levi Leipheimer, but also wanting Alberto Contador to make it through safe and sound. I'm always so relieved when nothing weird happens on the course, so it's just a true race against each other. Poor David Millar doesn't have that satisfaction, but I can't imagine he would've beaten Levi today. Levi finally showed that full fire, and took a well-deserved monster win.

I can't do the whole "8 Seconds" thing, it just makes me think of Luke Perry and a sad story about a bullfighter dying young. (Although, that would fit right in with Versus.) I know, 8 Seconds in the Tour means LeMond, but they didn't make a major motion picture called that, so I go with Luke. Anyway, the chain incident does indeed come back to haunt Levi - he was penalized 10 seconds in Stage 8 after getting a little extra help returning to the peloton after his mechanical. Would he really not have made it back to the pack without that? Who knows, and I doubt Levi will dwell on it.

I also don't think he (or we) should dwell on questions of sacrifices and maybe not having to lose as much time on Cadel. If Levi didn't take the second place bonus on Stage 16, you might have an argument, but he did and he was going as hard as he could, so I don't know that he could've taken much more time from Cadel there than he did. Levi had plenty of opportunities in the early mountain stages and in the first TT to get time or keep even with Cadel, but he just couldn't bring it. And it was Contador's success that blew Evans up on Stage 14, where Levi took over a minute on him. So I think it all pretty much shakes out in terms of Levi and Contador helping each other. All three of these guys are obviously pretty evenly matched, so it could have gone another way, but I don't think anyone was robbed by the way it did go. Levi seemed very happy and at peace with his emphatic stage win and his podium finish, as he should be.

Cadel might have gotten it if he didn't blow on 14, but maybe he had to do that to learn how to go in the remaining stages, so again, I think it all works out in the end. They can all be happy and proud of how they fought to the last and made it through. May they all be back again next year, when the lines are (hopefully!) more clearly drawn. Which perhaps would mean Levi needing to find another team, is Slipstream still looking for a top GC contender??

Hat's off to Carlos Sastre for holding his fourth position. And to Popo and George for making it four in the top ten for the TT for DC. Fun times tonight in the Discovery camp. And to Chris Horner and Christian Vande Velde, they've both had a great Tour, great attitudes, and they both finished strong.

I don't think Cadel will try anything tomorrow, the green jersey is still up for grabs and the sprinters won't let that opportunity go. Discovery will have to be attentive, though, and watch for the gaps at the end. Levi has already promised not to "pull a Vino," probably helps that he was on the receiving end of that one a couple of years ago.

Lance was pretty subdued. Probably jet lag, but also probably doesn't know what to do with not being the center of attention at the Tour. And he wouldn't want to be, but it will still probably be weird for him to take a back seat at the victory party.

There's talk of a major rider statement on the Champs tomorrow, that should keep things interesting. Again, we've got green up for grabs, but if they do something on the first pass and then let the stage run out, maybe everyone will be happy. Riders taking a stand is crucial, but so to is showing that the race lives on. The race was alive with a great three-way battle for GC today, so here's hoping the top three sprinters give us another thriller tomorrow in their battle for green.

TdF Stage 18: Keep On The Sunny Side

2007-07-27T23:31:00.000-05:00

As rumors swirl of another prominent positive, let's just enjoy today, shall we? It was hard to know who to root for in the breakaway, for there were three compelling stories to choose from. There was Axel Merckx, the son of the greatest rider ever, coming to the end of his accomplished career. It sounds like there's a healthy attitude in the Merckx family, no one expecting Axel to be Eddy, but still, it can't have been easy to follow in dad's footsteps when they were so huge. Sentimental as we all were for him, it came as a heart-wrenching surprise to see him so emotional at the end. It was so touching to hear him talk of how he appreciated every moment of the day, especially the crowds lining the roads. We've heard that from a lot of riders the last few days, how it is so heartening in these tough times to see that people still love the sport. But especially for guys like Axel, who have the misfortune to have their final cycling days marred by all of the turmoil. So it is gratifying, and instructive, to see that he could put that aside and take all the good from the day. There was a nice moment when one of the scribbling reporters in the scrum around Axel suddenly realized that Merckx was getting emotional, and the reporter's face instantly softened and he was drawn away from his notebook for a moment. Yes, folks, let's take a moment to appreciate the humanity.

And then we had Michael Boogerd, exhibiting the renewed attitude of the Rabobank squad, flying the colors proudly and hoping for a stage win to salvage things for himself and the team. Also on his final Tour, he certainly did not want to go out on the negative note of the previous day. A valiant effort, and even without a victory, it lifted everyone's spirits. The funny thing about Dutch TV - they will cut away from anything to show a post-race interview with Boogerd, no matter what he did in the stage. Aliens could come from the sky and pluck the yellow jersey from the road, and we would still be watching the Boogey-man and his beyond-pearly whites. Not that I blame them, he's been a great rider for many years, and did a classy job this year.

Sandy Casar became an instant compelling story after yet another spectacular dog-meets-bike crash. (And what is up with that anyway?) His painful backside had a long, hot day in the sun, not to mention his elbow and shoulder and whatever else got scraped up. It showed great heart and guts to continue on in the break, and then pull out a thrilling win. After his close seconds, and a day like that, I was happy to see him hold them off in the end.

Interesting to see Levi in the sweeper spot today, I guess he could trust Predictor-Lotto to have his back.

Loved what I saw from Cadel Evans today. He's left the whining behind and even had a bit of swagger in his pre-race comments. Not in an obnoxious way, but in a relaxed, confident way. Very encouraging. And love the heads-up move to take three seconds from Contador and Leipheimer, that's a guy on his game, ready to take it all!

You could parse lost seconds until the cows come home, and I don't think the Kid is going to lose sleep over it, but it's just one of those little signs. And I always wondered if those 10 seconds Levi got penalized after the chain incident would come back to haunt him. We shall see.

Please, please let it come down to silly talk about seconds, and not syringes. I was supposed to have a hard time going to sleep tonight in giddy anticipation of the TT, but now I've got the sickening adrenalin rush of anticipating more bad news. Alright, time to think of Axel and keep on the sunny side.

TdF Stage 17: I Hear A Symphony

2007-07-26T19:59:00.000-05:00

When text updates simply aren't enough, I pull up Dutch television on my computer to keep an eye on what's happening at the Tour. (Which means I watch some parts of the stage three times before the day is done, but that's a therapy subject for another time.) It being Dutch, I turn down the volume. So there I was today, just wanting a glimpse at faces and attitudes and mood in the peloton. I had NPR playing classical music on my radio, and there were the riders gliding through the heat and sunflower fields in their various bright colors. And it was really cool. It was relaxing, reassuring, and affirming.

There was a Disco rider (Popo?), with a gently guiding hand to place Contador in the sweet spot in the line - that's you, Kid, slide in. (Although, I did notice that Levi actually occupied that second-to-last spot in the Disco train for most of the day. The Kid may be "in" yellow, but Levi still wears number one.) And there was Chris Horner making Cadel Evans smile. And there was the break, David Millar with his purple body and Jens Voigt with his bandaged leg, this is what it's all about. Phil and Paul are great, but every once in a while, I would highly recommend turning them down and turning the music up and just letting the beauty soak in.

Speaking of Phil and Paul, kudos to them for mentioning the trees in Mali several times. Poor David Millar was in a press conference about the trees when the Vino news broke, and was sure everyone would forget all about it. Millar's time in the breakaway today will double the trees planted for every kilometer he rode.

I have no idea what Robbie said about the finish today, I couldn't take my eyes off the enormous T-Mobile bus headed straight for him!

Christian Vande Velde's diary at VeloNews is always a must-read, and no less so today. He's going to be so happy to see that baby girl of his when the race is over, how sweet that will be.

TdF Stage 16: Are We There Yet?

2007-07-25T21:47:00.001-05:00

Can we at least see rock bottom from here? Please? Everyone was dying for it to happen, if only Michael Rasmussen could disappear, we could all be relieved. But oddly enough, this made me cry more than anything. (Although honestly, Cofidis had me sniffling already, so I was ripe for releasing some stress.) As Discovery said, no one is smiling tonight. It's a horrid situation, and it is small consolation that at least it happened before Sunday. And before Saturday, so we can at least have one "real" race for yellow.

Unlike some previous leaders, Rasmussen was far from a lock in the final TT, so I think whoever wins shouldn't have too big an asterisk by their name. But if you're going to win the Tour, you really wouldn't want it to be this year. I don't know, we'll have to see how the remaining days go. If this is finally the end of the departures, maybe some joy can be salvaged. If I was doing anything illegal at this Tour, I would slip away now claiming fatigue from today's tough stage, and not risk taking my team and the sport down with me.

What I cry for, aside from the sport in general, is the teammates. I didn't feel it as much for Astana, because Vino was the reason the team existed and all ambitions were subservient to his. But Andreas Kloden's remarks today remind me that the sadness is felt just as heavily there. Cofidis, though, I wept for that tragedy this afternoon. I don't know the rest of the guys, I don't know if they're all clean, but I have no reason to think they aren't. And so I can't fathom the betrayal by Cristian Moreni (who has admitted to taking testosterone, at least we have that closure).

How many chances do you get to finish a Tour? How many chances do you get to be the best-placed Frenchman, as Sylvain Chavanel was at the end of today? And Bradley Wiggins, so proud to ride in a Tour that began in his homeland. It was the first Tour for some, and now they can't say they finished it on their first try. Was it the last for anyone? Stephane Auge busted his ass to get in a breakaway today, and suffered a long time before being caught up. All the while L'Equipe was breaking the news (don't even get me started on that). And who can forget the great sportsmanship between Auge and Chavanel around the mountains jersey back in the first week? That was a beautiful example of team loyalty. And now they get to leave with a team branded by the worst kind of team betrayal.

These riders had the skill, heart, and good fortune to get through the mountains, and Paris was in sight. But now they are forced to leave at the team sponsor's request. It's probably a good thing that Moreni was taken away by the gendarmes, I'd be afraid if I were him. Which is not to accuse any of his teammates of being violent, but one does get lost in a moment when presented with such a crushing blow. I can't begin to imagine.

And Rabobank. The remaining riders are allowed to start tomorrow if they want. I wonder, will any of them want to? They will be either completely deflated and wondering about the point of it all, or good and pissed and defiant and come out heads raised high. Because I think everyone knew the score there. They were sympathetic figures, it was clear there was no joy on the team, but they did their jobs unreservedly. Thomas Dekker has the spotlight of being a future hope riding in his first Tour, and then had the pressure of working like a dog for the yellow jersey, and he rose to the occasion. He hung in there and put in the extra kilometer each day, until he could give no more. Michael Boogerd, in his last Tour, did the same, giving his all, and getting up the next day and doing it again. And how about Denis Menchov? At least Levi could still sort of work for himself after Contador's rise. Menchov became a full domestique, following Boogerd and Dekker in their devotion to the jersey. Now, to be fair, he blew up himself, so it wasn't like he sacrificed his chances, but still, he's a Grand Tour winner dragging a questionable teammate up the mountains.

With the rider protest this morning, and who knows what is going on tonight in hotel rooms, and what tomorrow will look like, it is good to see the riders rising up to take a stand. I don't judge them for not doing it this strongly in the past, how can I say what those dynamics were. But so many are trying so hard to keep it clean now, the anger is there and the limits are being set. It's not just going to be suspensions or warnings anymore, I think it's going to be complete ostracism by your colleagues, and you won't be welcomed back in the peloton, no matter what the UCI says.

The way some guys are still going at it, who can say what it takes to get through to the remaining dopers, but I have to think this kind of rider against rider firmness will make an impact. And taking your whole team with you, that's got to make someone think twice, doesn't it? This is how it changes, but that doesn't make it fair that these innocent casualties of the past couple days are the guys that have to pay the price in the process.

I never got to make a real comment on Alexandre Vinokourov, though that seems so beside the point now. But I wasn't furious with him yesterday. I shook my head and laughed in disbelief at the stupidity of it all. Some immediately painted him as an evil-doer and couldn't wash their hands fast enough. But that's the thing, he wasn't a bad guy. People loved and respected him. David Millar talked of his class and beauty even while devastated by the news. Phil and Paul appeared to love him like a son. This is not to say he shouldn't be condemned, or that he didn't horribly betray his team, but just to say it's complicated.

I can't say I was shocked. He's old school, he was with heavily doping teams (the old T-Mobile, Liberty-Seguros), and came out of that Eastern bloc system. But you hope that people realize that time is over, that it just can't be done anymore. It just goes to show you how ingrained it is. For some riders, there may be nothing for it, the change will never come. Vino has denied it, it should be noted, but two positives from two different days on what is said to be a straightforward test does not bode well. I don't have hardness in my heart for Vino, I can be funny that way, just sadness at what we and he lost, and at what must be in his head to do such a thing.

It would be a really pointless exercise to go into all of the what-ifs, but just considering the scope of that is gut-wrenching. And something the other contenders will have to struggle with, to keep it at bay and focus on the future. But all Levi and Cadel and others gave under the pressure of Rasmussen, the way they had to race, what they might have lost, where they might have been, it's overwhelming. I believe Levi and Cadel are in a good position to get to where they should rightly be. Go Cadel, go Levi, one of you in yellow in Paris will go a long way.

I don't think Alberto Contador will wear yellow tomorrow, surely that will be one of several symbolic statements made. I'll be curious to see what else is expressed, and how.

It's largely pointless to comment on today's stage, I've found myself not paying much attention to my second viewing this evening, because so much of it doesn't matter or is frustrating to think about. But a few things still come through. Kid Contador finally looked like one today, young and vulnerable. I hope that's a good sign. Juan Mauricio Soler looks straight out of Triplets of Belleville, at least that still gives me a laugh! And have I ever loved Al Trautwig more - well, okay, I've never loved him period - than this morning when he so rightly put the Tour's woes in complete context with the rest of what's going in sports today. Who knows if anyone will see it that way after today, but at least he said it. Chris Horner (who I rarely mention, but I have been delighted with his success) and Christian Vande Velde (likewise) had great statements on Versus tonight (given this morning of course). I hope that pride and "let's move on without the garbage" attitude carries the day tomorrow and through Sunday.

TdF Cluster@&$# Day: Vut Game Play?

2007-07-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

But you know, in the moment, it was still a beautiful thing. And therein lies the problem, I suppose.

Flat out of time, and really ought to get a few hours sleep before the big stage, so I'll just leave it at those who are in the best position to comment and who have echoed my sentiments precisely:

David Millar, as quoted by Agence France, via TBV:

I'm sad. He's one of my favorite riders. You can't do that to cycling; you can't do that to clean riders; you can't do that to the Tour de France. I race the Tour de France without a single injection. I want people to believe in my sport; I want people to believe in the Tour de France.

Christian Vande Velde, at VeloNews:

Cycling will always be a beautiful sport no matter how many people disgrace it. And the Tour de France will always be the headliner.

TdF Stage 15: A Beautiful Thing

2007-07-23T20:08:00.000-05:00

One of the more beautiful sights of this or any Tour took my breath away today. Alexandre Vinokourov, with that handsome aqua and gold jersey flapping, the sun shining down, and his compact body cruising up the Peyresourde on his way to an emotional victory for all involved. I swear, Astana should take on Kleenex as a sponsor.

Vino rode a smart race again, not going too early like some unfortunate others who were left gasping in the end. No use dwelling on it, but boy, he would've been a winner without that crash, that would've been nice to see. But we'll take what we can get, and today was a treasure. Bite my tongue, but emotionally it was similar to 17. Vino wasn't coming back to yellow, but he was coming back to himself, just as he did in the TT. He's still talking of this having been his last shot, and though I'd love to see him back, he may have a point, if the Contador years are about to begin.

Oh, how I wish tomorrow wasn't a rest day. It seems odd to say of a man who increased his lead over much of the field today, but I think Michael Rasmussen is on the ropes. Alberto Contador nearly cracked him more than once, and like Phil and Paul, I got the evil giggles in anticipation of Wednesday. On the up side, Rasmussen was not his best after the last rest day, so maybe he doesn't take them well. On the down side, rest is rest and he could take the time to recover mentally as well as physically, because I'd say he was about at his limit on both today. Plus his team, valiant as they have been, are starting to show the fatigue they must be feeling.

I think 2-5 still have a shot, and hope they have a good rest day and come out firing. Rasmussen could yet have his Stage 16 (sorry Floyd!) and not have another mountain day to make it up. And the final TT is flat, and he'll be that much more fatigued, so it could be a different story from the first. Remember, Andreas Kloden passed Cadel Evans on last year's final TT, so there could be plenty of shuffling right to the end. We may yet all breathe a sigh of relief. And yes, that is totally biased in favor of everyone else in the field, but so be it, Rasmussen doesn't give me the warm fuzzies. And we'll leave it at that on Vino's sunny day.

Cheers to Popo and George, heroic again on the day. Loved that feature on Serge Bolee, what a sweetheart for such an imposing figure! Johan has quite the man-crush on Contador, that was a cute bit, and interesting to hear that the Kid has a sound mind to match his body. Sounds like a danger man for years to come!

TdF Stage 14: Disco Apocalypse

2007-07-22T13:01:00.000-05:00

(apologies to Jackson Browne, if I must ;)

Down the mountain in the autobus
There be sprinters noodlin' two by two
Their jerseys open, laughs are few
And their bodies weary through and through
And it's a long way straight up to Plateau De Beille
While Johan gets on the radio waves

Gets big George on front, starts the fight
Peloton stretched, a tail on a kite
As the road goes up out goes the light
Then Popo hops on to give them a fright
Poundin' their hearts, swingin' their hips,
Turnin' their feet, lickin' their lips

Today's the day I'm gonna make you mine
Gonna dance on the pedals and make some time
Then Levi starts jumpin'
And some guys are crackin'
And there's Conta pumpin'
And the Chick is yackin'
And the world is right there waiting
At their finger tips
Disco… apocalypse

They've been clearing their throat, we knew they wanted to make a statement, things were looking a little risky for Levi, and finally today they came out to play in earnest. Bravo, boys, you're well on your way. Discovery played their cards to perfection today, and didn't appear to blow themselves up doing it, so here's hoping they can keep it up tomorrow and Wednesday. Don't get me wrong, I'd be perfectly happy for Cadel Evans and Andreas Kloden to still do well, and hope they come back strong in the next two stages. But for now Disco is the one making all the right moves.

What a fun time they'll have tonight at the dinner table. (In contrast to Saunier-Duval - yikes! - you couldn't pay me to sit in on that one.) Johan and the older guys will keep them focused on tomorrow, but they’ll have some laughs for sure. It's not always easy to see who's doing the work in the earlier part of the stage, so forgive me if I don't mention the entire Disco team, I'm sure they all worked at some point. But we have to give special mention to the final four.

There was George Hincapie on the valley road, setting a brisk tempo, and setting things up for the climb. And then when he faded as the climb started, there was my new hero Yaroslav Popovych. I've always loved him, but I really love him this year, he's just been outstanding. Catching back on on the previous descent, bringing water as Johan said, and then right up there on the final climb, setting a brutal tempo. My heart leapt the first time we got a shot of the group whittled down to about ten riders - yes, now we're getting to it! And then the group was eight, with three of them still being Discovery, well done. Then when Popo inevitably gave his gift to the commentators and "popped," Levi Leipheimer gave a nice little dig to keep the momentum going.

Then, after some delightful shadow-boxing amongst the final few, it was all Alberto Contador. Michael Rasmussen had been isolated for a while, he was looking a little panicky, and he could not shake Contador, try as he might. It looked like Rasmussen tried to make some kind of deal or something with Soler, because after they talked Soler shot up the road, but nobody took the bait, and then they all came up again. I'll be curious to hear what that was about.

Update: Something else I noticed upon the second viewing - when Contador took a minute to go to the back of the group, I thought this morning that he was just checking everyone out. But I saw this evening that he actually went back and picked up Sastre, and brought him back up to the group. (Sastre had dropped back with Kloden, who was just about officially dropped.) This accomplished two things: completely isolate Kloden, so he would have no help keeping tempo to limit his losses (until he got a teammate); and bring Sastre up as a little parting gift to Levi, since Contador was about to head up the road. Sastre is a steady climber like Levi, and since Levi didn't have to work, Sastre paced him right up the rest of the climb, until Levi put a little time in him at the finish. Brilliant!

And even more curious to hear about the argument Rasmussen and Contador were having in the final kilometers! Okay, we're finishing up one of the toughest ascents in the Tour, but let's take time and energy to argue! Too funny. You're in yellow, Michael, it's up to you to defend. Contador was working for Levi, he doesn't have to help you. Working for Levi? Darn right he was. The added bonus is, he helps himself in the process, and gets a coveted stage win. [Well, apparently it wasn't an argument, but a deal in the making. A deal Rasmussen promptly reneged on. Nice.]

Contador may yet end up in yellow, it's quite possible, but the key is he doesn't have to. He's so young and has plenty of time for future victories, not to mention plenty of youthful energy. And this sets Disco apart from the other two-headed monsters in the race. So Contador can push hard today and get his stage win, and if he can push hard tomorrow as well (and I think he might), great. But if he can't, he worked Rasmussen very hard, and Rasmussen will be softened up for Levi and whoever else wants a shot tomorrow. I may be wrong, but I think Rasmussen can be cracked.

Levi kept up his end of the bargain, coming in fourth and putting time in on the rest of the contenders. Makes me (and no doubt him) wish he had been able to do better in the TT yesterday. But finally today we saw him do more than just hang in there. He didn't light it up, but in his steady way, he ended up ahead of most of the pack. If he can build on that, he's still in it for sure, go Levi!

Cadel, buddy, I was counting on you! I was very sorry to see him fall back, but tomorrow is another day. And Wednesday. And Saturday. He's still got some chances. Kloden as well, especially with his TT skills. Alejandro Valverde, on the other hand, not so much. His legs may come good again, but no one is going to let him take back big time if they can help it. He's another young one, though, he'll be consoled if he can make it through to his first Tour finish.

I shed very different tears for Alexandre Vinokourov today. I'm glad he went for it yesterday, he had no other choice, and he got his stage win. Easy for me to say, but don't give up Vino, come back next year for another go! Third time is the charm! (Third time coming to the Tour to win, that is.)

But on the whole, thanks for a great day boys, you make me feel like dancin', I'm gonna dance the night away…

TdF Stage 13: Proud Vino

2007-07-21T17:53:00.000-05:00

As if TTs weren't nerve-wracking enough, we get rain too? I'm so glad it let up for the later guys, but so sad it ruined Fabian Cancellara's day! I didn't want to see that face again coming across the line, the same he had in Stage 2. Ah well, if he's not too banged up, the final TT probably suits him better anyway! I don't know how these guys do it (and I guess some of them don't), the TT is such an intense, nervous endeavor. And when there's climbs in the TT, lordy! There was that guy running with the flag, I couldn't believe it. Hey buddy, this isn't Alpe d'Huez! And another fan appeared to give a butt smack, I think it was to Vino. Somebody lock these people up!

TTs are something of a paradox. The riders are so vulnerable, out there all alone with the vehicles having to keep a certain distance. And yet they show such great strength, cutting through the wind with enormous power.

Alexandre Vinokourov's ride brought me to tears, big surprise. Tears of pride and awe for his fighting spirit. He's such a quiet man, but what a fire he has deep inside. I hope there is some left for the mountains. I wonder if his thinking is that the TTs are where he needs to make up the most time, because he is impaired on the climbs by his knees. But his knees may also be getting better, we'll see tomorrow. Today was also perhaps his best chance at a stage win. In any case, he knew that today was a day to go for it and pour all of that frustration into one angry pedal stroke after another. Like Cancellara in the Prologue, Vino was here to win today.

And quite notably, Vino did not take all kinds of risks to do so. He rode very sensibly. He poured it on when he could, and eased way off when he had to. He rode a patient race - with fierce strength, but also with patience. Who would've thought it, that "crazy Kazakh" taught the peloton a lesson in control today. If his knees are coming around, and he can go for it in the mountains as well, perhaps there is a silver lining to the rough time he's had up to now. It prevented him from going all-out for three weeks solid and possibly blowing up at some point. So maybe now he'll be able to put in a concentrated effort in the final week and drag himself back to the podium. Speaking of the podium, he was quietly proud there this afternoon, just how he rode the stage.

His wasn't the only lesson of the day. Whether it was dumb luck or untoward risk, a lot of guys fell today. But a lot of them got right back up and got on with business, still taking the top placings. And it wasn't as if they all fell and that equalized it, they were mixed in with guys who managed to stay upright. I don't know if anything can really help the nerves (mine or theirs!), but it's a good reminder that even if disaster strikes, you can still be right up there if you don't panic. So hat's off to Andreas Kloden, Yaroslav Popovych, and Valdimir Gusev for keeping it together and finishing strong while their kits were torn and tattered.

Astana was the team of the day, but Discovery had a good showing as well. Alberto Contador is sitting pretty in third with the mountains coming up, he'll be fun to watch in the coming days. Levi Leipheimer was disappointing, it has to be said, but ended up not doing too bad. Definitely second-tier though. Interesting to note, I believe it was Dirk Demol in Levi's follow car. So I assume Johan Bruyneel was driving Contador's. Contador is higher in GC, so it makes sense, but you know, just interesting. Heck, it could just be a language thing, I gather Contador doesn't speak English. I already mentioned Popovych, and want to add that he gets an A for effort so far in this Tour. You can see it every day in his face, and it's producing great results.

But when it comes to really disappointing, thy name is Alejandro Valverde, ouch! He's been going so well so far, I was happy for him, happy that we finally get to see what he can do when he makes it through a couple of weeks in the Tour. But today was a hard, hard day in the saddle for him, getting passed by Michael Rasmussen no less. Now, Rasmussen showed he can actually TT today, so that's not quite the stigma it might have been, but still, not good to get passed by anyone if you're going for the whole ball of wax.

As for Rasmussen, you have to give him much credit for not folding under pressure today. Not only the pressure of yellow, but the doping stories as well. I don't know if anyone expected him to repeat 2005, but they expected him to lose more than he did today. I'm not sure how he'll go in the Pyrenees. I don't think it's a sure thing that he'll be able to pedal away on all three stages. He's used to doing one big stage and then trying to hang in there on the rest. He was struggling on the Galibier, though still towards the front. It will be interesting to see what he can do.

Good on Cadel Evans! He also handled the pressure well, and showed that his fine form in the mountains is translating seamlessly to the TT. Of course now the pressure will really start, but if he can keep up with Contador in the mountains, he's looking good for yellow. But not a lock by any means.

Today shook things up, but I'm not sure it sorted things out. Given how guys are going hot and cold, it could very easily end up entirely differently in the mountains. Even for the guys who lost big today, I wouldn't write them off. Any one of them could tear it up in the next three stages, and maybe no one can follow on the final climb. It's not such a guaranteed thing anymore, that if you've shown strength up to now it's going to stay at a certain level for the remaining week. And that's not necessarily a doping comment. Maybe that is a factor, but we also don't have a Michael Jordan in the bunch, they're more evenly matched plain and simple. Who knows what tomorrow brings, in a world few hearts survive…

TdF Stage 12: Blowin' In The Wind

2007-07-21T08:24:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the yellow jersey, Michael. I bet Rasmussen wished he had some lieutenants to break the wind for him in the press scrum on Friday. The administrative issues appeared to be another tacky salvo in the war between ASO and the UCI, though the UCI is denying this vigorously. The cow blood allegations reported at VeloNews would appear to have no UCI connection, but it's annoying how it works out for them just the same. Which isn't to take ASO's side, I don't know what all those issues are, but either way, it ends up hurting the sport. As I made excessively clear at Marty's, I'm square on the side of cycling.

We'll have to see where the cow blood story goes, but after Christian Vande Velde's strong comments about Sinkewitz, I have to wonder about Rasmussen's safety in the peloton. If not his actual physical safety, then just about those little things that the peloton does to leave a rider swinging in the wind. This case is different, it's five years ago, and so far just a random allegation. But the riders can't be happy to have another big cloud over the race.

A pretty standard stage on the day, in terms of results, but the infantry was working hard in the wind again, protecting their captains. All the top teams were in good form, rallying around their guys, it must've been tiring, especially after doing the same the day before. Kudos to Cadel Evans for giving the guys a shout out at CyclingNews.

Gotta love that most of the jerseys are still in play, with a close top three in both the sprinter's and mountains jerseys. The polka dots may soon get out of reach in the Pyrenees, but Popo and Soler were still fighting on Friday. And it was 1-2-3 across the finish for the sprinters.

Nice handshake by the breakaway partners at the end. I have a little checklist in my head for each Tour, those little things I want to see at least once during the three weeks. Breakaway handshakes, newspapers up the jerseys on the descents, shenanigans in the peloton on a slow day, loyal teamwork - like Axel Merckx coming to life when Floyd came up to him last year, on L'Alpe d'Huez I think, giving his water bottle and his all as long as he could.

This Tour route has caused a lot of poker, but it is exciting, to have it all come down to the last week. I just hope the TT on Saturday isn't diminished by the mountain stage to follow. Should be a nail biter, though, looking forward to it!

TdF Stage 11: Attack, Attack, Attack!

2007-07-19T10:42:00.000-05:00

That one's for my brother. ;-) He likes to describe Vino that way. Ironically, one could've used it to describe Moreau the other day. But the worm turned today, and made for a great day of racing! Shades of the Vuelta as the wind and Astana split the peloton and sent the race into chaos.

Astana put on an impressive display to make the gap stick, and then all the teams started joining in to keep it going. After all the poker of recent days, it was great to see so many teams pulling together, rotating through in seamless fashion. It was awesome, it was like the United Colors of Beat the Crap out of Moreau (and Zabel and Hushovd).

Not that I don't feel bad for those who got dropped, Zabel and Hushovd are great guys, and Moreau has been doing so well for France. But the racing was great, and it was fun to watch! Guys must've been peeing their pants, and not just out of fear. No way you could slow down for a nature break during that!

It's already being called revenge on Moreau, I don't know about that, it would be no more revenge than Moreau's attacks the other day were. It's bike racing. Vino's a racer, he knows there are no real rest days. There's always something you can do, you keep fighting, even if it's getting one guy at a time. I wondered as it went along if he wanted to take the stage, salvage something and show he's still there. He's beaten sprinters before, on the Champs no less. But he went early on his little flyer, so I don't know if he was really going for it there or just trying to keep the pressure on. In any case, he did remind the field that he and Astana were still a force to be reckoned with, great to see.

Fabian, you nut! Going for the hat trick, I love it! Note to CSC - don't ever leave this boy off the Tour team again!

Glad for Robbie Hunter, he's been trying so hard. And it was such a heartbreak last year, when he got timed out a day before Paris, because he had to ride the TT standing up.

Tomorrow's no slouch of a stage either, can't wait to see what unfolds!

TdF Stage 10: Will They Ever Learn?

2007-07-19T00:53:00.000-05:00

Trick question. Am I talking about riders who continue to dope? Or am I talking about the media, riders, and administrators who jump to hasty conclusions before all of the evidence is in? Time may tell on the first one (and that's a big may, given Floyd's situation). But either way, the second one applies, and is about as frustrating as the first.

We have Versus putting up a graphic on the screen saying that Patrik Sinkewitz had high levels of testosterone back in June. Do we know that? It was weeks (months?) before Floyd got his full results, showing his normal testosterone level. From what I've seen, we have a leaked report of a 24:1 ratio on an A sample. Is it that hard to understand that the high ratio can come from either of two factors (high T or low E)? Are we so concerned about image that we have to make the harshest statements we can, even though we don't even have a B "confirmation" yet? It's moments like these that make me wonder if there are only a handful of us Floyd geeks out there, and no one else has been paying an ounce of attention to the devilish details.

One wonders what Floyd is feeling this evening. On the one hand, seeing this same pattern of leaked information and rush to judgment, he must be banging his head against the wall, feeling like all his work this past year has been for nothing. On the other hand, if Sinkewitz continues to protest, and it's another case of questionable science, it adds credibility to Floyd's case. Although, he might be banging his head on that one, too, to see that the science hasn't changed yet either.

What an odd twist of fate that saw Sinkewitz already out of the race with his crash. I doubt T-Mobile is feeling it, but it is just a little better this way. We don't have to see him ceremoniously stripped of his number and taken away in "disgrace." Yes, quotation marks on that one, because I hate it whenever I see Floyd described as "disgraced Tour champion." I don't believe he did a thing to bring all that on himself or the sport, yet that shit always gets laid at his doorstep. And now Sinkewitz's.

People didn't mince words today in their reactions. They were pissed, condemning, and leaving no room for this to be a false positive. Even the usually good-natured Christian Vande Velde showed no mercy in his VeloNews diary. I understand their anger, no doubt. If I had just suffered an unbelievably long, scorching hot day in a thus-far well-received Tour, and then had to answer a barrage of questions about doping again, I'd be pretty damn pissed myself. And if Sinkewitz did bring this on the sport, they have every right to want to break his nose again. I can't imagine the frustration and betrayal the clean guys feel. It's a good thing they're all tough as nails, hopefully that will get them through it.

But at this point I think some of that anger should be directed at whoever leaked the results, and whoever ran with them, and German television, and officials who are more concerned about being politically correct than due process. I hated to see Jens Voigt lose today, I'm such a big fan. But at least German viewers didn't miss another great Jens victory. Again, I can understand the anger and feeling helpless, but I don't understand punishing clean riders and avid German fans by just pulling the plug entirely. What is taking your ball and going home going to solve? Why let the (possibly) dirty few control the enjoyment of everyone else? And the endless question in all of this, why only cycling? Are the non-cycling Puerto athletes ever going to be exposed? Is real testing ever going to happen in other sports? Why are they so untouchable and yet cycling can be bashed, trashed, and discarded?

Shoot, I'm not usually one to do the endless question thing, sorry. Or ignore the race and go with the doping, seems a bit hypocritical. But this is what happens when we finally have a typical day in the Tour! And really, it was the contrast between that, the workman-like day the guys had in the saddle, and what they had to deal with off the bike.

A few things stood out today in great contrast to destruction and betrayal. There was Saul Raisin's story on Versus, and then Saul himself, full of hope and enthusiasm for the future. And demonstrating the great brotherhood of loyal teammates. He told of Thor Hushovd calling him after winning on the Champs last year, wearing his Raisin' Hell bracelet and making sure Saul shared in the victory. And of Saul calling Thor a few days ago, telling him to win the stage, and Thor going out and doing just that. Today's call didn't work quite so well, but who cares, it's the thought that counts! See Marty, sometimes the teams are a family.

Another family plan that didn't quite work out today, but was equally moving, was Voigt's intention to win the stage for fallen CSC brother Stuart O'Grady, as told at VeloNews. He's on a big Tour breakaway, and he's thinking of Stuey and his two broken collarbones (among other things) and due-in-three-weeks pregnant wife. Jens said the whole team has been thinking of O'Grady, wanting to do something special for him.

And the ever-delightful Chris Horner, describing how he takes care of himself on a day like today so he can be strong for Cadel in the mountains, with no concern for his own time.

All is not lost; I don't know why some people are so eager for it to be.

TdF Stage 9: Brad Marsh

2007-07-17T19:52:00.000-05:00

Big fat caveat right off the top: I wish Fabio Casartelli was here, to be the "old man" in the race, or a hot new Director Sportif. And I wish Andrei Kivilev was here, to be Vino's first lieutenant, seeing him through these tough days. So I'm not saying helmets are a bad thing. These two very gifted young men might still be with us today if the helmet rule was in place earlier. (It was Kivilev's death that finally got a rule in place.) So with a very careful however, I have to say that I really miss seeing guys without their helmets in the heat of battle.

Whenever I see an old clip, whether it be in black and white or as recent as Armstrong and co. on Luz-Ardiden or L'Alpe D'Huez, it just jumps right out at me, how great it was to see their faces. We saw the hair glistening with sweat, the furrowed brows, the tension in their cheeks. We get so up close to the riders, for hour after hour, day in and day out, it seems silly to complain about not getting more. But something has been lost; they are just that little bit more hidden from us. I still wonder about the uphill exception there was at first, when they could toss their helmets on the final climb. But I guess Lance proved on Luz-Ardiden that the danger never stops!

Some guys push their helmets up, so we get a better view, like dear Linus Gerdemann today. And we still have a lot to see and recognize in our favorites, or to compare in rivals. We still see the grimace or the smile or the cool breathing. We still see the unmistakable pedaling styles, the straightening up or slumping down, the steady push or the bobbing and weaving. We still see the supple slender frame or the beefy powerhouse. We just don't get in their heads quite so much anymore. And then when they get off the bike, so many of them shove a hat on their head and tug it right down to their eyes - come on boys, give us something!

I don't know if Brad Marsh was the last NHL player to go without a helmet, but he was the last Philadelphia Flyer to do so [when I was watching the team - thanks Larry!]. (Older guys were grandfathered in of sorts, they didn't have to follow hockey's helmet rule.) I remember this: one, because I used to be a hockey nut, but two, because he was one of the last guys I felt like I knew. It's even worse in hockey, because you don't get those in-your-face camera shots, so guys became even more anonymous. As with cycling, you could still appreciate what they were doing, and get to know styles and moves, but it's a more detached experience. It's more like watching playing pieces than flesh and bone human beings.

Seeing the whole picture added to their personalities - Rick MacLeish and Hound Dog Kelly zoomed around with their flowing hair, Bobby Clarke guts it out with his curly locks, Gary Dornhoefer was dashing with his matinee-idol looks. Sorry, misty water-colored memories, back to cycling.

Fabian Cancellara almost pulled off "dashing" last week, but seeing his curly and flowing locks in pre-race interviews helped that along. You can't really be dashing on the road anymore. You can be a lot of other great things, but dashing, I think that's lost to the record books. Yaroslav Popovych has that great grin, thank goodness, but with his big sunglasses and helmet, he sometimes looks like a cartoon character, or maybe a Muppet. Seeing him in interviews, he has a bit of hockey great Bobby Orr about him. That would've been fun to see out on the open road today as he was eating up the course. But endlessly more fun to see him for years to come, so helmets it is. Can't wait to see Saul Raisin racing again.

Race notes: To borrow a device from Bill Maher: New Rule - commentators are hereby forbidden from bringing up Lance Armstrong's infamous bluff every single blessed time someone is hanging off the back. Let it go, P&P, I know Lance made you pee your pants that day, and you felt all hurt and duped and silly, but dudes, Let It Go, please! It's okay, if you ever get fooled again, I'll forgive you, but if you keep this silliness up forever, I won't!

Can Cadel Evans be on the Versus contenders list now? What's a guy gotta do? I'm sorry all the names don't fit on one screen, such is life in today's peloton, but leaving him off is pretty insulting! They'll leave Vino there probably, fine, but how about Menchov? I think it's safe to take him off now, and give Evans his rightful place!

Still with the poker, these boys! Oy! Yes, do leave Vino's name on the list. At the rate the other contenders are messing about, he's still got the outside chance if he can come good. All the gap-forming before that wasn't poker, I suppose you have to try, but it seemed a lot of wasted energy in the end. Oh well, maybe it's psychological advantage in the bank for next week.

LMAO when Phil called Paul "Phil"!

Quote of the day: "It was disappointing that Menchov couldn't get his ass over the Galibier." - Michael Rasmussen, quoted at VeloNews. Alright, Michael, you are now the de facto team leader, but it seems to me that's no way to lead! You think Denny's going to help you now? Or any of his buddies on the team? They will, of course, for the team, but I imagine not with as much devotion as they might. You like to do your thing solo, but yellow requires friends.

TdF Stage 8: Wicked Game

2007-07-15T13:26:00.000-05:00

I was going to use Risky Game, but that would entail recreating a scene from Friends featuring Jennifer Aniston. Great scene, and the best line delivery she's ever given, but rather beside the point on a whirlwind day like today. As it is, I'm tempted to quote the entire Chris Isaak song, so fitting is it, but be a good reader and just follow the link, won't you? Sing along as we go, from the point of view of the riders or the fans, works either way.

Today was painful to watch at times, but not always for the reasons I thought it would be. For much of the morning, it was like a 3-hour slow-motion end of a breakaway. The favorites were playing cat and mouse, or just plain poker I suppose, to a baffling degree. All but Michael Rogers, that is, who inexplicably managed to get in the breakaway. I understand not panicking in the peloton, you can't chase everyone, but giving him five minutes?? In the mountains? It's not like he's going to lose it in a time trial, being a three-time TT world champion and all. And it's not like he was going hard, so he wouldn't be expected to crack on the last climb. He was going fine, and not having to do a lot of work. So even if he just stayed at the same pace as the contenders up to Tignes, he would have a healthy lead.

Some teams had good guys in the break, like Discovery with George Hincapie, and CSC with Jens Voigt, so I also understand that makes it tricky. Maybe the break will make it, or maybe you'll need those guys to be up the road. But still, if you balance those maybes against a legitimate GC contender getting five minutes, you at least have to bring it a little closer, don't you? Or the other teams without so many conflicts do. For the longest time, they mostly let T-Mobile set the pace - and they were setting a slow pace, to keep Rogers gaining time!

For once, I thought, T-Mobile has got it brilliantly right. At first glance, it may have looked to some like old times, chasing their own guy. But then when you saw they were actually blocking for Rogers, that guys were catching back up on the rear, you saw that they were in fact executing a great plan. I can't believe no other team took charge for so long. Rabobank finally did, and Michael Rasmussen came through on his slingshot. Maybe not the same risk as Rogers, but I don't know that you want to give him so much time either. He may fall off once he's secured the mountains jersey, but he's declared he's going for GC, so maybe not. I guess if there were only one TT left it would be riskier; with two, maybe several minutes is safe. The Chicken is in Yellow, but neither remotely indicates a coward in this case, so the peloton better keep an eye out.

Well, I've avoided it as long as possible, I suppose we have to talk about Rogers' crash. So the risk paid off for the other teams after all, but still, you can't count on that! It's not like he was taking crazy risks up to that point. But in any case, here's the first place we cue up the Chris Isaak. When would Rogers ever have this kind of chance again, to be up several minutes on the other contenders without turning himself inside out to do it. He wasn't the only one crying when he pulled over, what a horrible, sad sight. With two abandons on the day, T-Mobile's great day was quickly going south. So hat's off again to our young Linus, who limited his losses well and is still in contention. He was ahead of several contenders in the Prologue, I wonder how he is at the longer distances? Not to put any pressure on you, dear!

The other sad sight of the day being Stuart O'Grady taken out on a stretcher, bad luck for a good guy.

Yes, so while all that was playing out, poker night continued among the contenders. Heaven knows I wouldn't know what to do in a Director's car, so with that large grain of salt, I'll continue being curious about the tactics of the day. We don't have a Lance here, fine, no one could just rip off a huge extended attack. But if you're going good, there's a rest day tomorrow, get this party started! Christophe Moreau finally obliged, doing France very proud today. And a good number of contenders had the good sense to follow him, including Alejandro Valverde, Cadel Evans, and Alberto Contador. But Levi Leipheimer, Denis Menchov, Carlos Sastre, Andreas Kloden, and Alexandre Vinokourov could not. Poker time is over boys, time to put down the hammer and cut your rivals in half! Moreau knew that, and did his best, but he needed help, and the others were still looking at their cards. I have my favorites, and I'd hate to see them go down, but I'm also all for the best man winning, so I don't want to see wasted opportunities either! The latter group was able to put on an acceleration at the end, but I think the first group wasted a lot of energy with their games, and could've still put in a good gap. Moreau must be fuming, and with good reason.

Levi, Levi, Levi. What will we do with you? He seemed to be a different rider this year, but I'm less sure now. He limited his losses, but the contenders are all so equal now, especially with Vino hurt, is he really going to be able to do the reverse on all these guys on some future day? It's a long way to go, I guess, but it's several guys, not just one. It is starting to look like Contador wears the pants in this family, we'll see. He would've been right there with Valverde I think, if he hadn't had a mechanical. He should be good and fired up for Tuesday.

Speaking of wearing the pants in the family, we always knew Vino did, and he proved that today with Kloden dropping back to help him. Now, maybe Kloden isn't going to last as long as Vino, and they would know that best, so it probably makes sense. I agree with P&P, Kloden was a hero on the day, driving the stragglers back to the others. I think more than Vino's knees will be hurting tonight. For surely, without those bandages, he would've taken charge and taken no prisoners on that final climb. But I imagine Vino won't dwell on that, the race is what it is, he'll concentrate on what his body can recoup on the rest day.

I thought I was more than ready for the rest day, but I don't know, now things are getting interesting, I can't wait for Tuesday! Wicked games or not, I'll be there with bells on.

TdF Stage 7: Feelin' The Joy

2007-07-14T16:48:00.000-05:00

I always love riding my bike, but it's especially fun to ride during the Tour. Even more so if you're Robbie Ventura, who gets to pull out the bike and ride up the day's Cat 1 climb for a first-person preview! My ride today wasn't quite that ambitious, just a couple of hours in glorious sunshine, but it had plenty of Tour feel to it. They say the yellow jersey lets you ride with the strength of two men, and I think riding between watching 5-6 hours of Tour each day does the same! Now, in the jersey's case it's the strength of two top-level professional racers, and in my case it's two avid recreationalists, but it's all relative. Even if I'm only going a fraction faster, it feels like much more. I can go forever, climb any mountain (well, steep hill), descend with ease.

When I watch the Tour, as you've probably gathered, I watch the Tour. And when I'm focused on something, I zero right in. So when I get out on the bike, I have all these hours of watching top form and technique imprinted on my psyche. Again, I don't know how true it is, but I feel like I ride with better form, I feel like I'm ticking over the pedals and holding myself better on the bike. And it feels great!

Of course, if I'm not careful, it can be dangerous too! Because I am most certainly not a racer, and I cannot take corners the way they do, or descend at 50 mph, and so on. But like I said, it's all relative, so I don't go too crazy, I just have a lot of fun.

When I turn back onto my street at the end of a ride, there is a tree-lined ribbon of [road]way stretched before me as far as the eye can see. No matter how I felt on the last hill climb (which is pretty much all you get around here, can't go a mile without going uphill), I'm tempted to keep going. Fortunately, the road that way isn't particularly good for riding, so I usually come to my senses and turn in my driveway, tired and happy.

Speaking of tired and happy, times a million, how 'bout that Linus Gerdemann? I know we've only had two, but I like this year's yellow jersey wearers. Guys in yellow are always thrilled, and the jersey always demands respect. But last year we had Tom Boonen, looking positively sheepish by the, what, fourth day wearing yellow without having won anything. And Serhiy "did they mix up my pee with Floyd's" Honchar.

Fabian Cancellara, as has been said elsewhere, wore it with real panache this first week, and good humor, like when he gave a wave goodbye before the base of the Colombiere. And Linus' joy today was infectious to say the least, kissing the jersey more than the podium girls! We'll see tomorrow if he has anything left to hold it until the rest day, but even if it's just one day, he'll enjoy the ride!

TdF Stage 6: Measure Of A Man

2007-07-14T00:17:00.000-05:00

It's been a long week, and we have a big day tomorrow, so just a short note about the Tom Simpson anniversary. David Millar lamented to VeloNewsTV that today's 40th anniversary of Simpson's death on Mont Ventoux was getting short shrift at the Tour. As VeloNews also noted, to comical effect, journalists were disappointed to hear at the end of the stage that Bradley Wiggins' escapades had nothing to do with Simpson. Wiggins hadn't even expected to be alone on the break, just turned out that way. Versus advertised a feature on Simpson in primetime, but it was a disappointing little afterthought.

It was left to John Wilcockson to give the proper tribute, in a stirring piece at VeloNews. "Simpson remembered" is a very apt title, for his piece is a true memory that brings that day richly to life. For many of us, the unfortunate image of Simpson is the grainy black-and-white film of vain resuscitation attempts and the cautionary tale that brought on the first modern anti-doping measures. So it is nice, and humbling, to be reminded that Simpson was so much more than that. Wilcockson gives a full picture of the man, and an emotional first-hand account of that July in 1967.

In this day and age, when I'm checking the internet constantly for live updates and post-race reports, and watching the stages live on television, it's amazing to think Wilcockson didn't even find out about Simpson's death until the next morning, and he was there at the race and knew Simpson personally. But the important thing is that he did know him, and gave us all a gift today with his memories.

Just one observation on the race - much was made, myself included, about Vino's slit to the throat motion. But upon watching it again, I think maybe he was just asking the cameraman to give him a break, let him suffer the finish in peace. He intends to start tomorrow, but I fear it will be very painful for him, and very painful for us to watch.

TdF Stage 5: Piece O' My Heart

2007-07-12T23:09:00.000-05:00

This is where I perhaps would fail as a professional Tour blogger. Watching and talking about the Tour is not a game or idle entertainment to me. I can't detach myself and talk blithely about Vino's ass looking fit as it hangs out of his shorts, raw and bloody. This sport, these riders, they're in my heart and soul. I broke out into a cold sweat the first two times I experienced the stage (following online live, and then watching the morning show on disc, even though I already knew what happened). I fared slightly better watching the evening show, but the heart was still pumping. Sometimes I wish I didn't care so much; I would get more sleep and my arteries wouldn't be shredded on a day like today. But on the other hand, I think - how can you not get attached, how can you not live and die with these guys, what would be the point?

Being so attached, I can be exhilarated for Sylvain Chavanel, claiming the mountains jersey in style. Good karma coming back to reward him, for being Lance's final victim on Luz-Ardiden, and for his gracious patience in not taking the jersey yesterday.

I can cry right along with Erik Zabel during his emotional podium ceremony to get the sprinter's jersey. (Hope you caught it on the P&P show, because primetime didn't show it, in a serious lapse in judgment if you ask me, but sadly, they never do.) As he explained afterwards, he thought his career might be over after the EPO confession, and every day racing now is a blessing, let alone a day on the podium.

I can go on a roller coaster for Team Discovery, as I get excited for Levi when I see Sergio Paulinho looking so sharp at the front of the peloton. And gasp when I hear about Benjamin Noval crashing through a team car rear window, and riding 8 kilometers with deep cuts in his armpit and chin.

I can cheer for the jury's decision to allow Geoffroy Lequatre to continue tomorrow. He's the one that wiped out in the feed zone, and ended up coming in almost 45 minutes after the finish, normally outside the time cutoff. Let's hope he can continue.

I can laugh with great affection as the Puppy almost takes out the Bear. (The first being my term of endearment, the latter apparently CSC's.) Yaroslav Popovych took one of his typical flyers, but the descent was dicey and he went off into the grass. Fabian Cancellara had him in his sights, so much so that he followed him right off the road. A brief excursion, though, and all was well.

And, I can cry, writhe, and fuss over Andreas Kloden and Alexandre Vinokourov as they struggle to even stay in the race, let alone contend for it. Kloden did indeed fracture his coccyx and is questionable to start tomorrow. No word yet on Vino. His troubled ankle will be a distant memory now. Even without injury, a rider's system is taken down to the bare bones (literally) over the course of the Tour. How overloaded will Vino's be if it also has to try and mend all of those injuries, one wonders if it can hold up. Quite moving to see ex-teammate Bernhard Eisel looking after Vino in the final kilometers, several times putting a hand on his back, talking to him.

On the lighter side, Bob and Al win the prize today, they actually assessed the Kloden crash better than Phil and Paul! They got that it was serious, Al saw the perhaps offending rock, and they figured out that it was a pain reliever Kloden was getting from the doctor's car, not a spritz on his arm. Bravo, boys.

In honor of Lady Bird's passing, bless her soul, I purposefully took a moment today to stand in the sunshine and enjoy the wildflowers. Always a good idea, but necessary for me during the Tour. It's got my heart and soul, but with a little care perhaps it won't make me lose my mind. :-)

TdF Stage 4: Hope For A Legacy

2007-07-11T20:03:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite lines from the classic mini-series Brideshead Revisited comes when Charles (Jeremy Irons) hears that his best friend and man-crush Sebastian is gravely ill, naturally wants to rush to his side, and breathlessly tells his father he must go. The inimitable John Gielgud, as the enigmatic father, gives a vaguely quizzical look and asks, "Do you hope for a legacy?" Today I'm thinking of a different kind of legacy, but such are the twisted workings of my mind, do forgive me.

For most riders, the conventional wisdom goes, winning just one Tour stage sets them up for life. They all know this, and often toss on a little extra in their victory salute, to ensure that immortality will be theirs. It may seem a little cheesy or silly, but you know what, it works. Carlos Sastre has distinguished himself a number of times, but I always remember him with that baby binky. And one of my all-time favorites is the slick arrow salute of Juan Antonio Flecha on that steamy airport runway a few years ago. Not only a great image, but the explanation (Flecha means arrow) requires repeating his name, so you never forget it. Ever since that victory, I look out for him, and smile when he's animating the race, as he did today in the breakaway.

Also in the breakaway was Sylvain Chavanel, proof positive that a failed break is not always lost in the shuffle. For who can forget the gentle tap on his shoulder by Lance Armstrong as he cruised by Chavanel on his tear up Luz-Ardiden in 2003. I can't tell you how many times I re-played that, but maybe that just proves what a geek I am!

As much as Al Trautwig frustrates me, I felt genuinely sorry for him today - I can't believe he didn't pick Thor Hushovd this time! Guaranteed awkward ribbing on the pre-race show tomorrow, can't wait. ;-P

I would give anything to see a picture of Dave Zabriskie with his basket of apples; if anybody knows of one, for heavens sake, let me know!

I know cyclists aren't choirboys, but there are all of those lovely sporting gesture traditions, like the handshake between Christian Knees and Flecha before they got caught at today's finish. The contrast between this and the ever-intrusive promotion of cage fighting on Versus this year never ceases to alarm me. Especially when poor Phil Liggett has to read that copy, what must he be thinking? And most frightening when you don't get to the remote quick enough and the actual show comes on! What a strange world we live in.

Sending LiveStrong thoughts out to Sebastien Joly, diagnosed with cancer in the midst of great form.