I said, "Ouch", This Really Hurts!

What a mind blowing weekend for sports fans! The sun was shining, baseball season is in full swing (no insult intended for Mariners' fans,) MLS soccer is happening, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are into 'win or go home' mode, and pro cycling is on TV. Forget the recession, and all the wackiness out of Washington, and in the Gulf, really; sports are all that truly matter, right?

First the bad news. The Detroit Red Wings were eliminated from competition. Granted, this is great news if you're in San Jose. The Sharks have not been able to do anything in the most recent post-seasons, so to see them get the monkey off their back was a bit of good news. However, I'm into beards, and the Red Wings had some of the best in the business. Maybe now that they're out of the playoffs, someone will pick up one of the more hirsute players for the commentary desk. Hmmm..

In other Stanley Cup news, our very own (if Seattle can make a claim to something Canadian,) Vancouver Canucks are still in it. Sure, the gold-medal-winning goalie, Roberto Luongo allowed a distressing, seven goals Friday night, but with the shut-out he's sitting on well into the third period of game 5, he can be forgiven.

Speaking of distressing, I had just reset my jet-lag clock to the week behind-or-so coverage of Versus "Epic Cycle" cycling coverage, when out of the blue, they did a "Tour of California Preview Special". What? I was all set to hear about the TOC at the end of the month, when all of a sudden, I'm whiplashed into future coverage. The race doesn't actually start until May 16. I've never gotten a buzz off of water before, but with the way my head is spinning right now, I'm starting to think I could be. (Cheers to you, recession beverages!)

Luckily, back over at the Universal Sports network, life is continuing as it was yesterday, with another day of same day coverage. Out here on the west coast, the 'live' coverage starts at 6am. I'm pretty thick skinned about a lot of things, but having any functioning brain cells at six in the morning, is not something I'm tough enough to do. I caught it much later in the day.

With that said, Happy Mothers' Day to all the mom's, grandmom's, and future mom's out there. You know who you are, and you know why you're special. Only a mom can spin the most interesting yarns about the importance and intricacies of poop, and for that, among many other things, we all thank you.

Back to the Universal coverage, I must point out that my liege, and cycling's uber-blogger, BikeSnobNYC is crafting, what I'm hoping will be, daily articles about the goings-on in the Giro d'Italia. If you want to enjoy a beefy burrito of reporting goodness, be sure to check out his take on yesterday's and today's action. Now that everyone knows what the 'real' BikeSnob looks like, I think it's only fair to pictorialize him as accurately as possible. Given that there's still not a lot of footage, I will substitute Matthew Broderick from 'The Freshman', as an adequate avatar.

(Here's Snobbie with his celeb-friend, Rick Astley.)

As I mentioned, this year, the Giro is 'competing' against the Tour of California for the attentions of the racers. I can understand why the Giro might feel a little insulted by this, as the more tenured, established beauty that the cycling world has loved for over a century. Along comes the 'Golden State' with her shorter skirts--I mean course, longer commutes for the usually favored Europeans, and titillating insanity of the American cycling fans. Oh sure, former Tour de France winners and other cycling greats, chose Cali over Italy this year, but I'm still a huge fan of the Giro. In fact, I'm convinced that this year's competition will have the unique ability to crown cycling's 'maglia zesty' for cycling's hottest racer. Will it be Basso, Pozzato, the dark horse-Petacchi, or will Christian VandeVelde prove he can hold his own against the Europeans at long last? (To be clear, I have no idea which race Nicholas Roche of Ireland chose to ride--as long as he shows up at one or the other, I won't mind.)

As the commentators all pointed out, there was a lot of crashing during the race today. If you've never had the experience of crashing on a bike, (or as the British call it, 'falling off',) allow me to elaborate. Crashing is one of the few experiences life where you can be up and riding one minute, and down on the ground instantly, covered in tubes and metal, and not know why. Okay, so this also could describe having sex in a proctologists office, but if today served as an example, crashing on a bike may happen more frequently.

So to see the peloton crash not once, but something like seventy times, I felt for the boys out on the road today. It's one thing to want to do better than the next guy, but to do so because the other guy skidded across the pavement on only a thin film of lycra, you gotta wonder. After the first couple times, wouldn't the group start calling out warnings to each other? Sure, they don't all speak the same language, but I expect they would all respond to something like, "AAACCKKK!!"

Maybe they just don't like each other. Give them a few weeks, I suppose. Either way, I'm glad to see that Svein Tuft and Tyler Farrar are racing the Giro, rather than the TOC. Congrats to Tyler for his awesomeness in winning the stage after falling victim to the crash plague. Better luck to everyone tomorrow.

Ride safe. I love you all.

You Sound Smart, Can I Buy You a Drink?

Whew!

Double-post bonus today, I was able to find the article I wrote last week, and thought I had deleted. I'll admit to being a bit of a geek, but I'm still getting used to doing this blog thing.

Anyway, it's a little hard to sit back down at this .. thing (I don't own an 'actual' computer--that's just too bourgeois, even for me,) after writing the Best Book Review Ever Written. Oh sure, some guy did a write-up about some books a long time ago that was pretty great at the time, but it was more of a product review. What I composed was definitely a book review. If you've written a book, and want a rock-solid review of the coffee-table correctness of it, be sure to contact me soon. This star's rising fast.

So, that same, prolific writer recently described a bloviation summit, where cycling happened to insert itself into the discussion, or something like that. (It sounds like what we do here in Seattle in discussion forums, but we're not organized enough to do in a public meeting.) Bloviation is not a word that is often used out here on the west coast, (or maybe I'm just spelling it wrong.) It's more of an electronic contact sport, than a vocabulary enhancement. In fact, the word itself sounds a bit like it may be in more common usage as a slang term for throwing up while fellating someone. ("Sorry about getting so trashed last night. Did we do it?" "Umm..not exactly.")

As I was cogitating the proper incorporation of this term, I checked My Facebook (that's where I get all my news now,) and learned that drinking alcohol leads to being more smarter and screwing more. There was something about a religious component thrown in there, too, but that just made me question the sample size. Well, let me say, Whew! Thank god for that one. I would like to discuss this in greater detail, but frankly, I'm not sure that I need to. Moreover, my glass is empty, and you've still got a wallet on you.

Either way, without further ado, my favorite of the Grand Tours started today. The Versus Channel finally saw fit to air coverage of the Tour de Romandie. This is great; don't get me wrong. The race took place some time ago, though, and so I'm guessing they sent the tape back from Europe for US broadcast via single-speed bicycle. I'm pretty laid back, and yes, I'm willing to wait for the HD footage of our sport's "cream of the crop" stretched into their lycra, like an army of helmeted, mobile David-Lee-Roths, but I'm starting to lose my sense of time and space.

Luckily, the Universal Sports network is broadcasting the Giro with same day coverage. The Dolomites, Perugia, Venice, the regions and cities the Giro visits are some of the greatest in the world. It leaves me at a loss for words.

We have sunshine here in Seattle, so pasty white legs are on the trails everywhere this weekend. Be sure to bring sunglasses, if you ride. And if you do...

Ride safe. I love you all.

Going Epic: My First--Totally Unsolicited--Blogtastic Book Review

(Snobbie's book, nudity censored. See the uncensored cover here.)

Part 1: Cover to Cover

Like many in the cycling--or book-reading--universe, I now own the new book, hand-crafted by BikeSnobNYC. While my copy arrived with the super-not-so-secret stickers, I was surprised to learn that it was not supplied with a dust jacket of any kind.

I wondered if warehouse gremlins had stolen it in a rogue plot to gain legitimacy for their underground ping-pong leagues. Or maybe it was an error in the first pressing that will make all early copies of the book, collectors' items worthy of bubble packaging. Or maybe the book suffered chafing, and opted to 'go commando', instead.

Whatever the reason, I decided I could not allow Snob's publication to live in my place of residence without proper protection. Sure, the book itself seems sturdy enough to handle the kind of punishment any lycra-clad, vegan, road cyclist can dish out, but it wasn't the book I was worried about. No cyclist, who is still fertile, and has spread hipster cysts, is allowed to enter my humble abode without proper protection.

So, I endeavored to build a book-related, raincoat. I went to my engineering cupboard and extracted my trusty, mechanical engineering tools.
This all would be so much simpler, if Snob had bothered to publish on the Kindle.

I crafted the cover first.

And upgraded it with a rear, sketch-mounted, brake lever:

(Not to be confused with a bent 'member' with a raging STD)

Then, I made sure to apply some awesome, hand-crafted, 3M book lugs.

(The fuzzy camera-work cost me extra. Be sure to spend another five-minutes enjoying how this enhances your appreciation of the lugwork.)

So many trees had to die:

If only this book had arrived on the Kindle, instead. I'd probably have finished reading it by now.

I'm not actually ready to open the pages, and start reading yet. I don't know if I can be bothered to. I'm still skimming Voltaire and re-reading the sex scenes.

More to follow.

Ride safe. I love you all.

My First Book Review: a Prologue

(Snobbie's book, riding barebacked on my coffee table.)

Later update: Salty's first attempt at reviewed publication:

Ahem! Ewww...I tasted that one..

So, I'm still trying to find my voice. I figure I better write more, either to find out if I'm actually any good at this, or if I'm just a hack, like I am at a being a [quotey fingers] musician. Blogging feels weird, like I'm exposing a body part. Performing on a stage in front of a crowd is much easier than this.

The other day, I mentioned that I would be posting on the weekend next, and it's not that yet. I need more practice than that. Either that, or I just changed my mind. I just learned that, even, gum is doing that these days, so this must mean that fickle is the new committed. Thank goodness for progress.

Way back in the dark ages before I really discovered what the interwebs was all about, someone suggested to me that I should start keeping a blog of my bike commuting tales. In those days, I was riding 22 miles to work, across lakes, freeways, forests, hills, parks, and Bill Gates' neighborhood. There was always a story to tell. Lucky for me, I found a readable blog that told such stories in a better way than I could, I decided it was unnecessary to try to do the same thing. Moreover, now, my commute is half the distance it was, and isn't nearly as exciting. Before, I had a ride; now I have a commute.

So, what will I write about? I'm not really sure, but I'm hoping it turns out well. Chances are good, that I'll write something that will forever damage my blog's opinion of itself and put it into years of therapy. Maybe then, it can run away to a higher learning institution, run up an insurmountable debt, share late night bonding moments with other, similarly damaged blogs, and stop speaking to me for a while. Then, I guess that means I would have done a good job after all; it has something to share with intimate friends. One can hope.

As such, I leave my bike commuting as a backdrop, like a persistent rain. I'm not trying to sound negative; rain is know as 'liquid sunshine' around here. There are other things known as liquid sunshine, though too, that taste much better. I'd like to think I'm a cyclist first, before I'm other things, but it probably comes second. It's tough to be anything other than a woman, first, even in our 'You've come a long way, baby,' world.

Sigh.

With that said, it is Bike Month, and like every Bike Month, people ask me for tips about riding to work.

Every year, I get at least one person that asks me about riding with clipless pedals. A lot of riders take attitude against flat pedal riders. Sure. Once you know how nice it is to pedal your bike in a circle, rather than one side at a time, it's tough to imagine why anyone would continue to ride without them. Sorry, Senor Clipless; you weren't born with cleats attached to your feet. You had to learn to. Flat pedal riders, just don't know any better yet.

Here's a quick how to:

It's important to be aware, that when you're learning how to ride with clipless pedals, you have to accept that the term itself does not make any sense, and therefore, some of things you will do while riding your new pedals will not make sense either. With flat pedals, you could pedal right up to the point of stopping, and then put your foot down and the bike won't fall over. With clipless, you will crash. Bring bandaids.

The simple fact of the matter is, you probably already know how to turn the pedals, it's the stopping that you have to be careful of. For some it's more easily said than done. If that's the case for you, then do that. As you're stopping, remember to remind yourself, "Click out, before you stop,"and you'll be fine. If you say it, you will be more likely to do it. If you're like me, however, and you talk so slowly that your brain has to wait until you've finished speaking to know what you have to do, you may want to shorten this to something more actionable, like 'AAAAAACCKK!!' Say it out loud if it helps.

With that, I also want to point out, that it's important to keep up on proper nutrition and hydration. After you've been working out, or riding around, for a while, your body will be burning calories, electrolytes and sugars. Don't quote me on the exact science of this, but it has something to do with the fact that, because you're doing something, something else happens. If you burn up too many blood sugars, your mind starts to do wacky things, and you will be more likely to fall over, especially if you're just learning clipless. As you're learning, be sure to keep a sports drink with you. With that, I'm sure you will find success. If you don't, remember to take your bike back to the shop where you purchased the pedals, and say that they're defective.

Ride safe! I love you all.

Start Spreadin' the News..

Welcome to Sunday. A day for taking life at a leisurely pace. Whether you’re puttering around the house, roaming around outdoors, working on your yard, working at your job, making love, going to your favorite place of worship, or just staying at home.. uhh.. something else, I wish you a leisurely day.

If you’re finding this page from my comments over at BikeSnobNYC’s blog (buy his book!), I thank you. I’ve been following his writings for years now, and it fascinates me to hear what cycling is like in another town, moreover, in New York City. Yeah, I hate to admit it, but like many people, I’m awed by the Big Apple. I want to take a minute to let you know a few of the things that stand out to me about New York cycling, as opposed to what it’s like here.

But first, I have to give you a little background. I actually lived in upstate New York as a small child, and remember the first time I really ‘saw’ New York, the city. It blew my little mind. It was like I didn’t know what the night sky was, until I had seen it lighted the way that only NYC can.

My next solid memory of a location outside my small neighborhood, though, was of Newark, New Jersey. I’m sorry if this offends anyone, but I remember it because it’s my first memory of puking my guts out. And I didn’t just vomit, I threw-up so bad, that it made other members of my family sick too. Since I was so young, I didn’t have any opinions about the state of New Jersey at the time. I can say that I’ve had difficulty keeping an open mind ever since. Not that I’m trying to espouse an opinion common in pop culture, but I’ll just say that I understand.

(It’s important to note that my experiences in the tri-state area were during the American Medieval Period. Mead was still popular then. In fact, I think it was before the invention of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Not that I was allowed to drink either of those beverages as a child, of course. My parents made sure that I was raised on proper Scotch.)

Fast forward to the modern world. A close friend of mine in Seattle was offered a job in Midtown Manhattan that included an all-expenses-paid apartment in Jersey City. Of course, the job eventually ended, and she ended up in a roach-infested unit (do they call it a ‘flat’ there?) in Newark. Sigh. But, I finally had a good excuse to finally get back to New York.

I made the sojourn from Seattle to Newark in 2004. There’s actually a non-stop flight from here, one of the few east coast cities, we can fly to non-stop. I’m not sure how that worked out; I love to fly, but hate the airline industry. To her credit, my friend showed me that it is possible to spend more than a few minutes in Newark without falling ill. This was a big highlight of the trip for me. (I confess, I’m still leery, of it, though.) The other highlight of the trip was getting to just walk Manhattan.

I have to offer a point of reference here, that it was Fourth of July weekend, 2004, and we spent part of a day, watching the newly released (at the time) Michael Moore film, Fahrenheit 911. Say what you want about the director or the film, but I couldn’t go back to my neighborhood in Seattle with its, “Impeach Bush” flyers everywhere, without having seen this film. Everybody saw it that weekend. I gained extra credit for seeing it in Midtown, and on the 4th of July.

So, yeah, we ventured around the city like the kind of tourists that everyone hates. Seattle has a thriving cruise industry, so we get a regular batch of tourists here, too. Our tourists have a ‘season’ though, sort of like deer, in Michigan, but it’s not okay to shoot them. When tourists get realllly annoying, like taking up the entire bike path walking, when the sidewalk is right next to it, I try to breathe deep and remember that they are visiting my city, that I love so much, and that being an asshole to them will not instill my sentiment of appreciation.

By turns, when I was visiting New York, I tried hard (really) to be respectful of the residents, and not just stand in the middle of the sidewalk and gawk. New York is a busy place with lots of stuff going on all the time, that in some cases, I admit, are more important to the US economy than the stuff that I deal with on a regular basis. They have shit to do. But please forgive me, New Yorkers, your city just has a lot of cool and crazy shit to see. It was painfully hard not to stop and stare.

As a cyclist, I made particular note of the cycling conditions, as we were strolling around. I happen to enjoy, what some people call, “Urban Cycling”, and what other people call, “Riding in the Street”. In addition to sites and smells of the city, I was actually looking for riders that might be in the process of commuting to, from, or even during, work. The city is so flat, it made me wonder why anyone had a car at all. And I don’t just mean flat; I mean ff-ff-ff-ff-ff-fflaaaaattt!! It’s like Florida, but with less vegetation, and taller buildings.

But looking around, I was glad that I’m a Seattle Commuter, and that I don’t have to suffer the indignities of riding in New York. First off, the roads (at the time) sucked. There were potholes so cavernous that homeless people had set up makeshift man-caves in some of them. I think I remember a bike lane on one of the streets we cruised, but I also remember it was about as appealing as a filth-laden divebar on the outskirts of town, where only the grittiest folk dared go. To read BikeSnob refer to this as his ‘comfy chair’, a couple years later, made me sad for your city. (Sounds like it’s changing though.)

And. There was yet another terrorist threat in the city this weekend. Why? What’s the point, terrorists? Making a terror threat in New York is like littering. It happens a lot, doesn’t offer your situation any value, and confirms you are a complete douche. But maybe the threat of terror is not an impediment to cycling. Maybe it’s more of another excuse to keep a bike with you at all times.

So that as background, I've always thought of Seattle as New York City's little sister. A little less sophisticated, a little less disciplined, and according to some, a little cuter, too. Seattle has bike lanes in the downtown area, and like any downtown, they get obstructed by rude drivers, impatient delivery vans and poorly constructed scaffolding. But in Seattle, our downtown is not actually very big. It’s hemmed in by water on one side and the freeway on the other. It doesn’t actually take more than about five or ten minutes of riding before you get to one of the several bike paths in the city.

If New York’s bike lanes are like easy chairs, Seattle’s bike paths are like oral sex. Yeah. Our pedestrian paths are used predominantly by other riders, rather than the mixed-use pedestrians for which they were commissioned. I know that I’ve seen a mixed-use pedestrian, and sometimes they can be difficult to navigate around. Further, the routes are typically wide enough to ride two-abreast in two directions, though they’re curvy enough that it’s considered bad form to actually do so.

The only ‘filth’ these biking superhighways generally contain is from the trees. Don’t get me wrong, though. Our trees are rather messy and disrespectful of the cycling community. During the fall and winter rains, when trees fall, it’s either on somebody’s roof, or directly over or the bike trails. They never just fall in the forest unheard. The municipalities always take care this pretty quickly, though. And, they actually maintain the surface integrity of these paths, too.

The one thing Seattle riding is not, is flat. In fact, everything in the region is either a hill or a lake. Fixed-gear bikes, by turns, are not very popular in most of our neighborhoods. (Yet more evidence, that we have to establish our own fashion trends, rather than follow someone else’s. Therefore, we will always be dorks somehow.) As a community, we don’t just map out the safest, most fun, or fastest routes around the area, we also have a tendency to offer up the flattest, as an option as well. Nor do we have an effective transportation system, such that if you have a catastrophic failure, you can’t just pop over to a subway or train system. We have a bus system, but some buses only arrive once an hour or so. We’re still working on that.

Okay, so I’m not trying to say one city is better than the other. I just want to offer up why they’re different. Whether you ride in an easy chair, or enjoy it with virtual oral sex, be sure to get out and have fun.

Like a lot of people, I have stuff I have to do this week. So, I will see you again next weekend.

Ride safe! I love you all.

Digging Holes: When Beauty Isn't Enough

Okay, so I’m officially committing to this Blog thing now. I’m going to actually hit publish too. (I'll find my way around this blogtool, yet.) Woohoo! Like a newborn foal, stretching her legs for the first time, I feel a little unsteady, but one step at a time, as they say. And isn’t there a salt lick somewhere?

Today is the first official day of Bike to Work Month. If you work over the weekend, and rode your bike to work, I commend you. I also thank you for working on the weekend, so I can do stuff on my days off, like shopping, dining out, getting stuff worked on, or just generally doing the things I can not do on my own. You rock.

I expect many people will honor Bike Month, and keep it holy. I’m not particularly religious, but my bike receives the treatment afforded some deities. Over the years, it’s received a small fortune in components, and on occasion, bits of human sacrifice. There are times that small animals, from what I could tell, are so overcome by the majesty of my machine (no, it’s not a Serotta, or even in that class, but I think highly of anything I allow between my legs,) that they even offer themselves as sacrifice. I won’t let my bike accept such offerings.

Also, if you aren’t already aware, BikeSnobNYC’s book ‘dropped’, recently, and you should go buy it. I can’t say if it’s any good or not yet (there's now a review up Amazon that says that it is), but the cover is very nicely done, so you should still go buy it. If his blog is any indication, the book will be time well spent. I’m sure it’s going to be the hot, new cycling accessory this year, other than spoke cards. By the way, the gold tone (is it brown?--I've only seen it online, so far--still waiting for my copy) on the cover is nice, but I’m hoping it eventually comes in other colourways in later printings. That would be sweet.

Anyways, one of the things I love about the ‘sport’ of cycling (I confess, with the way I ride, the word, ‘sport’ is a bit of a stretch,) is that some people actually get paid to do it. The concept of ‘Pro Sports’ in general is a little odd; people get paid to do fun stuff, just so other people can watch. They don’t ‘just do it’ either; they sweat, breathe hard, get excited, and occasionally collapse. Really, professional sport is sort of like porn, but with more clothing. That said,

Yeah, I’m a sports fan.

So this weekend, in a confluence of awesomeness, I got to enjoy a televised bike race on the VS channel. Oh sure, I could’ve just started this whole topic with, “Liege-Bastogne-Liege” was on this weekend, but that doesn’t really capture my feelings about it. First off, I’ve been waiting all season for this race. I’m a huge fan of the word, "liege". I confess, I’m not exactly sure what it means, but it’s somewhere between, ‘dude, you’re totally more awesomer than me,’ and ‘lordship’. Secondly, I was pissed at VS for making me wait a whole week just to find out exactly how Alexander Vinokourov put together his win. The cycling websites that I occasionally pay attention to, or hear about, cyclingnews.com and Velonews.com, had scooped the story when it was still news. Lastly, the footage, as per usual TV coverage of cycling, skipped all the parts of the race that the riders probably enjoyed, and only showed the sections where they were most likely to be dickish to each other. In truth, dickishness is the essence of all reality TV, including sporting events these days.

The big thing about the commentary, though, had little to do with why this is a race that so many pros want to include in their race calendar. As a non-racing cyclist, I’m pretty sure I get it: it has beautiful countrysides, cherry road surfaces (a cherry road surface--smooth pavement, free of potholes--mmm--like fresh powder to a snowboarder,) interesting terrain, and a challenging course to test your soul. Phil Liggett’s and Bob Roll’s comments were a treat, as usual. I never get tired of hearing about how Phillippe Gilbert likes to make ‘cheeky moves’, nor do I ever lose interest in the varying ways that Bob Roll can describe a rider’s “pain box”.

What I did not like is that Jonathan Vaughters was ‘sitting in’ on the commentary in Saturday’s coverage. I actually want to like the guy; he’s in charge of one of the American teams. But, every time I try to get into his train of thought, he comes out with something I absolutely cannot stomach. Okay, yeah. I’m guilty. I’ve made some off-color remarks, and probably will again soon. But what I do does not even compare to one of Vaughter’s remarks today. Scratch that; I can’t even call him by his given name anymore, I’m so disgusted. Today, he’s Captain Douche.

No, that’s not enough. He’s Captain Tampon.

No, that’s too useful. He’s Captain Enema-Face.

No, I’m going to do that. He rides, supports USA Cycling, and busted his ass to get an American team in the Tour de France, so I can call by his actual name. Besides, he dug his own hole, and then climbed into it. Whether you watched it or not, I’ll break it down the way it appeared to me. Here’s how he did it:

Vaughters was speaking to the race tactics and how the course would likely shape-up. In truth, he offered some interesting insights. I’ve never done ‘race recon’ on a European course, and so I wanted to hear his thoughts on this. Then, Liggett started asking him about different riders, both on Garmin and possible team prospects. I wasn’t paying close enough attention to catch who they were discussing, but there’s, apparently, a young European rider Vaughters is interested in signing. He went on to say, that the guy hasn’t signed yet, because he’s concerned that Garmin’s training program is more rigorous than he would prefer. (I’m guessing the kid might be French, or something.) Okay, no big deal.

And then it happened. I couldn’t believe that I had heard it, but I didn’t need to wait for confirmation because it came all too soon.

Jonathan Vaughters actually stated that the pro races are experiencing an “Anglo-Saxonization” that is improving the sport. What? Are you kidding me? Did you just say that with a straight face? One of the things that I find quaint about the Garmin (now Garmin-Transitions) team is their nerdiness. Can’t say why, but there’s something about nerdiness on a hot guy that’s just cute. (Nerdiness in an ugly guy is just unfortunate.) But this, ... this was not nerdy. Since when, did Anglo-centrism become acceptable commentary? What about the rest of Europe, or the rest of the world for that matter? Okay, so the rest of the world is largely unrepresented in professional cycling. And on top of that, are you saying, Mr. Vaughters, that racing shouldn’t be fun?

The biggest reason I like riding my bike is that it’s fun. The reason why I like one of my all-time favorite pros, Mario Cippollini--an Italian, not an American, nor Englishman--is that when he raced, he seemed to actually have fun, too. That’s why this ‘sport’ is awesome. Sure, say what you want about his race ability, integrity, or whatever, but he likes to ride his bike, and I give him credit for that. And he’s strangely hot, but who’s counting.

So then, we get to the point in the race where Vinokourov pulls away from the pack. He ended up working together with professional breakaway artist, Katusha’s Kolobnev, and pulled out a great win. Liggett’s comment: “He’s back from disgrace!” Like during his recent doping suspension, he was really just visiting his inlaws or something.

But then, JV had to jump in. “Well, I have mixed feelings about this. Mixed feelings.” Umm, okay, yeah, your team makes a big deal about racing clean and redemption. One of your best riders was an ex-”doper”, and somehow that’s different? Vinokourov won this same race back in 2005, is famous for dropping both Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich in the mountains of France, and has thunder thighs like a speed skater. Yeah, I think he can hang and be clean at the same time. Sure, he’s quirky too, but show me a ‘normal rider’, and I’ll show you someone with some native strangeness. It’s part of the deal.

Though, maybe the doping thing is not what was so upsetting. Maybe it’s the fact that the race finish just shattered his whole ‘Anglo’ idea. The winner of the race was Asian. So, Mr Vaughters, was that it?

Damn, I’m ranting today, and I generally don’t like to make a habit of that. Let’s all take a moment to kick back and enjoy some rainbows and unicorns.


So, this blog is off and running now. I’m not sure if I can be interesting enough to keep it updated every day, but I plan to ‘post up’ on weekends.

Ride Safe. I love you all.