Aye-Caramba

Mayo too? I guess the "return to form" was too good to be true.

More training, less doping.



All quiet on the Oregon front.

son of a ...

Ras-moo-sen fired and pulled from the tour. Rabobank had to have more dirt on him than just "he lied about his wherabouts". When you have a tour win locked up, it takes an impending positive dope test to yank the yellow jersey out and fire him. What are they not sharing?

I bought a ticket to France today. At this rate, they are going to need some volunteers to ride into Paris and finish this Tour. This could be my big break... I'll see you on the Champs Elysees.

must be the wine

Am I drunk? Or all this shit really happening at the tour? Let's recap:

- Vino positive for blood transfusion
- Rasmussen in yellow, under a cloud
- Contador in white and 2nd, operation Puerto anyone?
- All Astana out, including 5th place Kloeden
- Sinkewitz already positive for testosterone, after having crashed out of the race

That's a bellyfull. I must have been drunk at 11am this morning when I read that shit. Man, I need to knock off the booze.

Seriously, tho. Cycling is messed up.

Or is it?

Think about it. If you've ever read "Rough Ride", "Breaking the Chain", or any of a half dozen books about cycling, or read the sports news at all in the last, oh, 20 years, you'll know drugs are around. Barry Bonds? How about the massive increase in NFL player's average weight and neck size while simultaneously lowering the 40yard sprint times drastically?

Come on.

The difference now is, people are getting caught. So the question is, what is everyone outraged at? That they cheated? Or that they got caught? I will argue that Vino testing positive is a good thing. He was likely cheating all along. He got busted. Good. Boot him out. Sinkin'wits the same. There were almost 200 riders starting the tour. Were 1% or more on drugs? 1% just got busted. Out of how many tests? 40? Good. The system is working.

Yes, it sucks to get the bad press for this sport. But, sponsors really need to realize that the outrage isn't that these guys got caught, but that they dared cheat to begin with, and that they weren't caught earlier. Kick them out. Give the rest a fair chance - and test like hell.

The whole process is still a stinking mess, but shit, at least something is getting done.

I will watch the tour tomorrow like always, glad that those guys got caught, glad that the race is a wee bit more fair, more ethical, and glad that the rest of the riders get a shot.

Evans just won the 1rst TT. Go Cadel.

hometown throwdown

For the first time in about three years I wasn't racing a tandem at the co-motion crit, so I did the singles race. Single bike, that is. This year it's at the 'ol Tuesday night Greenhill crit course, instead of Creswell. Hometown advantage, right there.

So, of course, I attacked from the gun. From the line, actually. Technically, from about ten feet before the line.

Nick got on my wheel, I drilled it for a while, he drilled it for a while, we had a gap, and a couple laps later Mark and Greg came up and the four of us went around and lapped the pack in 16 laps out of 40. Don't mess with the boys from Eugene on our hometown course. Flat and windy, we know how to ride that.

We screwed around a bit for the next 20 odd laps, then it went a little faster, I went off at about 600m to go, it was too early, guys came around including Nick and Greg and I got 3rd. So it goes. There were more people off the front at that point so it was fun watching everyone else sprint for 8th.


The K-man was there but without the helmet cam. I am sad. He would have caught the booger on Greg's butt. Instead, there is only this to watch.

You are welcome.

some folks are born, made to wear the flag...

oooo, that red white and blue.

generation chickenhawk


well shit. it's thursday night, i've got a glass of cognac chasing dinner and i only just realized that chef tony has been pitching his miracle blade and rock'n'chop at me for about two minutes. it's time to either turn off the boob tube or put this glass down. unlikely that i will do either.

the wind came out of my sails after sunday. with the season's goals over and done, i don't really feel much urge to keep going. the season won't end for me for a while - but a wee bit of a rest sounds really good. we've had a few days of rain and cool weather this week and the fixed gears and cross bikes looked really good. in fact, i had no desire to ride my road bike whatsoever. it's up in the stand waiting for a headset tune up. it's mid july - and i've been in full-on fall season mode (i.e. don't give a crap, anything but road riding).

the spark will return. probably right after this next glass.

cascade redux

stage 1, TT: 9th
stage 2, crit: ? pack finish
stage 3, RR: 4th (finish up at sunrise lodge, mt bachelor, group of 15, 1 off the front)
stage 4, RR: 6th (circuit race @ tumalo state park, tough course, short climbs, pack sprint ~35 guys)
final GC: 7th.

so, according to the OBRA upgrade rules:
stage 3 = 5pts
stage 4 = 3pts
gc finish = 9pts

cascade: 17pts. elkhorn: 10pts. aquired from previous races: 12pts. my total: 39pts
required to upgrade from cat 3 to cat 2: 25pts (surpased on the basis on elkhorn and cascade alone)

the state TT will be my last cat 3 race. then, i get to be pack fodder once more. sweet.

i think it also means i can drink beer and start looking at my cross bike or my mountain bike, or my running shoes, or my fishing pole, or just about anything other than my damn road bike. season's goals - done. and so am i.

cascade classic

I am wiped. It's hot out here in Bend.

I got 9th in the TT and sat in during the crit. I made the lead group today with 1 guy off the front - and attacked with 600m to go for 4th. I am exaughsted. A good night sleep and tomorrow's circuit race are all that are left.

More later