Getting Back to Cranking

As Granny and Tooth well know, life often interferes with blogging.
Fortunately, my absense has only been a matter of time management, not more serious matters.
As my fellow Cranks know, I teach cross-platform journalism at George Mason University. I teach three classes, oversee the Journalism concentration (one of five) in the Communication Department, and coordinate the Electronic Journalism minor. I'm also proposing a new Sports Communication minor. It keeps me busy!

But back to cranking out some cycling tidbits (and I've been saving up plenty) ...

I couldn't resist this little piece of information from Jane Greig of the Austin American-Statesman this morning about Our Boy Lance:
Q: What is Lance Armstrong's height and weight? Has he gained any weight since he retired from racing?
A: Yes. The retired Tour de France competitor has bulked up to about 180 pounds. He has "put on about 15 pounds of muscle," says Mark Higgins, Armstrong's manager at Capital Sports and Entertainment. Height? 5 feet 11 inches.

How about a tricycle race as part of the opening-day festivities in London for the '07 Tour de France?
"The Tricycle Association have opened negotiations with London and the Tour de France organisers for a tricycle race to feature as one of the warm-up races as part of the build-up to the opening prologue stage of the Tour, " says Wayne Baker, a tricyclist.
The story says that the prospect of racing in London and being part of the Tour de France would be a huge boost for tricycle racing, "giving this little-known sport the opportunity of international media exposure."
Since professional cycling is already a three-ring circus thanks to doping scandals, well, why not?
I wonder if tricyclists dope?

And speaking of doping, how about this story from the Townsville Bulletin, a South Queensland newspaper:
"Matt DeCanio, a confessed drug cheat and now an anti-doping crusader, tells tomorrow night's Insight program on SBS TV that he's willing to go before an inquiry and name cyclists, including any Australians, who are using drugs. 'At the highest level I would say 99 per cent of the guys are on it (drugs). If I were to have to bet my life on how many athletes in the Tour de France are on drugs, I would say one guy was clean,' " the 29-year-old told the program entitled "The Cheating Game."

And more to come ...