Not Your Ordinary Hump Day...

THE GAME
You're gonna have to excuse Oude Granny for a bit here as I have to start off with a comment on THE GAME this weekend. As a sports fan, I'm proud and extremely happy to say that I fall on one side of two of the greatest rivalries in sports; that being the Yankees - Red Sox and Michigan - Ohio State. And in both cases, I'm even prouder to say that I'm a fan of the latter.

Interestingly enough, there are striking similarities among the teams. Both fan bases of the Sawx and Buckeyes are generally referred to as "Nations," as in Red Sawx Nation or Buckeye Nation; and they are equally as diehard. While the fans on the other side are often viewed as harboring a "superiority complex" for having beaten their rivals soundly over the years (26 World Series titles to 6, and although the Buckeyes have played Michigan even during the modern era of football, Michigan still holds a 17 game advantage in the win column; Derek Jeter - UM/Yankee Poster Boy).

Now how does this all relate to cycling, well for a Sawx and Buckeye fan it all starts and ends with PASSION.

The TC started this blog earlier in the year because we "were" extremely passionate about the sport of cycling. I say "were" because the luster came off when the scandals hit...And NO, although T-o-03 keeps up with OBL, we weren't just "Lance" fans whose interest suddenly waned because he had retired. The once fervent have been reduced to a group of dispirited cyclist. How does Oude Granny know this? Well around this time of year, when the route of the Tour de France is announced, there was about as much excitment and anticipation as THE GAME has this weekend. This time last year, we would have broken down our favorite stages, marked down which ones couldn't be missed, and maybe, just maybe even planned a trip to take in some of the race.

Don't get me wrong, the TC still loves to cycle and to talk about the events in and around cycling, but until the sport is able to honestly confront its issues, it'll be difficult to wrap our arms around any of the sports "athletes."

What A Hack...
Oude Granny shouldn't be surprised by the lengths and depths some individuals may take in order to perpetuate a lie, or in this case a defense. But it saddens me to hear that one of Floyd Landis' mates may be involved in a computer hacking conspiracy to clear his name. Apparently, one of Floyd's associates "hacked" into the computers at the French lab that ran all his tests and sent out fake emails to all the heads of the major cycling governing boards claiming past laboratory mistakes. Word to the wise, plan ahead!!! At least have a native French speaker write the letters, not someone who knows the French language as well as Bob Roll (sorry Bob, but your "Tours de France" have been killing me all these years). To read the sad details, follow this link to Velonews.com.

We Believe - Part (what f*%$^@ part is this now)
Tyler Hamilton is officially back (my apologies for the painful pun to the left) in cycling as there are reports that he has signed with a team. Many have reported that its the new continental pro cycling squad headed up by Oleg Tinkoff, Tinkoff Credit Systems. But no one is letting the cat out of the bag, yet. The question, however, still remains for those ardent supporters of Tyler's who waited out the sentence of a presumably innocent man - Do You Still Believe?? For the rest of the details, check Cyclingnews.com.

Fro-Yo, Now Cy-Yo...Huh?
That's right!! No, it's not from the makers of Fro-zen Yo-gurt, but from the state that has some of the best fro-yo and ice cream (if you're ever in Beantown, run, don't walk, over to JP Licks), Massachusetts. Now comes a marriage of seemingly polar opposites, but one that makes a whole lot of good old fashion sense...Cycling and Yoga, or Cy-Yo. Although Granny hasn't participated in one of these classes, they are apparently more Yoga than Spin, with a focus on the alignment of your body in order to cycle better. As I've done both, albeit separately, in the past, be prepared to get your arse kicked and love every minute of it. Check it out at Cy-Yo.com.

Incidentally, Buckeyes 24 - Michigan 10.