On Tap...

TOSRV
An annual event usually scheduled around Mother's Day, the Tour of the Scioto River Valley began as a father-and-son outing in 1962. Since then it has quickly grown into the nation’s largest bicycle touring weekend.

Approximately 3000 riders participate in this two day event, which covers 200 miles from Columbus to Portsmouth, OH and back.

TOSRV is credited with "single-handedly raising the profile of the bicycle in American life and providing the inspiration for many of the mass-participation cycling events so popular today across the country."

Because of the time of year, the weather is fairly unpredictable. Alright, it can be downright nasty, as rain and thunderstorms are more of the norm than the exception. The forecast for this weekend, however, looks to be falling into the exception.

I participated in the event a couple of years ago with one of my best friends, Don (Happy Birthday!). Though we'll both be in town this weekend, both of us are laid up with injuries (Granny with a torn gastrocnemius, and Don recovering from rotator cuff surgery). For all our friends and family (some of whom are getting ready for their respective triathlon or racing seasons) riding this weekend here's wishing you "no headwinds!" (Boy I've gotten a lot of use out of that phrase lately, thanks Liz).

Meanwhile, our IronGal in training, Katie, will be taking in some much needed R&R as she will also be in the Columbus, OH area for Brandon's graduation from THE Ohio State University this weekend. Congratulations Brandon (another fellow blogger, B. misc.)!

Keeping the Faith
With all the USADA/WADA chicanery surrounding Floyd Landis' arbitration hearing on Monday, May 14th, the final scheduled Floyd Fairness Fund event, Keep the Faith Ride, this weekend could very well be the last time we see Floyd on a bicycle for a while.

Registration for the May 12th ride starting in New Holland, PA is $75.00 (which most likely will go toward his defense).

Though we are still three days away from his public arbitration, the deck certainly looks stacked against Floyd, even though the evidence seems to be in his favor.

As T-o-03 pointed out, perhaps there are no innocents in this matter. The court of public opinion will spin the verdict, which is predicted to be out a fortnight after the hearing, to their liking, but similar to any mud slinging election, everyone seems to lose out.

Ready or Not Giro Comes
Seemingly lost in the shuffle of all the recent doping scandals is the Giro d' Italia. Its amazing how the athletes and governing bodies alike, have almost completely cannibalized the sport to the point that a Grand Tour could have easily been forgotten (if not for its recent publicity).

Honestly, with all the news of Basso, Landis, Operacion Puerto, would anyone have noticed that there was a race going on in Italy? It's like having a Thanksgiving Day hangover in May. You know the feeling; before you've wrapped up the last bit of turkey the calendar suddenly says its Christmas?

So what should you be watching for in the next three weeks (T-o-03 provided a good list of Giro previews below)? How about some great racing!

I'm not kidding.

The names are big, but likely not as recognizable to the newbie cycing fan. Because of this fact, this year's edition of the Giro d' Italia will most likely bring into play some old school tactics, like those seen in 2005 with Paolo Salvodelli claiming the GC. So rather than seeing some dominant (possibly doped up) performance, you'll be privy to the fundamentals of racing at it highest form, and a true battle of wills, or as Liggett and Sherwen often refer to it, riders "making a withdrawal from their bank of pain."

The Maglia Rosa favorite's list reads like an Italian dining menu:
Salvodelli, Simoni, Cunego, Di Luca. All signs seem to point to a battle of former teammates, Simoni and Cunego. Simoni definitely has the better supporting staff, which will benefit him in the mountains. However, the ultimate protagonist may be Di Luca, whose form in this year's Ardennes Classics is reminiscent of his 2005 campaign when he nearly stole the entire Giro show.

The points jersey competition is littered with some of the top sprinters, but look for an old favorite in Il Grillo, Paolo Bettini to claim the prize. McEwen and Hushovd will likely be using the Giro to gain form for the Tour, while Alessandro Petacchi is still lacking total confidence in his knee. A new name to look for in the sprint to the finish will be JJ Haedo (CSC) whose claim to fame thus far has been the Tour of California.

Mark your calendar for Stage 17 (May 30th) as a definite must watch. The GC will be blown up on this day with the riders testing themselves up the slope of Monte Zoncolan. How hard is this climb? Statements of "its the hardest climb I've ever done," coming from mountain goats like Simoni and Cunego, should provide enough testimony to its difficulty. What's the gradient from eyeing the profile...like 80 %?