Livingston Taylor's "Bicycle"

Well, I learn something new every day.
Granny probably knew all about this, but Livingston Taylor has a 1996 album titled "Bicycle."

I saw this lyric in my latest "Bike Bits" newsletter from Adventure Cycling:

"Maybe I'm crazy, don't ask my wife
I've been in love with these spinning wheels
Since I was maybe three
My bicycle and me . . ."
-- Livingston Taylor, "Bicycle"

I listened to a clip of the album, but couldn't really get a feel for the song or lyrics.

Here's a brief review:
Chesky Records is proud to present Livingston Taylor's Bicycle. Perfectly suited for the adult contemporary format, Livingston Taylor's songs sing of life's simple pleasures and occasional pains. His voice is crisp and clear and as welcome and familiar as running into an old friend. Witty, winsome and wise, Bicycle features Livingston in eleven original compositions and backed by an ensemble that features his brother James Taylor on the song Boatman. Livingston's new recording is full of surprises; from the jazz swing of Bicycle, to the bluesy instrumental Olympic Guitar and skipping on to Country swing in Dixie Chicken this record is destined to be a quiet surprise hit. (Coconut Bay)

Let us know if you know of other cycling songs or albums.
And yes, we know Queen's 1978 classic "Bicycle Race"!

Lance Tackles Another Hill

Whether you were aware of it or not, today, Tuesday May 17, 2006, is LIVESTRONG Day. It is a day set aside by the Lance Armstrong Foundation to raise cancer awareness on Capitol Hill. From the LAF website:

"On Wednesday, May 17, you can help Lance and the LAF be a voice for change. Thousands of people will take part in LIVESTRONG Day events across the country to raise awareness of and bring attention to an issue that impacts all Americans - cancer.

Two participants from each state have been selected to participate in Washington, D.C. They will meet with their elected officials, participate in interactive advocacy presentations and listen to guest speakers discuss how to make an impact on Capitol Hill and in their own communities."

Regardless of whether you are a fan of Armstrong the cyclist, the man, the father, or not (my personal preferences geared more toward the athlete than the man), the one thing we can all agree on is being a fan of Armstrong the cancer activists.

Eight years ago, my life, specifically my father's life was touched by colorectal cancer. Every day, every month, and every year after the diagnosis and treatment of his cancer was considered a blessing. However, it wasn't without its hardships as every blood draw, every scan, every colonoscopy became a mini-ordeal. Although he is three years past the 5 year mark (where reoccurences often happen), he is nonetheless afflicted by complications from his treatment.

My father's story is one with a happy outcome. But the world is filled with those who aren't as fortunate and whose struggles with cancer are daily. As 53rd Tooth and T-o-03 have mentioned in this blog, many feel its not as cool to wear their LIVESTRONG band these days (since LA is no longer in the peloton). But I thought "Wearing Yellow" was supposed to be for something or someone special not for the fashionista in you. So if you have the time today, remember (and contribute; doesn't necessarily mean monetarily) to LIVESTRONG.

The Path to Becoming a Stepford Wife

Here's an interesting take on the Kristin Armstrong Stepford Wife comments she made on the "Oprah Winfrey" Show by Philadelphia Daily News columnist Jenice Armstrong.

Soundbite:
"It's not so much the institution of marriage that's the problem, but the way some people approach it." Kristin's downfall began when, at age 26, she quit her job as a public-relations executive, gave away her dog, rented her house, sold her convertible and moved to France to be with Lance. Before long, she was a mother of three and wondering what had happened to the spunky, independent woman with a mind of her own she'd once been.

"In other words, girlfriend became a Stepford Wife."

Lance Who?!

OK, Let's Get Snarky.
New White House Press Secretary (does a press secretary take dictation?) Tony Snow fielded 84 questions in a 40-minute briefing Tuesday and had a George Bush moment when a reporter asked why he was wearing a yellow cancer-awareness bracelet. (I still wear mine, by the way. Do you?)

"I had cancer last year," said Snow, who had colon cancer. His mother died of the disease when he was 17. "Just having gone through this last year ... was the best thing that happened to me," he said. Sounds like something Our Boy Lance has said.

"I feel every day is a blessing," Snow added, becoming quite emotional in the process. That's not the Bush moment.

Snow had reporters scratching their heads when he said, "I actually had a chance to talk to Lance Anderson ... "

Snow corrected himself later: "I think I called Lance Armstrong 'Lance Anderson,' " Snow said. "So let me apologize to him for that."

OK.

I Thought Somebody Was Supposed To Be Watching The Border ...

Alright, this photo from the Giro d'Italia was too funny not to post (our apologies if you're immediately offended by this offering due to the recent climate in the US). The caption above was the best we could come up with, so if you have a better one we'd love to hear it. Comment away...

Good Night Irene (OK, Good Night Axel)

Now this hurts.
There's Axel Merckx on the verge of a heroic solo Stage 10 win in the Giro d'Italia Tuesday, just 150 meters from the finish. Instead, the chase group closes in ... closer ... closer ... closer ... until the Phonak rider is caught by Liquigas-Bianchi rider Franco Pellizotti at the very end of the 190km run south from Termoli to Peschici.

Said The-Son-Of: "You go through every possible emotion (Merckx sat motionless with his head draped on his handlebars for at least a minute). "You are disappointed because you think you are not going to make it, and then you see the board for 600 and 500 and 400 meters, and you think, well, maybe there is a chance, and they won't be able to come back if they hesitate in the corners. "But when I saw them at 150 meters, everything went away."

No change in the GC. It's still Ivan Basso by 94 seconds.

Hey, Isn't That ... ?

... Mario Cipollini visiting the 9th stage of the Giro? (photo by Graham Watson)

Here's a photo I snapped of Cipo with one of my fellow Trek Travel riders during an early stage of the Tour de France in Belgium in 2004:

Here's A New Name For You

No one (well, maybe Granny!) may have heard of Lithuanian sprinter Tomas Vaitkus (Ag2r) until Monday, when he won the 9th stage of the Giro d'Italia in a photo-finish bunch sprint in the Adriatic coastal town of Termoli.

Vaitkus just beat out Olympic champion Paolo Bettini of Quick Step. In fact, Bettini briefly thought he'd won, lifting his arms in the air in triumph. Ivan Basso (CSC) finished in the main field to easily hold on to the overall race leader's pink jersey.

Elementary My Dear Watson, Elementary

Before CSI, Cold Case, or any of the other crime investigation shows there was Sherlock Holmes. For those of you not old enough to remember, the above was his retortful catch phrase directed at his sidekick's, Dr. Watson, post mystery solving inquiries.

So what's the mystery in this case? Graham Watson not covering the last three stages of the Giro d'Italia.

From the Giro Stage List on GW's website:
Stage 6: BUSSETO > FORLI', 227 Km (not covered)
Stage 7: CESENA > SALTARA, 236 Km (not covered)
Stage 8: CIVITANOVA MARCHE > MAIELLETTA, 171 km (not covered)

Hey! Wasn't that a Graham Watson photo T-o-3 put up in the "It's Basso Time" blog? Yes, it was credited to Graham Watson, but most photos taken by staffers can be credited to the lead photographer.

Then if his staffer was taking the photos, where was Graham? Ah, there's the rub!

The last three stages of the Giro weren't personally covered by Graham because he was covering the ride up Alpe d'Huez.

Huh? The Tour de France isn't until July silly! Who's ride up Alpe d'Huez is so important that he leaves one of the Grand Tours?

The Boss! More specifically, the boss' return and ride up Alpe d'Huez to help celebrate one of his buddies, Joe Aragona's, 50th birthday.


The reason most artists are often stereotyped as "starving" is because few ever make a living from their passion. And the few that are able to make a living, the really, really great ones know where "their bread is buttered." Graham Watson, an outstanding photographer in his own right, has made his living and owes his popularity outside cycling (and into popular culture) to Lance Armstrong and the "Blue Train" of US Postal Service/Discovery. He has even become a regular contributor of prose and photo on the former US Postal Service and current Discovery Channel Pro Cycling fan website, thepaceline.com. So if the former "Boss" of the peloton comes a callin', where do you go?

Elementary My Dear Watson, Elementary!

It's Basso Time

We have had our first major moment of the Giro d'Italia and, perhaps, of this road cycling season!

We have been waiting for Ivan Basso to declare himself as OBL's successor, and perhaps he did just that (history will tell) in the 8th stage of the Giro (not to be missed later Sunday on OLN-TV; 5 p.m. ET).
Basso is now in the maglia rosa. The Team CSC leader owns a 1:34 leads, thanks to what must have been a spectacular display of climbing at the close of the 171km stage run from Civitanova Marche to the 1,289-meter summit finish at Maielletta-Passo Lanciano (do you just love these names?!).

Here's how it developed, according to VeloNews:
Damiano Cunego attacked 4km from the finish.
Basso latched onto the Lampre-Fondital rider's wheel, and then mercilessly dropped the 2004 Giro champion on the 12.3km ascent.
Basso clocked in at 4:04:19 AND earned a 20-second time bonus.
Cunego was next at 0:30, out-sprinting Spaniard Jose Gutierrez (Phonak) to take the second-place time bonus.
Gilberto Simoni seventh at 1:15, Danilo Di Luca eighth at 1:32, and defending champion Paolo Savoldelli of Discovery Channel 15th at 2:20.
Previous leader Sergei Honchar (T-Mobile) lost 2:34 (2:54, if you count Basso's bonus) to drop to fifth overall.
Gutierrez jumped into the second spot on GC, 1:34 behind Basso.

Here's what Basso had to say about his strategy:
"When Cunego attacked I just asked [Carlos] Sastre to go faster, because I did not want to do the first attack."
Sastre set a blistering pace during the early portions of the 8.4 percent average gradient climb and caused Savoldelli and Di Luca to pop off of the lead group.
Basso caught Cunego (see Graham Watson's photo above) and, after a short pause, took over.
Said Basso:
"I wanted to do the counter-attack. After that I didn't know what happened with Cunego because I did not look behind. I knew he was not there, but not how far back. I just wanted to win by as much as possible."

Is that not a classic comment?
"I did not look behind. I knew he was not there."

As for Savoldelli, how about this admission:
"I suddenly understood that I was not super. With the first acceleration I was over my limit. [Tom] Danielson gave me great help at that point, but I couldn't do anything else. I was not tired physically, but I was not brilliant."

And Danielson:
"It was a hard day for us. I was behind on the climb, then I had to chase up to Savo' and do work. Sastre was really strong. CSC was really strong.
"But it's still a long ways to Milan."

Overall, after 8 stages:
1. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 31:41:17
2. José Gutierrez Cataluna (Sp), Phonak, at 1:34
3. Damiano Cunego (I), Lampre, at 1:48
4. Paolo Savoldelli (I), Discovery Channel, at 2:35
5. Serhiy Honchar (Ukr), T-Mobile, at 2:43
6. Danilo Di Luca (I), Liquigas-Bianchi, at 2:48
7. Gilberto Simoni (I), Saunier Duval, at 3:20
8. Giampaolo Caruso (I), Liberty Seguros, at 3:23
9. Tom Danielson (USA), Discovery Channel, at 3:31
10. Rubiera Vigil José Luis (Sp), Discovery Channel, at 3:39

YIPEE!

We've all seen an arm raised, the double arm thrust to the sky, a finger point, the pointing to the sponsor on the front of the jersey, the archer stance of Juan Antonio Flecha (his last name meaning "archer" in Spanish), and even a binky in Carlos Sastre's mouth to celebrate crossing the line in victory. But when was the last time you saw someone express such joy for simply pulling on a leader's jersey, and not even the final one at that. After yesterday's grueling Stage 7 of the Giro d'Italia, that's exactly what we saw from Serhiy Honchar (yes that's the Ukrainian spelling of his name).

Perhaps we've gotten too accustomed to the stoicism and cautious optimism displayed by the current day's race leader as if to signify that there is still work to be done, or I know I'm only in this jersey for a bit. But it was refreshing to see someone with such a child-like epression of emotion. At least we know one person is truly enjoying what he's doing. After all, if you don't take time to celebrate your victories, then you're gonna have one "long" life.

Photo: Graham Watson

Breakdown of the Breakdown

Crash or Defect?
Copyright cyclingnews.com/Photo: Mike Carrucan

Well it's not out of Waterloo, WI, but a viable explanation for George Hincapie's stem failure can be found on cyclingnews.com. As you can see from the above photo, the aluminum (and not carbon) steerer snapped just below the stem clamp.

Amore

Does it get any better than this? Le Tour will always hold the special place it deserves but this race deserves a nod for destination considerations for our 5th year renunion tour.

It would appear the heat was truly on today in so many ways. Summer temps and DiLuca cracks on 7 brutal hours of racing. Basso, Cunego and Salvodelli are playing the best Texas Hold 'em faces I've seen yet.

Be prepared for some upcoming, explosive stages folks.

Rollin' Robbie, Giro Still Not Grand Enough

No Worries, Mate! Photo: AFP

Robbie McEwen has captured his third stage of this year's Giro d'Italia, winning Stage 6 into Forli. With his main rival, Alessandro Petacchi on the shelf, McEwen would have "an easy go of it," if he decided he really wanted the Giro points jersey. But in a post stage interview with Velonews, McEwen made clear his intentions.

"It's a long way to Milan and the stages from here in are not to my advantage," he said. "I didn't come here with the points jersey as a priority. It would be nice but it's an extra. There's a possibility for a sprint on stage 9, maybe stage 15, but I don't like to look too far ahead. When I looked at the Giro stage book before the race, I looked at 2, 4 and 6. I didn't look any farther."

There once was a time in cycling where the Grand Tours (especially the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France) were held in similar stature. Today, the TdF stands well above the Giro and the Vuelta a Espana. Some of today's cyclists and directors will have you believe that the Giro is back on equal footing with the Tour de France especially with talk about accomplishing the difficult double (Giro and TdF). But if today's comment by McEwen doesn't speak volumes, then maybe his finishing on the Champ-Elysees this July will.

The Power Brokers

Thom Wiesel with members of the Champions Club

So who are those serious looking guys all kitted out in US Cycling Federation/Foundation gear? They are some of the men behind the reorganinzation and rebirth of US Cycling, fronted by none other than Thom Weisel. If you're thinking that name sounds familiar, then you only have to look as far as your old US Postal Service cycling jerseys and hats to see his name stamped on them.

In the June 2006 issue of Outside Magazine (the one with Landon Donovan on the cover), Bill Gifford takes you behind the "Billionaire Cycling Club," where the entry fee is $100,000, and whose membership includes such cycling benefactors as actor Robin Williams.

Although the article doesn't mention the recent expulsion of Gerard Bisceglia former chief executive officer of USA Cycling (the article probably having been authored beforehand) it certainly offers a glimpse as to the reasons behind the forced resignation.

Another interesting tidbit is Thom Wiesel's initial refusal to bring Lance Armstrong into US Postal because of the young Armstrong's well chronicled brash and arrogant nature.

After reading the article, I couldn't help but feel that although the future of US Cycling is bright, its taken some necessary evils to get it to where its at. "Can you handle the truth?"

Watch Those Predictions, Lance!

I love it when OBL makes predictions.
Like this one on Wednesday, according to Reuters:

"I think the Discovery Channel will be good because they've got the experience of riding the Tour de France team time trials," Armstrong said."We've got a strong line-up with some big engines like (Viatcheslav) Ekimov and (Pavel) Padrnos. Paolo Savoldelli is also riding very well and so I'm sure the team will be fighting for the win." Armstrong-led teams won the team time trial stage in the last three of his record seven consecutive Tour victories.

In 2005, Team CSC looked like it would win, but GC leader David Zabriskie crashed close to the finish, allowing Discovery Channel to snatch the victory. Thursday, in the fifth stage of the Giro d'Italia, CSC finished first, T-Mobile a surprising second, only one second behind, and Discovery third, 39 seconds behind (see item below). CSC boss Bjarne Riis wanted to avenge that defeat.

"I don't care about how much we win it by, winning it is the most important thing," Riis said. "Second would be a disappointment for us."

Team CSC Wins TTT at the Giro (but how about T-Mobile!)

The Blue Train of Team Discovery (photo by Graham Watson)

STAGE 5 RESULTS:
1, TEAM CSC, 36:56 (56,859 Km/h)
2, T-MOBILE TEAM, 0:01
3, DISCOVERY CHANNEL, 0:39
4, LIQUIGAS, 0:42
5, FRANCAISE DES JEUX, 1:00
6, GEROLSTEINER, 1:03
7, QUICKSTEP - INNERGETIC, 1:03
8, LAMPRE - FONDITAL, 1:04
9, PHONAK HEARING SYSTEM, 1:04
10, CREDIT AGRICOLE, 1:07

GENERAL CLASIFICATION AFTER STAGE 5:
1, HONCHAR Serhiy, UKR, TMO, 15:30:23
2, VOIGT Jens, GER, CSC, 0:06
3, ROGERS Michael, AUS, TMO, 0:06
4, POLLACK Olaf, GER, TMO, 0:10
5, BASSO Ivan, ITA, CSC, 0:11
6, SAVOLDELLI Paolo, ITA, DSC, 0:20
7, SORENSEN Nicki, DEN, CSC, 0:29
8, SCHUMACHER Stefan, GER, GST, 0:31
9, JULICH Bobby, USA, CSC, 0:33
10, RUBIERA VIGIL José Luis, ESP, DSC, 0:38
11, DANIELSON Tom, USA, DSC, 0:44
12, DI LUCA Danilo, ITA, LIQ, 0:49
13, REBELLIN Davide, ITA, GST, 0:54
14, CIONI Dario David, ITA, LIQ, 0:56
15, MCGEE Bradley, AUS, FDJ, 0:59
16, GUSTOV Volodymir, UKR, CSC, 1:00
17, GUTIERREZ CATALUNA José E., ESP, PHO, 1:05
18, BETTINI Paolo, ITA, QSI, 1:06
19, NOE' Andrea, ITA, LIQ, 1:09
20, GUTIERREZ PALACIOS José Ivan, ESP, CEI, 1:11

From the Wall Street Journal: Growing U.S. Bicycle Habit

Saw this story in the Wall Street Journal today. The WSJ is subscription only online (yes, I have a subscription), so here are some excerpts:

May 10, 2006 10:34 p.m. EDT

Q&A: Growing U.S. Bicycle Habit

Charlie McCorkell (CM), who has owned Bicycle Habitat in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan for 29 years, talked with WSJ.com's Matt Phillips (MP) about what has pushed commuters onto their bikes in the past, the impact of the current high gas prices, and more. Mr. McCorkell, 56 years old, is also a former executive director of Transportation Alternatives.

MP: How has bike participation changed over the last 20 years or so?

CM: I started commuting in New York City in 1969. At that point, when you went over the Brooklyn Bridge there were six flights of stairs you had to deal with. If you saw two or three other cyclists on your commute, you thought you saw a lot. I'd get spit at at least once a week by drivers … who didn't feel I had any right to the road. The situation in the last 35 years has obviously changed dramatically … The change is, you know, it's like something from the sublime to the ridiculous almost, there are so many cyclists.

MP: What accounts for the growth?

CM: You have so many forces in society that help it along. We have people who ride because they don't like the war in Iraq and they think it's an oil war. We don't see too many people who come in because oil prices have gone up, gas prices have gone up, but they do exist. Every time somebody gets [delayed or has a bad experience] on the subway, you know, they think, "Maybe, I should ride my bike." And there are so many cyclists out there that they see people riding. It's no longer an occasional thing, you know, you're no longer, like, the odd man out … I like to think, to borrow from [Malcolm] Gladwell's book [The Tipping Point], we've reached a "tipping point" in New York City for bicycle riding. The more people who ride, the more people who will ride, and the more awareness there is of it. I mean you can't walk down a street any more without seeing bikes [locked] onto poles. You can't stand in the street for more than two minutes in even the most deserted areas of New York without seeing a bike rider.

MP: So you don't see a big upsurge from people turning to bicycles for relief from gas prices?

CM: I haven't seen that yet … The problem is people who are going to drive in New York City and Manhattan, they're going to pay $40 to park their car for a day, or they're going to risk a ticket or something else. [For them,] the gas price is such a minuscule part of the transportation cost for a car. What I am hearing … is that people are not jumping in their car to drive five blocks, to pick up a quart of milk. They'll jump on the bike. I've heard a couple stories along that line. And this is especially people who live in Brooklyn, where I live, who tell me … that's not worth it for them to get in the car anymore. And so we've seen some minor changes there and that could lead to longer-term changes, where they find out that biking is actually a reality and you can do it. And usually the biggest surprise to people when they hop on a bike is when they're going seven, eight miles in New York City that it's so much quicker by bike than by car or subway or anything else.

MP: Do you have any sense of how changes in New York City would compare with the rest of the country?

CM: New York City I think is a real trendsetter at this point. You know we have the oldest bike lane in the country, in Brooklyn, the Ocean Parkway bike lane. You have the busiest bike lane in the country on West Street [in Manhattan], by far … and it's what? Five years old? Six years old? The increase [in] bicycling is just phenomenal … and as I said the more people who ride, the more people who ride. I know people who commute in San Francisco and I just don't know how they get them down the hills -- but they tell me they go around them for the most part. A lot of bike riders there. Portland, Ore.? Off the scale. Really good bike community. And on the smaller side Davis, Calif. -- everybody bikes. Boston is a very popular bike town at this point. So I think we're seeing them in cities where there's the transit option. I think there's a trickle down, that people stop driving, they get on the subways, then they get on their bikes. I think what you'll see is when gas prices go up people might abandon their car and go to the subway. That might be their first choice and their second choice might be memories of the personal transport thing and they might try a bike.

MP: Was there any kind of seminal event, or great fad that spurred bike usage on? Something along the lines of the jogging boom of the 1980s?

CM: I think the biggest touch point would always be the [New York City] transit strike back in 1980. [It] was just a huge awakening for people. … I think it was April 1 or something, but it was fair weather, so hordes of people came out and never went back, you know, just hordes. And that was probably the biggest percentage increase I ever saw of everyday cyclists. And it was courtesy of the transit authority. People saw it's a lot better than the subway.

MP: Have you ever seen impact from high gas prices, going back to the 1970s?

CM: There was a much more of an impact when you couldn't buy gas every day … Because that became, not a money issue, it became a time issue … People were investing huge amounts of time in gas rather than huge amounts of money. Now we're investing money. And people who can afford to drive … the gas is not a significant part of the process in New York City, especially if you have to deal with parking. So the gas price is kind of small. But when it was a time issue for these people, they were much more likely to seek out an alternative. So if they had long gas lines or rationing of some sort, all of the sudden you'd probably see a lot more people switching over … If you were going to spend an hour in line getting gas, you would think about what your alternatives were.

MP: How did you first get into cycling?

CM: I was living at my parents' apartment in Brooklyn … and I was going to school in Manhattan, in the village, and I was riding the subway one day, and it was the middle of January. I don't remember why, but something must have happened on the train that day, I don't remember what it was, but I got off the train and said, "I'm never riding the train again." … I went over to Stuyvesant Bikes, which is now out of business, and bought a bike … My parents almost died when I brought it home because they thought it was the most juvenile thing in the world. I was 19 and had never owned a bike before, so it was a real radical departure for me… and the first time I rode it home, my hands were freezing off, but I remember I made it home like 15 minutes quicker than I would have. And there was no frustration with the train. At that point, I think the subway was 15 cents. I was saving 30 cents a day. I was a student. It was great; it fit all my needs.

URL for this article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114712193852146969.html

Short Shelf Leif

Leif (pronounced "life", not as in 80's Tiger Beat sensation Leif (leaf) Garrett) Hoste is reported to be leaving the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling team at season's end. According to cyclingnews.com and sportswereld.be, Hoste has significant offers from 5 different teams, Davitamon-Lotto, Unibet.com, and three unidentified French teams. With the rumors of PVP headed to Quick-Step, a return to Belgium and Davitamon-Lotto seems to be the most likely move for Hoste.


Johan Bruyneel has already stated that Discovery will not match any offers, as it has been Postal/Discovery's modus operandi in letting Leipheimer, Boonen, Hamilton, Heras, and others leave the ranks. After such a strong Spring campaign from Hoste (winning De Panne, finishing 2nd in the Ronde and riding strongly in Paris-Roubaix), you may be questioning where that leaves Discovery's Classics team? It's still in extremely capable hands with Hincapie, Hammond, and Gusev. Plus, expect to see a personal favorite in Stijn Devolder, finally fulfill his promise next season.

Call me old school, an idealist, or even naive, but it pains me to no end to hear about sport being reduced to business decisions. Several years back, if you'll recall, the US Postal Cycling (eventually Discovery) squad took a chance in bringing over a young and inconsistent rider who was no longer wanted by his current team. After years of tutelage and standing by him, Hoste is now ready to repay Discovery by leaving for supposedly greener pastures. Most people may not find fault in Hoste, or any person for that matter, bettering his lot in life, but when did the word "loyalty" become synonymous with unsatisfactory.

Giro (and Tour de France) Video on Yahoo Sports?

This was news to me:
According to a story in Online Media Daily, Yahoo Sports has begun carrying live coverage of select NHL Stanley Cup playoff games and is also offering programming from OLN's coverage of the Giro D'Italia (as well as AMA Motocross and Arena Football League). Yahoo also plans to make video recaps and updates available from OLN's coverage of the Tour de France (as well as the Davis Cup, the Boston Marathon and other events on OLN).

I checked out the Yahoo Sports cycling site, but I couldn't find anything (help me out, guys!). "Video content has become a core part of the online sports experience," says David Katz, head of sports and entertainment for Yahoo.