Catch The View At The Giro

Passo del Grand San Bernardo (photo by Graham Watson)

The scenery is spectacular on the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia; you can check it out for yourself on Graham Watson's wonderful website.

As for the GC after 14 stages:
1, BASSO Ivan, ITA, CSC, 55:28:25
2, GUTIERREZ CATALUNA José E., ESP, PHO, 3:27
3, SAVOLDELLI Paolo, ITA, DSC, 5:30
4, BELLI Wladimir, ITA, CLM, 7:35
5, SIMONI Gilberto, ITA, SDV, 8:00
6, CASAR Sandy, FRA, FDJ, 8:01
7, PELLIZOTTI Franco, ITA, LIQ, 8:14
8, DANIELSON Tom, USA, DSC, 8:35
9, CUNEGO Damiano, ITA, LAM, 8:58
10, DI LUCA Danilo, ITA, LIQ, 10:36

Triple Crankset Teammate At The Giro

Dan McCormack was the Triple's teammate during the final week of the 2003 Trek Travel trip to the Tour de France.

A strong rider from Austin (of all places!), Dan has returned to Europe with Trek Travel for the final weekend of the Giro d'Italia. Depending on his Internet accessibility, he'll be filing some reports for the Triple!

Here's his latest note:
"Well, I’m off to Italy today!! Tons of mountain riding ahead with Trek Travel. I got on Google Earth yesterday and looked at some of the geography where we’ll be in northern Italy (in the Dolomiti Mountains mostly around Trento and Alleghe. I fly to Chicago, then Frankfurt and then to Milano, Italy (and get a 3-hour train to Trento to arrive late Sunday night). We ride mountain stages Tuesday through Saturday, and then watch the final stage in Milano Sunday. Fly home Monday, May 29th; you know the drill: Lots of ‘suffering terribly’ ahead for a great time!!"

Yes, the Triple knows the drill and is terribly jealous.
Happy riding, Dan!

Devil's Den

The real question:

Will Diablo make it to the TOC next year?

By The Numbers

102 The number of posts that the Crankset has cranked out in a 2 month period.

5:30 The deficit in minutes of the closest rival (Salvodelli) to Ivan Basso's overall lead after 13 Stages

27 The number of seconds that a true climber, and supposed contender to this year's Giro (Simoni) lost to Basso on Stage 13.

1 The number of weeks left in the Giro d'Italia

Even with one very ardous, mountainous week remaining, barring any catastrophic events,Ivan Basso should win the 2006 Giro d'Italia. With time gaps like these (below), it'll take a Herculean effort to displace Basso as none seem to be able to keep up with his tempo and place any pressure on him and team CSC. As the crazed Red Sawx fan, Wild Bill, would say, "This thing is O-V-A, ovah!"

General classification after stage 13
1 Ivan Basso (Ita) Team CSC 49.53.36
2 José E. Gutierrez Cataluna (Spa) Phonak Hearing Systems 3.27
3 Paolo Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 5.30
4 Wladimir Belli (Ita) Selle Italia-Serramenti Diquigiovanni 7.35
5 Gilberto Simoni (Ita) Saunier Duval-Prodir 8.00
6 Franco Pellizotti (Ita) Liquigas 8.14
7 Tom Danielson (USA) Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team 8.35
8 Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre-Fondital 8.58
9 Danilo Di Luca (Ita) Liquigas 10.36
10 Victor Hugo Pena Grisales (Col) Phonak Hearing Systems 11.12

Say Provolone!

Need I say amore? I mean, we're talking EVERY picture, the man has grin on his mug. Have you ever seen a more poised professional in your life? For but a fleeting moment (and no more) he actually makes it seem possible to race right along with him. As if 12 stages at an average of 25+ MPH and 140BPM average is no thang! Were there a "Style" jersey, he's ALL over it.

Despite his incredible poker or Bocci face (when in Rome), he made it quite clear that the race is forcing him to dig deep today. Of course strategic positioning aside, this further proves that he will be stretched come July.

Bring on the slopes!

Let Graham Watson Tell You The Stage 12 Story

That's Roberto Laiseka in pain (photo by Graham Watson)

There were crashes, attacks and a surprise winner (yet another name Granny probably knows but I don't) in the 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia Friday.
Spaniard Joan Horrach (Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears) was the last cyclist standing from a 15-man group that tore away from main bunch in the 171km stage along Italy's spectacular Cinque Terre coast. I could tell you, but I'll let Graham Watson show you with today's pictoral treat.

OBL A Hero (didn't we already know that?)

I wouldn't mess with Julie Pike's lead on this one in the National Ledger:
Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong apparently changed into his super hero costume recently as one published report [OK, so it was in the Enquirer] says the cancer survivor is also a crime fighter.
A report claims [Journalism tip: NEVER use the word "claims"] Lance turned into a one-man police tour de force recently, according to the Enquirer.
The supercyclist was biking with a pal near the beach in Santa Monica [isn't that near Malibu -- see item below], when a mugger pushed down a woman and sprinted off with her purse.
Lance reportedly turned around, raced after the scruffy bad guy [all bad guys are "scruffy," right?] and bumped him to the turf with a crafty front-wheel whack.
The reports says Lance snagged the purse from the sprawled perp [do you just love this?], who reportedly then beat feet and ran off. The report then claims that Armstrong cycled the snatched satchel back to its owner and resumed his recreational ride.

Dishin' The Dirt

John Stamos

Because we know you care:
According to THE World Entertainment News Network (sounds reliable to me), ex-OBL girlfriend Sheryl Crow is seeing actor John Stamos.
Crow, who is recovering from breast cancer surgery, broke off her engagement to Our Boy Lance earlier this year.
According to WENN, a source told Life & Style magazine (sounds reliable to me) a mutual friend set up the celebrity pair (makes sense to me).
The couple had their first date a few weeks ago in Malibu (where else?), where they walked around the Malibu Country Mart shopping center and stopped for a coffee (sounds serious to me).
The source told the magazine: "They've been talking a lot and plan to have dinner together soon. They're really into each other, so it could blossom into something more."
What more do we need to know?

OBL's March on Washington

How many billions for the war in Iraq?

How many billions to protect Mexican border?


How many billions to find a cure for cancer?

Our Boy Lance wants to know.
I want to know.
The former hockey coach at the University of Maine, the late Shawn Walsh, would have wanted to know.
So does my dear friend, Paul Regan.

So OBL was on Capital Hill Wednesday on Livestrong Day.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation was there, too, with two people from every state. Many of them were cancer survivors or caregivers.
They were there to lobby Congress for more cancer research funding.
They want to find a cure for cancer.
"I have the history, the passion, the time and the army," said OBL. "We want the hard questions asked.
These are the numbers: 600,000 Americans die every year from cancer.
"And remember, we vote," said Lance.

Wait A Minute...

If we weren't sure that today's 11th Stage of the Giro d'Italia didn't go through Pisa, then you'd swear the following was created in Photoshop...its real, honest!

BOOYAKASHA! RE-SPEK!

I was going to leave this one for 53rd Tooth, but I figured there would be plenty of room on this blog for his comments. Anyway, to the heart of the matter...what cycling feat could elicit such a headline? Only Jan Ullrich dusting the competition in the long (50km) and flat ITT of the Giro d'Italia's Stage 11.

Photo: Graham Watson

Stage 11 Results
1. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, 58:48
2. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 59:16
3. Marco Pinotti (I), Saunier Duval, 59:49
4. Serhiy Honchar (Ukr), T-Mobile, 59:57
5. Paolo Savoldelli (I), Discovery Channel, 1:00:07

Overall After Stage 11
1. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 0:00
2. José E.Gutierrez Cataluna (Sp), Phonak, 2:48
3. Serhiy Honchar (Ukr), T-Mobile, 3:24
4. Paolo Savoldelli (I), Discovery Channel, 3:26
5. Tom Danielson (USA), Discovery Channel, 5:38

*Big loser today, Damiano Cunego who was passed by Basso, losing more than 5 minutes on the stage. A tidbit from Gordan Cameron on Pezcyclingnews.com, "rumour has it that Basso and Simoni are more or less on the same page when it comes to thoughts about Cunego, so that was probably a pretty sweet feeling for the CSC head honcho." Interesting...

**Check out the overall ride by Tommy D. Does Sean Yates send him up the road in the mountains, as Basso will clearly be marking any moves by Salvodelli? Stay Tuned...

The Road (Gravel) Ahead

For those of you who weren't lucky enough to have watched the 88th Giro d'Italia, it produced one of the most exciting stages in not only Giro history, but in Grand Tour history with the penultimate Stage 19 and the climb up the unpaved, gravelly Colle della Finestre, an 18.5km monster, with an average gradient of 9.2%.

The organizers (sadists) of this year Giro have dug into their bag of tricks and unearthed something seemingly as (or more) insidious as the Finestre with the mountain top finish on the Plan de Corones (Stage 17, Wednesday May 24th). How could it possibly be worse than the Finestre? The last 5.5kms of the climb are unpaved and some sections are graded out at 24%. Presently, the organizers are having the gravel refurbished (not paved) with a cement-like mixture and packed down so that these sections will be passable come next Wednesday, at least after they've been cleared of snow. (For the most recent album of the last 7kms of the Corones, Click Here)

Nice Switchback!

(Is this a NORBA Event?)

Just What The Pure Climber Requested - A Climbing Wall

So mark your calendar, set your VCR or TiVO, fork over the $19.99 for the LIVE internet broadcast on Cycling.tv, or just wait anxiously like a kid 4 days away from Christmas for the OLN Cyclysm coverage the following Sunday, because this is one stage that shouldn't disappoint.

Grab Bag Thursday

The Unofficial Jersey (and t-shirt) of the TripleCrankset
If you're tired of the generic styled mono colored cycling jersey or the multi-colored sponsor filled one as well then the boys over at Twin Six just might have something for you. Twin Six, was started by two designers who also just happened to love riding their bikes. From their Wear-To-Go Manifesto, they believe "that the time is overdue for better cycling jersey graphics" with a "goal to be the alternative to everything else."

And wouldn't you know, one of their designs captures the true nature of the Crankset. So we've adopted this jersey as the unofficial jersey of the Triple Crankset. If your local Twin Six dealer doesn't have it, you can find it at REI or Arcvelo.com. The jersey retails for $70.00.

Bonkers Rejoice
In the past, Granny bonked so much that I could've earned the nickname, Bonkers. But the people at Gel-Bot have come up with something to help prevent that from happening. Is it a new energy drink... a new gel? No, but a delivery system to get you either one or both at the same time. The Gel-Bot is the first water bottle with an integrated gel cannister/flask. Depending upon how far the spout is engaged, then you can enjoy just gel (in the closed position), gel and water (or whatever drink you fill it with, spout pulled open halfway), or just your drink (spout fully open). The 24oz. bottle with gel flask (claims to hold up to three gels) retails for $15.95 and can be found at their online store or at Eastern Mountain Sports.

Abt-ly Speaking

Samuel Abt, the outstanding cycling writer for the International Herald Tribune (and the New York Times), has a new dispatch on the Giro d'Italia.

Snipit: "If Basso doesn't fold, we can already give him our congratulations" on a Giro victory, said Danilo Di Luca, the Italian leader of Liquigas.

Dropouts

Great Close-Up of Axel Merckx

(Click to Enlarge)

Two dropouts during the rest day before Stage 11 of the Giro d'Italia: Axel Merckx and Bradley McGee. From Eurosport:

After suffering a disappointing end to Stage 10 on Tuesday, Phonak's Merckx said:
"The next few stages are guarded, I'm going to pull out. There may be other stages that suit me, but not in the last week, because I won't be there." (Why is it that there always seems to be something lost in the translation?)

And here's a warning for Ivan Basso:
"This Giro is too hard for those who want to achieve something at the Tour [de France]."

As you Giro fans remember, the Belgian was out-ridden in the final 150 meters of Stage 10 on Tuesday by a chasing group lead by eventual winner Franco Pellizotti after having held them off following his attack 17k from the line. "At 300 metres, I still believed in it [the win] because they were late in reducing the gap," said the 33-year old Belgian.

How does he feel about the near miss a day later?
"Bad, very bad, I thought I had a chance. I went from the feeling of hope to utter rage, but that's cycling, you have to accept these things."

As for McGee, he has never really recovered from his fall in the Criterium International in late March, according to Martial Gayant, sporting director of Francais des Jeux (sounds like a breakfast drink to me!). "The pain is still present, it goes from the base of his back upwards. He's worried because the Tour de France is near."

The question is: Is Basso worried?

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.

Jan the Style Man (from PezCycling)

Even if its not quite so hard to keep up with Jan Ullrich’s TT speed these days, he’s certainly making up for it on the fashion front. In a Madonnaesque display of style switching, Ullrich has lost his long locks which he carefully cultivated over his winter and extended training period. Also gone is the earring.

Rumours that Jan’s long-time coach Rudy Pevenage had an influence are as of yet unconfirmed. However Parisian fashion writer Mathild le Grand-Bouche commented that “moi, I fink zat zis new style is, how do you say... tres chic and zat earring wiv zat long air was so 80’s rocker. All ‘ee needed was a faded Metallica t-shirt, mai non!”

Now, what would cycling be without OBJ?

File Under: WRONG

Photo: AP

Referred to as the Forrest Gump of Cycling, as in "I just kept a ruhn-ning," but more affectionately just called Bike Man, Heinz Stucke, 66, had his bike stolen while sleeping in his tent outside of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom.

Why is this news worthy? Its the same bike he's been riding since he left his home in Germany in 1962. The bike, and man, have logged over 330,000 miles in his journey to cycle across the globe. The 56 lb. bike (yes that's correct, all steel with specially reinforced joints and spokes) was taken on the day he returned to Europe. Was this a pre-emptive strike by British hooligans in response to Wayne Rooney's leg injury and possible exclusion from the FIFA World Cup being held in Germany this summer? Nah.

After hearing of his plight, police officers in Hampshire provided him with a replacement bike sitting in their lost and found, as he was en route to cycle across Greenland.

Fortunately, his bike was found abandoned in a park a day later.

Standard Obnoxious Sprinters Photo

I don't like sprinters. Robbie McEwen turns me off more than Alessandro Petacchi did (but I like him now for riding through a broken kneecap the other day in the Giro). And why is Paolo Bettini always second? (Photo by Graham Watson)

Off Day

Leave it to me to provide some measure of social commentary on a cycling blog. But on a day off for the Giro d'Italia, I couldn't help but follow up on Kristin Richard's appearance on Oprah Winfrey (see T-o-3's blog from yesterday).

It was stated online that she was brought on to Oprah to promote an article she had written in the latest issue of Glamour magazine, but when was the last time you heard of someone needing to plug a single article? Kristin was already a regular/sometime contributor to Runners World magazine, writing about her marathoning/training experiences and about the issues of being a running mother and finding the athlete within her.

The more resounding reason she was on Oprah was because Kristin's recent article really struck a nerve with Oprah, who upon reading it stated "it's why I never got married." What was that reason? Losing one's identity while in a relationship.

For Kristin, it was never demanded of her by her ex-husband, Lance Armstrong (LA) but something she expected of herself or more poignantly what she felt society demanded of her. She felt the need to be the perfect wife and mother, all the while being enthralled and subjugated by the "size of a ring." Near the end, the strong and independent Kristin he fell in love with was replaced by someone she thought he needed or wanted. It may be mere speculation on my part, but all Lance probably needed was that strong independent woman like his mother, Linda Armstrong Kelly ("Texas tough") to always be there. Oedipal Complex remarks aside, but how many of you thought on first glance that the resemblance of Kristin and Linda was uncanny?

In happier times? Copyright: Joel Saget/AFP 1999

I know a lot of people who no longer care for Lance Armstrong because of his divorce, and I don't fault them for feeling that way. I'm not here to be an Armstrong apologist, but what do you do when the woman you love feels "smothered" by a life she helped to create? Did the demands of a husband being on a bicycle 7 days a week take its toll on their relationship? Yes. Was the failure of their marriage completely Kristin fault? No. Was it completely Lance's fault? No.

Part of being in a relationship is caring about the other person a little bit more than you care about yourself, but it doesn't mean a person needs to lose themselves in their attempt to achieve this standard. It's been my contention that relationships work when there is some sort of balance, remembering that each person was an individual before they got into the relationship. If you can be respectful and honest about that then you've got a better chance than most to have a good one. But, like all good things, a relationship still takes work. Fair or not, would we really be talking about a failed marrriage if LA had put in as much work (or even half as much) into his marriage as he did to prepare for the Tour (can you say self-centered and controlling, they don't call him "The Boss" for nothing)?

Giro Stage 4: Passing Through the Ardennes Forest

Doesn't photographer Graham Watson just make you want to hold your breath and marvel at the beauty of cycling?

Hey, Isn't That ... ?

...OBL with Paolo Savodelli? Geez, Salvodelli looks like a little kid! (Photo by and thanks to the great Graham Watson)

Drop the Puck, Eh?

Our Boy Lance is everywhere these days.
Since OLN-TV is the home of the Tour de France AND the National Hockey League, it only makes sense that OBL will be doing one of those voiceover spots in the current "My Stanley Cup" campaign. You can see it Saturday during NBC’s telecast of the NHL playoffs, then on OLN, the NHL Network and Canadian networks during hockey telecasts.

In the spot, the seven-time Tour de France champion tells us: "No one remembers who came in second [Uh ... Basso? Ullrich?]. There is no immortality for second best. No champagne bath . . . No engraving. Just a lonely walk down a quiet hall, and the silence can break your heart." Previous "My Stanley Cup" spots have featured the voices of Kiefer Sutherland, Denis Leary and Howie Mandel.

Could I Make This Stuff Up?

OK, where do I start?
There's just too much news to ignore:

Why am I not surprised?
Lance Armstrong's ex-wife, Kristin Richard, told Oprah Winfrey on Tuesday that their four-year marriage was anything but smooth, that she felt "smothered," and that the experience turned her from an opinionated career person into a "yes" woman. Not Our Boy Lance! Richard said that her role was strictly to cheer on Armstrong. "It wasn't Lance saying, 'You should be like this' or 'Do this.' It wasn't him making a mandate and me being a mouse. It was me trying to emulate whatever I thought would be the perfect wife or the perfect mother." And: "We think we're trying to please somebody for the sake of our marriage, but then if you ask Lance today if he appreciated that, I think he would probably say, 'Well, that wasn't the woman that I fell in love with.'" And the first time they met: "He had just finished up his chemotherapy. He was bald and cute."

Why am I reminded of Joseba Beloki?
Italy's Alessandro Petacchi's Tour de France dreams are over for this year after fracturing his left kneecap in a nasty fall at the Giro d'Italia on Monday. "Even if I recover from surgery, I will never have time to get fit," Petacchi told French sports daily L'Equipe. The injury will sideline him for two months; an operation has been set for Wednesday in Italy. "This is the worst injury in my career. I must abandon the Giro and won't be able to ride at the Tour, either," he said.

Who does OBL like now?
"At the moment I would say it has to be (Ivan) Basso," says Our Boy Lance, who has dropped Jan Ullrich yet again. Sometimes, OBL likes his former Discovery Channel teammate and defending Giro d'Italia champion Paolo Savodelli. "However it is tough to say what could happen in the coming six weeks." Keep those options open, Lance!

Whither Bettini?
There are rumours in the Belgian press that Paolo Bettini has been offered a contract by German T-Mobile, who are reported to be looking for a new Classics leader. The Italian rider has been thinking that he would like to move out of Tom Boonen's shadow to be a sole team leader at the Classics.

And the latest on the silliest controvery of the Classics season ...
One month after Paris-Roubaix, disqualified riders Leif Hoste, Vladimir Gusev (both Discovery Channel) and Peter Van Petegem (Davitamon-Lotto) still hope for a rectification of the commissaire's decision following their riding through a railway crossing with 15 kilometres to go. The three riders were chasing eventual winner Fabian Cancellara (CSC) and would have fought for second, third and fourth placing, then taken by Tom Boonen (QuickStep), Alessandro Ballan (Lampre) and Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank). The complaint that the disqualified riders' respective team managements had filed to the UCI has been granted.

The Latest From Lance

So, what's new with Our Boy Lance (thanks to a story on Reuters and photo by REUTERS/Fred Prouser)?

On retirement: "I miss the training more than anything but not the racing. I've no regrets."

On the 2006 season to date: "To be honest, I haven't been following cycling much. I care about how the Discovery Channel team are doing but that's about it."

So what's he up to these days? "Being a father takes up most of my time and outside of that, the issues in and around cancer are the most important thing I work on daily."

Does he miss the pain of cycling? "I do other business stuff on the side and I'm also trying to train for the New York marathon but that's hard because it's a whole different set of muscles and so I'm always tired and sore."

What will OBL be doing during the Tour de France: "I'm going to go to the final week of the Tour de France. I like France and I like the people. I don't want to have a coffee with (race director) Jean Marie Leblanc or anyone from L'Equipe, but they're a small part of the French population."

Who will win the Giro? "I think (Paolo) Savoldelli could win, he's riding well. His performance in the time trial was good and surprised everybody. He's skinny but it's a very hard Giro."

Whither Jan? "I originally picked (German Jan) Ullrich to win the Tour de France but he seems to be behind again. If he's only five kilograms overweight that's pretty good for him but I don't understand him, he's so much to gain. I don't know if he loves the bike or not but he could be the biggest sporting star in Germany."

Who is Michael Rasmussen?

There's a wonderful feature on Rabobank's Michael Rasmussen (AFP photo) on Cycling News. It begins:

"Michael Rasmussen's triumph in the mountains contest in the 2005 Tour de France was marred [by] a train wreck of a penultimate stage time trial. The former mountain bike racer known as 'Chicken' for his skinny legs and frame is planning to repeat the polka dot performance, but not the time trial debacle, and preparing for the 2006 Tour in his own way, as he tells Björn Scheele."

Rasmussen is a loner who prefers to train on his own, rather than prepare extensively with races. He is participating in the Giro d'Italia, but his focus is July and the Tour de France.

You Gotta Love a Sprinter Like This!

I lack proper respect for sprinters.
Maybe it's a lack of my own fast-twitch muscles.
But it seems to be that sprinters pick from the low-hanging (stage) fruit. Not fair, but this is a blog. I don't have to be fair!

But I gained some respect for Italian sprint ace Alessandro Petacchi, who is out of the Giro d'Italia after fracturing his left kneecap during a fall in Monday's third stage to Namur in Belgium (photo at the left is by Graham Watson). Petacchi, who has 19 career stage wins (all sprints, I imagine) in the Giro, may be out of the Tour de France as well.

But here's what impressed me: Petacchi, who is 32, finished the stage! And before he knew the extent of the injury, he wanted to make it through Tuesday's fourth stage in Belgium before a rest day as the race moves to Italy.

"I fell and hurt my knee. I felt the pain immediately. My knee swelled up, perhaps because of the cold, and I struggled after that," said Petacchi. "In the final stages I was able to step it up a bit which gives me some hope."

Step it up? With a fractured kneecap? Instead, his race is over, and he will return to Italy to undergo surgery. But only a cyclist.

Grounded

Somewhere on the Italian Riviera, or perhaps relaxing in some Piazza sipping an espresso, Mario Cipollini, the retired Lion King, has to be smiling some inner (and possibly outer) smile and breathing a little easier as his record for total Giro stage wins is safe for now.


Today, after a rain filled Stage 3 of the 89th edition of the Giro d'Italia, Alessandro Pettachi has abandoned. Although he made it to the finish line after crashing earlier in the day, later tests revealed a fracture in the left knee cap. This has to be a huge disappointment for a man who has virtually owned this race the last couple of years. The timing of the injury also makes questionable his other target this season, the Tour de France.

For a man who has openly questioned his desire to remain a sprinter or attempt to become a man for the Classics, the tifosi and fans abroad have to begin to wonder whether the star that just shot across the sky was actually Ale-Jet.

The Harbringer of Doom

Want to see how Sunday's second stage of the Giro d'Italia, won by Australia's Robbie McEwen, developed?

VeloNews provides an excellent blog for every stage of the three major stage races: the Giro, the Tour and the Vuelta. There's a Google map, the stage layout and the comments can be pretty witty. For instances:

2:41 PM A fish out of water?
Like a lot of people, Discovery Channel's Tom Danielson didn't know quite what to think of yesterday's stage setting in Seraing. The industrial backdrop would have been perfect for a Mad Max movie, but seemed an odd choice to start a Grand Tour. "I think every race I do over here is strange," said Danielson. "It's funny. When the Euros come to America you can see that they are completely out of their element. Here it's the same for me."

The guy at the right? He appears in these blogs as "the harbinger of doom," as in the fat lady sings.

Paolo Pops the First Cork at the Giro

Still pretty in pink (AFP)

Defending champion Paolo Savoldelli gave warning to his Giro d'Italia challengers Saturday by winning the opening 6.2km individual time trial around the Belgian village of Seraing.

The Italian Discovery Channel team captian AND two-time Giro winner (2005 and 2002) pulled on the maglia rosa, the overall leader's pink jersey, after beating Australia's Bradley McGee (Francaise des Jeux) by 11 seconds. Given that Salvodelli beat a whole host of specialists it is sure to serve as a sign that he is fully intent on defending his title this year.

Main rival Ivan Basso (CSC) finished in 13th place 23 seconds behind. Former two-time winner Gilberto Simoni (Saunier Duval) finished 16th at 26 seconds. And 2004 champion Damiano Cunego (Lampre) was 15th at 25.

And whither Jan, my favorite domestique?
T-Mobile's Jan Ullrich, who is using the race mainly to curb his appetite and build his fitness for the Tour de France in July, finished 80th at 49 seconds behind.

Pretty in Pink?

This really isn't going out on a limb, but get used to the image below. Ivan Basso is the prohibitive favorite to win the Giro d'Italia, barring any physical issues (like the stomach ailment which plagued him at the 2005 Giro). What about Cunego, Salvodelli, Simoni, Cioni, Di Luca, etc? With all due respect for the other contenders, the Armstrong/Postal/Discovery rule applies in CSC's case; the strongest rider also had the strongest team.


Still uncertain? Just ask his sister (below) who'll win...

Cycling Wanderlust

wanderlust: n. "strong desire to travel"

Dr. Don Francis, one of the first scientists to suggest that AIDS was caused by an infectious agent, was once asked why he worked at the Center for Disease Control? His reply, "...that's where the bugs are."

So when you want to cycle, you go where the weather is...and what better place to start out the year than in Florida, specifically the St. Petersburg area.

The Bike
Not having my personal ride in tow, the next best thing is having a friend who is a friend of a bike shop owner. In this case, it was our dear old friend from the TDF, Sue, and the owner of ABC Bicycles, Rick Fidanzato. Rick, a self-proclaimed bike junkie; working in shops in his native Haverhill, MA at sixteen, revived and re-invented the oldest local shop some five years ago (who else but a hardened Red Sox fan could have done so). Currently, ABC Bicycles is the largest and only dealer of Trek Bicycles in the city of St. Petersburg.

Sue and Rick were gracious enough to set me up with a Trek 2100. All I had to do was bring down my pedals, and my saddle and seat post. It had been some time since I had helped a friend settle on a 2100 for his ride (circa pre-2004), so I was more than pleasantly surprised by the carbon seat stays and carbon fork on the current model. Before 2004, the Trek 2100 was an all aluminum frame. Now there's nothing remotely wrong with aluminum, but when you infuse some carbon into a frame it really makes a bike stand/leap out and forward.


The Ride
Sue took me on one of her regular training rides, which usually covers around 70 miles through Pinellas County, reaching its halfway point at Fort DeSoto Park. For the first quarter of the ride, we traversed most of the bike route for the St. Anthony's Triathlon (the other reason I was down in St. Pete; not as a participant but as a devoted spectator). According to Sue, and most of the locals, the wind will find you no matter which way you turn. True to form, if the ride wasn't into a headwind, it certainly came across our bow. The remaining meterologic conditions, however, were just perfect, sunny and in the low to mid 80's. Along the way, we saw more than a few fellow cyclists, and the cycling club with which Sue has regularly rode. Although we didn't manage to complete the entire distance (due to a lack of fitness on my part and an increased amount of traffic due to our late start), the wind provided an ample challenge.

The Fort

Fort DeSoto was built during the Spanish-American war to protect the coast line. However, like Fort Dade on the other side of Florida, DeSoto never fired a single shot nor was it a site of any battles. Although it was decommisioned in the 1920's, several of the large mortars remain.

Today, Fort DeSoto Park is the location for pure recreation. In 2005, the island boasted the #1 rated beaches in North America. It's wide open roads are ideal for cycling and are often filled with large training groups, a mini-peloton. It was a great halfway point, but could have been perfect as a stopping point because of the serenity of its beach fronts.

Many thanks to our friend in Florida, Sue, and her family, for accomodating me as well as Rick at ABC Bicycles for being gracious enough to help me out in the midst of the taking care of the multitude of triathletes in for the race.

Comments and Tidbits on the Eve of the Giro

• The Giro d'Italia doesn't even begin in Italy. It begins in Liege, Belgium, on Saturday with a 6.2K time trial. In fact, the first four days of the Giro are in Belgium. When I returned to the Tour de France in 2004, the prologue was in Liege.
• Marco Pantani, who died two years ago from a cocaine overdose, was the last of only 12 riders to have won the Giro and Tour de France in the same year. That was in 1998.
• Bjarne Riis, Ivan Basso's manager with the CSC team, believes Basso can win both races this year: "A lot more riders — not only my team — are able to do more big tours in one year. It's just a question of mentality: putting your head in the right place, wanting to do it and making the right plan. In my team, we have more riders doing the Giro and the Tour. Of course, we have one rider to do the general classification, and that's Ivan, but we have more riders doing both."
• Defending and two-time Giro champion Paolo Savoldelli of the Discovery Channel team, is geared up for a third: "I'm definitely targeting the podium, although on paper it looks a very hard race. I don't feel any pressure — I've won the last two Giros I've ridden."
• The 2004 winner, Damiano Cunego of Lampre, didn't have much of a 2005 season because of a glandular fever. He hopes 2006 will be different, according to team manager Giuseppe Martinelli: "Everyone knows that we're going to the Giro with one aim — to get Cunego into the pink jersey."
• My favorite domestique in the Giro: Jan Ullrich.

Start Lists for the Giro

Are you ready for some major stage racing?
I almost -- almost -- like the Giro more than the Tour de France. There are those who think it's a tougher, more grueling tour (OK, so argue with me). The mountain stages are truly staggering.
So, who's favored?

Here's the preliminary start list for Discovery Channel:
1. Defending and two-time champion Paolo Savoldelli, (ITA)
2. Tom Danielson, last year's Tour de Georgia champion (USA)
3. Manuel Beltran Martinez, (SP)
4. Viatcheslav Ekimov, (RUS)
5. Benoit Joachim, (LUX)
6. Jason Mccartney, (USA)
7. Pavel Padrnos, (CZE)
8. José Luis Rubiera Vigil, (SP)
9. Matthew White, (AUS)

And here's CSC, the team to watch if you're not watching the Discovery boys:
191. Ivan Basso, (ITA)
192. Bobby Julich, (USA)
193. Volodymir Gustov, (UKR)
194. Jens Voigt, (GER)
195. Giovanni Lombardi, (ITA)
196. Nicki Sorensen, (DEN)
197. Michael Blaudzun, (DEN)
198. Inigo Cuesta Lopez De Castro, (SP)
199. Christian Vande Velde, (USA)

From VeloNews:
CSC boss Bjarne Riis voiced his confidence that his red army is ready to push Ivan Basso onto the highest step of the Giro podium in what would be the team's first grand tour victory.
As sport director, Riis has earned four grand tour podiums (2nd in 2002 Giro with Tyler Hamilton; 3rd and 2nd in 2004 and 2005 Tours with Basso; 3rd in 2005 Vuelta with Carlos Sastre) and seems sure the time is right for Basso to step up.
"We've selected an exceptionally strong team and there's no doubt it's a team which is able to provide Ivan with the best possible help in his attempt to win this race," Riis said on the team's web page. "[Ivan's] in perfect shape for the job and he has the strength and the experience to win his first big stage race."
The team revealed its lineup Monday with the surprise addition of Sastre, who wasn't expected to start. Sastre initially was looking to race the Tour and Vuelta, but approached Riis about his desire to help Basso in the tough final week in the mountains.
"Carlos himself came up to me and suggested that he should do the Giro," Riis explained. He's willing to sacrifice himself in the mountains to be there for Ivan, and his help could actually be crucial. The plan is for him to get through the first part of the race as easy as possible in order to be with Ivan in the final week, which will be an extremely tough one."

Other teams to watch:
T-MOBILE 211. Scott Davis, (AUS) 212. Serhiy Honchar, (UKR) 213. Matthias Kessler, (GER) 214. André Korff, (GER) 215. Joerg Ludewig, (GER) 216. Olaf Pollack, (GER) 217. Michael Rogers, (AUS) 218. Bram Schmitz, (NED) 219. Jan Ullrich, (GER)
219??????

SAUNIER DUVAL - PRODIR 171. Gilberto Simoni, (ITA) 172. Rubens Bertogliati, (SWI) 173. Angel Gomez Gomez, (SP) 174. Ruben Lobato Elvira, (SP) 175. Manuele Mori, (ITA) 176. Leonardo Piepoli, (ITA) 177. Marco Pinotti, (ITA) 178. Riccardo Ricco', (ITA) 179. Guido Trentin, (ITA)

LAMPRE - FONDITAL 111. Damiano Cunego, (ITA) 112. Marzio Bruseghin, (ITA) 113. Paolo Fornaciari, (ITA) 114. Evgeni Petrov, (RUS) 115. Gorazd Stangelj, (SLO) 116. Sylvester Szmyd, (POL) 117. Paolo Tiralongo, (ITA) 118. Tadej Valjavec, (SLO) 119. Francisco J. Vila Errandonea, (SP)

Back on the Cover of Sports Illustrated

Lance is back on the cover of Sports Illustrated with a fine story by Austin Murphy. This is the best side of Lance, the side we all like and admire.
Murphy writes: "Armstrong may have walked away from competitive cycling last July, but the power of his glower is undiminished. Ten months after his final descent from the top step of the podium on the Champs-Elysées, he is focusing his gaze, his attention, his displeasure -- the Look -- on an old foe, the one that came close to killing him a decade ago."