Wednesday Extravaganza

Monday's post was rushed, poorly thought out, and as one who is not good with words would say - craptastic. Unbelievably though, I think it may have been better than these master pieces. I stumbled upon that link as I was stumbling through Stevil's post over at AHTBM. Speaking of AHTBM, I should have my new kit here in the next couple of weeks. That is a good thing, since it is so humid here in Kansas that I can't simply rinse off my gear and dry it over night like I could in Germany. Having a third set will allow me to ride more often with clean clothes.

But I digress, back to music:



I just finished reading Year of the Black Rainbow, a novel that accompanies the new album of the same name by Coheed and Cambria. The book lays out the story of Coheed and Cambria's beginning (the characters, not the band). It is interesting and there are definite ties to their music, since in the end their music is the same story. The concept of telling a continuous story throughout their albums was at first foreign to me. Now it seems like such a logical way to create music that I find it amazing other artists are able to compose songs that are distinct from each other (though for some artists it could be said their songs really aren't that distinct). If you like science fiction/fantasy, you should definitely read Year of the Black Rainbow as well as The Amory Wars comics.

Penny and I went out and bought a new TV yesterday so that we could compete with the Jones'. We already beat them in volleyball and cars (Penny has a nice Mercedes), but they got us bested in sheet thread counts and 2-on-2 basketball. While shopping for said TV, this little price tag (on a fake book) caught my eye:

I know a deal when I see one, and this is a deal!

Had to step away for a bit. While posting about purchasing our new TV, the delivery guys dropped it off. Setting it up wasn't so hard, of course all I did was plug in the cable box and tune it to ESPN HD.

Speaking of deals, in Israel they have one-way crypts (which in the end isn't that great of a deal):

Of course in Israel they also have multi-purpose bikes in case you want to hit up a pool session on your way to the grocery store to pick up some kosher falafel for dinner:

Ok, time to end on a high note. What will I do for the next month while waiting for the Vuelta to start:

Rappin' it Up

Contador has captured his fifth grand,
Smiling with the Tour de France trophy in hand.
Always the bridesmaid and never the bride,
But Andy has shown us all he can ride.

Menchov holding strong for his Russian mother,
While Schleck awaits the return of his brother.
Once again Paris was the grand finale,
American fans now forget until Cali.

This year he didn't look like he belonged,
But there is no better Tour rider than Armstrong.
Seven times wearing yellow in a row,
In the end even the best have to go.

Watch out Slim, I'm on the warpath.

Andy's promised attack up the Tourmalet occurred. The result was carnage all over the mountain. Unfortunately the one survivor (other than Schleck) was AC:

How it went down was much more exciting than the finish, including Andy's weak one arm pump. At about 10 kilometers to go Andy attacked, dropping everyone except AC and Rodriguez, who held on for a little while before eventually dropping off:

It wasn't an explosive move, Andy just cranked up the speed ala Spartacus during Paris-Roubaix. After a couple kilometers AC countered with his own attack that Andy quickly neutralized:

So after the bloody mess that was stage 17, there was absolutely no shift in the top five on the GC.

Despite having a touch of the old bronchitis, Cav easily won today's stage to Bordeaux. It's exciting to see him pull away from the field, but it's a scene that has played out a bunch, so no need to put up a picture of him celebrating as he crosses the finish line. Instead, I'll put up this picture purely for my own amusement:

I think the big-to-do surrounding the last two stages though was the star power. While spending time in France promoting their new movie, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz took some time to catch a glimpse of the peloton:

Believe it or not, those two weren't the only celebrities enjoying the race:

It's clear that the athlete in Kobe came out on the slopes of the Tourmalet. He actually kept up with AC and Andy for over two kilometers before 'dropping a trey.'

Living in Kansas, I read headlines like, 'Heat kills 2,000 head of cattle.' I wonder why people refer to cattle numbers by head. Why not just 2,000 cattle? Or 8,000 hoof? Anywho, on to more important topics.

23 July DB Podium

1. Manufacturers creating issues that don't exist.
2. Thierry Henry (I'm surprised he didn't use his hand)
3. Jens Voigt

Ok, just kidding about Jens, he's actually really bad ass. I just put him up there because it seems like he has no pain threshold and can ride through anything.

Off to the lake.

Enjoy the off days, ride the bikes, and support the local farmers.

I Came, I Saw, I Concurred

I'm not sure I believe Andy. He said that he would get his revenge during stage 16, which he did not. The story of the day could have been one of two things, depending on your nationality: If you're American, Lance Armstong having a strong showing in the break and finishing sixth on the day:

It was like the Lance of old during some of the attacks. While I may not fawn over Lance like most American cycling media, I respect all the work he does in raising awareness and money to support cancer research. So to see him put in a good effort and not soft-pedal through the rest of the Tour was exciting.

Of course, the other story of the day was the stage winner Pierrick Fedrigo:

Now you may be saying, "If I were French I would be quite happy that Fedrigo won the sixth stage for France during this year's TdF!" You have a valid reason for doing so since Fedrigo was the 2005 French National Champion. If you read Velonews though, you would be more inclined to say, "Hmmm, I wonder were the country of Frane is?"

Since today is a rest day for the riders, I took the opportunity to watch Velocenter and see their angle on the race. I wasn't disappointed when they talked about Lance a lot and painted Contador as a villian. What did disappoint me was the two douches that are hosting the show:

The geek on the right is nicknamed 'Gogo'. Sweet. If his present appearance wasn't enough, he had some real sweet zingers such as:

"Wow is right. Tomorrow is a rest day, which, by the way, you’re gonna need after the call of those highlights – unreal!” - In response to Vincent McMahon's brother discussing stage 16 highlights.
“You got to get a little food going!” - To the highlight of Geraint Thomas in the feedzone:

I'm pretty sure that I will not be watching anymore of their broadcasts. They actually make me miss Neal Rogers and Jason Sumner.

Well, I'm off to enjoy the rest day with a bike ride.

Enjoy the hump day, ride the bikes, and support the veterans.

Holy Crap!

Holy crap!

Some stuff happened this weekend (during the Tour), but it is inconsequential compared with what occurred in today's stage - something that changed this year's race and something no one would have ever expected. On the climb up the Port de Balès, Thomas Voeckler timed a break perfectly and held on to win stage 15. He built up a sizable lead on the climb and continued to extend it on the decent, resulting in an easy win in the French National Champion Tricolour jersey:

Maybe Thomas had been planning it for the last couple stages that he dogged it on, or maybe it was the short-shorts he was wearing. Either way he did the champ's jersey proud.

Oh yeah, there was also the little bit with Andy Schleck (an oversized one at that) pulling a sweet endo on the Balès:

Look at how he dwarfs Vino. What is he on? Not sure if pulling an endo in front of a competitor on a climb is akin to mooning someone in Luxembourg, but I think Andy got a little too confident. And wouldn't you know, as he was taunting the boys from Astana, his chain derails. How's that for karma? If he had pulled it off, "The Endo" would have gone down in TdF lore like "The Look" and "The Shortcut."

I know that when asked Andy said that he wouldn't have done what Alberto did today (counter Schleck's attack and then keep going up the mountain without looking back - looking back means you're weak). I believe that when asked Andy gave an honest answer, but I am not sure that if the roles were reversed if he would have stopped and waited. Maybe, only because he is so strong this year. Do I think what AC did was right? Sure, it's racing. Do I understand both sides of the argument? Yeah, I do.

I would hate to be the bike manufacturer for Team Saxo Bank right now. I mean, a mechanical takes the maillot jaune away during what is an amazing attack? Nope, wait, Astana and Saxo Bank both ride Specialized SL3s. Damn chain.

On other fronts, I am enjoying my TV and cable, but I'm getting real sick of the stupid marketing companies use. In Europe I didn't watch TV that often and when I did it was really only sporting events so I didn't need to understand the language. That made commercials much more tolerable. What I'm getting at is this new automatic soap dispenser from Lysol:

Seriously Lysol, the top of the soap dispenser pump may very well be full of germs, but I touch that dispenser to dispense soap I plan to wash my hands with. Once I complete my hand washing I rinse them and dry them off. The next time I will touch that potentially germ-infested dispenser is the next time I need soap to wash my hands. I hope that the marketing executives at Lysol don't actually think that I rub my hands on the soap dispenser after I wash my hands. Douche bags.

Ok, time to go, I have to study for the LSAT (there's a first time for everything).

Enjoy the sun, ride the bikes, and support successful break aways.

A Tribute to the French

In what was a mere formality, the Manx Missile won his third stage of this year's Tour. As teams fought to get their sprinters in prime position, anyone who has been alive the last three years knew who was going to win:

As predictable as the win was, the run up to it was one of the most exciting I've seen. The peloton's best lead-out man, Mark Renshaw, was in his typical position with Cav on his wheel when Julian Dean brought Tyler Farrar (who unfortunately abandoned in stage 12 after getting dropped on the first climb of the day) to the front. In response to Dean's presence and in the spirit of not getting pushed off his line, Renshaw began to use his head (instead of his hands, because that would be dangerous. HTC team manager Rolf Aldag said, "It didn't look pretty but he had his hands firmly on his bars and was holding his position. I think that's what you're supposed to do.") to push Dean away:

Watching this encounter reminded me of another great world-wide sporting event headbutt that took place in 2006:

And just like Zidane, Renshaw was ejected. Don't worry though Mark, in four years time you can gain a spot on a TdF squad on some clearly illegal play, then disgrace your entire country - just like France. Nice tribute Mark, I couldn't think of a more wonderful belated Bastille Day present.

In stage 12, Contador jumped from the peloton on the climb up Còte de la Croix-Nueve Montée Laurent Jalabert and Schleck was unable to follow. AC caught up with Rodriguez, who attacked a little earlier. Soon the two bridged up to AC's squadmate Vinokourov, who looked like he was going to take the stage win. In the end, Rodriguez out-sprinted Contador (who took 10 seconds on Schleck) to take the stage:

and Vino finished third. I don't know what the Astana team bus will be like tonight, but if I were Alberto I would worry about Vino's older brother coming after me in August:

In this week's podium, the top step is occupied by none other than:

16 July DB Podium:
1. LeBron James (I don't care where he plays, it's the way he got the news out that I disagree with)
2. Thierry Henry
3. BP

Enjoy the show, ride the bikes, and support local businesses.

Another Bastille Day and Another French Loss

Let's quickly look at stage 9, which was won by Sandy Casar:

You might be thinking he was so pumped because he just won a stage in the TdF, but the real reason is because his break was caught in the last kilometer and Sandy was able to out-sprint Caisse d’Epargne lyricist LL Sanchez:

On Monday I predicted that Cadel would take yellow this year. I am obviously wrong about that:

So while I incorrectly tagged Evans to wear the maillot jaune in Paris, I was correct when I called him a whiny bitch:

I know that it isn't any consolation, but at least Evans can put on the World Championship jersey after he lost the yellow. I think the rainbow looks better anyway:

In an unofficial rest day for the peloton, a break of six got away and stayed away, building a gap of roughly 11:30. With a couple kilometers left to race, Radioshack rider Sergio Paulinho and Caisse d’Epargne Vasil Kiryienka dropped the break and powered away. A couple hundred meters out Paulinho jumped and Kiryienka was a little late in responding. In order to lift his spirits after his loss, Kiryienka went to a team manager to explain all the dumb moves he made in the last kilometer:

To paraphrase a comment, TV exists to make money - just like ProTour sponsorships. And after stage 10 I can say that they work. For some reason after the stage I had a craving to purchase a new car, cell phone, and have a beer:

Speaking of beer, while in Jerusalem Penny and I tried Taybeh, a Palestinian beer:

It was a pleasantly cold surprise on a warm June afternoon. Taybeh is brewed in accordance with the Bavarian purity laws, giving it a very similar, clean taste to what I encountered in Bamberg. I hope I get to enjoy it again some day. Until then I'll have to be content sampling the local beers here in Leavenworth.

Ok, off to ride.

Enjoy the hump day, ride the bikes, and support your local beverage producers.