Movin' Up Avenues With Power Moves

“I have tried to stay out a little bit of the debate about who is the leader?” Armstrong said. “I have won the Tour seven times, so I think I deserve a bit of credit.”

I wonder if Contador is wishing he had taken Garmin up on their offer to ride for them prior to the Tour. Whether you agree or disagree with the tactics Armstrong and Co. employed in the latter part of stage 3 (Contador says “I’m not going to evaluate the team strategy because everyone will draw their own conclusions anyway.”), we may be witnessing a rift between the Armstrong/Bruyneel and Contador camps, fed part and parcel by a salivating media, that proves quite interesting when all the sordid details finally make it to light.

That said, when the mountains hit, I think those 38 year old bones of Lance will crumble like feta when Alberto decides he wants to go fast. Ullrich will let go a reflective sigh as he downs another brew with his mates, and Simeoni will laugh his ass off.

Aaah...the Tour. I love this time of year.

1916-2009

"My sense of the war gradually shifted from concern to skepticism to frustration to anguish, I had always been confident that every problem could be solved, but now I found myself confronting one -- involving national pride and human life -- that could not." -Robert S. McNamara

RIP.

Abdu

Was there ever a more feared sprinter than Djamoulidin Abdoujaparov? He looks more like a Cold War era hitman than a pro bike racer in the photo above. The "Terror of Tashkent" was known for his terrific speed, but, in my book, it was his absolute fearlessness that made him what he was- One of the greatest sprinters of all time.

Bummer

Lousy news here.

It doesn't sound good for him, but I wish "The Professor" well and a quick, complete recovery.

On an aside, I've been without home based internet access for the past two weeks with the move. I get jacked in again on Saturday. The somewhat regular posts will commence somewhere around then.

Exponential Times

A bit off topic, but relevant.
And forboding.

Handywork

Good article. Probably a good book too.

"The Case for Working With Your Hands"

Killer

Photo: cyclingnews.com

It's not nearly often enough that we see the Maillot Jaune, Maglia Rosa, or Jersey de Oro defy the common practice of assuming the defensive position in the sheriff's seat at the head of the peloton. While this sometimes makes for exciting cat and mouse games of tact and strength that are a treat to watch, more often than not, it results in a nauseating rehash of the predictable stages we've seen before countless times.

So, it was with great delight that I witnessed "Il Killer di Spoltore" attack his adversaries with such desire and purpose, I could see the madness welling up within his eyes. It was eerily similar to watching the psychosis of Gert Jan Theunisse thunder through mountain passes.

The rabid species of Grand Tour riders is not dead. Long live the fighters, the risk takers, and the mad.

"What the F?"

Never saw this before. A young Pantani attacks in the closing kilometers of a mountain stage in le Tour, ravages the peloton, picks off escaped riders one by one, and then, just as il Pirata blazes past the last man standing, he (last man standing) raises his arms as if to say "What the Fuck?"

Unusual. Unexpected. Classic.

Here's the video. It all goes down around 2:32.

Bow to analog.

The MF'n Giro Too

Today's Spirit Award goes to lanky Swede Thomas Lövkvist (Team Columbia - Highroad) for swinging on the hairy balls of the race favorites and just losing the Maglia Rosa to Danilo Diluca by a scant 5 seconds after time bonuses were awarded. There's some fight in this kid. I think we'll be seeing more of him in the future.

The MF'n Giro

A portion of a photo at cyclingnews.com

With all due respect to Danilo "Il Killer di Spoltore" Diluca and his wicked, wicked attack that put a stake through the heart of Mauricio Soler and decapitated the peloton for the win on stage 4, I'd like to nominate Stefano Garzelli for the stage 4 Spirit Award for the tortured faces he made during the finale on his way to finishing a respectable 2nd. That's the kind of shit I love.

Notice he and Diluca aren't wearing those infernal eyeball protectors. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Sunglasses have destroyed the once majestic photogenic face of cycling and have replaced it with a sterile automaton lacking personality or soul. I wonder what Graham Watson thinks of this.