Pursuit of the Single Speedo

Jealousy is an ugly thing. Got word yesterday that the last -regular riding member of the MI Tuesday Night Worlds is registered the Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships down in Portland the first week of November in the quest of the World Champion Rainbow Speedo and the required SSCXW tattoo.

I feel fortunate to have ridden and raced with the likes of Bart Bowen, Ned Overend, John Tomac, Kent Bostick, and a few others who have participated in elite world championships; Now I can add Jeff Aken to a very exclusive list...

Correction...

Ah, good news nonetheless. The previous posting on the predicted release of Shawn Alexander was wrong. The Seahawks actually announced they had signed Lofa Tatupu to an additional 6 years for $42m. Earlier this week they then signed Marcus Trufant to a 6 year, $50.2m deal. Makes for a fairly solid core for the next few years…

Like Frenching Your Sister...

France is the first country to take a stand regarding China's treatment of Tibet. If China does not back off Tibet, France might boycott the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics...

Come on, how much weight does that carry? You "might" boycott the "opening ceremonies?" Is that really a threat? That is like me saying I am boycotting dinner but I will be there for ice cream. Sometimes it is better to not say anything at all.

It will be interesting to see how the boycott notion pans out for all countries. My bet is that economic interests will surely trump any humanitarian wrongdoings and there will be no boycotts of anything significant...

End of #37?

The Seahawks have a 12:30 news conference today. I am speculating it is to announce the release of one Shawn Alexander.
Check back for the final say.

Beijing 2008

That unpredictable wild man, the Dalai Lama, is at it again. Apparently not content with his day job of striving for enlightenment and world peace, now he is attempting to sabotage the 2008 Beijing Games by “spreading rumors.” The Chinese Government is ready to drop gloves and throw down with Tibet if they attempt to “sabotage” the games and disgrace China. It is noted that Tibet is on the schedule for the Olympic Torch relay to pass through; at which point Tibet would have a prime opportunity to voice any issues they have with the Communist Government; but, there is a huge difference between an act of sabotage and an act of protest.

Besides, do the Chinese think the world is naïve enough to not be aware of the fact they have be persecuting Tibet for decades?

Speaking of Naïve…

Steven Spielberg quit as Artistic Director of the 2008 games. Quincy Jones is on the fence as whether to remain on board as Musical Director (he did compose the theme for the 2008 games). Both using China’s support of the Sudanese Government, which government-backed forces have more or less run amok killing hundreds of thousands and displacing millions of Africans over the last five years.

The outcry against China’s current human rights issue has yet to really start.

Never fear though. G-Dub, leader of the free world, will still be personally attending the games: "I'm going to the Olympics. I view the Olympics as a sporting event." Yeah, and the economy is really doing fine.

Hi, I am punk-ass Josh Brown

Are you kidding me? You trade 4 consecutive division titles for the worst record in the division and one of the crappiest cities in the country? All for $200k? It must suck to be an almost cult hero. How many other cities do fans run around in the kicker’s jersey and not get the crap beat out of them? And here we thought you were different… Not at all. You are still just a kicker. Tattoos and a couple tackles will not hide that.

Karma is an ugly thing. Remember that when your replacement here hits 2 game winners against St. Louis in both games in 2008. Remember that when the Seahawks win another division title and make it to at least the NFC Championship game; While your piss-poor new team misses the playoffs yet again... $200k. Plenty of money for new tatts. Plenty of time to get them.

Now don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out of town.

#3 Obsolete?

With Marcus Trufant franchised and Sean Locklear signed, that leaves both DJ Hackett’s and Josh Brown’s future with the ‘Hawks in question. Granted, a #3 receiver and kicker are not difficult holes to fill; but, the upside to both are that Hackett has a great “upside” and could develop into an outstanding #2, maybe even a solid #1 someday. Brown has well above average accuracy and distance. To replace either with the same quality player might be a tall order; Hackett especially with Deion Branch on the couch for the summer and his availability questionable. The downside to each:

Hackett: Has had injury problems that kept him OUT of 10 of 16 regular season games in 2007. He did play in 14 of 16 in 2006; but an argument can be made that he might be injury prone.

Brown: Is there a downside to a kicker who can tackle, has a visible tattoo, and have a throng of ladies who love him? Oh, there is one downside. If he leaves town what are all the fans to do with their #3 jerseys? It is not easy to wear a kickers jersey in the first place…

Californication

Washington Representing
I was originally a bit curious why Tyler Farrar left Cofidis to ride for Slipsteam-Chipotle. I was under the impression that they were more of a up-and-coming team that would eventually fill the void left by USPS/Disco. They packed their line-up with very solid and seasoned riders to make their play.
The early season is paying in spades and Farrar’s move looks be solid. The 23 year-old Washington native is looking svelte standing next to the Govenator in the Golden Jersey as the leader of the Tour of California. Not a too shabby way to start the season.
Maybe Nick Nuyens, Cofidis classics badass, summed it up best in this VeloNews interview: “Tyler was great on the team last year. He was always there to help me and he really wanted to learn. We’ll miss him this year, for sure. He’s a strong rider with a big future. We wanted to keep him at Cofidis. Everyone knows he can win classics in the next few years.”

Lion To Roar Again?

What can be said? In what seemed like just another publicity move by Michael Ball of Rock Racing, he signed the 41 year-old Mario Cipollini. Both are known attenton whores so it wasn't a huge surprise.

The Surprise is on us: That old bastard scored a 3rd place in the field sprint in stage 2; And he is still raking in more hotties than any of us have even seen in our lifetime. Time will tell if he will last the season, but here's to hoping he can squeak out one more legit V in the name of the good old days....

A Single Tear

First Vino, now Basso. Don’t forget the many others before them. The tears are flowing from Ivana Basso about how he has been alienated and is alone since he was suspended from Operation Door (http://velonews.com/article/72085 ). News flash, Ivana: That is why they call it a suspension. A month ago Basso was spouting off how the suspension was good for him http://velonews.com/article/71311. Now he is pissing and moaning to anybody that will listen.
Out of all the riders who have been suspended only one has essentially said, “Yeah, I did it,” instead of taking the “guilty” party line of “Who me? Never! I have been wronged.” Here’s to David Millar for standing up and accepting responsibility for his actions.

Speaking of being wronged, it looks like Boulder’s favorite son, Tyler Hamilton, was prevented from starting the Tour of CA due to the re-opening of Operación Puerto. Rock Racing lost 3 of 8 riders due to AEG following UCI rules regarding riders under investigation. Like it or not rules are rules (although UCI rules seem to be under some subjective interpretation) and that leaves the aforementioned Hamilton, as well as Santiago Botero and Oscar Sevilla on the outside looking in. More on Rock Racing, Michael Ball, and the Tour of CA later…

A Rose by Any Other Name…

Following the lead of the Giro, ASO has already 86’ed Astana from the 2008 Tour de France and it looks like they will be missing out on Paris-Nice and all other ASO races (Paris-Roubaix, Fleche Wallonne, and LBL among others). Team High Road (formerly T-Mobile), is free and clear to race in 2008 as they are a restructured their entire team and program; very similar to what Astana has done. The only differences are that T-HiRoad changed their name (as they lost the main sponsor) and relocated to California. Astana kept the same sponsor and location; yet totally overhauled their entire roster and program. Simple solution: Name change.

Rabobank and Cofidis, two other teams that had “issues” in the 2007 Tour are free and clear to race in ASO races for 2008 due to the way in which they handled their respective situations (Rabobank kicking the Chicken to the curb and Cofidis leaving the Tour after Moreni’s positive).

None of this makes much sense. I don’t buy into the conspiracy theory of keeping the strongest team off the course; but there is definitely some criteria that the rest of us, outside the ASO, are not privy to…

A bummer for Levi, Contador, and the rest of the Baby Blue Crew, but such is life. The Vuelta seems to be waiting with open arms…

Armstronging the Olsen Sister... Part 2

I thought it must have been a nightmare, but sure enough...

Straight off the MSN Entertainment Press:

In related sports hookup news, just what series of unfortunate events led to last week's squicky snuggle-bunnies between MK's twin sis, Ashley Olsen, and Lance Armstrong? The Chicago Sun-Times believes the pocket-size mogul, 21, has had her eye on the Tour de France champ-turned-marathon runner, 36, for a while, even hanging an autographed magazine cover of him on her bedroom wall. Ash allegedly got in touch with Lance (through his people) to get his advice on a bike purchase. (As you do when you're rich and famous.) The paper says he was so tickled by the request he called her back personally, which eventually led to a lunchtime tête-à-tête, followed by the nighttime lip-locking.

Speechless...

What the Hell? How could I top this? my last question: Who has the bigger build?

Armstrong, Ashley Olsen get cosy
1 Nov 2007, 2200 hrs IST,ANI

The actress Ashley was seen nuzzling up to cycling champ Lance at Rose Bar It seems like love is blooming between Lance Armstrong and Ashley Olsen, who were spotted getting cosy at a New York bar. A source revealed that the petite actress was seen nuzzling up to cycling champ Lance Armstrong on Monday night at Rose Bar. "Ashley and Lance settled in and within minutes, he was whispering in her ear and she was giggling like a schoolgirl. They totally looked like they were on a date,” the New York Daily quoted the source, as saying. Adding to the buzz, an onlooker told People Magazine that the 21-year old star was sitting on the 36-year old cyclist’s lap. "Lance was hanging with her, definitely. [Olsen] was very flirtatious, and was sitting on his lap,” the onlooker said. Another source added that Olsen was with a group and "hanging out, having a good time.”

Fixed Gear 1, Legs 0

Now that the weather is turning crappy it is time to start riding. I will ride on and off for the next two weeks and then determine that the weather is too crappy and hang the bike back up until I feel motivated to ride again.

Anyway, broke out the Langster in FM (fixed mode) late last week for a ride into work and have been on it the last couple days. The weather was actually good but the gearing (42/16) not so much based on my current condition and the rolling nature of my commute. Of course, when I say current condition it sounds like I am implying that I have any conditioning. Not so.

Long story short, I can take away three key points from the ride:

1) Not much of a reason to flip-flop the hub to go from s/s to fixed. Fixed is fine; at least at this point (we’ll see when it is wet…).
2) This ride is totally doable with a bit of fitness; Might not even have to get off and push…
3) Sometimes, with this gearing, you have to get off and push.


Bobke’s View on Tattoos
Saw Bob Roll quoted from a Pez Cycling interview and thought it was classic in regards to tattoos v. road rash:

“Now crashing, on the other hand, gives you scare tissue, and scar tissue tells a story no idiotic tribal barbwire tattoos ever will. And as the stories of your scars are retold, you’ll get hungry for sour mash and pork rinds.”

Whiskey and pork rinds… Yes!

Let’s Get the Band Back Together

Styx… The Police… Van Halen… Even Led Zeppelin. This blog. Granted four of the five might have experienced more critical acclaim and , obviously, had longer runs of initial success and livelihood; but they are also shining examples of how things, both good and bad, can have a re-birth.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes; Like a super-group reuniting to tour, this blog henceforth will rock once again.