I have a confession. I have lost the right to be a cycling blogger as I have apparently fallen off my bike and can't get on again. It has now been one solid month since I was on my bike. Those of you who are astute will notice that this month contains Bike To Work Week. Those of you who are close readers of this blog (Hey Dad!) will also notice that my lack of riding has not stopped me from jabbering about cycling most of the time, but I have to confess, the well is running dry. I think in addition to having something to say about riding, it is also the time on the bike that gives me the time and space to ponder something to have to say and the combination of organizing my life to have time to ride and the ride itself combine to allow for the creativity and energy to say something. Apparently stress and tequila are not suitable substitutes for sleep and cycling. Who knew?
Anyway, my lack of riding hasn't keep me from still thinking about cycling every day. So today I thought I would share some of the things that have crossed my way and made me think about cycling recently.
Websites - I love that the Giro is being covered daily on Universal Sports. But I can't obsess about mountain stages and watch them from 4.30 - 8 am the way I can with the live TdF stages on Versus, so I have to decide whether to NOT look at any cycling websites during the day and watch coverage that night, OR, steal a lot of the entertainment factor of watching and read about it ahead of time. The best compromise is reading the Live Coverage on CyclingNews.com. They do a minute-by-minute coverage that must be like what people experienced sitting next to the radio and filling in the gaps with their imaginations. I can't see the stage, but I can see it in my mind. It is oddly fulfilling.
BikeSnobNYC - BikeSnobNYC is a man among men. Actually, I would guess that in real life he is small and slightly effeminate, but not too effeminate. Like Rapha effeminate, where you get the masculinity of being dainty, but only sorta. Anyway, the point is that he is a cycling commentator to be admired as he stands above the rest. While he gets a bit too deep into NYC arcania sometimes for me to fully comprehend (being a farm-fed westerner and all), and his knowledge of graphics arts and 80's and 90's punk/rock/metal music would indicate a professional or semi-professional knowledge that again is too deep for me to fully grasp, he is spot on with his observations of our cycling silliness. Also, today, he has a link to many male cyclists fantasy. Let's just say that Menchov didn't have the right viewpoint to fully grasp, no, fully appreciate his podium companions.
FatCyclist - Yesterday's post on racing, but not racing, is the best of Fatty. He sees and wonderfully articulates the stuff we experience on group rides, but may not understand or appreciate until Fatty elucidates it in his own way.
Boulder Report - I usually make snarky comments whenever I mention Bicycling Magazine, but today, I am going to forgo that opportunity and just compliment them on the Boulder Report. Great commentary, great writing, very interesting.
Competitive Cyclist - The What's New is the official column/blog of CC. They are the ones that mentioned the Boulder Report, but they are also a great look at the inside world of the cycling business (not to mention occasional forays into full-blown 80's racing nostalgia).
Livestrong Videos - The Boulder Report does a great job of discussing LA's media mastery, including his refusal to talk to reporters but tweeting and vlogging to his heart's content, but putting aside that issue, take a look at the videos with some great cycling personalities. Micheal Barry is today, and his bookishness comes through strongly. Jens Voigt was earlier this week and his humor comes through strongly. Dave Z. was a bit earlier and what can you say about DZ other than he should have a radio or tv program like Mystery Science Theater 3000 where he just says stuff. I would be inclined to get stoned for the first time in a couple of decades and just listen.
So, here are some of the ways I have been keeping cycling close in my heart, and now, this weekend I get to keep it close to my ass again. I am truly looking forward to it.
Rider 3
Showing posts with label Dave Z. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dave Z. Show all posts
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Thoughts on the Tour of California
The rest of this week will be devoted to the Tour of California. Yes, I know that it was last week, but just like economists and politicians, I drive much better looking in the rear-view mirror. I have had time to digest my thoughts, distill my suggestions into gems of wisdom and I have thought of 936 people who would add more to the Tour of California coverage than Craig Hummer. But more on that later. In the meantime, in compliance with the terms and conditions of the Blogger Code, I present Random Miscellaneous Musings on the Tour of California:
1 - Fatcyclist got burned badly by the Versus Coverage of the Tour of California. First, he did great liveblogging and he is admired by all, but it is really sad to read his and his wife's reaction to the "Breakaway from Cancer" commercials. No one needs a kick in the gut from a cancer support group while you or your family is dealing with cancer. A little more thought on the next round of commercials, please. Second, Fatty cooked up the idea getting Bob Roll to shave his head if he could get his readers to donate $5,000 to cancer research before the end of the Tour of California. I could have done the same thing except I have no way to get a hold of Bob Roll, or convince him to do such a thing and I have the expectation that our readers would be reluctant to donate 50 cents to anything we suggested. So, I have a lot of respect for this idea and, amazingly, they raised over $8,000 AND Bob Roll shaved his head. That part was great, but they never gave any of the credit to Fatty and his readers for the whole thing. Fatty has been very gracious about it, but it chaps my ass.
2 - Tyler Hamilton. Maybe we can forgive his blood doping and his absurd chimera twin defense, but his hair cannot be forgiven.
3 - Floyd Landis. Please see above comment when next looking at that thing that almost appears to be a goatee growing on your face.
4 - Dave Zabriskie. It's great to see Dave Z going fast again and it's great to see that he shaved off his 70's porn-star mustache. Have you noticed that Dave Z sounds astonishingly like a Muppet?
5 - Do my comments about Bob Roll's hair, Tyler Hamilton's hair, Floyd Landis' facial hair and Dave Zabriskie's facial hair indicate I have a thing about hair. I don't think so, but I should let you know that I have Bob Roll's hairdo and I was not allowed by my parents to fulfill my childhood dream of going to cosmetology school.
6 - George Hincapie. I like George Hincapie a lot and very much want to see him win Paris-Roubaix. Rider 1 knew George as a U-23 rider and says he is both a nice guy and a super-human athlete, but every time he comes on the screen someone calls him "Big George Hincapie." Big George is 6' 3", which I will grant you is tall, but the guy weighs 165 pounds! I have the impression that if I were standing next to Big George, I would ask why no one feeds him. Since when do skeletal humans qualify as "big"?
7 - Astana. Does anyone else think it is funny that a group of Kazakhstan mafia, I mean Kazakhstan industrial companies, have sponsored a team named after the capital of the country and it has become all about Lance? And that Lance takes every opportunity to wear his LiveStrong stuff over his Astana gear?
8 - Who knew it was ever going to possible that we would miss Kirsten Gum as a cycling commentator?
9 - Levi Leipheimer - Remember last year's campaign to "Let Levi Ride"? How about this year's campaign, Let Levi Slide!
Picture from Velonews/Casey B. Gibson
1 - Fatcyclist got burned badly by the Versus Coverage of the Tour of California. First, he did great liveblogging and he is admired by all, but it is really sad to read his and his wife's reaction to the "Breakaway from Cancer" commercials. No one needs a kick in the gut from a cancer support group while you or your family is dealing with cancer. A little more thought on the next round of commercials, please. Second, Fatty cooked up the idea getting Bob Roll to shave his head if he could get his readers to donate $5,000 to cancer research before the end of the Tour of California. I could have done the same thing except I have no way to get a hold of Bob Roll, or convince him to do such a thing and I have the expectation that our readers would be reluctant to donate 50 cents to anything we suggested. So, I have a lot of respect for this idea and, amazingly, they raised over $8,000 AND Bob Roll shaved his head. That part was great, but they never gave any of the credit to Fatty and his readers for the whole thing. Fatty has been very gracious about it, but it chaps my ass.
2 - Tyler Hamilton. Maybe we can forgive his blood doping and his absurd chimera twin defense, but his hair cannot be forgiven.
3 - Floyd Landis. Please see above comment when next looking at that thing that almost appears to be a goatee growing on your face.
4 - Dave Zabriskie. It's great to see Dave Z going fast again and it's great to see that he shaved off his 70's porn-star mustache. Have you noticed that Dave Z sounds astonishingly like a Muppet?
5 - Do my comments about Bob Roll's hair, Tyler Hamilton's hair, Floyd Landis' facial hair and Dave Zabriskie's facial hair indicate I have a thing about hair. I don't think so, but I should let you know that I have Bob Roll's hairdo and I was not allowed by my parents to fulfill my childhood dream of going to cosmetology school.
6 - George Hincapie. I like George Hincapie a lot and very much want to see him win Paris-Roubaix. Rider 1 knew George as a U-23 rider and says he is both a nice guy and a super-human athlete, but every time he comes on the screen someone calls him "Big George Hincapie." Big George is 6' 3", which I will grant you is tall, but the guy weighs 165 pounds! I have the impression that if I were standing next to Big George, I would ask why no one feeds him. Since when do skeletal humans qualify as "big"?
7 - Astana. Does anyone else think it is funny that a group of Kazakhstan mafia, I mean Kazakhstan industrial companies, have sponsored a team named after the capital of the country and it has become all about Lance? And that Lance takes every opportunity to wear his LiveStrong stuff over his Astana gear?
8 - Who knew it was ever going to possible that we would miss Kirsten Gum as a cycling commentator?
9 - Levi Leipheimer - Remember last year's campaign to "Let Levi Ride"? How about this year's campaign, Let Levi Slide!
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