Slipstream Update Part II

Slipstream has signed Millar, Van De Velde and now Dave Zabriskie! He has also stated that an unnamed former Parix Roubaix winner has been signed. Your choices are Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, Stuart O'Grady or Peter Van Petegem. Those are the active Roubaix Winners still in cycling. Axel Merckx is also looking to be a part of the team in a still undecided status. In unrelated news, the rumor is that George Hincapie is moving to t-mobile.

Saturday ride update!

6 of us set out on Saturday for a 7:00 ride! Alot of new faces for me as I have been out of commission the last 3-4 weeks. It is good to see that group growing and changing. I am coming to believe that the Saturday ride is a big part of growing cycling in Champlin. The pace is good enough to challenge but is not intimidating. I called it the mullet ride a couple of months ago because it truly is business in the front and a party in the back!

Slipstream Team Update

The makings of an Anglo-American super team is in the works. Christian Van de Velde and David Millar are going to Slipstream managed by Jonathon Vaughters. Who will be next? There are lots of Rumors out there. Stay tuned.

Vinokurov is a doping pain in the ass!

When Floyd tested positive, they said this could ruin cycling when that tmobile guy tested positive I was like whatever but now that Old "We have best pottassium" Vino tested positive I think we might have a serious problem on our hands. Cycling looks really bad. T mobile might pull out. Teams can't get sponsors and may fold. No... Wait... This might not be all that bad. The old teams might fold but they are led by guys that are part of the problem to begin with. They all doped and really don't give that much of a shit. Some of the protour teams do care but many don't. Say what you want about disco but Bruyneel wouldn't have signed Basso if he cared about a clean sport more than winning. Rabobank is standing by their punk ass chicken, Rassmussen, even though he should never have been allowed to start. Man is he flying up those climbs and time trialing like a full on ninja. Sounds a little fishy to me. Astana is full on shit. I said that in another post. Why would Kloeden go to a team to ride for someone he reportedly doesn't even like when he could have been on a team that would have given full support to him for the tour. T-mobile was going to test his skinny mountain climbing butt, that's why! This is cleaning up the sport and showing guys they cannot cheat. The teams that aren't on board will need to make room for teams that really want clean sport i.e. Slipstream. So get on with the proverbial high colonic. This sport needs and enema!

Valverde Explodes Losing 6 minutes While Rassmussen Holds Them All Off

Shoulda Ate a Power Bar!

Valverde exploded yesterday dropping way down in the top 10 while Vino is back in dominating form. Rassmussen some how (we all know how) managed to put in the time trial of his life and keep the yellow jersey. Astana dominated the TT putting 3 guys in the top four. Only Cadel Evans was able to keep it from being a clean sweep. He is my new pick for the win. Leipheimer seems to be conceding to Contador. He just does not seem to have the killer instinct needed to win this thing. It is not in him. He will settle for a high place and he will probably get it but he will not podium unless he goes on the attack in the pyrenees. Big climbing stage today. Make sure your watching!

Beckham L.A Galaxy Debut vs Chelsea

Not a huge Footie fan (for you british soccer nuts). But it is hard to not be enthusiastic about something other than crooked football players, thuggish basketball players and your usual steroid addled baseball player setting himself up to break the most hallowed sports record in America. Bravo to MLS for stepping up and creating some excitement around Soccer in America. Our house is a big Soccer one with Andrea's having played all her life. Soccer in America is very much a grassroots sport but It has great potential.

Is the Chicken Organic or the Usual Hormone Filled Pile of Crap?

Jorge and the Chicken

It seems as if Rasmussen is having a little trouble with the harsh glare of the public that the yellow jersey brings. He has been kicked off of the Danish Olympic team for not informing the governing Danish Cycling organization of his whereabouts and has missed (or avoided?) multiple drug tests. In another odd turn of events, a former mountain biking buddy of Rasmussen's has come forward with accusations that the Chicken attempted to trick him into smuggling artificial bovine blood products into Italy from colorado for him. The synopsis of the story is that Rasmussen asked the guy to bring a pair of shoes of his into the country when he came over. The box was dropped off and when the guy was running out of room, he opened the box to fit the shoes in and found bags of the artificial oxygen expander and iv tubing instead of a pair of sidi's. He threw the stuff away and when he got to Italy he confronted Rasmussen. The Chicken's response was "Do you know how much that shit costs?" Rassmussen has confirmed knowing the man but when asked about the incident he stated "I cannot confirm any of that". Not exactly a ringing denial. If it is true, how shady is that? Tricking a friend into doing your dirty work and setting him up to take the fall if he gets caught. Says alot about his character.

Michael Vick Indicted

Michael Vick and three of his buds have been indicted in federal court today on charges ranging from running a dog fighting operation to running an illegal gambling operation. He could possibly face up to 6 years in prison and 350,000 dollars in fines. Hopefully the NFL will be consistent in the punishments it hands out and throws the book at this thug.

NEWSFLASH!: ZABRISKIE CHEATS ON MOON KNIGHT WITH WOLVERINE!

I just picked up the latest edition of PRO cycling and was flummoxed while reading the interview with Dave Z. and David Miller. Apparently the Z man is a huge fan of Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Apparently his Avatar of Choice is Wolverine. Dave... Moon Knight is very jealous. It is a rest day at the tour and hopefully all of the favorites are growing a pair today (no testosterone guys) because the only guy that talks like he feels strong at all is Rassmussen. Can you believe he has a shot?!? The favorites will never live it down if he wins the whole thing. He is a great climber but can't time trial for anything. It was very similar to Stage 17 from last year. No one really wanted to take a chance or put a hurt on anyone. They just let the chicken ride away. This was what made Lance so great (I know, I know). He would play the tactics but eventually he would just go and would dare anyone to go with him. Sometimes he won sometimes he was second, but no one could hang with him or his dedicated teammates every time. And even if they could, he would pummel them in the time trial. Sounds a little like wolverine don't you think? Most definitely not Moon Knight.......

Tour Standings for GC as of end of Stage 8 and Erik Throwin' Down a Little Comic Book Knowledge

Dave Zabriskie was asked in an interview on Velonews.com before stage 8 the question:"If you could choose to be any superhero, which one would you be?" His answer in typical Zabriskie fashion was "Moon Knight". Interesting choice... Methinks we have a closet comic book fan in the peloton..... I did a little research and got this pic for any of you that were interested in what Moon Knight looks like. Anyways, here are the GC standings after stage 8 that saw Rasmussen solo for the win.

Overall Standings, after 8 stages

1. Michael Rasmussen (Dk), Rabobank 15:37:42

2. Linus Gerdemann (G), T-Mobile Team, at 00:43

3. Iban Mayo (Sp) Saunier Duval - Prodir, at 02:39

4. Alejandro Valverde (Sp) Caisse D'epargne, at 02:51

5. Andrey Kashechkin (Kz) Astana, at 02:52

6. Cadel Evans (Aus), Predictor - Lotto, at 02:53

7. Christophe Moreau (F), Ag2r Prevoyance, at 03:06
8. Alberto Contador (Sp), Discovery Channel Team, at 03:10

9. Frank Schleck (Lux), Team CSC, at 03:14

10. Denis Menchov (Rus), Rabobank, at 03:19

11. Carlos Sastre (Sp), Team CSC, at 03:35

12. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Discovery Channel Team, at 03:43

Ah..... July, My Favorite Month of the Year!

Ah, the tour is in full swing and we have just entered the mountains. July in Mn has brought cooler temperatures the last few days. Perfect for riding. My Daughter was born on Wednesday and The family is under the same roof for the first time tonight. What a glourious month July truly is!
As for the tour, Cancellara has truly dominated up to this point and finally gave the jersey back to the peloton so that the true podium contenders could fight it out. I like Fabian. It is a shame he cannot climb. He would make a fine champion but when you cannot climb in the tour, you cannot wear yellow on the podium in Paris. Vino and Kloeden are already beaten up. Did you notice how long it took Astana to get together riders to pull vino back to the pack. Too many GC guys. Ultimately, you have to have one rider that the whole team supports. During the postal days, you would have had five riders pulling Lance back if he crashed like that. Who do you ask on Astana to do the grunt work. Salvodelli? Kaschekin? Kloeden? These guys all have GC potential. No matter how strong they are, they are not domestiques and will not ride that way. This represents why team structure is so important in cycling, yet so underappreciated. Salvodelli did eventually go back and help vino out. I would have loved to have heard that radio conversation. I still think Valverde has the best shot. Disco is showing it's experience by staying out of the mess and letting the other teams do the work on the front. They will be much fresher going into the Pyrenees. That is where everybody will have to be at the top of their game.
The hilly stage yesterday was one of the most enjoyable stages I have ever watched in the tour. I thought I would see Voigt on the front for sure. The parcours really suited him. Again, I think CSC is conserving after defending Cancellara the first week.
So there is my first week analysis. It has been great having cable. Versus should cover the other great races this way. I never miss a minute with all the coverage. Have a good week and enjoy the tour!
Ciao for Now!

Keith Olbermann - You have stabbed us in the back - RESIGN

When Mr. Bush pardoned Scooter Libby last week without even forcing him to go through the appeals process he subverted our laws and subverted our democracy. YOU that have supported this administration need to wake up. Are YOU an American or a Republican first? Do you support the concept that no ONE person is above the law? If you do, you can no longer support this president or his administration. HIS decisions to pardon Scooter Libby cheapened our laws. The president needs to be impeached. NOW!

My prediction for the Tour........

Okay, I am not big on predictions. Particularly cycling predictions. The sport is to variable and unpredictable. This year is wide open. I really think there are two favorites. Alejandro Valverde and Vinokurov. Both have strong teams. Vino has been very strong but I am guessing he is peaking to early. Valverde had a strong spring and then was sick but has been training hard. My guess is he will peak when they hit the mountains. So, my pick is the "Green Bullet" for the win! That being said, there are alot of miles and anything could happen. Crashes, sickness, and major meltdowns have been known to ruin many a chance at the podium. We haven't even touched on Puerto or any other unknown doping investigation. Both of these guys could be out at anytime as there is speculation that they could have some involvement in puerto. There are other good riders. Sastre, Leipheimer, Evans, and Moreau all have outside chances. I just don't see it, but we shall see......

Lance Armstrong ESPY Video Reel

funny.

1996 Fleche Wallonne

Lance in his first and only classic win. Check the climb. Who says Lance couldn't climb pre cancer? Notice the rhythm. It was there even before......