Good point.

This is the most interesting and unpredictable racing I've ever seen.
Forget what I said earlier--they should kick out the favorites every year!

Whew! I'm tired just watching it!

What an amazing race! And lots of pavement left in the next few days.

Poor Floyd.

No kidding. That was hard to see him fall apart, but I kind of enjoy seeing the race continue to change. The Tour has been so predictable for most of the past 15 years.

Troy, are you riding Saturday with one of the groups? I'd be up for coming up there if so.

Wow. I DVR the race every day and watch it whenever I have a chance. It's now 1am and I am exhausted. Not because of the day I had, but from watching that race! Usually I can just fast forward through much of it and watch 5 hrs. of coverage in like 2.5 hrs. Not tonight. I couldn't bring myself to skipping any of it. What a great day in le Tour!

In the (somewhat) famous words of Michaleen Oge Flynn...

Impetuous!... Homeric!

Wow.

Should we call you "The Quiet Man" now?

Sorry to see that Floyd had a bad day. Hopefully he can make it up. Its going to be some tough sledding though

Hardly...



That had to be so difficult. Any time a rider cracks, I can only imagine how tough that must be. I mean, just LOOK at those stages this year! Amazing.

My plan right now is the Bike South ride again, at 8 am (that's an "eight" )... depending on two things, one of which is the stinkin' heat. That ride is pretty zippy, so if it's super-hot I'll probably ride more slowly on my own. Let's talk before then.... do you have my cell #?

I am the only Chinese I know who doesn't know how to ride a bike.

But I have one though, can someone teach me?

Floyd Landis is a GOD!! Holy cow! Did you guys watch today? I was getting the play by play via web and phone friend, gonna watch tonight.

Man-o-man, what a tour!!!!!!

WOW

are you KIDDING ME???


did I really just see what I think I saw??? Wow.

Why, yes! YES you DID!!!!

That effin' rocked.

I LOVE July!!

Troy, I think I'm coming up Saturday morning, and I might have two others with me. Are you game?

As long as it's not raining... yessir.

... which, of course, it is. Or at least, pretty wet out there. I'm skippin' it Dre.

If you don't want to know how stage 19 (and thereby Le Tour) ended today, stop reading!

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What a day. What a COMEBACK. Floyd Landis deserves that jersey as much as anyone ever has, and Oscar P. deserves 2nd (hell, almost a tie for 1st) just as much.

Funny things I thought of:

1) How cruel is it to make all these guys ride a full century (well, 155 km) tomorrow, when there will be no racing and the winner is already decided? Why not make the ceremonial last day around 30k???

2) It would have been REALLY funny if Floyd had answered, when asked if he was going to enjoy the champagne on the Champes Elysees, "Nah. I don't like French wines. Besides, since the U.S. has won it eight years in a row, shouldn't we have a nice Napa Valley sparkling wine?"

:: snort ::

Missed you, man. It was quite wet, at first, but by the time I got up there most of the streets were dry. You were right; those guys are pretty quick.


That WOULD be funny. Or a Miller High Life, the champagne of beers.

...et aprés ça, ils sont arrivés a le Champs...

Ça c'est manifique, ça!

Next weekend, damn it! I love that ride, I'm tired of not being able to do it... plus I wanna ride with the Dre Man. Keep coming up for it!

Got out for 31 w/ the group tonight. I am pleased to report that I felt that this ride was easier than last weeks (same route). Average speed was a half a tick higher tonight too! 18.0! I'm still real weak in the hills though.

Have I mentioned I have a new bike?

Keep it up, man.

I went out with a group tonight, and turned around early and headed home. Man, I was flying. That was one of the best rides I've ever had. Averaged right at 20 mph for 31 miles or so.

Woo hoo! Way to go Dre, that's good stuff.... where were you?

Bike South this weekend.... not sure if anyone will turn out for it, because the 24 hours of booty is Friday night. We should just meet up and ride anyway, whatcha think?

I probably won't be able to Saturday; I am moving. Maybe, though.


If this works, I'll show you! That was almost as much fun as the ride last night.
(the red x is where I met the group; the right turn headed back east is where I left them. The '2x' is for the loop around Winthrop lake, not the whole route!

The map is courtesy of topozone.com.

* sigh *

FLoyd Landis fails drug test, high levels of testosterone. Amazing. I may just stop following cycling, and just ride my own bike.

T.

Whoa, where did you hear that?

Unbelievable. Or maybe not. Not much surprises me after the pre-tour mess.

Everywhere. Try CNN.

Oh Landis....

Even knowing the checkered past of cycling, something is rotten in Denmark.... err... France. Either on the riders' end, or the testing end.

Out.

I have a confession to make; I take EPO.



Vivian, sorry I have not gotten that magazine to you yet. I will probably send it tomorrow.

No problem. If the weather is nice I plan on taking my bike out this weekend. Luckly I don't have my wee ones and no audience (or male friend who is "a teacher at heart" -- but a very bad teacher) I think I might be able to learn how to ride after I fall down couple times.

My updated $0.02: I believe tht Landis took nothing prior to stage 17. Irrespective of what happens next, I say he won the Tour de France.

Headlines be damned.

not only watching (le tour came to the netherlands!!!) but cycling much myself: from april already 1751 km, (don't know how many miles, but you can count i hope!)

Wow, that's quite a bit. Do you ride for pleasure, fitness, commuting, or what?

so, what? I go on vacation for a couple weeks and I have to dig this thread up???


Been crushing the Tourmalet since I got back (hence me not posting much). Had an amazing ride tonight. My first ride with a 20+ average (32m). I'm so stoked.

Hope everyone is still out there having a great summer on the bike!

That is awesome, man. I think the days of 20+ mph rides for me are over. School has started, and I am helping coach cross country, so I am running during the week. Maybe tomorrow I will ride.

Thanks Dre. Running XC is cool. I miss running (I don't run near as much as I did before I started cycling). Hope you get a ride in! Good luck with the team this fall.

So.... after about two weeks off, I got back on the bike today to some nice crisp temperatures (well, it was 64, but I'll take it). Did a nice hour in hills. Felt good to be back in the saddle. Perfect riding weather is not going to hang around here much longer I'm afraid.

I'd like to ride at least twice a week through the winter. Any northerners have any experience with this? I've just run through winter in the past, but a local club says they have a Saturday ride all winter. Thinking that with the right gear (and who doesn't want MORE GEAR? ) I could do it.

ah, no experience (since I was a teen) riding in winter, but how do you like riding compared to running? Is it as good a workout, do you think? As enjoyable, but just different? Like them both the same? If you don't ride, do you miss it as much as running? A couple of people I used to run with rode some of the time too, but I don't see them these days. Just kinda wondering...

Well Carolyn, since you asked....

You know I love me some runnin'..... but I've really come to love cycling as well. My main objections to riding were:
1. Too many moving parts (the bike)
2. Takes way too long (a good ride is at LEAST an hour)
3. W-I-N-T-E-R
4. The roads in Michigan seem to be "not quite conducive" to riding
5. I swore I would never wear those ridiculous shorts.

Here would be my response to these now:
1. I LOVE my bike. There is nothing like gutting it up a hill and flying down the other side. Seeing so much more of God's creation is a plus too.
2. I have to "appointment ride" generally. This means I have to plan my rides. Group riding has been a big help with this.
3. I'll get back to you on this one.
4. Cyclists know where to ride. Get in with a group and you'll learn which roads won't kill you.
5. umm... I have three pair... and I make those things look GOOD.

I still run, btw. I good week for me is to bike 3 days and run 2-3 days. Hoping for more next season. Also, I'm looking forward to taking part in a few "tours" next season. A buddy of mine does three or four. A great way to "pack in miles" and see different parts of the country with friends.

Hope that all helps.

Gettin' serious about this cycling thing... went out today and got me some winter cycling tights, gloves and a warm beanie cap to put under my helmet.

*not a word*

100 with TWO good legs and TWO good arms...

Spent my 44th birthday on the PEAC ride (a ride to support disabled riders). There was a man named Kevin (who I spoke with briefly at around the 10 mile mark) who has the use of one arm and one leg. He was on his tricycle going like mad. I asked him how far he was going and he smiled and said 100! I told him to have a great ride and he smiled again and said "you too!" Was going to do the 50, but after meeting Kevin, I ended up doing a 100 (my first century ride!).

During the ride (which looked like I would be by myself for the most part), I hooked up with a guy from Clawson named Paul. As is the case usually, we rode together for a bit to see how our paces compared. Instead of one of us taking off because the other was holding the one back, we ended up riding 90+ miles together. If it weren't for him, I would NOT have finished the 100.

At the 40 mile mark, I "bonked" big time. I couldn't hardly turn over my pedals. Paul stopped with me and talked to me while I did a gel pack and gatorade. I started to feel a little better and slowly made my way to the 50 mile food stop. That was the LONGEST 10 MILES I have ever done. When I got to the food stop, I made this HUGE PB&J sandwich and ate about a half a dozen cookies. After taking it fairly easy for the next few miles, I recovered fully and finished the ride strong.

After the ride, I spoke briefly with the director of the event. I asked him about Kevin. He told me Kevin is a very special person. He arrived on site at 5am to help unload trucks and get things ready for the participants. He left exactly at daybreak on his bike and wouldn't be back until near dark.

Oh, and we got ice cream sundaes after the ride. And Michigan was killing Notre Dame. What a day!

I love cycling.
Out.


*partly copied and pasted from the birthday thread*

Couple quick hitters...

1. "For the first time in 100 years, a child may have a life span that is shorter than his/her parents. Childhood obesity and lack of exercise are changing the course of history." ~US Surgeon General's Office [this didn't surprise me, but when you READ it... ya know?]

2. Lance Armstrong will be running the NYC Marathon November 5th. There's a great article/interview in the latest Runner's World [November 2006 issue]. You can see parts of it online...

Lance vs. The Marathon

double post...

"If bicycle saddles contribute to erectile dysfunction, then The Netherlands would be empty" -Thorsten Schaette of KHS Bicycle Parts

I dunno... I just thought it was..... appropriate.

By the way, I love fall riding. Out.

I'm weak, so very weak. Been running more than riding... but maybe riding tomorrow. Winter is upon us.


Weak.

Wow, this thread makes me want to dust off my poorly stored Giant Boulder. Cycling is fun, but it takes a long time. I'm out of shape, so I better just start walking first.

What? And about 8 months ago, 2 of my running friends very much encouraged me to sign up/prepare for the NY Marathon (they have run marathons before) with them, and I passed up the opportunity. You're telling me that I could've been sharing the experience of running in the same race with Lance Armstrong 1.5 hrs from home? AGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

AGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH


Talk about a motivating factor for next year...should Lance decide to run it again!