Friday, February 13, 2009

Ha, speaking of thunder and lightning...

Um... you guys have seen the Lance interview from the AToC press conference last night, right?

If not, you can view it on www.cycleto.com.

Steven called to say goodnight last night and mentioned something about how Christian had returned from the press conference and said that Lance and a reporter got into an argument. I thought that sounded a little bogus... honestly... if I've learned anything from being involved with this sport in the last few years, its that the peloton is one big gossip chain.

But then this morning I actually saw the interview on the web and... yeah... Lance laid the smack down.

Erin and I watched the video this morning from our office.

[sidebar: I happen to be great friends with my fellow podium hostess from Tour of Missouri. Matter of fact, we work together on a daily basis and we're super close]

Both of us just sat there for a moment after the video finished. Our mouths had dropped open and we couldn't seem to close them.

To be honest, I think the notion that Lance came back to the sport to bring awareness to the Livestrong Foundation and cancer prevention is sort of a lame excuse. Its just my opinion, but I believe he feels like he has something to prove and he's just bored when he's not kicking a bunch of people's *sses. But for a reporter to go beyond "critic" and suggest that Lance is a form of cancer to the sport of cycling - that's just redonkulous. Yes, I said redonkulous.

[redonkulous: (adj.) excessively ridiculous; head-smackingly ridiculous]

I think Lance handled the situation perfectly. That reporter is a jerk. [give me a break, I'm trying to cut down on the profanity in case my parents are reading this] I mean, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but shouldn't the press conference have been about the Tour of California and not some inappropriate cancer analogy? Couldn't the reporter have asked how Lance planned to help Levi during the next 10 days? And good grief, speaking of Levi, did anyone else pay attention to his face while Lance was making Kimmage feel like the the world's biggest loser? That may have been the best comic relief of the entire video clip. He looked so uncomfortable.

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall during that Q&A.

I say, just let the guy ride his bike. Let them all ride their bikes, for heaven's sake.

"Why can't we all just get along???" Dammit!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Amgen Tour of California. Before the storm. Literally.

Let's start this thing with an important notice. Those of you reading who are friends, you can disregard this statement.

Those of you who have no idea who I am except for seeing my lips stuck to the cheeks of cyclists on the podium... although I may seem like some random skinny chick with long legs, I actually know what I'm talking about. I've been following this sport since I was a kid. I'd spend Saturdays and Sundays with my dad, watching VHS recordings of the Tour de France, back when OLN covered the race in tiny 30 minute clips in the wee hours of the morning. I even have my own road bike. No sugarcoating, I'm no Kim Baldwin (gah, didn't everyone just love her?), but I do enjoy a good afternoon on the Silver Comet Trail.

Alright. Glad we're all on the same page. Let's roll.

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So its Thursday evening and this little podium girl is sitting on her butt in Atlanta, Georgia.

What's wrong with this picture?

The correct answer is: I'm not in California.

After working the awards presentations at Tour of Georgia 2005 and 2006 and Tour of Missouri 2008, its tough to sit on the sidelines (or all the way across the continent) and watch.

This time around, especially. I mean, come on - Vande Velde, Danielson, Leipheimer, Armstrong (weird!), Landis, Schleck of the Frank AND Andy variety, Cancellera, Sastre, Hincapie, Cavendish... ok, I'll stop so I don't hyperventilate.

Well... then there's my personal favorite, the now 'stachless Steven Cozza. You guys can debate all day long, but he caught my eye while sporting the fully shaggy look - mustache included.

On to the race - who knows what the next 10 days will bring. A few things are certain:

Shitty weather
Incredible field
Live coverage all week long
The usual contenders
And a few veterans looking for vengeance... or something like it.

I won't be able to see any of it live until Friday in Solvang. Until then, I'll be doing a lot of couch time watching Versus live coverage. And most definitely some pouting, because I can't be there in the midst of the action (and congratulating the winners, of course). I fly out Thursday evening to Santa Barbara. There, I'll meet up with and travel to the start of the TT with Steven's family.

Steven makes it sound like everything is going well in the Garmin camp. I wonder if he would tell me otherwise though. He always says confidence is one of the most important things in cycling. I do believe he's got quite a bit to be confident about. He worked hard all winter and Garmin has chosen a great squad for this tour.

Although...

Who will take the top spot on the podium next Sunday? Ah, I could go with CVV because I've obviously got loyalty with the Garmin guys. And then... I'm a long time Hincapie fan too. But whether you'll judge or not, I'm going to put my money (or pride) on Floyd Landis. Its true.

Guess we'll see. Stay tuned. And if you're the praying type, maybe ask for some better weather?