This and That

After all of Elvis' complaining about the awful weather it is pleasing to be able to tell you that this past week-end was truly spectacular in the weather department. 75 degrees and sunny on both Saturday and Sunday had Elvis riding all over southeastern Wisconsin. Almost 150 miles by the time the bike was put away Sunday evening. You readers from places like San Diego may scoff at this notion of a spectacular week-end given that you have this kind of weather every day of the year. But for us northerners, the feeling of riding in shorts and short sleeved jerseys for the first time in months is a very special something that you'll never understand (Elvis would still trade places with you). The buds on the trees are just beginning to open, the grass is green and the birds and wildlife are everywhere. Elvis even swallowed his first insect of the year after riding straight through a cloud of gnats.

Downhill rollers through the woods. It doesn't get any better.

Saturday's ride was a long four hour session with The Boss. We spent a lot of time in the Holy Hill area to work on our climbing muscles. Sunday was scheduled to be a recovery day with a ride along Lake Michigan. As soon as Elvis hit lakeside he unexpectedly met an old cycling buddy, Dan G. (famous for his Milwaukee Thanksgiving and New Year's Day rides) and some of Dan's other cycling pals. You all know one of the cardinal rules of cycling; two guys can ride at an easy pace, three or more means that the hammer will come down. And it did. Elvis can recover another day, right? It was a quick ride into Milwaukee and no sooner than Elvis had turned around to head home, he ran into another of his pals, this time one of the boys from the PCW Cycling Team. We discussed our off-season work-outs (pretty much nothing for either of us), our new cycling computers (Elvis has a Garmin Edge 305 GPS unit that he's so excited about that he's putting together a comprehensive review that will be up soon), and our plans to meet for the PCW rides that are starting up this week.

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Here is Darin's quick report from the Brown Deer Criterium race;

Race average 24.7mph. We had a big field again, I would say 40+ guys.

The race course was OK as far as the layout but way too bumpy and chopped up, the worse I've ever seen in my short racing career. Lots of bumping going on, I can't believe we all stayed up. Aaron tried twice to get away, too windy and I think everybody is watching him like a hawk.  I crossed the line at 34.4 mph, I need that Barry speed...  I finished 6th overall, I think 3rd in 40+.
 
Russ and I were talking after the race and we both agree that this year is different than the years past as far as team tactics and people trying to make breaks, makes things a bit more interesting.


And here is his even shorter report from the Great Dane #2 race;

The race went OK, I got 11th overall and 5th in 40+. I missed an opportunity now that I look back on the race but it's always easy to Monday morning quarterback. I'm still leading my age by 3 points. I wish I could do all the races but my work schedule will not allow me to.
 
We averaged 24 with 15-25 mph winds. I haven't done any killer group rides this year and I think that is why I have fresh legs for the races. I think the last couple of years I left my best efforts in our group rides and not our races.

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Speaking of racing, it doesn't look like Floyd Landis will be doing any soon. It appears that more of his pee samples from the 2006 Tour de France are turning up juiced. Read HERE and HERE. Under normal circumstances the urine samples taken during the racing season don't go under the full battery of tests (no do you see how doping is so rampant in cycling? The normal tests are cursory at best). But as one of Landis' samples did fail the cursory tests it was decided that they would run the full battery of tests on all of his samples, and low and behold; more dope is found. Landis, in typical fashion, has already held a press conference to once again claim that there is a worldwide conspiracy against him. He tries to make a point out of the fact that one of his chosen observers was not allowed into the French lab on Sunday. What he fails to mention is that the agreed upon rules included one that said all of the observers must go into and out of the lab together. One of Landis' own observers had left for the States the day before and the US Anti Doping Agency observers were not present when the Landis lackey was refused entrance. Elvis wonders if the Landis lackey didn't simply show up on Sunday for the sole reason of being refused entry, as he knew full well would happen since his own partner wasn't with him. Then Landis could whine about it assuming that most of the world's press wouldn't notice the trick. Elvis noticed.

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Looks like the wheels might be coming off of Ivan Basso's racing career too. Basso, Lance Armstrong's chosen one for the Tour de France, has been asked to provide DNA samples so that it can be compared to bags of doped blood taken from an evil blood doping laboratory in Spain. Read HERE. One wonders why the Discovery Team has asked Basso to refrain from any racing for the time being. What do they know that you and I don't (rhetorical question, obviously)? Here is Elvis' favorite part of the Basso saga; remember how excited the Discovery Team was to sign Basso last Fall, as they would now have a legitimate shot at winning this year's Tour de France? If you've forgotten you can read it HERE. Note the paragraph where Discovery's general manager says that he considers, "Basso the team leader for the 2007 Tour de France". Then read HERE how Discovery manager Johann Bruyneel now says that Levi Leipheimer, not Basso, was, "always set to be the leader at the Tour de France". Say it with me, "Ay, carumba!". When will someone, anyone, be held accountable in the world of pro cycling?

Speaking of being held accountable, how much money do you suppose that Floyd Landis will be sending Basso's way to help with Basso's defense?

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But enough of the bad news. In this age of dire predictions due to runaway (human created) global warming we are finally offered up a wondrously simple solution to save the world. We can wipe global warming off the face of the earth! And the solution comes from none other than Sheryl Crow. Her idea? Use less toilet paper. Read HERE. Just what was she doing when she came up with this brilliant idea? If Sheryl really cared she would web cast her concerts so that tens of thousands of people could stay home instead of guzzling gas getting to the venue. The semi trailers full of sound and stage gear could stay home too. I mean, if she really cared she could do this, right? Even the inventor of the internet, Al Gore, refuses to web cast his speeches. You don't suppose that appearance fees and concert ticket revenue have anything to do with these decisions, do you? Al and Sheryl really, really care, don't they? This is why Elvis believes that Hollywood types should stick to what they know and keep their noses out of politics, science, religion and everything else. Go sing a song Sheryl, but stay the heck out of my bathroom. While Crow spouts off about how you and I should do our part to save the world, she is flying around in a private jet. No amount of toilet paper rationing will counter the carbon emission effects of just one of Sheryl's cross country trips aboard her Lear jet. Why does it seem that the people who lecture us the loudest about global warming are the biggest contributors to the problem? Hey Sheryl, when you finally pull your head out of your butt remember, one square is all you need to clean up.

There's another thing about Sheryl Crow that's always bugged Elvis. One minute she can look darn good, like in these two photos;

And the next minute it's not so good, like in these two;

Someone explain this to Elvis. Please.