Thursday, May 26, 2005

How 'bout that Giro?

Is this shaping up to be one of the best Giri in a long, long time or what? What a refreshing change from some of the previous editions that were "good" but not "great". This one has been a blast and the blasting ain't over yet and that's the best part of all.

Races like this show that the sport is healthy and not dominated by one person to make things exciting and worth watching. Ultimately, that is good for both the sport and the industry. Don't get me wrong, I'm supremely impressed by what Lance has done and done for the sport and business. However, he is going to retire and then what? Then what happens to interest in the US? Danielson and Landis are both great riders, but how likely is it that they are going to win 6 (or 7) Tours? Not very. American cycling is better than ever, no doubt. But an exciting sport as a whole will hopefully do more to keep the American public interested in watching and learning. This industry can't afford for everybody to turn around and look the other way when Lance rides into the proverbial sunset of retirement. I wasn't a big fan of the Pro Tour format and still have reservations, since it will likely mean the end to some great smaller races and teams, but if the Pro Tour is going to yield this kind of racing then it is worth it in the end. A healthier sport means a healthier industry built around it and we'll hopefully see continued growth instead of an immediate decline.

Soon, very soon, I'll have some cool spy shots of the new full carbon frame we will be doing. This is going to be a really sweet riding bike and I can't wait to get on it. Spy shots of the new track frame soon too.

Tim

1 comment:

Pete LaVerghetta said...

This is an all-time Giro. If le Tour is half as exciting it will be some month of July. I'm really looking forward to Saturday and unpaved roads. That stage will be epic.