Well kids, it's that time of year again- the Tour de France has arrived and now it is time for the cycling world to be up-ended with passion and controversy. In a few hours time, from the time I finish writing this, the Tour will begin with all of the cycling world's eyes staring at Rotterdam for the Tour prologue.
As this Tour begins, controversy again swirls and the ugly specter of doping is again in the news. Though I have not yet had the chance to read the full article, the Wall Street Journal has published a "bombshell" of allegations from Floyd Landis regarding Lance Armstrong and further unproven accusations of doping. Even before that, on the eve of the race, Cervelo Test Team suspended its rider Xavier Florencio- allegedly for breaking the team's code of conduct regarding the use of treatments containing banned substances... in this case, an ointment to treat a saddle sore. Seriously? The ass creme has so much ephedrine that he might fail a doping test? Is he bathing in the stuff or is the team A) so paranoid of bad press if something happens or 2) something more sinister is really behind this expulsion. AND we've now gotten so freaked out by drug doping that riders are resorting to mechanical doping and bikes are being scanned at this year's Tour!
Still one thing remains true; the Tour de France is quite possibly the gretest spectacle in all of sport and even with the sensational news and headlines, the next three weeks will be watched by cycling fans around the world with unmatched excitement as this year's race is arguably the most "open" it has been in several years.
We'll see what sorts of feces get tossed into the fan blades...
And now on to the teams and a few thoughts, comments and predictions.
Astana
The team of two-time winner Alberto Contador and former vampire- "no really, I'm totally clean now, this time"- Alexander Vinokourov. This is the team to beat, on paper. However, this could also be the team to have the most spectacular implosion as well. If Vino and Berto can work together and keep their team intact, then they should win the Tour. Contador is arguably the best stage racer of his generation, having already won all three Grand Tours... before the age of 30. Vino is about as predictable as a 10 year old after downing a case of Red Bull and chasing it down with one of those 3 foot long Pixie Stix. Some will say that Contador runs the risk of having to ride the race alone... but for those who do not remember the internal team polemics at Astana with Lance last year, he essentially won the Tour having to beat all the other teams AND his own.
If they keep their heads and actually work for El Pistolero, the race is his to lose.
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) 2 David De La Fuente Rasilla (Spa) 3 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) 4 Jesus Hernandez Blazquez (Spa) 5 Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz) 6 Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa) 7 Benjamin Noval Gonzalez (Spa) 8 Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) 9 Alexander Vinokourov (Kaz)
Team Saxo Bank Here's the team of Bjarne- "yes I doped to win my Tour, so you can have your t-shirt back"- Riis. He's an excellent director, which can not be denied, and gets awesome results from his riders. The team is stacked with talent- including the Schleck brothers who so consternated both Alberto and Lance last year. Andy is a very good climber and can stay with Alberto when at his best, but not when it comes to the time trials. Since there is only one real TT this year, Andy has a chance to challenge. With Fabian- "I'll show you my motor"- Cancellara on the squad too, expect some additional fireworks from the team, especially on Stage 3, when they hit the cobblestones. He and Stuart O'Grady are both roubaix winners, so you can expect them to be pushing the pace and making the skinny climbers soil their petite chamois. AND with Jens- "that doesn't hurt"- Voigt, Saxo will certainly make the race hard for other teams.
11 Andy Schleck (Lux) 12 Matti Breschel (Den) 13 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) 14 Jakob Fuglsang (Den) 15 Stuart O'Grady (Aus) 16 Fränk Schleck (Lux) 17 Chris Anker Sørensen (Den) 18 Nicki Sörensen (Den) 19 Jens Voigt (Ger) Team Radioshack Well, what do you say about this team other than, "Lance is trying to win number 8"? Bruyneel- the team director with the most Tour wins to his credit- is a tactical genius and his biggest ace up his sleeve is Chris Horner. Horner is like a second Director on the road and in the race. He's supremely gifted at reading races and riders, so he'l; be an incredible asset to the team during the race. Lance is once again surrounded by the strongest team in the race. Love it or hate it- nobdoy else has the depth of Radioshack... aka The Shack. However, only Andreas Kloden has also had a foot on the Tour final podium and has proven his ability to be powerful all the way to the end. Levi- "I'm not actually a Hobbit"- Leipheimer is a totally likeable dude, but he's proven fragile- especially with his bones (will somebody give that boy a glass of whole milk and a block of cheese).
It is a given that nobody wants to win this race more than Radioshack. But can they? More importantly- can Lance?
21 Lance Armstrong (USA) 22 Janez Brajkovic (Slo) 23 Christopher Horner (USA) 24 Andreas Klöden (Ger) 25 Levi Leipheimer (USA) 26 Dmitriy Muravyev (Kaz) 27 Sergio Paulinho (Por) 28 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) 29 Grégory Rast (Swi)
Sky Professional Cycling Team How do you become a Tour contending team over night? Money. Lots and lots and lots of money... and a ruthless pursuit of riders. Sky is a high profile team with great riders who were all purchased with the goal of winning this race. There is a lot of great talent on the roster, but their hopes on pinned on the affable Brad Wiggins. I like Brad because he races on the track, but was his 4th place last year a sign of things to come over the next 3 weeks or was it a happy co-inky-dink? He's proven he's got the goo between the ears to make himself ride well. Can his team support him for the duration of the race if he does have the ride of his life? Of the "contending" teams, Sky raises the most questions for me- they didn't exactly have a stellar Giro and have been erratic all year.
Can they do it and bring the Tour's final jersey to England?
31 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) 32 Michael Barry (Can) 33 Steven Cummings (GBr) 34 Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni (Spa) 35 Simon Gerrans (Aus) 36 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) 37 Thomas Lövkvist (Swe) 38 Serge Pauwels (Bel) 39 Geraint Thomas (GBr)
Liquigas-Doimo "No really, I didn't dope!" Ivan Basso just came off an incredible Giro win, his second, and is itching to finally win the Tour that was once thought to be his annointing as a true Campionissimo. Basso was once the guy Lance most feared in a race, but after serving a 2 year suspension for "nearly doping", he's now finally back but not as strong in the TT's as he once was. Then again, this Tour only has one real TT... so he could be in there still. BUT... his support riders at this race are not of the same level as his main rivals. They're good guys- you gotta like guys like Quinziato- but can they keep him in the hunt for 3 weeks?
We'll just have to wait and see what the boys of "leaky gas" can do.
41 Ivan Basso (Ita) 42 Francesco Bellotti (Ita) 43 Kristjan Koren (Slo) 44 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) 45 Alexander Kuschynski (Blr) 46 Daniel Oss (Ita) 47 Manuel Quinziato (Ita) 48 Sylvester Szmyd (Pol) 49 Brian Vandborg (Den)
Garmin - Transitions Sweet Jesus... talk about fragile. Christain Vande Velde has bones made of balsa wood, or maybe posicle sticks. Poor guy... but he's tough as leather and still manages to ride hard against the odds. He managed to still make the top 10 last year, while riding support for Wiggins, after crashing and breaking a whole bunch of bones at the Giro. Still, you just have to love this team and want them to do well. Jonathan Vaughters may be a fashionable TT nerd, turned into a team owner/ director, but he's a good guy and his riders are all likeable. It's a strong team with tons of talent, so CVV should have great support, even with a contingent of the team there just to get stage wins with Tyler Farrar. Tyler is a good kid, who happens to be damned fast when he's at his best. He's now only missing a Tour win to complete his collection of Grand Tour stage wins. When you toss in Zabriskie, Hesjedal and Millar, the team looks like it can do a good job of playing potential spoiler if the main contenders spend too much time watching each other or updating Twitter.
51 Christian Vande Velde (USA) 52 Julian Dean (NZl) 53 Tyler Farrar (USA) 54 Ryder Hesjedal (Can) 55 Robert Hunter (RSA) 56 Martijn Maaskant (Ned) 57 David Millar (GBr) 58 Johan Van Summeren (Bel) 59 David Zabriskie (USA)
Française des Jeux Well... long, long ago, in a far away galaxy, the French teams actually had a chance of winning the tour... or at least managing to get out of their own way. Managed by former Roubaix winner marc Madiot, FdJ is a perennial fan favorite. They sometimes manage to get stage wins, but their chances of winning the Tour are marginally better than my own. Made up of awesome support riders and breakaway workers, they lack a leader and can only pray that they are gifted a win. There are worse teams at this Tour, but only barely. I wish them luck because they're under dogs and I've met the owner of Lapierre- the bike sponsor- and shared an awesome dinner and conversation with him. It would be nice to see one of his bikes win a stage.
61 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) 62 Sandy Casar (Fra) 63 Rémy Di Grégorio (Fra) 64 Anthony Geslin (Fra) 65 Matthieu Ladagnous (Fra) 66 Anthony Roux (Fra) 67 Jérémy Roy (Fra) 68 Wesley Sulzberger (Aus) 69 Benoït Vaugrenard (Fra)
Team Katusha "I can haz vodka now?" Sponsored by a bunch of Russian companies and the Russian cycling federation, this is a team that is made of some great riders with lots of potential and some truly tough dudes. NEVER underestimate the ability of the Russian riders because only Jens Voigt can handle as much pain as they can. They eat broken glass with every meal and then chug down some good vodka to make them numb. Sadly though, they can't win the Tour with Vladimir Karpets. Vlad has dropped his famous mullet, which held the key to his power, and is not really a threat. The other Russians- Brutt, Ivanov and Kolobnev- are seriously capable of stage wins, especially if the field gets lazy and lets them escape. Robbie McEwen is a little long in the tooth for a true Tour sprinter... but the pocket rocket is one of the best riders in the world when things get dicey in the final meters of a race. Can he still win a stage? Maybe. The Green jersey... not likely.
Expect fireworks from this team and if that doesn't work, just hold on to your drinks at the after party.
71 Vladimir Karpets (Rus) 72 Pavel Brutt (Rus) 73 Serguei Ivanov (Rus) 74 Alexandr Kolobnev (Rus) 75 Robbie McEwen (Aus) 76 Alexandr Pliuschin (Mda) 77 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) 78 Stijn Vandenbergh (Bel) 79 Eduard Vorganov (Rus)
AG2R La Mondiale No. Chance. In. Hell.
Nicolas Roche- sone of Stephen Roche- and Rinaldo Nocentini, who shocked folks by wearing yellow for several days last year, are the stars of this team of otherwise unknowns. Largely a team of French riders, they are possibly even less well equipped to win than FdJ. I'm pretty certain they can all ride better than me, but their chances are relegated to a hopeful stage win from the very classy Roche. Otherwise, they're chasing podium girls in Paris when things are all done.
81 Nicolas Roche (Irl) 82 Maxime Bouet (Fra) 83 Dimitri Champion (Fra) 84 Martin Elmiger (Swi) 85 John Gadret (Fra) 86 David Le Lay (Fra) 87 Lloyd Mondory (Fra) 88 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) 89 Christophe Riblon (Fra)
Cervelo Test Team Carlos Sastre is an underappreciated rider and former winner of the Tour. He's a quite and humble guy- likeable in most respects- which dooms him most of the time. Can he win again? Not likely. Can he get away for a stage win and save his pride? Maybe. The other only real power on the team is in the tough speed of Thor Hushovd. Thor is a Norwegian sledgehammer and will crush most other riders in a sprint after a hard day in the saddle. He's won Green before and can do it again... if his other rivals don't win more consistently. The team is made of guys who are almost all capable of getting away in a break and then winning a stage. Well... except for the guy with the sore ass and plain ticket back to Spain. Will the team be distracted by the issue? I would guess a little, but they're going to be more focused on how they try to get some wins.
91 Carlos Sastre (Spa) 92 Xavier Florencio Cabre (Spa) 93 Volodymir Gustov (Ukr) 94 Jeremy Hunt (GBr) 95 Thor Hushovd (Nor) 96 Andreas Klier (Ger) 97 Ignatas Konovalovas (Ltu) 98 Brett Lancaster (Aus) 99 Daniel Lloyd (GBr) Omega Pharma-Lotto Stage wins, plain and simple. This team is built around the Belgian classics, not stage race- which is why Cadel Evans left them at the end of last year. All of the riders are top notch and can do great things... but mostly in long single day races. Nobody expects more than stage wins from this Belgian super team... well, nobody who is familar with the team anyway. They are stacked with talent and will certainly be a factor in the race for stage wins, but not the overall GC. They lack a leader because 3 weeks in July are not as important in Belgium as the Classics months during the Spring.
101 Jurgen Van Den Broeck (Bel) 102 Mario Aerts (Bel) 103 Francis De Greef (Bel) 104 Mickael Delage (Fra) 105 Sebastian Lang (Ger) 106 Matthew Lloyd (Aus) 107 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) 108 Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) 109 Charles Wegelius (GBr) TeamHTC - Columbia Mark Cavendish, Mark Cavendish, Mark Cavendish. Now you know the entire story of Columbia-HTC. Sure, they throw in Michael Rogers for good measure, but it's really all about the Manx Missile. Especially if you ask him. Tony Martin could win a TT stage again, but they just really don't have GC riders. Given that Cavendish won 6 stages last year and has had a crappy season this year, you can expect there to be a lot of pressure on the "Boy Racer" when things come to a field sprint. On his best, he IS the best sprinter in the world- period. I'd dare say, he's even faster than me. They have tons of talent built around Cav', so he should win if he's got the form. If not, they have enough talent to hunt other ways to win stages... but no chance to win the overall. None.
111 Mark Cavendish (GBr) 112 Bernhard Eisel (Aut) 113 Bert Grabsch (Ger) 114 Adam Hansen (Aus) 115 Tony Martin (Ger) 116 Maxime Monfort (Bel) 117 Mark Renshaw (Aus) 118 Michael Rogers (Aus) 119 Kanstantsin Siutsou (Blr)
BMC Racing Team Cadel is only marginally better off with BMC than he was with Omega Pharma-Lotto. His best help will come in the form of George Hincapie. George has been around France a few times, even picked up his wife there, and has an impressive list of Tours he helped Lance win. Cadel will rely on his experience very heavily... well, if he's smart he will. Evans has been a class act this year as World Champion. He's been on the steps of the Tour podium before and has been tantalizingly close to finally winning a Tour for Australia... but there is always that "bad day" or similar implosion. If he can avoid the usual meltdowns, he's got the best support he's ever had and should have his best shot to date at winning. But can he? Can Cadel really win?
Really?
121 Cadel Evans (Aus) 122 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) 123 Brent Bookwalter (USA) 124 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) 125 Mathias Frank (Swi) 126 George Hincapie (USA) 127 Karsten Kroon (Ned) 128 Steve Morabito (Swi) 129 Mauro Santambrogio (Ita)
Quick Step Like Omega Pharma-Lotto, this is a Belgian Classics team. And without Boonen this year again- though not because he likes a little cocaine, this time- the chances for wins are diminished. Again, like their countrymen, this team is stacked with awesome talent for single day races and stage wins, but they lack a leader capable of contending for 3 weeks. Look for them to make the racing hard, either with breakaways or just good old fashioned Belgian toughness. They need to win something... anything. Sylvain Chavanel- once the next great French hope- is still capable of doing some good things... just not winning the Tour. Ever. On this planet.
131 Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) 132 Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa) 133 Kevin De Weert (Bel) 134 Dries Devenyns (Bel) 135 Jérôme Pineau (Fra) 136 Francesco Reda (Ita) 137 Kevin Seeldrayers (Bel) 138 Jurgen Van De Walle (Bel) 139 Maarten Wijnants (Bel) Team Milram
Here's another team you just have to like. A great team from Germany that has talented riders who can win races, especially tough ones, but they lack a leader who can contend for 3 weeks. Gerald Ciolek would LOVE to finally beat Cavendish in a head to head sprint at the Tour... but can he? So far... no. This is a hungry team looking to prove a point since they are losing their sponsor next season, so they need to win to help find a new paycheck for the team. I have several good friends who work for Focus USA, so I'd be happy to see the Moo Team win a stage or two. But who can do it?
Who?
141 Linus Gerdemann (Ger) 142 Gerald Ciolek (Ger) 143 Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) 144 Roger Kluge (Ger) 145 Christian Knees (Ger) 146 Luke Roberts (Aus) 147 Thomas Rohregger (Aut) 148 Niki Terpstra (Ned) 149 Fabian Wegmann (Ger)
Bbox Bouygues Telecom Another French team with no chance in hell of winning the race. None whatsoever. Thomas Voeckler was the gutty defender of the Yellow jersey several years ago during Lance's first reign of terror at the Tour. Now the team is far more likely to get a win out of Pierrick Fedrigo, who won a stage last year in grand fashion. Personally, I'd like to see Japanese rider Yukiya Arashiro win a stage- which is almost as likely as me winning. He's a good rider and he'd be the first ever Japanese rider to win a stage. Since I have lots of rfiends in Japan, that would be cool. Plus, I have friends at Colnago as well and would be happy for them if the team won a stage. Though this is a French team that is way better at picking a good wine or cheese than they are winning races, they don't appear to be jerks.
They've got that going for them.
151 Thomas Voeckler (Fra) 152 Yukiya Arashiro (Jpn) 153 Anthony Charteau (Fra) 154 Pierrick Fedrigo (Fra) 155 Cyril Gautier (Fra) 156 Pierre Rolland (Fra) 157 Matthieu Sprick (Fra) 158 Sébastien Turgot (Fra) 159 Nicolas Vogondy (Fra) Caisse d'Epargne Can you remember the days when Moreau was supposed to be the next French Tour winner? Yeah... seems like it was a million years ago to me too. Well, he's old enough now that his usual implosion will seem less dramatic and even more expected. This French-sponsored Spanish powerhouse team is capable of making things happen with Luis Leon Sanchez Gil (WHY FOUR NAMES?). The team uses more letters in their names than all the other teams combined, which I am not sure is not somehow a race tactic- I just hear the team directors of the other teams trying tell their riders who is up the road in the break and finally just giving up when they can't say the whole thing! Like all Spanish teams, they do best in the mountains. Stage 3 and the cobbles should have them collectively dreaming of paella and sangria in Madrid or Barcelona, but hopefully they manage to stay upright... for a change.
161 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) 162 Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (Por) 163 Imanol Erviti Ollo (Spa) 164 José Ivan Gutierrez Palacios (Spa) 165 Vasili Kiryienka (Blr) 166 Christophe Moreau (Fra) 167 Mathieu Perget (Fra) 168 Ruben Plaza Molina (Spa) 169 Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa)
Cofidis, Le Credit en Ligne All French, all the time. This is a team that has taken losing races to an art form. So much potential, but so few results. All of the riders are French and they will be turning themselves inside out during the race... just to survive... in hopes of making something magic happen. And they need more than magic, they need a miracle. They also need a new sponsor next year, so expect them to be looking for ANYTHING to brag about in the sponsor hunt. The last time Cofidis saw a Tour podium up close was in 1998 when Bobby Julich stepped on the podium for third. Don't expect that to happen this year, unless 188 other riders drop out.
171 Rein Taaramae (Est) 172 Stéphane Auge (Fra) 173 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) 174 Julien El Farès (Fra) 175 Christophe Kern (Fra) 176 Sébastien Minard (Fra) 177 Amaël Moinard (Fra) 178 Damien Monier (Fra) 179 Rémi Pauriol (Fra) Euskaltel - Euskadi Who doesn't love these guys? Seriously, they just try so damned hard! Olympic champion Sammy Sanchez is a classy rider who can win lots of races, but he's not truly likely to contend at the end of three weeks. Only the Basque can find a way to use as many X's and Z's in their names as the Belgians. These mountain-loving lung freaks are supreme climbers, as a team, but still manage to fall short at the Tour. On paper, in theory, they should "own" the Climber's jersey... but never seem to be able to keep things under control.
Look for the orange jerseys to be at the front on the climbs, at least for awhile. Well, if they manage to make it off the cobbles in stage three in one piece.
181 Samuel Sánchez Gonzalez (Spa) 182 Inaki Isasi Flores (Spa) 183 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) 184 Juan Jose Oroz Ugalde (Spa) 185 Alan Perez Lezaun (Spa) 186 Ruben Perez Moreno (Spa) 187 Amets Txurruka (Spa) 188 Iban Velasco Murillo (Spa) 189 Gorka Verdugo Marcotegui (Spa)
Rabobank The Giro and Tour are two totally different races. Denis Menchov won last year's Giro and then was too gassed for the Tour. This year he has saved himself for the Tour in hopes of finally proving his right to be considered a contender. It's not a gamble likely to work, simply because he's not a rider for the steeper climbs and there are not enough TT kilometers for him to make up time. Still, this Dutch wunder team is likely to find a way to win a stage with riders like Lars Boom, Oscar Freire, Robert Gesink and a few others. Rabo' is another one of those teams that should have a Tour win to their name, but don't. They'd like to fix that problem with either Menchov or Gesink...
... but it won't likely happen this year.
191 Denis Menchov (Rus) 192 Lars Boom (Ned) 193 Oscar Freire Gomez (Spa) 194 Juan Manuel Gárate Cepa (Spa) 195 Robert Gesink (Ned) 196 Koos Moerenhout (Ned) 197 Grischa Niermann (Ger) 198 Bram Tankink (Ned) 199 Maarten Tjallingii (Ned) Lampre-Farnese Vini Alessandro Petacchi was once the best sprinter in the world and signaled the end for Mario Cippolini as greatest Italian sprinter of thier time. Damiano Cunego was once the next Coppi, after winning the Giro several years ago. Both are still capable winners, but the Tour is full of better riders this year. Cunego could get a win, but Petacchi is unlikely to be able to find a way to beat his younger rivals this year... but I won't count him entirely out because his rvials likely will and he can take advantage of that foolishness. Lampre is a team with great history and they deserve to be in the race every year, but they are not a team one should look at for more than a couple classy wins.
Footon-Servetto Well, they have gold team kits and ride Fuji. That's about all anybody knows about this team of "what's his name" riders. No, they don't flat out suck and have won a few races this year, but they are kinda like Cofidis- a team of riders who have almost no chance of winning unless there is a serious confluence of luck. The team will certainly want to do something to prove they deserve to be in the race and the tour is often kind enough to reward the smaller teams with a little something they can be happy about. Maybe, just maybe, these guys will be "that team" this year. If not... don't say I didn't tell ya.
211 Eros Capecchi (Ita) 212 Jose Alberto Benitez Roman (Spa) 213 Manuel Cardoso (Spa) 214 Arkaitz Duran Daroca (Spa) 215 Markus Eibegger (Aut) 216 Fabio Felline (Ita) 217 Iban Mayoz Echeverria (Spa) 218 Aitor Perez Arrieta (Spa) 219 Rafael Valls Ferri (Spa)
And there you have it! The Tour starts in a few hours, so I am going to bed so I can see a little of the prologue before I go out and pretend I'm a Tour rider with a few friends with shaved legs and Lycra.
See! Here I am! Though certainly heavier than I'd like to be for this time of year, I am at least alive... and on a bike.
We were working on photos for our upcoming catalog and got out today with our Creative Director- Pete Demos- and myself to snap the one remaining photo we needed. The above picture is not that picture... but it's still kinda fun.
Special thanks to Twin 6 for supplying us with clothing for the catalog again, and thanks for making the shorts with very robust strength seams... I'm normally an XL bib, so the LG bibs were straining a little under the pressure, but they made it!
No, I'm not dead- even though it may look that way and even though some folks might wish it were true. Alas, I am still "here"... just not HERE.
In all honesty, it's simply been a matter of time, focus and concentration... oh... and work. In other words, it's not you- it's me. This time of year is when things hit the fever pitch of insanity- filming our dealer DVD, writing copy for our catalog and a new sales manual, being the bigger projects- but not the only ones. On top of that, I've been making a better effort to spend more time with my family- as I've come to realize I haven't been very good at that. In the past 3 weeks though, work has been the 800lb gorilla making family time nearly impossible- one day off in 3 weeks and working 23hrs over the weekend. Needless to say, the blog has taken a hit... hard.
But I'm not giving up and I'm not dropping out of the Social Media world at all. In fact, I've been staying pretty active in SM, just focusing the bulk of my attention on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr (which coincidentally are all very easy to update from my iPhone). So, you can keep tabs on me- if you wish- in each of those locations... but I promise I am going to come back to the blog, once the dust settles. In fact...
... we're now just a little over a week away from the "Tour day France". I think it's time I blow the cobwebs off this thing with semi regular, if not daily, Tour coverage again. I'm going to commit to making a really good attempt to do my daily analysis and predictions. Not sure if I'll go as deep as a stage by stage pre-race analysis this time, but daily highlights from my twisted point of view should be possible. I've always really enjoyed providing that coverage in the past and it's looking like it could be a good race this year. So we'll see how it all unfolds- the race and my "coverage", both.
I'm keeping this short, but you can see what I am up to and what Masi is up to by keeping an eye on these spots; Masi Twitter Masi Facebook
I'm not dead. Katie is not dead. Lily is not dead. Ann is not dead. We're all alive and well- even if we're not exactly sleeping the way we used to. Things have been beyond uber busy with work and life has been even busier than work. Needless to say, I have a few reasonably decent excuses for the total drop off in posts here. It's funny- I lose sight of how many people read this silly thing until I have a gap in posts and then get emails and phone calls asking if things are ok and wondering what's happening. I am more than a little thankful for the community of friends and family I have- I promise.
Tons has happened since the last time I was here... and I don't even know where to start...
Ann received confirmation from the US Customs and Immigration Services that her application for residency has been received and there are no problems! She's got an appointment to have her "biometrics" recorded later this month... finger prints and picture. It might not sound like much, but it's a huge step toward her being able to come and go between here and Taiwan again without fear of her visa expiring, etc. She'll now be able to get a driver's license and look for work when she is ready again. This is very significant to us and the letter sits prominently on our kitchen table, as if it were an accpetance letter from Harvard or Stanford.
On March 4th- even before this recent break in posting- this ragged old blog had it's 5th birthday and I didn't even say anything. Dang.
I've returned to racing on the track for this season, after April 29th marked the 2 year "anniversary" since my crash. I did my first race this year on the very bike I crashed- it has a small dent in the top tube, but is otherwise straight as an arrow. I had to replace the wheels, saddle and bars... but it is otherwise the same bike. I have to admit, on top of feeling better than I feared I would, it felt really good to wipe away the demons of the crash on that bike- since it had been the maiden voyage for that bike. I didn't win any of the races, but I got a chance to finally really give that frame a fork a really good shake down... better late than never.
Lily, though not a fan of letting her mother and I sleep, is doing great. She's healthy, gaining weight, getting taller and is generally an amazing baby. Katie is still super excited about being a big sister and is still one of the many amazing blessings in my life. Lily is an amazing gift and I can't wait to get to know her, but Katie is already one of the best little people I've ever met and is a great buddy.
Work has been unreal. Masi is doing great and remains something that I am supremely proud to be "in charge of". We've been working hard to create some incredible bikes for the next round of product. I can't wait to see and hear the feedback. So many cool things are cooking... stuff I don't wanna give away yet. I'm obviously very passionate about the bikes we produce and am an enthusiastic cheerleader, but man... this next batch of bikes is insanely cool. On top of the bikes, the new Brev M parts line is really taking off as well. It's amazing to see this stuff taking off when less than a year ago it was all just a concept. Believe me, it's truly crazy how fast things have gone.
Ann has been amazingly supportive of all that has been happening and is a fantastic partner. Even with the baby keeping her awake for what seems like days at a time, she still "forces" me out the door each day when I come home for work to go for a ride, if I didn't have one during the day at work. She shoves me out the door on the weekends as well and pushes me to keep racing too. She knows how much riding means to me and how it keeps me slightly more focused. As an athlete herself, as well as being from the bike industry, she is uniquely qualified to possess that understanding. I am blessed.
Ann's mom was with us here from March 22nd until April 29th. She was a big help for us transitioning from hospital to home. I pretty much lost control of my kitchen... which I am fine with! It was great to have so many wonderful meals cooked for us all the time, but it was also a lot of fun to cook for her and see her enjoy it. While she was here, we got her "hooked" on grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. It was a difficult day for us when we took her to LAX for her return trip to Taiwan. She was ready to go home, in her own way, but we are sad to see her leave and she was sad to leave her daughter and grandaughter behind.
Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid is going to come back, I promise... eventually. After making the call for contributors in October, I left it all to sit and ferment again when things went totally sideways... again. I really, really want to bring this project back full strength and hope to have the same potential contributors interested in joining my little band of merry men/ whacky women. I miss the dialog and interaction of the blog, so it's something I really want to bring back to life and add the new voices to as well. I think there is still a lot that can be said about the industry and a lot of insight that would come from the various folks who have expressed an interest in participating. I believe good dialog is something that will help the industry further- and I want to be a part of that still.
There's so many things I am forgetting. I am so brain dead it is impossible for me to remember all the many things that have been happening or are about to. But I wanted to at least recap a few and try to establish a new starting point so I can attempt to get back to more regular blogging again. I miss it here, even though I spend a ton of time on Twitter and Facebook too... so check me out there if you need to keep updated more frequently.
I'm not dead, we're all healthy here and California is still a state/ republic. A- been mega/ super/ uber busy and 2- new baby and all that... so... you know.
I will be back with new blog posts soon and hopefully even tonight (or at least this week).
