Thank God it’s Friday

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Today’s ride was two hours. I got rained on toward the end. Enough that I had a hot shower and a bowl of soup when I got home.

Today’s animal sighting was a mountain lion. First one I’ve seen up here, the second I’ve ever seen lifetime. Outside of stuff and mounted, that is. The first one was down near Payson, at night, in the rain, when I was out camping. I walked down to some stream with my dog (RIP baby!) and shined my bike headlamp (better than a flashlight) across the way and the cat’s eyes lit up. Not much doubt what I was looking at. Even at night and in the rain.

Today I was knocking around out on the mesa, riding all the wacky shithouse double tracks I always pass and think to myself “where the hell does that go?” I rode a few of ’em, there is plenty left for another day. Anyway, I come over this short rise, and it takes off running. At first I though it was another coyote, low and lean. But it stopped about 80 yards out and turned sideways at the base of three pines grouped together. I saw the tail twitching back and forth, not much doubt was I was looking at version 2.0

It’s wild safari up in here.

I’ve no idea what this is, or how I came across it. But I do appreciate a good photograph as much as the next person in line behind me. Check it out: showstudio.com/projects/cannes06/gallery. And they’ve got a bunch more visual entertainment on the main part of the site: showstudio.com.

Gave me something to stare at for ten minutes anyway.

I’ve been listening to Competitor Radio of late. Especially last week at work while I typed code and tried to hang myself with a swingline stapler. (what, you saying I can’t do it?) Gnomie wrapped it up and got new gig in Tucson two weeks ago. I finished up on Tuesday, the last day of July. Gotta love four months of contract work.

I guess that’s why I’ve been spending the better half of this week getting out on my bike and fuck all. If you haven’t checked out yet, I suggest you do: competitorradio.com. Here’s a list of some of the interviews that kept me hanging on every word:

[Greg Lemond] competitorradio.com
[David Walsh part 1] competitorradio.com
[David Walsh part 2] competitorradio.com
[Betsy Andreu] competitorradio.com

Easy listening right there.

Today’s email:

From: John
Subject: Where you at?
I’d like to see Vaughters revisit his personal involvement with the doping culture. Very few people outside of the small band of eternally hopeful fools who follow the sport have ever heard of the guy, but that’s going to change if Slipstream gets some traction and emerges into the public consciousness. Telling the story now when the issue is fresh in most people’s minds rather than having it brought up at a later date (which it definitely will be as soon as his team leaves the relative comfort of its obscurity behind) has to be the way to go, doesn’t it? Riis’ “confession” was essentially coerced; here’s a guy who competed at the same level during the peak of the EPO era who has the opportunity to tell it how it is to a much larger audience than was listening when he retired. I’d really like to see Slipstream succeed, but I’ve got that nagging feeling that my enthusiasm is nothing more than a shipwreck victim’s enthusiasm for something that floats.

How’s that training for next year’s Cream Puff coming along?

Training for Cream Puff? Is that what I’ve been doing these last three days?

If I’m going to drive all they way up there, drop hundreds on entry and let the likes of Kevin Noble put three hours into me, I had better figure out how to ride a bike a lot better than I’ve been doing or it’s going to suck.

And I mean: A. Lot. Better.

No promises, but I won’t rule it out either.

Regarding Vaughters: He had better air out all the dirty laundry on the front end, before he gets in too deep. A guy like Riis had his problems before trying to portray himself as an anti-doping crusader, but it’s even worse now. Anything CSC does, has done and will do is suspect. If there is drug use in Vaughters background, and I think there is if that IM transcript between him and Andreu means anything, it will never go away. He’s got to face it head on.

Or it will come back and bite him on the ass.

And, just so you know, cycling is the only sport with a drug problem.

Detroit Tigers infielder Neifi Perez was suspended 80 games for his third violation of Major League Baseball’s ban on amphetamines.

….The sport provides mandatory counseling for a first failed test. A second positive results in a 25-game ban, and a third means an 80-game suspension.

Source: bloomberg.com

Counseling, 25 then 80 games. Makes a two-year ban on the first offense look pretty damn hardcore.

Fucking baseball. Did Roid Head Bonds hit his 755th yet? He’s due. Drinking the clear ain’t easy. It tastes like ass. Or ass flavored with flaxseed oil. Or, flaxseed oil flavored with ass. Hey man, who am I to judge? Whatever you’re into…

Bonds reportedly told the grand jury that he thought he was taking flaxseed oil, not the clear. Arnold challenged that and likened the liquid to “nontoxic antifreeze.”

He added: “I guess it’s possible that Barry had never tasted flaxseed oil and said, ‘Well, I guess this is flaxseed oil.’ But it’s pretty hard to believe.”

Source: nytimes.com

Thank God it’s Friday.

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