Leadville Silver Rush 2018: Done and Dusted

The Leadville Silver Rush is a 50 mile mountain bike race in Leadville, CO, which I rode on July 7, 2018.  My main goal in doing this ride was to qualify for a corral at the 100, and get some hard mountain bike training.  I will give a little detailed route summary below, but first some stage-setting.  I found these summaries particularly interesting to me in researching the ride, so hopefully someone finds this and appreciates the insight.

Who Am I?

I would call myself a passionate-but-not-crazy cyclist.  At the time of the Silver Rush, I probably had 600-700 miles in on the year, plus a lot of trainer time I didn't record, usually between 1-2 hours.  I also tried to make sure to do some high-intensity interval training once a week.  I started really training for this race late May (I was training for my first half-marathon before that, so I wasn't starting from scratch).  Only about 100 of those miles was actually on dirt, mostly Marshall Mesa and one nice 30+ mile day on Heil to Picture Rock to Hall and back.  That ride made me question what I was possibly thinking signing up for the hardest 50 I could find so close to starting legitimately training.

I think it's worth saying, I got good genes (thanks, Dad!), and I seem to train up quick.  I'm not particularly fast, but endurance is more natural to me than some .  I also have never lived below 5000 feet, and I've always felt good at elevation (that said, the 4th and last time hitting 12000' on the day,  I could not control my heartrate, and was a little concerned I HAPEd myself or something).  I only mention this because if you're reading this to look at my approach to the race, it's good to know I'm cheating a little.

The Race Overview

The most important thing to know is this: The race designers are sadists.  They hate you and your legs.  They're also not particularly fond of your ass or your hands.  Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it, but I was there to suffer.  There were several occasions I thought about yelling "FLUGELHORN", that of course being my safe word (mutually agreed upon with the spirit of the Silver Rush).  But I took the beating, and crossed the finish line with flair and a smile.  More on this in the details...

This race is basically 4 climbs.  There is nothing flat, anywhere.  You will hike.  There might be some people that don't hike, but I have no evidence of that.  The website says "Take the Leadville 100, remove all the easy parts, throw in technical descents", which is pretty fair.  Technically, there's not a lot of slickrock, root jumps, or sand.  The most difficult parts are steep fields of loose, fist-sized rocks.

The race has a cutoff of 8 hours.  "Wait," says the logical part of you, "That's only averaging..."

*whips out calculator*

*realizes calculators don't exist anymore*

*realizes what was actually whipped out*

*feels shame*

*feels pride*

*opens app*

"...6.25 miles per hour!  I ride that fast!".  Turns out, it's a pretty calculated cutoff.  With the 8000 feet of climbing (and hiking), you gotta work to make 6mph.  Ok, enough of that, let's get to this.

Play-by-Play

The Start

Oof

Ok, you've all probably heard about the start.  Cue the first sign that the course is here to abuse you.  You start at the bottom of a 45 degree sledding hill, covered with grass and large loose rocks, standing beside your ride, awaiting the start gun.  It goes, and it's chaos to the top of hill.  Luckily in my wave, people were all pretty chill, but fast-hiking to the top of this hill with a mountain bike gets you anaerobic immediately.  The first wave was crazy to watch, because of course they offer a special prize to the first person to the top of the hill.  I can't imagine sprinting up that with a bike, and still getting on your bike and riding.  From here, on to dusty double-track (/wide single track).  It took a minute to get really moving, and then I was inhaling dirt and trying to keep from hitting those around me.  But this was short lived, a quick drop to the road, and begin the first climb.

The First Summit

Smooth enough to take out my phone and take a picture while riding

No breaks the first 10 miles.  It's mostly not steep (averages 5%, but the last 2 miles are over 8%), and part of me thinks if I didn't have the crowd around me I would have stood a chance at riding the whole thing.  But, it was hike-a-palooza for the last quarter mile at least.  The first part winds through forested road, a few technical spots but mostly hard-packed and smooth.  Once you bust out in to the open, the grade picks up, and I encountered a couple water crossings and a couple short sections that caused me to jump off and hike to the next "flat".  I have to say, the 2nd half of this climb was probably the most beautiful part of the ride.  It's about 10 miles of wide trail/jeep trail until you take the sharp left on to the full on dirt road that is Route 2.

Courtesy of the official photographers.  They actually got some good ones

You will cruise down Route 2, but do be cautious of potential rutted out sections.  I am *not* a great descender, and people were flying by me down here, and I actually used my breaks a couple times.  It's about the nicest road you'll find on the ride, but I still don't want to lose my tire in some loose crap and endo myself out of the ride this early.  Hit the pavement (woooo) and enjoy the smooth ride to aid station #1, Printer Boy.  My Dad met me just before the actual aid station, swapped my bottle and gave me a clif bar.  I pocketed it, and pressed on, skipping the actual aid station.  I was 1:43 to Printer Boy, but felt good so I continued on.

After the aid, you drop onto a short descent through the trees, with some huge ruts (like, my pedals would've been hitting the wall if I dropped in) and probably the loosest dirt on the course.  Also, the first place I saw (well, heard) someone crash.  The shout of "GOD DAMN IT" from around the corner encouraged me to slow it down a little bit.  By the time I got there he was back up and just starting to go, so no harm.

The Second Summit and the Turnaround

On to the 2nd time hitting 12000 feet!  Altogether it's about 5 miles until you hit the top, but this one isn't quite as insistent as the first.  There are a couple short descents mixed in, including one of the most technical, though quite short.  After you get through a majority of the climb (pretty standard), you hit a turn where the people on the return trip split off.  This is actually the first place I encountered someone coming back.  I'm pretty sure I yelled some words of encouragement, and thought to myself holy sh*t that's a long way away.  The quick descent here actually has some drops and roots to deal with, and then... duathlon time!  I don't actually know how long the final climb to the top is, but it's mostly a hike.  And you can see the summit up there the whole time... come to me, summit!

Once the summit actually DOES come to you... prepare for the hardest section of downhill on the course.  I heard they used to have 2-way traffic on it, but luckily the re-designed and the people coming back to this summit do so from a different path.  Which is great, because this was sketchy enough having it all to myself.  By this point, traffic had mostly thinned enough that I could navigate it myself.  Right at the start though, the guy ahead of me was trying to cowboy his way down with a foot off, and ended up flipping over his bars.  This was the one place I actually stopped myself on a downhill.  I let him sort himself out, walked my bike over a drop, said a little prayer, and let it fly.  The first couple hundred feet are very steep, and (as I said) have a couple little drops.  After that, it's in to the rocks.  Fields of rocks, with no real good line.  My only approach was let go of the brakes and let the bike do the work (which apparently worked!)

Finally, desperate for a break from this descent, I hit Stump Town at about 3:19 in to my day.  Oh wait, no, they can't let you do that.  Right when you think you're there, here's a tiny but very steep section I was wholly unprepared for, and another f*king hike opportunity to get off my bike and walk for a minute.

Side note time: The volunteers at the aid station were amazing!!  Thank you!  A kid came up and grabbed my bike, held it while I got food (pointed out the good stuff, of course) and hit the restroom, joked with me while I complained about having to ride it all over again... 

Third Summit and Back to Printer Boy

I was surprised how good I felt getting back on and beginning the climb back to the pass.  The short break at the turnaround really helped.  I found myself passing people up the wide road out of Stump Town.  Of course, after a couple miles of that pleasant road, it was back on the rutty Jeep road, and back on my feet.  After a short hike, we hit the one singletrack section on the whole race.  And boy, was it sketchy.  (Note: this is largely because I'm a singletrack wuss).  It went around the peak, across a sharp slope.  I couldn't help but notice how far I'd tumble if I went off the thin trail.  Short enough though, I survived.  After coming around, you hit the same summit and meet the people coming up.  There were still a few trudging along as I started down the slope, but it was pretty thin by that time.  Then - guess what?? - MOAR HIKING.  This little hike led to the one place I actually let myself stop and enjoy the surroundings long enough to take a picture.  You could see forever!

From the top of somewhere

From here, a quick descent, navigating some more giant ruts.  And then a grind back to Printer Boy.  By this point in the day, it had become all mind over matter.  I was able to keep the legs going around, knowing I was on the final stretch.  This was all navigable, and there was no hiking!  I made it back to the aid station at 5:03, and was finally feeling optimistic about my finish.  I met my Dad again here (and skipped the station again).  He told me my time, and I thought to myself maybe I can make it under 6:20 (this being the arbitrary time he predicted)!

Final Climb, Final Descent

However, I did not give proper credit to how much going back up Route 2 was going to suck.  I forgot how fast I came down it.  And those 3 miles felt like they were never going to end.  Also at this time, the clouds were starting to roll in, and I REALLY wanted to get down off the max elevation of the day before that happened.  Focusing on keeping the legs turning over, and ticking off every tenth of mile, I made my way through it without stopping.  Shout out time again: The volunteer at this summit was amazing, shouting words of encouragement to everyone.  He made my day.

I recommend a brief stop here to gather yourself.  I took one, because I needed to gather myself before tackling the first mile of the descent.  If there was any time I thought I was lucky for staying rubber-side down, it was here.  Steep grade, water covering smooth rock, and drops!  But I rode it all, and felt like a boss.

After getting though that first section, it was loopy and fun (and more fields of loose rocks, but those had become old hat... or my entire body was numb, I'm not sure which).  I got covered in mud going back through the water crossings, and it was absolutely a blast.  The worst part was actually the end, where it flattens out.  I really just wanted to coast to the finish line, but pedaling the last mile or 2 wasn't so bad.  I came back out on the pavement, cyclometer hit 49 miles, and I could HEAR the announcer at the finish line.  VICTORY IS MINE

JKLOL FU

Seriously the worst part of the race was being able to hear that finish line, and then coming across the volunteer pointing me back up the hill.  I am quite sure I said something to her to the affect of "you've got to be kidding me".  She was not.  You have to climb some single track before you finish! FLUGELHORN, FLUGELHORN!  The climb wasn't really bad, and it was under a mile, but mentally it was a destroyer.  I was there!  Anyways, up some track, through some trees, sarcasm for another nice volunteer.  And then I biked across the top of the hill that I had hiked up to with a couple hundred people 6 and half hours earlier, and I could SEE the finish line.  Around the hill, down the slope, and VICTORY!

Tongue out, for the people.  I got a little air off the timing strip too

Conclusion

6:37:34 chip time, in to the Orange corral for the 100, and I actually felt pretty good the next day.  As much as the Silver Rush dominated me for most of July 7th, I came through none the worse for wear, and couldn't be happier with my performance.  Oh, and about 15 minutes after I finished, the sky freaking opened up, and hailed for a solid 20+ minutes.  Booyah.  All in all,

Cycling Season 2015... It's On

With all due respect to Tour Down Under (still giggity), and the various Tour de Place-Thats-Way-Too-Hot-To-Hold-A-Reasonable-Race-Oh-And-Did-I-Mention-Sand-Storms, they really are warm up rides.  Much respect to the winners, they're still clearly 1%ers in the cycling world, but Warren Buffet and Bill Gates didn't show up.  This weekend, s*t gets real.

So Far (mainly about the Hour)
All told, there have been 40 races around the world already this year that received some level of UCI ranking.  The biggest of these were the TDU, Tour de San Luis, Dubai, Qatar, Oman, probably Sun Tour and Volto ao Algarve.  Rohan Dennis took the TDU, right before getting on the track and posting an impressive new distance for the Hour record (52.491 km).  Seriously, he averaged over 32 mph for an entire hour.  I go 32 mph if I have a nice downhill, before I have to break for a corner.  This is sure to be challenged a few times this year, as the Jensie sparked an Hour frenzy.  A Jensie Frenzy.  Sir Wiggo is expected to take a shot in June, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him break it yet again.
Tour de San Luis was taken down by Daniel Diaz (who?), with solid showings by Nairo Quintana and Joe Dombo.  I don't put much in to the fact that they were several minutes down, they're working on finding their form before the Grand Tours.

Upcoming
Two big races start this weekend, the young-but-fresh Strade Bianche in Italy, and the biggest early test on the calendar, Paris-Nice.  Though Strade Bianche hasn't been around, the single-day race has become a proving ground for the Classics riders.  Fabian Cancellara will be present, along with Peter Sagan and a host of classics specialists.  It's a 200km route, with a lot of dirt.  And props for the organizers for putting in a women's race this year, too.  The women of the sport have so few big stages on which to perform, I hope it garners them the attention they deserve.  My money is on Sagan, even though Fabian aka Spartacus aka Mr Classic is present.  I expect him to peak for Milan-San Remo or Paris-Roubaix.
Paris-Nice is definitely the jewel of first quarter of the year.  In it's 73rd edition, the 7-stage race (8 counting the prologue) will really test the legs, and give us good insight to how the offseason went for these guys.  Michael Kwiatkowski, Richie Porte, Andrew Talanksy, Bradley Wiggins and Tejay VanGarderen are all expected to compete.  Richie Porte should be the team lead for Sky, with Wiggo looking ahead (Paris-Roubaix may be a goal this year).  Stage 4 should set the tone, with over 200km and 8 categorized climbs, ending at the top of the worst one.

Ouch

I don't really have a good enough feel for the all-rounders yet to wager a bet, but I'm going to be watching Talansky and Tejay closely.  It would be great to see one of them up on the Giro or TdF podium this year, and this will be a good test.

Following right on the heals of those 2 is the Tirenno-Adriatico, which periodically gives us some spectacular viewing by torturing the riders with blizzards.  A lot of the top riders are choosing this over Paris-Nice, including Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, and Chris Froome among others.  Still, some of these big contenders might take it a bit easy, but it's exciting to see them all on the same course in March.  And I'm perfectly ok having them split between the 2 races right now, because it allows me to still speculate and get excited for them all being together in a HUGE race later in the year.

Dear USAPCC

I don't want this to get too awkward or anything, but I love you, USAPCC/USPCC/USAPC/Totally not the Tour of Colorado.  Last year, I sang your praises and the race turned out to be the most exciting yet.  The TT on the penultimate stage left it wide open, while the course design allowed for maximum fan viewing.  Bravo.

And this year, I believe you've done it again.  A circuit race on the first day in the beautiful and bike-crazy town of Steamboat Spring is going to be a riot.  Adding in a finish in A-Basin was a brilliant way to find another uphill finish (if not summit) without being too far from anything.  I've ridden that section from Keystone to A-Basin a lot, and while not terrible, it's a grind and should create some separation.  Of course, that's after coming all the way from Steamboat which I can only imagine will start over Rabbit Ears (going the other route would involve Vail Pass which isn't real suitable for a race).

Stage 3 is Copper to Aspen, and if it's the expected route we'll hit Fremont Pass straightaway and then work in Indy Pass again (I'm hoping it's that, because I did that exact route a couple years ago).  Then Aspen back to Breck, which keeps making for some great finishes.  The real shakeup this year is the Breck TT on Friday.  I, for one, have no problem with occasionally switching out the Vail TT.  Especially when they've worked Independence back in to the mix (need a few iconic features every year!)  I don't know what the TT will involve, but I expect it to be less climbing than the Vail TT, which could potentially open the door for a wider range of riders to make a mark.

Then, it's Loveland to FoCo, which means any of a number of the terrible climbs up here in the foothills (terrible for them, good for us).  It brings the race to the Front Range for the weekend which is vital.  And then finally Golden to Denver.  Which means another trip up Lookout, which I applaud for being both iconic and leaving the KOM up for grabs until the last day.  It's important to still have that to watch, when you know the overall will be decided by the previous day.  Another thing I don't have a problem with, because I think the finish NEEDS to be in Denver, and the TT in LoDo was kind of a shrug for me.

All in all, I think they've once again worked in a great mix of challenging climbs, spectator involvement, a race that will still be up in the air until stage 6 (well, probably 5, but we'll see...), and highlighting Colorado.  I know people were upset it didn't make it further south or east (sorry plains, you're not that interesting), but you can't hit everywhere every year.  I love this course, and I can't wait for the final course announcement.  USAPC, if you're bored sometime, you know, give me a call, I'll buy you a drink.  Smooches.

Parting Thoughts: You can't not whistle to The Walker.  Oh!  Here we go!

Food: Frasca

So, I decided to add food reviews in to the mix.  This is probably more for me to remember what I've had and where I've been than anything else.  But if you want to talk food some time, it's one of my top favorite topics to ramble about, along with cycling, basketball and Vegas.

Quickly about me, and food: I consider myself fairly well-traveled in the foodie world.  I've hit 11 Madison Park, Atera, Redd, La Toque, as well as many of the top restaurants in the Denver area, Duo, Cholon, Fruition, Oak, Rioja, etc.  Which brings me to this, my first actual review...

Frasca - Boulder, Feb 23, 2015

Frasca has consistently been my favorite restaurants in the area.  In fact, the only one of the aforementioned I've eaten at multiple times, and I keep going back.  The food is, of course, excellent, but it's a lot of the little details that make me love Frasca. The entire staff is always top notch, very knowledgeable, friendly, and accommodating.  This particular visit was for their Monday night wine dinners, where they always bring in a winemaker to pair a 4-course meal with a single winery at a reasonable (for fancy dinner) price point.

The menu:
Antipasto: Barba di Becco - Salsify, blood orange and black trumpet mushroom
Primo: Penne Rigate - Wagyu beef, prosciutto and romanesco
Secondo: Maiale - Berkshire pork, anson mills polenta and sugo naturale
Dolce: Torta - Winter citrus, ricotta and orange agromato

The pairings
All from Robert Biale, all big reds, 20% new oak.
2012 "Basic Black" - A petite sirah blend, with zin and mourvedre
2012 "Black Chicken" - This is a Napa Zin.  And the fun fact is that the old grocery, owned by the Biale family, used Black Chicken as the codename for booze during prohibition.
2012 "Monte Rosso Vineyard" - Another Zin, but from a Sonoma vineyard.

The result
Although another delicious meal at Frasca, there were a couple slight misses for me. But I'll start at the top.  The Basic Black on its own was my least favorite of the 3 wines, but that first pairing was definitely the best, and a fine example of how a great pairing takes both the wine and food to the next level.  The earthiness of the black trumpets played fantastically with the wine.  However, I took my first bite without the mushroom, and the citrus and salsify didn't have the same affect.  But this was an extremely inventive appetizer, and well executed.

The penne with wagyu was simply delicious.  Simple, and delicious.  Ground wagyu, perfectly al dente pasta, oil and some magic seasoning.  I loved it.

The maiale had the single best and worst bites of the meal.  The pork was served 2 ways; a couple medallions, and some cripsy, amazing short ribs (?).  I always leave Frasca plenty full, but I would have taken another 3 servings of that.  The polenta was rich and smooth, and matched well with the pork.  But the greens, which I'm usually a fan of, just tasted too... green.  It took away from the overall experience for me.  So I ended up eating all the greens (you know, gotta be healthy) and then proceeded with the pork.  The fatiness of the pork and polenta went great with the depth of the big Monte Rosso Zin.

I'm pretty sure the dessert was excellent... but just not up the alley of either me or my wife.  I heard the table next to us raving about it, but I just wasn't in to the heavy citrus and fruitcake like texture.  However (insider secret coming!), Frasca makes their own chocolates daily, and I requested a couple though they weren't on the evening's menu.  White chocolate filled with coconut goodness, and some delicious coffee (I need to find out who their roaster is).  I left happy.

Summary
Another solid performance, but the couple off notes loses some points from it's usual 10 spot.  8.5/10

Coming Soon
Me swooning over the USAPCC course announcement.  Seriously, I love it.
Giro preview.
Maybe nothing at all since I write in this once like every 6 months.

Parting Thoughts: Uptown funk IS going to give it to you.  You don't believe me???? Just watch,

#IceBucketChallenge

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is sweeping the nation.  Friends, family, dignitaries, professional athletes and countless other celebrities are doing it (ok, technically it's a totally countable number, but I'm not going to).  And for some reason this is rubbing some people on the interwebs the wrong way.  Why, in a time where there's a land war in Ferguson and people literally lighting themselves on fire in online challenges that support nothing (please don't google that, it will only give them credence), would people waste their time bitching about this ice bucket thing?  And why would I possibly waste my taste bothering to write up a retort?  Because the internet, basically.  I considered not bothering to write this, but then I realized I could at least use it as a platform for some education.

Full Disclosure
ALS is a cause very near to me.  It is not just a terminal disease affecting 5600 new patients each year, it is a disease that has taken the lives of 4 member of my wife's immediate family.  So, no, I don't take lightly to people complaining about the most exposure this disease has had since Lou Gehrig himself suffered from it.

The Challenge
I'm not sure entirely where the whole idea started.  I saw it in the beginning of the summer being used by women's basketball to raise funds for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.  At some point, some family member of an ALS patient picked it up, and their challenges eventually reached Peter Frates.  After it got to the former college baseball player, diagnosed in 2012, it took off.  The "rules" of the challenge vary, but basically you dump a bucket of ice water on your head, donate to charity, and challenge more people to do it.

The Results
The results have been massive.  One of the complaints I see on comments sections daily (moral of story: don't ever read the comments section) are that people aren't calling for donation, how is this helping?  By now, hopefully, everyone has seen that answer.  Though a lot of videos don't explicitly make the call for donations, people see them, research it, feel inspired, and donate.  According to an article I read yesterday, the ALS association has received $9.5 million in donations since the end of July.  Last year it was $1.6 million over the same time.  IT'S WORKING!  And even if no one who does the video donates, for a non-profit raising funds for an little-known disease exposure is everything.  Last year, the ALS Association estimated half the US didn't know what the disease was.  Here's some Google Trends to help:

Frequency of search terms "ALS" and "Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis"

Search for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is more than doubled this month from the 5 year average, searches for ALS up by 50%.  This is big.  This is amazing.  People are complaining, "well the people in the video are just doing it to see themselves on the internet".  Who gives a crap?  Look at the numbers!  Keep posting yourself on the internet dumping water on yourself, if I keep seeing these results.

I've also seen "I don't have the money and don't want to dump water on my head, why are people forcing this down my throat".  True, it's a bit forceful being called out by your friends.  But I realize everybody has their own charities, or their own things going on in their lives.  You should not feel guilty turning this down, and if your friends can't handle that, maybe you have crappy friends.  Heck, if this inspires you to go donate or volunteer for some other cause, more power to you.  The bottom line is this is friendly, in good fun, and not some mandate from a Higher Power.  The amount you donate, if you should so choose, doesn't have to be what someone says in their video.  It's a free world, man, just let this wave of awesomeness wash over you.  Besides, like all internet trends, this will fade out pretty soon.

My Walk

I am walking once again in the Walk to Defeat ALS, in support of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the ALS Association.  Those funds go directly to people suffering from ALS, and taking care of ALS patients, in the Rocky Mountain region (mostly Colorado and Wyoming, a little from neighboring states).  I got challenged yesterday, and will be doing my video shortly.  And, if you go donate to my walk team this week, I will match all funds raised up to $1000.  Here's to you, Marlene, Janie, Carol and Bernard!

http://webco.alsa.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=10192&team_id=275520

Parting Thoughts: ALS can suck it.

TdF 2014: Stage 5: Cobbled

Yes, that's a sub-sub-title.  Better than the kardashians.

COBBLES
Today had to get it's own entry due to a couple serious events.
First and foremost, this was a day that people (and by people, I have to imagine that I'm referring to people that aren't the cyclists themselves) were looking forward to, because the Tour organizers decided to throw down some old school, Classics-level cobblestone sections, the likes of which haven't been seen in the TdF in a long, long time.  And just because riding the TdF is already about the worst kind of torture humans willingly put themselves through, mother nature decided to make it rain all night and all day.  The result?

This

And also

Some of this

And also:

Lots of this.  Not the guy in the middle on the road, the guy on the left... no so much on the road

Yeah, it was a brutal day.  And though my man Taylor Phinney tweeted out some regret about not being able to ride it (WHAT??), and Tejay has some colorful words for his post-ride interview (starting with "It was insane"), mostly they made it out.  And the end result was a ballsy solo from 6km out for Lars Boom to take the stage win.

Biggest Moments

Nibali was impressive and in-form today.  Though I was a fan of his last year, I somewhat dismissed him this year, and he has proven that he is here to wear that yellow for a while.  It might be hard to take off his back at this point.

The key moment of day, however, was that (another) crash by race-favorite Chris Froome caused him to abandon.  As open as I said the GC was yesterday, I can't help but thing that this opens it up even more.  This, to go along with the abandon of Mark Cavendish, can be seen as a serious hit to race, or a serious door opening for another rider.  Kittel already staked the claim on the latter, and Nibali and Talansky, and Tejay for that matter, will take similar advantage.

What to watch for

Seriously, everyone hit the pavement today.  The biggest question the next couple days, is who recovers the fastest from it.  Still a few days until the first rest day, and as is the popular sentiment about the first week in general: you can't win the race now, but you can definitely lose it.

Parting Thoughts: What if the one you'd take a bullet for is the one holding the gun?  (Thanks, Fall Out Boy)

TdF 2014 post-pre-view

Hey, it's July, which means it's time for the Tour de France!  And yes, technically it's already 4 stages in, but I totally planned in writing this all up before, so it's still a preview!  Exclamation marks!

As a reminder, if you are unfamiliar with professional cycling, go back and check out my cycling 101 from last year.
As a starter, let's look at the people to pay attention to...

Green Jersey
Early season, it seems like pretty much everyone has been in form.  Cavendish, Sagan, Greipel, and last year's breakout start Marcel Kittel have all gotten victories in.  Prior to the 5th, I was picking Cav to claim his spot as the world's best sprinter again, but.... he crashed in stage 1 and it out for the race.  I feel bad for the guy, he was going to get those first 3 stages in England to race in front of home crowds.  Bummer, man.

Sagan watching Kittel take another one

 In the meantime, Kittel has won 3 of the first 4 stages, and I'm not sure anyone can keep up with him right now.  But Sagan has the green jersey.  He is once again focusing on picking up mid-stage sprint points, while most others aren't really concerned about it.  I guess if you have to pick between stage wins and the green jersey, Kittel and Sagan would pick differently, and both seem perfectly happy with the situation.  Give me Kittel with another couple stage wins, including Paris, and Sagan taking his 3rd Green home.

GC
That is; overall time, the winner.  In stark contrast to last year, I don't feel like this year has a distinct favorite.  Last year, everyone knew it was going to be Chris Froome before the race started, and anybody else would've been a surprise.  Though showing some good early season form once again, Froome was bested in the Criterium du Dauphine by young American star Andrew Talansky, with a bold final day attack.  Also falling short of Talentski (I just gave him that name... I'll work on it) was Alberto Contador, the Spanish temporary TdF winner back in form after his suspension.  Any of them have a legitimate shot at the TdF this year.  And I haven't even gotten to the guy currently leading, and the one guy I wanted to see challenge Froome last year, Italian Vincenzo Nibali.  On the hilly stage 2 he snuck away at the end for a 2 second advantage.

Nibali FTW

Other GC team leaders include Alejandro Valverde, Bauke Mollema, Rui Costa, Frank Schleck and Tejay VanGarderen.  Tejay was given reign of team BMC this year, but suffered through injuries early season, and if any American is on the podium in 2 and half more weeks, my money is on Talansky.  I like the way Mollema is riding, but I'm not sure he can keep up long term.  And I'm picking Contador to fade in the 3rd week (you know, if he's clean now).  Which leaves me to look for Froome, Nibali, and Andy Talandy (still working on it).

Talansky was all smiles after taking the famous Dauphine

Unfortunately, the Time Trials have proven so decisive the last couple years, it's hard to pick against Froome.  But screw it, I'll be a homer and go with AT (nailed it).

Race from here
They were back in France starting today, and Kittel took his 3rd stage.  Tomorrow is another flat, followed by some small hills, and doesn't get in to big hills until Saturday (July 12).  The stuff gets real.

Parting Thought:
Check out this profile for stage 9, this Sunday:

Weee

You know what's awesome about it?  I'm doing Triple Bypass that day, and it's TOTALLY harder than that stage of the TdF.  Booyah.

Everything so far, 2014

So, it's been a while since I posted something.  Apparently when I get busy, writing a blog doesn't bubble up to the top.  Well, "busy" is a strong word.  Sure, there was work, but I've also managed to watch 3 seasons of American Horror Story, the first season of Arrow, and binge watched Orphan Black like a champ.  Speaking of which, go watch Orphan Black.  Like, now.  Come back and finish reading this later.

Anyways, hereafter lies some words spilling out of my brain on to the keyboard about what's happened so far in pro cycling.  The biggest and saddest news as far as I'm concerned is at the bottom (see, that's called a tease).

Bayern Rundfahrt
Teehee.  Ok, still not mature enough to say Rundfahrt.  Moving on.

Classics
Does cycling 250km on medieval cobbled streets sound like fun to you?  It shouldn't.  But this is basically what it means when they talk about "classics" or "monuments".  Single-day, long, painful races.  And apparently, it's fun to the man they call Spartacus, as Fabian Cancellara has finished on the podium in every one of these butt-numbing adventures that he's finished since 2010.  Go Fabian!

Maybe that's why he does it...

Tour of California
I'm sorry, AMGEN Tour of California.  US Pro Cycling Challenge may not be a real winner of a name for Colorado's professional race, but I'm happy to not have the title sponsor part of the name of the race.
Moral of the ATOC story this year is that Bradley Wiggins is back from his victory tour that he apparently took all last year, and is certainly in form.  He won in impressive fashion, and leaves me wondering how much he'll want to be working for Chris Froome in the TdF... Team Sky's got some super-star egos to massage.
Also from the ATOC, Boulder's own Taylor Phinney had quite an impressive win on the second to last stage, soloing to victory from over 20km out.  But more on him in a minute.

Giro d'Italia
I really did intend to do a whole thing on the Giro, cycling's 2nd biggest race, but here we are with 3 stages to go (out of 21), so instead... let's talk Stage 16 controversy!

For real though, this doesn't call for neutralization??

At the race director's discretion, and especially when rider safety is a concern, a race may change routes or be neutralized (meaning everyone is chill and stays together and goes slow).  On the blizzardy descent of Stelvio, leading to the final climb of the day, race officials radioed that the riders should stay in groups and follow a moto down the pass.  At least partway.  What followed was confusion over whether or not the descent was neutralized, leading to Nairo Quintana (and several others) breaking away, and Quintana eventually taking over the pink leader's jersey.  With 2 hard stages to go, this may not be THE decisive stage of the tour, but Quintana's got 1:41 on 2nd place Rigoberto Uran and 3:29 on Pierre Roland.  Drama!
(Side note: Quintana, Uran and Rolland are all on my fantasy Giro team.  No, for real)

Another note on this, and another something I've been thinking about a dedicated blog on... Rider welfare.  The indecision on calling it here is the real problem, because there is no way those conditions were safe.  Cyclists are abused.  There shouldn't have been confusion, because the UCI or the race director should've have called it well ahead of last km of the climb.

Taylor Phinney
If you've read my writings before, you know I have a soft spot for Taylor Phinney.  Boulder-born and raised, crazy hair, shoe fetish, and apparently teaching himself how to twerk late at night.  Not to mention clean, like REALLY clean, and adamant about the sport cleaning itself up.  He's the energy pro cycling needs, especially here in the US.  There's better riders, but not many who engage people the way he does.
And he was on point this year, too.  Having won the GC in the Tour of Dubai (granted, it was a stage 1 TT and 4 days of coasting), a big stage in the ATOC, and claiming his 2nd national TT crown, he was poised for something big.  And then, during the US Nationals Road Race, he crashed, breaking his tib/fib and injuring his knee.

He was hoping to debut that TT victory jersey next month at the famous Criterium du Dauphine and get selected to his first TdF squad (which was a very real possibility, given his popularity and marketability).  Sadly, these plans are all currently derailed, and it'll take some help to get to sport that new US Champ jersey before someone else takes it away next year.
Worst part?  It sounds like it was the fault of a motorcycle on the course.  Taylor is a master descender, and although Tommy D describe getting passed by Taylor at "Mach 10" right before the crash, the man can control a bike.  Fellow victim, and sporter of awesomely geeky glasses, Lucas Euser, is the only real witness to the events, and said the motorcycle ahead of them was indecisive and slow, and forced them both in to dangerous situations.
All that aside, I end this not with his sad face, but with a collection of Taylor victory faces.  He'll be back.



Parting Thoughts
Are you done with Orphan Black season 1 yet?