This is a great story from T o C right here: Slowtwitch.com

Figures:

Saturday: Rain. Highs in the upper 40s and lows in the upper 30s.-from Weather.com

After being blessed with some of the nicest weather in the country for the past few weeks, the rain comes back on Saturday just in time for the first race of the season. To top it off, the high will be the lowest it has been in awhile also.

Add to that, it is Mason Lake, a race with no prize list and a $20 entry fee and it will have some of the biggest fields that this area will see all year. Bigger than any of my races which have the biggest prize lists in the area and are held in July and August when the weather is at its best.

I really don't understand the mentality around here.

Best of all, my dumb ass will probably be out there with all the other morons. WTF?!

NICE.

Sonye, upstanding whistle blower or snitch violating confidentiality?
(Velonews.com: Soigneur claims Leogrande confessed to doping)

Stolen Underground spills the beans: (Link)

Opinions please.

BIKE PORN:

Check out the latest models from Seigler Sports:

Seigler Sports traveling road show, coming to a town near you:

SAR w. integrated seat mast and super stiff bottom bracket shell design:

CCR, what I & the boys on BRI will be racing on in 2008.

The curved top tube and rear stays make this one stiff machine:

STR, aero seat collar and post:

SCTT, speed machine for the race of truth:

Need more bike porn? Check all the latest sexy images here:

Seigler Sports Image Gallery

Or, go to the website:

Seigler Sports

Just remember, with porn like this, you might need some time alone.

Cipo Gives Me Props

All this talk of Cipo has prompted me to tell my story of my own brush with the Italian slicked-backed haired speedster.

It was at the Vegas show last year as I was riding on the Strip on my way to do the Industry Cup Race. Seigler was the official bike of the Komen Foundation in 2007 and we were continuing with the breast cancer awareness theme into 2008. As a result, I was on one of our "Passionately Pink" ALR bikes and sporting a full pink kit made courtesy of Champion Systems.

So, you get the picture clearly: me, riding a pink bike, in a pink kit, on the Strip in Vegas, at night.

I was at a red light when up on both sides of me I see 2 bikes roll up. I look to my left and see...Massimo Lelli. I look to my right and see...Mario Cipollini. The conversation that ensued went something like this:

Cipo: "You going to the bike race?"
Me: "Yeah, I'm going to the bike race. (slight pause)...You going to the bike race?"
Cipo: "Yes. We don't know where it is. Can we ride with you?"
Me: (slight hesitation as I put on the air of thinking about this question)...."Yeah, you can ride out with me. I'm Joe" as I offer my hand to shake.
Cipo: "Thanks, I am Mario"
(thought in my head at this point: "no shit you're Mario, you're Mario friggin' Cipollini!"

So we roll on down the Strip and get caught at another red light. Again, picture: me in pink kit on pink bike, and 2 Italians, one of whom is the pimpest pimp daddy speedster of all. Oh yeah....and not a helmet on between us.

As we are sitting at the light, all of a sudden a female friend of mine who was helping us at our booth suddenly appears from the sidewalk, practically pushes Cipo out the way without even giving him a second glance, grabs me in a hug, tells me good luck and then sprints back onto the sidewalk to continue running out to the race. Now, this friend of mine, let's just say she is easy on the eyes.....VERY easy on the eyes. And to top it off, she was wearing short running shorts and a sports bra. Get the picture?

As my friend runs off out of sight, Mario looks at me, raises his eyebrow....and gives me the thumbs up.

My response to him: "I have no idea who that was, but that happens to me all the time."

And off we ride down the Strip.

T of C

Just a few bullet points on this for now:

• First off, let's hear it for local Seattle product Tyler Farrar who was at the top of the leader board for the prologue all the way until the really, really big guns began to fire (and who has a bigger prologue gun right now than Cancellara?)
• How about Rock Racing's Mike Ball playing chicken with AEG and blinking first? Seriously though, I have to agree with him in principle. I think it is BS that just because someone is "under investigation" (whatever that means) then they can't continue to race. Granted, it has seemed to play out that where there is smoke, there is fire, but until we start seeing the flames, let them race. Besides, hasn't Hamilton done his time on this already?
• More Rock Racing, one word: Cipo. Can he win a stage in this year's T of C? I say no. Too many other good sprinters in the race and Cipo always had to win from a train. I don't think Rock Racing has that train. Especially not with only 4 other guys on the team (rumor has it that number will be down to 3 when today starts).
• Who has the worst new kit of the 2008 T of C? I think it is a definite battle between High Road and BMC. My vote goes to BMC. I mean, come on, when Jackson Stewart was off the front in Monday's coverage I was thinking, why are they showing this Fred in the plain white jersey and black shorts off the front? Isn't the whole point of sponsoring a team to actually advertise? I had no idea who Stewart raced for at least half the time they were showing him off the front and my memory was failing me until Phil, Paul and Bob said he was on BMC. Man those are some terrible kits.

Chime in all. I know I have been gone for a time but tell all your friends I am back in the blogging saddle again. It's bike racing time again which means bloggin and talking shit.

IT'S OVER!

The writers' strike that is. After holding the line out there with all of my fellow writers, the union tells me it's ok to put pen to paper (or keystroke to hard drive). So, after a long hiatus, I am back. Hell, I might even have something interesting to write about.