Famous last words for the Wicked Witch of the West.  Not a far cry from our run this morning.  95 degrees and humidity at 98%, we scuttled plans for a long run and ended up doing about 6 miles of run/walk.  It was pretty brutal to be moving fast, much nicer to be strolling.  After a late night with Jeff and Craige at the Henry St. Ale House in Brooklyn Heights, we weren’t feeling particularly sparky anyhow.  Regardless, we got in some miles.
The NYC Tri was today.  My buddy Nick stopped by the shop on his way home after the race.  He did well, although he said he got roasted on the run.  The downstream swim was fast, but the jellyfish were running, and he had stings on his face.  Doesn’t sound like much fun.  But he was pleased with his results.

The Most Dangerous Roads in the World, Part 4:  check it out here.  Perfect place to ride a Tarmac SL2.

This week’s Road Rash style points go to Raf Banas and Eddie McKeown, for their spectacular downhill crash on the Saturday morning ride.  I was running a few minutes late and missed the start, and my tired legs couldn’t help me catch up to the group.  I guess that was my good luck.  Raf hit the pavement and Eddie hit the trees.  Both are fine, relatively, as it could have been much much worse.  No shortage of bruises, abrasions, and minor fractures, though.  Heal quickly, guys.

Ride safe!

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Winston and I are heading out to the backyard to throw the glow-in-the-dark frisbee and howl.

Lots to howl about - howl with laughter, that is.

Ricardo Ricco got busted for a new type of EPO, which he (and presumably his Saunier-Duval team doctors) didn’t know the WADA would be testing for. Anyone watching closely during the first mountain stage would have seen an aerobic display of amazing firepower reminiscent of . . . Michael Rasmussen? One look at his attack, and I knew a positive test was inevitable. It’s sad that anyone is that stupid, but I LOVE the irony - Ricco is the cockiest, most arrogant ass in the bunch, so it’s a vicious comeuppance for him to be revealed as a pathetic cheat. Ha!

CAVENDISH! This kid is awesome! Three wins in three sprint finishes - fantastic! I can’t help but wonder what things would be like with Boonen in attendance - Steegmans has been a sad stand-in.

I’m loving this Tour so far. Valverde has been a disappointment as a contender, killing his overall chances by fighting for the stage wins. But Cadel has risen to the top. Can he stay there? I think Menchov has yet to show his hand. Christian Van de Velde is riding the race of his life, and now that we’ve seen what it takes to beat him in the mountains (see Ricco, above), I’d say his chances are looking better every day. He’s a class act, and I love to see him riding this well.

And the curse continues. Virtually everyone who rides with our group has crashed this year, and this week saw a few new casualties. Jordan and Joe touched wheels and went down, spectacularly. Then last night, Trey got hit head on by a car on his way home from the ride. Of course, it was dark, he was going the wrong way on a one way street, and he had a bottle of beer in his pocket, which he managed to hide behind a tree before the cops arrived. Trashed front wheel, broken handlebar, and thankfully no broken beer bottles. That’s a Texas-style bang-up. Good job buddy! You get the style points this week! I’m just glad you’re all unhurt.
Meanwhile, I’ve been slumming on the good old E5 Tarmac. I still love that bike. It’s not light, but it’s stiff and smooth. And in spite of killing my legs with a mega brick on Tuesday (90 mile ride to LBI at 18.9 mph into a headwind in 99 degree heat, with a 6-mile run immediately after), I won the bunch sprint at the end of the Wednesday Night Ride, edging out Jay and Mario by inches, with 35 other riders coming fast just behind, totally spun out in my 53×12. It was a total rush, super cool. It won’t be long until I have a new ride to play with, but I’m not suffering with the E5.

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Can you write a caption for this photo?

Hmmmmm.

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Saturday was a good day.  It was a thick, misty morning, and I headed out on the Tarmac E5 - my last remaining intact road bike - in hopes of meeting up with Don’s Old School ride for a long spin.  No luck, but I did a nice solo 36 miles of easy spinning at 17.8 mph average speed, with 4 good hills.  I got back just in time to beat the torrential rain and to watch the last half hour of Tour coverage.

Valverde!  I love it that this guy can win on any given day, on any type of course, and still be a contender for the overall, and in fact a favorite.  Watching him win yesterday was fantastic - a stunning win.  And today he was in the mix in the final sprint, going for it in the closing meters, trying to get on Hushovd’s wheel.  He’s going to have to learn to fight his battles wisely, so that he doesn’t have to fight battles against his own sore legs.  Sprinting all out at the end of a long day, especially into the wind, can make it pretty tough to recover and race well the next day.

It’s great to see the Tour start off with a fresh face.  New contenders, an exciting new American team and a new American sponsor for one of the most venerated teams out there, T-Mobile-HighRoad-Columbia.  Columbia put Kirchen in 2nd today and Ciolek in 3rd, a fine result.

Another great new beginning:  our friends Samuel and Cristina Parent.  They had a wonderful wedding, a gorgeous event that completely reflected their warmth and humour and sense of fun.  We had a fantastic time.  Jen was all excited because she could fit into her size 2 Vera Wang dress, and her hair looked great.  She looked amazing.  It was an amazing evening.

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Ah, a day off!  This is the first chance I’ve had to write anything in a while.  It’s been all work and no play lately, which makes me a dull boy with nothing cool to write about.  Even my training has been sub-par this week.  Only 8 weeks to go until Ironman Louisville, which frankly scares the crap out of me.  I had my best swim so far yesterday morning, but it still wasn’t spectacular - or even halfway good for that matter.  But the bike is going to be strong, and the run should be decent too.

Our annual heat stroke was this morning, the Cranford Jaycee’s Firecracker 4-Mile Race.  I’m pleased with my run, especially considering my lack of speedwork this year.  100% humidity as always, but at least it was overcast and slightly cooler than the usual 95ºF.  It always seems that my head is going to explode around the 3 mile mark.  The humidity prevents your sweat from evaporating, so you don’t get any cooling effect.  Your body heat just builds, and you find yourself going anaerobic without picking up the pace at all. 

I found my friend Tim just after the start, and we stuck together for most of the race.  We’re pretty evenly matched, and we pushed each other to the limit, finishing in 26:04  It was great to have him there - thanks Tim for making the trip back up from the shore for the race!  Jennifer and I were joined by our friends Stef and Erik.  Stef put up a smoking fast time, posting steady 7:13 miles.  Good job Stef!  It was great to see so many friends running today:  Linda Richards, John Powasnik and his sister Polly, Lisa Benn, Virginia and Steve Falces, Todd Meyers, Kathy Calabretta, Mary Hanlon, Karen Alexander, Matt and Judy Moloshok, and Lauren D’Leia, just to name a few.  And thanks to Joe Battista and his CTS Cycling teammates for marshalling the course on their bikes - it was great to see you guys!

Jenn and I successfully defended our title in the Married Couples category!  Good stuff!

Le Tour starts tomorrow.  It’s going to be an interesting one.  Without the Astana juggernaut to kill all the suspense, it might just be an interesting race.  I’ll be cheering on the Slipstream-Chipotle boys for stage wins and perhaps some high placings.  But the guys to watch to the top g.c. placings are Alejandro Valverde, Denis Menchov, and Cadel Evans.  Valverde has had a strong spring, and seems to be gradually building up to a huge breakout performance in France.  He’s a threat to win on any given day, no matter the terrain.  Menchov is one of the most consistent grand tour riders over the last few years, and had he not wasted his efforts in support of Michael Rasmussen last year he would have likely been on the podium.  He’s a class act, patient and smart, and has a great team to support him.  Cadel Evans raised his game to a new level last year, but so far this year he’s been relatively untested.  I’ve also been hearing talk of Stijn Devolder as a dark horse.  He’s lost a lot of weight, seems fitter than ever, and is certainly a threat on any stage.  What will the next 3 weeks bring?  I really don’t care what the outcome is, as long as there isn’t another giant doping scandal to foul up the results.

Menchov (left) and Valverde.  A great contrast in styles to keep it interesting.

I’m bummed that Boonen will be sitting home drinking Duvel.  The sprints will be somewhat less exciting, but look for Mark Cavendish to have a spectacular run.  I’m eager to see Robbie McEwen go home empty handed.

My friend Mathias sent me this link.  Pretty cool - you can visit France for free!

We’re heading off to Erik and Stef’s for some cold beer, Brazilian bbq, and fireworks.  Then off to Philly tomorrow to see our great friends Cristina and Samuel finally tie the knot.  Enjoy your holiday weekend!

PS:  Jay’s giant TDF sale is underway.  If you’re thinking about buying a new Specialized bike, now is the time! 

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