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Daily news for Seattle's Ballard neighborhood |
Cougar Bob
offlineMember
Poor local rider Tyler Farrar has fallen for the past 3 stages.
The USADA's case against Lance Armstrong is impacting the race, primarily former teammates who have chosen to testify against him in return for reduced penalties.... allegedly of course......
Peter Sagan, the 22 year old vunderkind, has taken two stage wins.
They will hit the mountains on Saturday.
The Bob Roll RoadID commercials have been hilarious.
That is all............queue the crickets.
SeaSpider
offlineMember
Don't know about "poor" Tyler. He kind of made an ass of himself charging over to the Argos bus when it was a Lampre rider who took him down. Also in the overhead footage it looks like Tyler is leaning into Veelers who was holding his line thus making him the instigator. I like Tyler but think he was out of line in his reaction today. I wouldn't be surprised if he draws a fine for his actions today.
As for Lance, I doubt he directly tried to use *known* banned substances/procedures but at the same time have little doubt that he did try to use substances/procedures that most people would consider to be doping. He was probably trying things that the authorities were not even aware of and therefore hadn't been able to yet ban, much like when the Dutch riders first started toying with EPO back in the 80s. Back then EPO wasn't banned because nobody knew it was being used. Keep in mind there was no test for EPO until 2000. Prior to that they could only test for an abnormally high hematocrit level which was a indicator of *possible* EPO usage. Lance pushed the limits in terms of technology so it's not a stretch to think he would try to push the limits in terms of performance enhancing substances. I suspect his attitude was "that which is not explicitly illegal is therefore allowable." Guilty or not I do have to wonder where it ends. Do we go back and strip Fignon of his Tour titles in the 80s? How about Merckx? Or Anquetil? All of them relied on doping at some point. How far back do we want to rewrite the history books? Is doing so really in the best interests of a sport that is entirely dependent on corporate sponsorship?
Also comes down to what you consider "doping" and "performance enhancing products". Most people would consider receiving injections to be doping yet iron and vitamin B shots are very common in a tour and are not considered doping even though they are an injection aimed at enhancing performance. It is a weird area. If you boost the oxygen capacity of your red blood cells by sleeping in an altitude tent you're merely a dedicated athlete but if you receive a transfusion with boosted red blood cells you're banned. Essentially the same effect, just a different procedure.
Cougar Bob
offlineMember
I think you are right about Tyler. He seems in over his head.And I bet crashing looms large in hid psyche at this point. He has the speed but he doesn't seem to have the grit.
I have no doubt Lance has a ton of skeletons in his closet. On the other hand he single handedly dragged cycling onto the world stage. He is one tough SOB and probably would've won clean. You are so right regarding past champions. Riders have always sought an advantage. We demand them to be super-human and hate the thought that they may not be. When in fact anybody who completes the Tour has truly accomplished quite a feat.
SeattleRichardson
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SeaSpider +1
Ernie
offlineMember
I agree with seaspider, I'm sure that LA and Postal Service were ahead of the curve, I mean he was tested extensively throughout his career. It will be interesting to see what Hincapie, Levi, et all have to say in their expected testimony against him.
I have no doubt Lance has a ton of skeletons in his closet. On the other hand he single handedly dragged cycling onto the world stage. He is one tough SOB and probably would've won clean
He single handedly dragged cycling onto the AMERICIAN stage, Europe, and most of the rest of the world have been following cycling for most of the last century. As a cycling fan since the days of Lemond and the 7-11 team I am thankful that Lance's popularity has brought the tour onto US tv, and we don't have to settle for a couple highlight segments on Wide World of Sports and obscure cycling magazines.
It will be interesting to see where Sagan is in a couple years.
Ernie
offlineMember
Ok, now I know what you guys are talking about regarding Farrar, I work early, so I have to watch the DVR action after dinner. Amazing thing is that Greipel had both feet off the pedals during the crash and then went on to win. Badass.
teigyr
offlineMember
"We demand them to be super-human and hate the thought that they may not be. When in fact anybody who completes the Tour has truly accomplished quite a feat."
Exactly. That and super human gets really good ratings. They all sound sincere when they're caught and it is disappointing every time. Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, etc. I saw Floyd at Third Place Books and he was so sincere and very likeable.
Lance is cocky and has always been so. It's helped him, I'm sure. He's also one that wouldn't surprise me a bit if he was guilty. I hope he goes down and goes down hard. Why should he be exempt when the rest are falling one by one?
VeganBiker
offlineMember
You have to agree that it is off to a great start. Lots of action and some fantastic sprints. And the great break away today that almost made it. Wow. Is it my imagination or are they showing more shots of riders taking a "natural break" this year?
great idea
offlineMember
so they're showing them pee off their bikes now?
I may have to tune in today.
stopthebuzz
offlineMember
wiggo 2012!
(back to lurking)
oldguybc
offlineMember
Don't care about any allegations against Lance, have been staunch LIVESTRONG supporter for five years and have participated in a number of 10K walks and runs, our team raised over $15K one year. I believe in what he is doing very strongly and whether or not he did anything to enhance his preformance (doubtful in my eyes) will not detract from what he has stood for all these years and that is fighting this dread disease. My reasons are private and personal and will remain that way.
Cougar Bob
offlineMember
Today was a day of carnage! Crazy tour so far. The first week is always full of surprises.
Team Sky has had their share of drama. Cavendish had to go public with his frustration of not having a dedicated lead out team. Wiggins is in good shape and should be able to put the hammer down!
BMC seems to be in good shape heading into the mountains.
Garmin should just pack it up. Tyler Farrar is on the olympic team so he might as well abandon and go home, heal up and get ready to go for the gold. Danielson is out. Ryder Hesjedal is down by 13 minutes after today.
h2o_girl
offlineMember
Ugh - so bummed about Tyler and Garmin. I am from Wenatchee so he has a soft spot in my heart. And I love Ryder Hesjedal too - very sad about him, although he has to be proud of his Giro win. Cavendish is sort of a whiner but you have to respect his skills. Wish Andy Schleck was in it. Sagan is hilarious and good for the sport. Vive le Tour!
Ernie
offlineMember
I wouldn't call Cav a whiner, he's right to be frustrated, he is fast as shit, but it's really hard to win races without a lead-out. Of course he has shown it is possible!
VeganBiker
offlineMember
And David Zabriskie is a vegan so keep an eye on him!
great idea
offlineMember
did anyone pee off their bike today? I'll bet a good journalist could deduce if that Zabriskie fellow ate asparagus for breakfast.
VeganBiker
offlineMember
gi - I didn't see any peeing today but lots of crashes and WOW Peter Sagan! that young man knows how to ride. He is really something.
But Dave did make a valiant effort and kept the peloton off until the very last moment, what a great ride.
Cougar Bob
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The Schlecks seem very disgruntled this year. I am wondering how the heck Frank was caught out in that crash. It seems to be the GC strategy to stay in the front of the peloton. If you want some fun follow Frank and Andy on their Twitter feed. They are goofballs for sure.
Cate
onlineMember
Okay, I'm clueless I guess but I don't get the whole peeing, steering and pedaling at the same time routine. How o they aim? I suppose they don't but the wind would blow it back right into themselves.
VeganBiker
offlineMember
Cate - they actually stop and get off the bike, lean the bike against them and pull up the leg of the shorts and pee. But REAL bikers pee as the ride and don't miss a beat! When they do that it goes behind them because when you are riding a bike at 20+ MPH everything that comes off you goes behind you not in front of you, so I guess that is why the friendly riders in the TDF stop. :)
Anyway if you are down near the Olympic Sculpture Park between 10 AM and 1 PM tomorrow 7/7/12 stop by at the Energizer Station I will be at and get a free Fuze drink and pump up your tires and get some Tri-Flow lube on your chain.
schaatser
offlineMember
VB - I have always wondered if it was possible to be vegan and train and compete at that level. Just in my own limited experience, I think that it could be quite challenging in regard to protein sources.
I totally missed the coverage today. The only good thing about having a stomach virus for last week was getting to shamelessly lay on the couch and watch The Tour.
VeganBiker
offlineMember
schaatser - Poor you, I am sorry you are suffering, I hope you get better soon as STP is coming up fast! Packet pickup is next week!
My afternoons are taken up with watching the tour!
And as to being a vegan/vegetarian and an athlete, here are some:
Vegan:
Patrik Baboumian, Jim Morris, Mac Danzig, Rich Roll, Carl Lewis, Esther Hahn, Billy Simmons, Bill McCarthy, Vicki Cosio, Emily Jans, Jack Lindquist, Helen Fines, Catra Corbett. And many more.
Vegetarians:
Joe Namath, Martina Navratilova, Tony La Russa, Tony La Russa, and many, many more.
Apparently David Zabriskie's trainer was concerned about his diet and he might be eating salmon a couple of days of the week!?
But the thing is that most people eat way more protein than their bodies can process and that can cause all kinds of problems.
iPlod
offlineMember
"...get some Tri-Flow lube..."
Nothin' like spreading some Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) around to help you feel righteous about loving animals.
great idea
offlineMember
also vegan (and competing at a high level):
ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek
VeganBiker
offlineMember
gi - thanks for that, I once hear him talk at an event about his running! Amazing is all I can say.
teigyr
offlineMember
Re Scott, he's around a lot and if you can ever go see him/hear him talk, it's worth it. I'll also say his book is worth it. NCR (not cycling related) but his story is so worth hearing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SurbrF-HrZA AND he's a semi-local boy :)
great idea
offlineMember
I think he eats lots of beans (for protein).
he just came out w/ a (cook)book:
http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Jurek/e/B007NR07KQ
teigyr
offlineMember
It has a lot of recipes but is a lot of his story too. One of the impressive things about him but I think it's more of an ultra thing is the fact he takes "real" food on his runs. We get all wrapped up in carbs and protein, etc., and he has a formula for all of that but it's done mostly by way of food vs. gels, etc.
It's amazing, look how good he looks after 135 miles in really bad conditions. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMEiXU1MWVY He's also a Brooks runner - which is a company that supports not only elites but all sorts of runners :)
VeganBiker
offlineMember
iPlod - We might have the soy based version for all you know. But I will admit the person at the club that buys stuff bought the regular version.
Now I would have bought the soy based lube and I try to use environmentally friendly products, do you?
And why are you attacking me with comments like "help you feel righteous about loving animals"?
What have I done to upset you?
iPlod
offlineMember
I'm not upset, I'm just compulsive about calling out those who don't walk their talk.
So you are distributing the regular version tomorrow?
schaatser
offlineMember
VB - I am recovering. Just hoping to get the glycogen stores built back up in the next week. It hit me 115 miles into a 130 mile ride and I couldn't eat anything substantial for 5 days after. That was a long 15 miles home. It wasn't pretty.
I love *almost* all vegetable-based protein sources, but during heavy training it would be really hard for me personally to completely abandon eggs, cottage cheese, and yogurt. I have a lot of respect for people who can plan their meals that well and continue to train, burn so many calories, and compete at an elite level.
Have fun at the Energizer Station this weekend. It's probably going to be packed with the summer weather finally here.
VeganBiker
offlineMember
schaatser - all the best to you, and your probably right that there will be a lot of people out tomorrow. Summer might just be here!
VeganBiker
offlineMember
iPlod - yes, I didn't buy this lube! But I do my best to walk the walk that I talk the talk about. Meet me some time and we can have a chat.
iPlod
offlineMember
Mmm hmm, I'll sneak up behind you sometime VB & ask, "guess who?". :)
teigyr
offlineMember
schaatser, check out Scott's book. If you don't want to get it, I'm sure you can find some of his recipes online. Somewhere I have notes that I took too re endurance and what you need to take in per hour (body weight and activity and how many hours out there). Actually what looked more impossible than protein was carbs - if you look at carb requirement per hour and what it takes to get there without hurling over everything, THAT is a challenge :) Best of luck in recovery. I've been there and it's amazing how something simple like being upright can be such a challenge.
VeganBiker
offlineMember
iPlod - looking forward to that. :)
I'll be down in front of the Noble Fir on Sunday doing my Bike Ambassador gig, so sneak on up if you want.
schaatser
offlineMember
teigyr - Thanks for the recommendation, I will check it out. Endurance fueling is so complex and fascinating. Thanks for the good wishes. I have some final short taper rides this weekend and they just seem really intimidating right now.
Are you racing this summer?
teigyr
offlineMember
schaatser, have a half later today actually. I've got the book if you want me to forward you any formulas and food recommendations. Yup it is complex! Too much is bad, too little is bad, and then there's that variable "do what works for you" component that you only learn by trial and error. What are you training for? I'll say what's always been said to me but it doesn't really help when you feel like crap and are in taper but - your training is already done and if you need to make a choice between rest or your taper activity, rest up (or go for an easy walk) and be sure to take in adequate nutrition.
great idea
offlineMember
"have a half later today actually"
yikes! drink lots of water in this heat. surprised it didn't start earlier!
I think your comment "do what works for you" sums it up best. lots of trial and error (hopefully while you are training and not competing).
for me, it's all about the potassium. whenever I feel like crap, a banana perks me right up.
teigyr
offlineMember
GI, I know. I've done worse though so S caps and water will be my friends today and it will be fine. If I start seeing spots, it's time to go slower :) I ran one in Boston where the heat and humidity were SO bad people were on the ground twitching. When I started seeing imaginary trees in my way, I realized it was time to dump water on my head and walk.
great idea
offlineMember
I had some friends that ran the Chicago Marathon in 2010 and it sounded like your description--people dropping like flies. I believe the temp was in the upper 80's that day.
best of luck today! should be a great day for a run!
Cate
onlineMember
VB - thanks for the explanation. Guess that is one more reason women won't ever win the TDF - we can't just go on the fly.
pennygirl
offlineMember
They won't win because it's solely a men's sport Cate.
VeganBiker
offlineMember
PG - And that is why we need more women and people of color riding! And competing.
pennygirl
offlineMember
They did VB. In the Women's tour. But no-one gave a crap so it was cancelled :-(
Ah, such is life.
My feeling is that if there was a woman who could compete against the men, the team would probably hire her. I Personally don't think it's possible. I suppose I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
Cougar Bob
offlineMember
The women's Giro D'Italia is currently on stage 9. That's a major race! It seems to me that women's road racing is growing suport.
Bambooboy.......... Bam...Boob....oy.
VeganBiker
offlineMember
CB - I was just about to post that! I wish I could get live coverage of that race. I would love to see Vos the cannibal winning!
schaatser
offlineMember
I seem to recall reading something a couple years ago that said that back in the early days of The Tour, a woman did compete, but basically had to cut her hair and sneak in. The same article also mentioned that more recently many of the sponsors had actively pushed to keep a women's event from happening because it was somehow going to diminish the 'eliteness' of The Tour and hurt sales. No reference for that. Just a vague memory. Is the Giro d'Italia being broadcast anywhere convenient?
Speaking of Le Tour, can we just talk about the final climb today? Pretty impressive.
teigyr - How was the half today? I can imagine that the weather was a shock to the system. My taper ride went pretty well and my stomach cooperated. Still feeling a little depleted, but good. Much more optimistic now. Taking it easy for the rest of the week.
teigyr
offlineMember
pg, women can't compete at the level people (unfortunately) want to see. Look at the Storm in Seattle. If they were a mens team, they would be selling out esp during playoffs/championship games. I think women can play a better and wiser sport sometimes but they don't have the bulk and speed of a male. Oh and women CAN do potty breaks like the men kinda...ironman contestants for one can just pee on the go while they are on their bikes. I always wondered if they had the cutouts on their saddle or not and if the people behind them get hit by spray. I'm not sure I could do that but then again I have no problem stopping for most any reason.
It was ugly today :) I went from a decent time at RnR to either my worst time or 2nd to the worst time, haven't checked. They did a good job and the volunteers tried to do what they could but there were a fair amount of hills and most of the hills were in unshaded parts. There are times that you cut your losses and do what it takes to finish, this was one of those days. It was social at least.
schaatser, am glad your ride went well. Yeah, it takes a while to go back to normal. Another not-so-great side effect is you might be more prone to it if it arises again.
Cougar Bob
offlineMember
Great stage today. I won't reveal any spoilers. The last climb and the race to the finish was fantastic. Beautiful Swiss countryside.
CB -
Just curious, do they have outhouses along the way? I would think they do. I haven't seen that race though I'm watching the TdF. Unfortunately bike races are far and few between on standard TV(The women's Giro D'Italia is currently on stage 9. That's a major race! It seems to me that women's road racing is growing suport.)
Mondoman
offlineMember
Yep, fun stages both yesterday and today. I always get a bit worried when I see those shots of a small group barreling up a narrow mountain road and the spectators are closing in from the sides, waving flags or even running alongside. Got a kick out of the rider yesterday slapping one of those runners upside the head as he tried to move in :)
CB, no reason to call me a boob, I didn't say anything wrong
Cougar Bob
offlineMember
BBB - I apologize for the wordgame. Seemed like you were taking a swipe at women.
They don't have time for portapotties since they are racing.
Bob Roll told a great story at the Seattle Bike Expo a number of years back about having an "emergency" during the tour. His guts where churning from breakfast, in his haste he thought he was hidden behind a hedge but he ended up dropping his pants and relieving himself in front of a French family enjoying the tour de france picnic in their yard.
That would have put me off my lunch definately. Not taking a swipe at women but I do see how my post could have been taken that way, so I'm sorry for wording it that way.
Not many people think about all the unplesantries that must go along with a 4 to 5 hour bike ride. When I first started wearing bibs, it was a learning curve and in fact in the winter wearing tights it's just downright no fun at all.
SeaSpider
offlineMember
BTW take a close look at Peter Sagan's handlebars. The guy has a bell mounted on the top of his bars. No joke. Not sure why, might be easier than trying to yell "left" and hoping you say it in the right language.
As for vegetarians, Sean Yates and Robert Millar - both big names in the 80s - were vegetarians. You can definitely do a grand Tour sans meat.
Mondoman
offlineMember
They need a remix version of the coverage, with music, a la this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPowpIRVOuY
VeganBiker
offlineMember
SeaSpider - WOW - thanks for pointing that out! I love this guy, bell on his handle bars! I didn't even notice it. I love it! I am a big advocate for bells but I am not sure what advantage that would give him on the TDF, except maybe to disturb the competition as he flies by them on an uphill sprint.:)
And yep, one can do most things in life "sans meat".
Ernie
offlineMember
Mondo, that video was sweet!
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