The Big Bonks

July 10. 2006

The first real time trial of the Tour has blown my podium predictions
to shreds.  Many of the Americans "BONKED" including Levi Leipheimer and
George Hindcapie who may see their top 5 to 10 finish out of reach. 
The best quote that summed up the day was Johan Bruyneel, Manager of the
Discovery Team, "It's lucky Jan Ullrich is not here, otherwise the Tour
would be over".

Levi, my prediction for 2nd or third, seems like he couldn't find his
form even if he had a motor attached to his bike.  I'm still sticking to
my #1 man Floyd Landis who, despite have mechanical complications
during each Time Trial, is sitting pretty one minute behind the race leader. 

New and improved predictions.

#1 Floyd Landis (USA), Phonak
#2 Andréas Klöden (G), T-Mobile
#3 Denis Menchov (Rus), Rabobank
#4 Cadel Evans (Aus), Davitamon

Say It Ain't So!

Oh malicious vermin who break my heart. This was supposed to be the month of months, the highlight of July, the one thing I've been looking forward to since the start of the cycling season... We spectators would have been treated to the Ultimate Tour De France, a wide open field and epic battles between teams and their 5 to 6 tour contenders.

Ivan Basso say it ain't so. I was looking forward to your solo attacks in the mountains and to see if your time trialing has improved to Ulrich levels. And Poor Jan... not able to get your opportunity when this year's Tour suits your time trialing strengths. Oh the disappointment and the tragedy.

Must we wait until next year to see one of the more exciting Tours if this these allegations are false? If not, and the good doctor treated you both with tainted blood, for shame. Oh what shame you have caused the sport and everyone who believed in you.

My new version of the podium... (Two Strong teams with two strong contenders and a Spanish Climber who, if he brought his time trialing game will win the whole thing.)

1. Floyd Landis

2. Levi Leipheimer

3. Alejandro Valverde
.....

4. George Hincapie

5. Andreas Kloden

Who Cares About Italy...

The start of the 2006 Giro D'Italia begins tomorrow and although the competition doesn't draw all the big names that the Tour (de France) typically receives, the Grio should be an exciting race. Some big contenders are Tour focused and will skip the Giro to work on final training regimes or to just simply resting their legs for July. It would be interesting to see Floyd Landis or Alejandro Valverde, both of whom are currently "on form" and have been wining some of the bigger races of the early season, challenge for the top spot in Italy. But alas the Italiens will put on a good show. Some of the General Classification contenders will include Ivan Basso, Gilberto Simoni, Damiano Cunego, and Danilo Di Luca.

I can't see how anyone could beat a focused Ivan Basso so that's why I'm picking him as the winner of the 2006 Giro. Second place is a toss up between the youthful Cunego and the veteran Simoni but somehow I think Gilberto Simoni will outlast Cunego for the second spot. And finally the sleeper of sleepers, the American Tom Danielson will come up big with last minute heroics on stage 17 to take enough time grab a podium spot.

1. Basso 2. Simoni 3. Danielson

And still nobody cares...

So What Good Do You Do?

I was talking about my new job with Pepsi with my girlfriend Laura and she put it best when she said, "you're intelligent and you've got so much potential as a person, why aren't you helping society? What good are you doing besides making people fat"? I looked into her deep charming brown eyes and said "I don't know. I guess you're right". There are so many people that need help in the world and what am I doing to help? .....

Wrong! Silly me. It slipped my mind to respond that we bottle all of the Mid Atlantic Dr. Pepper and Diet Dr. Pepper. I help bring flavor and the taste of Plano Texas to millions of Americans who inhabit some of the original 13 colonies.

In reality she is correct. What can you say to a girl who wants to devote her life to teaching and molding young minds in the poorest of the poor urban areas? Perhaps... would you like to show up to your job in a Beemer or a Saturn? As for the rest of our conversation, I vowed to Laura to become more creative and social oriented with my career in the future but for now I'll earn some bucks the corporate way.

The Pepsi Challege.

Hello Pepsi Bottling Group. Back to corporate America… oh what the hell was I thinking? Today was first day in a corporation since my departure of BNP Paribas June 10^th 2005. I think I will prefer working in France where every day seemed to have a novelty touch. As like any first day of work I spent most of my day getting acquainted with my fellow co-workers and managers. My cube is in “voice vicinity” of my manager, my office is tucked away in a suburban office park with chain restaurants surrounding it, and my co-workers are sweet people with the typical water cooler talk. Oh how afraid I am that I’ll find myself in Office Space months from now. But on the flip side this is the first Monday I wasn’t dreading. Typically on Sunday nights I would become depressed and jealous of all the people who would be going to work who had regular jobs/routines.

Shit, party over. It has recetly occured to me that I just finished experiencing the most free time I’ll have until my retirement or death.

Will the true meaning of the Pepsi challenge become a way to keep work interesting? Stay Tuned.

Better start buying Lotto tickets. Anyone have any lucky numbers?

Who Cares

Just because no one cares except for "this guy", I will predict the Tour de France podium as Ivan Basso, Floyd Landis, and Jan Ulrich from 1st to 3rd in that respective order.

www.ivanbasso.it

http://floydlandis.com/blog/

http://www.janullrich.de

In Greece They Call Him Mymou, "Monkey"

Bush commenting on the war in Iraq.

"I can understand how Americans are worried about whether or not we can win. I think most Americans understand we need to win. But they're concerned about whether or not we can win. So one of the reasons I go around the country to Cleveland is to explain why I think we can win."

Questions America... What is winning to you?

Fuck you Jorge and your pal Ricardo too!