Glad to hear that.......

......Sky Yeager is joining Swobo. Should make for a fun mix of bicycles!

Are you positive????

Oh man, tell me it ain't so.........Landis tests positive during the Tour???? I feel........sunk. We'll have to see what the 2nd test shows. Thisux.

Tour '06....

......I haven't felt this kind of excitement for the Tour de France since the final TT in 1989. What a funky couple of days in the Alps! AWESOME!!!

Bike lust is a funny thing......

.....as I found out on Saturday.

Watching the Tour everyday, I was really taken by the T-Mobile team. I couldn't believe how consistently good these guys were riding. And what with Mike having a beautiful Giant in the window of one of our local shops, I was truly lusting after those bicycles.......especially the T-Mobile edition Giant.

Well, on Saturday, Lori and I were in Mt. Shasta City visiting their local cycling shop - The Fifth Season. The Fifth Season is a Giant dealer - but they're also a Moots dealer. And before I even walked through their front door, I could see the magic staring at me from just inside. On display was a 2006 Moots VaMoots SL, full Dura-Ace, just sitting there......waiting......begging to be ridden up Mt. Shasta. Lori thought it was hilarious - I walked in, went right to the Moots, and began my worship of the perfect titanium welds. I looked over every piece of that machine.....in total awe, talking uncontrollably about bicycle perfection.

Lori was laughing - and I thought she was laughing because of my reaction towards the Moots. In reality, she was laughing because directly above the Moots was......you guessed it......the T-Mobile edition Giant.......which I completely ignored.

Bike lust is a weird thing. It's a world of infatuations. But when it comes down to it, the one thing that really matters is the ride. To me, I think I'll always love those Moots bicycles. It's a bit more than infatuation.

Ultimately though, the thing I love the most is riding. We are so fortunate to be able to be participants in this amazing sport.

OH - and the SL in the shop - well.......it'll have to wait another day for that Mt. Shasta ride.....I'd have to sell my soul to purchase it at this point.

In time.......in time.

Goin' on a short vacation.......

.....be back on Sunday. And yes, I promise - I'll update the blog more often!

Sorry about that.

Well.....

.......what a shock - it's not safe to keep your bike in NYC???? Hmmmm. I guess you could always keep your bike in Fort Knox.

Um, I'll take one of each!

2006 NC Classic bike booth.......specials of the day......nice, if you got the $$$.

No, I'm not dead!!

Just been swamped at work. Plus, the Tour's on every morning......and evening.....and it's light outside until 9pm.......which means evening rides galore! I think I'm in cycling overload at this point. But, I love it!!! Wish the Tour was on every day of the year.

At this point in the race, I'm not sure what to think. Levi - is he really out of it? And can Landis pull it off?? And what in the world is T-Mobile eating for breakfast?!! I want what they're having.......as long as it's legal.

Damn it Mike!!

Why'd you have to put this bike in the window of the shop?!

Geesh.

Yeah.........new bike lust. I'm hopeless.

Yeah, it's Monday.

And this is pretty much how the morning feels to me right about now.

Uuugh. It's gonna be a long day.

Although it clearly is not my place........

........part of me wonders if it's time to hang up the Fon.

TM giving directions to the all important.......

.......Neutral Water Support! Not only that, but that's the way to the top of that hill too!!

Nerves-a-Plenty at the start.......

Pain and suffering on the hill........

Paul Stephens'.......

.....Klein!

Paul had a great day out there today at Leesville. And what a cool Dude - one of the nicest guys you will ever meet in your life. Next race, make sure to say HI to the PaulMan!

Who is dat????

This is Emma! Emma belongs to Category 1 Stud, Eric Riggs!! He and Papa Riggs were at the Feed Zone too......waiting to hand off some Gatorade to Eric........and give him some barks of encouragement!

Kurt has the right idea!

Some pre-race Java!!

Team Mom Peggy......

......hard at work in the Feed Zone!

These are.......

.....tactical notes for the Feed Zone!!

Great job Peggy - she was hella organized out there today!

Leesville Gap 2006.

It's a Road Race......and it's pretty close to Chico???

Well then, it's a given that the Thurmanator has gotta be racin' it!!

Great to see Rich out there today - he was puttin' the hurt on the field on the hills!

Kareem's-soon-to-be-Vic's Orbea........

......well, as soon as his new Vellum arrives. So, Kareem - you got the Vellum's weight pegged at what now? 11 pounds????

See!!

Geno's pre-race meal before Leesville - Ham and Salami sandwich made by Team Mom, Peggy!

Okay, yeah, I know there is this big huge race......

......going on in France right now. But hey, we have our own big races here in Nor Cal!

Crappy pics from today's Leesville Gap Road Race.

Notes from today's race:

--Rich Thurman is hella fast(as if you didn't already know that!).

--4 water bottles for this hot race might be just enough for the 60-mile sufferfest.

--Make certain that you glue your water bottles to the cages.......they have a tendency to rattle loose during this race.

--If you happen to crash and break your arm during the race, don't hang out at the finish line for an hour waiting for someone to assist you - have your buddy drive you to the nearest hospital.....or call 911.

--After-race watermelon during 90-degree race weather looks great!!

--If you happen to have a flat tire more than once during this race, you might wanna make sure you're carrying more than just one cartridge!

--Geno discovered that it's actually a good idea to eat a ham and salami sandwich ten minutes before a race start!

--Bob Raymond is a climbing fiend!!!!

--There are some absolute babes working the Feed Zone in this race(and no, I ain't talkin' about me!).

--And finally, irate drivers are not just from Pleasanton.......no no.......these backcountry roads have some angry angry people driving on them. Thankfully, the Sheriff seemed to be on our side.