Weekly Roundup July 30, 2009

I had a meeting that went late after work on Tuesday, and generally write the posts the day before. Example, right now it’s Wednesday night and I’m writing the Thursday post. That’s how they go live at midnight every night. So, you can, kind of, gauge how busy I’ve been by when I miss a post. Just a weird bit of insight into the life of the guy known as “Phun”. Also, I am debating what to do. I have a GREAT beer review that I’m dying to get up, but I am riding to work, and then doing a ride after. So, Friday will be a surprise to you, and I may (pretty likely) have a Saturday post as well. Thank you all once again this week for stopping in and reading! It was fun to keep track of the Tour de France, even though some of the posts were a bit short, and I have been able to have some good discussion regarding the tour with both some readers, and some of my friends. With that in mind, I want to give you a Weekly Roundup.

Travels With A Tin Donkey: Speaking of the TdF, Sprocketboy shares a throwback to the Tour with a look at a real “weapon”, Fabian’s Time Trial Frame: The Shiv. It never ceases to amaze me how absolutely sick the new technology is getting. Seeing this Specialized frame reminds me why I am such a fan of Specialized. I have bought a few bikes in the last couple years, all of the Specialized, and for reasons like this SICK piece of weaponry.

50K Loop NS: I’m just going to throw out the suggestion that Bluenoser should change the name of his blog, right now, to “One Sick Sh__”. Hahaha, I’m only kidding BN. You see, he has set his mind to do the insane, and insanely cool, but it has him (and the rest of his readers I’m sure) asking What The Fork?. I’m going to hold back from getting too into it, as to not ruin the story. The bottom line is (1) EPIC freaking riding to take place, (2) Life changing events to occur, and (3) I am jealous. Best wishes to you , BN, keep us updated!

Miles And Madness: Ah yes, it is that time of year again. A time for everyone to start their training for the big races, and to start thinking about Iron Man races and Judi is no exception. Judi got out and took aPeak At Iron Man Louisville. Apparently the acupuncture that she has been undergoing has done wonders too! The crazy back pain that she was feeling? Gone! Just further proof that between acupuncture and (My favorite) chiropractic, holistic medicine is the way to go, and the wave of the future.

Competitive Cycling Groover, out in Oz, is also getting her training on, and she brings up a great point, Alberto Makes It Look SO Easy! I couldn’t agree more. I have a ride home from work that is a mere ten miles. It is ten miles long, but ends with (about) miles six through nine in 400 feet of climbing +/- and the hills are about 5-10% grades if I take one route, and 19% if I take the other route. This is assuming the calculator I was using holds true and map my ride are correct. Admittedly, I take the first. Regardless, the hills in my hood are pretty constant, and it leaves me feeling like a failure, after seeing the guys on the TdF looking like they’re going out for a Sunday ride. Great read, Groover, keep up the good work, and I’ll keep banging out the hills till I can clear ‘em like the pros.

Fat Cyclist: Finally, I wanted to drop a line to Elden and the Fat Cyclist community. Things have been rough for Fatty’s (Elden) wife Susan, and he’s been keeping the “extended family” of blog readers updated on how she has been doing. According to Elden, Susan is in an ugly place with her fight with cancer. Please, go check out his blog, and leave Elden, Susan, and family a word of encouragement in the comments section. Then get over to his Lance Armstrong Foundation page and donate to LAF. It’s linked in the sidebar of his blog. As always, sending Love and Prayers from Cleveland!

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Today, I ride in to work, so psyched! Remember to be thankful for all you have, and say a prayer for those struggling right now. Phun Cyclist, out.

Le Tour de France... Fin

Well, the Tour is now a part of history. It was a great twenty-one stages, and arguably one of the most exciting ones I've seen recently. I was thinking back on the Tour and talking to someone, thanks "td" about the Tour and he put some things in perspective, that I want to take a quick minute to share. I have been, perhaps unduly, critical of Contador during the Tour. I still think he is a bit cocky, it might be a cultural thing, I don't know. I still think that he could use a few year of maturity under his belt. Bottom line, I think I got a bit caught up in the media hype of Contador negativity. "td" brings up a very good point that while, I was complaining, "Contador was riding for himself, not the team", often the best way to ride for the team is to ride for yourself. The bottom line is you are riding for the podium, and in turn you are doing what's best for your team. Interesting thought.

Well, on to the race. Lance comes back to racing after four years at age 37, and leaves in third place... Excellent! Second time in history a Japanese, Fumiyuki Beppu, rider finishes a Tour de France, how awesome is that? Cavendish has his first, first rider to get six stage wins in a sprint. Lance announced that he will leave Astana in 2010 to go to RadioShack. Now there is talk that Johan Bruyneel might be going with. Who will follow Lance in 2010? What will happen with Asatan as, at least a few riders are likely to leave?

Final thought, before I get to the final standings of the 2009 Tour de France standings. You have to applaud the riders for the tradition and camaraderie that they maintain in the TdF. To see them all starting out this morning riding at a slow place, enjoying good conversation, and enjoying the final day of the race. There were the attacks, but there is an amazing amount of respect for each other.

So, for the last time this year, the 2009 Tour de France (final) standings.

Stage:
1. Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) 04:02:18
2. Mark Renshaw (Columbia-HTC) +0:00:00
3. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) +0:00:00
4. Gerald Ciolek (Milram) +0:00:00
5. Yauheni Hutarovich (Francaise Des Jeux) +0:00:00

Overall:
1. Alberto Contador (Astana) 85:48:35
2. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) +0:04:11
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana) +0: 05:24
4. Bradley WIggins (Garmin-Slipstream) +0:06:01
5. Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) +0:06:04

For Complete tour standings visit the official site of the Tour de France. You can also view the Stage & Overall

Tour de France: Stage 19 - And News From Lance

Well, two more days and the 2009 Tour will officially be in the books. Questions abound in my mind as to what the final outcome will be. Contador and his ego making unplanned attacks to take Armstrong and Kloden off the podium. The overall riders in second through fifth place separated by a mere minute and a half. And now, the bombshell hits going into the weekend.

RadioShack and Lance to Form New Cycling Team in 2010 -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

That's right kids, if you haven't heard already, Lance has teamed up with RadioShack for a new team in 2010. Could this mean Lance may have a few unplanned attacks of his own in the final two stages of the race? If anyone can come back to win the Tour down a scant five minutes, it is Lance. Time will tell, we'll talk more on this Sunday after the race.

Stage:
1. Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) 3:50:35
2. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) +0:00:00
3. Gerald Ciolek (Milram) +0:00:00
4. Greg VanAvermaet (Silence-Lotto) +0:00:00
5. Oscar Freire (Rabobank) +0:00:00

Overall:
1. Alberto Contador (Astana) 77:06:18
2. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) +0:04:11
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana) +0: 05:21
4. Bradley WIggins (Garmin-Slipstream) +0:05:36
5. Andreas Kloden (Astana) +0:05:38

Le Tour de France: Stage 17

I'm going to keep this quick tonight, but will say that this race has been wicked exciting lately. The finishes have been amazing, the breakaways have been breath taking, and all of it is very distracting while I am trying to get work done. I've been listening to the race while at work, and watching the replay on Versus at night. As it stand right now, with 17 Stages in the books, here are the top fives:

Stage:
1. Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) 4:53:54
2. Alberto Contador (Astana) +0:00:00
3. Andy Schleck(Saxo Bank) +0: 00:00
4. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) +0:00:00
5. Lance Armstrong (Astana) +0:02:18

Overall:
1. Alberto Contador (Astana) 72:27:09
2. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) +0:02:26
3. Frank Schleck(Saxo Bank) +0: 03:25
4. Lance Armstrong (Astana) +0:03:55
5. Andréas Klöden (Astana) +0:04:44

Don't forget, You can catch everything live on Versus TV or versus.com. Thursday is a TT LIVE at 8:30-12:00, Friday 8:30-11:30 pm EST, Saturday 7:00- 11:30 am EST, Sunday 7:30-12:00 pm EST, and extended prime-time coverage (replay) 8:00 pm EST each night.

Le Tour de France Stage 16

For those of you who may have missed Le Tour today, you missed a great one. I caught most of it at work today on Versus but, again, I was at work and missed pieces and parts. I will (likely) update this more this evening, once I have the chance to catch it off the DVR. I will say that it was an amazing race, and a fairly new contender proved his worth today. Astarloza was first today with Casar, Fedrigo, Roche, Van Den Broeck, and Moinard rounding out the next five spots all at +00:06.

I think a highlight for me was when Lance once again proved that he is every bit the pro he was when he won seven Tour victories. At the tail end of the race he pour on everything hes got to break away from the peloton at about 2km to rejoin the yellow jersey group just behind the six person breakaway at the front.

Once again this changes everything at the top of the overall standings. The top five now look like this: Contador 67:33:15, Armstrong +01:37, Wiggins +01:46, KlÖden +02:17, and Schleck at +02:26. This puts three Astana riders in the top four spots, and makes me wonder who will actually be Astana's 'go-to' boy for the yellow at the end. Will Armstrong be the domestique? Or will he play coy from now, and come back in the end to once again show the true athlete we've seen seven times in the past?

I Think The Tour de France Might Just Kill Me

So, I am watching the replay of The Tour de France as we speak and I know the outcome already so it's pretty well spoiled. Knowing the outcome of todays Tour, I have come to the conclusion that the Tour might just be the death of me. I will be the first to admit that I want to see Lance devastate in France again this year. For the life of me, I can't figure out why he can't just get it done. Furthermore, I can't figure out how some of these Haussler came out of nowhere to stun the crowds. This might just be one of the most exciting and, at the same time, most frustrating tours in my memory.

So that brings us to today, Stage 14, Colmar - Besançon. Things did switch up a bit today, Nocentini (AG2R la Mondiale) is still in first place, Hincapie (Columbia - HTC) came outta nowhere to take second place today at +00:05, and Contador (Astana) is now in third at +00:06. Which... Puts, my boy, Lance (Astana) in fourth at +00:08. Finally Le Mevel (Francaise Des Jeux) is pretty far behind in fifth at +00:43.

Well, that's about all I've got for now. Keep checking back, as I will be posting results daily. Work should allow for me to catch the end of the TdF at lunch and I should be able to post an update in realtime on Monday. Might even pen something tomorrow. Feel free to add what YOU think about the Tour, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the race.

Another Plus For Beer?

I’m taking a break today from covering Tour de France because I have a theory. Maybe if I stop talking about the Tour and try not covering it for just one day, maybe Lance will kick into full gear and kick everyone’s ass.

For today, I will share a quickie about a great article I recently read in the Winston-Salem Journal. The article was about a Wake Forest University School of Medicine study that found Low Alcohol Intake Could Ward Off Dementia. Apparently according to their findings, "What the researchers found is that for moderate drinkers who had no sign of cognitive problems when the study began, they had an average 37 percent reduction in risk of developing dementia compared with abstainers. The type of alcohol consumed didn't matter." This was based on the consumption of eight to fourteen eight-ounce drinks per week. While the alcohol consumed didn’t matter, my recommendation, of course, is craft beer or home brewed beer.

There is one drawback to the consumption of alcohol in more mature adults. It appears that “for older adults who have mild cognitive issues, any amount of alcohol consumption ‘was associated with faster rates of cognitive decline.’ [Further] heavy drinkers with mild cognitive issues were found to be nearly twice as likely to develop dementia compared with abstainers with similar issues” according to the article.

The bottom line here, guys, is like anything else it comes down to moderation. I mean, hey! Beer can even make for A Primo Recovery Drink.

Homer Simpson said it best, when he said: "Beer, the cause of and solution to, all of life's little problems."

*Quotes taken from the article posted in the Tuesday, July 14th Winston-Salem Journal, "Journal Now sight. Low Alcohol Intake Could Ward Off Dementia, written by Richard Craver.

Stage 10, Le Tour de France - Subtitle: UGHHH!

I can't decide in my mind if this is the single most, or single least awesome Tour I've seen. OK, so on the cool as hell side you have the fact that the top three (save Cancellara owning the first 6 stages) we've seen some different and 'less likely' people in the top five. An example? Nocentini. Armstrong (thank God!), Contador, Klöden, and Leipheimer seem to be in a borring perpetual logjam rounding out the top five. Armstrong was stuck in second in stages 4, 5, and 6, now he's stalled in third stages 7, 8, 9, and now 10. UGH! I just want him to kick into high gear, take the yellow, piss off the French once more and win the Tour.

So, long story short, I could be boring and cut-and-paste over the last five days, but I feel as though I have to post something to fill space. So, there you have it. Now for the (nearly) cut and paste portion. Nocentini is still in first with Contador behind +00:06, and Armstrong back +00:08. Fourth in Stage 10 is Leipheimer +00:39 and Wiggins +00:46.

Well, there you have it! Until tomorrow...

07/13/2009 - Rest Day

WHAT?! You haven't heard? Today is a rest day! I'm taking my cue from the Tour de France and using 07/13/2009 as a day of rest. OK, lie! I'm working my ass of. As soon as I get it put back on, I'll be updating on the Tour tomorrow! Come back then, and let's chat about the Tour de France!

Stage Six Tour de France

I know... I said I'd do this sooner, but I didn't. So, I'll make it really quick:

It rained
It was in Spain
Rain
Millar kicked butt and led a good portion of the race to get owned in the end... finished stage twentieth
More rain
Hushovd owned at the end
Couple great crashes, one at the end
Ugly weather, OH!, and rain
Lance is still about a tenth of a second off the lead
Top three overall standings still the same: Cancellara, Armstrong, Contador
Still catch it live at Versus
Contest from Versus... see the TdF Versus widget in the right sidebar
Oh, did I mention the rain in Spain... Yes, mainly on the plain

See you tomorrow. Work should be sane enough to update at the finish of the race.

More To Come Tomorrow, But Win Something While You Wait

Busy, crazy day today as I expected. There was, however, a great and surprising finish to the Tour de France today. Not to mention that for the second day in a row Lance Armstrong is in second place twenty-two one hundredths of a second off Cancellera! Could this be the eighth win for Lance? We'll know soon enough.

I'll be back tomorrow afternoon with a Tour wrap-up. Until then, go check out Ron at Cozy Beehive for a chance to win a great prize in the All Modern Who... What... Why Competition. It's super easy, and the prize rocks!

Cheers, for now. Allez, Lance!

A Beer Thought For Tuesday: If You MUST Watch What You Drink, This Might Be A Good Start

Due to some serious time constraints caused by work, imagine the audacity, I will not be posting a stage four Tour de France update. Then again it's a time trial, so who cares. Right? Ugh. I would love to see a Tour TT, Lance might just move up to second, or even first in a TT. Oh well, you'll have to fend for yourself on Versus or something of the like.

For now I'll leave you with this. For years there has been a debate about none other than beer. Beer bellies, fat guys with beer, pub food, etc, etc, etc. Now, I have to to speak my mind here. I don't buy any of it. I've known too many brewers who are actually quite thin. I will admit, excess probably doesn't help, but I don't think it's as bad as everyone makes it out to be. First off, I think the biggest problem with beer drinking is that it is usually followed by bar food. You know, take anything you can find and deep fry it. I can't explain it, but the fattier the food, the better it goes with beer.

With that said, if you have to watch your calories in a beer you should check out Mens Health Magazine. They put out a great guide in their Eat This, Not That series. More specifically they did an Eat This, Not That of The Best And Worst Beers In America. If you haven't seen the series, or the Eat This, Not That books, I have to admit, I think they're pretty cool. They take some very general "favorites" from restaurants, and give you healthier alternatives to the high calorie choices.

Go ahead, check it out, and come back tomorrow for some more Tour talk.

Tour de France: Stage Three Update

At the end of the day all is well that ends well, right? Even with a nineteenth place finish for the third stage of Tour de France, Armstrong manages to come in third place forty seconds over the leader. Second place overall goes to Tony Martin thirty-three seconds behind the first place of Fabian Cancellara.

If you didn't manage to catch the Tour live today, you really do owe it to yourself to check the replay tonight on Versus. Columbia had a couple great breaks, and Cavendish had an amazing finish. There were a couple sketchy crashes this morning, but nothing too serious.

On a slightly more off color note; we are now in stage three and no one has been called out for doping yet. Hmmmm, I wonder how far we'll get into the Tour this year before they start to fall like flies.

Last but not least, a question. This is mainly geared at the interview after the third stage where he was complaining that "no teams wanted to race", but is it just me, or does George Hincapie seem like a whiney doofus? Seriously? I wish I had the direct quote, was watching it live and didn't write it down, and if I get it I'll post it. He just came across like a baby to me. Ehh, oh well. Until tomorrow.