So after f'ing this up in the VDS thread (I blame Will because... well... just because) I decided to redo it using Chris' actual final spreadsheet this time, rather than the actual non-official spreadsheet that I pulled out of my ass. So, following the rules as I remember them (must you can have one 25 point rider at most, no more than two 20 point riders, 25 riders total with a total cost of no more than 150 points), here is my best effort at the 2009 VDS dream team....

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Attention SF Bay Area PdC patrons! Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 11th and come to Marin, the land of milk and money, and listen to the incomparable Dave Zabriskie live and in person at the Lark Theater in Larkspur. Given DZ's reputation for general oddness, his aversion to publicity and public speaking, this event could be either really, really interesting, or it might totally suck ass. Either way, it's for a good cause. I know I'll be there, so if anyone else wants to meet up, let me know. There is a nice smelly bar across the street from the theater where we can meet up if anyone is game. Marketing collateral on the jump...

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Proceed.... Oh, and the winning author (as judged by Jens) gets one of these... 

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IMHO, Universal Sports has done an outstanding job thus far with their Giro coverage. The free streaming coverage seems pretty bulletproof (who would have imagined such things were possible?), the broadcast coverage is excellent for those of us lucky enough to get broadcast coverage (better than Versus since they leave out all the rider profile crap and show the racing), and the commentary is, well, acceptable? Worth the money I paid for it? I have seen comments scattered about on such issues as Flash video, etc., but I thought it might be neighborly, given our long history here at the Cafe of helping out our cycling broadcaster friends with our collective feeback, to consolidate comments in one spot. We are givers here. We give...

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That is Palomar? You call that a mountain? ha. meh. piece of cake...

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Rain.... cold... grumble... frown... harumph... that pretty much sums up the start today in Sausalito. 44 degrees and raining. 8:30 AM. Yep. Ass conditions...

But, I did get to see a few riders as they rolled out to the start and managed to grab a few photos and one video of the start. None of the riders looked happy in the slightest. They cancelled the normal parade laps around Sausalito and just got to it...

Before the race I asked Jens! if he was going to attack today. "Today is a Jens! day!", yelled I. But sadly, Jens just grumbled something gutteral and angry sounding. So I backed away... Then I asked Big Schleck to smile for his fans, but Frank said "not much to smile about today, grumble, grumble, I want to cry..." Kirk O'Bee was cool to me "good luck Kirk" says I... Kirk says "thanks man!"... and Pieter Weening signed autographs in the rain. Classy.... Then I retired to my waterproof and sound proof suite above the posh Poggio Trattoria to drink wine, eat bacon, and talk cycling with my cycling club buddies. Good times... And it turns out one of them had a VIP pass, which he gave to me. Now I have a VIP pass. Working photog one day, bacon eating VIP the next... imagine what could happen tomorrow?