Hi, folks. Just a quick reminder to all Vesus-watchers that their 1/2-hour Tour de France preview show is on today at 7pm EDT/6pm CDT.

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Ed: Thanks for getting us moving, Ruthann! 

Roster and numbers on the flip.

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Good morning, everybody!  Anyone watching the c.tv coverage of the 'cross race at Roubaix?  The race finishes on the famous velodrome, and the course looks really fantastic...and very very muddy!  Lots of little wipe-outs so far.

Sounds like Martin is commentating, and they are on the 2nd lap:  Wellems, Stybar and Boom are out front, with many others right there, chasing, including Albert and Nys. 

Anyone else watching?

(Not 75 words yet, damn!  Let's try this again....don't tell me I'll have to resort to typing the preamble to the US Constitution again...)

Okay, well, this is the part where Gav just learned that when I edit someone else's FanPost, I don't get the 75 word get out of jail free pass. I have to start a whole new thread to avoid the dread 75 word limit.

Yo computer thingy, it's me Gavia, you know, me. The rules so don't apply to me, remember? Oh, what, they do? After everything I did for you?

Glad everyone is having fun with the Rotterdam Racings. Excellent. Tomorrow, I will be sure to make two threads so as not to run out. Sheesh, an off-season live race that needs two threads. These Cafe kids are a dedicated bunch.

Phew. I think that's enough.

Universalsports has started their coverage, and we are on Lap 3, with a gap of about 5 minutes between the breakaway and the peloton.  The three riders in the breakaway are Ochoa Quintero, Chuzhda, and Christian Poos.

The first, live thread, is on lap 6 or 7, Bruce says, which is a mighty Bruce Gap, perhaps the greatest one that we at the PdC have ever seen! 

The weather looks great, cool and sunny.  Lovkvist just got a radio change.  And to complete my 75 words, Bettini has announced his retirement, I see, so I've got to think he is super-motivated to win today.  I, personally, am rooting for Oscartio!, as I'd love to see him take a 4th jersey to cap off the year.

Hi, everyone, I got my Road To Roubaix dvd yesterday and had to come here and gush wildly about it!  I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but had to put a warning in the title, in case there are some people that don't want to know anything about it before they buy it. 

Now, let me continue:  buy it, buy it , buy it.

Per our previous discussion about this documentary in last Friday's "Housekeeping" thread, watch the trailer at www. masterlinkfilms.com .  You can buy it from this site, too.  There are reviews there, as well, and under the Cycling Weekly review there is even a UK website address where you can buy the movie on the other side of the pond. 

From what I can gather, I think this film started out as a Discovery Channel-produced piece about George Hincapie's journey to the '07 PR race, but was derailed by his wrist injury at the TofCA that year.  It then morphed into a project about the race, & what it means to the racers and cycling fans everywhere.

A few comments: 

In case you were worried that this was a pro-Lance vehicle, fear not:  the short LA interview in the trailer is the only LA in the film, no worries. 

Rider interviews:  Boonen, Van Heswijk, Van Der Flecha, Cancellara, O'Grady, Sean Kelly, Benna, Ballan, Steegmans, Levi and Basso (remnants of the early interviews of Team Discovery, I assume?) and Van Petegem.

Lots of insightful commentary from Johnny Green about the history of the race (love his book Push Yourself Just A Little Bit More.)

There are mechanic interviews, footage of pre-race training rides, race-day sign-in activity, then coverage of the actual race, and the post-race goings-on at the velodrome.  Amazing shower scenes (v. nicely done.) Haunting, bass-driven music.  Crowd scenes, kids riding the cobbles, oh, it is a thing of beauty for any bike race fan.

The still photgraphy of the current riders is masterful, and there are a few photos that just take your breath away (Backstedt, Brard, Flecha in the shower, Hincapie, oh, you will see what I mean when you watch the movie - they are simply outstanding.)

More later, after more people have seen it.  I have a couple of nits to pick, nothing too serious.  But again, I say:   buy it.  Watch it, over and over.  It is almost as good as Hell On Wheels, which is quite a compliment, indeed :-)