OFFICE WARMING PARTY - BIKE VALET

Join the NorCal League and Freddy Rodriguez at our new office this Sunday! We will be kicking off the new office with music, food and drink, door prizes and some good times. Come on down to Berkeley from 3 – 6 PM on Sunday, October 25th.

Who: The NorCal League Staff, Board of Directors, Freddy Rodriguez and YOU!
Where: NorCal League Office, 805 Camelia Street Berkeley, CA 94710
When: Sunday, October 25th 3–6 PM

The Berkeley High School Team will be providing a Bike Valet, so be sure to ride you bike!

Video announcement from Lance.

"To be able to compete for an American team comprised of the world’s top cyclists, supported by the best coaches and staff — I couldn’t be happier to partner with RadioShack, a truly iconic American brand."

From VeloNews:

RadioShack Corporation will form an American ProTour team, and, beginning next year, Lance Armstrong will compete for Team RadioShack "as a cyclist, runner and triathlete," the company announced in a press release.

Google news search on "armstrong radioshack."

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...on RMC in Monaco.  I wanted to get some more Tour info, so I dug up radio stations in Monaco, and whoa!  There's Vino answering questions about his return.  "I did my time... Sure, I can share space on the team with Lance, no problem for me..." heh.  Vuelta and Worlds are his goals.

I assume that he's actually *in* Monaco.  Interesting. (*)

I'll be listening to these stations through the day just to get my (over)dose of the Tour... :)

-Greg

(*) Correction -- the RMC link on the "Monaco" page is just the general RMC link, so it wasn't necessarily broadcast from Monaco.

Look who just arrived in Monaco!

via www.sport.be

L'affaire Boonen sera examinée aujourd'hui par la Chambre arbitrale du Comité olympique français, qui se prononcera immédiatement et de manière définitive. Le Belge est interdit de Tour de France pour un contrôle positif à la cocaïne.

(http://www.arcinfo.ch/journal/sports/tout-le-sport/article/178213.html)

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I'm maybe not the best person to write a review, but I know what I like.

I like the film A Ride with George Hincapie. In short, it's the best cycling film that Kirsten and I have seen.

George is a rider I've enjoyed watching since I started following cycling regularly a couple of years ago, but I'm no card-carrying member of his fan club.  (Has he got a fan club?)

George comes across as a genuinely nice and interesting guy, driven by a dynamic set of sometimes-competing motivations.   It's great to see him chatting there, as if to you, as you ride alongside him on his bike or he sits on the couch with his little girl crawling all over him.

The film is done with lots of respect for George, and he is impressive as the humble hero.  Rather than gushing over his accomplishments, however, he is revealed bit by bit through his own words and stories from those who know him best.

The documentary comes across as honest -- honest in a very naked, exposed sort of way.  There's about as much time spent with family, friends, and colleagues of George as there is with George himself.  At times George is presented with video quotes of his friends saying things that are challenging for him to hear, and he responds to them.  The interviewer doesn't dance delicately with these tough situations, but doesn't present them in a malicious spirit, either.  It's all done to reveal more about George and how he ticks.

There are a few moments where we felt like "ow, how could he ask that?!?" and we sort of winced.  Again, this was not like watching a nasty reporter trying to get a rise out of the interviewee, but rather someone who was trying to get to the heart of things for the sake of revealing the truth -- without the fear of burning a few little bridges along the way.

I laughed.  I cried -- well, at least, welled up in the throat a couple of times.  I liked this better than Road to Roubaix, Cobbles Baby, Overcoming, Hell on Wheels, Triplets of Belleville, Summer in Andalucia, you name it.  Good stuff.

And how do I join George's fan club, anyway?

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You can just, you know, read the article, for the, um... usual reasons:

http://www.fhm.com/girls/victoria-pendleton-changes-gear-for-fhm-20090526

http://www.fhm.com/girls/covergirls/victoria-pendleton

http://www.fhm.com/girls/covergirls/victoria-pendleton/gallery

75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 

Here we are, halfway through another grand tour.  How many of them have been spoiled partway through or shortly afterwards by learning that one or more of the race's stellar performers was totally doping?

You know what I'm talking about:  Schumie... Kohl... Vino... Ricco... Sella... The Chicken...

Many of us were rooting for at least some of these guys as they were having a "breakout year" or making heroic efforts, showing excellent form, and so on.  I know I've been burned as a fan more than once in the last couple of years. :(

Now, it's pretty dang negative to assume that anyone who's performing well is a doper, but I'm sick of rooting for folks who end up being total scumbags.

So, I'm going to ask it:  who would you all say is having a *spectacular* Giro so far?

-Greg