The inaugural Race of Many Names Powered By Many Other Names (That Do Not Include the Tour of Colorado)® kicks off today in Bibleburg, and though I have a deadline to meet I think I might just toddle on down and have a look-see, as it has been many a moon since we’ve seen a field of this quality in these parts.
The prologue starts in the Garden of the Dogs, an ancient array of petrified canine turds dedicated to the Gods of Auto Tourism and Parking In Bike Lanes, and it’s pretty much all downhill from there.
Seriously — barring about a quarter-mile of up from the start, it’s all downhill from there, a brisk 5.2-mile tour of MMJ dealers, tattoo parlors and dive bars that finishes downtown at the headquarters of the U.S. Olympic Committee, the non-profit corporate personification of the Cadillac-driving welfare queen foreseen in Scripture by St. Ronald of Hollywood.
Having been chained in the VeloBarrel this past weekend I’ve missed the various gala dinners, pressers and other hoopla, and to be honest I never even bothered to collect press credentials for the race. So I’ll be just another civilian standing at roadside instead of the mighty titan of cycling urinalism you’ve come to worship like a drug-addled radio talk-show host.
Look for the ugly bastard in the Mad Dog Media jersey. One of them is bound to be me.
Mad Blog Media 
I’m following one of those other races in France, Paris-Brest-Paris. I have a few friends doing this. Apparently, they didn’t have enough fun the last time they did. It’s looking like the weather there is way better than the last time they did it.
I’m always reminded of something Scott Dickson (http://www.stuzio.com/StuzioArticle.aspx?articleID=1000), 3 time winner and friend, once told me when I asked about him not riding the brevets… “You know… If you can’t get a good workout in 100 miles, you just aren’t riding hard enough”. True dat as far as I’m concerned.
re: USOC Move – I find this interesting from the included link, [About disgruntled taxpayers, Bellingham said the USOC is “cognizant of the concerns on that front.” He added that the USOC plans “to work to improve our relations and continue to earn and build our place in the community. … We have every intent of being involved with the activities in the city on many different levels.”] Why do I have the phase, “With friends like these, I don’t need enemies” running through my head?
P-B-P is no longer a race, except it seems in the minds of English-speakers. The French and Italians ride in big groups, singing songs and generally enjoying themselves. We worked a support program a couple of times back in the ’90’s and I was struck how so many Americans could turn what was supposed to be a challenging, but fun event into a teeth-grinding, marathon death-march. Someone told me recently that entries from North America had been restricted lately – because too many of those folks have been trying to make a race out of it, only to drop out long before the finish.
Can’t say (as a card-carrying SlowFood member) I feel much sorrow for the woes of Quizno’s, bike-lovers or not. I chuckled when I read the ringing endorsment of the local guy who’d “eat these over Subway any day”…sorta like endorsing the firing squad over the noose? We thought about pointing the car west from Iowa and seeing a few stages back when they announced the thing but the financial issues of the sponsor and constant changes of who seemed to be running it caused us to pause. As it turned out, we have other biz to attend to this week involving our escape to Italy at summer’s end. But if all we had to do was stumble out of the house or jump on a bike to see the big stars in (semi) action we’d be there – even if the food’s nowhere near the quality we (who are SO spoiled) enjoy in Italy. If you’re in Denver, the guys at Barolo Grille do some nice, Italian-inspired cooking, the boss even closes up for a few weeks each year and takes key staff to Italy to sample the real thing!
Just to backtrack for a moment…Patrick, to answer your question from the previous posts’ comments section: yes, I have been enjoying Pelkey’s Vuelta blow by blow. Well I was until today’s feed seems to have lost its legs with something like 30k to go.
I hope they get whatever is broken fixed before tomorrow. This may be the most I’ve ever followed the Vuelta before.
I recall the video you posted of the TT course and I’m planning to watch the Versus coverage.
I’ll look for you!
Jeff
Have you got a link for Paris-Brest-Paris? ‘Preciate it!
Thanx.
Here is what I’m using to follow my friends – http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/pbp2011/index2.php?lang=fr&cat=randonnee&page=suivi_participants
You can find frame numbers by name or directly enter the frame number if you already know it. There is an English version of it available too.
Here’s a link for the Colorado Prologue stuff live:
http://shacktracker.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/