Seems like it’s either feast or famine in the ol’ VeloBarrel. Last week it was nothing but heartache; today, it’s been mostly nothing. I wrote up the men’s World Cup in Tabor (having overslept and missed the women’s race), posted some results and an Andrew Hood piece, and … well, that’s about it. Bor-ing.
There are things going on, of course. There are cyclo-crosses from coast to coast, the Pan American Games, the Japan Cycle Cup Road Race, but because we are short on staff, free-lancers and travel money my in-box remains appallingly free of dispatches from the front. Only Agence France Presse chimes in from time to time, and that lot mostly speaks Frog: Le Belge s’est imposé en solitaire lors de la seconde épreuve dimanche, à Tabor (République Tchèque). Parti très tôt, dès le quatrième tour, il a laissé derrière lui un groupe incapable de s’entendre pour refaire son retard.
C’mon — we saved you guys from the Nazis and you can’t give us a race report in U-nited States American? And who are you callin’ a retard? Merde. Where’s my big ol’ Google translation hammer?
Between bouts of doing not much Herself shaved my dome, Turkish got some quality time in the sun and I whipped up some tuna salad for lunch. And if my in-box doesn’t go ping! real soon I’m gonna grab a bike and enjoy what looks to be one of our last few really nice days before a winter storm blows in.
Mad Blog Media 
Get out now! (on the bike)
I’m enjoying a slow roll to and from the coffee shop in one of the last gasps of nice weather.
I guess you need a boring day now and again. Great pic of The Turk. The Van sure is a great looking animal!
So maybe you can hook the brothers up with some insight to live streaming (or even Sporza-like coverage) of these overseas cross races? As it seems that whomever was in charge of cyclocross channel on U2be is asleep at the wheel.
We had a great Sunday here in Sicily. Slept in a bit, relaxing breakfast (cereal, yogurt and cappuccino courtesy of the tiny “Gaggia for Illy” machine we bought last year) before venturing out on the road bikes. It’s a bit narrow and busy getting out of the town (which is why we did this first on a Sunday) but we saw a few others out on the road as well. We turned up a climb posted with a “road closed due to rock slide in 2.5 km” sign but as everyone else was ignoring it, so did we. Never did see any rock slide but our loop WAS cut short by our planned descent being used for an automotive hill-climb. Wished I’d brought the camera as there was the cutest 60’s era Fiat 500 there, painted in the tricolore and sporting flared fenders and what looked like slick tires from a go-kart. We had to return the way we came but that was fine. A quick shower and we were off to lunch, just a few steps from our tiny apartment. Nothing beats a leisurely pranzo by the sea except maybe walking around the town looking for gelato afterwards. Slow news day indeed except for the sad loss of MOTOGP star Marco Simoncelli which, with him being Italian, was THE news story of the day here. RIP Marco.
Since there are so many cat folks here … tangentially related … anyone see this already?
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/10/todays-delightful-flight-video/247121/
Cats with wings.