Time to start training again if I'm going to have any form for this weekend. Spinning tonight. Other than that, not much is happening.

News Item of the Day: LACHEN, Switzerland, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Olympic time trial champion Tyler Hamilton says he agreed to be sacked by Switzerland's only professional cycling team Phonak in a bid to help them get a licence for next year's Pro Tour.

Hamilton was sacked following his positive test in September for blood doping but the termination of his contract failed to impress the International Cycling Union (UCI), which earlier in the day confirmed its decision to withhold Phonak's licence.

Hamilton's lawyer read out a letter at a media conference near Zurich in which the cyclist wrote: "We concluded together that it would not be possible for the team to continue at the level we hoped with my name on the roster.

"Specifically, it would be impossible for Phonak to be accepted into the Pro Tour with one if its riders facing charges of using prohibited performance-enhancing methods."

In a written response to an appeal made by Phonak last week, the UCI's licence commission said on Tuesday that the sacking of Hamilton had come too late to have any bearing.

Hamilton was one of three Phonak riders to fail doping tests in 2004, but the commission said that "the attitude of the team's management" had aroused more serious reservations than the doping cases themselves.

It said its decision was also based on the team's failure to comply quickly enough to UCI regulations concerning image contracts.

VERY DISAPPOINTED

"We had hoped my facing the judicial process alone... would pave the way for Phonak being included in the Pro Tour," Hamilton's letter continued. "We were very disappointed to learn today that the team would not be included after all.

Hamilton insisted, though, that his departure from Phonak did not constitute an admission of guilt.

"I am very sad the challenges I face personally have had such a wide ranging impact on so many," he added. "On behalf of everyone involved, I am more committed than ever to getting to the bottom of all this.

Phonak owner Andy Rihs said he still believed in Hamilton's innocence despite having been forced to sack him.

Rihs added that Phonak would continue to support the scientific board which is examining Hamilton's doping case.

There was less certainty though when it came to the future of Phonak's racing team itself.

Rihs and team manager Urs Freuler said they had not yet decided whether to appeal to the international Court of Arbitration for Sport within the 15 day deadline.

Beyond that, Rihs said the team would have to see if it could exist by seeking wildcard entries into major events like the Tour de France.

Alternatively, the team could end the contracts of its top riders and spend next year contesting minor races.

Rihs conceded that, in the worst case scenario, Phonak -- a hearing aid manufacturer -- may simply be forced to withdraw from professional cycling.

"The question is still open," Rihs said. "We will just have to sit down with all the riders, and see how we can go forward."

Viewpoint: Not a surprising decision by the UCI.

Got back into town yesterday afternoon. I should ride today but am taking another day off. I'm not having a lot of ambition after a full week off. I stepped on the scale at work and it showed 159! I don't ever recall weighing that much. Shocked the heck out of me because I dont feel or look heavier in the gut.

I got my new seatpost for the fixie today and ran out to install it. It will be good to have proper leg extension. There was a little knee pain after last Saturdays ride. Nothing major but my position probably played a small role

News Item of the Day: Eddy Merckx's dramatic weight loss this year has given rise to much speculation as to whether he was seriously ill. The Cannibal, who is now looking almost as lean as he did in his racing days, told Sportwereld.be that there is nothing to worry about. "I underwent an esophagus operation on May 12," he said. "I have suffered with that since I was young. If I had have been born with a normal stomach, then I might have had an even better career. Some journalists asked me whether I had cancer. When I lay on the operating table I weight 110 kilograms. Since the end of August, my weight has stabilised at 82 kilograms. Logically it was a number of months before my body started working normally again, and in that time I lost a lot of weight."

My thighs are a little stiff today. Not that it matters much because I'm out of town until Sunday afternoon.

News Item of the Day: Swiss team Phonak, along with French squad Ag2r and Belgian MrBookmaker.com, will have to wait another week before the UCI makes a decision on the final ProTour team spot. All three teams were heard by the UCI's Licensing Commission in Lausanne (Switzerland) on Monday, with the UCI announcing that it will make its final selection next Tuesday, November 30.

Phonak's ProTour spot initially came fire when two of its riders, Tyler Hamilton and Santiago Perez, tested positive for blood transfusion. In addition, Oscar Camenzind tested positive for EPO and left the team in August, while Phonak team doctor Iñaki Arratibel resigned last week. The UCI's Licensing Commission led by Swiss judge Pierre Zapelli criticised the team for not paying closer attention to the riders who were found to be doping.

Today was Bubba 6 - Faust Park revisited. Similar course but far less techincal. No off camber stuff, just a series of three hairpins through trees and four barriers uphill. Other than that, the course was a long looping course with a few small rises. The turf was soft and made the course harder than it really was because it was slow.

I got a poor start. Worked my way back some. Then slowly faded at the end. There was some confusion with me not getting the bell for the final lap. A rider had come up behind me and when we turned on the pavement and gravel he jumped past me. Thinking I had another lap I was wanting to just keep him kind of close and try to real him back in when he tired since he was giving such a big effort right there. Turns out he knew it was the final sprint. Oh well. I got a sub-par 10th place.

My performances the last few weeks have not been impressive. I go and do okay but without a lot of fight. I tend to feel it is the Saturday rides that have taken some energy out of the Sunday races.

I'm in TN next week and will miss the next race. Then it's the season-ending State Championship.

News Item of the Day: Sven Nys (Rabobank) took his season victory tally to nine wins after beating Ben Berden (Saey-Deschacht) and Erwin Vervecken (Fidea) in today's fourth round of the Superprestige series in Gavere. It was a hard fought win though, as Nys, Berden and Vervecken had battled with John Gadret (Chocolade Jacques), Richard Groenendaal (Rabobank) and up until halfway, Bart Wellens (Fidea). Gadret and Berden tried several times to distance Nys, but at two laps from the finish it was Nys himself who gapped the others, holding onto win by four seconds.

In the SP standings, Nys now has a seven point lead over Ben Berden, with Tom Vannoppen (MrBookmaker.com - Palmans) in third place at nine points, followed by Groenendaal and Vanthourenhout.

Viewpoint: Way to go Sven. I thought this was a cute picture of Sven and his kid

We had a group of eight show up for the ride this morning. Instead of going out to High Ridge again, I kept the whole ride more "urban" as we wound around Kirkwood, SoCo, Fenton and Valley Park for just over 2 hrs. Tack on my ride time to and fro and I got in nearly 3 hrs.

I'm surprised my legs feel good. They are not overly tired tonight from the fixed gear. The only problem I encountered was making sure I had a pedal in a good starting position after coming to a stop at a light. Other than that, the ride went smoothly. This route kept the climbing to a 2 or 3 hills. Kerth Rd was a little of a push but very doable. Marshall Rd was the finish to our ride and I was grinding the last few hundred feet. Still, I rode up pretty well.

Hills on the fixed gear should be a good strength builder. A 42x14 is not a huge gear to turn over but you can't spin it up a hill either. You approach the hill and go. Either you are strong enough or not. No wimping out and finding the granny gear. Pedal, pedal, pedal.

News Item of the Day: L'Equipe has nice, small gallery of Hinault photos chonicling his career in honor of his 50th birthday

In other news...
(Translated from Todociclismo) The Basque cyclist Joseba Beloki has broken his contractual relation with Saunier Duval and is negotiating with the Liberty Seguros team, according to the director of Saunier, Joxean Fernandez Matxin: "Right now he is riding on our team, but there is a meeting Monday and most probably he he will leave".

Beloki wants to reach an agreement with the Matxin's team at the beginning of the next week that the two parties will part ways in 2005. The cyclist has begun negotiations with Manolo Sáiz to try to reinforce the Liberty Seguros and to return with the technician with whom he had his best years.

Viewpoint: Beloki just can't make up his mind where he wants to ride. When ONCE folded, Saiz was unwilling to sign Beloki. Most likely because he was recovering from a broken hip afther that terrible TdF crash. So he goes to Brioches La Boulangere. He's not happy there and leaves mid-season for Saunier Duval. Now he leaves for Liberty. Three teams in one year. Nice work. I thought he negotiated some with Liberty when he left Brioches. I guess their budget was tied up at the time since it was in the middle of the season.

I raided my CX bike today and took off the saddle and post to see if it would fit on the fixed gear. Bingo! It's the same diameter post. This post is not quite long enough either but it is longer than what was on the bike.

The anticipation has gotten the best of me and I plan on using the fixed gear on the team ride tomorrow morning. I just have to ride the darn thing. It's been hanging from the ceiling teasing me. I have a fear that my legs will be wasted after the ride and my race Sunday will suffer as a result but frankly I don't care. The new toy needs to be played with.

Often I go through life, one day after another, and my surroundings go unnoticed. I suppose it's a familiarity with what's around and you just pass by. Once in a while though, something is different and you become keenly aware.

Today I had one of those moments. I wake up early for work every morning. After crawling out of bed and dressing I walked outside to get the newspaper and that is when it hit me. Or maybe it was what didn't hit me. The door opened and what greeted me was... quiet. Almost complete quiet. Why? Usually there is some background noise. It may be cars on the highway, a train on the railroad a mile or so away, a bird chirping. But today was quiet. Maybe the wind was blowing just right or traffic was light for some unknown reason but everything was still. Before I got off the porch the quiet struck and stopped me in my tracks and stood for a few seconds to soak up the serenity before getting on with my day.

News Item of the Day: Ex- world champion Igor Astarloa will not be a part of the Lampre team that has merged with Saeco to join the UCI ProTour.

The news starts with the statement by the CSC team director, Bjarne Riis, that the Spanish rider has been offered a chance to ride for him, although it would need the support of more sponsors.

"I thought that Astarloa would follow in the new team created after megring the Saeco and Lampre, but it is not so. He would be a very interesting cyclist, and I believe that he would fit perfectly in CSC, but we do not have money to pay to him, unless new possibilities arise ", Riis stated today in the newspaper "Politiken".

The Danish director also indicated that they had offered jobs to Latvian Roman Vansteins and the American Floyd Landis, who has suspicion surrounding his team, the Swiss Phonak team of Alvaro Pino.

The CSC team, in which Spaniards Carlos Sastre and Manuel Calvente rides, wants to sign two more cyclists for a total of 28 riders before next day Tuesday, when the team meets to begin training.

Viewpoint: Bjarne is always in the news going after some new rider. When Ullrich was embroiled in trouble with Telekom he was saying how he wanted Ullrich. Then Coast had its difficulties and I seem to recall Riis again saying that Ullrich should join. He seems to be in the news more than any other D.S. expressing who he would like to have on the team. That's more of an observation that a complaint. I tend to look at his actions as a way of putting his team in the spotlight for sponsors not unlike those poor saps who are sent out in the first kilometers of a race to get TV exposure.

I'm feeling really lazy tonight and think I will probably skip riding. No ambition to work up a sweat. I really should ride because I am feeling FAT. I'm not, but there is a some extra meat around my middle that feels huge even though it's not. Besides, I going out of town next week and will not be able to ride at all. Brilliant preparation for CX State Championships.

News Item of the Day: For the fifth time in six years, Lance Armstrong has won the prestigious Velo d'Or award from France's Velo Magazine. After his incredible comeback from testicular cancer, Armstrong placed third in 1998's Velo d'Or and since 1999, only Mario Cipollini has bested the Texan (2002) since Armstrong emerged as the dominant Grand Tour rider of his generation.

After winning an unprecedented sixth straight Tour last summer, the 33 year-old Armstrong has said he's not sure to be back for the Tour de France next season. For 2005 with his new Discovery Channel Pro Cycling team, Lance looks ready to embark on the pursuit of new challenges like a successful spring classics season and perhaps a shot at the Hour Record.

Runner-up to Armstrong in the Velo d'Or is emerging Italian star Damiano Cunego, who will lead the Lampre-Cafitta squad in 2005. Cunego paid homage to Big Tex from his second place, saying that "Armstrong is the top rider in the world and he certainly deserved the recognition of the Velo d'Or. Even I deserved to win, since I had a season beyond any expectation this year...but the fact that I'm ahead of riders like Bettini and Freire is a great satisfaction. I hope to win this next year."

Despite the historical accomplishment of six straight Tours by Armstrong, this hasn't convinced old school Euros like Eddy Merckx and Francesco Moser. Although they are old friends, Eddy never minced words when evaluating Armstrong's approach to racing. "Armstrong is a cannibal, but only at the Tour," said the man nicknamed The Cannibal for his ferocious appetite for victory. "If I raced with a medicine dropper like him, I'd have won the Tour for at least twenty years. I've always criticised Lance because he gives little back to cycling."

Evidently, Italian great Francesco Moser isn't very impressed with Armstrong's fifth Velo d'Or, saying, "(For me) Cunego in first place; I don't even consider Armstrong, even if he's really great in the Tour. If every rider (rode) like him, cycling would have to close up shop tomorrow." But the criticism of old-timers like Moser and Merckx has never had much impact on Armstrong, who's always admitted that the Tour De France is the only race he really cares about. Plus the American has shown how to succeed in the biggest bike race in the world in an cycling epoch that is much more about specialization and specific focus than back in the day when Moser and Merckx were doing over 100 races per season.

On Monday, November 30, Armstrong and his new Discovery Channel team will have their first training camp in Austin, Texas, slated until December 6.

Viewpoint: I have to agree with Moser. Cunego was most deserving for the award this year. I might even put Bettini above Lance for winning his 3rd straight World Cup and the Olympic RR. Overlooking six straight Tours is tough, though.

I'm not doing anything today. I goofed around with the fixed bike for a while to see just how much more seatpost I needed and whether I could get away with using the post I already have and still get proper fit. There was no way. As it is now the post is well beyond its maximum exposure and it needs to go up another 2 or more cm's. So, I ordered a new, longer post tonight. I may have to eventually get a new stem too. It's low too but it may be good enough to live with.

News Item of the Day: The parcours of next year's Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) was presented earlier this week in Brugge, Belgium. The race will be run on April 3, starting once again in the popular West Flemish city of Brugge and following a traditional route. It will head out to the coast at Oostende before turning southeast, passing through Gistel, Lichtervelde and Kortrijk (new for this year), then turning more easterly to visit Harelbeke, Kruishoutem, Zwalm and Zottegem, then looping back to Oudenaarde to start the hill zone. There are 17 climbs, starting with the Molenberg (km 143) and including the Kwaremont, Paterberg and Koppenberg. The finale has been made a little tougher with the inclusion of the Valkenberg (km 224) after the Berendries (km 219), followed by the usual Tenbosse (km 230), Muur-Kapelmuur (km 240) and Bosberg (km 244). As it has since 1973, the finish will again be in Ninove-Meerbeke after 256 km of hard racing.

The Ronde will feature a number of flat cobbled sections as well. The major difficulties are the 1700m section at Doorn (km 111), 2400m Paddestraat (km 131), 3000m Mater-Kerkgate (km 148), 2100m Mariaborrestraat (km 187), and 2000m Haaghoek (km 210).

The changes to the Ronde are not radical, although there is enough variation to keep the connoisseurs happy. As usual, the development of the race will be determined by the riders, with the winning break going on the Muur or perhaps the Bosberg.

Viewpoint: Flanders is probably my favorite spring Classic. Paris-Roubaix has the reputation and I love to watch it especially when it's sloppy. Roubaix is pancake flat though. Flanders has cobbled climbs and adds that little something extra. Sometime I'd like to have the chance to ride the Muur or the Koppenberg.

We almost went to Belgium after watching the Alpine stages in the 2003 Tour. If we had gone, I would have definitely done those cycling monuments.

Going to Spinning tonight so I will have about an hour's worth of good hard work.

News Item of the Day: BRUSSELS, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Six-times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong plans to compete in next year's one-day Tour of Flanders race.

"I want to prove to the world that I can also do this," Armstrong was quoted as saying in Belgian newspaper Het Volk on Tuesday.

His comment was made during an interview to be broadcast on Dutch television in January.

The 257-kilometre Tour of Flanders from Bruges to Meerbeke takes place on April 3. Some of the route is over cobbled roads where riders risk falls.

Armstrong is the only rider in history to win July's Tour de France six times. He suggested earlier this month, though, that he may skip next year's race to chase other ambitions.

His team director said a decision would be made on the Tour de France early in 2005.

German Steffen Wesemann won the 88th Tour of Flanders World Cup race last April.

Viewpoint: Sounds like he is serious about his ambitions. When he's chosen to race the Classics before he's done quite well without specifically targeting the race. I have no doubt he's capable of winning Flanders. He rode it a couple years ago in support of Hincapie and was in the lead group for most of the race.

Since today is a rest day I thought I would revisit yesterday's race with a pictorial of the course. You can click on the pictures for a larger view.

The start finish was on a slightly downhill gravel road starting at the red tent. The gravel was 50-60 ft long with a bend to the left and then to the right before entering the grassy area which went downhill. Where I stood for the picture is where it flattened out for about 100 ft.


At the end of the grass, you made a slight left and then down this hill. Then swung a right hand U-turn at the orange tape and then climbed back up. This area was soft ground and got a little more muddy and much more rutted for the B race.


After climbing out of the U-turn you then climbed this hill. The ground here was not muddy but very soft and slow. Midway up the hill was good sized hole (in red circle) that you were best to stay on either side of when going up.


After grinding up the hill it leveled off briefly but you couldn't get hardly any speed before reaching the double barriers in the background, then it was 40-50 ft before another barrier just beyond where I took this photo. This was still very soft ground with a big hole on one side and a bit of a dip where the wood chips are, on the bottom left. The distance between the barriers was just short enough with the soft turf and rough enough that it wasn't worth getting on the bike after the first set of barriers, so you were left jogging between the two barriers like Loran is doing here.


Leaving the barriers you came to a clearing that snaked back and forth three times. This area was not particularly difficult. There was a small amount of gravel but that was no problem until the very end of this section down by the orange cones where you made a sweeping left turn on thick gravel that led us into the actual vinyard on the left of this picture. The entrance to the first row of grapes was a two to three foot section of small rocks. This was not the regular gravel but much larger. These rocks were 3 or 4 inches wide and you had to be very careful.


Once you were in the grape vines you were riding on the side of a hill and slightly uphill going away from the start line and then slightly down. But with each row of grapes you went further up the hill. We did three out and backs among the vines. These rows were not very wide and could handle no more than 2 riders across and that was a tight squeeze. If you rode dead center of the row I doubt someone could have gotten by without having some guts.


Making the turns at each end of the grape vines was tough. Heading away from the start area you had the very sharp uphill 180's that were difficult to make without putting your foot down. Then heading back toward the start area you still had the sharp 180 but it was easier because you weren't going uphill at those ends. However, there was only a little more than a foot of grass to turn on. If you swung wide you would have to turn on the regular sized gravel. I didn't have to do that, but it would have been tough. After finally exiting the grape vines you made a slightly downhill right hand turn on some thick gravel. That was a dicey section indeed and I saw one guy go down twice there.


As I said yesterday, it was a tough course.

News Item of the Day: Belgian Sven Nys won the third round of the cyclo-cross World Cup on Sunday in Pijnakker, Netherlands.

Hometown favorite Richard Groenendaal, who crashed once, crossed second at 23 seconds back, followed by Belgian Sven Vanthourenhout at 0:49.

Nys finally broke the Czech stranglehold on this season's World Cup, following victories by Zdenek Mlynar in Wortegem-Petegem (Belgium) and Kamil Ausbuher in Tabor, Czech.

Groenendaal had a perfect start, riding ahead of a chase group that included Nys, Mlynar and Italian Enrico Franzoi. But Nys eventually leapt away from the bunch, and when Groenendaal crashed at mid-race he took the lead and never looked back.

Vanthourenhout leads the World Cup standings with 990 points, followed by Nys (971) and Mlynar (735).

Bubba #5 was in southern Illinois today, a few miles south of Carbondale in the "town" of Pomona at Von Jakob Winery. I'm not going to go into great detail tonight but will try to post some pictures with a course description tomorrow. I will say that it was a HARD, slow course with some treacherous turns.

I arrived 15 minutes before the first race and quickly got the bike out and started to take a spin in civies and tennis shoes. While it was somewhat helpful the course (the 1/3 I rode) pretty much psyched me out right then. If I had had cleated shoes it would have been better but the tennis shoes slipping off the pedals and trying to get up tough terrain did my mind no good.

The "C's" started and a few riders dropped out including last week's winner complaining that it's a mountain bike course. I won't say that, but it was probably beneficial to have one.

My race was not very good with a bad start, a dropped chain and a minor crash all contributing to a general lack of ambition. In the end I got 9th of 11. Not good, although I had some decent moments.

News Item of the Day: Bernard Hinault , five time winner of the Tour de France, blows his 50 candles, this weekend, in the presence of several personalities of cycling.

The " Badger ", born on November 14, should be surrounded by the president of the international Union cyclist (UCI) Hein Verbruggen, by Jean Pitallier, president of the French Federation (FFC) and by Jean-Marie Leblanc, director of the Tour de France.

Moreover, the old rider, Tour winner in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985, will be in particular in the center of an exposure recalling his career to the media library of the city.

The public will be able to admire there several jerseys of the famous cyclist from his major victories, his bicycles, his trophies and the paving stone rewarding the victory for Paris-Roubaix (which he had won in 1982).

The Breton today splits his life between his public relations work for Amaury sport organization (ASO), organizing company of the Tour de France, and his farm in Calorguen, close to Dinan in the Coasts of Armor.

The municipality of Saint-Grégoire should benefit from the occasion to officially announce its candidacy to host a stage of the 2006 Tour de France.

Viewpoint: When I first discovered cycling back in about '82 Hinault was the man. I didn't realize how good he was at the time since my exposure to pro cycling at the consisted of maybe 20 minutes for the entire TdF on CBS. Over the next couple years I learned a little bit more about him as he battled LeMond in '84 and '85.

While I wasn't fond of his actions in battling LeMond after saying he would help him win, I have always had a fondness for Hinault and a great respect for what he accomplished. The man was tough and a huge talent. Personally, I would put behind Merckx as the greatest cyclist. It was a different era but he did it all. He climbed, he'd sprint pretty well, time trial, win Classics and Grand Tours.

My fondness for Bernard took a little extra twist when in my early racing years, around '94 or '95, one of my teammates said I looked like Hinault. I've never fully seen the similarity but there are times when I do. How can you not be a fan of a great cyclist that looks a tiny bit like you.

Happy Birthday Bernard.

We rode out past High Ridge again today. This time we added a loop down Four Ridge Rd and Rock Creek Valley. Then we took a route I hadn't taken before. From Rock Creek we went down Old Sugar Creek until Schumacher. I had never been on Schumacher so it was something completely new. An interesting road with plenty of good sized rollers combined with a couple small hills and mixing in a downhill 180 turn. From Schumacher it was a right turn on Gravois that runs alongside Hwy 30 until Little Brennan and back to Hillsboro Valley Park.

Ride time from Meramec was 2:45. Total time was close to 3:30 and judging from Mark's computer my mileage would have been in the upper 50's.

The Under Armour worked well again today. Temperature was about 30 when I started riding this morning. I wore the Under Armour as a base, then a wool jersey (I dont know if its a winter or summer wool) and then an old team jersey. I had another full zip jersey on as well but that was fully unzipped and flapping in the breeze so it provided no real protection. I was perfectly comfortable with just the three jerseys and the 30 degree temps. That's pretty good in my opinion.

News Item of the Day: The licensing commission of the UCI met this Saturday with the Olympic Museum of Lausanne. Exiting the meeting, nineteen of the thirty-one teams received a " preliminary favorable opinion" to obtain a ProTour license, the last stage of the process before the official publication at the beginning of December of the teams selected for this circuit.

Only the Swiss team, Phonak, were not retained by the commission. The heveltic formation thus pays the price of positive anti-doping controls which struck three of these riders in the past months: in August for the former world champion of the Swiss Camenzind Oscar , in October the American Tyler Hamilton , Olympic time trial champion, and for the Spaniard Santiago Perez, second in the Vuelta.

Camenzind, caught doping with EPO was laid off by the Swiss team. On the other hand, Hamilton and Perez, the first two sportsmen charged with doping by blood transfusion, denied having doped and obtained the support of their team, at least temporarily.

Phonak, only high level Swiss team, still has the possibility of being approved by the licensing commission on November 22 before the final announcement of the Pro Tour teams.

It should be noted that the licences of the preselected teams will last four years, except for those of Lampre-Caffitta (three years), T-Mobile and Baleares Islands (two years) and Fassa Bortolo, whose licence will relate to one one year period.

Let us recall that ProTour is the circuit wanted by the president of the UCI, Hein Verbruggen, for 2005. It gathers the best world teams with the obligation to take part in the principal tests of the season.

For the moment, the leaders of the three Grand Tours (Italy, France, Spain) refuse to enter the new circuit. The three organizing companies which rejected the current state of the ProTour, account for eleven of the greatest tests of the calendar (Tour de France, Giro, Vuelta, Milan-SanRemo, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, etc).

The nineteen selected Pro Tour teams
Quick Step (BEL)
Davitamon-Lotto (BEL)
CSC (DEN)
Balearic Islands (ESP)
Liberty Seguros (ESP)
Euskaltel-Euskadi (ESP)
Saunier Duval-Prodir (ESP)
Cofidis (FRA)
Bouygues-Telecom (FRA)
FDJeux.com (FRA)
Credit Agricole (FRA)
Gerolsteiner (GER)
T-Mobile (GER)
Domina Vacanze (ITA)
Liquigas (ITA)
Lampre-Caffitta (ITA)
Fassa Bortolo (ITA)
Rabobank (NED)
Discovery Channel (USA)

Viewpoint: Phonak must really be sweating it about now. Not to mention Floyd Landis. He goes from being part of one of the best teams in the world (Discovery) to a team that is on the verge of essentially being shut out of the main races of the year.

Stopped at Sports Authority on the way home to check out the Under Armour Cold Gear shirt. This garment has interested me for a couple years but I had never really looked at one. Putting my hand inside while it was on the race I could feel the warmth. After some thinking I figured I would give one a try. If it didn't work at least I would have satisfied my curiosity.

Buying the new shirt was a good excuse to get on the fixed gear for a half hour and see how the shirt feels while getting more accustomed to the bike. The temperature was upper 40's. Officially it was 49 at the airport. I wore the Under Armour along with a standard jersey. A half hour is not a long enough time to give a full appraisal of the shirts performance but I was comfortably warm without overheating and or being too cold. Tomorrow I will wear it again for a better idea of the job it does. Right now, I am satisfied.

The ride went well, too. More and more I get comfortable with always pedaling. Making turns is the toughest time to not coast. It's habit. Also, since you have to pedal through the turn you must be careful to not turn too sharply and grind a pedal into the pavement. I also tried to avoid using the brakes and just use force on the pedals to slow me down. For the most part it works well but I'm glad to have the brake there when its needed. Braking is another time you tend to try and coast. It's unnatural to keep pedaling while braking.

Still, it was a fun ride but I really need to dial in my position. The saddle is too low and too far aft. A short ride like today is not a problem but a long would not be good with the way the bike is set up right now.

News Item of the Day: Six time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong has expressed a desire to drive a Formula One car following a training ride with Australian F1 driver Mark Webber. A big fan of Armstrong, Webber met Lance in Texas recently and the two were training together when Armstrong popped the question: "He said he wanted to drive the car himself rather than be a passenger," said Webber on the BMW-Williams website. "I told him I wasn't sure if it was possible but I'd look into it."

Webber also relished the opportunity to ride with the Tour champion. "As everyone knows, Lance is a phenomenally fit guy and it was amazing to be cycling alongside him and chatting, although my breaths soon got shorter and shorter, as did my answers to his questions," said Webber.

Viewpoint: You're certainly not alone Mark.

A cool, rainy, ugly day today. I hopped on the trainer tonight for an hour with a cadence at about 100. I'm still keeping the gears smallish. The time for pushing the bigger gears will come soon enough. The pedal stroke felt good, round and smooth tonight.

News Item of the Day: Translated from L'Equipe -- The Norwegian Thor Husvod (Credit Agricole), yellow jersey wearer of the Tour of France for one day in 2004, will have to stop his 2005 season preparation for two weeks. His sinuses will be operated on November 22 in order to put an end to respiratory problems.

It is expected the that he compete again at the Grand Prix Marseillaise on February 1. But his true objective should be the World Championships disputed in Madrid "One said to me that the course can be appropriate to the sprinters ", declared Hushvod to L'Equipe on Wednesday.

Viewpoint: It was a slow news day so I plucked the story above. It was either that story or a La Gazzetta report on Ivan Quaranta proclaiming that next year will be his big comeback year now that he is with Domina Vacanze. Sure thing, Ivan. I'll believe it when I see it. He also was talking about how he thinks he would have a good shot at the World Championships next year. I can't see him even getting selected to the Italian team, much less winning the Championship.

Last night's Spinning was not too hard for a first class of the year but it was still a good workout. There was plenty of sweat to prove I worked.

Today I got a new chain tool to replace the broken one. I got home and went to work. Everything went well or so it seemed. When it was time to put the wheel on though, the chain was shorter than I liked. The setup would have worked I think but the axle was just barely completely in the dropout.and only half the bolt was making contact. Nonetheless I was anxious and had to take it for a little spin around the neighborhood. Here is the result of my handiwork. It needs some adjustments in saddle height and position and needs to be cleaned up but it is rideable.

The fixed gear will take some getting used to. Sitting in the driveway my foot was near the bottom of the pedal stroke. I wasn't happy with that and was going to spin backwards to a one or two o'clock position. WRONG! No spinning without the wheels moving Jim. I rolled out to the street, down to the corner and was going to make a right hand turn. Out of habit I was going to coast through the turn. WRONG! My legs stopped, the pedals didn't and I was lifted out of the saddle. Luckily, I was going slow. The same thing happened a couple more times. This old dog will have to learn some new tricks.

At dinner I thought about the chain and decided to try and add a link to chain. Buying another chain would have probably been the preferred (and safer) method but I am cheap. I spent the next couple hours in a titanic battle of wills with the chain. The problems were too numerous to mention but in the end everything seems good. I took it for another spin and remembered to pedal this time.

After only a couple minutes I see why people can get hooked on a fixed gear. It's a clean and elegantly simple ride. I can't wait to do a longer ride on the bike

News Item of the Day: Gerolsteiner's Davide Rebellin has, along with 19 others, been put on trial in the Italian town of Este, Padova, accused of receiving prohibited pharmaceutical substances, and violating the Italian anti-doping and sporting fraud laws. The trial commenced on Wednesday morning, November 10, and most of the accused are cyclists: Dario Acquaroli, Filippo Baldo, Ramon Bianchi, Mauro Busato, Matteo Cacco, Davide Casarotto, Nadia Dandolo (athletics), Gianni Faresin, Andrea Ferrigato, Marco Fincato, Martin Hvastija, Petr Klasa, Fabio Marchesin, Mirco Marini, Selina Martinello (Rebellin's wife), Uros Murn, Gorazd Stangelj, Marco Villa and Matteo Zendron.

The trial was initiated on the basis of phone tapping and video surveillance on the riders in question. During May, 2001, Rebellin was allegedly filmed receiving a syringe containing a banned substance, while at the end of the month, he was allegedly videoed injecting himself with EPO in his hotel room in Bassano del Grappa. Rebellin has always maintained his innocence.

Viewpoint: Having actual video is very damning but how do they know that it was EPO or another banned substance that was being injected? It probably was, but the question remains.

Spinning tonight for about an hour. I actually remembered to find the shoes with the Look cleats so I won't be doing it in "tennis" shoes.

Stopped by the bike shop today. Picked up the new fixed gear wheel. This afternoon I've been getting the bike ready. Installed the tube and tire. Inflated the tires. Added the new single ring bolts. Everything has gone like a charm. That is until I got out my chain tool to take off the old chain. The darn thing is broken and the little device that pushes the pins in and out is warped. How the heck do break a thick chunk of metal?

Tomorrow I attempt to get the chain length correct and then... drum roll please... I take my old new baby for a spin.

News Item of the Day: Discovery Channel team Classics specialist George Hincapie became a father last week when his girlfriend Melanie delivered Julia Paris Hincapie at 5:04pm on Wednesday November 3 in a Greenville, South Carolina, hospital.

Little Julia Paris weighed 7 pounds, 13 ounces and 20.5 inches long. Mother and new arrival are both doing fine.

Hincapie met Melanie, a native of the eastern French city of Dijon, during the 2003 Tour de France where she was one of the models accompanying the race entourage.

Viewpoint: Isn't George more than just a Classics specialist by now? That's a pretty narrow description of his role at Discovery/USPS.

Waking up this morning it seems that I made it through yesterday without injuring anything. No strange bumps or strains sprang up overnight. I seem to be getting injured in alternating weeks so next weekend something should happen.

Mike asked me if I could bring my Tour pictures to a cycling photography exhibit he will be having at the shop in December. That should be fun. It would be cool if someone actually wanted to buy a picture. I'd be a pro. Sorta... kinda... maybe... in a very amateur way. It doesn't seem right that my pictures will be displayed next to Phil's or Kim Morris' who does some real good work too.

Tomorrow I go to Spinning for the the first time this winter. Last week, was the first class but i could not make it because of prior commitment. That first class of the year usually hurts even if you are in shape.

Tim called me at work today. The rear wheel I had ordered for my fixed gear conversion has come in so I will probably pick that up tomorrow. I need to remember to get some smaller bolts to accommodate having only one chainring. New pedals are needed too. I'm thinking the low-end Speedplay X/5, formerly X/3, will do the job just fine. Oh yeah, a chain would be good too. With any luck I could take it for a spin on Wednesday or more likely Thursday.

I'm really looking forward to riding a fixed gear. Everything I read, makes it seem very fun at great training. Let's hope it is true.

News Item of the Day: German Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) has criticised the Tour de France organisation for reducing the number of individual time trials in next year's edition to just two: Stage 1 (19 km) and Stage 20 (55 km). "Of course I'm pleased that with Karlsruhe and Pforzheim, there are German towns [on the race] again," Ullrich told Berlin's Tageszeitung newspaper. "I'm less delighted with the fact that we are missing a time trial this year."

Ullrich's strength has always been the time trial, but he can take comfort from the fact that the overall time trialing kilometres have only been reduced by 2.6 km in 2005 compared to this year's race. In addition, there is no mountain time trial, and that should probably work in Ullrich's favour.

Ullrich also commented on the suggestions that his greatest rival, Lance Armstrong, may skip the 2005 Tour in favour of other goals. Armstrong and his team director Johan Bruyneel have both specified that Lance's Tour participation is up in the air at the moment. "It's all the same to me whether Armstrong comes or not," said Ullrich. "If you want to win a race, you still have to go quicker than all the rest. It doesn't concern me who is there or who isn't."

T-Mobile's manager Walter Godefroot believes that Armstrong will be on the start line of the Tour in Fromentine on July 2. "I'm not convinced that Lance Armstrong will miss the Tour in 2005," said Godefroot. "He doesn't want to put any pressure on himself now."

Bubba #4 was a fun time. Great weather. Upper 60's and not a cloud in the sky. A pretty fast course in my opinion. Some of the slowest time of the race was actually on the paved road as it slightly uphill and headed straight into a stiff headwind. Along the way were three slightly tricky off-camber turns but they could be taken without too much difficulty.

I got a good start and spent the whole race between 4th and 7th. After the initial sort out I was in 4th and settled into 5th. The second barrier was at the top of one of the off camber uphills but it was preceded by a quick downhill and you could fly over barrier with relative ease. At least I did. About 5 laps in though, I misjudged the dismount and I barely got off the bike in time. My front wheel still hit the hurdle. It did not seem to be a terribly hard hit but I jumped on the bike and the pedals just spun. The chain had dropped. Shifting toward the big ring was not able to get the chain back in place and I had to stop and put it back on. Craig and Greg passed me and I dropped to 7th. I reeled Greg back in after a lap or two but that was the race and stayed in 6th the rest of the way.

I am satisfied with the result. The legs felt good despite some very minor cramping in the last couple laps.

Next week's race is at a vineyard down near Carbondale.

News Item of the Day: Frenchman John Gadret (Chocolade Jacques) scored a big victory on Sunday by winning the Vlaamse Witloofveldrit in Vossem, Belgium. Gadret beat top Belgians Ben Berden (John Saey-Deschacht) and Sven Nys (Rabobank) by eight seconds, feeling right at home on the hard parcours. "Last week on the Koppenberg (where he placed third) I felt in my element," Gadret was quoted by Flemish TV as saying. "Today, Groenendaal's crash was the key point. Nys was held up a little because of it. When I was riding together with Berden I felt that he was biting his teeth to hang on."

Gadret's big aim now is the World Championship in St. Wendel, Germany. "There's a tough climb there and I want to fight it out with the big boys there. I also want to finish on the podium in a World Cup race once."

'Dem crazy Dem's #2

Vandals Hit GOP Headquarters in N.Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Vandals spray painted vulgar messages on the walls of the North Carolina Republican Party headquarters and left a burned effigy depicting President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, police said.

Authorities detained several suspects early Saturday, hours after the attacks took place Friday night, but had not filed any charges, police spokesman Jim Sughrue said.

A police officer reported Friday that about 100 people wearing masks and gloves were walking down a street near the headquarters, authorities said.

The Republican president won re-election Tuesday after a challenge by Kerry, a Democrat. John Edwards, who was Kerry's running mate, is a senator from North Carolina.

"This is not a political statement,'' Sughrue said. ``A political statement is what we made Tuesday. This is a crime.''

Police said at least two windows were broken and it appeared that the vandals tried to put incendiary devices inside of the building.

Investigators also found a partially burned, two-headed effigy in military fatigues. One head had the face of Bush and the other the face of Kerry.

"The people who did this are sick,'' said Kevin Howell, communications director for the state Republican Party. ``People don't understand that debate and elections are part of the process. This isn't how you act.''

© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

11/06/2004 05:11

Democrats were becoming unhinged prior to the Presidential election with all kinds of crazy behavior. Most common of which seemed to be vandalizing Bush/Cheney headquarters.

Now that Kerry was soundly beaten I have heard a lot of talk amond Kerry supporters that leads me to believe their crazy behavior will continue. In the hopes that they do go off the deep end I have decided to chronicle crazy anti-Bush behavior.

Dem's unhinged #1

Man commits suicide at Ground Zero

BY ROCCO PARASCANDOLA, DEBORAH MORRIS AND SEAN GARDINER
Staff Writers
November 6, 2004, 7:11 PM EST

Distraught over the re-election of President George W. Bush, a Georgia man traveled to New York City, went to Ground Zero and killed himself with a shotgun blast, police said yesterday.

The suicide victim, Andrew Veal, 25, was discovered just before 8 a.m. yesterday when a worker for the Millennium Hotel looking at Ground Zero from an upper floor saw a man lying atop the concrete structure through which the 1 and 9 subway lines run.

The worker, thinking the man was sleeping, alerted colleagues and the Port Authority police were notified.

But when they got to Veal's body, they realized he had killed himself with a shot to the head from a .12-gauge shotgun.

No suicide note was found, but according to a Port Authority police source, family members said Veal, a registered Democrat, was despondent over Bush's defeat of Sen. John Kerry. A second source said Veal, who lived in Athens, Ga., and worked for the University of Georgia, was also adamantly opposed to the war in Iraq.

More than three years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Ground Zero remains a top tourist attraction, the site rife with symbolism.

Visitors there yesterday reacted in different ways to news of Veal's suicide. Bobbie Jensen, 54, a Republican from Phoenix, said that while she understood how Bush's victory disturbed those who dislike him, Ground Zero is not the place to act on those emotions.

'You can be upset about the war, about Bush, but this is a sacred place,' she said. 'You got to accept what happened and not kill yourself.' But Frank Franca, an East Village artist and registered Democrat, suggested the suicide was symbolic.

'I'm very moved by it,' he said. 'Obviously, this person was devastated. I can see why he would come here.'

Franca's friend, Jeffim Kuznetsov, a 25-year-old student from Russia who lives in Atlanta, said the suicide is evidence of how deeply many Americans were affected by Kerry's defeat.

'It's a national tragedy,' he said. 'This election is devastating to all who believe in democracy.'

Another visitor to Ground Zero, Arushi Raval, 34, a businesswoman who lives in Chelsea, said Veal might have been active in campaigning for Kerry, only to taste defeat.

'Maybe he felt ineffective,' she said of the victim. 'You feel ineffective if you tried and it all failed.

'I know so many New Yorkers who are depressed over this.'

Copyright � 2004, Newsday, Inc.

Rode out to High Ridge again but with a little loop down Franks to Lower Byrnes Mill and up Gravois. About 40 miles total. My leg was back to feeling 100% this morning. Just to play it safe though I drove out to Meramec instead of riding. It was an unnecessary precaution I feel, but its better to be cautious.

News Item of the Day: Lance Armstrong continues to fuel the mystery around his 2005 racing schedule as he told French sports daily L'Equipe in its November 6 edition that he still wasn't sure of participating in the Tour de France 2005.

"Honestly, I don't know if I'll be at the start," he said. "There are many other victories I would like to achieve in cycling before retirement. I've won six Tours and made history. Now it's time to move on to something else."

In the light of these statements, Armstrong's start at the next 'Grande Boucle' seems more and more unlikely. According to the newspaper, the American Tour champion would like to concentrate on the Spring Classics, amongst others Paris-Roubaix, which he finds " very exciting". The hour record is also reported to be a possible goal of the cancer survivor next season, as well as the Vuelta a España and the World Championships in Madrid. By deciding not to participate in the upcoming Tour de France, Armstrong would leave the race open for other contenders, as well as allowing himself to possibly add victories of other important races to his pro cycling career - an argument his critics have often raised against him.

Taking another rest day to heal up. There is still a little soreness about 6 inches above the knee when I put weight on the leg. Its not bad though. Hopefully I get through tomorrow's ride without incident.

News Item of the Day: World Cyclo-cross Champion Bart Wellens (Fidea) will not race this weekend, after his doctors advised him to rest from competition for a week. Wellens has not been at his best form this season and will use the week to recover from his efforts so far. If he is feeling good by next Tuesday, he will race in Niel. Otherwise, he will continue to take time out of competition.

Viewpoint: Very strange that a World Champ would come into the season in such poor form.

Yesterday's half hour on the trainer went well. The leg was still tight if I pushed downward too much. If I stayed smooth though, there was no problem. Afterward, I tried a heating pad for a couple hours to try and loosen it up. This morning the improvement continued, but its slow. With any luck it will good for the weekend like my hip after the first Bubba Memorial.

News Item of the Day: 2000 World Champion Romans Vainsteins (Lampre) has announced his retirement at age 31. With only one victory to his credit in the last three years, the sprinter told Latvian newspaper Diena that he couldn't get a contract for the money that he wanted and doesn't want to ride for team which isn't in the UCI top 20. Vainsteins plans to go into a furniture business with his brother, and his farewell race will be next summer in his home town of Kuldiga, Latvia.

Viewpoint: I had completely forgotten Romans was still racing the last few years. He was pretty darn good in 1999-2000 then drifted from view at what you would think would have been his prime racing age.

Last night I remembered having some Tiger Balm in my bike bag so I rubbed that on my thigh. Did it help? Maybe a little. This morning it was less sore than Tuesday night. Another night's rest might be just as likely a reason for the improvement but I think the Tiger Balm helped a little. Tonight, I think I will put a little more on. But first I am going to spin for a half hour on the trainer. Nothing hard. I just want to try and loosen up the muscle a little.

News Item of the Day: Australian Formula One driver Mark Webber plans to get together with six-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong for a spot of winter training. According to the website of his Williams team, Webber will travel to Texas some time during the next few months to train with Armstrong. Webber is a keen cyclist who regularly takes part in endurance mountain bike events and triathlons. He and Armstrong met at this year's Tour de France and have kept in touch since.

"I admire people that can do things that I can't do," said Webber, "I don't have many racing drivers as heroes because they do things that I can do, in a sort of way, so I don't really look up to them. I look up to Lance because of what he has gone through."

Despite being considered one of the fittest drivers on the Formula One circuit, Webber is under no illusions about his condition compared to that of a top pro cyclist, and expects riding with Armstrong to be no picnic. "I don't suppose I'll be leading him home," he said.

Viewpoint: I wonder if Lance laughs to himself a little when an average joe (even if they are fit) has the opportunity to ride with him. You know the other person is more than likely going to try and push themselves more than usual. Even so, Lance could probably ride away from them in a moments notice. What a feeling that must be.

I can't ride tonight because of a prior commitment. The right leg is still sore but maybe a slight bit better. With any luck, it will get a little better overnight and good spin on the trainer tomorrow will loosen it up some more.

News Item of the Day: Dutch cycling legend Gerrie Knetemann has died, aged 53, on Tuesday afternoon, November 2. The ex-World Champion and national coach of the Dutch road team felt unwell during ski training and was taken to hospital, where he died of heart failure. The exact cause of death is unknown.

Knetemann's professional career began in 1973, and during it he won the World Championship, Amstel Gold Race (twice), 10 stages in the Tour de France, Paris-Nice, Tour of the Netherlands (3 times) and Tour Méditerranéen (3 times). He retired in 1989.

My right thigh is really sore today. Not a muscle tear kind of hurt. Sore from exertion. Like when you have a muscle cramp that you cannot relieve for a long time. The muscle just aches afterward. The muscle was stiff before the race yesterday and the effort put forth must have been too much work. It didn't hurt during the race but its sore just bending at the knee now.

News Item of the Day: In the first tough cross race of the season Sven Nys (B) was able to show who the strongest rider of the young season really is. For about 15 minutes he tolerated the company of teammate Richard Groenendaal (Ned), but then he made a move and took off. Lap after lap he increased his lead winning the first race in de ‘Gazet van Antwerpen Troffee’ race series with authority.

The Koppenbergcross was considered the first honest test of the season. So far the weather has been good at all the races, making for fast courses that have not been very decisive. With a lot of climbing this race was almost guaranteed not to end in a mass sprint. Sven Nys wanted to make sure of that, and in the second lap he attacked and got a small gap on the field. Richard Groenendaal bridged the gap pretty smoothly, and the two teammates seemed to be all set for a Rabobank show. But Nys soon realized that he was stronger then Groenendaal and took of on his own.

The large chase group consisted Tim Van Nuffel, Vaclav Jezek, Mario De Clercq, Sven Vanthourenhout, Erwin Vervecken, Peter Van Santvliet, Ben Berden, Wim Jacobs, and Bart Aernouts. World Champion Bart Wellens did not have a good day at all and finished more then four minutes down from eventual winner Nys. Although there were a lot of hostilities, there was no chance they could gain any ground on the leaders. The group stayed together until two laps to go, when Davy Commyene (winner of last Saturday’s race in Dottenys) and Chocolade Jacques rider John Gadret escaped. The French Champion beat Commyene in the sprint.

Naturally Sven Nys was ecstatic after the race: “I was dreaming of a feat like this. This is a beautiful day, now I know why I did all the hard work this summer. Never before have I ridden the Koppenberg climb with such ease. I might have ridden the best race of my career here today. And with all these people here. This is really joyful. I’m not all that worried about the future, I already have six wins this season, and I am hoping to add a few more. And in the past I have shown to be very competitive at the end of the season.

”The strongest rider wins on the Koppenberg” according to Richard Groeoendaal. “Following Nys was impossible today. When I closed in on him in the second lap I already knew. Uphill I was not strong enough. I just decided to race my own tempo and assure myself of second place; that’s not too bad. Today I was the best of the rest.”

Viewpoint: I need to find out what is wrong with Wellens this year.