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2010 Tour de France Versus Media Call

cosmo — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:37:28 +0000

Versus hosted its media call for the 2010 Tour de France today, with Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen, Tyler Farrar, Christian VandeVelde and Levi Leipheimer all on the line at one point or another.

Highlights for me were Tyler saying the exposure to Dutch roads at the Giro will probably make things worse for the Tour, Phil saying the Schlecks “don’t have the brains” of Greg LeMond or Stephen Roche, and VandeVelde telling Phil not to drink too much while watching the race.

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
The whole call runs 41:15. Here’s an mp3 version; notes on where to find what are below.

Introduction
0:00 Katie Bradshaw
1:40 Phil’s Thoughts
2:57 Paul’s Thoughts

Q/A w/ Phil and Paul
04:00 Is the 2010 Tour more about riders or more about the course?
07:08 Which three Americans can make the podium?
08:00 Green Jersey competition designed for intrigue?
09:55 What’s it going to take for someone to beat Contador?
12:17 Thoughts on Vino’ and Basso coming back to the Tour?
14:10 What’s a day-in-the-life at the Tour like for you?
17:10 Podium picks?
20:15 Will SaxoBank be able to hold together as a team?
22:30 Can the Schleck Brothers ride alone?

Q/A with Farrar, CVV, and Levi
23:00 Farrar and VandeVelde arrival/introduction
24:05 Farrar and CVV Explain location, lead-up to Tour
24:37 To Tyler: What are your chances without Boonen and Haussler?
25:36 To CVV: How’s the form after your fall?
26:45 Levi arrival/introduction
27:10 To Tyler: Why are there so many Americans this time around?
28:27 To Tyler: Targeting stage wins or green jersey?
29:40 To Anyone: Will nerves be reduced due to Dutch roads in Giro?
30:40 To CVV: Compare form this year to last year?
32:00 To Levi: What is it like this year w/RadioShack vs. Last Year with Astana?
33:55 To Levi, CVV: You seem to do well in the Pyrenees. Do they favor you?
34:54 To Levi: Is there pressure because RadioShack is running out of Tours to win?
37:55 To Tyler: How to you mentally and physically get over big crashes in sprints?
39:27 To Tyler: How are the changes in the lead-out train coming along?
40:30 Thanks/Conclusion
41:00 CVV tells Phil not to drink too much

The Cyclocosm Audio Mailbox System

cosmo — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:31:44 +0000

Ever since I began the making How The Race Was Won videos, my propensity for mispronunciation has become more and more embarrassing.

In many ways, it’s not my fault—well over 90% of the information I consume on the sport comes from web text, which doesn’t do a great job of conveying linguistic nuance. In the rare instances when I do get access to an Anglophone talking about cycling in English, it’s usually Phil Liggett, who’s been known to maul a surname or two.

But while it’s clear that I’m not the only one screwing things up, I’d like to be the first to make a serious effort to fix the problem. I’ve set up a Google Voice account which will record and make downloadable copies of voice messages.

The next time I bungle a cyclist’s name, a foreign phrase, or a finishing town—or if you’d like to correct a past mistake/make a pre-emptive strike against a future flub—you can call and record your own properly-pronounced version. The number is (646) 801-2010; I’m in the US, so add the +1 for International calls. While the service is free, any normal charges from your carrier will still apply.

Of course, there’s no technical reason to limit this service to pronunciation, so if you’d like to leave a message on another topic, feel free. Keep in mind that the system will record whatever number you call from (though I will do my best to keep that information private), and unless you specify otherwise, I reserve the right to re-use your messages.

Requiem For a Vuelta Dream

cosmo — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:08:58 +0000

Because I love derivative works, and because Team Astana was so nice to provide me with a nice, juicy source file. And, of course, because Chris Horner’s season has been so unfair.

[download the mp3]

ESPN’s Schaap: Base, Not Age, Is Armstrong’s Problem

cosmo — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:13:01 +0000

Because I don’t want to be entirely useless today (see previous post) here’s an audio excerpt from a recent ESPN feature in which Jeremy Schaap claims another year is just what armstrong needs.

[mp3 version]

“…Convetional wisdom among the people who cover the Tour de France and the people who follow Lance Armstrong is that with a full year of training, he would be a contender next year; that the lack of top gear power that he’s shown so far is something that he might be able to recover…”

Topic probably worthy of discussion, especially following his much improved performance today.

Velonews Freakin’ Loves Me

cosmo — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:59:28 +0000

Coincidence that Velonews used the same idiom to describe the same action by the same rider in the same race as I did, just several days later?

Not that I care—I mean, we all know which video report you’d rather be watching, right?

Overheard at Roubaix

cosmo — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:09:01 +0000

Tommeke, Tommeke, Tommeke

The Belgian fans were blasting this when Boonen suddenly found himself alone with 24k to go. It doesn’t really get interesting until 1:50 in, but apparently this song was all the rage in the peloton back in 2006. In fact, I’d even have a video to show you if Velonews had bothered to archive their old crap. Alas.

Anyway, right-click here to download an MP3 for your listening pleasure.

Working on the video for today’s exciting Roubaix. Should be up sometime this evening.