Yeah, you can’t help but be excited for something like US ‘cross Nats, especially located as it is in the bike mecca of anywhere within two hours of Boston, MA. The Friday forecast is looking like the Collegiate race, at least, will be interesting. Here’s the official page (note the Harpoon Beer Garden) for more details. As always, volunteers are needed. I’d say I’d be there, but transportation is becoming an issue (hugs to VTrans for not salting, plowing or sanding Route 9 during that last snowstorm – I mean, there’s what, two other East-West roads in VT, so why bother maintaining that one). Transportation, however, will not be an issue for the US Junior ‘cross sqaud, as the previously useless people at Dopers Suck have finally decided to try and improve cycling, rather than just talk about why it sucks (a more elaborate assesment of “the movement’s” shortcomings can be found here).
In a what must be a rare moment of shared disappointment between Dopers Suck and myself, I was a little disappointed to see French prosecutors continue to seek a weak sentence for Raimondas Rumsas (scroll down). I’m not saying the European countries with anti-doping laws need to go all Singapore and start executing drug offenders, but no one will ever take the laws seriously if a slap on the wrist is the best you can muster for a case as high-profile (3rd in the ’02 Tour, still winning Gran Fondos) and rock-solid (car full of drugs, positive dope test) as the one against Rumsas.
In other dope news, though the Heras case has now entered Hamiltonian Equalibrium (guilty with only a touch of doubt, pending unlikely appeal), you’ve gotta admire the attitude of Vuelta-winner-apparent Denis Menchov, who has thus far refused to so much as pose in the Vuelta’s golden leader’s jersey. That interview in ProCycling (taken originally from AS) though typo-rich (‘sky and retiring’) and hilariously translated (‘touch wood’?! That has to have the same sexual connotations in England that does in America; the correct idiom would be “knock on wood”), is the first time I know of that Menchov has commented on the matter directly, rather than speaking through his directeur sportif.
actually, “touch wood” is used much more frequently to mean the same as “knock on wood” here in Canada without any sexual connotations (so it’s likely the same in England).
Yep, and in Ireland too…. Used much more often
Now if only we could get the girls to touch wood more often : )