Ah, [inhales deeply] no racing today! (Ok, well, a little racing. But I’m gonna ignore it.) Nothing to fetter my otherwise irrepressible polemicism! I’ll begin with Bjarne Riis, who regrets nothing about the Ivan Basso affair. Bjarne, you bald-headed hypocrite, just a few months ago you were pining away like a jilted lover. You can’t…
Fleche-Wal-*yawn*, More Euro Idiocy
Ah, La Fleche-Wallone, quite possibly my least favorite one-day race. Since 2004, it’s been decided by a moronic group sprint from the bottom of the at-least-entertainingly-steep Mur de Huy. The winner this year, as then, was Davide Rebellin. Score another major ’07 win for Gerolsteiner (and German teams in general), and another victory for predictable,…
The Passion of the Floyd Continues
Ah, there’s nothing like struggling with the eccentricities of your local shop, assembling a new bike, changing banks, attempting to file a warranty claim with a defunct company, sending in ludicrous hard-copy forms after filing taxes on-line, correcting addresses (since the benefits and payroll offices at my “real” job can’t seem to compare records…) and…
My Selection Process, Saunier, Amstel Previews
You’ve probably wondered how I decide which races I’m gonna talk about here on Cyclocosm. Well, there’s a method to my madness; I call it the “HR Department Solution”. Obviously, at this point in the season, there are more races than I have time to cover, so when some race I’ve never heard of before,…
End of the '07 Cobbles; LeFevere, Boonen
What a fantastic week to be a native Anglophone! First O’Grady takes Roubaix, then Mark Cavendish clips a whole bunch of big names to take the Scheldeprijs. I am officially putting Chris Horner on the top of my Amstel favorites list. Of course, T-Mobile hasn’t been doing poorly, either. Cavendish’s win marks their second in…
Ugh, Misery
Do not worry, gentle reader! I have not forgotten you. But it’s been a long and brutal series of days. Stuck in New York, wandering around lost (relatively speaking) in Brooklyn at 4am. April Nor’easters. Oh, and my bike frame is broken, meaning I have a “G” of parts (not counting the parts I already…
Sarthe, Vasco, Roubaix Build-Up
Honestly, the only reason I even know the Circuit de Sarthe exists is because of that DVD, The Road To Paris. The 2001 Postal Squad is grumpy ’cause the haven’t won any races, and so, to remind everyone that the real goal is the TdF, Johann gives them a little pep talk. Johann Bruyneel: Anyone…
Wevelgem Recap, Stupid Statist Tricks
Man, I sure can pick ’em. My call for today’s Gent Wevelgem was Daniele Bennati; DNS. But hey, the guy who did win the race, Marcus Burghardt, has been on my list since Het Volk. It’s nice way to open your pro account – rocking the top-step in a one-day ProTour classic. And T-Mobile –…
Cobbles Only, Weveglem, What Do You Mean It's Legal?
I’m sorry, folks, but the Tour of Pais Vasco really isn’t cutting it for me. Some dude named “Cobo”? When are all these big guns gonna throw down? Valverde? Sammy Sanchez? Where you at? Ok, yeah, you could say that Tricki Beltran is a pretty big name – a big name domestique. I see these…
'07 Flanders Post-Mortem
So I managed to miss both Wells Ave and the first 250-some-odd kilometers of the Tour of Flanders this weekend. The culprit of my absence? Belgian flu. The Belgian-style white strain, to be precise. No matter – it was a good final 6k, right? Well, not so much if you’re name’s Leif Hoste, but I…