and now a few for the sprinters

Okay, time to look like a hyper astute sports know-it-all. My predictions for the next few stages are as follows: a few guys attack early and stay away for a long time, just when you think they could stay away the sprinter's teams make the "professional catch" and setup for the final 2 or 3 kilometers. Everybody goes really fast and then this one really fast guy crosses the line first. There. Now watch and see if I'm right.

The real days are Saturday's time trial. The Chicken better have his A game for that one 'cause it has some descending and we all know how well he has handled those types of tt situations in the past. Kloden could become a real giant killer on such a stage. And then on Sunday we hit the Pyrenees with a vengeance the likes of which haven't been seen since the K-T boundary event that wiped out the dinosaurs. (Sorry, trying to get back into teacher mode)

I hope that Linus Gerdemann has coughed up the 5 cents that Lucy charges for psychiatric counseling since he lost the white jersey to Contador. Oh yeah, and his T-Mobile teammate Sinkewicz managed to hit a spectator coming down the mountain after Sunday's finish which left him with injuries that forced him to withdraw from the tour and then just happened to test positive for testerone with a 25 to 1 t/e ratio. Remember that Landis' t/e was 11 to 1 at last year's tour, but Matthias Kessler came up positive earlier this season with a t/e ratio of 85 to 1. Due to this positive test German TV has ceased airing coverage of the Tour.

On the lighter side of the Tour, check out this article on the superfan phenomenon at the Tour:
William Fotheringham essay

For those of you without VS. network coverage who can't make it by the shop to watch each day's stage, check out the Euro play by play call by the boys at The Guardian by clicking on the Tour de France - Live! link.

Pardon the mess at the shop right now, we're doing some demo work and remodeling. We'll put the hammers down and hang out when you come in though!