Fantasy La Fleche

We need 4 more riders to make the field for tomorrow's fantasy Fleche Wallone! Howard Hesterberg has thrown down the gauntlet by stating his intention to sweep this final week of the major spring classics. Hving already taken Amstel Gold, he is one third of the way there! Entries due to me by 5am Wednesday morning!

Going big time

The official Luna Cycles website is now up and running! Check it out at www.lunacyclesnc.com

Huge win for Hesterberg!

Lenoir, NC (LC Press)- In a defiant show of experience, Howard Hesterberg has dominated this year's fantasy Amstel Gold race. The grand old man of the fantasy peloton placed an astounding 3 riders in the top 4. By picking Cunego, Schleck and Rebellin the "brewmeister" racked up an amazing 1st, 2nd and 4th place. The local fan base can breathe easy knowing that Hesterberg has passed the doping controls.

The strain of the past week's doping allegations showed in the performance of pre-race favorite, Max Dyer. In what initially looked like defiant show of force designed to wreak vengeance on those who had wrongfully accused him of doping, Dyer faded and could only muster 4th and 19th place. Newcomer John McMenemy showed flashes of brilliance, but came up short in the finale.

The next fantasy race will be La Fleche Wallone, this Wednesday. Email your 3 riders by 5 am Wednesday morning.

Free Dyer!

Lenoir, NC(LC Press)- Documents have just come into our possession which call into serious question the validity of fantasy cyclist Max Dyer's recent positive tests for doping. The documents show a string of serious and egregious testing errors in both methodology and protocol at the Hey Bo Muffler Shop and Drug Testing Lab, located in Lick Log, NC.

According to the leaked documents, Hey Bo had cut back on the use of its gas spectral chromatograph due to recent budgetary shortfalls. Instead of using the precision diagnostic equipment mandated by USADA and WADA, lab technicians were instructed to assess urine samples by sniffing them. If a urine sample was questionable, a "taste test" was used as the final determiner of a positive or negative result. According to one anonymous lab employee, technicians just flipped coins to determine whether a sample was positive or negative.

USADA has decided that it must drop all doping charges against Mr. Dyer, effective immediately. Dick Pound, former head of WADA and current board member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport released an unusually terse statement to the media: "I don't need proof to know that someone is a doper."

It is unclear at this time whether Mr. Dyer and his legal team have been made aware of this turn of events. Attempts to contact Mr. Dyer were unsuccessful.

Amstel Gold Fantasy Race

It's that time again! Send in your 3 rider picks for Amstel Gold by 5 am Sunday morning. We've got another Luna Cycles pro pack up for grabs. Scoring will be the same as Paris-Roubaix.

*due to recent doping scandals in the fantasy cycling peloton, we are pleased to announce our new partnership with the Agency for Fantasy Cycling Ethics. We are committed to ridding the fantasy cycling peloton of the scourge of doping and hope that you will join us in our committment to "Ride clean!"

Good luck!

Newsflash - Dyer clear to race!

Lenoir, NC (LC Press)- Before the "I Believe Dyer" and "Let Max Ride!" campaigns could even get started, an anonymous official within USA Cycling has leaked to the press that under the current anti-doping code, only cyclists and NOT fantasy cyclists can be sanctioned from competition. When contacted directly about this, USA Cycling issued a terse response confirming the anonymous report. This officially clears embattled fantasy cyclist, Max Dyer, for competition. This development paves the way for Dyer's participation in this weekend's fantasy Amstel Gold race.

While Dyer must still fight a legal battle to clear his name, he is currently clear to continue his spring fantasy classics campaign. This development may also bring him closer to closing the rumored deal with the Rock&Republic fantasy cycling team ahead of next month's fantasy Giro d'Italia.

Dyer implicates Mangina Cream

Lenoir, NC (LC Press) - In the latest press release from fantasy cyclist Max Dyer, his previously defiant tone in the face of recent doping allegations has now given way to a more defensive one. Dyer has now implicated his use of Chuck L's Mangina Cream, a popular chamois cream, as the exogenous source of cholinesterase inhibitors in his A sample.


In what the press has now dubbed the "anchovy oil for drugs" affair, the case has now become very unclear with the accused cyclist all but confirming the positive result before the return of the B sample results. According to Chuck Luddeke, president and CEO of Chuck L's Mangina Cream, released this statement in response to Dyer's accusation:

Chuck L's Mangina Cream is an all-natural chamois cream made from the finest anchovies, cayenne pepper and our patented blend of 12 secret herbs and spices all mixed in a smooth shea butter base. It is utterly impossible for this product to cause a cyclist, fantasy or otherwise, to test positive. We unequivocally deny these allegations from Mr. Dyer and will do whatever it takes to defend ourselves. We are currently looking into what legal recourse we have in this matter and will refrain from any further public comment.

Repeated attempts to reach Mr. Luddeke at his private retreat deep in the Tyrolean mountains were unsuccesful.

In documents provided by Mr. Dyer's legal team, data has been provided that shows how anchovies who have two sets of DNA as the result of a "vanishing twin" anchovy can have abnormally high concentrations of cholinesterase inhibitors in their spinal columns. It is the contention of Dyer and his legal team that this is the cause of the A sample positive, not a planned doping program.

USADA today released the results of Dyer's B sample test. The positive B sample confirms the A sample positive and immediately sanctions Mr. Dyer from further fantasy cycling competition.

Dyer defiant, Ball confirms

Lenoir, NC (LC Press) - In a statement issued yesterday, Max Dyer, embattled winner of Sunday's Luna Cycles Paris-Roubaix contest, defiantly stated his intentions to be confirmed as the true victor in the contest. Dyer also stated that he is currently in negotiations with Michael Ball of Rock Racing, but did not elaborate on what place he might have in that organization. Curiously missing from the press release was any denial of the charges leveled against him.

A local lab has leaked the positive results of Dyer's A sample for cholinesterase inhibitors, a drug which may have some effect on a rider's ability to see into the future. Called by many "a miracle of sports forecasting", Mr. Dyer's performance on Sunday showed him correctly picking the first 3 places in Sundays contest. USADA has declined comment on the case until the B sample test is completed.

In a telephone interview with Michael Ball, head of Rock Racing, he confirmed the negotiations between his organization and Mr. Dyer. "Are you kidding me? The guy picked the top three correctly, I mean, who wouldn't want a guy with those skills as a part of their team.", Mr. Ball stated. Rock Racing is currently looking at jumping into the fantasy cycling arena by fielding a Rock&Republic Fantasy Cycling Team. It is rumored that Dyer is being wooed as a potential directeur sportif for the upcoming Fantasy Giro d'Italia and this summer's Fantasy Tour de France. When pressed about trying to add yet another drug-scandal tinged cyclist to his organization, Mr. Ball remains defiant. "I don't care about the 'powers that be'. This is a team about winning and Max has shown he is a winner. We were partying at the Crazy Horse in Myrtle Beach just last week. The guy is all class and that's what Rock Racing is all about. I've got this 13 year old kid on the staff who is a total wiz with computers and excel spreadsheets and crap like that. You add Max to that kind of statistical firepower and magic is gonna happen!"

Newsflash

Lenoir, NC (LC Press) - The cycling world was rocked today by yet another doping scandal. Sunday's winner of the Luna Cycles Paris-Roubaix contest, Max Dyer, has returned a positive A sample. Declared the winner in Sunday's contest, Dyer chose the top 3 finishers on the days event, a result that seemed too astounding to be true.

An unidentified laboratory, deep in the woods of Appalachia has confirmed that Dyer's A sample has been found to contain unusually high concentrations of cholinesterase inhibitors, a class of chemical associated with Alzheimer's medications. Preliminary research has shown that high concentrations of these drugs in healthy people can cause temporary powers of divination (seeing into the future).

Dick Pound, former head of the World Anti-Doping Association and board member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, stated that Dyer should be immediately sanctioned from the sport. He went on to say, "I hope Mr. Dyer is able to see into his own future, because I am going to pursue this case with the same ferocity as I have every other doping case in cycling!"

Luna Cycles has suspended the awards ceremony for Sunday's contest until after the B sample test confirms the positive result.

We have a winner!

Picture courtesy of home2.scarlet.be

Boonen stepped up and claimed the cobblestone trophy on Sunday. I haven't watched the race yet, but the bits that I followed online were exciting. My picks for the day were Boonen, Hincapie, Devolder. While they all figured in the top ten, it was not the best 3 rider choice for the day's contest. The winner of the Luna Cycles pro pack is Max "ghost-faced killah" Dyer. He chose Boonen, Cancellara and Ballan who just happened to finish 1-2-3 on Sunday. Congrats, Max! You can stop by the shop and claim your prize!

God save the Queen!

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Come see the hardest men in the pro peloton duke it out over the worst cobblestones in Europe!

Hell, yeah! The Queen of the Classics, l'enfer du nord, none other than Paris-Roubaix is happening this Sunday. Current weather predictions are for rain, so we should see another epic and classic running of this brutal race. This year features an additional 150 meters of cobbles, but remember folks, these ain't just regular old cobbled roads. Nope, these suckers were built by the Romans, as in Caesar. You think it takes a while to get a pothole fixed in your neighborhood? Think about having to deal with roads that haven't been resurfaced in a thousand years!

To celebrate this most exciting one-day race, I'm offering up a Luna Cycles Pro Package (t-shirt, water bottle and socks) to the winner of our little Paris-Roubaix Pick the Winners contest. Here's the deal:

Pick 3 riders. They will be scored as follows-
PLACE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Points 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 15 10 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 1


Most points wins!

Tie breaker question: # of finishers (according to cyclingnews.com)

Email your picks and finisher # to me (must be in my inbox by Sunday at 5am est)

Must have at least 5 entrants to play, so spread the word!

Now go do your homework and email me your picks!

Enough with the weather, already!

Stijn Devolder takes Der Ronde de Van Vlaandren in the Belgian National Champion jersey!

The weather has been all over the map the past few weeks. Some days (inevitably days that I have time to get out on the bike) it has been cold, chilly, windy, rainy, wet and generally unfun approaching downright miserable. Then there have been brief sojourns into glorious springtime when you are warmed by a shining sun overhead and the birds chirp and sing in something out of a Disney cartoon. I'm ready for a more permanent spring. The elusive nature of pleasant weather has made the colder, grayer days that much harsher and I, for one, have had enough.

I do count my blessings that I am not in Belgium right now, staring down the barrel of the short, intense spring classics season that is now laid out upon the cobbles beckoning the flauhutes forward to glory (or disaster). Stijn Devolder burst out of the chaos to show that Quickstep are more than just a two-trick pony (Bettini and Boonen) to take the Tour of Flanders with panache (read more about it here). He is all set to give the peloton a good what-for in tomorrow's Gent-Wevelgem. The true gem, though, comes this Sunday with l'enfer du nord, Paris-Roubaix. The weather forecast is pointing towards classic Roubaix conditions:rain, mud, possible snow. There are some big men who are showing they are in with a shout: Boonen is claiming to have lots of power and the ability to win without the race coming down to a sprint; Magnus Backstedt is powering his way over the cobbles and claims that his form is coming along perfectly; even George Hincapie is showing glimpses of the right form for the cobbles in what can arguably be called his last legitimate shot at winning the Queen of the classics. Stay tuned...

Things have been pretty weather dependent around the shop. When the weather is good we're busy, when the weather is less than pleasant we're working on the bathroom (the soon to be unveiled, fully remodeled Taj Matoilet!). As a way of making room for Spring stuff, we are closing out all of our '07 and winter clothing for 20% off! We are also making an offering to the weather gods by putting all shorts and gloves on sale for 10% off! So something for the season that is passing and something for the season that is (hopefully) coming!

Last, but not least, get out and ride! Tuesday/Thursday rides are leaving at 5:30 and Saturday rides are leaving at 9am. Jeff and I have been doing some mtn. biking at Dark Mtn/Overmountain Victory and I think it is close to time for doing some Wilson's Creek mtn. biking. Give us a call or stop by the shop if you are interested in joining us for some fun in the dirt!

It's coming...

Paris-Roubaix is coming. If you have never seen it, you have no idea what you are missing. It is a race that can only be appreciated in terms of suffering and tragedy. It is a race that no amount of training and dope can ensure a finish, let alone a victory. I know many cyclists who dream of being Lance Armstrong and winning the Tour de France, but for me, my dream was to FINISH Paris-Roubaix.

There are not many moments in your life that can be recalled with crystal clarity, especially with the distance of time, but I can tell you what I was doing 2 weeks after Easter, 22 years ago. I was watching this:



on CBS Wide World of Sports. That cheesy John Tesh music still makes my heart beat faster with the thrill of bike racing. You think cycling is obscure now, try the 80's. The cyclists I hung around all seemed to be in on a big secret that nobody else knew about. All I know is that I fell in love with cycling watching Sean Kelly win the Paris-Roubaix. My friend Jason loves Kelly to this day, but back then he worshipped him. He emulated everything he could about Kelly (except for the atrocious position on the bike). I emulated Andy Hampsten who seemed like doomed quicksilver from the moment he set foot in Europe, but managed to win the Giro d'Italia in such an epic way that no one will ever forget it. I long for the less antiseptic racing of that era and Roubaix still offers glimpses of that greatness.

Early season inaction

Saturday was the first race of the season for me. A nice little road race near Albemarle. A nice rolly course, but with some seriously narrow roads that would make moving around pretty difficult.

I toed the line as one of the biggest non-threats in the peloton. Few could fathom how indecisive a role I would play in the days events. All went well as I rolled around, until the 500m mark. The moto official rode up the left side of the group and warned some riders to watch the yellow line. A flick, a touch and a little cascade of riders started breaking my way. I tried to avoid it but just couldn't. A biggish guy came right across my line. I caught him square, went over the bars, and somehow caught his top tube across the shins. With a presence of mind that reflects my experience, I chose to tuck and land on the big guy and surf him rather than the pavement. At this point in the crash cycle I began laughing loudly. We came to a stop, me laughing, big boy looking shaken and another guy faintly going "Unhhhhhhh" and clutching his arm to his chest in the international sign for "I have messed up and broken my collarbone."

Well, who'd a guessed you could crash in a Cat IV race for no good reason? Well, color me surprised! I ripped a hole in my new shorts, but no scrapes. The bonus is that I have definitively proven that my left shoulder is the heaviest part of my body. Throw me up in the air and I'll land on it first every time. I'm sore directly underneath a big scar from another road racing crash which is right on the point of collarbone that sticks up from my shoulder separation suffered during a mtb race many years ago. I've guess I'll have to do another one soon just to redeem myself...

In the "Will the idiocy never stop" department, check out the latest EPO scandal to rock the european sports world here. WTF indeed.

Your voices were heard!

Thank you to all of you who emailed and called to voice your concern over the incident involving Todd Brawell! Also, thank you to Lenoir Chief of Police Joey Reynolds for taking our concerns seriously enough to meet with Jeff first thing this morning at the shop. But the real attention should focus on Todd's interaction today:

I just wanted to let everyone know that I also have been contacted
by the Chief this afternoon. We had a very positive and lengthy
discussion about this matter. It is obvious that our voices have been
heard on this issue. The chief mentioned several times about all the
calls and emails he has recieved over this issue. I told him that the
cycling community feels strongly about this issue. I explained to him
that my issue wasn't seeing someone "get a ticket" but that I was
very concerned that this sets a very dangerous precedent. The chief
explained that even in automobile accidents they do not always cite.
I do not think this is a wise policy but it is the policy
nonetheless. He did go on to say that in all accident cases a report
is filed which shows the "contributing factors" to the accident. In
other words it declares "fault" in a round about way. I asked had
that report been filed in my case and did it show fault. He said he
would pull the report. I also asked if I could have a copy. I
explained that I thought a declaration of "fault" would be a step in
the right direction. Within 10 minutes I had the report delivered to
the church office. It does indicate that the driver of the
vehicle "failed to yield the right of way." I feel much better about
this situation after talking with the chief, receiving the report,
and seeing how they responded to this issue after so many voiced
concern. I ended the conversation by assuring the chief that I
support the very difficult work they do in law enforcement and that I
appreciated him contacting me personally. Thanks to all who voiced an opinion in this issue. Your voices were heard loud and clear.

Todd

Chief Reynolds voiced some concerns with Jeff in their meeting this morning that I would like for us all to address. Let us be very clear in acknowledging the support that the Lenoir Police Department and Chief Reynold in particular have shown towards cycling and cycling events in our community. The police department has always been helpful and courteous whenever we have approached them with regards to an event. One thing that was foremost in the conversation was the question posed by the police, "What would you like us to do?" This seemed to be posed in a way as to what would we ,the local cycling community, hope to gain from voicing our concerns in this matter. That is a big, weighty question...

Jeff and I have both had friends who were killed by drivers who "didn't see" the cyclist that they ran over. In all of these instances, the cyclists were obeying the laws and were killed by drivers who were guilty of some minor traffic infraction, such as failure to yield the right of way. I would hope that by our vocalizing concern for how this situation was handled, that the police department might take these "minor" traffic infractions a bit more seriously. It is important for all of us to realize that the only protection that we have while riding is from the code of safe conduct that is embodied by the traffic law. I hope that the message we gave to the police department is how disheartening it is to feel that the apparent protection of the law might not really be there for us. I for would like to see our voices of concern heard now by those who are charged with protecting our safety, rather than having to wait for more sorrowful circumstances. For me, ghost bikes are too late.

We are all loved by someone, be it our parents, spouses, children or friends. We all deserve to be safe. We all deserve to be seen.

Let Chief Reynolds know that we appreciate his attention to our concern and that we hope to maintain a meaningful dialogue with the Police Department over matters of cycling safety.

WTF

I have been putting this post off in the hopes of having a nice ending for it, but that ship has apparently sailed (for the time being). Last week, everyone's favorite bike ridin' preacher, Todd Braswell, had the unfortunate experience of being hit by a car while riding his bike to work at Lower Creek Baptist Church.

Todd was in the middle turning lane on Hwy 18 waiting for traffic to pass in order to turn left onto a side road. A car was at the stop sign of this side road waiting to make a left turn on to Hwy 18. Traffic cleared and Todd began to make his turn. The driver at the stop sign initiated his turn at the same time and hit Todd. Todd was lucky in that his injuries were minor. However, the police officer who responded to the accident decided not to cite the driver of the car because the driver stated that "he didn't see" Todd.

This is a very bad situation. It is my (and many others) firm belief that had this been two cars, a citation would have been written. What the driver in this situation did was fail to yield the right of way to another VEHICLE. Todd was lucky, but we must do everything in our power to voice our concern over this situation. We can't let the precedent be set that as long as a cyclist isn't too badly injured it's okay to hit them with your car. We must BE VOCAL!

Cycling is very popular in our area. We have two major cycling events that bring 500 to 800+ riders each to this area. Cycling is closely associated with our area and contributes a great deal of money to our local economy. We must preserve the safety of our roads.

Get involved.

1. Write a letter to the editor of the New Topic (Here is the contact link)

2. Email the Lenoir Chief of Police, Joey Reynolds (also a cyclist):
jreynolds@ci.lenoir.nc.us

3. Email the Sheriff of Caldwell County:
ajones@caldwellcountync.org

Don't take this lying down! Let your voice be heard!

Math lesson

Despite the fact that I teach Physics and used to teach Math, sometimes simple mathematics is beyond my comprehension. The latest math problem to blindside me has been a fairly simple equation, to wit:

2 adults + 2 dogs + 1 (destructive) cat + 1 eighteen month old baby boy



less than 1000 square feet of stuff

Now, I hear the naysayers among you saying that that is plenty of room to cram together all that stuff. Others may want to post comments regaling me with tales of how they grew up in a family of 22 that all lived comfortably and happily in a 12ft by 12ft Tuff Shed. Great. I'm happy for you, but for us the situation is tight.

This is a pretty roundabout way of saying that I haven't been posting lately due to a severe case of the lifestyle pare-downs. I have been posting everything that isn't nailed down on ebay. Want a slightly overripe banana? Do a search, I might have put one up for auction at the rate I'm going!

In case you haven't seen or heard: the new Sledgehammer Charlie's team kits are here and they look awesome! Look for us clad in our new white, orange and gold kits as we train and race this coming year! But you might want to avert your eyes from the groin region if it's a rainy day!

Things are happening as far as the shop is concerned. We have a new logo which now adorns the fresh batch of water bottles we just got in. I have finished doing the stud work in the bathroom, electricity has been run and a new toilet and sink are just around the corner! But the biggest news of all is that we have an official website that will be going live in the next month! You can check it out at lunacyclesnc.com and stayed tuned for the full version.

Lastly, in an effort to get some of you to retire some of your less becoming cycling clothing and to celebrate the coming warm weather that should be here soon (fingers crossed) we are putting ALL of our clothing that is in stock on sale for 20% off! This includes winter clothing and fresh '08 spring clothing!

And now to share a more personal story. I have recently begun to experience the effects of rapid cognitive degeneration. The evidence that I have for this is that by thursday of this week, I will be registered to race in the Burn 24 hour mtn. bike race that will be taking place May 24-25! I have myself on a very strict training program that consists of riding at least one day a week and slowly rubbing my butt with sand paper for 2 hours every night. In true training fashion, I will be decreasing the grit of the sandpaper each week until just two weeks before the event and will then taper the last two weeks with just a scotchbrite pad so that I will be good and recovered for the race! I will be racing as either a duo or possibly a team (what say ye, Todd?), so stay tuned for more details...

on parenting

When we first found out that we were going to become parents, everyone we knew who had a kid said some variation of the same thing: "Everything about your life is going to change." Now I recognized the validity of this statement and even glimpsed the "abandon all hope ye who enter here" veiled pathos in the eyes of some who uttered these words, but I think I'm beginning to plumb new depths in this realm.

Beyond the occasional well-placed and utterly charming kick to the groin that I encounter during a diaper change and aside from the new fad of flinging hard, dense and sharp-edged toys at Daddy when his back is turned, there are a few things that I think we are starting to enter new territory on.

As we live in a small house and an eighteen month old seems to occupy more physical area than the laws of physics would seem to support (it's like the reverse of Dr. Who's Tardis), our two dogs, Kai and Jenny, are spending more and more of their lives down in the basement and in the backyard. This past weekend I finally became fed up with the state of our basement and embarked on "the big push" to bring order to the chaos. Over the course of this effort, I have uncovered one of the greatest mysteries of our time: how can 2 medium sized dogs (combined weight=110 pounds) shed approximately 4300 lbs. of hair in 6 months? Now, my weight estimate of the gargantuan hairball may be off slightly, but I think you see the point. If humans lost this much of their bodies in the same amount of time we would literally look like toothpicks.

As if this discovery were not enough for one weekend in the Moore household, a second more important discovery was made. What we have discovered promises to alter the very fabric of how fathers will view taking care of their sons from this point forward. We've all been there: mom needs some time to herself (or just needs to get away) and Dad is faced with taking care of his eighteen month old son for a couple of hours. After reading Tickle, tickle for the fiftieth time in a row ("Squelch, squelch in the mud. Splish, splash, scrub-a-dub. Gently, gently brush your hair. Tickle, tickle under there." Yes, I have it memorized along with a LOT of others) you are starting to get a little punch drunk. Said toddler looks on the verge of some sort of emotional release that is sure to include crying and you get that panicky, "What do I do?" running on a loop in your head. Let me assure you, this has NEVER HAPPENED to me. Ever. Period. End of story. But, for those poor unfortunate souls who find themselves in this "hypothetical" situation for real, I present to you: Heavy Equipment Videos. Thanks to nearly 30 years of high level scientists working to advance computer technology and the internet, we have the ultimate way to occupy a little boy! I'm not sure how Owen got so into heavy equipment (he has a special fondness for front-end loaders), but thankfully, enough forward thinking (and brilliant) fathers have posted heavy equipment videos to the internet that his obsession can be easily sated. If you find yourself in this position, try it out and see how well it works!

Sheldon Brown

Many people are writing about the passing of Sheldon Brown yesterday. I don't want to do a disservice to Sheldon by describing him, instead I encourage you to check out his unique and quirky website. My thoughts are with his family and friends. Cyclists and cycling lost a truly great lover of the two-wheeled machine.

No excuses

For anyone with even a passing interest in reading what I have to say, I'm sure that my saying that I have stepped back from frequent posting comes as no surprise. My real job has been claiming more and more of my evenings, making it that much harder for me to keep up with what is going on in the world of cycling, let alone write about it. For example: I haven't even watched 'cross world's yet. For anyone who knows me, this surely is a sign that I am greatly indisposed.

However, I am not unaware of some of the more major happenings in the world of pro cycling and this week saw a doozie. Astana (II- electric Johan Bruyneel-aloo) were utterly dissed by the Giro who decided that the Disco' - uh, scratch that- Ass' Boys would not disgrace the hallowed italian roads with their tainted wheels. Further, ASO is saying that Contador is not a done deal for starting the TdF this year. Oh, that pesky Puerto investigation just won't go away. Interesting in it's exclusion from the Giro is Team High Road who may now have a big target on their back after getting up on their high horse to prove how clean they are. I guess those visits to the hospital to get all of those blood infusions just didn't strike anybody as kosher in Italia.

The big winner in all of this is Team Slipstream who look to be in the catbird seat. What a deal to essentially be a Pro Tour team without all the hassle or expense. Trust me, everyone is going to be tripping all over themselves to invite these guys to their races.

We are starting to get some glimpses of non-winter weather and this week had some truly nice days. Amazingly enough, after weeks of looking like a ghost town, the nice weather brought people into the bike shop in droves. New bikes went out the door like spring had sprung. But don't fret about quiet winters in the bike shop. We planned a bunch of remodeling for this downtime and if you've seen the way we've ripped the bathroom out, you know bike mechanics with time on their hands can be a dangerous thing.

This week I'm going to be going to Asheville for a school conference. The bonus is that I will be staying at the Grove Park Inn for free! I can't wait!