A sight I never thought I'd see

If a picture is worth a thousand words...this one is good for a few million.

H.T.F.U.

Col du Galibier kicked my ass

I rode from Valloire up to the top of the Galibier on Monday. I have never felt so crappy on the bike in my life.

Chalk it up to a number of negatives, all coming together at the same time. Ugh. Click here to read the full story on Pez.

But...after that ride, I have a whole new relationship with pain. My peeps better watch out.

Au revoir, le Tour de France

I've been a bit lax on the postings in the past couple of weeks, due mostly to the fact that I've been up to my neck in bikes, long drives, little sleep, no food, hot sun and drunken Euro-fans...and I've loved every minute of it.

If you want to catch-up on the latest adventures, check out my postings on Pez. I'm off to Nice, France for a couple days of R&R, then back home via London...and back to reality. Or whatever passes for reality in Marin County.

On the podium at the Tour de France?

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a whole bunch of the girls who present the various jerseys to the daily winners on the Tour de France podium.

The good news...they are very cute, and incredibly nice. The bad news...none of them are Rhodes scholars.

But...they are willing to play along.

Check out my Pez story on all the podium popsies, here.

The beauty of le Tour

Forget the dopers, and the crashing, and all the weasels with the money that dictate the rules and regulations. This is still a beautiful sport. The shot above is from today in Diksmuide, Belgium.

Absolute poetry.

Making a deal with the Devil

Greetings from the Tour de France!

Y'all can write your own caption to this one.

Vive le Tour...vive la France!

I'm off to Europe today to follow the Tour de France. First to London, then into Belgium, through France, all the way to the stage finish in Briancon. Watch for my reports on Pez, starting Monday July 9th.

It's going to be a bit of a sad, interesting Tour this year. With the looming cloud of continuing doping suspensions hanging over the race, there's no telling what the actual competition will be like. Personally, I think it will come down to a battle between the Astana boys, Vino and Kloeden. They'll probably end up attacking each other. Fine by me.

But...I'm secretly hoping that the suspensions will see more riders booted from the race. Why? Well, I figure that if the suspensions reach deep enough into the peleton, I've got a shot! I'm taking my helmet and my pedals with me, just in case!

Yeah, that'll happen.

Happy Birthday to me!

Another trip around the sun has been completed. 52 down, who knows how many left to go!

Riding' with Rachel

Check out today's column in the Marin IJ, here.

Tears Dry on Their Own - Amy Winehouse (new clip)

My new favorite girl singer. OK, she's a bit quirky, but you've got to like her originality. See for yourself.

"Wind in the hair...lead in the pencil!"

OK, I stole the line...and the photo...from Garrett Breedlove (Jack Nicholson's character in "Terms of Endearment").

I had the most amazing bike ride today. Riding alone into the headwind out Sir Francis Drake and Nicasio Road was not a lot of laughs, but once I made the turn on Petaluma Road and headed up toward Novato, everything changed.

The headwind was now a tailwind, and it was blowing at just about the same speed as I was going. The result...complete silence. It was amazing...instead of the steady whoosh of wind past my ears, all I heard was the hum of the tires on the road. And if I rode right on the white line that separates the bike lane from the traffic, the tires rolled along without making any noise at all. Damn, what a day!

Is this heaven? No, it's Marin.

Want to see the GPS stats from the ride? Click on the red headline, above.

On the road in Italy

Want to see something pretty cool? Want to feel what it's like to ride on the road that runs along Lake Como, between Como and Bellagio?

Click here to see it. It will spawn a QuickTime player. If you don't have QuickTime, it should prompt you to download.

Vive il sogno!

Yup, I'm "living the dream" for the next ten days, reporting from the Giro d'Italia for Pez Cycling News (www.pezcyclingnews.com).

The first stop...Reggio Emilia. I need a couple of days here to get my act together and get rid of the jet lag. I've spent the last 24 hours wanding around the town, not sleeping much, and falling in love at every turn.

Maybe it's just my perspective, but every woman I see is better looking than the last. But...and this is a BIG but...they all smoke. Without exception. Forget it! I'll just keep my distance and look, thankyouverymch.

Oh, and the sign above? The direct translation is "to come down from the bicycle." I think it means "don't ride your damn bike here!"

But, in truth...this is a very bike-friendly town. I think that at birth, everyone here is handed three things:

1. A bicycle

2. A cell phone

3. A cigarette

Too bad only one of these things is actually good for you.

Watch this space...more to come.

Ivan Basso...why did you lie?

From VeloNews:

Ivan Basso on Monday confessed to the anti-doping prosecutor of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) that he was involved in the Operación Puerto blood doping scandal.

CONI said the 2006 Giro winner came to them of his own accord and offered to cooperate with their investigation and clarify his part in the scandal.

The 29-year-old Basso now faces a ban from cycling of up to two years and an additional two-year exclusion from riding on ProTour teams. If his doping is connected to his 2006 Giro win, authorities could also strip him of that title.

"He wasn't feeling good and he wasn't calm, and he wanted to lift a weight off his conscience," said Basso's lawyer Massimo Martelli. "During the interrogation he was shaking, but then he regained his composure to show great character."

Ivano Fanini, owner of Italian cycling team Amore and Vita, was happy to see Basso come clean.

"I knew it would finish this way and it could be a great chance for things to change," he said. "Basso has shown his intelligence and understands that this is the right road to take.

"He mustn't only think about saving himself, and I hope that what he has done proves to be important."

Basso, last year's Giro d'Italia winner and a pre-race favorite for the 2007 Tour de France, is one of dozens of riders implicated in the Puerto investigation.

The scandal erupted before last year's Tour De France when Spanish police uncovered an alleged blood doping network run by doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.

Police discovered bags of blood and doping products on a raid on Fuentes's laboratory in Madrid, along with codenames of cyclists and documents which suggested the doctor had been paid to manipulate and store blood.

Last year, Basso's implication in the scandal cost him his place at the Tour de France.

UCI president Pat McQuaid expressed his dismay at hearing the news.

"Most of all I am very sad that a talented rider like Basso seems to have been involved in some illicit practices," he said. "On the other hand I'm trying to look at this news in a more positive light. Our constant efforts, with our other cycling partners, to put cyclists under pressure are paying off.

"Right now it's not easy to break the rules," he added.

Last week Basso parted company with the Discovery Channel team after CONI had called him to a hearing to answer doping charges.

Up until now Basso had protested his innocence. He was initially acquitted by CONI of any involvement in the scandal due to what Italy's governing body for sport described as insufficient evidence.

But CONI reopened its investigation after German officials matched blood seized in the Puerto raids to 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich.

Until now, Basso had refused to submit to DNA testing, but in recent weeks the pressure to do so was increasing.

Before there was Lance, there was Greg

Greg Lemond is the first American to ever win the Tour de France. But his victory in 1986 was overshadowed by a serious hunting accident in April of 1987. He came back from that incident even stronger, winning the Tour again in 1989 and '90.

His eight-second win over Laurent Fignon, in the time trial that ended on the Champs Elysees in Paris, is still one of the all-time great moments in sport.

So, anyway...Greg was in Yountville on Sunday for the Tour de Cure. It's a fund-raiser for the American Diabetes Association, and Greg is the national honorary chairperson.

For a stud athlete, among all of these bike-wankers, he was amazingly gracious. He shook every hand, posed for every picture, and generally made himself available to any and all who wanted to chat.

He especially liked the girl with the pink hair.

Nice.

Auf wiedersehen, Europa

This was my view as I walked backed to my hotel from the get-together/dinner at the Carbon Expo in Cologne.

The food was good...the view is better.

I've been told that this is the most-traveled railroad bridge in the world. No wonder the Allies blew the hell out of it in WWII.

Back home tomorrow...then back in Europe for the Giro d'Italia on May 17.

I can't wait.

Today's version of "Where's Waldo?"

Can you spot this intrepid reporter amongst the gaggle of bikes at the starting line of Sunday's Liege-Bastogne-Liege race?

Hint: I'm wearing black.

What`s the deal, Dave?

Michelangelo's classic sculpture of David is one of the great works of art in the history of mankind. It signaled the beginning of the Renaissance in Italy. The clean lines, semi-erotic form and unmistakable power were unlike anything the world had ever seen before.

So, what the hell is this? A full-size version of The David stands in Cologoen, Germany, between the Cathedral and the Rhine River. It draws crowds like files to...well...honey.

But...a pink David? Somewhere, a great artist is spinning like a lathe.

Alone in Cologne

Those of you who know me well know that I'm not a ig-time religious guy. It's my feeling that religious beliefs should be a basically private affair, so many of the trappings of modern-day religions (regardless of denomination) kinda give me a rash.

But...I could not helped but be awed by the giant cathedral in Cologne, Germany. When you exit the main train station in Cologne, the church is right there...BANG...in front of you. It's pretty impressive.

I did a bit of research...apparently, construction was begun in the mid-1200s, and wasn't completed until some 600 years had passed. And I was pissed that my contractor couldn't get my carpet installed in two days!

Apparently the allied bombers that pretty much wiped-out Cologne in WWII had specific orders NOT to hit the cathedral. The building did sustain some collateral damage, but no direct hits.

Pretty amazing.

La Redoute...French for "the fear"

We hit the climb up the legendary Redoute about half-way into our 52-mile ride today in the blazing Belgian sun.

It starts out pretty mild...a few twists and turns, on what amounts to little more than a bike path along side the freeway. About a third of the way up the 2.3km hill, there's a granite monument memorializing something that I didn't understand.

After that, the climb gets tougher...and tougher...and tougher. Leg-breaking sections that, I swear, must have hit at least 20%. And I'm going up this beast on a rent-a-Ridley bike. I'm accustomed to grinding up the hills on a 52-42-30 triple, but this machine is equiped with a 50-34 compact crank. It's OK, but with my knees, it's a real struggle.

The good news...I didn't have to get off and walk, like a lot of the other mortals who were on the same attack. But...merde...it was tough. Not as tough as yesterday's climb up the Cote de Stockeu, but a real bitch all the same.

"The Fear"...yeah, they named this thing correctly.

For the record...three days, 178 miles, at least a bazillion feet of climbing, and temps in the 80s the entire time.

Damn, I love Belgium!

Wust is no wuss

German uber-stud cyclist Marcel Wust joined us for our second day of riding in Belgium.

This guys is the real deal...he's won stages in the Tour, the Giro and the Vuelta. He retired in 2000, but even at age 40, he still kicks some major ass.

The truly amazing thing...Marcel should be dead. He had a big-time crash back in '00, and it left him with major skull fractures and only one eye. He was touch-and-go for a number of days after his crash, but he pulled through.

These days, he rides just for fun, but he's stayed in great shape. How good is he these days? Well, on Friday, we were crusing along, about 50 miles into our ride in the Belgian hills, and he decided to draft a passing truck...uphill...on a 3% grade! He hung on the guy's bumper for about a 0.5km, then let him go.

"Wust-ie" came back to our group, and I said (in my best broken German), "Du bist krank in der kopf!" (You are sick in the head). He replied, in English, "No, not sick...just a little crazy."

Marcel, you have my utmost respect.

A big day in Belgium

Let's see...just over 66 miles, more than 8,700 feet of climbing...and did I mention that it was 83 degrees for most of the day? Welcome to global warming, my friends!

But this is a whole lot more enjoyable than what Belgium is usually like this time of year. The "spring classics" are traditionally greeted with big-time wind and rain. The change this season has the locals a little flipped-out, but what the heck...if this is Thursday, it must me Belgium!

Hit the red headline, above, if you want to see all the stats from today's ride.

Safely on the ground, ready to ride

I've safely arived in Belgium for a few days of riding and then the legendary Liege-Bastogne-Liege spring classic on Sunday.

There are already a few rumblings of the race already. The Palais de Justice is decked out in signage for Sunday. By the time the actual race rolls out, it should be full-on nuts here.

And by Sunday, I'll have 170+ miles of Belgian hills and hollows in my legs.

Oh, BTW...my pick for the race? Paolo Bettini. You heard it here first.

Euroweather this week

It's looking good for southeast Belgium for the next few days. ..highs in the upper 70s, lows in the mid 50s. Tres bien!

Stupid is as stupid does

Nearly every day, I pass Coleman Elementary School on the way home from my morning ride. On most days, the kids are out on the playground when I ride by, and I usually go unnoticed.

But today, when I was cruising past Coleman, one of the kids bolted from his group, ran over to the fence, looked at me and yelled, "Pedal, Forrest...pedal!"

I laughed so hard I nearly fell off my bike.

Bound for Belgium

I'm off to Belgium this week, for an up-close-and-personal look at the last of the big spring classic races, Liege-Bastogne-Liege (for more on the event, click the headline above).

Springtime racing in Europe is unlike anything we have here in the US. The weather can be mean and nasty...and so can the riders. This photo from last week's Paris-Roubaix race is a great example of the grit that a race like this extracts...and deposits...on all the competitors in the field.

Watch http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/ this week for my reports from Belgium.

Bubba and the Band

This is from Leah Garchik's column in today's

San Francisco Chronicle:

LEAH GARCHIK

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Bill Clinton was here this weekend, and "everyone just loved him,'' said Cindy McCullagh, who organized what she called "a gathering of old friends'' Friday night in his Fairmont suite. The roughly 20 guests included Google guys Sergey Brin and Larry Page with Lucy Southworth, Steve Jobs and Laurene Powell Jobs, former Defense Secretary Bill Perry, Herb and Marion Sandler, Dick Blum, Gavin Newsom, Susie and Mark Buell, Martha Whetstone, Walter Shorenstein and former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers Laura Tyson. Clinton was in blue jeans.

After a Saturday morning hike to the Embarcadero and up the Filbert steps, Clinton put in his appearance at a KCBS health event. The Eyewitness Blues Band performed a few numbers before his arrival, but due to over-schmoozing, there wasn't time for music later, and organizers' dreams of a Clinton jam didn't come true.

Interviewed onstage Saturday by KCBS' Mike Sugerman, Clinton got testy when Sugerman interrupted his history of Iraq to ask what he would do. "After 15 minutes, I wanted him to get to the point,'' Sugerman said Monday. "I'm CBS, not NPR.'' The newsman, who'd just seen a tape of a Clinton set-to with Chris Wallace, says Clinton gave him "exactly the same look, (pointing) with the exact same finger. It was scary.''

Later, Sugerman was driving home when Clinton called, wanting to explain -- despite various cell phone blips and the need for repeated calls -- his concerns with health care and with heart problems they'd both had. "So e-mail that story of yours to my foundation, and next time I'm out here, I'll prepare and I'll play my horn with you guys,'' he said. But "he never gave me his e-mail'' address, Sugerman said. "How is he going to get my story?''

(The calls to Sugerman prove my theory. Difference in professions aside, Bill Clinton is Tony Soprano: undisciplined, passionate, powerful, approval seeking and irresistible. Smart Hillary/good girl Carmela loves him and the power of being attached to him.)

Sea Otter update

Chris Holland, the guy I wrote about in the Marin IJ newspaper last week (see below) survived his first race, the Cat 5 circuit event at the Sea Otter Classic on Friday in Monterey.

Before the start, I hooked Chris up with a couple of riders from the local Village Peddler team (note: Thanks, Eric!). Chris hung with them on the first eight-mile lap. He was in the lead group, but then on the second of five laps, he got dropped.

Still, Chris finished in the middle of the pack overall. Not bad for your first race, against some pretty tough competition. And considering where he was less than a year ago, it was a helluva accomplishment.

Off-topic

OK, this has nothing to do with cycling, but it's still pretty cool.

I spent part of the day on Saturday with Bill Clinton. Yeah, that Bill Clinton. I was there to take pictures for my friends in the "Eyewitness Blues Band" (if you want to know more about the band, click on the red title above).

I admit...I was not a big Clinton supporter while he was in office, but when you meet the guy face-to-face, you can't help but be sucked into his charisma. And when he turns and looks directly at you, and says, "Here's what you can do..." you can't help feeling a bit awe-struck.

As I told someone last night, "Clinton is like Elvis...without the drug problem and the silk scarves."

Haulin' Holland

Ya know, sometimes I actually enjoy this job.

In today's Marin IJ newspaper, there's a story on Chris Holland. His dad Mike and I have been friends for years, and in a very round-about way, I'm sorta responsible for Chris' passion for riding a bike. It's a long story...I'll spare you the details.

Chris has a better story to tell. It's a story that can help us all put life and struggle into a new perspective. Click on the link above to read all about it.

Risibisi Rain Ride

It was a great Saturday! 60+ cyclists...the open roads of Sonoma County...enough undulating hills to keep everyone honest...and spitting rain for the first hour. OK, the last part was a real bitch. But the rest of it was great!

Check out the photos by clicking on the red headline, above.

BTW...the next Risibisi Ride is set for Saturday, May 12. Mangia, mangia!

Yawn Ullrich

Reports out of Europe say that experts have been able to match the DNA in samples taken from cyclist Jan Ullrich and the DNA extracted from bags of blood products siezed in Spain as part of the "Operation Puerto" affair.

If this is true, it means a number of things:

1. Ullrich is a cheater

2. Ullrich is a liar

3. Ullrich's past accomplishments as a cyclist will now all be questioned

4. Ullrich ain't the Lone Ranger...many other cyclists are probably just as dirty

Recall the words that Ullrich spoke when he announced his retirement earlier this year:

"I never once cheated as a cyclist. I still don't understand why I was not allowed to compete in the Tour last year. My life as a cyclist collapsed that day. I've been painted as a criminal while I've done nothing wrong."

Yeah, OK. And Nixon wasn't a crook, either.

Be Like Mike

I admit it...I've been a bit lax with the blog postings of late. OK, I didn't post a damn thing during the month of March. But...I did put 872 miles on my bike in March. That should count for something, yes?

Well, now that I'm back, I wanted to share a story...the story of an amazing guy that I met recently at Peet's Coffee in Novato. I wrote about him, and a few other items, in my column this week in the Marin IJ. Click on the title, above, to read all about it.

Tour of California photos

Want to see some of the behind-the-scenes images from the T of C? Click the headline, above.

Tour of California surprise

The surprise team so far at this year's Tour of California is the Slipstream squad. Slipstream's Jason Donald sits in second place overall, just one second behind Discovery's Levi Leipheimer after three days of racing.

Two of the Slipstream riders have pretty deep roots in this part of the world. Click on the headline above to see their story in the Marin Independent Journal...and find out what "Vive Il Sogno" means.

Basso, Bettini...and babes!

Friday night in Sausalito was the big gala presentation for this year's Tour of California bike race. I was fortunate to be asked by a friend to be the "token guy" at a table full of girls. Oh...OK!

I positioned myself, and the girls, directly in the line of fire...all of the teams exiting stage left had to come right past us. It's amazing the kind of access you can get if:

1. You have a camera

2. You're wearing a tux

3. You are with attractive women

OK...number three is the real key to all of this. As one of the girls told me, "It's amazing where you can go, and what you can get, when you have boobs."

Yes, dear...it is.

If you want to see all of my photos from the evening, click on the red headline above.

Must be talkin' to an Angel

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, you've already seen "The Specialized Angel" blowing kisses to the world's best bike racers.

Being the tenacious journalist that I am, I had to know more. So, for all of you who've been wondering about the face behind the feathers, click the link above for a look at my story that went up on Pez Cycling News today.

The next great cyclist from Marin?

The lead sports story in today's Marin Indepdent Journal is a feature that I wrote on Tyler Brandt, a 16-year-old cyclist from Drake High School. He could be the "next big thing" to come out of this county.

If you want to read the entire story, and see all the photos, click the headline above.

Life can change in an instant!

I had a real wake-up call today. I was about 23 miles into a 25 mile ride, cruising along, heading for home in San Rafael. I was feeling good today...the sun was out, the rain had stopped, it was getting warmer, and I had "good legs".

A big double-long truck, hauling rocks from the quarry in San Rafael, went around me. I did my best to keep up with him, and I able to tuck into his slipstream for a while.

We were coming around an easy right-and turn, just east of San Rafael High, and all of a sudden I could hear the sound of rocks and gravel hitting the inside wheelwells of a car. I looked over to my left, and saw that a silver car was trying to come around me and the big truck.

The driver of car moved too far to the left, into the "marbles" along the side of the road. He started to swerve, and the back end of his car stepped-out and banged into the guard rail that separates the east and westbound lanes. That sent him violently to the right...he was spinning directly in front of me, and headed toward the truck.

Somehow, the driver managed to crank the wheel to the left, which caused the whole car to do a 180 right in the middle of the road. The force of that move was so violent that it snapped off the front left wheel of the car. The car ended up gong backwards over the median, flinging body and suspension parts along the way, until it came to a rest teetering on the median.

The car was creamed, but thankfully, the driver appeared to be ok. Probably head and neck injuries, but other wise OK.

It's now been a couple of hours since this happened, and the gravity of the situatuion is starting to sink in. Holy crap...I could have been killed. It was just like everyone says...the whole scene moved in slow motion, and I felt like I was watching from a distance, instead of being right in the middle of it all.

Had the car turned a bit more to the right, or spun-out at a different angle, I would not be here writing this. My God, how quickly things can change.

A big-damn difference...

...between today and yesterday. This is what it looked like on Saturday in San Rafael...rainy, crappy...and a really bad day to ride a bike:

Less than 24 hours later, this is what it looked like today in Napa...bright, sunny...perfect for riding:

This, my non-California friends, is a prime example of why I live and work in this part of the world.

Aaahhh!

Ride...and eat...like an Italian!

My friend Fabio Flagiello is going to be leading rides from Risibisi, his restaurant in Petaluma. It's 40+ miles of riding, and a full-on Italian brunch after. The details are below. Check it out:

Risibisi Ride
Mangia to Ride…..Ride per Mangiare
Original Italian Way
Saturday,
03/03/2007

Program

8.30am Cappuccino, Espresso, Cornetti, Pane al Cioccolato

9.00am Si Parte, Right on Time….. Andiamo

A Meta’ Fermata in Pasticceria…….Bakery Stop

12.00pm A Casa per Mangiare……Back to the Restaurant

12.30pm Pranzo e’ Servito…. ….Lunch is Served

Menu’

Soup of the Day
Or
Green Salad
-------------------------
Frittata alla Bettini
Spicy Sausage, Roasted Bell Peppers, Spinach, Dry Provolone Cheese

Crespelle alla Moser
Scallops, Shrimp and Crab folded with Leeks and Mushrooms Country Potatoes

Fette di Pane alla Saronno
French Toast, Mascarpone and fresh Strawberry

Lasagne alla Cipollini
Meat Lasagna, Bechamelle Sauce and Parmigiano Cheese

Bistecca alla Gimondi
Top Sirloin Steak, French Fries, Grilled Tomato, Balsamic Reduction
---------------
American Coffee

$25 per person plus tax and gratuity
No bike shoes in side the restaurant, no jokes

154 Petaluma Blvd. North
Petaluma, CA 94952

707-766-7600

Fast Freddie is the Focus of the Latest IJ Column

Click the headline above to read my latest cycling column in the Marin Independent Journal.

And watch this space for future news on an October fund raiser for the Fast Freddie Foundation.

Zabriskie gets PEZed

Yeah, that's me giving aero positioning tips to Dave Zabriskie. OK, so he IS the guy with the most perfect TT position on the planet...he beat Lance in the '05 Tour TT, and he was second in the worlds last year. Yeah, and I look like freakin' Quasimodo on a bike.

Get over it!

Tom Danielson on PEZ

Discovery Channel cyclist Tom Danielson was in Marin County recently, and I got a chance to sit down with him and chat about a variety of topics. The story was posted on Pez Cycling News this week...click the title in red, above, if you want to read the whole thing.

One bit of news that was left out of the Pez story...Tom tells me that he intends to win the overall title in the upcoming Tour of California. Stay tuned.

...and yes, that is mountain bike guru Gary Fisher in the leather suit along side Danielson. Don't they make a lovely couple?

Colts, baby!

OK, I'll admit it...I have a minor football addiction. I've had it since I was a small boy. Heck, if you grow up in Nebraska, your possible addictions are kinda limited:

1. Football

2. Ditch weed

3. Barnyard animals

I think I chose the lesser of the three evils.

So, why "Colts, baby"? Well, when I was doing TV play-by-play for the University of Nebraska football team back in the early '80s, Gene Huey was the team's receivers' coach. Thanks to a few long road trips, and short nights, Gene and I became pals. Our paths have diverged...I moved to California, and he eventually landed as the running backs' coach for the Indianapolis Colts...but we've stayed friends through the years.

Get the connection?

Gene is now the longest-serving assistant coach in the history of the Colts, and I'm really pleased that he finally gets a chance to coach in the Super Bowl. He is truly one of the greatest humans on the planet (not to mention a helluva coach...just ask Marshall Faulk and Edgerrin James).

So, as we wind-up the hype machine in advance of the Indianapolis vs. Chicago Super Bowl in Miami, I simply say...Go Colts!

It's about damn time.

First Marin IJ Column

The debut edition is up today. If you want to see the whole thing, with photos, click on the link above. If you want just the words, and no pictures, read on:

---------

Bob Cullinan: No time for cyclists to hibernate in winter

Staff Report
Marin Independent Journal


COLD WEATHER and cycling are mortal enemies. The recent run of record low temperatures has kept most Marin bicycles indoors, either on a trainer or just hung up in the garage. For many recreational riders this is a good excuse for an offseason break, but some local teams are already in serious training mode.

The Marin-based Proman-Paradigm women's cycling squad will head to training camp this weekend, under the direction of Giana Roberge. She has seen success as both a championship rider and team director, and she'll be working with the team all year.

Team director Nicola Cranmer has put together a group that could contend for national honors. The team has expanded from 10 to 15 riders for 2007, and they plan to attack all types of competition this season - everything from track and time trials to criterium and road racing.
Shelly Olds, 26, is the Proman woman to watch.

"She's the one that we've built our team around," Cranmer said. "The goal is to have Shelly race at the Olympics. Maybe not 2008, but more likely in 2012."

Last year, in only her second season of racing, Shelly placed eighth at both the track and cyclocross elite nationals.

The first test for Olds and her Proman teammates will be Santa Rosa's Apple Pie Criterium on Feb. 10, followed by the Cherry Pie crit in Napa on Feb. 11.

And, for the record, the pros are not immune to the pains of the cold weather. Proman rider Emily Zell wiped out on an icy patch of road in San Anselmo this week. She's a bit bruised and battered, but she should recover in time for training camp.

Pedal with a pro

You have two chances to rub shoulders with some real-live pros in the coming weeks. PedalFest 2007 is Jan. 25 in San Francisco. They call it, "a way to fight cancer with pedal power." Cyclists pay $5 to ride for five minutes on a stationary bike, and the corporate sponsors kick-in an additional dollar for each mile that a rider covers in those five minutes. All of the donations will go to the Breakaway from Cancer Initiative.

PedalFest runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Union Bank main branch, 400 California Street. CSC team pro Dave Zabriskie, one of only five Americans to ever wear the yellow leader's jersey in the Tour de France, will be on-hand to see how many miles he can cover in just five minutes. Other pros riders may participate, too.

Fast Freddie returnsEarly next month, three-time national champion Fred Rodriguez will be in Mill Valley to talk about his career, his plans for 2007, and his Fast Freddie Foundation.
Rodriguez is competing in Australia's Tour Down Under this week as a member of the Predictor-Lotto squad. The team was formerly known as Davitamon-Lotto, but the parent company of their primary sponsor decided to promote another one of their brands on the team uniform this year.

So, what is Predictor? It's a pregnancy test kit, marketed primarily in Europe. Along with the new name, the team has new colors this year, too. Their 2007 outfits are a lovely shade of pink. Freddie has promised to bring one of the new team jerseys with him to Mill Valley next month, and he may even sign and auction it off for charity.

The event is set for 7 p.m., Feb. 2 at the Mill Valley Community Center (Blithedale and Camino Alto). Admission is $10, but it's free for all Marin Cyclists members. There are only 80 seats, so it's first come, first served. E-mail monique@jefftse.com to reserve your spot.


Don't try this at home

More and more pros are coming to this area to train in the offseason. Italian cyclist Andrea Peron has been a teammate of both Lance Armstrong and Ivan Basso, but now that he's retired from the CSC team, Peron is here in Marin at least once every month.

Last week, he was cruising along in Novato, but his bike chain was rattling, so at a speed of 20 miles per hour, Andrea calmly leaned over and adjusted the little thumb screw on the back of his rear derailleur. This is a contortion that only a seasoned pro would dare to try. One little slip and he'd have lost a finger in the gears, and probably crashed into the curb.

Peron told me that he rides more than 20,000 miles per year, so the bike is really like an extension of his body. And he thinks nothing of making a move like this.


Deer meets bike

If you've ever ridden some of the more rural roads of Marin, you've probably seen countless animals on and off the route. Squirrels, skunks, turkeys and even full-grown deer are a constant concern to bike riders.

So, what happens if you hit a deer while you're going more than 30 miles per hour on your bicycle? Hunter Ziesing found out the hard way last month. You may know Ziesing as the brains (and the bucks) behind the local Z-Team cycling squad.

He was cruising along the road at 31.1 mph, when a deer darted out right in front of him. He couldn't avoid the animal. Ziesing broke two vertebrae, two ribs, and bruised a kidney, leaving him in a wheelchair after the accident.

"Me, the deer and the bike rolled like a snowball going down a mountain - almost comical," he wrote in an e-mail.

The good news: Hunter will recover. The bad news: The deer, and the bicycle, will not. Hunter is back on his new bike, bruised and battered, but that won't keep him away from the sport and his team. His mates have a new nickname for him - Deer Hunter. Ouch.


Bob Cullinan is a San Rafael-based free-lance writer, photographer and marketing consultant. His goal every year is to put more miles on his bike than on his car. Contact Bob and read his online blog at http://alert-the-media.blogspot.com/