I'm not sure if more than 5 people have realized it, but the US is staging another world class cycling event, this time on the west coast. The Tour of GA has been a highly regarded race for a number of years, drawing the best riders and teams from around the world. This new race is in addition to the Grand Prix of San Francisco, and is called the Tour of California. The event has many different story lines that will make this post worth your time to read.
1) The ride is sponsored by Amgen, the company that makes the stuff used to blood dope - which is the biggest issue surrounding pro cycling. Don't know what blood doping is? Check this out. There seems to be some sort of sweet irony about a company sponsoring a cycling race they potentially make invalid through the use of their drugs.
2) This is one of the first major multi-stage races sans Lance. Will cycling still receive its 2 min of coverage on Sportscenter without him? Will another superstar singer decide to start dating the new leader of Team Discovery Channel, George Hincapie?
3) On the political front, will CA's staging of the national sport of France make them perceived further to the left? Does anyone care?
4) Will Kerry ride as the master of ceremonies on one of his eight $10,000 bikes?
If you get the chance, tune in or TIVO the coverage on OLN, it'll be worth your time. And if you're anywhere near the race route, make sure and go take a look - pro cycling will blow your mind when you see how easy they make it all look.
At least I dont have to get up at 5 in the morning to watch it live.....
Posted by: D-town | February 23, 2006 at 01:18 PM
hahahaha Kerry as the grand marshall. i laughed hard.
fit men in tight shorts....that's always a great reason to watch OLN.
Posted by: crazyvirgo | February 23, 2006 at 02:52 PM