Just a quick check-in today. It's my son Gavin's 3rd birthday on Saturday and we're doing a party for him at Chuck E. Cheese's tonight (may the Universe give me strength). So I'm running around getting the cake and wrapping presents. Had to take my daughter to the doctor this morning and I somehow have to get to the gym as well before the day is out. Obviously, not a lot of work getting done today which is no good because I am scheduled to interview Dominique Rollin (took 3rd place at the Tour of Missouri) tomorrow night and I haven't even thought about questions yet. Any ideas?
Anyway, I'm thrilled to see that Stuey is back up and ready to ride the Jayco Herald Sun Tour next week. After sustaining a broken shoulder, eight fractured ribs, a fractured collarbone, three fractured vertebrae and a punctured lung, resulting in a blood clot in his brain, the man gives new meaning to the term HTFU. Wow. No more whining on the big hills for me. Well, maybe just a little.
Musical notes: Waddy and Larry, my husband is a HUGE Foo Fighters fan. I think my kids know their tunes better than they know any Disney movie theme. Yes Susie, sadly, the Doodlebops do exist. And when I was 17, my friend Sherry and I followed the Dead around for a while. Once, we were broke and couldn't afford the tickets or a hotel room so we made a huge batch of chocolate chip cookies at my parents' house, wrapped them up in bunches of three and put them in bags tied with funky ribbons. We made a sign that said "Chocolate TRIP cookies" and sold them out of the back of my car in the parking lot for $2 a pop. The entire lot was sold in about half an hour. We made enough money for two tickets and a pretty sketchy hotel room. And no one ever seemed to figure out that there was nothing more interesting than chocolate in those cookies.
Okay, GOOD LUCK with the B-Day party!! I'm paying for the paintball birthday party Sat night in KC, but I won't be there. Six 10yr olds(2 b-d boys) and 3 BIG boys. They have to have their older brother there! That's my present to them!
Stuey amazes me!! And I can't think of anything to ask Dom Rollin, except did Brad touch his handlebars before he ran out of room and went into the barriers on Stage 6? I don't see it, but that's what Brad said. Also, I saw Dom podium in Downer's Grove. And what team is he going to?
In the Track world,(you KNOW you'll hear about that from me!) Brad, Creed, M Friedman, and Colby Pearce are doing team pursuit in LA at the Nationals.
Here they are....MF is in the front and I see Creed, but where's Brad? Tucked in second???
http://www.cyclingnews.com/track.php?id=/photos/2007/oct07/USAnationals07/USAnationals071/20071003_170641
Posted by: Theresa | October 04, 2007 at 03:02 PM
Colby Pearce doesn't ride for Slipstream. So that's got to be Brad!!
Posted by: Theresa | October 04, 2007 at 03:05 PM
Okay, I can't even look at the Home page of Velo News!! OP is in the yellow jersey, and saying that Floyd cheated...ugh...I need to find a picture of Floyd quick!!
Posted by: Theresa | October 04, 2007 at 03:09 PM
The rumor is that Dom Rollin is going to Toyota-United next year. But I talked to the PR guy at Toyota and he wouldn't confirm it for me at this time. Doesn't mean it's not happening though.
Posted by: Sara Best | October 04, 2007 at 03:16 PM
Sara, have you heard any rumours about Brad?? He's not talking. And I'm not exactly part of his inner circle!
Posted by: Theresa | October 04, 2007 at 03:22 PM
Any relation to 'The Singing Nun'? ;) Oh, ok, I'm showing my age here!
And I hope a fellow Libran has a fantastic time on his birthday & that YOU survive it. Maybe you can just tie him to his chair? :)
I think Stuey is amazing. Talk about an iron man. I was going to say 'hard man' but figured ya'll would take that the wrong way. ;)
And I loved you Chocolate Trip Cookie story! You could have become a cookie mogul! Brand name : BEST cookies. :) MOooooove over, Mrs Fields!
Ahhh, Whiner Boy. Whenever I think of Oscar (& I do try not to), I think of the following famous quote : "Tis better to remain silent & be thought a fool, than to open your mouth & remove all doubt"...
Posted by: susie b | October 04, 2007 at 03:23 PM
Sorry Theresa, I haven't heard anything about Brad. I hear about the Canadian riders and that's about it.
Seems to me he has a great career on the track if he really wants it. He needs to find a team that would really support that and give him the resources he needs in terms of training and funding to get to Beijing this year.
Just my guess.
Posted by: Sara Best | October 04, 2007 at 03:36 PM
Sara,it is always interesting to find out how cyclists got their start in cycling and racing? Great Santana story Waddy. Good job with the "trip" cookies. I only went to one Dead concert and I could see how you could sell anything ingestible labeled as trip! Waddy you and I have diverged a little in music since the Santana, Weather Report days. The latest bands I have been into are John Scolfield, Medesky Martin and Wood, Damian Marley, Robin Ford. I lean to jazz/blues guitar. There is one local station that plays a lot of old stuff and they like Shawn Phillips. When they play it I get sent back to my college days! I still love his music. Funny how sounds and smells can trigger memories. I crossed paths with Stuey at the interbike demo day a couple of times. Tough guy! Maybe ask Dom who his heroes are and some memories of early racing years? Did anyone mentor him?
Posted by: Philip | October 04, 2007 at 07:01 PM
Happy Birthday Gavin, and please give Mommy a break at Chuckies!! :-) I'd like to see all those "brave" cyclists who ride the TdF take 10 3 year olds to Chuckie Cheese for a party. There's no one in a team car there to give them sustenance that's for sure ;-)
paula
Posted by: Paula Kirsch | October 04, 2007 at 07:24 PM
Someone please tell me that Stuttgarts minister for sports, Eisenmann, does not represent all Germans! Check out cyclingnews latest news and get back to me. Rant has it right when he says all the anti drug hysteria is killing the sport!
Posted by: Philip | October 04, 2007 at 08:06 PM
Oh and one other item! Check out velonews.com latest photo contest for a pic of me on the app gap finish of my last stage race and that is not a smile on my face!
Posted by: Philip | October 04, 2007 at 08:07 PM
Philip, Actually, I hear a lot of Sco' and MMW on the Jam On channel on Sirius satellite radio. That's the other aspect of satellite radio I've really loved - actually getting turned on to music I would otherwise not get to hear. It's not like the college days where all you had to do was open your dorm room door (or not even that) and you'd hear a cacophony of new music. At our age, you've got to make the effort. Satellite radio does it for me. I know, I sound like I must have stock in Sirius and XM, but really, it's just a nice thing for a music lover. I figure I used to spend WAY MORE than $12 a month on music, so it's a bargain.
And Susie, NO ONE gets permission to trash our beloved Terps! FEAR THE TURTLE!
Posted by: Waddy | October 04, 2007 at 08:09 PM
Touche Philip, I'm sure that in her attempt to distance herself from the "ugly past", any German rider with any relatives, dead or alive, who may have been living during Hitler's reign would also have been excluded so as to make a clean break from the past.
Posted by: Waddy | October 04, 2007 at 08:16 PM
Philip, Can you post a link to the picture of you? I can't seem to find what you're referring to.
Posted by: Waddy | October 04, 2007 at 08:22 PM
I think I've got it. Glad to see you're not a leg shaver. Feel free to elaborate. Not going to ask about your sit-bone. And it does look like a smile :p
http://www.velonews.com/photo/html/photo1194.html
Posted by: Waddy | October 04, 2007 at 08:45 PM
Thank you, Waddy.
Posted by: cat | October 04, 2007 at 10:23 PM
Thats fur baby. Shaving is not one of my strong suits. Thats the end of 60 miles, the second gap, the third of 4 stages, 200 meters to the line, about 19% and that is no smile
Posted by: Philip | October 04, 2007 at 11:03 PM
And I am crawling!
Posted by: Philip | October 04, 2007 at 11:04 PM
At least from the look of the guy in the shadows behind you, you're making somebody suffer.
Posted by: Waddy | October 04, 2007 at 11:15 PM
But, Philip, think how much faster you would be if you did shave!!
Posted by: Theresa | October 04, 2007 at 11:48 PM
Ok, Velo News landed in my mailbox today! The ToM issue, with George on the cover! Neal Rogers story is great, and if you pay attention to the opening page of the article, there is pictures of newspaper articles on the Tour, the coming of the Tour, and how to watch the Tour!! If you look close, they are all from OUR newspaper, the Springfield News-Leader!!!
The picture from the TT is priceless( to a cycling fan) 73 MODOT Dump trucks lining the hiway to make sure that they had the perfect barricade for the highway!!! There's a lot of road construction in SW MO, so they didn't travel from KC!!!
Posted by: Theresa | October 04, 2007 at 11:54 PM
Thanks for posting that link, Waddy. Great pic Philip!
I'd like to know what Dom thinks about the state of racing in North America and whether he feels its been affected by all of the scandals from the UCI/Pro-tour. Does he feel that the teams are supported by a strong fan base? OH, and be sure to tell him that he was a joy to watch in MO!!
Go Stuey! HDFU indeed....wow.
You're a brave brave woman, Sara. I hope Gavin had a blast!
Posted by: Janann | October 05, 2007 at 12:18 AM
Wow...lots of things happening here in the IA the last few days (work has been SO BUSY that I barely sneak thru the comments by the end of my shift). Got a break in the action tonight so far...so I actually have a moment to post!
Sara, good luck w/ your hyperactivity..I mean Birthday party! It should be a BLAST (for the kids!)
Concerts...wow, you all are pretty cultured compared to me...I'm more mainstream. First concert: Head East..back in 75 or so. Saw Boston on the NIGHT of my 18th bday (drinking age in MT was 18 at the time...so a rather ceremonial event). During 80/81 I was in So Cal...and saw pretty much everybody that came thru...at the Forum, Collesium and Sports Area. Things have slowed down since then...crowds and such..I'd rather see a band at a small bar-type venue any day. Being knee-deep in people isn't my bag anymore.
Pereiro in Yellow...well, it was inevitable I guess..since the moment the powers that be (WADA) focused their laser of justice (yea, right!) on Floyd. I wish all the athletes under that umbrella good luck, they will surely need it (especially for those whose samples are to be analyzed at LNDD). The demise of Team DC still rocks me to the core...and even though most of the team will reassemble under the Astana banner next year, it's still a sad day for US cycling. Will I root for them: YOU BET! Lance: about time you spoke up for Floyd. Better late than never though. Will I be buying any of the fancy-schmancy Nike gear: doubtful.
Sports: I'm a Michigan Wolverine football fan (GO BLUE!) even though I've never even BEEN to Michigan. Our season was damaged beyond repair with lossed in the first 2 games (oh Appalacian State, DAMN YOU!) Oh well...we can still take down Ohio State in Nov! I'm also a Raiders fan...and for the first time in a LONG LONG time, I actually have something to cheer about! We have a quarterback ladies and gentlemen! Albiet another older/semi-broken down one...but thats what we specialize in winning with! If his knee can just hold out. Baseball...say what? Are they playing? Now? (I did enjoy the little league world series though a few weeks back! Man those kids are GOOD!)
Phillip, nice action photo! And Theresa, the leg hair (or lack of) doesn't have anything to do with 'faster'..it's all about injury recovery and suffering (hair + road-rash= MUCH more pain and agony than WITHOUT said hair).
And Susie, I just finished reading "With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa" by E.B. Sledge...a WWII book..the author was a young marine who survived both battles with the 5th Marines..and the book is HIS take on things..as an enlisted guy in the mud (he was a mortarman). REALLY enjoyed it...no spit and polish and such, just his memories put to print. I'm just starting "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors"..about the Battle of Samar (Leyte Gulf)...13 U.S. ships heavily outnumberd, fight to the death. Looks really interesting!
OK..gotta go..this pesky work thing...have a great weekend everybody! And keep the rubber side DOWN! (I'm nursing some scabs from a Mt bike wash-out last week...took one off-camber turn a tiny-BIT hot).
Posted by: Matt | October 05, 2007 at 03:15 AM
Matt, I suspect you are always hot.... ;-)
Posted by: cat | October 05, 2007 at 09:05 AM
Matt, Matt! Did you see the Ken Burns series? EB Sledge & passages from his book were one of the "main characters"! Actually, it's not realized the words were from the book til the very end; you thought it was from his diary or letters & the words were read by an unseen actor - Josh Lucas I think. I thought his writing was just searing. Soooo good. I've read a lot of WWII books but have rarely read such a noholds barred 1st-hand account of battle action AND the actions of the man's fellow GIs. Not all was heroic, to say the least. 'The War' also mentioned that Sledge had a very difficult time "getting past" the war & his wife encouraged him to write the book as a type of therapy many years later. If you didn't see the show you need to get the DVD set.
I've not read an immense amount of the straight "battle books", as my eyes tend to glaze over when reading page after page on artillery, tanks, etc. Yeah, guess I don't have the 'right' chromosome... :) I do like to read accounts of the battles in fictional accounts, such as in Herman Wouk's books. His 'War & Remembrance' is when it really hit me how much LUCK came into play during the 1st two years of the Pacific fighting (& in other battles too). In that 1st huge sea battle, fluke weather & one bad decision by the Jappanese admiral had a HUGE impact & led to the eventual win by the Americans. I didn't see that in the series (I,uh, fell asleep during parts as I was trying to watch the 10-midnight viewings!) but that's the memory from that book, which I read more than 17 years ago.
Which WWII books have impressed you the most? Or been moved by? Learned the most from? I have a 3 inch thick book about the Holocaust but have never read the entire thing as I start to either get physically ill or weep so heavily the words blur & I have to stop.
Posted by: susie b | October 05, 2007 at 10:19 AM