Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Evaporative cooling rules

I got up this morning intending to watch a little Tour before heading off to work. It came on at 6:30 local time to allow extended coverage of the two out of category climbs. Well, I knew that the race actually started at 5:30 local time but I was still hopeful. Versus insisted on doing their stupid Trautwig and Bobke show but Trautwig gave me one final glimmer of hope by saying at the end of that bit that this was a stage that you had to watch from the very beginning as the stage began with this year's first out of category climb.

Well, if you want to know what happened on the first climb you have to live in France because Versus did not put it on TV here. The coverage began with the climb already completed and settled down for a two hour run downhill to the next climb. Grrrr. In fairness, that T-Mobile guy hitting the dog was worth the price of admission.

I haven't seen the whole stage yet, I have been watching but I paused the tape at the foot of the Col de Telegraphe category 1 climb.

It was oppressive today, 85 degrees with a dew point of 67. But it was actually fairly pleasant for most of the ride. Evaporative cooling rules.

This is the Look at the University of Minnesota, College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS) Department of Horticultural Science Display and Trail Garden Field Area.I am desparately hoping that the sign is the result of someone with a sense of humor being deliberately and outlandishly grand. There are lots of interesting plants and also surprisingly enough it turns out to be a place where a person could get emergency water as there is a watering hose that appears to be hooked up.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I recognize sweet potato vine, vinca vine, petunias, and a few others all available in the garden center at Lowe's. I've planted that purple, bushy tailed grass a couple of times, but it is an annual here. Can't make it through the winter. Grandiosity. But a pretty and restful spot.

Is it just me, or is the tour dumbing down a bit? I used to be impressed with strategy, etc. Not so far with this one.

Jimi said...

It was a dewy day, and very good at promoting sweat. My lawn could have used the rain that missed to the south.

How about that rookie Columbian? I wonder if he's doping.