Sunday, April 13, 2008

Paris-Roubaix, l'enfer du Nord (Hell of the North)

Paris-Roubaix produced a sprint finish, as Tom Boonen bolted past his 2 escape companions inside the velodrome in Roubaix to claim his second victory at the spring classic. American George Hincapie lost contact with the front pack of eight with about 50 kilometers to race and was never again a factor.

Nice produced a stunning comeback at a sodden Parc des Princes to beat PSG 3-2 and put a severe dent in the capital club's hopes of Ligue 1 survival. PSG had rallied with two second half goals of their own and looked to have sealed a precious victory as they led 2-1 with 8 minutes to play. Instead Nice produced two strikes in the final moments to spoil the Paris party. With only 5 games remaining PSG is still firmly in the relegation zone.

I last rode on Wednesday. We had rain turning to heavy duty slush on Thursday, more rain on Friday with very cold. The normal low for yesterday was 35 but instead we got an actual high of 33. Today started out looking like more of the same. I was outside for a bit around noon today and it was still way too cold.

But at about 2:30 it had warmed to 42 and the sun was out so I gave it a shot. I deliberately tried to overdress and ended up being just warm enough.

This is another view of Lake Owasso, this time from the main public access. There is some open water starting to appear around the shoreline but as you can see, the ice hasn't gone anywhere. It does appear that the Sheriff has formed the opinion that the ice is very thin, so that's a promising sign, I suppose.I rode back up the hill and rode down Rice Street for a while. The temperature at the A&W was 44 but, in something of an upset, the drive-in was open. Well, at least, it sure looked open. There were those red and yellow squeeze bottles of catsup and mustard on all of the outdoor tables. I think they were open.

I didn't stop but turned down South Owasso Boulevard to complete the circumnavigation of the lake. The new road alignment has opened up that end of the lake by requiring the removal of some trees along with the reconfiguration of the swamp at that end as I suspect was required by the wetlands conservation law. As I rode down to the spot a white heron rose from the reeds and headed out towards the main lake.

So even if spring is seriously delayed, today produced enough positive signs to make a cold weather ride seem like a pretty nice ride.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

According to your weather bug, things are about to get warmer. Maybe it will melt some ice. (The sheriff's warning sign is good news, however the snowmobile sign still covers the watercraft sign.) So the A&W is open -- that must be as sure a sign of spring as the return of the robins. I think outdoor condiments seals the deal.

Professional biking in Europe. Well, Boonen seems clean. The race is a classic. Paris-Roubaix and its cobblestones.

SS