We watched on tape. The early morning weather was very threatening so I went for an early morning ride. It was overcast, always threatening, and quite cool. I added a layer, an extra t-shirt, for the first time in a couple of months and rode.
Here is another place that is not very far from home but to which I almost never ride. This is Midway Stadium, home of the Saint Paul Saints of the American Association independent league. If you look carefully you can find a Snoopy, a dinosaur and two pigs.
I almost never ride there because the stadium is located on very bicycle unfriendly streets. There is only a debris covered concrete gutter next to two heavily travelled traffic lanes. But on Sunday morning traffic was not an issue.Yesterday TT was over. Anyone who has followed his photography trajectory knows that he likes these trick shots, having executed many of them over his career. I apologize for screwing this one up.
The focus is not very good.Edit: I have reviewed the final results table at cyclingnews and I admit that perhaps I was a bit harsh on Vino in yesterday's rant. I said that his finish smacked of doping. I ranted on that if he was not doping then he would have to fail today, completely unable to produce anything approaching yesterday's effort. The final results table shows that finishers number 87 through 164 of a total of 165 finishers came in the "autobus" or "grupetto", all riding together and finishing 34.52 behind the top two. This approximately half of all riders in the stage were not actually ever trying to do anything other than finish. They made no competitive effort on this day, they did not try to win or even place highly. Vino finished 81st and next to last in a group of 7 that included 2 other Astana riders probably sent to ride with him and get him to the finish. Also in the group was former yellow jersey wearer Linus Gerdemann. They finished 28.50 after the winners. Of those who competed and tried to win Vino was very nearly last. The finish that Vino had today is the finish that should be expected if yesterday he was an injured rider competing on adrenaline and not on drugs.
2 comments:
Vino appears to be fried.
The photos didn't turn out as well as I anticipated, and I think the "soft focus" in the photo of TT is the way he should be photographed from now on.
-TT
It is a sad state when the only way to vindicate yourself from the taint of doping is to lose, and to lose big. I felt the same way, though. If Vino is doping, he needs a better dealer. I continue to be unhappy with the outcome of the race thus far -- I just don't believe Rasmussen is that good a rider. Lance rode up mountains like a goat, only after having sat in the draft of big strong, excellent climbers like Hincapie and others. He had a team, the team took him to the places he needed to be in order to win. Rasmussen should be running on fumes, his legs should be dead, he should be struggling. It stinks.
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