Today the sun was out and the temperature improved a few degrees over yesterday. The wind swung around to the south and at this time of year a south wind is always a relief from the biting north wind. The ride was more or less tolerable until the sun went behind a giant grey bank of clouds and the wind started to come around. I was fairly close to turning around before that happened so I beat it for home. I finished without huge discomfort and all in all I pronounce the ride a success.
Here's the first look for this year at the Saint Paul Campus Cows. They look as content in the remnants of snow as they look later in the year on the lush lawn.The Paris-Nice bicycle race finished today at the traditional finish on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Italian David Rebellin, racing for the Gerolsteiner team, maintained the time advantage gained yesterday to win the race for the first time. Gerolsteiner sounds like it should be a beer company but it is actually a German mineral water company. The team rides Specialized bicycles. On Thursday the race climbed Mont Ventoux, the Giant of Provence, albeit from the opposite side as the usual approach, reputedly a somewhat easier climb. Australian Cadel Evans won the stage at Ventoux, stamping last year's Tour de France runner-up as the early favorite for this year's Tour.
And so the season begins but the stain of last year's doping scandals lingers. The winner of last year's Paris-Nice, Alberto Contador, was not permitted to ride this year as his team, Astana, was not invited. Astana was in the middle of some of the most unsavory parts of the doping behavior last year but this year's team has a new manager and a completely new set of riders. The only things remaining from old Astana are the sponsor, the Kazakh blue uniforms, and the stench. The organizers of European races seem determined to exclude Astana. This looms as a major story for le Tour de France as Contador is also the defender in that race.
1 comment:
Ah, the cows. Excellent.
I did not watch any of Paris-Nice, and only figured out yesterday that it was in progress. This whole Astana thing has too many twists for me, I think.
Hope's women's basketball team lost yesterday, though the men continue to the final four. The women had been undefeated until now, so I imagine that it was a painful loss, too. Looks like you had a nice ride. Some remnants of snow still. Santini
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