Prove It!

You think you know all there is to know about the pro peloton? You think you can call the winners of the classics and major races? You think you can pick out pretty names and add numbers that sum to 150? If you answered yes to any of these questions I highly encourage you to head over to the Podium Cafe and sign up for their free Virtual Director Sportif competition. I assure you it is both free and easy, and I'm betting it makes watching the races even more enjoyable. 

My strategy for selecting a winning team was to pick out the guys I like the most. I probably won't win the competition, but I will be able to scream passionately at the screen for them during the races because I'm now personally invested in their success. I also picked a pretty classics heavy team, but thats the racing I really love. Hmmmm, cobbles...

If for some stupid reason you need a better incentive for signing up, I've decided to personally pony up some prizes for the top three teams at the end of the season (only readers of this humble blog are eligible). I'm not sure what those prizes will be yet, but being as there are about 7 people who will read these words your odds of winning something are pretty good. I might also toss in some odds and ends for the best team name or anything else I deem worthy of praise. The deadline for signing up a team is this Friday so don't delay! Seriously, it takes all of 15 minutes to make a team, which is nothing compared to the lifetime of glory you could earn by winning, not to mention the magical mystery prizes.

So go sign up. I'll get to work making a page where you can list your teams, track everyone's progress and brag about how your roster boasts the most riders with trashy, yet oh so stylish, Euro-mullets.

In personal news, I had my intervals disrupted today by a herd of escaped goats. It was shitty (literally), but tolerable until the...goatdogs(?) decided I was dangerous. They say the bark is worse than the bite, but I wasn't going to call their bluff and got shooed off before I could even get a picture. Yay, Davis!

Make Money Riding Your Bike!

My old man forwarded this article to me the other day. He knows I'm looking to supplement my income, but I don't think he was suggesting I try this particular method. I can't imagine the ride quality on those weed-stuffed tires was very good, but it couldn't have been worse than armadillos. It seems crazy to me that you'd put your life on the line for $1300 worth of dope, but what are the odds the border guards are going to check your tires? Pretty slim... unless you look like this.

In other news Pat McCarty is going to join the Yahoo! Cycling Team roster for the Redlands Bicycle Classic and Sea Otter Classic (cyclingnews article). McCarty has a wealth of experience and seems jazzed to show us young pups the tricks of the trade. Our management has been looking for someone to fill this role, and despite a ton of inquiries from big name riders they were holding out for someone who was not only super talented, but also willing to help out and mentor. I'm ecstatic to have a rider of this caliber around. We've got a wealth of young talent, but I think having someone like McCarty to help lead the team is going to be invaluable. Personally, I know I can always dig just a little deeper and find that extra gear when a teammate I respect and trust needs me to. That's why team time trials have always been some of my favorite races. And that dates all the way back to my first year cycling when I would turn myself inside out for Ueyn and we'd smash things up in Men's Bs TTTs. Man... good times. He's probably already dropped me in that photo, and his frightening speed may be causing Daniel to wet his pants. Its unclear.

Snelling is coming up this Saturday and its my first real race of the year. I'm still miles and miles from being in real race shape, but this will be the first time this season when I can cut loose and give 'er. I'm stoked. Snelling should also have a lot of riders and I'm anxious to see how we Yahoos do when we don't have half the field. I have high hopes. Snelling is 78 mile (or thereabouts) road race with bad pavement over rolling terrain and it can be a little dull. But if the winds are howling or the rain starts to fall then people can get a taste for blood and it becomes a miserable, guttered sufferfest. My favorite kind of race! In anticipation of something along those lines I'm off to do my first local race ride in the pouring rain. Should be a blasty!