Crunch Time!!!!
The 24 Hours of Afton is coming up faster then Alexandre Vinokourov all doped up on EPO. Just 23 days now until the big race. Training is going well, and that "wall" I talked about in my last post was just a phase. My legs are back, and better then ever. My hopes of a top 5 finish in this race are in my opinion attainable. We’ll have a cheering section this year. Kyle’s lady will be there. Matt and Luke are making plans to come and hang out, cheer us on, get drunk, and have a good time. So I ask, if you don’t have any plans on Aug. 24th and 25th. come on down to Afton Alps and cheer on a couple of good ol’ boys destroying their bodies and minds to nothing. We’re gonna need it. Those of you who have been there with us before we’ll be in our usual camping spot. Cell phones don’t work down there so just keeps you’re eyes open for the brown honda accord with the "I’d rather be home brewing" bumper sticker.
I have got to hand it to the French population. With all of the scandal and bullshit that went on in this years Tour de France, they still came out by the thousands to cheer on their race. That just wouldn’t happen in America. I only wish we had an even where an entire country shows such passion for. The Super Bowl doesn’t even come close. Some had called this cycling’s darkest hour, but people still came to see the spectacle. However, cycling has never been as popular in the U.S. then it is now. Look at the Tour of California and the Tour de Georgia. Small steps, but it is gaining some street cred here in the states. I really had respect for Alexandre Vinokourov. I thought he was a solid rider, and had a lot of heart. That all vanished when he failed his blood test. Same goes for Iban Mayo and even Michael Rassmussen. Even though he didn’t fail any tests, the fact that his whereabouts leading up to the Tour were misleading makes me to believe he was up to no good and ruined this years race. If it wasn’t for Alberto Contodor’s brave ride through the mountains, and Levi’s TT win, this tour would have been ruined. Cheers to those that are clean and truly stand by the term "dopers suck".
I’ve found myself the past few days thinking about friends I haven’t seen in awhile. This summer hasn’t been what I thought it would be. Yea, I’ve done more riding then ever and thats great, but I feel myself missing out on a lot of things, and missing some old friends. Just kinda down and bored. Work has taken a lot out of me as well. I’m thinking my summer will not come until September. With that said, its time to do some laps at Elk River. The quote and term will take a break this week to the map of the Afton Course. So if you plan on coming, copy a pic of this so you can stake out some places to cheer us on. A couple hot spots are…..The Manhandler, Shady Lane, Southern Switchbacks, and Larry’s Revenge. Ciao
