Ventoux

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So the Tour de France is shortening time trials at the 2009 Tour to the lowest level in modern history to soften the "bonus to the time trial specialist?" And the penultimate stage is an assault on Mont Ventoux? Sounds like someone's trying to Lance-proof their course. It's a shame, but we should have seen it coming. Tour officials are terrified of Lance hijacking their race again, and throwing in Mont Ventoux is their way tripping Lance at the goal line. The Texan has been notoriously stymied on Ventoux, so this is their very public gauntlet throwdown to remind him that they control the race.

Note to Tour officials: Lance has already hijacked the 2009 Tour. He doesn't even need to win to do that. All he had to do was show interest. Your course design actually played into his hands, and simultaneously tipped yours.

Note to Lance: Get Chain of Custody witnesses for all your doping samples. Strange things happen in French labs...

See, most people read about Ventoux and think about a bike race. I think about logistics. Do I take the train to Paris to catch the final stage (no) or do I flee to Nice and catch a flight to Edinborough for the British Open (yes). This is that perfect sports year, in which it will be possible to indulge in a month of living irresponsibly, combining the Tour with the British Open and the Running of the Bulls. I've been thinking about doing something like this for ages. But it's all contingent on tight connections and advance reservations. These, as many of you know, are two of my weaknesses. I'm just as likely to wing it. I like to keep my options open. This means that I might just opt to take that train to Paris, should the Tour be close on the final day. Paris is full of people, and it's a circus on that final stage, and you don't really see much of the bike race (I tend to watch from a small cafe near the Tuleries, where the course is just a hundred meters away and I can hear the roar of the crowd, but where a prominent flatscreen television actually allows me to watch the action). But hey, if it's going to come down to a sprint, there's no way I'm going to miss.

Stay Tuned.

Friday and Saturday was the Mt. SAC Invitational, the world's largest cross-country race. More than 20,000 runners competed and some 50,000 spectators watched in person. This makes it, by far, the biggest sporting event in Southern California over the last weekend. So why was there no mention in the LA Times? We live in strange times, my friends.

I should mention that, just for folks like me who geek out on cross-country and track, the www.dyestat.com and www.dyestatcal.com are the two most aweseome websites on the planet, right after www.backstreets.com.

Just thought you'd want to know. And finally, while I'm doing the stream-of-consciousness thing today, I should note that the XTerra Series wound down with their World Championships last weekend. However, their trail running world championships take place on Oahu in six weeks time. Course distance is a half-marathon. I am still trying to drop those few extra pounds that will allow me to be somewhat competitive on that hallowed day. It's not coming easily though, I have to tell you. Especially this week. All that news about the Tour had me digging big time into the Camembert. You gotta run a whole lot of extra miles to work that stuff off, but man does it hit the spot.

Keep pushing...always.

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