The photo is from the Saturday morning Kid’s Event at the Ride for the Roses. This little guy, whose name I don’t know, is a survivor. He’s out there playing and wearing a winner’s medal. He was wearing the most yellow bands that I have ever seen. I wear three yellow bands, and people give me a bad time about that sometimes. But I suspect that this little guy has gone through enough to earn the right to wear as many as he wants to. LiveStrong, little guy!

OK, let’s catch up on the Lance Armstrong Sirius Radio Show. I had a couple that were on my PVR - last night and the Sunday before. Last night’s show was taped from New York before the SNL show. Lance and Higgs were in the Sirius studio, and he featured guest was former President Bill Clinton via the phone.

The focus of the conversation was President Clinton’s work with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (hope I got the name right). The main concern of this organization is prevention of childhood obesity, and raising awareness of the ramifications of obesity on long-term adult health - mainly diabetes. President Clinton asked for Lance’s help in making both kids and adults aware of diet and exercise as a prevention for so many debilitating adult diseases. Lance was very willing to do what he can to help.... LiveStrong means many things to many people.

The show of October 23rd was a re-run of the Sept 18th show, which I hadn’t heard. On this birthday show, Lance and Higgs kinda brought everyone up to date on what has been happening since the Tour de France. They talked about the NYC Gala, the Tour of Courage, the ACL Festival and George Hincapie Day in Greenville. Lance has been doing a ton of traveling.

Lance talked about taking a few days off in Nice, and having lunch with Bono, which turned into a drinking party that lasted till 3 am. However, Lance and company left mid-evening, much to Bono’s disappointment.

They talked about Lance’s ride with the Prez, and how strong he was. Lance joked that Bush was so unbelievably strong that Lance thought he should have a urine test or be tested for EPO, but Condi Rice said no, the President doesn’t do drug-testing.

On another topic altogether, the sleaze-bag, scum-bag spammers are using my fansite email address again for advertising and for sending viruses. So be warned that I am not sending out any mailings from LAFC, so if you receive one purportedly from me, delete and don’t open any attachments. I am not sending out any music files. Here is the return address from the message header of the latest spam scam I received from my own website address.

90-151-155-85.user.auna.net ([85.155.151.90])
Message-Id: <220309060816.06650.asparagine@catcha.com>
Auna.net is in Barcelona, and catcha.com is Singapore. Probably faked, but a million curses on the sender’s head.

Good thing I taped Saturday Night Live, ‘cause I zonked out right in the middle of the show and had to watch the tape. Now, if you watched it, you might say that makes a statement about that show... We all know that Lance is bike rider, not a performer, so that’s cool. But it sure seemed to me like the writing and the skits were pretty uninspired. The skit that had Lance singing to Sheryl was a pretty gutsy and funny thing for Lance to do.. As I said when he sang at the RftR bash last year, don’t quit your day job. Oh... Wait a minute, he did quit his day job...

I saw this really cool sneak preview of Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France (formerly titled Brain Power: Surviving the Tour de France) yesterday at the IMAX Theater at The Tech in San Jose. Daniel Ferguson, the Co-writer and Assistant Director gave us all kinds of cool stories about the making of the IMAX movie at the Tour de France. I kinda hung out at the Press Tent at finish line with some of their filming crew that year - so Daniel remembered me - he is a really cool guy and very handsome... Daniel’s presentation was so well done, and gave such insight into everything that the crew had to overcome to get the shots and get the huge cameras in place for each stage.

The scenes from the Tour are so awesome in the huge Imax format - I totally loved it! Wired to Win is actually about brain power, and the Tour segments focus on how the guys can train their minds to allow their bodies to suffer so horribly, as they all do. One of the movie promos said, “The subject of the film is the amazing ability of the human brain to overcome adversity, accomplish the near-impossible, and power each of us to victory and success in life...”

I think that Wired to Win is set to premiere in Boston in December, and out here in the West Coast in the Spring. You just absolutely have to see this fantastic IMAX movie... Click the Link for the website, which is still in process... You can also go to bigmoviezone.com and search for Wired to Win to get more info.

My two top cycling movie picks are Wired to Win and Overcoming. Incidentally, I got a notice from WCP that the Overcoming CD will be shipped in mid-November, with an additional 100 minutes on a second CD.

The photo of Lance is from the Ride for the Roses this month.

Took this photo at the Ride for the Roses on Friday at the LiveStrong Village. I think the graphic designs on the backboard are just fascinating. The background poster was actually over 10 feet tall, with the design repeating. Of course, you know that these designs were used on Lance’s wheels and bike for the Tour, and the individual graphics represent significant times, and people in his life. I have two photos at the end of my first RFTR smugmug gallery, where you can take a closer look.

I have some great news about that poor dog who was chained up under those miserable conditions in West Decatur, Pennsylvania for years. (See my posts of September 26th and 28th). He now has a new, loving home where he lives inside. He is warm, well-fed, wanted and cared for. I think we should all send our good vibes and thanks to one courageous neighbor, who would not give up until she found help for that helpless creature. Thanks to all of you who wrote and called that local SPCA, and who sent your support and suggestions to me. Let’s all make a vow to not look the other way when we see an animal who is being neglected or mistreated, or who has been dumped along a road to be run over or starve to death.

The ASO and Jean Marie Leblanc showed their true L’Creep colors at the 2006 Tour route announcement event. You can follow the link to read Johan Bruyneel’s response, if you haven’t read it already.

The Cycling Gods smiled on me at the Ride for the Roses. A guy in a Discovery kit came riding right up to me at the finish, with a big grin. It was my friend Toshi, from Giro. He is just the greatest guy - funny, warm and friendly. He was the head honcho for all the DC and Lance helmet work. I think he is no longer with Giro, tho. Anyway, I was gifted with the greatest schwag! I now own a Giro Atmos - matte black with a really cool yellow swish on one side. 270 grams - light as a feather.... Thank You, Toshi - from your head to mine is cool!!

I put some of my Ride for the Roses photos up yesterday - click the Link. If you are looking for your pic riding with Lance, you can click thru the two galleries. I have hundreds more shots, so if you don’t find your photo, email me... I may have it if you were in the group right behind the media truck....

Here is an update on the Hayden Roulston incident.... "We are not going to make any decision until we exactly know what occurred, but we are obviously very disappointed to hear any rider or staff member in our organization getting involved in an incident at 3am outside a bar," said Dan Osipow. "Usually nothing good occurs outside a bar at 3am in the morning. It is not a good place to be."

It’s no surprise that Discovery Channel has a strict code of conduct clause in rider contracts "to protect the team and the sponsor... We're in Hayden's corner all the way, so we need to talk to him and find out what occurred, but by no means are we ready to jump to any conclusions," said Dan.

I guess that Johan had laid it on the line with Hayden after the last court appearance, but it doesn’t sound like the rider is on a final warning.
"We don't operate like that. We are a bit more mature than that. The riders know exactly how we feel about that. We had a conversation with Hayden last time around and moved forward. It's a bummer it happened again, but before we do anything we need to talk to Hayden."

"Again, we are on Hayden's side, and we think he can be a key element in our team, once he gets over his injury," said Osipow. Hayden had surgery to remove a nagging cyst on his backside, which sidelined his first season with the team.
Hayden says that he was part of a big group of people and was “in the wrong place at the wrong time”, and there was no fighting...

Got a note from blog reader Eva, who thinks that the awesome guy at the Ride for the Roses who was riding with one leg is an Italian named Fabrizio Macchi. I’m not sure, I thought he was an American guy...

This guy is my 2005 Ride for the Roses Hero. I don’t know his name, I don’t know his story. I never got the chance to talk with him, but when I saw him haulin’ along right in the pack, doing with one pedal what the other riders were doing with two, he was my Hero. I want everybody who rides a bike to just stop and think how often you use your left leg when you ride. Take a minute and think.... Not just balance, but stopping, starting, cornering, emergency situations - all the things you encounter when you ride. Think of his guts and determination when he first got back on a bike - think of how many times he must have fallen and got back on. Think of his love for cycling... I don’t know you, but You Rock, Guy!

Now contrast with this story.... I see that Hayden Roulston has appeared in court again for public fighting in New Zealand. Hayden got nailed a couple of years ago for brawling, and was warned by the DC team management to never let that happen again. I guess his lawyer pleaded with the Judge to dismiss the case because Hayden feared that “a conviction will almost certainly spell the end of his involvement with that Discovery Channel team", according to the New Zealand Herald. However, the judge said Hayden should have known better. Hayden was convicted of disorderly behavior and fined $300. He apologized to the sport of cycling for his behavior, and acknowledged his responsibility to be a role model... OK, Hayden, now it’s time to walk the walk....

Hayden... Dude... You are riding with the Dream Team, the creme de la creme of teams and you are gonna jeopardize this by fighting over what somebody said to your friend’s girlfriend? Dude, get your act and your head together...

Sitting in my hotel (it’s Sunday night) and thinking about Robin Williams’ hysterical monologue on Friday night. In this photo, Robin is telling us more than we’d ever want to know about a proctological exam – complete with sound effects and graphic details. I was just a whoopin’ and a hollerin’ in good ole Texas style. The entire crowd was almost rolling on the floor laughing. Me, too…

With Robin, the louder you laugh, the more it eggs him on – he was just bouncing off the walls. I just love the guy. And he was so great after that high-energy monologue – he patiently posed for pictures with so many people. He was sweatin’ like a hawg, and looked exhausted, but he smiled and posed over and over again. No wonder people love him…

The ride today was great – I have pictures, but there is so little disc space on my drive that I can’t download them on my laptop without it creaking and groaning and freezing up…

Anyway, Lance was flying along – he didn’t have the kids with him – it was just too early – the ride started at 7:30 am. When we stopped in Elgin at the Survivor’s Rest Stop, I gave him a bad time, or tried to, anyway. I said, “Dude, look at those hairy legs of yours – Yee Gods.” He said, “No way… No way, am I ever gonna shave my legs again! Never!” He was having a great time, and did a couple of sprints with some of the guys. He was grinning from ear to ear – The Man still loves to ride…

A quick update from the Ride for the Roses, and I gotta head on over to the Kid’s thing this morning. The LiveStrong Village was hoppin’ when it opened at noon. Linda Kelly, Lance’s mom, showed up with the Grace and Isabella at her booksigning. It made the long line more desirable for people, but when Lance showed up to take the girls home, it created the usual stampede of folks with their point and shoot cameras.

I grabbed a couple of minutes to talk with him, and gave him the album of my Austin concert photos that I had created for him and Sheryl. Used an online publishing company and it looked great. Told him that I was toast for the Peloton Dinner unless he rescued me, and he said not to worry, he’s already had Higgs call the LAF folks to arrange for me to attend. What a guy!

The photo is my friend, Cameron Stewart, riding the mechanical bull. You could never tell that Cam is a cancer survivor and has gone thru Hell with his chemo, etc. He is a great kid, and so courageous. He just kept getting back in line and riding that bull again and again, with such determination and tenacity. I thought that it was exactly what Lance would have done as a kid. Whenever he fell off, he’d just get back in line to try again. He actually stuck on that critter for some long times – he looked just like a Pro on there… You can click the link to see Cam's page on my Lance fansite.

I’m heading down to Austin early tomorrow morning for the Ride for the Roses. It’s a busy, jam-packed, long weekend. The Expo is Friday and Saturday, plus on Saturday there is a non-LAF related downtown Crit. It will be the first one in a long time that occurs during the RftR weekend.

When I was new at working with Threshold Sports, I went to Austin for the BMC/LAF Downtown Crit - I think it was in the evening, but I may have it confused with the Crit at the Cascade Classic in Bend. Anyway, it was a great little crit, with some tricky corners and everyone rode hell-bent-for leather, Texas-style. There was a great crowd turnout and I loved the excitement of a cycling race in downtown Austin. On Sixth Street, all the decks on the restaurants and bars were packed with fans watching the race.

I was just getting into cycling photography then, and I had some little point and shoot digital - actually I think it was a Sony FV505 or 717 - I have both. It had a nice little 10x optical zoom lens, but the shutter lag was so bad that I couldn’t catch any of the race unless someone was practically standing still.... I ended up with a pretty interesting collage of bright-colored blurs for race images....

Jonathan Devich was there, shooting the race, and he let me tag along as his “assistant”. I helped him carry his photo stuff and I was just in Hog Heaven to get to learn the techniques close-up. I was so envious of his cameras and glass. I knew that I had to “get me some”... Now I have tons of gear, but there is always some lens that I am just dying to buy... Thanks to the Cycling and Digital Gods for plastic cards...

OK, so I digressed.... So the Friday night Peloton Project shindig is gonna be great. However, it’s for the heavy duty, big-money fundraisers, and I never make that category. So I have to scrounge around to find an extra ticket to get there. I asked Higgs to give me some help, so I hope he has, or will....

Then I'll try to get some shots of the Saturday Crit - Mike Creed will be riding, so I'll get shots of him for this website. The Saturday night presentation with Lance and Sanjay Gupta will be real good, and then its getting up real early to get out to the RftR Ride area before the line of traffic is long, long, long. I’ve seen some people take a taxi out there, and I can just imagine the taxi driver gnashing his teeth in the long line wait....

I love Austin and the Sixth Street area. And, yes, I will go to Six, the place that Lance’s buddy, College, owns - along with a dozen investors, including Lance. It’s a very cool place to be....

The photo is from the 2004 Ride for the Roses - Will Farrell and Bob Roll were cruising along together....

I’ve been a little lax with the Monday morning Lance Armstrong Sirius radio reports. Sorry ‘bout that.... I kinda got out of the Sunday evening listening routine when the rounds of re-runs were going on.

So Sunday night was a new program, taped on Friday from Austin. Lance’s schedule sounds like he is pounding on the air miles, big-time. The show was taped because Lance flew up to Seattle for Sheryl’s concert there this past Sunday. Not sure how many of her concerts that he will make, but certainly some of them are in conflict with the Ride for the Roses next weekend.
Here is her concert schedule:

Mo Oct 17 : Theater in Clouds, Portland, OR
Tu Oct 18 : Idaho Center, Boise. ID
Fr Oct 21 : Greek Theater, Berkeley, CA
Sun Oct 23 : Hollywood Bowl, CA. (moved from Oct 28)
Mo Oct 24 : Copley Symphony Hall, San Diego, CA
Fri Oct 28 : Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
Su Oct 30 : Avery Fisher Hall , New York, NY
Mon Oct 31 :Avery Fisher Hall, New York, NY

As you can see, Sheryl will not be in Austin for the Friday night dinner, and has to be in Hollywood on Sunday - the day of the Ride for the Roses.

So between the Tour of Hope, the Austin 10/2 concert, doing the NuSkin talk in Salt Lake City, and getting to Seattle, Lance has really been swamped, as he said on Sirius. He has been flying into different stops along the way of the TOH, and said he didn’t know there were so many small airports along the way.

To add to the already jam-packed schedule, Lance said that his good buddy and partner in CSE, Bill Stapleton, was getting married on Saturday, and they were trying to talk him into a bad bachelor beer party after the taping.

Everyone has been wondering about Lance’s drum solo at the Thank You Austin concert, and Lance explained. He said that Sheryl had given him drum set for Christmas, but he hasn’t played much. Lance said he only knows how to do one riff. So he went to a rehearsal of Sheryl’s the day before the Austin concert and was foolin’ around with the drums. He did his one riff repertoire, and the guys in the band said, “Hey, we know what that is - ZZ Top - Gimme all Your Lovin’ - let’s do it!” So, one day before the concert, they arranged the encore with Lance on the drums. Sheryl learned the words in one day, and the band picked up the groove.

Funny thing is that Lance said he was in the can, and almost missed his big debut on the drums before the 20k crowd of Austinites... ( He did a pretty damn good job, for a beginner, too.)

Lance gave some history on the Ride for the Roses - how it originally started with a group of guys doing a ride in February that always turned into a hard-assed race, and the winner receiving a dozen roses to give to his girlfriend for Valentine’s Day. From there, it evolved into the fund-raising Ride for the Roses after Lance’s cancer diagnosis. (My sense is that it sounds like RftR may gradually evolve into being called the LiveStrong ride, like the one in Portland, with several more scheduled around the country next year.)

Lance also talked about the Bristol Meyers Squibb Tour of Hope history, and the big, glitzy New York Gala on October 19th, honoring Peter Nolan of Nike. Both Lance and Sheryl will be there, and she will be on stage...

Lance announced that eighty-three members of this year’s Ride for the Roses Peloton Project have each individually raised over $25k, and they will receive special honors at the Friday night event. And Lance’s buddy, Robin Williams, will be there, with his hilarious, scatalogical wit. Lance said there will be a special area for the kids, so Robin can be complete and uncensored for the adults. The Saturday night program will feature a dialogue between Lance and Dr. Sanjay Gupta of CNN. Lance also said his kids asked him if they could ride with him at the Sunday ride, so he will hook up a three-piece bike unit, with Luke on a bike trailer, and the twins in a regular trailer behind Luke. Lance said he hoped there weren’t too many hills, but he probably wouldn’t make over then miles, anyway... Yeah, right....

News Update: Just got a email Press Release from Michael of Electric Artists - Lance will be a presenter at the 2005 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS , to air on ABC on November 22nd...

When I saw the news this morning that Sony Ericsson had quashed the sponsor deal for Giancarlo Ferretti’s new cycling team, I immediately thought about Mattie White, affectionately called Whitey. He has just had the crappiest cycling luck the past couple of years. He left Cofidis (as did Stuart O’Grady) to sign up with this new team for 2006. Now - kaput! At this late date, several of the new team members and staff, about four dozen people, are scrambling for jobs...

Bad luck - remember last year, that Whitey crashed and broke his collarbone just a few hours before he was to ride his dream: his first Tour de France. He was warming up for the Prologue in Liege, and took a digger. Away to the hospital and out of the Tour. And when Whitey left the Posties team in 2003, that was when the second wave of Cofidis drug stuff broke.... There he was, newly signed and all Hell broke loose. I emailed him at the time, and he was his usual up-beat self about it.

I remember Whitey’s first Postal training camp in 2001. I think we were in Tucson that year, not Scottsdale. I arrived at the airport and got soaked getting to my rental. Sunny Arizona was freezing cold and the rain was pouring down in buckets. I headed up the main boulevard, which looked like a small creek. Much to my astonishment, thru my struggling windshield wipers, I saw a group of cyclists riding in water up to their hubs. Then I realized they are wearing the Blue Train colors. OMG - it’s the Posties! Drenched in the downpour their whole training ride, heading for our hotel.

The guys were in small bunches, and with traffic and stoplights, I ended up way behind them. One lone rider had been dropped and I stopped beside him at a light. It was Whitey, and he didn’t look too good at all - I really didn’t know him and he didn’t now me, either. I asked him how he was doing. “Not so good, I’m freezing to death”. And he really looked hypothermic to me, seriously.

The light turned green and I had to drive on, but I couldn’t see any team support vehicle anywhere behind me in the rain. I just knew the guy was in trouble. So I pulled over about a block away, and Whitey rode up and got off his bike. He was literally blue in the face and shaking from the cold. He told me they had ridden in snow in the high mountains and being an Aussie, he wasn’t used to the cold. I offered for him to sit in my car with the heater on, and I’d try to stick his bike in my trunk in some half-arsed way.

But there is a code of honor, you know, and he thanked me and said no, he thought there was a team van somewhere behind him. So I just stood there in the rain, getting soaked myself, figuring that a team support vehicle didn’t come soon, I was gonna have to make him get in my car. I kept talking to him, but his teeth were chattering so bad - he wasn't in any shape to make conversation. I felt like hugging him or something to keep him warm, but that idea was a little out there...

It was quite a while, but we saw a van coming through the rain, and there were the soigneurs, who jumped out and stuck his bike on the roof, stuck him in the van, and away they went. They later told me that they rushed Whitey right into a hot shower, with this kit and shoes on... He was definitely hypothermic. He came up to me later and really thanked me for hanging in there with him - said he thought he was gonna die of the bloody cold. So he and I have this special soaking wet bonding between us...

This photo is from the 2005 Tour de France, after the finish of one of the mountain stages, and Whitey is still grinning....

The new 2000 Discovery Team Roster was announced yesterday. I have to say it looks really weird to not see Lance’s name leading the list. We have a great bunch of riders, but we are also losing a lot of our American guys. One of my favorite guys is Tony Cruz, and I really hate to see that his name is not on the list. He is a dedicated, hard-working rider and has given so much to the team over the years. Much appreciation and best of luck to Tony, Creed, Pat and Ryder.

We now have George, Tom and Jason to carry the Stars and Stripes into 2006 for the American fans. Gee, it will be weird to not see the Texas flag along the roads next year. But we may still see it, since Lance will be riding in the team car at some races... But no Texas flag flying on top of Le Crillion ever again.....

We still have our brilliant Directeur Sportif, Johan Bruyneel, with Dirk Demol, Laurenzo Lapage and Sean Yates as Assistants. These astute and experienced directeurs will bring out the best in the 2006 team, and of course, Lance will be very present as an owner/manager. The best of the best, leading the best....

I saw a press release from Richardson’s Bike Mart this morning in Florida Sports Magazine. Here is part of the PR:
“Inspired by Lance Armstrong's record Tour De France accomplishments, and his mission to inspire / empower people with cancer to “Live Strong”, we have created the ultimate bicycle to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. To honor his record setting 7th win, we have commissioned Alan Friedman to design and manufacture a “Diamond 7” plaque which will be affixed to the front of the bicycle. The plaque is made in 14K white and yellow gold and contains “7” one carat intense vivid yellow cultured Gemesis diamonds(each diamond representing his 7 winning yellow jerseys) and 300 full cut white diamonds.

“This is a special bike honoring a very special person. We designed a “Diamond 7” emblem set in a spoke pattern glittering with diamonds and set it on a reproduction of the bike that Lance rode victoriously into Paris. Trek has kindly donated a Trek Madone 5.9 SL one of a kind bicycle to the project” said Jim Hoyt, owner of Richardson Bike Mart. “Lance Armstrong is a inspiration to us all, I can think of no better way to contribute to his cause”, said Alan Friedman

This bicycle will be auctioned at the annual Lance Armstrong Foundation Gala in New York on October 19. Our goal is to raise in excess of $100,000 for the foundation. This could make it the most valuable bicycle in the world.

One of the other interesting points of the project is that this bike was built in the US, the diamonds were made in the US, the “Diamond 7” was designed and manufactured in the US. This is rare in both the bike and the jewelry industry. What better way to honor the only rider, an American, to ever get seven Tour de France wins. Lance Armstrong’s career began at the Richardson Bike Mart. What better place to unveil the Trek Diamond 7 bicycle."

Sunday, October 16, 2005
4:00 – 5: 00 Press conference
5:30 – 6:30 Unveiling of the bicycle
Richardson Bike Mart, 1451 W. Campbell Rd., Richardson, TX 75080

Well, Butte, Montana is not going to be outdone by Greenville, SC in the Local Heroes Day department. They are having a Levi Leipheimer Day on October 20th, with parade and all sorts of celebration goodies. Levi is a local guy and did some great racing in Montana. So the good townspeople want to honor and say thanks to a great guy. Schoolchildren are asked to wear their school colors in the parade...

And it looks like Max isn’t quite ready to let go of his racing season. He’s going to do the Six-Day in Amsterdam, being held from October 17th thru 22nd. He, of course, is a home-boy in the Netherlands....

It’s a bummer that the Tour of Hope got rained out last Saturday. The team finished the ride, but the public ride had to be cancelled. I was talking to one of the organizers yesterday, and she said it was just pouring buckets - not safe at all. They did some last-minute stuff and found a venue for the celebration, but there were some bummed-out cyclists who thought they might get to ride near Lance....

My buddy, Dave Towle, reminds us that OLN is showing the Tour de Nez on October 19th. He says its a pretty awesome event.. Check the listing for your local time. I have never been to the Tour de Nez in Reno, but I guess it’s about time that I get my fanny over there and check it out next year. So I’ll get a preview of the action next week on TV.

And, Cycling TV just sent a notice that they are covering that other big bike show - the one in London, The International Cycling Show. They’ll air it live next week, from Thursday the 17th thru Sunday the 16th. Here, in the Bay Area, it’s early in the morning: 6 am on some days, 8 am on others. If you didn’t make it to Interbike, check this out...

I love it! In a recent interview, Eki says he feels like a 25 year-old on the bike, and his goal is to do the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing... My Iron Man says that he loves riding for Discovery - just like family to him. You know, people say that Lance is a physical phenomenon, but Eki is a darn close close-runner up. Stamina, strength, motivation, determination, guts and experience. Let’s add ageless to the list.... Yep, he just keeps on keeping on first-class and top-notch. He’ll do the Tour of Lombardi on Sunday.... This photo is Eki at the 2004 SF Grand Prix...

So Lance is going full-speed with all his sponsor obligations and his beloved Tour of Hope, LiveStrong Rides and the Ride for the Roses. He says that he doesn’t feel retired, yet he says he’s gained ten pounds and is “hairy-legged”. Don’t forget to catch him on Saturday Night Live on Oct 29th.

Our DC guys looked real fine at the Putte-Kapellen in Belgium today. Max won last year, but took fourth this year, while Roger grabbed second spot. Riders were: Roger, Max, Jurgen, Stijn, Leif, Guennadi. Next, and last, race will be the Tour of Lombardi in Italy on Sunday. Team will be: Eki, Chechu, Jurgen, Guennadi, Leif, Stijn, Volodymyr and Janez.

Very cool win for Zabel at Paris-Tours: his record third victory there. Zabel cleaned clocks in the bunch sprint - a great way to end his years with T-Mobile. AFP has a great finish shot of Zabel and Bennati, showing the half-wheel-length victory. I took the above fuzzy image of Zabel on the Champs Elysees at the 2004 Tour, which turned out to be his final Tour de France ride for T-Mobile. I think that OLN is going to show an hour of P-T this afternoon. I watched the live report on Eurosport this morning. I was cheering when Stijn took off on the climb, but pretty much knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold it all the way to thru the sprint finish..

And I vote for Prentice Steffen as Mr. Braindead Stupid Mouth of the Year. I was waiting to see what would happen - I was sure that Jonathan Vaughters would be absolutely livid and infuriated by the remarks, as well as the team sponsors and guys on the TIAA-CREF team. What an insult to that team of young, dedicated riders, and to Jonathan, who has devoted himself to producing a clean, proud team that wins... They didn’t waste any time telling him to not let the door hit his butt as he was leaving.... The guy is gonna be lucky to not be working at Jack in the Box till he's 90 to pay off his lawsuits. Can you imagine somebody in the cycling world dumb enough to trust L’Creep with an interview that has anything to do with doping?

Thanks to Patricia, from San Jose, for the nice shot of me and Chris Brewer at the Sheryl/Lance Austin Concert. I’m bummed that Sheryl will be giving a concert in Berkeley at the same time that I will be back in Austin for the Ride for the Roses... Cruel fate for me....

I received my official invitation to the Tour de France 2006 announcement ceremonies at the Palais des Congres de Paris. It will be on Thursday, October 27th. Unfortunately, they forgot to include a round-trip plane ticket, so I guess I’ll have to be one of those cycling celeb no-shows. Ha -Yeah - Sure... Everyone who receives media accreditation from the past year’s Tour is sent one of these invitations.

But, somebody else we all know sure won’t go... Lance will not attend. I usually would assume that Johan would be there, but given the recent events and comments, I’m not real sure that he will. Lance did say that for sure, he will be at the Tour next summer at times, remaining very involved with the team. Johan originally said that he couldn’t imagine both he and Lance in the same team car, but I think that’s gonna happen...

Wonder if Lance will want to drive one of the team cars in the race sometimes? It really is a skill and the drivers have to know exactly what they are doing, plus be really experienced. I think Lance is too smart to even think about doing that. For example, Jakob Piil was just taken out by an idiot service car driver at the Tour of Zurich. Jakob ended up with a broken hip, which is a major injury for anyone, but especially for a racer. You can say, oh well, at least it happened at the end of the season, but the amount of rehab and the suffering to get back in shape is huge....

The guys are riding Paris-Tours tomorrow, and my Iron Man Eki will be there, with the usual diehards: Chechu, Volodymyr, Stijn, Roger, Guennadi, Leif and Jurgen. A long, tough, 253 kilometer race, that ends in a straight 3km finish... Hello, sprinters....

Thanks to the blog commenters who suggested World Cycling Productions as the place to get the DVD of “Overcoming”. That’s where I ordered mine, but there is also a place on the CSC team site to order it. A little cheaper, but then you add on the handling and mailing fees and it kinda evens out. I can’t wait to get my copy and have a bunch of folks over to watch it....

I already have liked Bjarne from interacting with him at past US races, and I totally adore Ivan from hanging with him this year at the SF race. And of course, I know Z (Zabriskie) and Christian, so I’m a big CSC fan, too. But this movie really endeared them all to me. It’s no wonder they are all so loyal to Bjarne, he really cares about each of these guys on his team.

And it’s really great to have your comments again - I love hearing from you. It seems like the spammers have decided to target the blogspot blog sites. So I had to turn off the comments again while I fiddled with my firewall stuff, so I could get a Delete icon to toss the spam crap off... I wish Google would include the tool on our blogs that is something like Bravenet does, where the site owner can do IP banning.

And a heads-up for Saturday Night Live on October 29th - I hear that both Lance and Sheryl will be there....

The photo is from Stage 1 of the 2005 Tour...

While I was at Interbike, I was invited to attend the showing of the Danish movie about the CSC team, called “Overcoming”. It is an excellent, top-notch documentary about the CSC team, filmed the year that Ivan Basso was signed on. It’s a true, behind the scenes look at the making of a top team. I recommend it highly - I was just glued to the screen - it is a must-see. You gotta have the DVD.

This Danish film crew spent days and days getting to know the team, and reaching a complete comfort level so that the CSC guys hardly knew that the video cameras were rolling. Bjarne Riis allows us to look into his head and hear his thoughts: his dilemmas and concerns about the riders on his team. It clearly shows Bjarne’s total caring and commitment to his guys, and, in turn, their trust in him, and commitment to him and their teammates.

There are some funny scenes with then-newcomer Ivan Basso trying to speak English, and flailing along in the water, learning how to swim at the training boot camp. Also some very touching moments when Ivan learns that his mother has cancer. They video Ivan speaking on the phone with Lance about helping Mrs. Basso, and thanking Lance for everything he has done to help.

The camera crew rides along with the team, and cameras are rolling on Bobby Julich’s fall when trying to take water bottles from Bjarne. One second you see Bobby riding beside the car window, reaching for the bottle from Bjarne and in an instant, he disappears from sight, and you hear the sounds of the crash.

You see Carlos Sastre torn by his dilemma of wanting to be with his family, wife and newborn daughter. The suffering, the anguish, the frustrations, as well as the joking and bonding of these guys - their triumphs and tragedies - are recorded with the unflinching eye of the video cameras. You see their sweat, tears, laughter, and road rash up close.... This is a real-deal cycling movie...

I took this photo of Bjarne and Ivan (under the glare of yellow lights) at the 2005 BGI sponsor dinner in SF. Click the Link to go to the Danish Overcoming movie website.

Just got a note from the Discovery Health Channel folks with a reminder about the new SURVIVORS WEEK Series. This will be the first-ever week of programming dedicated to the inspiring stories of real-life heroes and the human medical triumphs that have enabled them to thrive and survive in the face of adversity. In addition to giving Discovery Health Channel free advertising, I’m also programming my PVR right now...

SURVIVORS WEEK kicks off Sunday, October 9 at 8 pm (ET/PT) with the world premiere of LANCE ARMSTRONG: STORIES OF SURVIVAL and continues throughout the week with updated encore presentations of some of Discovery Health Channel's top survivor stories each night at 8 pm (ET/PT).

Here’s the line-up for each night that they sent. Some of these are repeats, but with new footage:

INSPIRED BY LANCE
Encore Presentation with All-new Footage: Monday, October 10
This one-hour special tells the stories of four cancer survivors transformed by their battles with the disease, including the story of seven-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong. INSPIRED BY LANCE chronicles the epic battles against cancer waged by these four heroes and their actions today that inspire others. Through the phenomenal story of Lance’s cancer battle and his ultimate triumph, this special unveils how he has remains an inspiration to millions of cancer victims with his unparalleled physical recovery and his dedication to cancer awareness.

MYSTERY DIAGNOSIS: SURVIVORS
World Premiere: Tuesday, October 11
Every year, millions of Americans fall prey to real-life medical mysteries – ailments that remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years. Their lives are thrown into turmoil, and sometimes their sanity is called into question as medical professionals struggle to understand their baffling conditions. This special explores the stories of three amazing survivors who lived through years of unexplained medical diagnoses and relates those afflictions changed their lives forever.

BIG JOHN: ONE YEAR LATER
Encore Presentation with All-new Footage: Wednesday, October 12
At 5'6" and 400 pounds, 17-year-old John Edgar puts his health in serious jeopardy. John has tried, without success, to lose weight through diet and exercise. He is now faced with the decision to continue to live with morbid obesity or undergo a risky gastrointestinal bypass operation that could save his life. John opts for the surgery, which is seldom performed on teenagers, and he emerges from it with a reduced stomach, re-routed intestines and a whole new relationship with food. Nine months later, John has shed more than 150 pounds and looks and feels like a different person. But, no one knows the long-term effects this kind of operation produces on patients as young as John; only time will tell.

CONJOINED TWINS: SEPARATE STEPS
Encore Presentation with All-new Footage: Thursday, October 13
Thirty-year-old Emily Stark of Denver, Colorado, always dreamed of having twins. When she became pregnant in 2000, her dream came true. However, an ultrasound revealed the twins were conjoined, and doctors recommended a risky separation procedure to help save the twins lives. In this special, follow Emily and her husband, Jim, through the entire surgical and post-surgical process that, at one point, would involve nearly 60 doctors and surgeons and state-of-the-art medical technology.

About Discovery Health Channel
Discovery Health Channel takes viewers inside the fascinating and informative world of health and medicine to experience firsthand, compelling, real-life stories of medical breakthroughs and human triumphs. Currently in 59 million homes, Discovery Health Channel is the only 24-hour network and Web site -- discoveryhealth.com -- devoted to what matters most -- health.

I grabbed a burger, and a few zzz’s after the Sheryl/Lance concert last night. Then I got up at 2:30 this morning for the Tour of Hope arrival in Austin. It was scheduled for 3:45, and a small cheering section was there on the Capitol grounds. Not knowing quite where it was, I parked on the opposite side of the huge and magnificent Capitol Building.

So I slogged all my camera crap around to the other side, walking with a group of other folks in the morning darkness. However, when it was all over, I found myself heading solo back across the deserted Capitol Grounds – it was a little creepy. I started wondering just how fast I could run with 25 pounds of bulky camera equipment, and realized not at all… Of course, when I got to the darkest, most deserted corner, I saw some guy walking on the grass under some trees. I kept one eye open in the back of my head till I got in view of the police cars that guard each entrance. I was very happy to get back to my rental car.

The TOH team exchange was really cool to see. It is totally organized to the last detail, with an incredible support staff. It was awesome to see the bright headlights of the incoming riders, and also the red taillights of the outgoing team, lined up and waiting. The cheers were loud for both teams in the stillness of the early morning darkness. The minute the first team arrived, it was a tag relay, and off the others went, for their six-hour stint to Houston.

Camera flashes showed the sweat beads glistening on the foreheads of a couple of guys who had, I think, done the last pulls. Grins were both triumphant and relieved for the riders who now got to rest and clean up. Nevertheless, they spent a lot more time than I would expect, talking to reporters, friends and family - especially Austin’s own rider, Duke Browning. His fans wore yellow tee shirts with “Duke” on the back…

It was a great experience, well worth the getting up early… With this and the concert: Well worth the flight to Austin.

The Thank You Austin concert was simply awesome! Sheryl sang her heart out for Austin. At the end, Lance sat down at the drums and sounded damn good! Is there anything this guy can’t do? The audience went nuts - Lance was grinning and giving Sheryl a bad time, and vice versa…. Check the Link for shots of Sheryl.

It was a family concert, with Grace stealing the show – this little gal is gonna be a performer, for sure. She loves the limelight, while Isabella prefers to be in the background. But all three kids ran all over the stage, had a great time, and stole everybody’s hearts. The stage was full of kids and full of love…

It looked like all of Austin was there: the sea of people filled the entire venue. It was just the best time I’ve had in years, and a wonderful, heartfelt thank-you from Lance on his special October 2nd survivor birthday. Thank You, Lance and Sheryl!