So Rest Day, or better named Travel Day, had the additional press rush from the announcement by Floyd Landis that he has avascular necrosis and will have a hip replacement after the Tour ends. He has been riding in intense pain for a long time. The big question is not whether the hip replacement after the Tour will be successful, but whether he can regain and retain his form after he recovers.

The announcement particularly hit me, since I have been dealing with a similar type situation for a few years, stemming from a jogging-in-pain injury that I inflected on myself. I just damn well wouldn’t stop running five painful miles a day, for a couple of years after the hurting started. I am still paying the price for that one... So, I guess if Floyd can disclose the details, then so will I...

The docs suspected that I might have avascular necrosis about 10 or 12 years ago - I had to do all the testing and having dye injected and watching it on the TV above the operating table. It turned out not to be AVN, but they indicated it might be in my future. I had to walk with crutches for 3 or so months, along with cortisone shots, to try to relieve the inflammation. The sports medicine docs talked to me about hip replacement, but no way would I go for that... They said (back then) that hip joint replacement on a younger person meant two or three replacements over their active life span. Oh Man - no way - no way for me.... That’s when I stopped jogging and took up cycling.

So I live with the my mini-version of the stuff that Floyd talks about. I don’t think my pain level is anywhere near what he has, but when he talks about it feeling “like a toothache” and not sleeping at night from the hurting: I know, Dude, I know. So sometimes if you see me lugging my 30 pounds of cameras, or getting out of the car after a long drive, and I’m limping a bit - well, it’s the nasty, raspy hip joint. And when I’m down on the ground, shooting the race, and you see me struggle a bit when I’m trying to stand up - it’s that nasty, raspy hip bone grinding around in my hip joint socket. And if I’m walking along and suddenly swear out loud, Yep, you got it right. But - no biggie - it could be worse - It’s minimal compared to Floyd....

So it really sucks that Floyd is having to deal with this. That tough dude has got a long way to go, and lots of Podium stairs to climb. My money is on Floyd to conquer this just like everything else along the way... He can be my Titanium Man and Eki will be my Iron Man..

And, Cheers to Tom Danielson for his win at the Tour of Austria - he’s cooking and heading for the Tour of Germany and then the Vuelta. Go Tom!

And... I may be very late or not at all with the blog postings while I am madly racing around Utah till Friday night, to get the lay of the land for the race next month. Maybe I can get in at least an Audio post. And don’t forget to volunteer in Utah, so I can see you on the road.... Click on the link...