AMERICA

America, you ode for reality!
Give back the people you took.

Let the sun shine again
on the four corners of the world

you thought of first but do not
own, or keep like a convenience.

People are your own word, you
invented that locus and term.

Here, you said and say, is
where we are. Give back

what we are, these people you made,
us, and nowhere but you to be.

  — Robert Creeley (1926 – 2005), American poet, author, professor.

Vino’ says he will be on Astana … or heads will roll – VeloNews

Alexander Vinokourov said Wednesday he intends to ride for Astana later this year or there will be serious consequences for those who keep him from riding on the Kazakh-financed team.

In a press conference held in Monaco in advance of Saturday’s Tour de France start, Vinokourov, whose suspension for homologous blood doping ends on July 24, said there’s no possibility that he would ride for any team other than the one he helped establish in 2006.

Vinokourov assembled a coalition of Kazakh sponsors to take over the ProTour license of his old Liberty-Seguros squad after that team folded on the heels of the then-breaking Operación Puerto scandal.

“I will resume my career as a professional on July 24,” he said. “I cannot imagine being on a team other than Astana. The Kazakhstan cycling federation wants me on team, I am currently negotiating with Johan Bruyneel and I think we will reach agreement in the next week.”

Later in the article:

Vinokourov suggested on Wednesday that Bruyneel has little choice but to respect the wishes of his Kazakh sponsors.

“This team was created for me and thanks to my efforts,” Vinokourov said. “I have served my suspension and I do not see why I could not return. If Bruyneel does not want me, it will be Bruyneel who is leaving the team.”

Part of me is looking forward to seeing Vino come back, because his attacking style of racing is a flat-out joy to watch.

Part of me is thinking, “man, this guy’s got a lot of nerve thinking he’s gonna come back to a ProTour team and possibly have the director fired when he’s been banned for two years from racing … and whatever happened to the additional two-year ban from the ProTour?”

I’m looking forward to the cyclo-politics at the end of the month … there’s gonna be fireworks!

TRANSPLANTS – D.J. D.J.

D.J.
D.J.

Nobody move, nobody get hurt, they said
Make one wrong move, man, you wake up dead
I exercise my lyrical stylings
And all the while you’re dead and gone and forgotten
I said, oh, are they gonna come back for you?
No, aw, the story’s sorry but true
Lord, did you really want them to go?
No, oh you’re so goddamn cold

We’re gonna make it on our own, we don’t need anyone
Lord knows we don’t need you
We’re gonna make it on our own, we don’t need anyone
Lord knows we don’t need you

(watch me now)
You got your ear to the street, then this bud’s for you
You got my name in your mouth, then this slug’s for you
Shotgun, Fast Lane, on the Highway to Hell
Germ sticks, tall cans, and the powder that sells
Just tryin’ to have somethin’, and you sit back and laugh
I’ma grab something, I’ma gettin’ that half
We came too far now, nowhere we can flop
Wanna drop me, gotta kill me, only way I’ma stop

We got 808 subwoofers in the trunk
Around the world with the Rancid Punx
This is for the misfits, the freaks and the runts
Fuck the motherfuckin’ back-stabbin’ cunts
Ride’s gettin’ rough, so I know I better buckle
P U N X tattooed on my knuckles
Hey man, you keep the shackles, cause I am free

We’re gonna make it on our own, we don’t need anyone
Lord knows we don’t need you
We’re gonna make it on our own, we don’t need anyone
Lord knows we don’t need you

(watch me now)

We’re gonna make it on our own, we don’t need anyone
Lord knows we don’t need you
We’re gonna make it on our own, we don’t need anyone
Lord knows we don’t need you

I heard you’re losing your mind, shit, I been lost mine
But I still stay focused through good and bad times
Compare your worst fuckin’ day to my best fuckin’ night
I bet my last red cent that you couldn’t stand the sight
From loss of loved ones to life of drug funds
They counted me out, from what? I’m not done
Give me a chance to shine and I’ma blind the world
Take a stand and be the voice of those who cannot be heard

We’re gonna make it on our own, we don’t need anyone
Lord knows we don’t need you
We’re gonna make it on our own, we don’t need anyone
Lord knows we don’t need you

(watch me now)

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Headed out today planning a normal Wasatch Loop, but legs and lungs felt okay by the time I hit the mouth of Emigration, so I decided to continue on, planning first to turn around at Sun & Moon, then at the first switchback … but despite having to stop a couple times to take an Albuterol blast, I pushed on to the top of Little Mountain before turning around and dropping back down the canyon.

Felt a whole lot better today than I did yesterday afternoon, but probably not quite as good as I did yesterday morning. It’s a work in progress, and every day I actually get out on the bike and do something is a small victory.

Not exactly sure how many times I got out on the bike last year, but according to what I actually measured, 2008 was 30 rides and 415 miles for the entire year. Thus far this year I’ve done 21 measured rides (plus two additional rides I’ve noted but not measured), and 474 miles … so I’m averaging more miles per ride, and still have half the year remaining. I will be pleased if I get 1000 miles this year; ecstatic if I can build up to 1500, but right now I’m just happy to be on the bike when I am.

“You have something in yourself that is fundamentally, basically good. It transcends the notion of good or bad. Something that is worthwhile, wholesome, and healthy exists in all of us …

Such goodness is synonymous with bravery. It is always there. Whenever you see a bright and beautiful color, you are witnessing your own inherent goodness. Whenever you hear a sweet and beautiful sound, you are hearing your own basic goodness. Whenever you taste something sweet or sour, you are experiencing your own basic goodness …

Things like that are always happening to you, but you have been ignoring them, thinking that they are mundane and unimportant, purely coincidences of an ordinary nature. However, it is worthwhile to take advantage of anything that happens to you that has that particular nature of goodness. You begin to realize that there is nonaggression happening all around you in your life, and you are able to feel the freshness of realizing your goodness, again and again.”

From SMILE AT FEAR: AWAKENING THE TRUE HEART OF BRAVERY, Chapter 1, “Facing Yourself”

  — Chögyam Trungpa (1939 – 1987), Tibetan Buddhist teacher.

Felt great this morning …

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… felt like ass this afternoon.

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Was getting ready for a ride today when my computer started beeping at me, reminding me that I had to go into work today for a training … a situation I was not happy about, but decided to make the best of it by riding to the office.

Turns out that since I was on vacation all this past week, no one was really expecting me to show up, but I’m glad I got it over with. As noted above, I felt great this morning, but felt like ass this afternoon … don’t think it was the heat, but my legs were definitely tight after the slightly harder effort this morning.

And since there was a 3-hour break between the morning and afternoon commutes, and considering how vastly different I felt on the bike between the two, I’m considering it two rides.

Deal with it.

Nice to see the Beagle, Slohran and the boys (and girl) getting some press … keep doing Utah proud!

Monavie-Cannondale keeps busy – VeloNews

The Utah-based Monavie-Cannondale professional mountain bike team is prepping for a busy July racing schedule chock-full of single- and multi-day cross-country races. Topping the list is USA Cycling’s marathon national championships on July 4, the June 28-July 4 BC Bike Race and Colorado’s July 5-10 Breck Epic.

“This is busy season for us,” said team manager Matt Ohran. “Epic racing around the world is our team’s tagline, and we have to live up to that.”

Leading the charge for the squad is current short track and marathon national champion Jeremiah Bishop. Bishop has his eyes on defending his title at Colorado’s Firecracker 50 cross-country race on July 4, which serves as the national marathon championships. The Virginian has been living at altitude in Colorado and Utah in preparation for the event.

“(The Firecracker 50) is definitely a huge goal of mine this year, but it’s going to be tough. The field is a lot stronger,” said Bishop. Bishop will face off against traditional marathon riders such as Dave Wiens, Evan Plews and Jay Henry at the Firecracker. But the addition of cross-county strongmen Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) and Todd Wells (Specialized) should lift the depth of competition to a new high.

Joining Bishop at the Firecracker 50 is Utah rider Burke Swindlehurst, a longtime veteran of the American road racing scene who races on the Bissell pro cycling team. Swindlehurst will ride also ride for Monavie-Cannondale in the Breck Epic stage race.

Bishop will also race the Breck Epic, but said he just hopes to survive the six-day stage race after racing the Firecracker 50. He will then defend his short-track title at the July 16-19 USA Cycling national championships in Sol Vista, Colorado, and will race in the inaugural Intermontane Challenge stage race, held July 27-31 in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Monavie-Cannondale is sending four two-person teams to next week’s BC Bike Race, which begins this Sunday. Bart Gillespie, who last year won the opening BCBR stage alongside Jason Sager, is teamed up with Utah rider Alex Grant. German rider Ben Sonntag, who is the two-time collegiate cross-country champion, will ride alongside Fort Lewis College team coach Matt Shriver. Sue Butler and Coloradan Bryan Alders will contest the mixed team category, and Ohran and Tim Butler will also race as a team.