· My favorite commentator over at the Podium Café has a story out about five riders she wants to watch in this year’s Tour de France. It’s a pretty good list and a decent primer for folks looking to get a handle on who some of the players are in this year’s race.
· I ran some intervals last night. I ended up going about 3.5-miles with a set of 5 x 2-minute Fartlek intervals as the centerpiece. Despite being sleepy all afternoon yesterday, I felt great when I was running. Ended up averaging just under 7:45/mile—pretty good for me. I’ve been doing a lot of aerobic work lately, so last night was mostly about working the upper range of my heart rate reserve as well as sharpening my running form a bit. I think I accomplished that.
· Transformers: Dark of the Moon is off to mixed reviews. The Republic liked it. Chicago Tribune and New York Daily News not so much. Eh. As I type this, the movie is at about 35% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. That ain’t too good.
· Though I cringe as I type this, I find myself agreeing with Justice Clarence Thomas over Antonin Scalia in the recent Supreme Court ruling that overturned a California law banning the sale of extremely violent video games to minors due to concerns over Freedom of Speech. The majority of the court unfortunately ruled with Scalia in saying that video games are a form of speech, and that their sale cannot therefore be banned by the State of California. Which is fine. Except—as Justice Thomas points out—that the rights of minors are not the same as the rights of adults. Thomas then goes off on a rant about 17th and 18th century parental morality that I think we can safely ignore, but his base point—that banning the sale of games to minors does not ban their access by minors because parents can still purchase said games for their kids so long as they consent to having their kids view them—is valid. Bottom line, parents make choices for their kids every day. That’s just part of the deal. And just the same as I wouldn’t want some asshole to try to sell my kids pornography without my being aware of the attempt, so too I think I’d like to know about the attempted sale of violent video games as well. Honestly, so long as parents are legally responsible for the actions of their children, I don’t know how you can reasonably restrict their ability to control their children’s access to media. Either parents are responsible or they aren’t. The distinction is not that hard to make.
· I mapped the bike course for the Litchfield Hills Triathlon on MapMyRide.Com today. If the site is to be believed, there are two Cat 5 climbs on the route. The first is at the 14.5-mile mark and lasts just over a mile with an average 2.9% grade. I cannot personally remember that one. The second climb is at the 21-mile marker, and it lasts for basically the last two miles of the ride with an average grade of 3.4%. I will tell you that the beginning of that climb is by far the easier part while the ending is much steeper. It’s probably close to 6% at its worst. Anyway, I saved the course map if you’re interested. Lots and lots of people read my race report for that race, so I assume that those same folks would probably like to see what they’re in for when they get out there on the course this year.
· By comparison, 6% is a relatively benign climb for the Tour de France. At the Tour, they’ll average 9% or more for miles. Which is just unbelievable if you ask me. I can’t even imagine climbing something like that.
· Last thing: we had a dip in readership last week, but it seems like things have picked back up since Sunday night. Still, the comments have fallen off a cliff. So. If you see something you like around here, by all means, please feel free to leave a comment—even on an older post. That helps me know what’s working here, and honestly, I think it makes it more fun for everybody.
5 comments:
I've got a quick question for you.
I'm interesting in doing a triathlon and started looking at some road bikes. Let's just say the sticker price nearly knocked me on the floor.
What are your thoughts: does the quality of the bike make that much difference for the average triathlete racer?
Say I'm the equivalent of a Geo Metro engine. Someone installs me in a Ferrari. Unfortunately, that Ferrari's still going to run like a Geo Metro.
Do you find different bikes make that much of a difference? Or does it come down to the ability of the rider more than the bike.
Also, one more question since the Tour de France is about to start:
Do you think that Lance used any kind of illegal performance-enhancing drug during his career?
Well, the second question is easier than the first. Yes, Lance certainly used drugs. Because, bottom line, the things he did were inhuman, and the people he beat were all also on drugs. So in a way, I think it was a fair competition. Everyone was cheating. That said, there is NO WAY he could have beaten guys who've already admitted to being on drugs without himself being on them. It's just not possible.
On the bike sticker price... I bought an entry level bike for about $650 a few years ago. That same bike now would run about $1000. And I outgrew that bike in about 6 months. So I won't say that you get what you pay for, necessarily, but if you can put your palms on the floor when you try to touch your toes (I can; most bikers can), then you probably need a more aggressive geometry than is available in an entry-level bike. Beyond that... if you can lose five pounds off your body frame, then start there, and once you've got the weight off permanently, maybe then you can think about spending $4000 on a racing bike.
Does that help?
Jesus! Do not say things like "...afford a $4000 bike" to that reader. Please, help a sister out here & recommend something less expensive. On another note, the idea of you being able to touch your palms to the floor makes an interesting mental picture. Oh, & hey, did that pic of you in the black speedo with red racing stripes ever surface? Still wanna see it.
No, I'd have posted that pic if I'd ever seen it. God willing, Sally will take an action shot as I come out of the water at the Greenwich Point One Mile Swim. Otherwise, you'll have to just use your imagination.
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