Weekly Roundup - 7/4

Happy Independence Day! Don't you just love holidays in the middle of the week? I do. There's nothing worse than a big holiday that falls on the weekend. Within the span of one week we've got July 4th, and then 7/7/07 and then Friday the 13th. I don't know whether to play the lotto or watch my next step!

I'm sure everyone will be enjoying the day with friends and family, and at night will be enjoying a fireworks display at one of the countless shows across town. While you're at it, stop for a moment and give thanks for our freedom. Recall from history class or books you've read about how our great nation gained its independence, which came with great sacrifice through the efforts of our forefathers. It's because of their relentless determination that we now enjoy the lives we have today.

Look around the globe right now as other countries are trying to establish what America did over 230 years ago. Can you imagine fighting for sovereignty and personal freedom in 2007? Few men have the resolve to go the distance. So, give thanks, be grateful and never forget what our country endured to create the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Ok, off the box and onto cycling.....

Nathan's Famous July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest
July 4th means family, grilling out, fireworks and of course hot dogs! Will Takeru Kobayashi of Japan defend his title once again or will American Joey Chestnut break his six year string and upend the phenom from Asia? According to Kobayashi in this news article he's "ready to battle." Will anyone have a "Reversal of Fortune" or will they down a new record?

Guess what, I'm still typing and watching the competition.......the winner is.....Joey Chestnut! He took down a record 66 dogs while Kobayashi had 63. Finally an American walks away with the yellow mustard championship belt!

Wait, that wasn't about cycling. Ok, now.....

2007 Tour de France on Saturday
This coming weekends marks the start of the 2007 Tour de France. Fortunately for me I have the entire weekend off the bike and can spend the first two stages glued to Versus. Here's a good breakdown and stage-by-stage description. Stage 16 is the last day in the mountains, and stage 19 is the last individual time-trial. Those will definitely be the decisive days of the Tour. Well, that is if there isn't a huge drug scandal stage thrown into the middle, which in that case will shuffle the GC more than any attack on the road.

Tour de France - Rider Start List
Looks like six Americans are spread out across all the teams this year on the provisional starting list. Notables not on the starting nine but listed as alternatives are Bobby Julich and Tom Danielson. Julich is the most surprising since he's made the Tour team for CSC for several years now, but I've not read much on his fitness this year to-date. Despite Julich's bad luck over the last couple of years his experience is invaluable over the course of three weeks.

I just don't see Alexandre Vinokourov pulling on the yellow in Paris. Unless he has become more disciplined with his efforts day-to-day then he'll get passed by the likes of Levi Leipheimer, Alejandro Valverde, Cadel Evans and Christophe Moreau. The real excitement will be watching Tom Boonen going head-to-head with Alessandro Pettachi, Erik Zabel, Robbie McEwen and Thor Hushovd.

Marx & Bensdorf / Smith & Nephew Omnium Race Results
Memphis race results up quickly on USA Cycling's website. The promoter down in Memphis did a great job overall, but could use more participants in the Masters, Pro 1/2 and Cat 3 fields. Their location makes it difficult to draw riders all across Tennessee.

One area of noncooperation was the weather at times in Memphis. On Saturday there was a strong evening thunderstorm and Sunday at noon another major storm rolled through. The rain was horrendous at times, but the scarier part was the lightning throughout the area. I did not feel the race officials and promoter took the lightning serious enough to ensure the safety of racers. In my view the races should have been delayed longer instead of simply waiting for the storm to pass through. Sure, we're now all home safe and sound, but the risk was still too great. All it would take is one serious injury due to lightning and there would be hell to pay. Every other sport gives lightning the respect it deserves, and cycling should get in line with all the others.

Euro-nats Roundup: Moreau confirms form by winning French road title
Christophe Moreau was the big name winner of European national championships last weekend. If you want a more detailed list of the winners in every country, every discipline and male/female then check out this comprehensive list from Cyclingnews. It's no surprise that Fabian Cancellera won the TT in Switzerland.

USA Cycling National Festival at Seven Springs
Speaking of national champions, this isn't the professional championships but rather the US amateur, under 23 and elite championships. There are quite a few Tennesseans already in route to compete in upcoming races over the course of eleven days.

Tennessee State Time-Trial Championships
Breaking down the championships even further to the local level it's now official that the state TT championship will be held over the weekend of September 8 & 9. The individual TT championship will be in Alcoa on September 8th, and what's more exciting is that on Sunday morning the 9th there will be a team time-trial in Knoxville! Later that Sunday afternoon there will be a criterium in Knoxville, which makes for a full weekend of racing. Having a full weekend of races should encourage more people to participate, but the only drawback is that it's not happening until early September. Many Tennesseans are a little race leg weary in the early fall, but there's plenty of time to prepare and train properly.

50 Surprising Ways to Burn 50 Calories
If you've got a friend who admires your skinny figure but won't join you on a ride then give them a few of these suggestions.

Jaksche admits taking banned substances & blood doping
"....but I never over did it." Right. The moment the needle entered his skin he overdid it.

Jaksche admission in detail
You should just read it for yourself. The discussions are becoming more refined in nature, which I believe help everyone understand the problem much better. There's more to the culture of doping than just a rider who injects a needle.

Forget about all the revelations for a moment. I really believe we're reaching a culture of admission across all professional sports. One more tipping point going in the right direction of positive change. Pete Rose is probably the most hard nosed and stubborn baseball player ever, and even he finally owned up and admitted betting on baseball. Baseball needs more men to step forward and confess to cheating. More and more cyclists are coming forward after either a heavy guilty conscious or mounting irrefutable evidence. The act of owning mistakes and admitting it is becoming more acceptable and expected. Let's not hope it becomes fashionable only after being caught, but rather how about this scenario: athletes coming forward and admitting wrongdoing even when they aren't under suspicion.

Jittery Joe's documentary to air
The previously scheduled time slot was cancelled, but I just found out today it's airing TODAY, July 4th at 2:30 PM CST on Versus. Looking at the schedule there doesn't appear to be a re-air soon.

It's been quite a climb, and now it's really time to ride - Cyclingnews.com sold
The world's premier cycling news site has formally changed hands. Read this letter from the publisher, Gerard Knapp. I have tremendous respect for the work they do, and how seamless they appear to pull everything off. Polished. Professional. All encompassing. According to Knapp the same employees will continue their efforts on the site and not walk away. It goes untold how the new owners will handle the transition, but surely we'll begin to notice some changes in the coming months.