You'll shoot your eye out kid

Fans Celebrate 25 Years of 'A Christmas Story'
I can't wait to watch Ralphie shoot his eye out again.

Lance Armstrong Expecting a Baby
Did I read that right? So far this news hasn't been reported on the usual cycling sites, but this one is from the Associated Press. Several other news sources are picking up the same report too. This is another head scratcher for me.

Drug testers pay regular visits to Armstrong's home
Lance has obviously been a busy man. Find him on Twitter and you'll get these updates faster than the news outlets.

Ivan Basso is using Twitter
Your favorite Italian is using it too.

Versus to broadcast the Tour Down Under
The Lance effect is already happening. No matter what anyone thinks of his decision the one really good thing is we can expect more cycling to be on television.

Cyclysm Sundays
Stay on top of the schedule here.

Have you seen this guy?
If so, let Danish authorities know because he embezzled $85, which resulted in.....

Saxo Bank squad loses co-sponsor
Just when you think you have doping under control and your sponsors smiling, along comes an executive to ruin the party. Bjarne Riis has proven his ability to go out and secure sponsors when needed, but it's not how you want to be spending your time going into this time of year.

Making the Grade: Carla Swart
I have seen Carla race up close for a couple of years now as Cumberland University regularly competes against Lees-McRae College. This past year she has really taken off and dominated. The goals she has on her radar screen sound doable to me. What I didn't know is she has been running cross country this whole time too. Wow. On the one hand I am glad to see she's taking the spring road collegiate racing season off, but on the other I'd like to see her stay in school.

Commentary: Why we need an obesity tax
Just another reason not to live in New York, which has a huge hole in their budget to balance. Taxes such as this are not the way to go about funding a stable government. This strategy will likely spur the economy you think? You and I both know this is not about curbing obesity, but rather all about dollars and cents to fund the giant. Coca-Cola and Pepsi must not have contributed enough to the Democratic campaign coffers. Oh, and all you 'heavy' people out there had better watch out. The slope is being built to push you down it and require you to pay up or shape up. Buy a bicycle now!

Tinkov breaks with Team Katusha
Who is in charge of this team anyway? Tinkov owned and funded it, but he's the one stepping out. How does Andrea Tchmil wrestle away the decision making process and direction from the team owner/funder? I wonder if looking back on his decision to turn over the leadership reigns to Igor Makarov if Tinkov sees that as a smart move. I am looking forward to the upcoming interview with Cyclingnews were he'll hopefully address this murky situation.

Switching sides
World Champion Jakob Fuglsang makes some comments that I think are very telling about joining Bjarne Riis' team. Says Fuglsang, ""What I really look forward to is that the team will have a lot of structure....." Start reading that quote within the article and finish off that paragraph. What he's talking about is what I believe is what is hurting the growth of mountain biking across the board. Yes, it's wonderful that the sport is more laid back and relaxed, but what makes it fun is also what's contributing to its demise. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves and not out there entirely on their own week in and week out. More mountain bikers make the switch to road than road makes to mountain biking. Therein lies the answers. Structure. Teammates. Professionalism.

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
I highly recommend taking the time over the holidays to watch this lecture. You are in need of the head fakes.