If we ALL “rec” this one will it stay up too until the race? LOL!

Huge thanks to many here as well. This fall has been filled with odd work stuff, the dizziness thingy, and trying to get out to ride a bit more with cooler weather before snow hits so I’ve been slow but do my best in catching up. I hope the Cross folks help with live pics if they get out there. I’ve been going to the local series here and having a blast. Not ready to say good night to the fun of cheering and watching races live just yet.

Huge THANKS to you Chris for all the fun we get to have here. :-)

Thanks to the Podium Cafe team, had a great time even though i was a late starter… But looking forward to next year, I’m starting at the TDU in January… This should be great photo opportunities as i’m staying in same hotel, and going to the Ball… Bring on the Hotties.. LOL..

Another outstanding pro year. This is the year we turn you into a cross fan.

Have just seen some of the names that are racing.. I would love to watch this..

my first year in podium cafe and i’m very satisfied. I finished my blog today and next year this blog/forum will be my only spot for talking of cycling and training my english..lol

So, até qualquer dia, and i will be watching the transfers…

PS: Take careful with my VDS next year…lol

I’d been a lurker here for a while and only finally reared my head in (what else) a Benna-love discussion after the Giro. I felt simply compelled to join in (natuarally) and well, I’m still here! Personally I don’t have many friends who are into cycling so having you lot to share in my excitement/heartache throughout the season has been wonderful. And how will I spend the next 131 days? Well, my shiny new Bianchi should, barring disasters, be touching down in London in precisely 10 days. The open road here I come. I will of course be here too, a lot :-)

I can’t participate in the the live race coverage, but I thoroughly enjoy reading all the comments when my work day is over. The PdC is the only “forum” type of cycling website in which I participate.

I am looking forward to Cycling Revealed’s Winter Trivia, and the bragging rights that come along with topping the PdC leader board. I’ll put up a new Fanpost when I have all the details for this year’s series of contests, which usually starts with the first Monday in November.

lyne….big thanks to you for telling me about this happy cycling community. You kept bragging about what a fab site this was…..and after lurking a bit I decided to finally post a wee bit. So glad I did!!

crashdan…you remain my hero smile….you and the Sasuke gang!!

albertina….I will continue to share beautiful Alejandro with you…..Valverde Fondue….I am still loving that!!

gavia….girl, do you ever sleep. I have thoroughly enjoyed your posts!

I look forward to meeting some of you at the ToC!!

Chris…..brilliant countdown clock!!

Is it 2009 yet?

This place is an oasis in the cycling web, I’ve really enjoyed reading this site and being part of it.

Now to winter sports, unfortunately we are brewing a new scandal here about the 2001 disaster….duh.

also finishing my first road season here at PC, and I appreciate finding such a knowledgeable, enthusiastic and funny group with whom to share the fun (and the not so fun) developments.

Even if the race season is over, I still have the Fashion Shows, I mean the TDF and Girs route unveilings, to anticipate.

I’m not a sports fan, and I swore off ’net-based relationships years ago (esp. after I got the bill), but here I am. Seriously dig you guys. Thanks for a fantastic season.

Now let’s ride bikes!

This was my first season at the Podium Cafe, and I’ve enjoyed it very much. Thanks to you, Chris, for this great place. It’s one of a kind.

I hope there are topics here that people can stretch out and enjoy, figurative brandy snifter in hand, during the off-season. I’ve imagined long winter evenings (or snow days!) when there’s time to learn a thing or two about cycling history, philosophy, books, etc. from all of you brainiacs.

Ciao, friends. 2009 will be amazing.

There’s the Tour de France presentation on the 22nd, Basso’s return on the 26th, Amstel Curacao on November 1st, and…and…presentations for the Giro and Vuelta, and reports from training camps should begin in December—so before you know it, it’ll be January and time to gear up for the Tour Down Under.

Huge thanks to Chris and everyone at Podium Cafe—I wandered in this season, too, and am certainly glad I did.

fun times galore :-)

following my usual habit of hitting send too quickly:
thanks to chris for giving such a fun place to play!

End of the season proper and I’m pretty done. I’ve held conversations / interactions / whateveryoucallthem with pretty much all the regulars, semiregulars and occasionals around the cafe this year and in 99.999% of those, you’ve all proven to be a blast to talk with. While I know I can’t contribute much in the way of rye flour to the large and crusty loaf of cycling Landbrot that PodiumCafe is, I hope that my little caraway seeds have helped to leaven the mood, and the few times I did venture into the territory of cycling commentary, I didn’t speak too far out my ass. I can’t wait to see what the offseason looks like around here. I’m thinking Overlook Hotel in The Shining.

Two quick items…

#1: The first interaction I ever had with Drew on this site, involved King of Doping saying something about posing for a Podium Cafe calendar. The interaction is maintained for all posterity here. I was unfamiliar with the movie Anchor Man at the time so when Drew responded with “Not to toot my own horn, but I’m kind of a big deal around here”, my first thought was “My god, what a colossally arrogant prick!”. Strange to think that I know realize that Drew essentially grew up in a mirror image of my family.

#2: Thank you Chris for taking the time and effort to: maintain the site, pay the money to host the site, take the time to post stories, manage the VDS scoring, keep us kids in line, take the lid of the sandbox, provide me with Sumo Wrestling information. This is a great and good place you’ve created on the internet and you should be justifiably proud. Thanks again… and perhaps you might consider letting us know of an email address linked to a paypal account so that those of us with a 5 or 10 spot to voluntarily contribute to the effort can do so.

Phone’s ringing Dude…

Valverde needs to get his Pro Tour jersey, and some sort of a big magnifying glass?

okay where to start, oh yeah, Told you so Steph!

PodiumCafe is exactly that, a cafe where fans get together to discuss, argue over cycling in all its shapes and forms. And like any gathering of well yes friends, sometimes silliness ensues. It’s the only place that I’ve found a serious conversation about a race and strategy can be interjected with movie quotes, Benna photos and wonderful non-sequiturs which typically don’t detract from the original intent.

So thanks Chris and everyone for making this a place where everyone knows my name (ha!)

It’s great that we all enjoy so many aspects of cycling…