La Musette
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 23, 2008 2:16 PM EDT
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What a great day for Cycling. What a great year for Spain. OK, nobody at Team Carlos is popping corks yet, but if a Spaniard adds the Tour to the Giro, the Euro, and Wimbledon... is there some sort of special prize for this? Does King Juan Carlos get to run the EU now? Or maybe throw out the first pitch at the World Series? I don't want to get ahead of myself, but let me say all hail our glorious Spanish masters.
Meanwhile, back at the Cafe, where the menu serves only tapas...
We have a winner! Not sure who yet, but Itswells correctly predicted Carlos Sastre's victory today in the Podium Cafe Le Tour Quick Challenge. This means someone will wind up winning the thing, as opposed to the 45-way tie for last that we'd been anticipating. With so little to go on, I'll add one wrinkle: the tiebreaker goes to whoever's pick for the final stage finishes highest. There's a solid chance we could enter Sunday with various teams holding one win... only to see a random guy win the final stage and make a mockery of our tiebreaker. If even this new wrinkle still doesn't result in a lone victor, we'll have to give multiple prizes.
VDS Results: Look for them in the early afternoon.
CERA-gate: CN lifts an interesting item from Aussie radio. Apparently Riccardo Ricco's positive test was the result of some pre-market cooperation -- which we knew. But more specifically, which I hadn't heard, is that the manufacturers inserted a molecule into the CERA formula whose sole purpose was to be detected in blood tests. It's a short walk to computer chips implanted in the butt... but still, this might be a bit more useful.
All for now. Gavia's probably got much more in the pipeline.
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yikes
I really, really need some sleep.
"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 23, 2008 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Wonderful comments
Great year for Spain.
Actually, I think the Euro Cup 2008 championship trumps all the Wimbledons, Giros, and Tours combined, but yes, they are happy in the Spainland.
Brooklyn Chewing Gum: Vlaanderens Mooiste
What is this Euro Cup 2008 thing you speak of...
... it did not happen… the competition is dead to me. Move along.
Ricco stole my marbles.
My whole experience with tapas...
... involved the Thirsty Bear at Third and Howard in San Francisco, around the corner from where I used to work. I remember getting something that involved whole prawns simmered in a tomato broth and no utensils. I continue to be baffled as to how I was supposed to eat that.
Ricco stole my marbles.
yep been to Thirsty bear many times
and um you were supposed to get utensils
much better place for tapas in the City tho is Zarzuela
I was going to write the same thing
ask for utensils… But my first thought was “they server food there?”
Well... frankly my recollections of Thirsty Bear are generally...
... what y’all would probably come to expect of me at this point… particularly as i was about 10 years younger then. Hence why I only remember that as the only Tapas meal I’ve had… it was the only time I ordered food there. Is the “Gold Club” still across the street? I was walking out of the Thirsty Bear one night when one of the bouncers got a beer bottle smashed across his face on the red carpet.
Ricco stole my marbles.
why yes it is...
Thirsty Bear is just around the corner from Moscone center so I typically end up there (thirst bear NOT gold club) at least one a year during conferences.
good sangria at the bear.
I worked in the building right at the corner of Third and Howard...
... big Concrete thing with loooooong horizontal tinted windows, overlooking the courtyard between that and the little japanese restaurant in the base of the Moscone Center parking garage. It has all those crazy sculptures in there like the “Deconstructed Venus” or whatever it’s called. There used to be a Wells Fargo branch in that building, not it’s a Chevy’s IIRC. That was while they were building the “W” hotel across the street and I’d hear them driving the freakin’ piles all… freakin… day…
Ricco stole my marbles.
what do you mean
one of your “W’s”?
"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn’t work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me."Emo Philips
no, I was talking about my wimmins
Ok, I was talking about the W hotel. That’s my homebase in SF, despite multiple attempts to find the right boutique. My other W is the one on Union Square in NYC.
In NYC... I love the Roger Smith Hotel in Midtown...
... you’re farther downtown (by like 20 blocks) at Union Square, but Roger Smith is pathetically close to the East Side Access for Grand Central. If you like boutique hotels… that place is choice. Nice bar downstairs and really reasonable rates, particularly for Manhattan.
Ricco stole my marbles.
Thanks. I'll stop by for a drink sometime
and check it out. Megabeth’s dragging me to a Yankee’s game (last season in the stadium or something) in the next few weeks. Maybe we’ll stay there. I’m trying to figure out if there’s a way I can sneak off for a Central Park ride between the 2nd and 8th innings.
~
Unless I’m pressed for time, it’s the Union Square W or the Bryant Park Hotel for me. There are always other new boutiques I get tempted by, but these are my reliable standards.
Oh thanks for that explanation.
I was just curious.
"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn’t work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me."Emo Philips
You mean 'frisco?
Back when I was living in Oakland(ish) I absolutely lubbed referring to The City as ‘frisco.
Watching all my dandified city friends get their skinny jeans in a twist was brilliant.
No. I live in a reality based world.
I’d take you seriously if you were arguing for London. But you’re not.
well
and yet you follow cycling
We all have our vices. And this is cheaper (just) than porn.
~
As a slight concession, I’ll point out that there are only three point five cities in which I would live in the US. DC, NYC (for a few years at a time), and – yes – San Francisco. The .5 is Miami, which is an acknowledgment that the appeal is probably as theoretic as it is real.
Surprisingly not
Nor is it even the boys (in bikinis or not). it’s the right temp, the right pace, and close to an area of the world I really enjoy.
And insects the size of Volkswagens...
... no thank you. But if you don’t mind hand to hand combat with Mothra… I’ve heard Miami is a wonderful place.
Ricco stole my marbles.
I have been to NYC once
fell in love with the city, decided that if I had the money I’d like to be one of those mad old ladies that live on the top floor of a fancy suite hotel gone to seed.
"When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn’t work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me."Emo Philips
it's a fantastic place
A monument to humanity (all the good and bad of it). Really. But – in view of the reality that I will never be rich in any substantial way – it’s just not a long term solution. No harm in wasting a year or seven there, though.
well, that's the cool thing about the place
anyone can afford to live there for a year.
The details of that, however . . .
oh I love that idea
and I’ve have a cat that would act like a dog, and a dog that would think it’s a cat
Miami?!?
Good luck with your hill work. My driveway is steeper than Mount Florida. Also, their coffee sucks.
"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 24, 2008 1:16 AM EDT up reply actions
So Dan
no comments on the youtube videos about puppet zombies singing ‘all we are is dust in the wind’?
I thought it was brilliant myself
my interwebs is back, yay!
so, yes, there will be postings. later today, early tomorrow, something like that :-)
but no tapas, just a sandwich.
with tapas there must be much sangria flowing
but be careful to enunciate carefully. I had a work acquaintance assume for YEARS that I frequently bemoaned the closing of Portland’s finest topless establishment. TAPAS dammit TAPAS, small plates not large, well, other things.
sigh.
Where was I? Oh yes, sangria is a must.
Brooklyn Chewing Gum: Vlaanderens Mooiste
If Carlos wins
I am switching to Tapas-style posting all week. No main courses, just small, tasty plates. And variety. This goes for the other authors, OK??
If Cadel wins, we will grind out one long, long post covering the entire rest of the season.
"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 23, 2008 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions
awesome :-)
all the more reason to hope that sastre wins.
during the vuelta, can we write tapas too?
Yes... and if Cadel wins...
... you have to write that article alllllllllllllllll by yourself
Ricco stole my marbles.
vote?
all in favor?
yes, i do think this is unanimous. chris must grind through the whole darn thing alone with no team support.
Please Carlos
buddy… come on! You can do it!
"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 23, 2008 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm going to start a article, almost finish it before anyone else
and then just disappear and wait for Chris to churn his article out all by himself.
CERA
John Fahey (Aussie ex-politician, now head of WADA) basically talked about a “marker” molecule being added to CERA by Roche (the company that developed the drug) allowing it to be detected in urine.
That’s beautifully clever cooperation, and I’m soooo glad it caught Ricco
Contrary to earlier reports,
Riccò’s positive not the result of secret molecule
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/jul08/jul24news2
So... taking NOTHING away from Cadel's performance over the last few weeks...
... is it safe to say that Carlos Sastre’s ride today has just increased his stature within the PdC community? Not to the exclamatory punctuation level of adoration… but come on… you’re talking about changing the editing style of the site in tribute to his (possible… knock on wood) achievmen.
Ricco stole my marbles.
Of course
he went from a guy who never did what he did today, despite everyone waiting for him, to … a guy who just rode into yellow on the alpe. The knock against him was that he never mustered the big win. Problem solved.
"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 23, 2008 6:22 PM EDT up reply actions
The Carlos Fan Club
I think there’s a sizeable Carlos cheering section here. I count myself in that club. Who else?
I've been a fan
(something about Overcoming and C’s rider diaries over at TBR) but not an all out cheering section. It kind of comes and goes. Always wishing him well but not really expecting great results, but again always happy when he does do well.
But today – today he made me proud. Saturday will be tough but if he gives it his all and has an amazing ride – I will proud regardless if he wins or not. Great riding today.
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
well he's a lovely man in person it that helps ;)
it was great to see him take the bull by the horns (or the marmot by the teeth?) and put it all on the line today.
That's pretty much all I got.
I haven’t seen that movie in a loooooong time.
OTOH, I just purchase Big Trouble in LIttle China DVD today.
You... you are a gentleman and a scholar...
... assuming of course that you’re a guy… that can be a tricky assumption around the Cafe.
Ricco stole my marbles.
Seriously
This place is like a bar in Thailand. No idea who is what if you go by name, or nickname, or handle, or whatever.
Except
we’re a little more respectful of women, I like to think. At least than certain bars in Thailand.
"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 24, 2008 1:19 AM EDT up reply actions
You guys here are hand downs better than most bars
and not just in Thailand. Grazie guys!
"The most wasted day is that in which we have not laughed."
I've been a Sastre fan since the 2002 Tour.
It was the stage Boogerd won, to La Plagne. That was my first time at the Tour, and after my friends and I watched the race go by on the lower slopes of the climb to the Col de la Madeleine, we watched the rest of the stage on tv in a bar. Early on the final climb, Sastre broke from the Armstrong group and took off after Boogerd on his own. Then Armstrong went, and caught up to Sastre with a few kilometers to go to the finish. To Armstrong’s apparent surprise, Sastre stayed with him to the finish. I remember Armstrong looking at him with an expression that said, “Who is this guy? When I pass a guy on a climb, the guy is passed.” As they crossed the line together, Armstrong patted Sastre on the back.
After I got home from the Tour, I bought a team CSC helmet, because that was Sastre’s team.
Here’s a picture from that stage:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2002/jul02/tdf/?id=stage16/FSarmsastre
by Susie Hartigan on Jul 23, 2008 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Ah, I see I'm having link problems again
Maybe someone can tell me what I’m doing wrong. When I try to use the chainlink option on the post, the link disappears completely when the post goes up, and if I just cut and paste the link from cyclingnews, the last part of the pasted link isn’t included as part of the link.
by Susie Hartigan on Jul 23, 2008 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions
when you do a link
you need to type in the text you want the reader to see as the link. Highlight that text. Next click on the chain link icon and paste the actual “http://www…..” text into the pop up window text box. Should work. Don’t forget the http:// part.
Hope that helps.
by ZoeRochelle on Jul 23, 2008 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions
thanks, Zoe!
I didn’t know about the highlighting text part. I was just clicking on the chain link and pasting the url into the box. itswells has already kindly posted the link I was trying to do, but I’ll try following your instructions next time.
by Susie Hartigan on Jul 23, 2008 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions
you can also type
a href=”cool link” with the little < > thingies around it. the key is the ” ” around the linky.
exactly
it should work by clicking the link icon first, but I’ve had some glitches. Easier to type the text, highlight, then hit the link icon.
"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 24, 2008 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions
thanks!
That’s the picture I had in mind.
by Susie Hartigan on Jul 23, 2008 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep... I'm in... unreservedly...
... his act of aggression on the Alpe d’Huez is why I’ll get up at 3:30AM to watch a sporting event.
Ricco stole my marbles.
Absolutely!
I was a fan before…but to take the Yellow Jersey by winning L’Alpe D Huez? That’s a dream stage!
Sastre was fantastic today but lets not forget that Cadel Evans
rode the last 2 weeks with serious injuries following an accident that knocked him unconscious. The affects of a concussion are very insiduous including mood and cognitive disturbances, tiring easily and irritability which could easily account for his snapping at the media. If I had that fall I would probably still be down.
I have been watching him favor his right shoulder while climbing the last 10 days. He doesn’t want to put any weight on it. He could easily have a more severe injury than has been publicly released. I think he has been phenomenal all things considered. If he wins I will be imppressed. And I am not a big Cadel fan.
What is that called around here? Grinta?
he
got a concussion? Man, I’ve been falling behind on my reading.
"If writing too much about the Classics is wrong, I don't want to be right."
by Chris Fontecchio on Jul 24, 2008 1:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Okay who else thinks that CSC is not done and by that I mean launch another attack before the TT?
I wouldn’t be surprised if they either try and get more time for Sastre, or for A Schleck in the next 2 days.
well, we have to remember that
the relationship between the non-stop shit-talkin’ that Jens! does and the crazy-man attacks that Jens! does isn’t necessarily linked . . .
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