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Rebirth

This is what it's all about.

Tomorrow, the rubber meets the road for the first major race of the year, Het Volk. While the winter races have whet everyone's appetite, tomorrow for the first time in 2007 we will see a star-studded peloton locked in mortal combat. We will see cobbled pathways lined with throngs of fans waving all of the flags of the sport: the Lion of Flanders, il tricolore, Belgian, Dutch and maybe even Basque flags. And by see it, I mean live, as it happens.

Sure, this rite happens every year, but its significance in 2007 cannot be understated, after the winter that seemed like it might never end. For a lot of us, the Het Volk countdown served as an emotional lifeline during post after post about scandal, conflict, and mass confusion.

Even now, it seems like everything about the sport remains in horrible limbo. The cloud of doping has hardly lifted, as teams and institutions struggle to devise effective countermeasures. Over at the UCI, tweedledum keeps hurling bombs at tweedledee over whether to race most of the sport's greatest races, as if mutually assured destruction were a desirable outcome. The dispute threatens to divide teams from races, or some teams from other teams, or maybe teams from their own riders. Even our fan experience, which relies almost entirely on Cycling.TV, is still evolving. If there were a way to fast-forward two or three or five years, most Cycling fans would be sorely tempted to do so.

Which is why, more than ever, I can't wait to tiptoe down to the basement tomorrow at 5am, fire up Cycling.TV and the Podium Cafe, and live-blog Het Volk. Interestingly, February was this site's third-busiest month (after last July and Landis-gate/August) -- which says more about this being our second year, but at least suggests that the fans aren't going away. IMHO, the crises engulfing the sport make tomorrow more important, a chance to be reassured that at least one day a week my favorite sport is in full health.

Drew previewed Het Volk a few posts down, and now the big media are taking their turn. CN is up; Pez is all over it; and VN... I'm sure they have a plan.

0 recs | Comment 13 comments

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Nick
Nuyens is going to lead The Rolling Thunder Revue to its first win of the season in about 17 hours and counting...

by ELVISGOAT on Mar 2, 2007 2:37 PM EST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Works for me
Got a problem? Va fa Napoli!

by Chris... on Mar 2, 2007 2:43 PM EST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Here's my signature...
what do you think?
If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score? Vince Lombardi

by ELVISGOAT on Mar 2, 2007 3:11 PM EST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Right sentiment
Conflicted about Lombardi. He wasn't a cyclist. But being 50% Lombardi, it's not my place to argue.
Got a problem? Va fa Napoli!

by Chris... on Mar 2, 2007 3:17 PM EST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

OK, I'm catching on...
how's this?
"It never gets easier, you just go faster." -- Greg LeMond

by ELVISGOAT on Mar 2, 2007 6:11 PM EST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Works for me
though it's virtually smack-free.
Got a problem? Va fa Napoli!

by Chris... on Mar 2, 2007 6:32 PM EST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

smack huh...
is Lou Reed a cyclist...?
"It never gets easier, you just go faster." -- Greg LeMond

by ELVISGOAT on Mar 2, 2007 8:25 PM EST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Heh heh
He's skinny enough. Hey, maybe there is a connection. And by connection I mean.. ah, never mind.
Got a problem? Va fa Napoli!

by Chris... on Mar 2, 2007 10:31 PM EST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Hey
Can we stop talking football and get back to cycling?

Sheeesh

Team Geraardsbergen - Pass the frites

by Drew on Mar 2, 2007 3:22 PM EST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

And to think...
a mere two weeks ago, I had never even heard of "Het Volk"...  Now I've got my Cycle TV premium account and I'm actually planning to get up at 5am on a Saturday morning, by choice, to watch it. This is freaking awesome...
Team Saddle Soar - Wij zijn geen vrienden tot het ras beëindigt!

by Jimbo... on Mar 3, 2007 12:00 AM EST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Welcome aboard
The best thing about being a cycling fan is listening to guys moan about how there are no sports after the Super Bowl.
If only they knew.
Portadores del Agua: Hardest of the hard men

by Jiggs on Mar 3, 2007 12:37 AM EST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Jimbo, what does your sig translate to?
Team Fahrradrenner - Alles für die Mannschaft!

by Ruthann on Mar 3, 2007 7:54 AM EST to parent up reply reply actions actions   0 recs

We are not friends
until the race is over. Or at least that is what I told babelfish to translate into dutch
Team Saddle Soar - Wij zijn geen vrienden tot het ras beëindigt!

by Jimbo... on Mar 3, 2007 9:30 AM EST reply reply actions actions   0 recs

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