We'll preview La Fleche later today, while checking in on the Tour de Georgia, so let's knock off the roundup while we can...
- CyclingNews aims to make VeloNews second banana in the States too, and it just might work. Here's their thread from yesterday's team rollout. Down the bottom they announce their new WAP service... don't ask me to explain it, but here's how it works:
Simply type http:live9.cyclingnews.com/wap into the browser on your handheld device or WAP browser enabled telephone and you can follow the minute by minute, attack by attack action at the 2006 Tour de Georgia from our crack live commentary team of Kristy Scrymgeour and Mark Zalewski.
By the way, racing is underway as we speak...
- It's a slow news day when the Belgian media starts speculating on transfer season... and today Nick Nuyens is in the crosshairs. Nuyens has a Het Volk and a Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in his palmares, and has shown good burst and plenty of ambition, despite the fact he looks like he's about 13. Anyway, Belgium has two teams, one of which is floundering while the other has enough talent to stock four teams, so some reshuffling is pretty likely.
- There's a debate raging in the next post about the importance of the Tour de Georgia, which brings a smattering of European stars our way each year, but falls inconveniently in the midst of Classics season. Our own De Peet polls you on the question as well (to your right).
- Speaking of polls, I can't believe nobody besides me recognized the fundamental awfulness of Gerolsteiner's pajamas. Maybe the rest of you are too polite, like it's so awful that saying so is akin to criticizing someone for a birth defect. Anyway, these are dark days for the designers at Lampre. Milram should be thankful nobody was watching them on-bike, where their blue and white retro kit appears to include a black girdle. [Confession time: before this season, my own team was affectionately nicknamed the Great Pumpkins.]
- Pez blows the lid off caffeine. I will never forgive them for this.
- Speaking of Pez, they've got their traditional preview from the rank-and-file, getting Fred Rodriguez to take them through Georgia. Generic preview and course details as well. Fast Freddie could have a really fun week with McEwen back in Belgium.
- Old friends Simoni and Cunego square off this week in the Giro del Trentino. Just what we need, more racing...