Bunch of Cycling This Week

• The Tour of Italy started Saturday. While not quite as well know as the Tour de France this is still one of the 3 biggest cycling races in the world (the third being the Tour of Spain in October). Three weeks and well over 1000 miles of cycling is impressive. These guys get my respect...I'm blowing after 10 miles or so.
  
  

• ...this week is Bike-to-Work-Week and Friday is Bike-to-Work-Day. I'll be pedaling to work on Friday and my Beautiful Wife and I will be doing a fun ride on Saturday.
  
  
• Floyd Landis' doping hearing began yesterday. I haven't talked about this any but here goes: I think he got screwed. It does not make sense that he would take testosterone on one day, knowing it wouldn't help, knowing he would be tested and knowing what was at stake and how closely he would be watched. It DOES make sense that the French would be pissed off about another American winning, would botch/rig the test, would falsify the results of the re-tests and try to cover their butts. The lab doing the testing has already demonstrated they can't be trusted by leaking information to the press and not allowing Floyd's representative to observe the re-testing procedure. I know people who follow this are divided but I just have this feeling he's being railroaded and maybe taking a little heat for Lance Armstrong's success.




• Wednesday is the annual Ride of Silence again to honor those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roads. No one that I know falls into this category but I have had some close calls. The Dallas area is NOT bike friendly. There are no designated bike routes making it necessary to ride the main roads and mix it up with the automobiles. What few bike paths exist are for recreation and aren't useful for commuting or long distance travel. My experiences cycling have made me much more aware and attentive when I get in the car.

So, ride 'em if you've got 'em. Seriously, if you haven't tried cycling ever or since childhood give it a whirl. There's nothing like it! I've even got a cycle for Allison!