anyone want to buy a jersey, cheap?

Leipheimer to Astana
from cyclingnews
American Levi Leipheimer is the next in a long line of Discovery Channel outcasts to have found a position for next season, the Deseret Morning News reported. In an interview with the Utah newspaper, Leipheimer hinted that he'd found a team, saying, "We just can't say anything yet, but I'm not really on the market anymore."

The newspaper quoted Leipheimer's coach, Dr. Max Testa, as confirming that the third place finisher of this year's Tour de France will accompany Johan Bruyneel and Alberto Contador for the 2008 season. "They just need to make sure everything is just right before they make it official," said Testa.

And Marscat asked: "it didn't bother you before that the team leader was kicked out for doping". It did, but this bothers me more.

And while we're on the subject of higher education, here's something that I could do.

*****awesome SPOILER****

3 in the top 5! And an old lady cracking the top 10.

Women ITT Results
1 Hanka Kupfernagel (Germany) 34.43 (43.380 km/h)
2 Kristin Armstrong (United States Of America) 35.07
3 Christiane Soeder (Austria) 35.25
4 Amber Neben (United States Of America) 35.46
5 Christine Thorburn (United States Of America) 35.57
6 Priska Doppmann (Switzerland) 36.00
7 Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli (France) 36.05
8 Emma Pooley (Great Britain) 36.15
9 Karin Thürig (Switzerland) 36.18
10 Meifang Li (People's Republic of China) 36.21
11 Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel (Netherlands)
12 Zulfiya Zabirova (Kazakhstan)
13 Susanne Ljungskog (Sweden)

Worlds 2007...

or Hedwig and The Angry Inch.

Ok, maybe not an exact spelling of the major obstacle(Herdwig climb) in the 2007 road race just an fun excuse to plug a movie I enjoyed watching. From the VeloNews
description, it doesn’t sound like this year’s race will come down to a sprint decided by an angry inch.

After picking the winner of the most boring Vuelta in years as well as picking two out of three on the podium, I’ll push my luck with the road race. I may have to stop watching pro-racing if the Little Prince wins. I’d rather see Tin Tin in rainbow, but if an Italian wins, it will probably be DiLuca. Or perhaps, Jason McCartney can take off on one of his signature solo rides? If Samuel Sanchez is racing, and he seems to be riding well, he could be an outside bet. However, winning that last time trial in the Vuelta was a little odd to me.

In the women’s race, I like to see Judith Arndt win again. After all, she has the best finish line salutes. And just for the record, Petra should have been included on the Oly team in 2004.


Don’t know much about the U23s so no picks. But, if it is anything like the last few years, an Italian, a Ukraine or a Dutchman will win.

Schedule
• Wednesday, Sept. 26 - U-23 time trial, 38.1km; elite women's TT, 25.1km
• Thursday, Sept. 27 - elite men's TT, 44.9km
• Friday, Sept. 28 - no competition
• Saturday, Sept. 29 - elite women's road race, 133.7km; U-23 RR, 171.9km
• Sunday, Sept. 30 - elite men's road race, 267.4km
Courses
(1 lap = 19.1 km - altitude: 405.7 meters)
• Men's elite (Sunday, Sept. 30)
14 laps, 267.4 km - altitude: 5679.8m
• Women (Saturday, Sept. 29)
7 laps, 133.7 km - altitude: 2839.9m
• Men U23 (Saturday, Sept. 29)
9 laps

for the guest blogger

on Lauren's blog. A Fairy store in Tasmania.

random jet lagged thoughts

ok, not really jet lagged, just random thoughts...

When marscat and I have a lazy morning that includes lounging around reading the paper together, she always interrupts me with stories that are interesting to her. She says I do the same thing. This morning, marscat found the story about a woman comedienne worth sharing. She liked a few more too. Usually this interrupting goes on for a bit, and it makes it hard to concentrate on the story that I am reading. Marscat will stop and eventually, I'll finish my story. When we finish "our" section of the paper, we switch. I usually finish first since I mostly skim the real stories and only delve into the box scores. After we switched today, I read marscat's section and found a very sad tragic story about a woman with RA who just recently died from either the gene therapy trial she was on or a viral infection. I asked marscat about this and why of all the stories that this one just got pushed aside and not shared. Marscat had read it and was hiding it. I was surprised she hadn't torn the article out and tossed it away; she had thought of that.

Another thing like this happened at the esparto ITT. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am bad bad bad at ITTs and don't like to do distances over 2K long. Before Esparto, I really wanted to do well. I wanted to ride a 50 or 52 or something fast for me. I didn't succeed. I rode something like a 54. There was a little junior girl in the race. After my ITT, I was telling marscat that I hoped that at least I beat the junior. And marscat, being the supportive partner that she is, told me that "of course you beat her, she's like 14". Well as it turned out, I barely had a better time than the junior. But the funny thing is that before we knew the actual times and while we were standing around, the junior had told marscat that she had ridden a 50. So all the way home, marscat was just being supportive.

But... she will tell me when there is stuff stuck in my teeth, if there is toilet paper on my shoe or if my pants on backwards...if she notices.

I am almost finished reading "The Death of Marco Pantani". I bought the book at the airport since I had already finished "Lance to Landis", People(with an article about Jodi Foster), and some other trashy magazine. Turns out that Marco was diagnosed as bi-polar and had very bad coke addiction. Reminded me of Graeme Obree who suffered from depression. The Pantani book makes it seem like there were two groups of people trying to help him out. One group thought Marco's psychological disposition made cycling a good thing for him and another group thought it contributed to making his illness worse. It is a little like the chicken and the egg. Seems like there was a fine line balancing the mental illness with the intense focus required to compete like he did. Another tragic story.

random sydney sights

is stella moonlighting as a hotelier?

are VB kitty kitty moonlighting in Sydney?

the tassie devil wants some food

what's better than chocolate and penguins? chocolate penguins


is daisy moonlighting as a tasie devil?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7ZALPB8aL4
or a wombat?

spring showers bring september flowers?

lots of parrots in the tree

for the surfers out there....



I love to watch crabs in tide pools

Spring downpour in Sydney

Melbourne vids

Panda holds out for the koala...




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO1ixv_V0zI

They look a bit like big rats to me, but Lilybella wanted a roo pic.


youtube.com/watch?v=PO1ixv_V0zI

Marscat at St. Kilda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDLKySZ9AN0

Where the little penguins go to eat.



Little burrows where they come home to sleep.


And how did Bella know? Signs all over the parking lot.

Yes Lauren, the Baby Love clones teacups move.

Spring in Melbourne

Crisp, sunny, fresh, and lovely. Markets, beaches, Baby Love clones, bushwackers at the train station, and city lights.

kitty's happy dance

Last night, we found baby in the sink for the first time. Does she look like she has been on a diet for two weeks? Not to me.
Today, we leave the kitties, and this part always makes our vacations a bit sad. But, I think they will be ok and perhaps they will be doing the
happy dance. Jibjab ala ginmtb.
Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!