tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8728568306671144392024-03-05T12:29:02.320-07:00La BiciclettaRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-69285852694853819302013-07-04T18:29:00.000-06:002013-07-04T18:29:13.006-06:00French Toast - an excuse to have dessert first thing in the morning <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I love french toast. It's hard to make really bad french toast, but it's also hard to make really, really great french toast. I like to cook when I have a bit more time, and over the past couple of years I've experimented with a few different ways to make one of my favorite breakfast foods. This morning I declared victory.<br />
<br />
Here's the step by step:<br />
<br />
<b>Strawberries</b><br />
1/2 pint of strawberries<br />
1 lemon<br />
2 tablespoons granulated sugar<br />
<br />
Cut up the strawberries. Juice the lemon. Put the lemon juice, sugar, and strawberries in a bowl and let them sit for an hour or two. They're fine if they sit longer, even overnight in the fridge.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Caramel Sauce</b><br />
<br />
1 1/2 cups sugar<br />
1/3 cup water<br />
1 1/4 cups heavy cream<br />
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (optional, but I think it's better with the salt)<br />
<br />
Put sugar and water in a sauce pan over low to medium heat until the sugar has fully disolved into the water. Bring the heat up to medium and wait - don't stir - just wait. After 5-10 minutes the solution will begin to boil and later caramelize. There are at least a thousand articles out there on how to make the perfect caramel sauce, so I won't say much more other than once the solution turns amber in color, pull it off the heat immediately. I add the salt and vanilla to the cream, and then add the cream carefully to the pan - the whole pan will be going nuts for a bit, but that's to be expected. The caramel will clump and solidify. Don't worry. This is also to be expected. Put the pan back over low heat until the caramel is fully disolved and you have a smooth and consistent sauce. The sauce will thicken as it cools. You can now set this aside and start on the good stuff.<br />
<br />
<b>Whipped Cream</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
1 cup heavy cream<br />
2 tablespoons powdered sugar<br />
<br />
I know... I'm putting this here for me as I always forget how much sugar to add.<br />
<br />
<b>The Ultimate French Toast</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
1 loaf <a href="http://kneaders.com/index.php?p_resource=items_item&p_itm_pk=hMaIxczAiIiLi73JwLmGwcqz&p_itp_pk=ure1tLvEzMmHy7zJhsmEiMs~&p_itm_quantity=1" target="_blank">Kneader's Chunky Cinnamon Bread</a> (I want to try this same recipe with brioche, but this is the best option I've found this far)<br />
6 large eggs (3 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks)<br />
1 1/2 cups whole milk<br />
1 1/2 cups heavy cream<br />
3/4 cup granulated sugar<br />
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt<br />
1 stick unsalted butter<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 275 degrees<br />
<br />
Whisk the eggs and the egg yolks in a bowl and set to the side. Combine milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt in sauce pan (if you're using something other than cinnamon bread, add cinnamon here as well). Stir occasionally over medium heat until the mixture is warm but not simmering or really hot. It shouldn't burn you if you quickly dip a finger. Remove from the heat and very slowly add the mixture to the eggs whisking the whole time. If you add the cream too quickly, you'll get lumps in the custard, or worse, scrambled eggs, so really, add the cream slowly.<br />
<br />
Heat griddle to 350-400 degrees<br />
<br />
First, cut off the ends of the loaf. Then, slice the bread into 1 1/2 inch thick slices - maybe a little thicker. Pour custard into something like a deep 9x13 pan. Submerge each slice of bread flipping as needed to make sure both sides absorbe as much custard as possible. Let each slice soak for at least 2 minutes and up to 5. Put a generous amount of butter on the griddle. The butter should sizzle, but not smoke. Cook each slice for 1-3 minutes per side (I'm really not sure on the timing here - just cook to desired browness and flip). Take the nearly finished french toast off the griddle and place on a baking sheet in the oven for 10-15 minutes. If done right, the french toast should have a golden brown crust with a soft moist (but not gooey) middle. It's somewhere between normal french toast and bread pudding and it's amazing.<br />
<br />
Top french toast with strawberries, whipped cream, and warm caramel sauce. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-5143377365937154142013-07-04T17:30:00.000-06:002013-07-04T17:30:21.633-06:00Back to Blogging<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been almost 2 years since I've posted anything to this blog, and about four years since I've put anything up with any sort of regularity. Do I care? No, not really. But for whatever reason I've been thinking lately that I should make a few more regular entries. So I will - maybe.</div>
Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-59391561493677344672011-09-11T23:38:00.000-06:002011-09-11T23:38:43.264-06:00LOTOJA 2011 - What could have been<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
According to my Garmin, my moving time this year was 9h54m40s. I can also tell you that I only spent 9 minutes stopped at the feed zones, and 1 minute stopped for a "natural break". If you're quick with math you might already be assuming that I finished the race in 10 hours and 5 minutes. Unfortunately that doesn't account for one other important factor.<br />
<br />
The short story is that while I felt a strong as ever on the bike, spent most of the race in 3rd or 4th place, was on track for a sub-10, and generally had a great day, it all went wrong at mile 143. That's where I got my first flat... yes, first. In my panic it took me over 5 minutes to change the flat, and I lost more time and energy fighting a headwind solo trying to get back to my group.<br />
<br />
After leap-frogging a few times, I found a group that was moving at a good pace - in fact, faster than my original group. I felt like we were making up time, and I was starting to think I might still be able to fight my way back onto the podium. At mile 175 I felt the same rear wheel starting to go soft, and seconds later I had to pull over to change another flat. In my frustration, I had failed to grab another tube and CO2 cartridge in Alpine, so this time the change took much, much longer - almost 15 minutes. After waiting helplessly for over 10 minutes someone kindly stopped and gave me a tube and CO2. Brett and Mark (also riding for Adobe) passed me just a minute or two before I was back on the bike. I hammered for several miles and caught them at the last feed zone.<br />
<br />
At that point I was just riding to finish with the two guys on my team. Any goals of a top finish or a good time were gone. We covered the last 30 miles pretty easily. Unfortunately I didn't realize I was still in 7th place, nor did I realize that in the last 5 miles two other riders in my category had found me and were sitting on my wheel. When we got inside 500m, I sat up and looked back to make sure my teammates and I could all finish together. The two other riders went around me and took 7th and 8th. Brett took 9th, I took 10th, and Mark finished 11th.<br />
<br />
When I got the first flat, I had a teammate with me. He kept racing and went on to take 3rd. In some ways I'm happy he didn't stop, because it gave me a way of knowing where I would have finished. On the other hand, knowing that two flat tires were the only thing that kept me off the podium was pretty disappointing.<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, I'm still really happy with the overall results. I managed to sneak inside the top 10 even with 20 minutes of delay, and I felt great on the bike. I'm already looking forward to next year.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="548" src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/113392221" width="465"></iframe><br />
I also have to say thank you to my wonderful wife for supporting me before, during, and after the race this year. It made the whole event so much better. Thank you!<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-75172178919389349152010-06-26T20:00:00.001-06:002010-06-29T11:53:59.238-06:00Wasatch Crest - Mid Mountain LoopThis is one of the best mountain rides around. The total ride is just under 30 miles, but you get over 4,000 ft of climbing and some amazing singletrack along the way. It had been more than 5 years since I had done this loop, so I didn't quite know what to expect. Unfortunately some of the best parts of the trail have recently been re-cut. Hopefully a bit of rain and enough people on the trail will get it back in shape.<br /><br />I felt pretty good for the first hour or so. Probably because it's mostly downhill once you get up on the Crest trail. The next couple of hours were pretty painful. Rico was nice enough to wait for me at the top of each big climb, but I was cooked by the end of the ride.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgU3Dxr4RIGQ6B4wGsSaYkW9TzUIoUycJCQBeSvbhi2AkTDoA1ZXvtWS9XbyJFxbEV9LjmXm74_6K8oy8virpv2_2qgu8LCqr3wkEKSMLMSLIB-GqpccIXWpOisnnomwrpSE6mRY-WT8/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-06-28+at+9.55.43+AM.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgU3Dxr4RIGQ6B4wGsSaYkW9TzUIoUycJCQBeSvbhi2AkTDoA1ZXvtWS9XbyJFxbEV9LjmXm74_6K8oy8virpv2_2qgu8LCqr3wkEKSMLMSLIB-GqpccIXWpOisnnomwrpSE6mRY-WT8/s400/Screen+shot+2010-06-28+at+9.55.43+AM.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488216075537435490" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHxMcr0wTPHarWF74g5pCbV11UiRLHrpTK3CDy8WGl_pM11pqdCZRxQ-ugamml5kYYBCCInvjPKr1zpJJ_FBVkqtVZ1dJ4-L1WoJgin0b5titHSGj7799saf7BW1mCj6NEpAwPIAqfRs/s1600/IMG_0087.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHxMcr0wTPHarWF74g5pCbV11UiRLHrpTK3CDy8WGl_pM11pqdCZRxQ-ugamml5kYYBCCInvjPKr1zpJJ_FBVkqtVZ1dJ4-L1WoJgin0b5titHSGj7799saf7BW1mCj6NEpAwPIAqfRs/s400/IMG_0087.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488216639625435746" /></a><br /><br /><iframe width='465' height='548' frameborder='0' src='http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/38257599'></iframe>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-38463027333972934102010-06-05T20:05:00.000-06:002010-06-06T20:30:10.081-06:00From Sandy to Park City<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCKqf96pp_Gv6ElasqRymC__mvyVcHbXIXQjjTe_9BRApUBMPBgjVkDemKINfm8rH8f-I-eN5ul7_x4shqvJA8bu7FTCwSLCjWAkUlWp8G8ABAt7LcyglxScQe8ooZcFWigq5YJfPkAk/s1600/elevation.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCKqf96pp_Gv6ElasqRymC__mvyVcHbXIXQjjTe_9BRApUBMPBgjVkDemKINfm8rH8f-I-eN5ul7_x4shqvJA8bu7FTCwSLCjWAkUlWp8G8ABAt7LcyglxScQe8ooZcFWigq5YJfPkAk/s400/elevation.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479851616248936146" border="0"></a><br /><br />I've done <a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35828106">this ride</a> before, and it's a beast. 98 miles, and about 7,500 ft of climbing. Last time I finished, I wanted to cry and I couldn't speak in full sentences for the rest of the day. I told myself this time would be different. The high temperature was only supposed to be 65 degrees in Park City, and I had company this year (last year I did this on my own). I pushed out of my mind the fact that I hadn't been riding much this year, and I completely ignored my legs as they reminded me of Thursday and Friday's time trials to the top of the Alpine Loop.<br /><br />It's hard to say if this year was harder or easier than last. The weatherman was certainly wrong. It felt like it was about 80 degrees by the time we hit Coalville. My decision to skip the sunscreen turned out to be not such a great idea. I was certainly exhausted, but at the end of the day I still felt pretty good.<br /><br />In any case, it was an amazing ride. Difficult yes, but that's what makes it so worth while. After three days of incredible riding, my legs are a bit tired, but I'm definitely back. The sport that I love so much has hooked me once again.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/35828106" width="465" frameborder="0" height="548"></iframe>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-27063502498565583752010-06-04T18:35:00.000-06:002010-06-06T20:29:35.287-06:00My Return to CyclingOK, the title of this post implies a couple things that are not true:<br /><br />1) That I ever really stopped riding my bike<br />2) That I ride at a level that justifies such a title<br /><br />That said, the phrase has been rolling around in the back of my head this weekend, and here's why:<br /><br />Last year, I rode a lot. I covered 5,000+ miles, spent over 300 hours in the saddle, and burned over 300,000 calories. I went to France and climbed some of the most famous cols in the history of the Tour. I followed the world of cycling religiously. I trained for and raced in LOTOJA. I had planned to carry that through to 2010, and add to it.<br /><br />When the snow started melting and I should have been back on the bike, I just didn't feel like riding much. I still got in a few rides here and there, but I just wasn't as excited about it as I normally am. I didn't bother signing up for any of the major 2010 races, and by April, I had almost stopped riding completely. My only time on the bike was during a vacation that was originally supposed to be centered around biking.<br /><br />By the end of May, I had ridden about 1/4th the miles as the same period in the previous year, and most of those were out of some sense of obligation. I just wasn't having fun anymore. I think at some point I started to take cycling a bit too seriously, and I forgot why I was doing it in the first place.<br /><br />Enter the <a href="http://alpinelooptt.blogspot.com/">Alpine Loop TT</a>. It started as a simple "who wants to ride the Alpine Loop" email thread, but it quickly became clear, this was going to be a race. Call it what you want - everyone would be riding at their limit or beyond for 10.5 miles. Given my state of mind, I had no interest in participating in such a sufferfest. That said, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to ride to the top of the Alpine Loop with a few friends. It really is one of the best rides in the world. So I set off a good 10 minutes ahead of the pack, and hoped that I could get most of the way up before they caught me. But about half way up something happened. My competitive side finally showed up and the voice in the back of my head started tempting me with the thought that maybe, just maybe I could make it to the top without getting caught.<br /><br />It worked. As the rest of the group made it to the summit and started announcing their times, I realized that while I was certainly the slowest guy in the group, I wasn't as slow as I had thought I would be. More importantly, I remembered why I ride my bike. It was the most fun I've had in a long time and I couldn't wait to get up early the next morning and do it again.<br /><br />Friday morning came, and while I hadn't planned on going all out, something clicked again around Tibble Fork. I decided to keep my heart rate at 180 and see what happened. I didn't really think I'd improve over Thursday's time, but as the miles passed I started doing the math. 2.5 miles to go, 44 minutes into the ride, 6 minute miles - if I could hold my pace I'd finish in under an hour. With a little help from Rick (he caught me with about a quarter mile to go, gave me the international sign for "it's time to sprint", and put the hammer down), I finished with a time of 59:33. I was so excited I let out an involuntary cheer as I crossed the finish line.<br /><br />My time isn't that impressive. I'm still the slowest guy in the pack. I will probably never beat Rick in any competition that involves two wheels. But I love trying. I love competing and pushing myself to do better.<br /><br />And I love riding my bike.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-5584559290356892042010-04-07T15:20:00.003-06:002010-04-07T15:26:45.438-06:00The vacation beginsIt's been a while, but I figured it would be good to make a few blog entries during this vacation. With that in mind, here's the first.<br /><br />The trip has gotten off to a good start. You know things are going well when you're waiting in line with Pauly Shore. At least for a while. His B-list celebrity status still managed to get him through security without waiting in that line. Oh well. It gave us something to talk about while us normal folk waited there for an hour. <br /><br />But now we're on the flight. In fact we'll be landing in less than two hours, which means we've been on the plane for more than ten hours. I have to say, it hasn't been bad at all for coach. Plenty of legroom and when we checked in, I talked the desk agent into moving 62B to another seat (we booked 62A and 62C hoping for this scenario). Having the whole row makes quite a difference. 1 movie, 1 mediocre dinner, 1 Ambien, 1 breakfast, and we're pretty much there. I think I slept for about 6 or 7 hours. That's a record for me.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-84092002612791864092009-08-12T17:43:00.003-06:002009-08-12T17:58:11.130-06:00Calories<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsnyFFOVtFCCwYAhZtk6OPi1TybUG8bNCsb_BR1ZdlGMSU5k1EZ4O-_qD6i8Zeb8NEPaFsI9S3gZKxJ8oSPX8QnBZPv8mZLUzyWU3sP0Hn8hPU7I5HUVSLtE7s0t1qyQV3d-WuPFtK2s/s1600-h/bigmac.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 324px; height: 337px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsnyFFOVtFCCwYAhZtk6OPi1TybUG8bNCsb_BR1ZdlGMSU5k1EZ4O-_qD6i8Zeb8NEPaFsI9S3gZKxJ8oSPX8QnBZPv8mZLUzyWU3sP0Hn8hPU7I5HUVSLtE7s0t1qyQV3d-WuPFtK2s/s400/bigmac.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369230341935921506" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So I was just looking over some stats from my training this year, and I was surprised to see that I've burned 158,990 calories since Jan 1st. Of course, that's just an estimate, but still... that's a lot of calories. To put it in perspective, that's the equivalent of 118 Big Mac meals with large fries and a large soda.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-1224569682306281392009-08-01T17:17:00.000-06:002009-08-02T12:46:17.517-06:00LOTOJA TrainingWell, the Tour de France is over, but <a href="http://www.lotojaclassic.com/">LOTOJA</a> is just around the corner, and I'm far from ready. I figured I needed to get in some good miles today so I planned a ride from my house in Sandy up to my in-laws house in Park City. Check out the route <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ut/-salt-lake-city/781124905762723178">here</a>.<br /><br /><a rel="lightbox" href="http://ella7.com/bike-blog/images/home_bigmountain_pinebrook.png"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 420px; height: 128px;" src="http://ella7.com/bike-blog/images/home_bigmountain_pinebrook.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It turned out to be a pretty good ride, but plenty challenging. The ride ended up taking a little over six hours, in part due to the fact that the wind was in my face for almost the entire ride. I don't know how that's possible, but it's true. The 96 miles weren't so bad, but thinking that I would be less than half way done if it were LOTOJA made me cringe a bit. I've still got a long way to go in my training and not much time.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-56598430682783918942009-07-25T05:49:00.001-06:002009-08-04T12:56:44.223-06:00Mont VentouxI rode to the top of Ventoux this morning. The grade is pretty relentless, but more than that, the wind is like nothing I've experienced before. I would guess gusts well in excess of 50mph. That <br />said, we took it pretty slowly so the ride wasn't that challenging. At race pace, it would be a killer.<p>And the people... hundreds of thousands, easily. It was unbelievable. I've never seen so many people anywhere in my life. There were thousands of other cyclists trying to make it to the top before they completely shut down the road. Coming down Ventoux wasn't much fun. Cold, super windy, with crazy fans running all over the road. I'm now about half way down waiting for the peleton. If we're lucky we should see some attacks near here. The truth of the matter is I'll be <br />watching the TV more than the road. It's hard to beleive the Tour is almost over.</p>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-64542691492034645262009-07-23T15:17:00.003-06:002009-07-23T15:23:12.901-06:00Pictures from the TTA few of my favorite shots from today. Nothing spectacular, but still pretty cool.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ilXC8O3tIeVk69CfXxpR9IaLXQnPDT2n0jI6dkb35vN7HSaKv7rG_UdKDCjRIa9gtAzfXA7JU4obPo_9KU7u5qp0Bvxhhr-MN2mxe1kc8XJPHglYPr_rGY7OvTIz3dOcT7-vtHCXP3c/s1600-h/DSC_0588.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ilXC8O3tIeVk69CfXxpR9IaLXQnPDT2n0jI6dkb35vN7HSaKv7rG_UdKDCjRIa9gtAzfXA7JU4obPo_9KU7u5qp0Bvxhhr-MN2mxe1kc8XJPHglYPr_rGY7OvTIz3dOcT7-vtHCXP3c/s400/DSC_0588.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361769110514867938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxDNWtpB-4QJTJ-7XTA_Ja6aMk1s6cQBcTnvujbAj6qkq4q3ceiQcz6zoBlTDYDr2CrsRuIoMIFFiVTDFJx6W0SuqwRrCBO20UfjkaexA7fLImOTu9NEj-B20mUUJiLAwKPgaW5NsPTA/s1600-h/DSC_0579.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 233px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxDNWtpB-4QJTJ-7XTA_Ja6aMk1s6cQBcTnvujbAj6qkq4q3ceiQcz6zoBlTDYDr2CrsRuIoMIFFiVTDFJx6W0SuqwRrCBO20UfjkaexA7fLImOTu9NEj-B20mUUJiLAwKPgaW5NsPTA/s400/DSC_0579.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361768929121797890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioePR-AVvLHOJP3qi-nvtNAsgECT6OaC311jGl7etxvYa8ivPSCsmyJyABIvBg3Dwe0IjyHEAcub7_bffS0n9wDyFHVOAGuBzQXONqJ0h9GRcyf55Zv4SDsrmxhfQf7ZUDyX_HxVm-KTk/s1600-h/DSC_0555.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioePR-AVvLHOJP3qi-nvtNAsgECT6OaC311jGl7etxvYa8ivPSCsmyJyABIvBg3Dwe0IjyHEAcub7_bffS0n9wDyFHVOAGuBzQXONqJ0h9GRcyf55Zv4SDsrmxhfQf7ZUDyX_HxVm-KTk/s400/DSC_0555.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361768928645052690" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe8huaVmiFNrwGkcm3mc2H7J006MRIfoSb1LZxiTepUwiwHiZlBvofW5alLwyrQ5fWM_p9t2af6enFywCFJo1O7r8sY8ZdWDTyreXoZ2AVOW060LtvbAc3bCzPJrL5U3uSbzZPvN58Qk/s1600-h/DSC_0495.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNe8huaVmiFNrwGkcm3mc2H7J006MRIfoSb1LZxiTepUwiwHiZlBvofW5alLwyrQ5fWM_p9t2af6enFywCFJo1O7r8sY8ZdWDTyreXoZ2AVOW060LtvbAc3bCzPJrL5U3uSbzZPvN58Qk/s400/DSC_0495.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361768922861621938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJAC4iNt3-ynP0leF4ulYUrlB3VkCxP5P4ODqxl0X8x82jfjO5f6swHhI5jp4N-kP9L1Gpb3AxMA0aP29-LhUgTLobiRK5EthywMaJeH9MP2_30C5K6svWxrGuGCrjUdkYdUPw_tsRfQ/s1600-h/DSC_0396.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJAC4iNt3-ynP0leF4ulYUrlB3VkCxP5P4ODqxl0X8x82jfjO5f6swHhI5jp4N-kP9L1Gpb3AxMA0aP29-LhUgTLobiRK5EthywMaJeH9MP2_30C5K6svWxrGuGCrjUdkYdUPw_tsRfQ/s400/DSC_0396.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361768919835214210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaEWiPdZ5ZdiNbx-2o2L6cYEt-f-PkA6pfznYYVE5KCjz-G0d_7XN_JANRPavIffcxiaWRqBe8kG419JCyOAnPWnSpSVqCgtxFnGuktkOfpTn_Ib2xTlrhOQxkCQlkX8sLj1b1muSsH0/s1600-h/DSC_0307.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 353px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBaEWiPdZ5ZdiNbx-2o2L6cYEt-f-PkA6pfznYYVE5KCjz-G0d_7XN_JANRPavIffcxiaWRqBe8kG419JCyOAnPWnSpSVqCgtxFnGuktkOfpTn_Ib2xTlrhOQxkCQlkX8sLj1b1muSsH0/s400/DSC_0307.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361768914068146786" border="0" /></a>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-8435182214813583732009-07-23T03:54:00.000-06:002009-07-23T03:55:19.601-06:00Schleck's warm-up<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VFq-V2jiFNsNRZyfQsTyGj5j6KWzRXzinwzfSQIx26ftsPpgDzr19n9IFJ1ClAhu0NgFMwaN7ZUgcGtphgqymNfC0ZIdSB4M1mmAgDk5DMmf0kCcXIHqS4l_DPpc70h_k2rpffFwM6I/s1600-h/photo-719603.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7VFq-V2jiFNsNRZyfQsTyGj5j6KWzRXzinwzfSQIx26ftsPpgDzr19n9IFJ1ClAhu0NgFMwaN7ZUgcGtphgqymNfC0ZIdSB4M1mmAgDk5DMmf0kCcXIHqS4l_DPpc70h_k2rpffFwM6I/s320/photo-719603.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361592013198883442" /></a></p>The Saxo Bank team just came through warming up so I took a quick <br>iPhone snapshot. Lance came through a couple of times earlier as did <br>Contador and Klöden. Fun stuff.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-27166148092508876252009-07-23T02:34:00.001-06:002009-07-23T02:34:22.309-06:00Today's Time TrialI just got done riding today's TT course and it's going to be awesome <br>to watch the pros come through. The climb isn't too long, but it was <br>pretty steep. Around 8% in several spots.<p>The roads were closed quite a while ago, but we were fortunate to have <br>official on course accreditation. Even with that we were stopped a few <br>times. Much like yesterday, the fans are already lining the course and <br>cheering on anyone who goes by. The pros are also out warming up, and <br>the publicity caravan is getting ready to come through. The weather is <br>a little iffy, but it's still a beautiful area. We have a tent right <br>in the middle of the climb, so we'll have a great view today.<p>I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to post later today. Should be <br>exciting. Hopefully Lance can take back some time today and get back <br>into the top three.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-27353502849952801802009-07-22T16:40:00.003-06:002009-07-22T16:46:49.567-06:00Tour de France – Stage 17Every day at the Tour is amazing, but some days are harder or easier and potentially more exciting than the others. The hardest stage is usually referred to as the queen stage, and no doubt about it, today was the queen stage. It’s also getting to be late in the tour, and anyone hoping to make a move would have to give 100% today. Add to that, the ridiculous profile of the stage and the crazy weather, and you had the ingredients for an amazing day.<br /><br />Having ridden to the top of the final climb of the day, we were well positioned to get some great shots. Here are a few favorites.<br /><br />[Spoiler alert: this may give you some insight into how the stage finished today]<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8r_cw57CYhJvGWTGoRWJVgVRhtFUx7vCLhMoHbBxsBYMcSp_OfxZ5nqIJ1zVsvX4YjzdX7GE1_0l2GYHby-5U9naWxUCoP9H9SE83eWSf9yo2BoLkv-ZcIy4QjldHrv8f3lVP2H0hSs/s1600-h/armstrong2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8r_cw57CYhJvGWTGoRWJVgVRhtFUx7vCLhMoHbBxsBYMcSp_OfxZ5nqIJ1zVsvX4YjzdX7GE1_0l2GYHby-5U9naWxUCoP9H9SE83eWSf9yo2BoLkv-ZcIy4QjldHrv8f3lVP2H0hSs/s320/armstrong2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361419490815232002" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9KMv0RCbBVW55J7ngQ8X6rIQEXXZFlVwZvjdz7HiYyexjlq77CQSuLRWiyPx_8kxBuVhGp0wcbjtaRnGp93n8Ty2vbInrdx0tN8mCfqOWvAw4vWOHt3GZzWBy2_tGZwABLwW02xi-b0/s1600-h/armstrong1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9KMv0RCbBVW55J7ngQ8X6rIQEXXZFlVwZvjdz7HiYyexjlq77CQSuLRWiyPx_8kxBuVhGp0wcbjtaRnGp93n8Ty2vbInrdx0tN8mCfqOWvAw4vWOHt3GZzWBy2_tGZwABLwW02xi-b0/s320/armstrong1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361419482589505314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcypnNmnN4YZDlUawC97EzqEioKAKYbFCRf_zaFAWszBDiC5D4sUATyHATrZtgDjG7V5zBL4AbzMwjDXflrn4vNfiuHtoeCKBTDRKBEif7QEMivtb2Ep16KSxpy8PT6HLRHWzpv_eGr-E/s1600-h/thesprint.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 88px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcypnNmnN4YZDlUawC97EzqEioKAKYbFCRf_zaFAWszBDiC5D4sUATyHATrZtgDjG7V5zBL4AbzMwjDXflrn4vNfiuHtoeCKBTDRKBEif7QEMivtb2Ep16KSxpy8PT6HLRHWzpv_eGr-E/s320/thesprint.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361419482187344402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga98uOKMlqyaEiqEBM2ryLVLcez7NFUQRjiaXB3WBVviKDx6HjwhIl9mPNCaHMjB31vtvei7HlIY1HT8kXtks1ouiSGd3qlsSV2kXZvprm1SE_gIf43jtL4VWs_-rbW2EgHvIC10_iZLg/s1600-h/thor.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga98uOKMlqyaEiqEBM2ryLVLcez7NFUQRjiaXB3WBVviKDx6HjwhIl9mPNCaHMjB31vtvei7HlIY1HT8kXtks1ouiSGd3qlsSV2kXZvprm1SE_gIf43jtL4VWs_-rbW2EgHvIC10_iZLg/s320/thor.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361419474459003362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq32RE7jPrvPp5A0N7jUr5Z5xLTqlqwRYKb74qRi1FfAXZ2nN9IbTPG7DxlLCiXQQ_6togWJ-9zUoybP4WFvB1CJORVJTNbKmwTSZgrqznN03aijVTu-05mU0z7Et5laLmzS2n5q_esms/s1600-h/pozzato.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq32RE7jPrvPp5A0N7jUr5Z5xLTqlqwRYKb74qRi1FfAXZ2nN9IbTPG7DxlLCiXQQ_6togWJ-9zUoybP4WFvB1CJORVJTNbKmwTSZgrqznN03aijVTu-05mU0z7Et5laLmzS2n5q_esms/s320/pozzato.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361419043671002738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBJ8t8_h3EiPlVSoFFRyOYXuhnqgUx7fPKWu_Bvpdl_ioilXUykDhIDfWcXzodg5gZdBoUDY8P6WqfFEKFvgVvezZOBiTlw4pqXg_aXTi-pK7dIIRp9c3Z2HpVSuFat9XQAnXxuDp2Jk/s1600-h/police.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBBJ8t8_h3EiPlVSoFFRyOYXuhnqgUx7fPKWu_Bvpdl_ioilXUykDhIDfWcXzodg5gZdBoUDY8P6WqfFEKFvgVvezZOBiTlw4pqXg_aXTi-pK7dIIRp9c3Z2HpVSuFat9XQAnXxuDp2Jk/s320/police.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361419039865036866" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rQ53PFWxKOdUyJSIg631juVHeRtvomDI8CRTAzj3lpKBYtrMKukEfKiaf8QjqmFhBc2J1nKyyIZjXGzoCfFPDdsLgUSLCbqWEJOzb8ttrk3XbLzeBHKMeiy8G95r_FhBNgns_cJmf0Q/s1600-h/george.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rQ53PFWxKOdUyJSIg631juVHeRtvomDI8CRTAzj3lpKBYtrMKukEfKiaf8QjqmFhBc2J1nKyyIZjXGzoCfFPDdsLgUSLCbqWEJOzb8ttrk3XbLzeBHKMeiy8G95r_FhBNgns_cJmf0Q/s320/george.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361419032658869202" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRHgcdot8Eq3in8z5ZJ3InMwfrpn3KdXwaVowndwfcqrWShm7MtZ8RVh_asQM1MaMKkNZsmZU1Om8-uS89yPAfAH0TDg4VQs5U28HHxcT3l9wv4wDrQO9vTrUkqmIIpiCnMCZYLbiDgM/s1600-h/brett.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRHgcdot8Eq3in8z5ZJ3InMwfrpn3KdXwaVowndwfcqrWShm7MtZ8RVh_asQM1MaMKkNZsmZU1Om8-uS89yPAfAH0TDg4VQs5U28HHxcT3l9wv4wDrQO9vTrUkqmIIpiCnMCZYLbiDgM/s320/brett.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361419035092619170" border="0" /></a>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-6403030500064378102009-07-22T16:39:00.000-06:002009-07-22T16:40:41.474-06:00Col de Romme & Col de la ColombiereWhere do I even begin? For those that don’t following cycling it’s probably hard to imagine why I would get so excited about today’s ride and today’s stage of the Tour de France. Every day of the Tour de France is like a giant parade. For over 100 miles you’ll find the roads lined with spectators. In the very best spots along the route, you’ll find tens of thousands of spectators crowded onto the hills to get the best view. It’s very much a party atmosphere. Today we were able to ride the second half of the route right before the pro riders and experience a little of what it must feel like to be in the Tour. The route is extremely well marked, and much of it is closed the cars. The fans are crazy and cheer you on with almost as much enthusiasm as they have for the real athletes. It’s hard to go too slow when people are running along side you yelling, “Allez, Allez, Allez!”<br /><br />Even without the screaming fans, the route on it’s own would be amazing. With over 7,000ft of climbing, it’s not an easy ride, but the challenge is part of what makes it so great. This was the second time we tackled Col du Romme, but this time we were a couple of hours into the ride when we got the bottom. That made a big difference. It felt much steeper today – of course there were also huge gusts of wind that were literally blowing people off their bikes. We had multiple thunderstorms roll through which made everything that much more difficult – especially the descents. Fortunately I managed to stay upright, but I had a couple of close calls. After Col du Romme you still have to fight your way to the top of the Colombiere. This climb is supposed to be a bit easier, but the last two miles are brutal. Coming over the top and seeing the King of the Mountains banner over the road made it all worth while though. Just amazing.<br /><br />Did I mention we've done over 35,000ft of climbing this week?Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-30206801965790193772009-07-21T11:09:00.002-06:002009-07-21T16:18:38.971-06:00Finish in Bourg-Saint-Maurice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ81N22N3swNHm1p0M34Sj3eqAGhDhBZyOHLlFm5VgmrxiHr2MSA1rTUlRgqm8jOoPQPD9SLUF6IMULjYPA9sWayeQUKptZCp8_RsSJ5n0MAjXPqT_NqQ7yKnbt_Fk7-RgJXRNqMn-dtE/s1600-h/yellow_group.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ81N22N3swNHm1p0M34Sj3eqAGhDhBZyOHLlFm5VgmrxiHr2MSA1rTUlRgqm8jOoPQPD9SLUF6IMULjYPA9sWayeQUKptZCp8_RsSJ5n0MAjXPqT_NqQ7yKnbt_Fk7-RgJXRNqMn-dtE/s320/yellow_group.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361040231674845842" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8onrhS3yvSHbFvoBh1tDlRWs8BGIBlYlSSp_Abz1FwmoyhhYIZlI-i84Pxvz3hjrlb9VzV3aGvTwtJlXF5fRqKfB5QYgO5fG6K9_1sFPpnrJy3ZMpCmYFQwL_VLP6ISagyLf8igprcg/s1600-h/lance_blur.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8onrhS3yvSHbFvoBh1tDlRWs8BGIBlYlSSp_Abz1FwmoyhhYIZlI-i84Pxvz3hjrlb9VzV3aGvTwtJlXF5fRqKfB5QYgO5fG6K9_1sFPpnrJy3ZMpCmYFQwL_VLP6ISagyLf8igprcg/s320/lance_blur.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361040235476240738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dfsUtUu-tzcEZ-I5zyPAK3_1ymDhSRtRfBRvFukK5TO6j8XB_p5ooLMqgpZT271IfPrctpsGG3kry70IBYCTMJ7S73OPmo6G4_VXQ63_AEs_ll3hlsjirwEAU8nG5fyhDPiUBi68YCs/s1600-h/george.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dfsUtUu-tzcEZ-I5zyPAK3_1ymDhSRtRfBRvFukK5TO6j8XB_p5ooLMqgpZT271IfPrctpsGG3kry70IBYCTMJ7S73OPmo6G4_VXQ63_AEs_ll3hlsjirwEAU8nG5fyhDPiUBi68YCs/s320/george.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361040781839101394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjConHnceHxVzuObQPxjARca6tq6HEpRPvyG5CRp-ZQj3O4ni9w7XA8Hs6ZeWnpatl7HlAUC2K44Dv2QJpu7DBdGYq6D72BVgPcmU4EOg-l2PiIenMI9lzBJ0PIH0nPCgH2KT9AFuqjtzM/s1600-h/schleck.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjConHnceHxVzuObQPxjARca6tq6HEpRPvyG5CRp-ZQj3O4ni9w7XA8Hs6ZeWnpatl7HlAUC2K44Dv2QJpu7DBdGYq6D72BVgPcmU4EOg-l2PiIenMI9lzBJ0PIH0nPCgH2KT9AFuqjtzM/s320/schleck.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361040775723297234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GZRFNfgxy2j2UvatRuqtUmxAB5OuRU8J174vpHnPZI0AvMiZT6FiI5NsWEvQ-NSOOV5epLAo1m6_W01SgLZxW6cRuul9MRDpOMX0JWuAtIZ547m5ynL-YEBUaeGU1AzVr1d2o8_FtY0/s1600-h/cav.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GZRFNfgxy2j2UvatRuqtUmxAB5OuRU8J174vpHnPZI0AvMiZT6FiI5NsWEvQ-NSOOV5epLAo1m6_W01SgLZxW6cRuul9MRDpOMX0JWuAtIZ547m5ynL-YEBUaeGU1AzVr1d2o8_FtY0/s320/cav.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361040770549479042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2QDw88ObMLb3_YPHfAJOTJPsPqbTpNEUUHkqjDIXuQDOIyc-V2eWh_2gRqusrPU450dMEjl_nLFHlIrRxgwBfth8JOFwGalPhyphenhyphenvxZOG7ixpmBF-uUjOnP0qMElIOB9orAn1kb-vQ6ys/s1600-h/lance.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO2QDw88ObMLb3_YPHfAJOTJPsPqbTpNEUUHkqjDIXuQDOIyc-V2eWh_2gRqusrPU450dMEjl_nLFHlIrRxgwBfth8JOFwGalPhyphenhyphenvxZOG7ixpmBF-uUjOnP0qMElIOB9orAn1kb-vQ6ys/s320/lance.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361040224745473442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhyphenhyphenr4O7vTM8Sfrc3lLGpdFT2VBuFiNsNljNpsJHVlp2yIAwoiMtyEXnjrQh9NVNL5BE1e1qw-KLnrg68SFxHev0IAa83xxH8fuDJCWC0j9CChWjmwH7diWVR35JYKMfaKFKvhuEndZks/s1600-h/cancellara.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhyphenhyphenr4O7vTM8Sfrc3lLGpdFT2VBuFiNsNljNpsJHVlp2yIAwoiMtyEXnjrQh9NVNL5BE1e1qw-KLnrg68SFxHev0IAa83xxH8fuDJCWC0j9CChWjmwH7diWVR35JYKMfaKFKvhuEndZks/s320/cancellara.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361040225757438258" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjeM6TT4cMjjHs0NWWzGDkKVmLLfl9cJoOJ4AVDR4wcbStjqCkleKRd59bQIYTJ1E1-CZvjA_hU53kmIJBFazww-wvJKXrh_cP1Lzjho6-iCeUT0dY5qENuIbApNH-WwV8hNZPYf6m64/s1600-h/100m.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqjeM6TT4cMjjHs0NWWzGDkKVmLLfl9cJoOJ4AVDR4wcbStjqCkleKRd59bQIYTJ1E1-CZvjA_hU53kmIJBFazww-wvJKXrh_cP1Lzjho6-iCeUT0dY5qENuIbApNH-WwV8hNZPYf6m64/s320/100m.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361040221404703026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPom2tu0VEesfjEyXfXHJU5GolY67gPZMKmFdc8Zcy2SFz1reNyRyNeJG2qssvzhu4aRvI_YwGMheFkW7MocfMq4VqttrriiSABNX9xGqsAupD84Q8rjrmtgONdHeqCLESED4eqMQNi7w/s1600-h/popo.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPom2tu0VEesfjEyXfXHJU5GolY67gPZMKmFdc8Zcy2SFz1reNyRyNeJG2qssvzhu4aRvI_YwGMheFkW7MocfMq4VqttrriiSABNX9xGqsAupD84Q8rjrmtgONdHeqCLESED4eqMQNi7w/s320/popo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361040783789440642" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Don't worry. I'm not going to say anything about the actual stage, so<br />no spoilers for those that haven't watched yet today.<p>It was amazing to be in the finishing town today. We finished our ride<br />a few hours before the Tour finish so we went out to lunch and then<br />headed down to stake out our spot. With a bit of elbowing I managed to<br />get right on the barriers at the 100m to go point right after the<br />final turn. There couldn't be a better spot. The only down side was<br />that we had to stand there for over an hour in blistering sun and 90+<br />degree heat, but it was worth it. The big screen TV was right in front<br />of us, so it was easy to follow what was happening on the road. As the<br />riders closed in on 10k, 5k, 3k, and 2k the intensity kept doubling.</p><p>As the Tour came racing through I managed to get video and several<br />pictures (I'll post tomorrow so as to not give anything away). Over<br />the years I have watched and read a lot about the pro tour teams and<br />their riders, but I was still completely amazed by how fast they were<br />going at the finish. After a very long and hot day of climbing, they<br />were still absolutely flying a the end. The TV just doesn't do it<br />justice. Very cool and very intense.</p><p>Once the first several groups came in we headed for the team bus area.<br />It's surprising how accessible everything is. Yes, it's hard to get to<br />Lance, but I was within a foot or two of George, Cancellara, Johan,<br />Andy Schleck, Cav, Farrar, Wiggo, Popo, and countless other riders. We<br />hung out by the Astana bus for a while and got in on an interview with<br />Johan Brunyl. We were litterally standing side by side with the<br />interviewers and could have asked questions of our own if we wanted.</p><p>I'm on the bus now headed back to the hotel. It's been a long, hot day<br />and I'm looking forward to a shower, dinner, and bed. Tomorrow will be<br />an even longer day both for me and for the tour. We'll be riding the<br />second half of tomorrow's stage which is long and steep. I think<br />tomorrow we could see a little more change in the GC standings.</p><p>That's all for now. Pictures coming soon.</p>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-84925540879504326542009-07-20T15:00:00.002-06:002009-07-20T15:05:09.199-06:00Tomorrow at the Tour<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7nbQGXtg1w-ndfcVP_hxrYxEHg77-Pkn_G4E5HIbP0gA7N5FMT0TiRBL6y-RUypAeOgYh_hWd0Ph8pFs-Eidbw4q2s4YgxOZKY8BWXYm9YdKN71hIlJAjR7y8ZlOy23r5lDabmeQREQ/s1600-h/profile.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7nbQGXtg1w-ndfcVP_hxrYxEHg77-Pkn_G4E5HIbP0gA7N5FMT0TiRBL6y-RUypAeOgYh_hWd0Ph8pFs-Eidbw4q2s4YgxOZKY8BWXYm9YdKN71hIlJAjR7y8ZlOy23r5lDabmeQREQ/s320/profile.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360651294184514290" border="0" /></a><br />So tomorrow will be our first day actually going to the Tour. Until now we've just been riding the famous routes from past Tours de France. Tomorrow we'll start riding around 8:30 and go from our hotel to the stage finish town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice. It's a pretty tough day tomorrow with two very big climbs, but I don't think we'll see huge changes in the GC standings. Hopefully I'll have time to post some pictures from the finish tomorrow when we get back to the hotel.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-17194824922255037942009-07-20T12:15:00.000-06:002009-07-20T15:41:26.591-06:00Col du Mollard & Croix de Fer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUJW1HnwhLXMhxEPhiftf7WHrZ8vQKT6d-hUiblh65g2_Pa4JNB6dmH3QGu_X5Cbek-oHOsEznO3uFED8mbS3gkWP9mEIFcvGkMm2xiR_GR32TrigHLuUDVe2-XhqevH6J5Li64U-n_A/s1600-h/croix_de_fer2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMUJW1HnwhLXMhxEPhiftf7WHrZ8vQKT6d-hUiblh65g2_Pa4JNB6dmH3QGu_X5Cbek-oHOsEznO3uFED8mbS3gkWP9mEIFcvGkMm2xiR_GR32TrigHLuUDVe2-XhqevH6J5Li64U-n_A/s320/croix_de_fer2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360660281957413650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XxhOzlrgLm5mwZ39G7u3JEtDlp8FrGIymAWx5T0w8zX2waOUeaqf0b4wW8cQDd0PJX45d1RzN_atFhqLO6OC-1r1xbb90WRgiCVr17lLsyQD7BK1s4i2gtsYlk89DaEIIwK00IkICGo/s1600-h/glandon2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XxhOzlrgLm5mwZ39G7u3JEtDlp8FrGIymAWx5T0w8zX2waOUeaqf0b4wW8cQDd0PJX45d1RzN_atFhqLO6OC-1r1xbb90WRgiCVr17lLsyQD7BK1s4i2gtsYlk89DaEIIwK00IkICGo/s320/glandon2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360659805084057922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEGNd5a6KuJbWXYbNkF7sElTs-6r5m0tPnWRtkbW5IQ6_h3ElQGMkAdSpwXyr_7CywxmJtUroZscn6v8dGcpGmhV4Szdci_tTGAoQyPL27niegT0cLvAjSOcTjymjm3xKpAdyGk3OeQA/s1600-h/croix_de_fer.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 72px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEGNd5a6KuJbWXYbNkF7sElTs-6r5m0tPnWRtkbW5IQ6_h3ElQGMkAdSpwXyr_7CywxmJtUroZscn6v8dGcpGmhV4Szdci_tTGAoQyPL27niegT0cLvAjSOcTjymjm3xKpAdyGk3OeQA/s320/croix_de_fer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360659131220124466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJslgF7XBiabS74Nz-Z9KBpgRTeKj7fXweX_sGgIST3yKWy9Y0aAw2DdPtsp7aY7S7DQhGmTQOYnHA9GD56WhRUmy3sZdaBtO3mKxoutfOtp52qbwGkiSbboF0koqIiCIYrlfXSfeOSQI/s1600-h/glandon.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJslgF7XBiabS74Nz-Z9KBpgRTeKj7fXweX_sGgIST3yKWy9Y0aAw2DdPtsp7aY7S7DQhGmTQOYnHA9GD56WhRUmy3sZdaBtO3mKxoutfOtp52qbwGkiSbboF0koqIiCIYrlfXSfeOSQI/s320/glandon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360658850509205330" border="0" /></a><br />Today's ride was about as good as they come. I don't have time to write the novel that I would like to describing every turn, but I'll at least post a couple pics for now and come back to revisit this later.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-37786576455267818852009-07-19T18:17:00.000-06:002009-07-20T14:17:23.009-06:00Verbier<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NdT4o71pebaz3KYIbnPeOK02WtOG7AAjLufqT_09nkEHWnu1L62ZpFS-lP6WuDy70PZoTr9bUyNwagkdufgzc5DWdt8Lp2A3O5r4Zo5LL1qesheWarazQFG6SmgOsKbmqKNEesrKfi8/s1600-h/contador.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NdT4o71pebaz3KYIbnPeOK02WtOG7AAjLufqT_09nkEHWnu1L62ZpFS-lP6WuDy70PZoTr9bUyNwagkdufgzc5DWdt8Lp2A3O5r4Zo5LL1qesheWarazQFG6SmgOsKbmqKNEesrKfi8/s320/contador.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360638911224750690" border="0" /></a><br />I have to admit, I’m a little disappointed. I never really thought Lance would win the Tour, but I really hoped he would find someway to shock everyone and win one more time. The Tour is certainly not over, but after today’s stage and the final climb up to Verbier, it’s hard to imagine anyone but Alberto Contador winning this year. It’s still quite impressive to see what Lance is doing four years after his last win, but he’s certainly not the dominant figure he once was. At this point I would be impressed if he can stay in the top 5. Hopefully he’ll prove me wrong, and I’ll still be standing on the side of the road from here to Paris cheering Lance along.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-49386946240237971152009-07-19T15:07:00.000-06:002009-07-26T17:13:23.836-06:00Col du Galibiere<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1gvM1lOZYq1kqZJU3f5Fn83Lql-aTzOtEtOHbVp8VTYEJbMEe_P2qCRkdIVfc3_uf9lSvy0Mg4Kvo3J_c3sqY2kZZG15G5DeqG_j0JrUWUg03OJJd2ItCFFTo9ZkWYwzf2nWAealCek/s1600-h/switchbacks.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1gvM1lOZYq1kqZJU3f5Fn83Lql-aTzOtEtOHbVp8VTYEJbMEe_P2qCRkdIVfc3_uf9lSvy0Mg4Kvo3J_c3sqY2kZZG15G5DeqG_j0JrUWUg03OJJd2ItCFFTo9ZkWYwzf2nWAealCek/s400/switchbacks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910533655044946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9Sl2SuF_Vp5vR9SBlOsvMnLik93Zj1OplTnMrCf8c92svloYoG-xrWjMmxg0fWVHBm1NI-R2M6cBtvfnSgAdibwVuJUoWArINTS6OWCWE_suBswV0JOz1BVQUVdEgHVTZoe2Vu7GPqM/s1600-h/IMGP1793.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja9Sl2SuF_Vp5vR9SBlOsvMnLik93Zj1OplTnMrCf8c92svloYoG-xrWjMmxg0fWVHBm1NI-R2M6cBtvfnSgAdibwVuJUoWArINTS6OWCWE_suBswV0JOz1BVQUVdEgHVTZoe2Vu7GPqM/s400/IMGP1793.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910535277578242" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYNFAV3iekd5GgUKqG4WKR29EbRD9xnTOD56e3Hh7djGYBZBTArpBCAiuKqy3IoTmMTgEq_BMUvAPSjKgK0OpHtJLC4-FHtdzvZjbLp-xng41o_BqElgUBUBqsKbQFYcbelTnTtfKv80/s1600-h/IMGP1780.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirYNFAV3iekd5GgUKqG4WKR29EbRD9xnTOD56e3Hh7djGYBZBTArpBCAiuKqy3IoTmMTgEq_BMUvAPSjKgK0OpHtJLC4-FHtdzvZjbLp-xng41o_BqElgUBUBqsKbQFYcbelTnTtfKv80/s400/IMGP1780.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910531471684066" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmP57eQxeEceuPzE9-5waLHsn3wprvSFhy37V3rq8BV4tkqvyspxAv62KtgZV9KbELzFndv2G-seLqHKEmr2ioS3S6zbqJnYfSHH6b52o52L0hmfR_TGFVUq5G71zsZHzj46pQxaqey0/s1600-h/IMGP1778.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWmP57eQxeEceuPzE9-5waLHsn3wprvSFhy37V3rq8BV4tkqvyspxAv62KtgZV9KbELzFndv2G-seLqHKEmr2ioS3S6zbqJnYfSHH6b52o52L0hmfR_TGFVUq5G71zsZHzj46pQxaqey0/s400/IMGP1778.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910526738848786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOuxJqKRuvfr6L5XC17_PF_D0l7kpquBi3F3tUAtSOfYDRq28iXBNaHjfNpTMcDIBtaQ_EYq-JXbJWoiZvAmOWwRJSXMvUCU8cSmrKb958rgNHltzA6JN-xksPSUS89WsNJ1efwAQaZo/s1600-h/IMGP1776.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOuxJqKRuvfr6L5XC17_PF_D0l7kpquBi3F3tUAtSOfYDRq28iXBNaHjfNpTMcDIBtaQ_EYq-JXbJWoiZvAmOWwRJSXMvUCU8cSmrKb958rgNHltzA6JN-xksPSUS89WsNJ1efwAQaZo/s400/IMGP1776.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910176328639634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCKynHPRn_FKfN9sl_K1JPyC4sv3CvrbdgGxmsogdM5BSqA5TyyRmuhOVslji0LJWyY0DbiQtuoVhX11ixqGf5mESADPDeedvFG8F35XaHrQUOO7rBAkefJw7TNHKWUd_V3vfbwjOYnk/s1600-h/IMGP1768.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYCKynHPRn_FKfN9sl_K1JPyC4sv3CvrbdgGxmsogdM5BSqA5TyyRmuhOVslji0LJWyY0DbiQtuoVhX11ixqGf5mESADPDeedvFG8F35XaHrQUOO7rBAkefJw7TNHKWUd_V3vfbwjOYnk/s400/IMGP1768.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910174524764322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBlc1h1OupQiH_xa1_CMXxgummE8VxfZ5Vmd5RZNbTR9zbXHND14iLX48Vv37M9iwqE2_SSKzqOEi3IPrCpEMEU9fXnT6YirdNYV0tq7qruLusNYJa1G43mwRkvKJ3JyAly0Y6sd76G0/s1600-h/IMGP1761.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBlc1h1OupQiH_xa1_CMXxgummE8VxfZ5Vmd5RZNbTR9zbXHND14iLX48Vv37M9iwqE2_SSKzqOEi3IPrCpEMEU9fXnT6YirdNYV0tq7qruLusNYJa1G43mwRkvKJ3JyAly0Y6sd76G0/s400/IMGP1761.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910172209059762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBwXj2r38YVT8xPxVfCO5lmbdeUXli6BLHt7QRW4Oi8xzSYWblhmoChcQKB39UxQK0jXU7KmMOR2QnXTQve3cEA5dUDF1r5b6J_ecby29h3IHiu9_Zg2MtC1Gasd5PUw_YKsy98GxojM/s1600-h/IMG_0177.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBwXj2r38YVT8xPxVfCO5lmbdeUXli6BLHt7QRW4Oi8xzSYWblhmoChcQKB39UxQK0jXU7KmMOR2QnXTQve3cEA5dUDF1r5b6J_ecby29h3IHiu9_Zg2MtC1Gasd5PUw_YKsy98GxojM/s400/IMG_0177.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910168857407602" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZlvw4fpMRk_yqrHTQek1H0KBLbcyz_CzbkWjGH_p5vFsdT_wRzAOLVE4nEfOxDemufB2oi5XwAmkNZmF10HTgLarBvQdG_witaubT70BlbPELNClBbIt9NofQizPIpzWUJLCKJEQSfw/s1600-h/galibiere_sign.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLZlvw4fpMRk_yqrHTQek1H0KBLbcyz_CzbkWjGH_p5vFsdT_wRzAOLVE4nEfOxDemufB2oi5XwAmkNZmF10HTgLarBvQdG_witaubT70BlbPELNClBbIt9NofQizPIpzWUJLCKJEQSfw/s400/galibiere_sign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362910163244025954" border="0" /></a><br />In addition to being a really great climb, the views from the Galibiere were spectacular. It’s always fun to be able to see several of the switchbacks that you’ve just traversed. The weather was perfect, and the air was totally clear. We took our time and took lots of pictures.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-87134098931805787672009-07-18T17:28:00.010-06:002009-07-18T17:50:32.362-06:00Col de l’Iseran<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQeVPFYO_VsxNNO3qAnBzzQOmSvSGakfPneTlk4CycrsQE_VPAThCYPm_ctlqHIODSU0kiFxT0RgINHrMblD4Y-KjmG-mxbqBuIHh2OlHtpU9Keb7B05bsus1aI-YiFlLMeeeggwJmiYI/s1600-h/startsun_iseran.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359947804886059650" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQeVPFYO_VsxNNO3qAnBzzQOmSvSGakfPneTlk4CycrsQE_VPAThCYPm_ctlqHIODSU0kiFxT0RgINHrMblD4Y-KjmG-mxbqBuIHh2OlHtpU9Keb7B05bsus1aI-YiFlLMeeeggwJmiYI/s320/startsun_iseran.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyT0cUezoexdwzBlLw2OQIdBnbloaewcMTcMU0WCYjjfLyLss2bXp0MgtFjiiiK2rW33lK07qAlZXMVOvyUNrkvNdGcHR3-4y9jbx0lmRhveXpd_IKw7JNPXN8Flqf1l6s2SgF2N9vIE/s1600-h/iseransnow2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359947814649508482" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 114px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyT0cUezoexdwzBlLw2OQIdBnbloaewcMTcMU0WCYjjfLyLss2bXp0MgtFjiiiK2rW33lK07qAlZXMVOvyUNrkvNdGcHR3-4y9jbx0lmRhveXpd_IKw7JNPXN8Flqf1l6s2SgF2N9vIE/s320/iseransnow2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BDhinILobCrXFzCB2gBgvT7ziKRrdXh1BeDhfUUTiW4ggsw7pX9KhmoGoPvnbBb_us2dPwsYMGZbLHptHdd0ByjC4tEtQ7YslfxMiA6lAZBrWbp5cxb1B219Tvj3bSPomzod453ejlQ/s1600-h/iseransnow1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359947813778238562" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8BDhinILobCrXFzCB2gBgvT7ziKRrdXh1BeDhfUUTiW4ggsw7pX9KhmoGoPvnbBb_us2dPwsYMGZbLHptHdd0ByjC4tEtQ7YslfxMiA6lAZBrWbp5cxb1B219Tvj3bSPomzod453ejlQ/s320/iseransnow1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZS9R8kRGhQKpNUBjO5vm-80Mu_89Nl95jEztAn7UIf8SxFmOAFRGYFZhve3JCuoYWqhqTsI30vcfmt0wpmhyphenhyphen4qaXWyhyphenhyphenaeDCIG6RyACcebLjQUaUdyrYWe5YZOJoTOX1mhBrIE4V3-CQ/s1600-h/bonneval2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359947808025670898" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZS9R8kRGhQKpNUBjO5vm-80Mu_89Nl95jEztAn7UIf8SxFmOAFRGYFZhve3JCuoYWqhqTsI30vcfmt0wpmhyphenhyphen4qaXWyhyphenhyphenaeDCIG6RyACcebLjQUaUdyrYWe5YZOJoTOX1mhBrIE4V3-CQ/s320/bonneval2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mryn0PP-J1bT2i2MFneuZpGYVqMJ-_MtlBoqR8Yd9Jhjy_jJ3py9aqhkDefaGyiC8BS5nwoDEhmjaGtKnYpTLkAAaDkybt-kS2nZXYs4KPOyL1hgcvsrrkRnA6vt6Hr6EA6US12U6uw/s1600-h/bonneval.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359947805869734082" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mryn0PP-J1bT2i2MFneuZpGYVqMJ-_MtlBoqR8Yd9Jhjy_jJ3py9aqhkDefaGyiC8BS5nwoDEhmjaGtKnYpTLkAAaDkybt-kS2nZXYs4KPOyL1hgcvsrrkRnA6vt6Hr6EA6US12U6uw/s320/bonneval.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZtctbToyo_9MkEePeDNsvqg07Su1HjRFsnWirCSIi-JVBhlzS4crhY5x83fgeGZyHQEQV0cH1_oG3oqpRN9Ajua8bIcfSf7uBwU303VeHdEvsaTIXrnIghXaWOvp_DcDo6nja7GkF2c/s1600-h/top_coldeliseran.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359949413068077394" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZtctbToyo_9MkEePeDNsvqg07Su1HjRFsnWirCSIi-JVBhlzS4crhY5x83fgeGZyHQEQV0cH1_oG3oqpRN9Ajua8bIcfSf7uBwU303VeHdEvsaTIXrnIghXaWOvp_DcDo6nja7GkF2c/s320/top_coldeliseran.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8YPO9sAaclQjEgxRa4JsHIx8lcEIhhAZ5CNOPusz5LwNV2brkvRc7sU9DwyVLHIoqN2qJJHtCOLTFm9fQUAMw_BezmtYT3mMZEBc5_iL3zwXx6gTjhFr9ryD82O-aROa3naigvzw9sA/s1600-h/hotchocolate.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359949413463682754" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8YPO9sAaclQjEgxRa4JsHIx8lcEIhhAZ5CNOPusz5LwNV2brkvRc7sU9DwyVLHIoqN2qJJHtCOLTFm9fQUAMw_BezmtYT3mMZEBc5_iL3zwXx6gTjhFr9ryD82O-aROa3naigvzw9sA/s320/hotchocolate.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Today’s ride was at once one of the best and worst rides I have ever been on. The weather was not at all cooperative, but having come thousands of miles to tackle this climb, we wanted to at least give it a go. We started right around noon from the ski village of Lanslebourg. The temperature was about 45 degrees and it looked like the clouds were sitting pretty low in the direction we were headed. As you can see from the elevation profile (I'll add it soon) the ride starts with a bit of a climb and then levels off for several miles before ultimately climbing straight up the side of the mountain for the last 8 miles. </div><br /><div>The first hour of the ride was perfect. Cool, but not cold. That would change all too soon. The valley was absolutely spectacular. We crossed an impressive glacial river on a couple of occasions, and you couldn’t go too far without seeing a waterfall coming down the side of the mountain. It’s really difficult to put into words how impressive it all was.<br /></div><div>Once we got to the end of the valley and the tiny village of Bonneval-sur-Arc (which was also amazing), things started to change. From here the climb kicked up to an average of over 8% with several sections of 12-15%. That wasn’t too concerning. The real problem was the rain and the temperature. A few miles into the climb, it was dipping into the 30s and it had rained enough that I was pretty well soaked. I really, really wanted to turn around but I also didn’t want to miss out on getting to the top of the col. The last few miles were ridiculous, with 40+mph wind gusts and sleet and snow blowing straight across the road. The ice was starting to build up on my bike and the road just kept pointing up. I knew I could make it to the top, but I had no idea how I would get down. Once I stopped pedaling it was going to get very, very cold.<br /></div><div>We made it to the summit and stopped just long enough for the obligatory photo before starting the descent. I don’t think it was even a mile before my body began to completely shutdown. I was shaking uncontrollably and it was getting to be unsafe. I got off the bike and started walking. At that point I knew my only option was to flag down a car and hope someone would be kind enough to give me a lift to Bonneval-sur-Arc. It took a while (there aren’t that many cars on this road), but before too long a very nice couple stopped and let us pile into the back of their van. By now, Brett (who was previously doing OK) was also shivering uncontrollably. They cranked up the heat, and by the time we got down to the village I could once again feel my fingers and toes.<br />We dove into the café/restaurant and ordered four bowls (yes, bowls) of hot chocolate. By now it was almost 4:00, so we ordered food as well and took our time eating. By the time we were done, my core temperature felt like it was about back to normal and I felt pretty good about finishing the ride. </div><br /><div>From Bonneval back to Lanslebourg the ride was comparatively uneventful. The sun came back out and the scenery was indescribable. By the time we finished the ride we both felt pretty good. We packed up the bikes and headed for home.</div>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-22450090269346779412009-07-18T17:15:00.000-06:002009-07-26T17:16:15.168-06:00The Fort<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKGQ1fVrr_CIRSWt7_INlbunoRKfo28ED4iBMJtMc9aFGseLOXakVBKd1CuJSZeVQ_KLdr8w_ry1PFm0XZeJt1XrW_r2WaV4nQtF_J-iQKtjWopj5uJb7YMiNUa-j_e1kmwUDgEVajOg/s1600-h/thefort.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKGQ1fVrr_CIRSWt7_INlbunoRKfo28ED4iBMJtMc9aFGseLOXakVBKd1CuJSZeVQ_KLdr8w_ry1PFm0XZeJt1XrW_r2WaV4nQtF_J-iQKtjWopj5uJb7YMiNUa-j_e1kmwUDgEVajOg/s400/thefort.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362911495543976930" border="0" /></a><br />On the way back from the Col de l’Iseran we stumbled across a cool group of forts clustered on the side of the mountain, so we stopped and took a few pictures.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-4069790322039847732009-07-18T17:02:00.001-06:002009-07-26T17:05:03.618-06:00Col du Telegraphe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYxSiaQLckEiIOES2oZwgp419Ycqi_jrB6k6Jctp9EHzLBSqq4eCnMNlQO6IIAHV3tmk3QqC93wykMVNDxMbLF348QbZr3btMsFZfH08OQUIestJ-kQUEFsVo_1kDAwJW6L9lHOWV8qI/s1600-h/telegraphe.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYxSiaQLckEiIOES2oZwgp419Ycqi_jrB6k6Jctp9EHzLBSqq4eCnMNlQO6IIAHV3tmk3QqC93wykMVNDxMbLF348QbZr3btMsFZfH08OQUIestJ-kQUEFsVo_1kDAwJW6L9lHOWV8qI/s400/telegraphe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362908572081667938" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Not a whole lot to say about this ride. It’s yet another classic climb that’s frequented in the Tour de France. Since we were staying in Valloire above the Telegraphe, we started the ride with a descent down to Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne. The descent was about as good as it gets – long, steep, winding and twisting through dense forest and then coming out into the open with amazing views down into the valley.<br /><br />I was struck by how courteous the drivers that we encountered were. The sharp turn on the road meant that we were able to go down much faster than a car. Almost without exception, the cars would give us plenty of room to pass on the left and would even signal us around when it was clear. At times you had the feeling of working your way back through the team cars to catch up with the peloton.<br /><br />The climb back to the top was great as well. We had been worried about the weather, but it held for most of the ride. About the time we got to Valloire the rain started coming down in buckets, but at that point we were only 15 minutes from our apartment.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-16769072428486443592009-07-17T14:58:00.004-06:002009-07-17T15:22:40.722-06:00Col de RommeBy the time we got to the start of the Col de Romme it was way too late to try to tackle the whole route we had planned. We had to settle for a short loop that took us up Col de Romme and then down the first half of the Col de la Colombiere. Hopefully we'll be able to ride the part that we missed early next week when the Tour goes through. <br /><br />The Col de Romme was definitely hard, but not nearly as bad as I had thought it would be. I still predict it will be a very decisive climb in this year's Tour. <br /><br />I'll add a few pictures and videos to this post when I have a little more time.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872856830667114439.post-13492480493267208522009-07-16T17:45:00.001-06:002009-07-17T14:55:26.342-06:00The arrivalUnfortunately our flight to Geneva was delayed by more than an hour. For those that were actually listening to my ramblings before the trip, you know we didn't have an hour to spare. I was quite optimistic in my planning and we were trying to fit as much in as possible. Once we landed we got our nine passenger Mercedes van and headed out of town... kind of. We had to stop at a bike shop to buy CO2 cartridges as they're not allowed on flights. Don't let the name fool you - BS Bikes was one of the priciest shops I've ever been in. I don't think I saw a bike that was worth less than $5,000 and there was a dozen that were worth over $10k. Very impressive. <br /><br />After grabbing a bite to eat at a nearby trattoria, we decided to assemble the bikes in the BS parking lot. That whole process went pretty smoothly, and by 3:30 we were on the road. Unfortunately we were also in downtown Geneva, and head to fight with miserable traffic for an hour before we hit the highway. We were now more than two hours behind schedule... <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQrIZfDMIIjTibO6V3u9O2bridcA2_FMzlWvlr6CA15ZXs6LV53Q2n7EiN7EE56NsGdUzZyln2EwIMpQ4XwrjdSoSUSIvyRepyLtqJIqfsNrsOps-PJKCUvl_YlAtyuiEw-0rCL1-2vc/s1600-h/bikebox.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkQrIZfDMIIjTibO6V3u9O2bridcA2_FMzlWvlr6CA15ZXs6LV53Q2n7EiN7EE56NsGdUzZyln2EwIMpQ4XwrjdSoSUSIvyRepyLtqJIqfsNrsOps-PJKCUvl_YlAtyuiEw-0rCL1-2vc/s320/bikebox.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359530731100541090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qW5Wm4hjgunRj-KO-H4fCCRSOm8UM2thPCpUN_Rb9SZrEZeBrueEk15PDy9TuxHyqwCYloyah3-9iwgdqWXYTattHG5LmvGinaxCTHFz2FayxvVsyDx6g3K2brVdTcWmOEDagS0DzGs/s1600-h/unpacking.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3qW5Wm4hjgunRj-KO-H4fCCRSOm8UM2thPCpUN_Rb9SZrEZeBrueEk15PDy9TuxHyqwCYloyah3-9iwgdqWXYTattHG5LmvGinaxCTHFz2FayxvVsyDx6g3K2brVdTcWmOEDagS0DzGs/s320/unpacking.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359529762650830434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-l4Ie1_COBOkSH7sex4HdGsb8G6PCohW-rhyN3bydSQBgme4Y0a00WQHFwkV4pSWvyjfjLCPtyFihRFK-4vD736OxOlq1WEvjH57Dx6-QuIYrqY_Lrcz4M8F11DKOVALSEXYBFOdEj2A/s1600-h/bsbikes.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-l4Ie1_COBOkSH7sex4HdGsb8G6PCohW-rhyN3bydSQBgme4Y0a00WQHFwkV4pSWvyjfjLCPtyFihRFK-4vD736OxOlq1WEvjH57Dx6-QuIYrqY_Lrcz4M8F11DKOVALSEXYBFOdEj2A/s320/bsbikes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359532295101901970" border="0" /></a>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13163184147043146187noreply@blogger.com0