Friday, March 11, 2011

Racing returns in earnest

Ah, we are rolling into serious road racing now withParis-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico and racing on TV. I really enjoyed P-N in full HD the one day I was able to follow it. I am intrigued to see the new Vacansoleil team really showing their stuff. This is the outfit that for some reason decided to sign the just reinstated Ricardo Ricco. Fresh off drug bust he seems to have decided to try a little self transfusion of some kind and wound up in a hospital. The team really took it on the chin, but the boys have really made the best of it. These are a bunch of new pros that are all new to me. I am happy to see these guys digging the team out of a deep PR pit.
This time of year it is always a bit of a challenge to keep track of the riders, especially on TV, what with the rider transfers to new teams and new team outfits and even new teams such as the aforementioned Vacansoleil squad.
Had some nice road rides lately One in particular was a solo 50 miler. Solo rides lead to a much different flow of thoughts. This day I really fell in love with Sonoma County all over again. The scenery and terrain vary so much without even leaving the county. I rode over 5000 miles last year and don't think more than 200 were outside the county. Everything from ocean views, quiet Redwood groves, remote hilly pastureland and even some climbs that take up to an hour.






Daylight savings time returns, it sure makes me happy. I really like daylight lingering into the afterwork time. I will miss the morning light for the next month or so but that will change.
Let's ride!
Thanks for reading