went for a beautiful bike ride today… beautiful because i had for one third of the course heavy tailwind and i was like flying over the cycling path. riding fast makes me feel alive. i love the feeling of the warm summer wind on my skin and going down a mountainside with more than 50 km/h. cycling is so easy, so simple. it is just the road ahead of you and you actually think from one milestone to another. nothing else matters.
finally! i took my bike out for a ride today and it was gorgeous! i’ve been waiting for this day for months. i needed a few days to decompensate and accommodate to the new situation. i think i am fine now, although a little tired and with a aching right knee which somehow started to hurt during the 3 km climb of my usual route. i believe i am not used to climbing (small) mountains anymore, although my overall shape is approximately the same as last year.
it would not be the tour without a stage up to Alpe d’Huez. last year was a bit disappointing because Lance finished second if i recall correctly. but this year was a blast! Lance rode up that mountain like it was flat and beat everyone. he won the stage and defended the yellow jersey. it was both a thrill and a joy to watch Lance riding. he make it seem so easy but i know that it is hard work, very hard work to ride like that. just four stages left… actually 3.5, the last one is not really a “real” stage… go Lance, grab that 6th title! (it is all that matters, as you said today in the post-race interview.)
what a stage! “ulle” ullrich broke away on the forth climb and lance just played cool. he was eventually chased down and gained nothing. even better, lance outsprinted him a few meters before the finish line and won the stage and the yellow jersey. and tomorrow is going to be even more dramatic because it’s time for the individual time trial up Alpe d’Huez; the famous mountain in the Alps. the tour is not over yet… but i believe that lance will do everything that is necessary to win that historic 6th title. go lance!
it is so ironic that the end of both the TdF and my thesis are going to coincide. tomorrow, however, the tour is finally getting down to serious business in the mountains and i really hope that lance is going to surge up a climb, leaving his opponents way behind. but the ultimate highlight is going to be the individual time trial up to Alpe d’Huez. i guess that is the stage where the tour ‘04 will be decided.
today was the team time trial of the TdF ‘04 and it was raining cats and dogs. however, team us postal and lance did very well, finishing way ahead of the other teams and lance is back in yellow for now. but the tour is not over yet, there are still the mountains and lots of dangers ahead. i was glued to the television set today, watching “lance and the boys” (as they are called) right from when they started in the pouring rain until they crossed the finish line. if you have seen that smile on lance’s face… you’d know what he is after: go for the historic 6th!
it is time to ride, again. the Tour de France (TdF) started with the famous Prologue today - an individual time trial of only 6 km, but nevertheless riveting and heart-stopping. lance armstrong finished second only two seconds behind a swiss rider i have never heard of. the next three weeks are going to be great and i really hope that lance wins this 6th title. go lance!
i guess i will be very busy the next few weeks. i thought that i would not have to write a paper/thesis/whatever in july, but well, that is not going to be the case. july is the “sacred” month for cycling fans because it is the month when the Tour de France (TdF) takes place. however, i am quite sure that i will manage to view the essential parts of the TdF and still write my thesis — all it takes is a little planning and juggling with time. an acquaintance of mine tapes the interesting stages of the Tour when he has to work/write in july… i think you have to watch this event live and not on tape. can’t hardly wait for le tour to start…
pain is temporary, quitting is final. that observation is not from me but from Lance Armstrong’s latest book, “Every Second Counts”. do not do things half-heartedly but 100%. life’s too short to be a “slacker”. this book is so inspiring again. just like in “It’s Not About The Bike”, dear Lance shares his philosophy with us and i am glad he does so. he’s been a inspiration for me for a while now… hey, there is a reason that i put the famous Nike ad poster with Lance Armstrong above my bed. beat the odds, do it. pain is really temporary.
today’s the second anniversary of my bicycle crash.