“This is NOT a made for television event.”
After an official day of mourning for the Socceroos, a construction company has decided to start demolishing the old hospital next to our house to make way for units. I would think that renovating the hospital might be a better idea, considering the health issues faced by Queenslanders. Zoe, for example, has been waiting for over 18 months for an appointment with the Orthapedic surgeons to have her ACL fixed. They rang her the other day to see if she’d still like the appointment. Perhaps they were hoping it just got better, or that she fixed it herself? Maybe I should go ask the foreman what he knows about ACLs? I mean, I’ve got a spare titanium screw.
Now that the World Cup is over, we should probably start focussing on cycling. It’s pretty easy. You pick a favourite and then choose a drinking game. The first stage is the Strasbuorg time-trial and its live on Saturday night on SBS at 10pm AEST. The most prominent favourites for the tour are Jan Ulrich (T-Mobile), Ivan Basso (CSC), and Hincappie (Discovery). You might like to drink every time Phil Liggett refers to ‘Lance’, ‘Armstrong’, or any combination of ‘past’, history’ etc… Or, you might like to drink, as my friend Dave suggested, “whenever they use the term “big” (or similar) in referring to Jan Ullrich or his gear selection”… Or, maybe when they refer to how far it is to Paris… In any case, hopefully Wimbeldon will pass without us having to drink a Pims…
June 28th, 2006 at 11:35 am
Unfortunately the Socceroos were denied the cup in the final by Italy but now, as you say, there is another great event about to begin just across the border. Personally, I’m backing Basso and team CSC (despite the fact that he’s Italian) but Jan does deserve to win seeing as he was 2nd to Armstrong 5 years in a row. For your continued outlet of rabbid nationalism, keep your eyes on Cadel Evans (AUS) who came 8th in GC last year and should do at least that well again. Stage 15 on Tuesday the 18th is one not to miss when the peleton conquers 3 mountain passes and finishes at the summit of L’Alpe d’Huez, one of the most mythical climbs in Tour folklore. This Saturday night Brad McGee should perform well in the 7.1km prologue, the same distance in which he was victorious 3 years ago for the departure of the Centenery Tour in Paris in 2003. Dust off your cowbells and break out the brie, July is… LE TOUR TIME!
June 28th, 2006 at 12:51 pm
jan not ivan
June 28th, 2006 at 1:45 pm
and I was under the misunderstanding that they went around France in a clockwise direction - I think there is a lot to learn…
and wasn’t Lance talking of backing up this time again, what happened to all that??
June 28th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
I think you’re getting the Tour mixed up with the Coriolis effect…
June 28th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
that must be it
June 28th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
Bugger the Coriolis effect. This is much more of concern to your readers…
http://www.discovery.com/area/skinnyon/skinnyon970115/skinny1.html
June 28th, 2006 at 5:13 pm
STOP PRESS!
http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/ullrich-allowed-to-race–for-now/2006/06/28/1151174253196.html
If you read the article yesterday, The Astana-Wurth (formally Liberty-Seguros-Wurth) team has been asked to withdraw because of a doping scandal. Who is on this team? Alexandre Vinokurov! Now all those party drugs might be catching up with Jan as well. With Armstrong retired, Vino out and now possibly Jan out as well, combined with the fact that the WC is still running, it might be a bad year for the Tour’s ratings. Wait and see…
June 29th, 2006 at 7:56 am
Dudes, stop talking nonsense! The world cup is still on, focus your drinking on that!
Shocking!
June 29th, 2006 at 12:13 pm
Rodrigo, it is possible to cover everything -
SBS has cycling beginning Sat evening at 10pm and immediately following that there is soccer until 7am Sunday morning.
After 4 hours sleep it is then possible to continue from 11am with the marathon.
Mind you, if we do this and engage in drinking games all the while, we might not live long enough to see the finals of anything..
June 29th, 2006 at 8:46 pm
Does Australia need a coach for the Tour de France?
I used to ride a bike down to the soccer field.
June 30th, 2006 at 9:32 am
I wonder if people throw up when they ride bikes? It helps with the energy levels, not that I need much energy just standing on the field near the sideline watching the rest of them playing the game and combing my hair.
June 30th, 2006 at 9:47 am
July 1st, 2006 at 8:03 am
Berlin, Berlin we going to berlin! That was close , but thanks to Lehmann our hero… Tschüss Maradona, we singing tschüss marrrrradooooonaaaa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!!!!
So Italy, where is your roman god, TOTTI!??
Roddi , you are right, WM is on and Jan is out, what a skandal! Doping will ruin the tour!
July 3rd, 2006 at 10:58 am
Kiki, at least you’ve got Mr Nice Guy - Erik Zabel making a Tour comeback this year and doing your country proud. Hope he goes well.
July 4th, 2006 at 9:23 am
Robbie won the second stage. Robbie for the green.
July 5th, 2006 at 5:28 pm
How was that 3rd stage?! An absolutely nail-biting end to the day’s racing. 3 category 4 climbs in the last 20km with the last being just 2km from the line and only 800m long but a crazy 8% gradient! As the peloton literally sprinted (Tom Boonen was at the front) up the climb, demolishing it in about 1 minute, Matthias Kessler once again broke free and rode from the ‘flame rouge’ like a man posessed, his dissapointment in being robbed of the win 50m from the line the previous day fresh in his mind. This time he held them all and took the win with a 5″ margin over his T-mobile team mate (and Aussie) Michael Rogers who out-sprinted Benatti and even Boonen to claim 2nd.
Shit! It’s after 6 - I’m going home to see the highlights…
July 5th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
yes, that was rather fresh. i was pleased for kessler, who deserved the win - what a weapon. unfortuantely i had to go to bed before the end of the stage last night so i could get up and go birding this morning. saw quite a few sweet birds including an orange-footed scrub fowl, a pair of reed warblers, a juvenile olive-backed oriole, all the egrets together in one little lake, a rose-crowned fruit dove, brolgas, jabiru etc… etc… pretty sweet.
went for a ride last night on my fixed, which is now running 42×15 - seems perfect, much better acceleration, but i can only top it out at 33ish kmh seeing as i’m quite small
it’s tres scary doing that speed on a fixie, with a broken leg, between a bus and an overtaking 4WD, at about 6:30pm. i would hate to fall off and will have to adopt a much more defensive style. my leg is aching like a mofo now, i can hardly walk. a mate from uni is doing this.