Monday, October 19, 2020
It's VUELTA time! Or is it?
So SUPPOSEDLY the Vuelta will start TOMORROW!!! However, Spain, among MANY other countries, is having a resurgance of the ever-present Corona virus. The Giro is fighting hoping to finish, with riders and staff testing positive. So we will soon see if the Vuelta even gets the wheels down to start, let-along make it thru all 21 stages.
IF the Vuelta makes it to the starting line tomorrow, hopefully the organization will do a MUCH better job than they did in the Tour with the CovIdiots. As in ban them completly from being on the climbs. Putting law enforcement along the route in key places with ticketing authority, and start whacking the dumbasses who refuse to wear masks with a hefty fine. That's how you get peoples attention...hit them in the pocket-book.
With the Giro currently underway, what the Vuelta team composition would (will?) be is my question...I haven't heard any announcement yet from the teams as to their rosters. Sagan is in Italy with his team after a pretty short time off after le Tour...and it sounds like he's upped his game and ridden his way back to glory with his FIRST stage win of the 2020 season!
I have no idea what kind of team Jumbo and Ineos will field...will they be putting a podium group at the start, or just a team to be there? Obviously le Tour got the premier teams from pretty much everybody.
And so...I'm back on days again...hooray! (I think)...turns out I kind of like the 2pm to 10:30pm shift...I can ride any day I want early before the winds kick up...AND with the STUPID time-change coming up fast it will start getting dark by 5pm..so getting off even at 3pm isn't so great anymore. But it's not my choice...we all are back on days (for now...Covid could change that if we have any kind of resurgance here...which is a distinct possibility considering how things are going right now.
OK...gotta get to work...have a wonderful socially distant day, and VIVA la Vuelta!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
So...under Bloggers new look format, they removed ALL my paragraph-breaks in my Vuelta post...just fyi if you are thinking Jeez Matt...take a breath now and then while typing!
ReplyDeleteI found out the Vuelta starts Tuesday over the weekend when I was looking ahead at the Olympic Channel's schedule for next week & I was shocked as I thought it was to start Friday! Over the past 2 months, I saw FOUR different start days!
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, it looks like the Olympic Channel will show at least 2-3 hours LIVE every morning & then REPEAT broadcasts thru-out the day & night! Whoo-hoo! At least as long as the race goes. I'm not counting on it to make it all the way as things are getting worse each day in Spain with COVID.
I did read a couple weeks ago that fans will be BANNED on the mts, at least in the Basque area. Hopefully, they will close off the Start & Finish areas from fans too. And most importantly, put ONLY Vuelta teams & staff in the hotels. I've read that at the Giro, part of the problem is that regular folks SHARE all the hotels with the teams. Hardly a bubble!
I dropped off my ballot Saturday around 8AM & there was NO ONE AROUND! Despite reading in the official "vote" literature I got in the mail that the boxes would be "guarded 24/7".
Funny note - every day when I brush my teeth, I walk over to my guest room (in the front of the house) & look out the window to see what the day is looking like. When I did this last Friday, I saw 3 small deer run down the sidewalk right in front of my house! The sun was not all the way up & usually I look out a bit later so maybe they do this all the time pre-dawn & I've never known it!
Keep meaning to ask you Matt how your procedure went. The pre-procedure instructions did NOT sound fun at all!
ReplyDeleteI will get my flu shot this coming Saturday morning. On Fri (6AM), I make my bi-monthly grocery run & then after work, I plan to order take-out from my fave Italian restaurant as a belated birthday & pre-shot treat. At least if it's not raining (the restaurant is 6-7 miles away & I don't want to pay the extra fees for delivery).
BTW, the reason I didn't get a flu shot all these years is that I got sick as a dog with the last one many years ago. (Although not as sick as you with seasickness AND the flu, OMG!) When I was finally able to stand & walk, I dragged myself to the Health Clinic on campus & the Dr told me I "must be one of those people" who should probably not get the shot. So, I haven't. I've been told the past several years that the shots are different now & that it should be ok. I had planned to get one last year but things kept interfering for when I was going to go & then COVID started up & I didn't want to to go there with all the sick people around. Since I can get this one without going in the building, I figure this is my chance.
Gotta scoot!
Procedure went easy-peasy! It's the preceding 24 hours that sucks...tho it sucks much less than it did even 10 years ago (the full gallon of horrid goo to drink...a full glass every 15 minutes!) Now you start a clear'ish liquid diet for 4 hours before your procedure...then 12 hours before you need to do the 2 bottles of pre-sweetened goo...pour one of them into the plastic cup that comes w/ the kit, then fill it to the line with cold water and slam it down (w/ the water it's 16oz). Then you need to drink 2 more 16oz waters in the next hour...I drink one right away to get the sickly-sweet goo taste out of my mouth. Then you sit watching TV or something (to take your mind off the burbling stomach of goo) and drink the 2nd bottle. W/in the hour you suddenly start making bathroom trips every 5 to 10 minutes...about 2-1/2 hours later it's all over (round 1 I mean)...the good is thru and you are pretty clean (AND HUNGRY!) Then 5 or 6 hours before the procedure you repeat the above with the 2nd bottle of goo...my appt was 6:30am so I had to get up at 1am and drink it...then an hour later ir's "ON" again...and by 3:30am I was slick as a whistle/done and went back to bed...got up about 5:30 and got dropped off at 6:30 (btw...you can drink clear fluids right up to 2 hours before your appt). After the purging / cleaning out of your system it's all easy...you just show up and it will be over before you know it. I didn't even need to go back for my 'debrief' appt as there was nothing to tell me...the Dr. said all was well, come back in 10 years. So I'm thankful for that. A lot of people have polyps removed, and then they get to be on the 5 or even 3 year repeat plan. Still that's WAY better than colon cancer!
DeleteEr...the clear liquid diet starts 24 hours before...somehow lost the 2 in front of the 4 above.
ReplyDeleteVuelta Vuelta Vuelta!!! Stage 1 and done! Spoiler alert, Spoiler alert!
ReplyDeleteAnd so...well, I was HOPING NBCSN would have Phil at least broadcasting...but no. At the beginning it was all in Spanish and I was really worried...but then we got the 2 hosts...And so....BABYFACE! Damn!!! He is on a serious tear, winning Stage 1, and is the defending champ too! Carapaz from Ineos 2nd (WHERE was Chris Froome? He wasn't anywhere at the front from what I could tell...though I did jump thru the race pretty quick until the final 20k). And 3rd was Dan Martin...he had a rather tough Tour...so glad to see he's doing well.
I was wondering what was the deal that the NBCSN gold site only showed 18 stages...turns out today (Stage 1) WAS actually Stage 4...which is why they jumped RIGHT INTO THE MOUNTAINS on day 1!
Valverde was up near the front till Sepp Kuss jumped and broke the strings to all but 5 or 6 guys...and that wasn't including Jumbos own Dumolin who fell off and was with Valverde trying to stay close. Kuss was awesome (of course) for Roglic...totally set him up for that win...he is really going to be something in future years I think...he can really climb!
Certainly it's too early to have any huge revelations, but I do think it's safe to say that the NEW SUPER-TEAM-IN-TOWN (that would be Jumbo Vismo) is on fire! Kuss placed 8th and George Bennett 9th...so I also think it's safe to say that for now at least Jumbo also is KILLING it in the Team competition! (oh, and Gesink was 12th...so that's 4 in the top 15 riders for Jumbo). OK...gotta get to bed...I'm tired.
Stage 2 Spoiler alert!
ReplyDeleteSo...Movistar made their move and their guy Soler won the day, easily spinning across the line with at least 100 meters of separation from the chasing bunch! Roglic stays in red crossing the line in 2nd, and Dan Martin hot on his wheels taking 3rd...so the top 3 overall didn't change (Carapaz still in 3rd). Sepp Kuss once again was at the tip of the spear till near the end for Roglic...man that kid is something!
And Froome? Nowhere to be seen...again. Had to look him up...he now sits in 85th place (after only 2 stages!) almost 30 minutes back! He lost 11 minutes on Stage 1, and had an even worse day in Stage 2! Sure he is leaving Ineos...but really? I don't get it...is his fitness THAT BAD? If so, why would they even bring him? I guess he's going to Israel Startup next season...that should be interesting. Will he ever be a Grand Tour GC challenger again? That remains to be seen...the years he did win he had the BEST team in the race supporting him completely. OK...back to work...happy Thursday!
I think I read that the Vuelta was supposed to start in another country this year but COVID changed that, so they just chopped off those early stages. I don't know if they changed the course itself after it was postponed but it sure is weird seeing a MOUNTAIN stage on STAGE 1! But since these are weird times indeed, it fits in. This Sunday, they do make a jaunt into France & hit 4 climbs, including the Aubisque & finish on the Tourmalet! Whoo-hoo!
ReplyDeleteI had not looked at any of the stages until Tuesday & boy was I shocked! :) I do feel sorry for any sprinters. At most, there are 5 stages that could be considered "sprint stages".
And, er, Podagcar is "Babyface". :) :) Roglic is just Roglic or Primoz or "Rog" or "Ro" or "that poor guy whose Tour win was snatched away on the last competitive day in the Tour". I was even more SHOCKED to see Roglic in this race than to see mountains in a Stage 1! AND he's riding great! And so is Kuss. I'm guessing all those months of shutdown is allowing the guys' bodies to hold up this late in the year.
But poor Froomey! My heart broke seeing him struggle BEFORE they even got to the final climb. His crash last year & the resulting injuries were much worse than I realized. He may never be competitive again. Or maybe another year of healing & training will restore his abilities somewhat but his advanced age will surely not help. We shouldn't be shocked I guess because look what happened to Andy & Taylor. He'll probably use this race as training for next year. Still, it sure is shocking to see Froome struggle like this. I had not seen him on a bike since the 2018 Tour (which was not his best effort either since he had ridden the Giro prior - HUBRIS in my opinion). Between Cav & Froome, I'm not sure which is sadder to see (actually I've not seen Cav since the 2018 Tour either & only read about things have been going for him).
Argh....of course I knew that Babyface was Pogacar...and Roglic was the guy who was winning right until BF yanked the rug out from under him in the TT...(just a senior moment...oops!!) But boy, Roglic and Jumbo sure seem to be the ones to beat so far...looking GOOD! But Movistar seems to have a pretty good squad and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see one of them on the podium.
DeleteAnd Froome...gosh...I've gone to rooting against him the last few years to hoping he can pull it together and make a challenge...it's like the world has totally turned upside down! But I'd say Carapaz seems to be the Ineos guy to beat so far.
Are you hearing Bobke & CVV as the commentators? Based on what you said above, I'm not sure if 'Cycling Gold' gives you the same TV coverage I see on the Olympic Channel. Last year we only saw about the last 60K (roughly 2 hours) of each stage but this year (so far), we're seeing 3-4 hours! AND the repeats throughout the day! That's how I was able to see yesterday's stage as Wed is my usual one day/week at my office. (Which has now made WEDNESDAY my favorite day of the week! I get up, get dressed, LEAVE THE HOUSE (whoo-hoo!), go to work & when I close the door to my office (with me inside), I ALMOST feel normal! It makes me laugh as I used to just want to get PAST Wednesday each week! :)
ReplyDelete****SPOILER ALERT for today's (Thurs 10/22) Stage at the Vuelta!******
I only got to see the last 5K LIVE this morning as this AM was busy & I have my weekly group video call, but a summit finish! And YEAH for Dan Martin! Gosh, besides today's win, wouldn't it be great if he finishes on the Final podium (ala Richie at the Tour)? Ever since a flying Richie took down Dan at the Tour a few years ago, I've rooted for him so today was fantastic to see. I can't wait to see more of the stage on TV tonight! Although it looks like yet ANOTHER day of rain! Yuck! At least yesterday, it held off till the final 30-40K & it wasn't too severe.
Gotta run. Catch ya tomorrow! :)
BTW, what do you think of the "scenery" so far? I had no idea Basque "country" was so INDUSTRIAL & UGLY except when up in the mountains! We only rarely see that side of France in the Tour & it sure makes the Vuelta pale in comparison.
Not hearing Bobke or CVV...are you?? Wow..that would be great...on the NBCSN Gold I only get Todd (Gugli, or whatever I think?? Can't remember his name, and I haven't heard it yet...if that's even him....don't really recognize the voice)...and his co-host Hannah something...she is VERY knowledgeable, obviously a Pro racer...anyway, doesn't really matter how it is, cuz NBC set the bar impossibly high with their AWESOME TDF squad...so now no matter the race, if it isn't them then it's just not up to par...in fact, it's hard to watch (I leap ahead every few minutes...just no incentive to sit thru an entire stage...but in the Tour I LOVED to watch entire stages as often as possible).
DeleteReally loving seeing Dan Martin doing so well...actually this race has a pretty good GC group...at lealst right now there are certainly 5 or 6 guys I'd say could truly be in for podium. And that doesn't even count any dark horses that might have a fantastic day and leap up in the GC standings.
Basicly I watch as much as I can from the start (usually a few minutes) then start leaping ahead 10 or 15 minutes at a time unless there is something worth watching...and I finally get to the last 15-20k and TRY to watch all of that. But it's hard honestly...really need SOME of the NBCSN crew...ANY of them!
Friday, Stage 3...SPOILER ALERT!!!
ReplyDeleteWow...Pinot didn't start today...was he hurt? Dropping out after TWO stages? I didn't hear if he had crashed..
Anyway...I did catch the lady commentator's name...Hannah Walker (not that I know who she is)...still don't know the guy's name, he never says. Maybe I'm just supposed to know?
On to the race...boy, the weather...sure is a far-cry from July in France! I can't say that I know what France would look like now in the fall...I'd assume similar? I've been to southern Spain (Rota and then drove to/from Gibraltar for a day)..but that's really it...so haven't seen the other 99% of the country...I know I really loved Spain...the people, the meals, the SANGRIA (YUM!)...and who doesn't love a country where they expect you to stay up late eating and socializing, then get up for work but then shut down and the entire country takes a Siesta! I really want to go back and travel thru Spain one day and really see it. I'd be driving my rental car thru the city near our port, and the streets are typical European...narrow, multi-story-homes on both sides...everybody has a balcony looking out over the road...and all winding (nothing seemed straight)..and suddenly bearing down on you comes a crowd carrying a Jesus statue (or a Mary statue, or both)...literally blocking the entire road like a mob of some sort...and me in the car quickly backing up looking for a side-street to get off on to let the crowd by...as I'm NOT getting by them!) This happened to me several times in just a few weeks of being in-port. And going out to eat...you'd sit down at say 6pm...and at 9pm you are still there! Nobody pushing you out to sit more people at your table...you get your table for the entire evening and just keep eating and socializing it seems...that was awesome! (no wonder you need a nap the next day). And the Sangria was just flat amazing! That all said, Susie, I AGREE that it does look very dreary so far...gloomy, rocks, certainly nothing like July in France!
OK..back to the race...(I've been listening to the race as I'm typing btw). So...turns out today's stage had a very exciting mountain-top finish! Lots happened...most notably was Chavez (was in 4th place) needed a bike at about 4 miles to go..but the team car WAY back...so he got a team-mates bike but lost the front group, which fragmented under Ineos pushing the pace at the front..FROOME of all people setting a high tempo until he dropped off...then they had 1 more guy to push the pace, and the select group rode away from the mob as Chavez was fighting to get back (which he never would).
And the winner: DAN MARTIN!!! With Roglic/Carapaz right on his wheel taking 2nd and 3rd! Way to go DAN!!!! Chavez lost over a minute, destroying his likely chances in the GC. So Roglic still in Red, but Dan Martin only 5 seconds back! Carapaz is only 13 seconds! Then there is Mass, Carthy and Kuss all within a minute of the lead! Of course Kuss is there for Roglic, so unless he were to drop out Kuss will be sacrificing himself and is likely to lose time in the coming stages. At the end they had Dan on a short interview...and he was pretty broken up..."my first win since my kids were born"...good for Dan, love that guy! Nobody tries harder day after day, totally willing to risk it all for a chance to win...(and Susie, I vividly recall that Tour stage moment when Shleprock-Richie TOOK HIM OUT from behind/the side after he clipped the left edge/shoulder of the road and shot across that slight left turn...there was Dan on the right side and just creamed him..it was terrible! And yet Dan got up and rode on!)
And so...tomorrow is one of the rare Sprint stages (and the sprinters rejoice!) OK...bed time. Later Gators!
Yes, the TV commentators on the Vuelta broadcast I'm watching are Bobke & CVV (same as last year if I remember correctly). We only hear them & don't see them on camera. I wonder if they're together in NBC's Stamford, CT studio or calling in separately from their houses. Isn't it odd that the Gold package doesn't give you that same coverage? And in addition to the LIVE show & the 3-4 repeat broadcasts each day on the Olympic Channel, I noticed that on at least 2 late nights (starting around 1AM) this week, the repeat showed up again on NBCSN.
ReplyDeleteThe scenery shown on yesterday's stage (at least the part from 60k o the finish which is what was on the repeat broadcast) was MUCH nicer looking that the 1st 2 days; ore mountains & less hideous & HUGE industrial buildings. And while the roads were wet, I don't think the rain came down too hard.
Anyhoo, I wrote too soon yesterday as it seems they will NOT be going into France after all on Sunday, so no Tourmalet. Darm, but not a shock. Both countries are dealing with rapidly escalating COVID numbers. It will still be a mountain stage with a summit finish just not the French classic.
The Vuelta broadcast is on my TV right now (behind me & the sound down low) & I just heard Sam Bennett's name as being involved in the sprint. I had no idea he was in this race!
SPOILER ALERT! Darn, I didn't turn around in time to SEE the finish but Sam won! I'm shocked ANY big name sprinters are there as there are so few stages for them. And the number of mountain stages puts the Tour to shame. Well, good for him & all the fast guys that are giving it a go.
I doubt you're interested Matt, but the TV XMAS movies start today on the Hallmarks channels! From now til Jan 1st, it's 24/7 Xmas movies on those 2 channels. :) They start with movies from previous years but then each Sat & Sun (or maybe Friday too) a new TV XMAS movie gets aired. Most are formulaic & predictable & I groan from time to time BUT I look forward to them every year! In fact, for several years when I didn't go home for Xmas (& again this year as I won't be going home due to COVID), watching these movies WAS & WILL BE my 'Christmas'. Lifetime has now gotten into the TV Xmas movie game & has 20 or so new movies too this year. I don't recognize most of the actors' names in them, unlike the Hallmark movies where familiar faces show up year after year. Hallmark is sort of like a modern "movie studio" with a "stable" of actors/actresses. And I look forward every year to seeing them in the new movies. I, er, probably mentioned this in years past, but in addition to watching the movies, I write down when I saw each, a synopsis & a critique with a numerical "grade". That way I know if they are worth watching again in future years! :) :) Unfortunately, the quality as decreased the past 3-4 years as they are focusing on QUANTITY instead of QUALITY. Mistake in my opinion! Anyhoo, it will be interesting to see if/how COVID affected this year's productions.
Well gotta run. Have a great weekend!
Man, I'm bummed that the NBC TV broadcast in the US has Bobke and CVV commentating...but the Gold internet package doesn't have that option. That sucks! For the Tour I had a choice of the other 2 guys broadcast, or the NBC broadcast with their own team of commentators. Odd they don't offer that for this race when they already have Bobke and CVV doing it. Honestly it's hard to watch the race for any length of time without Bobke or Phil (or CVV or CH).
DeleteI like the Hallmark channel, but haven't been watching it lately (had no idea they have new movies). I've been busy...and our TV time has been on Amazon TV mostly (just finished the last season of "Better Call Saul"...the spinoff from "Breaking Bad"...it's AWESOME (if you liked Breaking Bad that is). I will watch todays stage but will quickly zip thru the race till the last 10k or so. Sure will wish it was Bobke/CVV doing the talking...
Hi again! Just a quick comment - I went onto cyclingnews to see the Results for today's Vuelta stage & the ONLY name of the top 15 that I recognize is Sam's! I'm assuming most of those guys are sprinters too but I don't remember any of them from the Tour. By the end of the Tour, I'd thought I'd caught up again with learning who's who in the pro Tour, but wow, apparently not! I don't know how many Spanish Continental teams are in the Vuelta but maybe at least some of those guys ride for those teams & that's why I'd never heard of them. The guys in the purple jerseys weren't in the Tour but they're the only ones I've noticed so far.
ReplyDeleteI've only casually looked at the articles on the Giro since I can't watch it & there are a LOT of names there I don't recognize either. Sigh.
BTW, have you read when the ASO plans to do their Tour presentation of next year's course? I'm assuming it will be "virtual" & maybe they are waiting for the end of the Vuelta.
Stage 4, first sprint finish of the race. And HOLY SMOKES did the sprinters teams make that a race! The pace all day was just FURIOUS! And the final couple of k? Dang...don't think I've seen a faster finish...the peleton was doing 1k a minute in the final few...windy roads, round-abouts, right turns, left turns, it was a crazy finish! And Sam Bennett pulled it out in the last 25 meters or so with just pure POWER past the UAE sprinter who seemed to have it locked up (sorry but I don't know the names of ANY of the other top 10...looked down the list...nod-a). That was something...seriously, don't recall a sprint finish that tough. The peleton was demolished and strung out like a rope for a HUGE distance...gaps everywhere! Looks like the top 6 in the GC stayed the same, meaning those guys somehow stayed in a group at/near the front with no gaps...which is incredible considering the speed. The announcers said the peleton was doing over 60kph for many kilometers near the end. Wow...just wow!
ReplyDeleteEr...I typed "windy roads" but meant "winding roads"...there were a LOT of turns in the final 5k!
ReplyDeleteStage-5: Tim Wellens, Lotto...he won out of the break, well done and well-earned Tim! Of note, Dan Martin involved in a crash at the front of the peleton in the last 1k...he won't lose any time, but is he HURT?? He was lying in the middle of the road in the middle of about a 6 bike pileup. Sure hope he is unhurt...he is doing SO WELL!!
ReplyDeleteAnd so...another stage down. Gads I WISH NBCSN would let the Bobke/CVV commentary version play on the website! Damn...really having a hard time enjoying it...the commentary isn't working for me...guess I'm spoiled.
I'm bummed you can't hear Bobke & CVV too as it would be great to discuss them! They get better as a team each time they work together & they are really clicking now! Can you email/text your dissatisfaction to NBC or whatever entity is in charge of that package?
ReplyDeleteYou probably FF'd thru a lot of Saturday's stage as not much happened until the very end but gosh, the visuals on TV were GORGEOUS! So unlike the 1st 2 days! And it was sunny & about a 3rd of the trees are displaying their Fall colors & it was just bee-yoo-tee-full! Too bad there was not a summit finish to top it off!
And then came Sunday....YUCK! Cold & rain & wet roads & at times, POURING RAIN & "picture breakup" & then the final 30k was SO CONFUSING! The TV cameras kept flipping back & forth between the groups & with their rain jackets on, I couldn't tell who was who! And all of a sudden, we see Roglic at the back & Bobke & CVV didn't know why & could only speculate if it was a "wardrobe issue" or a mechanical or a crash & then Team Jumbo was NOWHERE to be found by the time the GC group was starting to make some noise. Hour after the race, it was revealed that Roglic had major difficulty with his rain jacket (etc) & picked the wrong time to change as his team then had to go full gas just to get him back TO the back of the GC group & then the final climb started & Roglic was already spent so he couldn't get himself (he only had ONE teammate with him by then & then he lost him) up to where his main competitors were. It was shocking & confusing! I guess we'll never know if Roglic would have lost any time without those awful weather conditions. But worst of all is that a Team Deathstar guy is now in the damn lead! They just won the Giro & I certainly don't want to see them win another Grand Tour! (BTW, I didn't even know Rohan Dennis had joined Ineos!)
I haven't seen anything online yet from the rest of Team Jumbo. Sep apparently finished WAY behind. I thought I'd re-watch one of the repeats yesterday but I ended up falling asleep on my sofa & then watched Xmas movies at night. (Although it's JUST TOO EARLY for Xmas movies & I only watched mostly the brand new ones & they weren't that good. Bah-humbug!)
I THINK yesterday's stage gets shown again today (Rest Day) so maybe I'll be able to watch the final 30-40k to see if we can actually see when Jumbo fell so far behind.
Did you rewind or whatever you can do with your coverage to see if YOU could figure out what happened with Roglic & Jumbo?
Of course, there are still 2 more WEEKS to go so this ain't over but Roglic is now 40 seconds behind. And I'm guessing we'll see some more awful weather days! Next weekend are TWO summit finishes back-back (at least they're scheduled) & I'm thinking they & the final Saturday (also a mt day with a summit finish although not as tough as this coming weekend's) will determine the winner & podium. IF the race gets there. There's a TT next Tuesday (not tomorrow but the following week) that may play a part too.
As planned, I got my Drive-Thru flu shot Saturday. I got there 15 minutes early as I wasn't sure exactly where it was to be held (I didn't even know there was a "back parking lot" for that building until Saturday!) I was 1st & the only car there & they went ahead & waved me to drive into the tent. I stuck my arm out the window & it was SO QUICK I thought there must be a "2nd part" or something! I felt fine all day until a pounding headache started around 9PM & felt kind of yucky but by Sunday am, I felt fine. I suppose it was silly to worry so much but all I could think about was how sick I got after the last one all those years (decades) ago.
ReplyDeleteBe careful out there everyone as COVID is heating up, possibly soon to be even WORSE than in March & April. Of course, when there's a SOCIOPATH going around the country holding rallies where masks are OPTIONAL, what can we expect? And hey, that NAZI party has just ADMITTED they've thrown in the towel & a couple hundred thousand MORE DEATHS are completely acceptable to them. 11/3 can't come soon enough! (Of course, then the RED states will finally release their TRUE COVID numbers & we'll see how bad it really is).
Been busy and just last night got to zoom thru (pretty much that means jump to the last few k) of stage 6 and 7. What a shock to see Roglic struggling with no team-mates! I didn't have time to watch / listen to the entire stage to hear what happened to Jumbo (not that I would even if I had the time...quite honestly I can hardly bear to listen to the commentators...guess I'm way spoiled by the TDF crew).
ReplyDeleteI wish I could find a place to voice my displeasure at not having the usual commentating crew when I PAID for the Gold sports-app...but I can't find anywhere to really do that (tho I will continue looking). Must be some contractual obligation of some sort...can't imagine why they wouldn't have the TDF crew (or a partial crew) do the other races on the website video...they're already paying them for the TV broadcast video. For the TDF I had the choice to pick the NBC broadcast or the local broadcast...you'd think they could do the same thing for the Vuelta.
Anyway...the MAD MAN MAD MAD MAD world continues revolving. The Dodgers won the World Series last night (didn't watch it...not really a baseball fan). I am excited that the Big 10 football started games last weekend...OSU is (to no surprise) looking pretty good...they flat-out KILLED Nebraska. I think the division is going to be pretty decent this year...Wisconsin whooped up on Illinois, INDIANA nipped Penn State (BIG Surprise!), and Michigan (of course...HA!) spanked the Golden Gophers pretty good. Maybe THIS will be the year ol' Blue gets back on track, and if they can only win that LAST GAME of the season (against you know who)...it's sure been a LONG TIME since they've done that. Ahh...dreams...you have to have dreams!
I'm still taking a knee to the NFL due to them still thinking it's ok to protest during the National Anthem...I can certainly live without them, and the entire lot can go get real jobs as far as I'm concerned (where they would very quickly find out that you can't protest ANYTHING at work without getting fired).
Stage 8...woo-HOO for Roglic! What a comeback! Winning the stage, putting 13 seconds into Carapaz (and with his 10 second bonus netting him 4 more as Carapaz got a 6 second bonus for 2nd place) he clawed back 17 of the 30 seconds he was down, and jumped from 4th to 2nd and now sits at 13 seconds behind Carapaz! And Sepp Kuss did his job (again), was with him right till the final 1 or 2k! Dan Martin limited his loss and sits in 3rd only 28 seconds down...way to go DAN!! And Carthy was the bigger loser today, going from 2nd to 4th, now 44 seconds down. But still those 4 guys are ALL seriously a threat for the win and likely 3 of them will be on the podium. Chavez collapsed completely...lost a lot of time. So did Mas, Valverde, and Soler, with Wout Poels finishing up the top 10. Pretty good race today...if only I could have Bobke and CVV providing the commentary! (I did find a NBC Sports Cycling Facebook page, so left a post asking why the NBCSports TV broadcast gets Bobke/CVV but the NBCSports Gold internet package broadcast doesn't...will see if anybody answers). OK...bed time! Good stage today!!
ReplyDeleteYesterday was my one day/week at the office so I didn't get to see anything until I got home around 5:30 (when a rebroadcast was airing). However, I did go to the cyclingnews LIVE update stream with about 5k to go & goodness, even from that, it was SO exciting! A GORGEOUS day with gorgeous scenery (like Saturday) & fantabulous action on that final climb! I almost feel sorry for the Movistar team as they killed themselves all day (well, at least the final half that I saw) at the front & not one of their guys even finished in the top 4 & fastest guy (Mas) lost 1:54 to Roglic.
ReplyDeleteWOW, Roglic was incredible! I swear, I admire him more & more. He loses the Tour at the last minute in GUT-WRENCHING fashion but goes on to win LBL, participates in the World Championships, comes to the Vuelta to win (a mere month or so after the massive effort by he & his team at the Tour), suffers an epic setback due to horrific weather AND a disastrous team decision to change their riding apparel at the WRONG time), loses one of his top mt teammates (Tom Dum) at the start of Wed's stage, & is counted out by many, BUT there he was yesterday on that steep incline leaving EVERYONE else in the dust! Can you remember anyone else doing anything like these past 3 months? Heck, I'd still be balled up in a corner somewhere, sniffling over the Tour! If only he could just be a BIT more charismatic in interviews!
This weekend we'll either see a further strengthening of the top 4 OR someone may crack & lose his chance at the podium! Or someone that is written off right now may come bounding back into the picture. I can barely wait! And hopefully, the weather will be like yesterday & NOT last Sunday! Fingers crossed!
SPOILER ALERT FOR TODAY'S STAGE (Thursday) - I wasn't able to watch except for the final 1k & it went as expected but the big news is that CVV was not able to commentate. Apparently, some massive storm swept thru Greenville, SC last night & a HUGE TREE came down on the house of one of CVV's neighbors, taking the power lines with it! So, CVV's house has no power. Using his cellphone, he recorded the destruction & zoomed into a call with Bobke so we saw what happened. (Now we know they aren't commentating from the same place during this race). So, Bobke did solo commentary all day! Hopefully, CVV gets power back by tomorrow or NBC takes him to an alternate location where he can get back on the air. You can have all the technology you want, but Mother Nature ALWAYS has the final say! "Girl Power!" :)
Well, I have to do some work. Hopefully, Rae is enjoying the Vuelta too & will be able to comment soon. Catch ya'll tomorrow.
Yeah...a sprint-stage today...snooze. Watched the final 4k...nothing exciting, just another bunch sprint. Sam Bennett came thru by half a bike length...this year he is pretty much the dominant sprinter. Quick Step has a bunch of wins...which is what they do. So there are 9 more stages left...I think...believe they are stopping at 18. Too lazy just now to log back into NBCSN Gold to check. Tomorrow is FRIDAY...woo-HOO! And Saturday is Halloween...tomorrow night I MUST finish Abbey's costume...it just hasn't happened this week...will post pictures...it's going to be HILARIOUS! (Sophie won't have a "special" outfit this year...she is TOO WILD when we take her outside...she would destroy it in minutes..where-as Abbey is very calm and should do great...plan to take them on a short walk in our neighborhood Saturday afternoon...then come back home, turn out the lights and hide inside (we are NOT giving out treats this year...nobody SHOULD be out, but I guarantee there will be people with their kids going door to door).
ReplyDeleteFriday, Stage 10: PRIMO ROGLIC! Man, he came out of nowhere to convincingly win the stage! We will see tomorrow if the preliminary results stand (where Carapaz has the same time...there were at least 2 decent gaps after Roglic, Carapaz was in the 3rd group if you ask me)...Roglic got 10 seconds on him with the winning time bonus...and it surely looked like Roglic had at least a few seconds real time advantage over the Carapaz group. I guess it comes down to how big the gaps were...
ReplyDeleteAnyway...YESTERDAY! Sam Bennett was relegated to last place for irregular sprinting (argy-bargy)..he clearly head-butted a guy who was trying to move into his lead-out train...so they took away his win and 5 sprint points too, and a monetary fine. I guess they are really setting the standard that no argy-bargy is allowed.
OK...that's 10 stages down. Ahh..they just showed the GC standings...Roglic is tied with Carapaz but in first place (must have been the count-back somewhere that Roglic is now in red over Carapaz). We will see if that's how it still is tomorrow. For now, Roglic took back the Red Jersey...nice!
Stage 11 and 12...wow, what a weekend of racing....HUGE CLIMBS! Saturday (Happy Halloween btw) saw over 16k' of climbing...but the front group finished together with no change (amazing!). Then Sunday Roglic ran out of gas on the final climb, and lost time to Carapaz, Carthy and Martin...and also lost the red to Carapaz! So now Carapaz leads Roglic going into Mondays rest day by 10 seconds, with Carthy and Martin both very close behind (all 3 guys w/in 35 seconds now of Carapaz). Crazy hard race so far...and boy, Roglic just not doing well on Sundays. Kuss however was amazing on the 12th stage, totally shepherding Roglic all the way to the top...he looked just incredible...like maybe he could have won the stage if he wasn't taking care of Roglic.
ReplyDeleteOK...got to get to bed...the STUPID TIME CHANGE once again leaping into our lives. Gads, what will it take to get rid of this DST thing?? ENOUGH I SAY!
And that's all on that subject...have a nice rest day!
Hey Matt - your doggies looked SO CUTE in their Halloween outfits! Abbey's cracked me up! And Sophie seemed to handling her outfit very well despite 'Daddy's' trepidations. :)
ReplyDeleteSo, let's see. So much happened at the Vuelta the last 3 days, I have to think back. 1st, Friday SHOCKED ME! I thought for sure it would be a Breakaway Day based on the course but there was Roglic, sprinting uphill to snatch victory once again! Saturday was actually disappointing to me as I was expecting SO much out of such a mountain stage but when I think about it, it makes sense that the GC guys (well, except Soler who was desperate to get back into GC contention) would keep their powder dry because of what was coming the very next day. Grand Tour organizers should take note - scheduling two HUGE back-back mt stages means one will probably be neutralized by the racers for sheer preservation. But Sunday didn't disappoint! 1st, it was NOT rainy or foggy which apparently it usually is on the Angliru (AKA "Cyclists' Nightmare in Asphalt"). 2nd, we had the bite-you-hand worry over that last descent before the Angliru which CVV says usually never seems to dry all the way out, thus making it even more dangerous. 3rd, the Angliru! My GAWD, 19-23 percent inclines scattered in places! It's amazing the motos didn't fall over! And the SCENERY! OMG, I kept catching my breath one second & grunting in shock the next whenever the camera showed what was behind the racers! WHAT A VIEW! And then the ACTION! A guy looked shaky one moment & then attacked the next! Carthy looked awful almost all the way up (I thought he was going to fall off his bike at one point) & then BOOM, he attacks & ends up winning the stage several seconds in front of the other few GC guys left! I was surprised that Roglic struggled but he didn't lose much & if the leader had been anyone other than my new fave cyclist, I would be thrilled we have such a dog fight with the Red jersey swapping backs again & again!
Bobke & CVV both say Roglic is by far the better time trialist among the GC guys, so the Red jersey SHOULD be swapping backs again! Wow, what a race! The next 3 days after the TT don't APPEAR to be GC-impacting but then I thought Friday wouldn't either & that Saturday would, so who knows. Next Saturday looks like a climbing stage with a summit finish but I don't know if it's big enough to really cause a shakeup.
Gosh, with COVID getting worse every day in Europe (especially France & Spain), it's bizarre that such a FANTASTIC race is happening! And honestly, I was HAPPY that fans are VERY limited on the climbs, especially the Angliru as I worried enough without the usual idiots getting in the road & causing problems!
Hey Susie...Sophie was SUPPOSED to have a costume like Abbeys (only carrying Corona beer). What you don't see on the short video is how Sophie reacts when we take her outside...she's a wild animal! I mean she's like a sword-fish on the line fighting to get off (seriously)...at least for the first 5 minutes or so. There is no way on earth that she wouldn't just destroy any outfit (other than the dress she wore in the video, which has been her outfit for a few years now). AND, I just didn't have time to make her the same outfit...it took me 2 weeks to make Abbey's...that is actually a very tough outfit to make...lots of work on the sewing machine AND lots of hot-melt glue...and hand-stitching snaps, adding elastic, and dozens of fit-checks of each piece...poor Abbey...she was such a trooper letting Daddy fit-check her so many times. And then with the full costume on she was just great! (watching her little back legs walk in the jeans with half-a stuffed-animal/dog sitting on top of her butt is so hilarious). Yep...lots of work that was...just glad it came out as good as I hoped. Maybe will make Sophie hers next year...we will see if she calms down any in the coming year.
DeleteAnd you're right, Matt - Kuss looked GREAT! Bobke & CVV kept saying he (they refer to him as "the man from Durango") looked the strongest of all & probably could have won the stage but he did his job protecting his team leader. Every time he rides a stage, he's boosting his value to ALL teams whenever his contract is up. I can't remember how he is at TT, but if he works on that too, he should one day soon be the designated leader of either the Giro or Vuelta maybe even next year. Of course, Tom Dum is also on that team (for now) & he's going to want to be THE guy too, but since he already won the Giro & was on the podium at a Tour, I think he's focused on winning the Tour. But unless Roglic gets sick or injured, I think TD will have to change teams for that to happen. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteCVV was back on the coverage the next day although his house & the neighborhood still had no power. (He said he was commentating from somewhere else). I didn't hear if he mentioned if he was back in his house by the weekend. Another weird thing happened last week with the TV coverage also - on Tuesday, there was NO commentary for the 1st half hour! We just saw the action & heard the sounds from the peloton. And then after a commercial, we come back & Bobke & CVV are commentating as usual. I don't think they were even aware they were not being broadcast. I then clicked on the repeats & the same thing happened each time. The old Universal Sports channel used to broadcast various competitions with NO commentary (usually very late at night) to save money I guess & it's weird. It makes one really appreciate the commentators when you have them!
Froomey looked better too the last few days but still so far from what he had been. I'm thinking that if he realizes next year that he can't be competitive for a Grand Tour podium (at least), that he will retire. What do you think?
If you're out there Rae, I hope you're doing well & can comment soon. I thought how ecstatic you probably were each time Team EF won a stage, especially yesterday. :)
Gotta scoot. I hope to comment tomorrow after the TT. Catch ya later!
Hi there, I've been rather AWOL from commenting here and also watching the Vuelta (although I've checked into Cyclingnews to see how it is going) - needing to do lots of household maintenance, cleaning, yard work, and other attention distracting things, then not enough attention span left at the end of the day to watch a stage!
ReplyDeleteI may watch Sunday's stage later today though, as it is too frigging COLD - I'm not acclimated to the falling temps yet - even though it is brightly sunny, I just don't quite feel motivated to do anything else today.
So, I am happy to see Dan Martin still in contention! I sincerely hope that he gets onto the podium - wouldn't a win be fantastic, though? And, although I am always happy to see good results for EF (cause I think of them as our only "home team") I would rather see Martin on the podium than Carthy, if it comes down to a contest between the two. He has earned it in his career, hasn't he?
I'm full of admiration for Sep Kuss - I will be looking forward to what he can do next year - if he is allowed to ride for himself!
Did you see that the Tour Down Under (along with the Cadel Evans and Women's TdU) is cancelled for 2021? UCI made participation voluntary, and only 5 Pro Tour teams were interested - because of the Covid restrictions, and long travel, and expense from both, and the short off season. Also I have heard/seen nothing about the Tour of California occurring in 2021 either.
Looks like NTT team (formerly DimensionData/ MTNQhubeka) will be folding for lack of a sponsor for next year. They didn't make much of a splash, I guess I won't really be missing them. I wonder if Boassen-Hagen will just retire, or try to land another contract?
We had kids out for trick or treat, despite the pouring rain and cold. People who were handing out candy were very inventive in devising ways to make no-touch, single servings available - spread out on tables (under porches or tents), hanging from trellises, dropped through "chutes" and so on. No knocking on doors. I think the kids were probably just as safe as they are going to school (as they are in my district).
I will be so glad when the next 2 weeks are over & done! I voted in person early last week, and can't imagine that it could have been any easier or smoother. The line was long (partially because of distancing) but I was still finished and on my way home in about 30 minutes. We had the option also of a drive up drop off for absentee ballots, or curbside in person if needed. I sincerely hope that the the voting options and results will not be challenged as they are being in other states, since ours is a Republican administration - Trump would have to accuse his own party of violating the Constitution!! Not that I'd put it past him. My only concern is for folks who have delayed in mailing in ballots, although if postmarked by tomorrow they will be counted IF they arrive -- our mail service has been sketchy here for several YEARS.
Yesterday I sent off emails to the Governor, the SOS, the state Republican party, and my Republican Senator, reminding them of the damage that will be done to our electoral system and democratic republic, if Trump is supported in carrying out his threats to question or try to overturn the election results; and asking them to stand up against such an effort. I figured that emailing the national GOP was a waste of time, so I skipped them!
Hey Rae...I think we all are rooting for Dan Martin...on yesterdays stage (Sunday) he was flat KILLING himself to try to stay with the Red jersey group on that last climb! He is just such a great role-model for younger cyclists...never quits, risks it all...it would be SO awesome if he could podium!
DeleteAlso Susie, I got my flu shot on Wednesday and this was the first time that I can remember having a significant response - I woke up the next morning with a headache and sore/aching all over - had me wondering how I had exerted myself to be so sore (but I hadn't!) - finally remembered the shot! A couple of ibuprofen helped a lot, but I still took it pretty easy the rest of the day - by evening I was fine.
ReplyDeleteRae
Also sorry to hear you also had a bad reaction to the shot...I guess I'm just very lucky...never had a reaction (tho I've been getting the shot since I was 18...when you join the military you are REQUIRED to get it every year, unless you can prove you are allergic to eggs...that is something a Dr. will certify and put in your medical record. Of course I have no way to know how many times the shot has kept me from getting it...I've only had it once and that was my first year without a shot (coincidence??? who knows...) This years shot didn't even give me the very sore arm like in all years past...I barely felt the shot this time, and the next day was only a teensy bit sore...usually I felt like I was hit in the arm by Mike Tyson or something...but I've never felt 'bad' otherwise.
DeleteHey Rae...glad to hear you are still out there (busy is good...to a point). So tomorrow is it...FINALLY!!! Sure be glad to get this one done...we sent in our ballots a month or so ago. I do have to admit that I don't understand the few states that won't even start counting their mail-in-ballots until election day...makes no sense. I'd also think that in this day and age they would be able to find a better way to validate the ballot than to have a physical signature on file and to compare that with the signature on the ballot...for one, who is doing the signature validation? Is this person trained in this area? It all seems so archaic...so 19th century (seriously...a signature validation on EVERY mail in ballot!) I would think somehow tying voting in with your SSN would be the way...every legal American Citizen of voting age has a SSN. And there would be no way to vote a 2nd time, or for someone to illegally vote in your place (if there was a validation of who you were w/ your SSN). Of course, that only works AT the pols...how todo that for a mail in is beyond me. But there has to be something...and now with several states saying it could be days/weeks before they will have all the ballots counted...that's just insane! I will continue my refusal to watch "THE NEWS" the next several days, as it will just be out of control in all directions...who's declaring themselves the winner, even tho half the ballots haven't been counted yet...it will all be too much to bear...(and, it's all beyond my control so why worry about it...that's just wasted energy for no benefit). I will however ride my bike(s) even tho it's now dark an hour earlier after work...I still get off at 3pm so I can still get a 1-1/2 hour ride and back to my car before dark. That's a much better use of my energy than worrying about things. .back to work.
ReplyDeleteRae, so glad to hear from you! :) (I worry in these COVID times). I also am rooting for Dan, much as I did for Richie during the Tour. And also happy when Team EF does well. Although I don't think I'd ever heard of Hugh Carthy before two weeks ago. :)
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, SPOILER ALERT for today's TT. I wasn't able to watch any of it LIVE this morning but I just started watching the 1st repeat broadcast. Whoo-hoo, an AMERICAN (Will Barta on CCC) did great & finished 2nd! Beaten only by Roglic by a single second! Carapaz did much better than I was led to believe he could but Roglic is still back in Red & ahead by 39 seconds. EF's Carthy also had a great ride, is sitting in 3rd, a mere 8 seconds behind Carapaz so the podium is still in flux. Unfortunately, Dan didn't have a great TT & I can't remember if this is usual for him or not. He's still in 4th, but now almost a full minute behind Carthy instead of just 3 seconds.
I'll be going into the office tomorrow AND Friday so won't see anything of those stages till I get home. I don't THINK they'll impact the GC but I'm not betting!
Today has actually FLOWN by I think because I'm so keyed up over the Election & dealing with wild mood swings : from out-of-control euphoria to abject terror & rage. I'm EXHAUSTED before the official 'Election coverage' even begins! My fervent hope is a BLUE TSUNAMI! Cowabunga, ya'll! :) :)
And the red jersey switches shoulders AGAIN, back to Roglic, who really tore up the ITT today! 5 stages left to go...still anything can happen. Carthy swooped by Martin darn it...but he won't stop fighting, so maybe he can get back on the podium...I think we are all keeping our fingers crossed for him..
ReplyDeleteI did a short mtb ride after work today, when I got home Jeannie had the news on...I don't even want to listen to it...it's WAY too early...so little of the total returns are in, WHY do they keep talking and predicting? I wish they'd just stop that...we will see what is said while I'm eating breakfast tomorrow morning...
And so...I think the polls are closed just about all over the country (well, there is about 25 minutes left for us on Pacific time still)...it will be what it will be. Trying to steele myself, and hope my 401k doesn't get crushed...I didn't move everything around to safe haven (probably should have). Going to bed early..no sense watching news or TV at this point. Good night!
I had said that I wasn't going to watch the returns last night...buuttt... I flipped it on "just for a minute" before I tuned in to my NCIS binge (I had never seen the show in all of these years, and yes it is formulaic and sometimes chauvinistic but I am sucked in!!!) Anyway, I ended up watching for a while, then watched 2 episodes of NCIS, but unfortunately went back to the news "just to see" and ended up being up until 4am listening to the talking heads. Like watching a slow motion train wreck, I couldn't look away!
ReplyDeleteNot surprised at all by the Ohio results, from listening to my former co-workers (many of whom actually live outside of the metro area, and are family farmers also) they felt that they were voting against socialism & excessive government, and FOR their religious freedom/law & order/restoration of the economy/ personal responsibility (ie, they don't believe masks should be a mandate). So they vote for what they think Trump represents and ignore what he actually IS and DOES. They also actually are calling Gov. DeWine a RINO!!! a man who is about as Republican as he can be, without being a total ass ideologue like so many in our corrupt statehouse.
Oh, while I am on a rant, I am also disgusted by the Franklin County results - Dems swept EVERYTHING, including voting a candidate in for judge who had been rated NOT QUALIFIED by ALL of the various attorney and monitoring groups, and voting out the two most highly rated judges; and voting in 2 others for county offices who had NO qualifications for the jobs - both men IMO whose top priority is to be part of the dominant political power structure. Elections for judge are supposed to be NON-partisan, but that is a joke.
I still have a sinking feeling in the stomach as I am sure that Trump will try to disrupt the results as much as possible - since he is already claiming that legally cast votes shouldn't be counted after last night, and that the election is being stolen, blah blah blah.
Sorry and thank you for allowing me to vent. I am extra upset because my 80+ year old neighbor, whose daughter is hospitalized with Covid, still insists that "it isn't the Covid that kills people, it's something else". He didn't want to hear that that is not true, because he is a Trump believer.