Thursday, June 29, 2023

2023 Tour de France, part 1

 Well well well...here we are, it's THAT time again! Thought I'd resurrect the old Asylum for a month or so. Renewed my Peacock Premium Plus subscription (only need to pay for 1 month, and I get the Plus that means no commercials which is a serious bonus for only $5 more). Anyway, I just watched the Team Presentations. Hopefully it will be a great Tour, lots to be looking forward to!

First of all, Cav is BACK! And the question everybody is asking is "can he win ONE MORE STAGE?" I sure hope so...he sure deserves it. Sagan is there, Pogacar is there, Uran is there (not even team leader, I guess that means he's not planning on being a contender?), Bernal is there, Ewen and Kristoff are there, gosh...my brain is overloaded from all the teams and all the riders names I DO recognize...there are a LOT! Not many Americans tho...Quinn Simmons is there, who else, oh, can't forget Sepp Kuss! And who else...hmm, gosh, can't think of anybody else (American that is). Lets see, oh...Vingegaard (his spelling and pronunciation still boggle my mind, I might just spell it phonetically...Vin-ga-go....how's that?) Who else of note (to my sad little brain)...Mas, and hey... Bardet is still riding, he's got to be getting close to retirement. Of note, Roglic is NOT there this year. So much for that dogfight to the end...unless Vin-ga-go can step it up and take on Baby Face! We shall see soon enough!

Well, for now that's all I can think of...can't wait to see/hear the boyz back together again...mostly that is...I was looking to see who's onboard this year... copied this from the Peacock Live Coverage page: 

 NBC Sports’ cycling play-by-play caller Phil Liggett, universally known as the ‘voice of cycling,’ will cover his 51st Tour de France alongside analyst Bob Roll. Liggett and Roll will be on-site at each stage, along with reporters Steve Porino and former professional cyclist Christian Vande Velde.

 Paul Burmeister will host daily pre-race and post-race studio coverage alongside Sam Bewley and Brent Bookwalter, who make their NBC Sports debuts as cycling analysts.

So no more Chris Horner, that really sucks! Wins the Giro and can't get a team, was part of what I thought was the best combination they've ever had and not gone. He's the Rodney Dangerfield of Cycling...can't get any respect! 

 OK...need to get dinner. I have FIVE whole days off...taking tomorrow off, then Monday off, and Tues is the 4th of July, so back to work on Weds for me (yep, still working...I'm looking at the end of January to retire finally). 

Susie, congrats on your recent retirement, Rae, hope you come back, always great to hear from you two. Anybody else going to stop by? Please do and leave a comment. Tour Time is always one of my favorite times of the year!

24 comments:

  1. So Stage 1 is done and done...twins on opposing teams coming to the line for the win, how crazy is THAT! And what a crazy Stage 1...climbing? LOTS of climbing? And tomorrow, more of the same...WOW! That was a much more fun stage to watch than a short prologue or ITT!

    As to the commentary, jury's still out on Sam and Brent instead of Christian and Chris (with Paul)...wonder what spurred that change.

    OK, I'm tired...July always tires me out (went for a ride this morning...it was HOT!) Later Gators...Game ON!

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  2. Hi everyone, it’s Barbara - also retired, and I have so much time to watch le Tour this year because on Memorial Day, I fractured my (fortunately left, non-dominant side) humerus and won’t be able to ride a bike (or drive) till probably Labor Day. So much for this summer! I live by myself and have learned how to do most things, and I’m grateful for all the friends and neighbors who have offered to help.

    2 stages down, and so far, I’m enjoying this Tour immensely! I loved the Yates twins battling it out at the end! And (being careful for those who many not have watched yet), I also loved the finish of stage 2. Scenery in the Basque Country is beautiful

    I miss Chris Horner, glad we still have Christian on the course. I’m getting used to Sam and Brent, but still feeling the jury is out. It’s funny how little Brent looks next to Paul & Sam - and he’s 5’11”. I wish they would go back to the polo shirts - I’m OK with suits on Day 1 and Paris.

    Thanks for getting us started, Matt!

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    1. Hey Barbara, welcome back! Looking forward to a great Tour for sure! Agree on all counts w/ the 'new guys' in the studio! Sorry to hear about your Memorial Day mishap...yikes! At least you have no reason NOT to watch every second of every stage! I'm about to head out for a ride now (Monday, took it as a vacation day). We are in a heat wave just now (rare for us), so how hot it gets will decide how far I go...I don't do well in 'hot'. Have to watch Stage 3 this afternoon/tonight. Glad to have you back!

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  3. YEAH! I was planning to comment Friday before I left the office but I was leaving 2 hrs early & then an hour before that, a friend came to help me backup a bunch of stuff & then I had to leave. And I'm still having issues with my new ipad at home! I'll be in an "app" & then I'm thrown out. I'm afraid to start replying to an email before I figure out how to stop that!

    Anyhoo, SO HAPPY I can once again watch the Tour & chat here later! Plus, I just realized yesterday that I think I'll be able to watch today & Wed-Fri's stages at night on "Replay". Woot! Woot! As THIS is actually my final week at work (well, FOUR days due to the holiday). My last day is this Friday 7/7. The past 5 weeks have been odd & the last 2 weeks especially. Very bittersweet. I do get a kick out of the fact that I'm RETIRING the week of INDEPENDENCE. :)

    I agree on Sam & Brent & am trying to give them a fair shot. Sam seems a natural so far but Brent has been a bit stiff. And I miss HORNER! I am happy that CVV gets to actually BE at the TOUR & not just in NBC's CT studio.

    Weird start to the Tour with those semi-MT stages. And I think they hit the Pyrenees in just a few days! But I'm just so happy I can watch daily again that it doesn't bother me (yet). Last year I actually cried every week night that 1st week when I couldn't see anything (since NBC stopped airing replays at night on TV). By the time I could watch again on Sat & Sun, it was too upsetting to enjoy as I had missed everything the week before.

    I will miss the 2nd half of this Saturday's stage as I need to leave my house for the day at 9:30AM. BUT, I'll be able to see it latter that night.

    I think Babyface looks good & if he stays injury & illness-free the next 3 weeks, my money is on him to defeat Vingo (er, my name for Vinggegard sp?). But most of all, I REALLY hope Cav gets his final Tour victory & sets the new record! I know he's retiring but can't remember if it's at the end of the season or right after the TDF. Anybody know?

    Well, gotta scoot! And hey Barbara! So happy to hear from you & so sorry about your bone break. Ouch. Take care!

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  4. So Stage 3 is done...spoiler alert!!!!

    So far the winner is Jasper Phillipson for Alpecin...but that's BS...he totally blocked Wout, squeezing him into the barriers...he didn't even come CLOSE to holding a straight line...if that stands then I don't understand how they can EVER relegate anyone after that. He went clear across the road when Wout was coming up along his right side. They threw Sagan out of the race the year he and Cav clashed. That year Sagan WAS holding his line and Cav was trying to pass in a lane that didn't exist..Cav was trying to push his way thru and Sagan was just trying to stay upright...Cav crashed and they blamed Sagan...as much as I like Cav, that was BS too....I STILL think that was the wrong thing to do...Cav had no one to blame but himself in that one. And looking back w/ the rose colored glasses, maybe that bad decision and crash cost him the solo record for wins (that would be if he does NOT win 1 stage this Tour, which I truly hope he does win one).
    OK...I'm done now (with that). Very good day for Neilsson...will hold the American record for KOM jersey... it WAS 2 days, and with the points Neilsson got today he will have it for at least 4 days now...very cool!!
    And I don't recall hearing about any crashes...maybe nobody will drop out tomorrow?? And a last thing...the stupid tacks being tossed into the road the last few days...what is wrong with people? Who would do that? What kind of special terrible person would do that? That is a special kind of evil! Tho on a bright spot, at least a few riders are now running tubeless tires (with Sealant, which is all I run on all my bikes, road and dirt). Calamajane from Stage 1 with Neilsson had a few tacks in his rear tire at the end of that stage..they showed it a few times. I've been wondering for YEARS why no pro teams are running tubeless w/ Sealant...it would virtually end flat tires unless you cut it wide open. Thorns, glass shards, tacks, it will seal them all.

    OK...now I'm done...bed time. My ride this morning was cut short when I broke my chain...a stick leaped up into the chain and rear cassette...I fixed it but had to pull 2 links out, and figured that's time to turn around and head home. MAYBE I will get to go out and try it again tomorrow morning...

    Anyway, I'm still chuckling that today was considered a "Flat" stage...it had over 9000' of climbing!! That makes it 30,000' over the 1st 3 days of this crazy Tour! Tomorrow only has 1 climb, so that

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  5. Still watching todays stage, I see they let the sprint stand...I don't get it. He totally veered clear across the road, forcing Wout to go all the way to the barricades as he was TRYING to pass. Now did he create a dangerous situation? Probably not...but did he impede another sprinter attempting to sprint to the line? Certainly...but I guess that no longer matters. I give Wout and Jumbo huge kudos for not filing a protest tho...he/they are just moving on..but I still think it's crap and by not relegating him they are saying it's ok. It's like not throwing penalty flags in other sports, you are setting the standard and then need to live with the results. OK...back to todays race...and btw, Happy Birthday America!!!

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  6. So Stage 4 is done...whew, what a snoozer! Christian on the moto was hilarious! Let's see, what else..oh, where was Wout at the end? His team had guys all over the front, but no Wout! I thought he would contest the final sprint. Hope everything is ok, odd he wasn't up there w/ his guys. Cav just seems so out of place without a super-lead-out man guiding him thru the chaos...he keeps getting pinned behind others and ends up missing the move to be in the front 2 or 3...he was 5th today but obviously won't be happy with that. Lots of sprinters crashing out in that very odd finish on the race-track. Other than that, can't think of much...tomorrow we hit the BIG mountains, woo-hoo! The question on my mind for tomorrow is how will Neilsson do in the KOM jersey...can he make the break and get more points? Sure hope so...

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  7. A bummer that the ONLY weekday this week that we could watch the Tour LIVE was yesterday's stage! But I don't blame the fellas for riding like snails; it was a bit of payback for the 1st 3 INTENSE stages! Still, snoozer was right! One good thing about the crazy beginning stages of this Tour is that the usual CARNAGE has not happened except for poor EF losing their top 2 guys on Day One.

    I was able to check into Cycling News' Live Report this morning & wow, I was surprised! Will watch tonight to see how it all transpired as I still can't quite get my head around it. Pyrenees on Day 5... weird.

    Question - are you allowed to FORWARD in a Peacock Replay?

    About Stage 3's sprint finish - the TV guys say that the BARRIER was incorrectly set up in the last 200 meters or so, in that it veered into the street. And that Phillipsen actually held his line but that Wout was squeezed by the encroaching barrier. It looked a bit of both to me. Shame.

    Yeah, if Cav had a good lead-out guy, he'd be in the top 2-3 at least in the sprints as he's looking fast, just not quite in the right position for the last spurt.I'm still hopeful!

    Gotta scoot!

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  8. Susie, you should be able to FF in Peacock’s replay. I do it to skip commercials and if I’m in a hurry - the thing I don’t like is that you can’t SEE what you’re skipping through. On regular TV, I’m used to being able to stop the FF if there’s a crash or an interview or something else interesting. Peacock shows you the minutes, but not the screen.
    Barbara

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  9. Nothing like the Pyrenees to shake things up! Fun surprise winner, and we got to see the BEAST in Jonas come out!
    Barbara

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  10. It’s also on USA during the week, starting at 8am Eastern.

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  11. A few things I like about the Peacock internet/streaming service: one, it's WAY cheaper than the old NBCS Gold package (it was an annual fee, like $55 or so...can't remember for sure). Peacock Premium is a month by month fee of $4.99. I think somebody really blew it, I would have gotten the Gold to see the Tour, and now instead I only need a month of Peacock Premium...big win for my pocket-book! And even better, for another $4.99 I get the Premium Plus, which is commercial free!! OMG, THAT is so worth the extra 5 bucks! Whenever the race breaks for a commercial, my feed just goes right to the race over and over...I NEVER have to FF thru to get back to racing! (and as Barbara said, you can't see when you are FF'ing so don't know where to go back to play). Another cool feature: multi-device viewing...I can watch it on my phone, my laptop, desktop, or TV...we use our Amazon Firestick to open the Peacock app (as our older LCD widescreen isn't 'smart'). So I can be watching it on my desktop pc (has a 27" screen and a decent chair) and when Jeannie goes to bed early, I pause the play on my computer and move to the TV, open the Peacock app, and can just 'resume' the stage right from where I paused it! And actually there are other things to watch on Peacock Premium (I also like Yellowstone, and don't normally have Peacock so I am binging the seasons trying to catch up whenever I have spare time, which isn't much now that the game is afoot).

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  12. Just finished Stage 5...WOW! Wasn't expecting any of that! What a crazy fun day in the big mountains, and that's just the 1st of them! Tomorrow is the Aspin AND the Tourmalet...woo-hoo!! And a summit finish on a Cat 1...MORE fireworks tomorrow for sure! I won't see how the sprinters and riding-wounded fared until tomorrow morning (bed-time!) What an opposite day compared to yesterday (boring to pure excitement)! And that's just thru stage FIVE! SIXTEEN stages to go!

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  13. And Stage 6, HOLY CATSICKLES! I surely wasn't expecting THAT! As always, now that the Stage is over, it's fair game to talk about it (SPOILER ALERT!!!)

    So much to talk about...first, well, how about Neilsson Powless Re-taking the KOM jersey back! Loved that...so very cool for Team EF to have SOMETHING to work for, especially since their GC guy is out (since day ONE for crying out loud...talk about bad luck!)

    And next...Sepp Kuss...he is such a wonderful teammate, and that he's one of only SIX American riders (out of what, 176 at the start I think?) Is USA Cycling THAT pathetic that only SIX Americans make it to le Tour? It seems kind of lopsided in the wrong way. Tho if you think that two of those 6 are getting huge camera time, well, that evens things out just a bit).

    Next, SUPER-WOUT! That man is just ridiculous...sprints, TT's, climbs like a man possessed, goes in insane breakaways and just rocks it, and then sets a ludicrous tempo on the biggest of climbs (AFTER being in the break all day) crushing nearly all others, and then even crushing himself! I thought he was going to just fall over after he pulled out and Vingo started out seemingly to destroy Baby Face, who has a snake in the weeks today.

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  14. Part 2: And then, well, how can the gunfight between "Baby Face" and the rider who (even tho he's older than Pogo) I have to call "Even Babier Face", well, words like "Epic", and "Stupendous" barely seem to convey what's going on there. Near the end of Stage 5 it LOOKED like Babier-Face was just going to run-away with it anytime it got steep. And then today, Baby-Face hoodwinked the entire Jumbo Team (and pretty much the rest of the world along with them). Pogo looked like a man dreading the final climb. But OH how the tables have turned...Everybody's been saying Pogo is the wild-man who doesn't do what logic would suggest is the wise course, while Vingo is the cool calculating planner biding his time...today those roles were reversed. Pogo just sat there taking all the punches that Jumbo could give, and yet after every single other rider was gone, there he was STILL on Vingo's wheel with his super smooth pedal stroke while Vingo was bobbing and weaving, standing & sitting, TRYING to shake this shadow what would not leave. When Pogo suddenly accelerated away, it was like No Freaking WAY! (Bobke even said earlier that maybe Pogo was faking his distress, and everybody dismissed it).

    I was pretty astonished at how today played out. I can't help but wonder if Babier-Face went TOO deep yesterday putting the hurt on Pogo..it was said that all the numbers that showed what Vingo did yesterday when he dropped Pogo were simply inhuman, that maybe he took something away from today. Maybe going THAT deep into the well means you can't do it again the next day. Or just maybe Vingo didn't have the amazing day today and Pogo did...it could just be that simple. But no matter..here we are, after ONLY 6 stages, which would SEEM like the final week, not the 1st week. What a crazy awesome race this is!

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    1. And so, Stage 8 is in the books. A very sad stage, Cav is out. Abandoned. That's only the 2nd time I can recall that he had to leave before Paris (the 1st was after his losing skirmish with Peter Sagan and the barricade). Were there more Tours he didn't finish? I COULD look it up...naah...I'm afraid to leave here (finally able to put in a comment as "ME" and not "Anonymous", for whatever reason, whenever I log in the 'comment' is grayed out and I can't select it). Susie, I saw your email about having troubles commenting...I wish I knew what was going on with the site...it's not the first time people have had problems commenting.

      and one final thought, Susie, Happy Retirement (as of YESTERDAY, Friday, 7/7/23)!! Rae and Barbara, you've both had your Happy Retirement days, I guess mine is next (LESS than 7 months...I plan to go out near the end of Jan). I like my job and the people I work with, but hey, I've got STUFF to do! BIG STUFF! Like Win a stage at the Tour de France! (yeah, uhm, nope..just kidding)..I mean, GO TO a Stage at the Tour de France! Or more than one hopefully...and with a bike, all while I'm still able to ride (like Bobke does before every stage, he rides the final climb). OK...I'll be out tomorrow, heading down to Los Angeles, won't be back until Monday afternoon (thankfully Monday is a rest day, so I have a chance to watch Stage 9 without getting behind). It is a mountain stage, so everything is up in the air again...(got it...HA! Sometimes I kill myself!) What will happen...BF (Baby Face Pogacar) regains time, EBF (Even Babier Face Vingo) gains more time, maybe they finish together, and hey, lets face it, there are literally dozens of other scenarios that could play out on any given stage. Place your tray-tables up, put your seats into the upright position, and hold onto your hats, the peleton is going to swoop on by!

      And so...I didn't leave a comment yesterday after Cav finished 2nd..it looked really good, but he went SO EARLY that JP hadn't even started sprinting yet...he was obviously spun-out rather than still accelerating when he crossed the line (which means it was times just right). Well, tied with Eddy Meryx for the all time TDF wins, that's still pretty amazing by any measure, and will likely still stand way past when I've stop breathing...(ooh, you know what? I've never said anything like that before...pretty scary that it's the truth).

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    2. Still me...after I hit publish my brain when "hey...didn't Cav also crash out in one of the very first stages the year the race started in the UK/Harrogate"? Or was that someone else...gosh, it sucks to have brain damage. The good thing about not remembering stuff is that I can watch movies and read books over and over and they are still like new!

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  15. Heartbroken about Cav. (And yes, Matt, he had a horrendous crash the year the Tour started in London, in front of all his hometown folks,) I was SO excited, screaming in my living room when he won in Rome at the Giro. I see Vino wants him to come back next year to try it - I’m gonna guess he doesn’t do it. But that’s a long way off.

    What a CLIMB today (Sunday)! I’m loving this zig-zag between Jonas and Tadej, and then they always have a little fist bump afterwards, however it turns out. There’s 2 weeks to go - a lot can happen! I’m sure they’re all read for the rest day.

    Who remembers when OLN did a show on the rest days, recapping and discussing the previous week? Back in the Lance days.

    Barbara
    (I was able to publish under my name the first day, but now I can’t - or I just don’t remember how I did it. 😛

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  16. Yeah, I can comment again! For some reason I couldn’t comment from my office PC thurs-fri. Let’s see, I was THRILLED that Babyface attacked & clawed back a chunk of time in stag 6! And felt sad for Cav when he almost got the win (damn bike! In stage 7). But much worse is what happened Saturday, which I didn’t see or even know about until I was finally able to check cyclingnews in the late afternoon. OH NO! Just devastating. I was more positive by the day that Cav would get a win as his speed was definitely there. DAMN! Awful things always seem to happen on stage 8. That’s when Lance got taken down in a crash I his last TDF & lost so much time that his chance for the overall was over.

    Yesterday was exciting on that final volcano mt. Back in 88, the TDF tv coverage was just weekend taped shows with some live action, but I don’t remember that mt specifically as they were ALL new to me as that was only my 4th year watching. Anyhoo, Yeah for Babyface as he clawed back another 8 seconds! It definitely looks like a 2-man battle but gosh, there’s still SO many miles to go that anything could happen.



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  17. Thanks for the retirement wishes! 😁 The weekend seemed normal but TODAY (Monday) it’s sinking in. It’s actually bittersweet & somewhat ironic as I SACRIFICED everything from 2008-2021 to get to a financial place where I COULD retire but then when it became REAL & I was training the ass that took over my job & going thru 35 years of files ( I worked there 40 but only had the same desks for about 30-35.), well it shook me as it was no longer this faraway goal. I can’t start traveling until next year so my only plans are to join a gym so I get out of my house at least 4 weekdays each week. Being inside my house day after day after month during those 1st 2 Covid years (except for the 1 day/week I went into the office where I only ever saw even 1 person about once/month), was VERY detrimental for my mental health & canNOT have a repeat of that. Plus, after 2.5 years of working out in my house 6 days/week, I NEED some news exercise activities. I want to try yoga, Pilates & some new aerobics. And I want to strengthen my back, shoulders & arms from the machines. I do upper body weight training 2-3 times/week with 3 sets of dumbbells (5, 8, 10 lbs) at home but I think the various machines can help even more.

    Matt - will you still be moving to VA after you retire? And you should work or retire whenever you think best!😎

    Gotta go.





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  18. Well, here I am (better late than never? Ha!) Firstly, Congratulations Susie on finally getting to retirement! You MADE IT!! (I can relate to the odd feelings, the day after my last day I was actually weepy off & on, and thinking "What have I done?" But I got over THAT quickly!)
    And Barbara, happy to see you here, and I hope your arm is healing well.
    This is my year for another house disaster - TERMITES!! not just an infestation, but it has been going on long enough that one of the load support beams in the basement is destroyed! So I've been busy tearing out the basement ceiling drywall so that the beam and joists are visible, getting estimates for replacement, and arranging for an exterminator (who came today to treat inside and out, and was SO helpful - I made the right choice there.)
    I just today caught up on the Tour stages - had to resort to watching the highlights only for the first two, and just watch the pre-race, the first hour, then fast forward to the last 90 minutes or so for two others. Still, what I have seen is a very good race so far - not just the rivalry between Vingegaard and Pogacar, but the surprise win by Jai Hindley, the sprint finishes (Caleb Ewan is always almost this year...) the fabulous scenery (I want to go to the Basque country --- did you notice all the Basque flags??)
    I've never like Cav all that much as a personality, after seeing him act like a spoiled brat at the Tour of Missouri (when was that? 14 years ago?) but unquestionably the greatest sprinter ever - as long as he had a great leadout man - and he has been lucky to have had some of the best. I did want to see him break Merckx's record, and it is just so sad to have him crash out.
    I agree with you, Matt, about the stage 3 sprint - and the Sagan/Cav incident. Incidentally, isn't it sad to see Sagan still riding but not factoring in any race? He had Covid more than once, IIRC, perhaps that is why - or maybe he just lost his joy.

    Barbara, I was thinking today about how I miss OLN/Versus and their all day repeats of the stage, the rest day specials, and Cyclysm Sundays! I hardly see any racing now, because I won't pay for GCN+.

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    1. Rae, thanks for mentioning Versus - I knew it was SOMETHING after OLN, but couldn’t remember! I used to love keeping the TV on in my home office (yes, I had one in the 90’s before it was cool) and watch the Tour ALL DAY. - Barbara

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  19. OK, I've made my "Escape from LA", and just finished watching yesterdays stage. Wow, a lot going on there...Mateo Jorgenson, what a job he did...SO CLOSE, and finally finishing what, 5th? Can't take anything away from Woods...he flew up the final K's of the climb like a yellow jersey holder! And Neilson did great too! Solidly in the KOM jersey for another day, very cool! Gosh, what else...the stage was so riveting I forgot what else was going on...oh, the YELLOW JERSEY group! (they barely showed that as all the action was 15+ minutes up the road!) I thought Vingo was going to be able to hold on and maybe even attack Pogo, but not. He sure has developed a good poker face, he LOOKS like he's in trouble and them BAM..he attacks and demolishes Vingo. Only 8 seconds today but that's huge to his morale I'd think..and Jumbo can play it any way they want, but in the end Pogo is eating away at the lead and it seems Vingo can't do anything about it, even with all his weapons at his disposal (and once again, UAE has NOBODY up with Pogo for the real battle, just like the last several years, making what he has done even that much more amazing considering all the help Vingo has in the mountains every year). OK, the rest day is over, tomorrow is game on once again! (and Susie, I always loved the OLN rest day compilations of the stages...it was a Readers Digest condensed Tour for all those stages, sure wish they would do those again). OK...off to bed, I'm beat and SOME OF US have to get up and go to WORK tomorrow, which WON'T be Rae, Barbara and now Susie...congrats to you ALL! 2 guys I worked with for years retired just last week, and our Commander (our 'customer' is the Air Force, so the person our corporate boss works for is an Air Force Lt. Colonel)..anyway, during a nice little speech he made he said one of the things he was told long ago was that the ultimate object of "the game" (work) is to successfully get out of the game! I'm working on it...and getting so very close!
    OK..NOW it's sleepy time. Good night.

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