And wow...le Tour is over, and BAM, it's Olympics time!
I've got the opening ceremonies on the TV as I type. Pretty cool bringing the teams down the Seine River to the Eiffel Tower! That's a new one!
So I'm keeping my Peacock Premium package until after the Games, then will cancel the Premium part and just have 'plan ol' Peacock. Anyhoo, I plan to come here and write some of the great, not-so-great, fun, cool, whatever stories that I see during the games. As always, Team USA will be AMAZING! Of that there's no doubt. I have no idea what all will strike my fancy for viewing, but typically I will be watching the road and mt biking events, beach and indoor volleyball, swimming, gymnastics, shooting, diving, hm...what else...oh, I think I will check out the Break-dancing (I think they just call it 'Breaking', which I think is a cool thing to call 'the sport'). Looking on the Peacock Olympics site, I'm a bit overwhelmed...there is SO MUCH available!
That all said, I'm glad the Tour is over as I wanted my 'life' back! Starting this week I'm on my 'Post Tour comeback', the 2nd of two comebacks I seem to do every year. The first one starts early January as I come out of the Holiday season and early darkness. My fitness always takes a pretty big hit there. But that is also our 'rainy season', which in drought years isn't much (my fav! Cuz, you know...it's all about ME!) So I ride like mad getting pretty fit and by the end of May I'm usually doing pretty good. By the time the Tour rolls around I'm ready for a break, and boy do I do that...21 days worth! (I do get rides in but not enough to keep my hard-won fitness). So now I'm doing 4 rides a week...3 during the week after work (about an hour and a half to two hours), and then on Saturday I shoot for my 'all day endurance' ride. IF I am able to hold to the 4 a week schedule I'll be killing it by Sept. So now, we shall see how well I can hold my 4 a week rides during the Olympics. It's going to be tough, I'm not going to deny it.
Hey, they just did a live bit of Les Miserabe on the show! Jeannie and I were fortunate enough to see it on Broadway probably 20 years ago...we were in NYC for a week visiting her sister and that was a goal (to see a Broadway show). It was amazing of course...the really brilliant part was the 'stage' was a very large slowly rotating disc...you could only see the front part of whatever set was in use, then it would slowly rotate as our hero walked...so behind the scenes the workers would frantically load the next set on the disc over and over again. (during that trip I took Jeannie and her sister to dinner at 'Windows on the World, the top of the WTC (can't remember which tower it was in)...that was crazy too! So glad I not only got to see it but go inside too...that was pretty fabulous! The only other Broadway shows I've seen were Phantom of the Opera (saw that in Honolulu, a Canadian Broadway troupe bright the show on the road...I got us fantastic seats, like row 15 center stage. I admit I wasn't familiar with the story, and during that one scene the cast were pointing and spotlights turned all eyes to the ceiling pretty much above us (not over the stage at all but the crowd)...the giant chandelier. So like everybody else, we are looking up at it, and then it falls! I'm pretty sure I soiled myself (good thing I wore the 'brown pants' that night...GRIN), yelled and was literally about to grab my wife and dive out of the way. Just a bit humiliating, but everybody else who was there thought it was pretty funny...I guess they all knew the story. Of course it only fell 'down' for a moment, then it caught their line and it pretty much did a zip-line ride down onto the stage. And the only other show we've seen was 'Wicked' (up in Vancouver BC). That was awesome too. Turns out I LOVE going to plays! OH, there was Peter Pan (Sandy Duncan played Peter), saw that OH SO LONG AGO in Los Angeles/Hollywood...at the Pantages Theater. Boy, they really flew Sandy all over the place in that one. I was with my family for that, so I seem to recall I was a VERY YOUNG Navy man on leave in LA (my parents flew down from Montana and brought my little bro with them, and big bro was already living in SoCal).
OK, boy I went off on a tangent there...sorry... I need to stay on point. So it's about bed-time, getting up early and doing a long road-ride tomorrow (on base). It's too hot inland for me to ride there just now (triple digits) and also with the fires near us the area I WOULD go mt biking in if it weren't so hot are all choked with smoke still. Hopefully I will have some insights and such after finally seeing the rest of the opening ceremony. Right now I have to admit it's going pretty ssssllllloooooowwwwww...maybe bringing the athletes in by boat isn't such a great idea. I'll keep adding to this post for the week, then I'll open up another one for Week 2 and 3, just like I did for the TDF...that way they don't get crazy long.
US cyclists are representing so far! Chloe Dygert got a bronze, a little disappointing for her but still great; Brandon McNulty in 5th in the time trial, and respectable 7th and 13th in the Mountain Bike race for Riley Amos and Christopher Blevins (who I admit I'd never heard of before today, since I don't follow MB. I watched that event for the first time when Peter Sagan decided to do that instead of the road race in Brazil.) I am looking forward to the road races, although I hope only for "respectable" from our USA riders there.
ReplyDeleteI'll watch some other events probably - I get a kick out of some of the more arcane (to me) events; if they had a tiddlywinks competition I would likely watch it!
Gosh, I'm just overwhelmed...TOO MUCH INPUT! I haven't been taking notes, but have been watching what I can every day thank goodness NBC puts together highlights for each day and each sport, along w/ all the replays and live action! Just too much...watched the TT on Saturday, boy, can't take anything away from Remco there! I was surprised Pogo didn't ride it...I guess he is focusing on the road race this Sat? (he would have had a week to rest). I guess TT'ing at the end of a brutal Grand Tour is a different beast from a 1-day event. Still I would have thought he would be a threat to win. Mostly it's been the Gymnastics, can't take anything away from the US ladies...they just KILLED IT! No twisties this time for Simone, she is simply amazing! All of them were on all the disciplines! And the men, gosh, every time I watch them I am amazed at how insanely strong they are! What else, oh, of course, VOLLEYBALL! Beach, indoor, mens, womens, love it all! Even some Rugby (loved that the US ladies beat the Aussies to take the bronze, and that on the last 'play' of the match!) Swimming, too much to recall, just awesome competition tho! Tonight I watched the BMX finals, and now it's 10m ladies syncro diving...the 10m platform always gives me the willies...it's SO FREAKING HIGH! Once again the Chinese found the tiniest women (ha, more like children...AGAIN) who barely ripple the water.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, so sorry I've been absent the last 5 days...I've meant to post every evening but end up watching too much and just need to get to bed (cuz I'm, you know, still working). Still hoping for a January retirement. So much to do, so little time! OK...bed time, it comes SO FAST every day lately (lets just call it a month now). If I could function on say 5 hours of sleep a night I'd be a king! Oh, and speaking of king, we are also slipping in the House of the Dragon season 2 (when I'm not working, sleeping, riding or watching Olympics). I think it's been fantastic, and this Sunday is the last episode of the season. OK, for real now...nighty night!
Exciting road race! What an accomplishment for Evenepoel (TWO golds!!) and also for TWO French riders capturing silver and bronze - amazing effort by Madouas (who is he, even?) . Jorgenson definitely represented, I am still waiting to see where he finished - top ten for sure. It's too bad that he put in so much effort establishing the 2nd chase group, have to wonder if that made the difference for him.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to (older) age - when time truly flies.
I watched HoD's first season - have to say it didn't really grab me - but I will probably binge watch it all (rewatch 1 and see 2) before my Max trial ends in 3 weeks.
^^ that was Rae, btw.
ReplyDeleteHey Rae, I just watched the Mens Road Race replay Sun morning....wow, Remco looked incredible (too incredible?) And how about the ladies Road Race!! Kristen Faulkner attacks Voss (uhm, she is incredible!) and holds off everybody to the line! Talk about a dream come true! Good for her...just being in the position to be in the front group, and then knowing to attack the best in the sport, that's just great instincts and good sport too!
DeleteI've been trying to stay abreast of all the 'fun' events (fun to me), but it's overload, there's just TOO MUCH! Thank goodness Peacock has 'highlights' on it's site...I just can't possibly watch all the stuff I would like to. They Olympics have everything...and the chance for a lifetime of Glory is waiting for the bold! (I do have to say that in the Road Race cycling the whole 'how many team members each country get is crap...only 4 teams had the max 4 members (Belgium/Remco was one). Granted the Olympic race is NOTHING Like a normal pro race, as the teams in the pro races are there for their leader (in whatever he/they excel in), in the Olympics there's only 3 medals and they are NOT for the team...so there is almost no reason to work together (unless each team picks a captain and the others are obviously just there as Domestiques). And talk about not working together at all, look at the 2nd chase-group in the Mens...Wout and a few others (there were like 6 or 7 riders), all chasing the 1st chase (the French guy who Remco dropped)...they were all riding for Bronze, instead of Silver and Bronze. Had they worked together they had plenty of time to catch him, and they failed and only the French guy in that chase got the Bronze, and HIS teammate got the Silver. Also no Race Radio...I kind of like that...I think there's too much info and assistance on the Pro races...sure it takes away the 'chance' flat time/mechanical mostly out of it, but hey, thats part of cycling! Put some sealant in your tubeless tires then, sure it's a bit more weight but hey...NOT getting a flat is pretty priceless IMO! And a flat in the wrong place is absolute tragedy, the diff between winning and losing. Just my 2 cents...
Didn't get a chance last night before bed to talk about Simone AND Suni BOTH falling off the beam...wow! Seems like the world is making such a huge deal out of it...that's what happens when you are the best, everybody expects perfection all the time. The Beam must be one of the hardest things in sports...one of those events that you can do a routine a zillion times and still just one teensy little thing and down you go...humans aren't cyborgs/robots, we are imperfect at best. There is nothing that isn't difficult that can be done perfectly every time (or ever). NO matter which athlete has a misstep in whatever their sport, it's always sad as you know that they have a ludicrous amount of time and practice under their belts just to be at that level. We mortals can't fathom the pressure on them. And sadly, it was their last event and now this entire Olympics will forever be shadowed with their hiccup, and it would be very easy to forget about all the triumph and focus on the teensy mistake/misstep (and I'm not just talking about Simone and Suni here, the media and everybody else out there who was just expecting perfection).
ReplyDeleteJust watched a ton of highlights from the last few days...it's just overwhelming! And starting tomorrow morning (Thursday) I'm headed out on the road-touring bike...meeting my brother Greg at Surf Beach Station (west of Lompoc), he is riding the train up with his bike and we ride from there (not counting that I'm riding from home). Our goal is to end up in Santa Monica on Sunday to catch a train to LA Union Station, and there we have reservations on the Amtrak Surfliner north...I will end up at Guadalupe Station (about 10 miles east of Santa Maria) just before 8pm. Jeannie will pick me up unless the train is delayed/late (she doesn't drive at night) so if that were the case I'd just ride home (I do have lights). So I won't see ANY Olympics the next 4 days...should be fun tho, bike riding AND camping, woo-HOO! Later Gators!
ReplyDeleteI just watched most of the replay of the opening "ceremony". TBH I thought a lot of it was a hot mess! I did appreciate the (too short) nods to the first photos, the first balloon flight, and (perhaps, I might have missed some) other French firsts. The two French singers were great; I generally think that Lady Gaga is a great vocal talent but this was a miss for me; I did like Celine Dion - wish that I knew what the lyrics said.
ReplyDeleteThe dancing and prancing and hurky jerky I would rather have not wasted time on. Agree that the boat parade (interrupted by the silliness) took too long.
BTW, the sound for the English language commentators was AWFUL - could barely hear, sometimes not at all, over the background noise. So I missed who was the older lady in the boat with Williams, Rafa, and Lewis; also the man at the beginning who took the torch, and also at the end as well, who "needs no introduction". Clearly a French sports hero, but...
ReplyDeleteRae
PS hope you had a good bike camp trip. I think it was at Lompoc that we pulled into the campground, went to the area reserved for bike campers, and were informed by someone already there that that was THEIR spot and we needed to move LOL. They weren't bike campers BTW, had no idea about it, just saw the more secluded area and went for it.
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