From Eurosport.com:
“Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso and Francisco Mancebo were among 37 riders listed in Spanish media as being named in the country’s official doping report.”
The Tour begins tomorrow and teams are rebuilding as we speak. More:
Plans have changed! Although the STP will undoubtedly occur, it will do so without us this year. A huge surprise, fabulous as can be, has quickly transformed most of our summer engagements.
So, need STP registrations? We’ve got 2 to sell, including reserved spots for bikes on the buses back to Seattle. We’ll take the best offer we get.
We now hope to do our first STP in a year, two, or ten… but it’s going to happen!
Google Earth was released for Windows XP at the end of June last year. Playing around with the software, I created a few of the beginning stages of the 2005 Tour de France. The effort was quickly picked up by the Google Earth BBS community who completed the routes and improved upon my initial attempts.
This year, with plenty of time to spare, the stages for the 2006 Tour de France have been completed and it appears to be the work of Satan. Ha!
One noticeable difference between last year and this year is the addition of Google Earth for the Mac. That means—and I’m spitballing here—there’s potential for a lot more coverage of the virtual event due to the influence that Mac-using designer-developer-bloggers have on the blogosphere. I think this is a good thing. Money follows the news.
Here are some ways you can get involved in the Google Earth coverage of the 2006 event and help create a richer experience for everyone:
Update: I just found a super simple method for geotagging photos in Flickr and it appears to work worldwide.
If you’re already working on stuff like this for this year’s TdF, please provide a link in the comments. And be sure to share your work with the Sports and Hobbies forum of the Google Earth BBS. Cheers!
58 miles!!! This route was essentially the ride we completed yesterday, except we avoided the highways and were closer to Lake Washington.
With less than two months until we cycle the 204 miles (in 2 days) from Seattle to Portland, this should become an easy ride for us. It didn’t feel that way yesterday at times, but I’m glad I can still walk today, and imagine I could’ve hopped back on my bike today if needed, even though my saddle might not appreciate it.
So far, between all of my training rides, the most interesting sights have been dog related:
1) little dog (possibly chihuahua) in backpack while helmeted owner is cycling fast on a road bike- poor dog would’ve flown far and been flattened in an accident, but it sure looked cute
2) big, black dog wearing aviation goggles while being pulled in a kid’s carrier
3) Jack Russell terrier in bottom of stroller while chihuahua is sitting in the top part; “mom” pushing them both
We never saw the peak today due to continuous white-out, but we really enjoyed our first trip to our closest active volcano’s national park. Playing was a blast! There were incredible amounts of snow, perfect for climbing up (hard!) and sliding down (fun!). Lots of people were making snow caves to sleep in tonight. Intriguing, but the thought of having to get out in the cold to go doesn’t appeal to me right now. Maybe next winter.
See our snowshoeing set. More pictures next week!
To the Seahawks, to their fans (of which I am one), and to Seattleites (of which I am also one), please allow me to be the first Aggie to say I’m sorry. I really am. I am embarrassed by the actions of the school I hold so dear. This should not have happened and I hope you’ll be able to forgive us, The Aggies, no matter the outcome. We did not initiate this. No Aggie worth his ring would have stooped to this. Let me also say that I realize this concerns football and property and not AIDS or poverty or the impact of war and so I’ll try to keep some perspective.
Now for the Ags, I’ve got a little story for ya.
The Twelfth Man is a unique Aggie tradition dating back to the Dixie Classic, a national championship football game against Centre College of Kentucky in Dallas on January 2, 1922. During the game, sophomore E. King Gill, a former reserve fullback, was in the press box serving as a spotter. As the rough game wore on and injuries took their toll, the Aggies were down to only one backfield substitute. Coach Dana X. Bible called Gill down to the playing field and asked him to suit up. Though Gill never got into the game, which A&M won 22–14, his willingness to serve started the tradition.
Aggies stand at football games to signify the students’ readiness to enter the game, if needed—to be the twelfth man on that fighting Aggie team.
—excerpt from Footsteps: A Guided Tour of the Texas A&M University Campus
With that, the 12th Man tradition was born. What you may not know is that shortly after the game concluded, Gill decided to sue the administration for not allowing him into the game. You see, Gill had spirit, but it came with a price. After all, how would it look to Gill’s family if he went back home and told them he had volunteered for nothing? He’d look like a fool! And so, the moral of the story and the meaning behind our beloved tradition is always ask for what you want; take it when necessary. And when life gives you lemons instead of diamonds, sue someone. Don’t ever, ever, use it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and change for the better. BTHOtu! A-Whoop!
What? You don’t remember it that way? Neither do I. That’s because E. King Gill offered a part of himself to his team that day and asked for nothing in return. He didn’t ask for a medal, or a statue, or for compensation. So what on earth is happening in Aggieland these days?
If Steven Moore’s statement to the A&M community is to be believed, this issue has nothing to do with money or publicity and everything to do with protecting a tradition that Aggies hold dear. Well, as an Aggie, I have some questions for Steven Moore and the administration that decided to take action.
Why now, the week of the Super Bowl? If you “have no ill will toward the Seahawks,” did you consider how this might affect morale? As you state, there are Aggies on the team and the coaching staff. Did you consider how this might affect their relationships with the rest of the team? If this has nothing to do with money, why not wait until a few weeks after the Super Bowl, when no one outside of Texas A&M and the Seahawks will care very much? You’ve waited two years to file a restraining order. What would a few more weeks hurt?
Because now I have to consider the possibility that this might just be about money. I have to consider that you may be placing bets on the Steelers to win (or have others betting for you, or have powerful friends who are betting) and that a downer like this may be just the sort of distraction for the Seahawks you were hoping for. Just a little edge. Barely noticeable really, but just enough to take some steam away. It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Of course it does, but now I have to consider it.
If it’s not about money, then just what are you protecting? What was the reason for trademarking the idea in the first place? Are you trying to keep the Aggie Spirit from leaving school grounds? If so, why? E. King Gill, the original 12th Man, offered himself to his school in an act of self-sacrifice that has inspired countless Aggies and numerous professional sports fans around the world. It seems to me that the world would be a better place if we encouraged others to adopt some of that same spirit.
The Spirit of Aggieland is one that “can ne’er be told.” As the saying goes, from the outside looking in you can’t understand it, and from the inside looking out you can’t explain it. But, if we’re truly Aggies, we should damn well try. The Spirit I took with me from A&M is not one of timidity, of masquerade, of harboring grudges, or of waiting for an opportune moment to sue someone. It is one of honor, integrity, loyalty, passion, “love of God, country, and family, and for that part of my heart which has never left these hallowed halls.”
So how could you take those ideals and pervert them in this manner for your benefit? And at such a bad time? This is such a public relations nightmare for both parties I can hardly understand it. I am disgusted and ashamed of your behavior, Texas A&M administration. You have tarnished something that I thought was beyond this sort of petty quibbling. As an Aggie who loves his school and all that it stands for, I sincerely believe you should withdraw the suit and issue a formal apology to the Seahawks team, to their fans, to Seattle, and most importantly, to the students of Texas A&M, both past and present. That is the honorable thing to do.
Gig ‘Em,
Harry Love, Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of ‘96
Go Seahawks! And good luck, Steelers.
That’s right, the Seahawks. This will be an enjoyable Super Bowl, I think. Good luck, Steelers; you’re going to need it.
Kathleen and I were talking about this yesterday, that the cool thing is, no matter the outcome, we still have Steve Pool as our weatherman, arguably the most handsome man on TV. Either way, we win.
Of course I didn’t set any world records by completing the race, but I was a part of the mass and it felt awesome! Apparently 5,500 women enrolled in the Seattle Danskin , making it the largest ever. It was inspiring to see women of all ages and body types participating at their own pace. My experience sold me on committing to this for years to come.
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