Small in Front, Big in Back

That combination was the name of the game as I spun for an hour this morning. Maybe it was foolhardy, but I just needed to give my knee an honest try.

I kept an easy pace, with a 125-135 heart rate except for the a few brief spikes. It felt OK. I was watching Stage 2 of the Amgen Tour of California. It has been an interesting race so far. So many of the old characters are back, not just Lance, but several of the guys who got snuffed by Operacion Puerto in 2006 or whose other drug-related suspensions have elapsed. Mike said "we're a Jan Ullrich away from the 2005 Tour de France" and he's right. They're all out there: Tyler Hamilton, Francisco Mancebo, Ivan Basso and even Floyd Landis. And they all look pretty good. My dear Jens Voigt, whose clean riding and tremendous spirit characterizes his every move, is in the race as well. I just love that guy. If you haven't seen it, watch Overcoming. You will love him, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UncELpyKQLU&NR=1

Few things in our world are more motivating than spinning in your basement with Paul Sherwin and Phil Liggett spoonfeeding you the pro peleton. Today's stage was from Sausalito to Santa Cruz. It was raining. I'm always intrigued by how "American" the Amgen looks. I'm proud that the top European pros are here, but it's funny how the landscape --mountain, shoreline, wooded road -- is so obviously New World. Cycling is such a European sport, but it is starting to look at home here.