Tis Just A Flesh Wound...

Crash in the Keirin final at the Track World Cup in England on Saturday - only the front two did not get piled up.

After the third place finisher (Azizulhasni Awang of Malaysia) got up and crossed the line, he got checked out by the medics:

 

Good thing, too.  That woulda probably got infected, yo.

Headline from CNN Sports:  "Cyclist finishes race despite splinter".  My question is this:  When does it stop being a 'splinter'?  A splinter is what gets caught under your fingernail.  This is a little, ummm, bigger.

This looks strangely similar to Link's Wooden Sword from the Legend of Zelda series...

Who REALLY Won The TdF?

Great re-post of a post from Steve Tilford over at Aaron Elwell's Blog, outlining who placed where in the Tour de France between 1999 and 2006, based on racers that have been disqualified, suspended or banned for doping since.

Of note:  if Armstrong really did do something, ahem, extracurricular, Cadel Evans, in 8th place, would technically be the "winner" of the 2005 Tour.

Wow.  Give the guy his trophy.

Coming Along Nicely

While I'm sitting here at work, starting to feel a little under the weather and staring out the window at a sunny, near 50F day, I figured I'd let you all in on how the new race bike is coming.

Answer is, its pretty darn close.  Chain, new cables/housing are all thats required for a functional bike.  I have a new Easton EC70 XC Riser bar coming for it, as well as new Ergon grips.  Then we'll take a look at replacing the crankset and rear derailleur - both currently Shimano SLX.

What I've Learned Today

Lessons I've learned in the past 24 hours:

• Do NOT sleep on a group of people that have their backs against the wall, regardless of the circumstances.  See:  K-State v. KU.

• Yes, going from 1-26 to 2-26 at home over the last 28 years isn't exactly "closing the gap".  But leaving a 0-24 streak in Manhattan, and transitioning to a 2-2 record in Bramlage Coliseum against the Jayhawks since 2008, when KU perennially comes to town ranked in the Top 10, is bordering between "putting up a helluva fight" and "holding serve".  Is it closing the historical gap?  Not really.  Is it closing the current gap?  You bet your ass it is. 

• Big games for your team are detrimental to your health, regardless of the outcome. K-State won, and I couldn't fall asleep.  If K-State loses that game, I can't fall asleep.  Either way, I'm staying up past midnight, and there's nothing I can do about it.

• Do NOT take the last chocolate in the community Valentine's Day box of chocolates.  It's probably a flavor you don't want.  Orange-creme filled milk chocolate.  Yuck.

• For every 100 great eBay transactions you may have, you'll have one that is with an unbelievable asshole.  Law of averages.  Hopefully, if karma has anything to say about it, he'll get beat to a bloody pulp with his own shoes.

• 50 deg F outside is better than -5 deg F.  Every.  Time.