When The Moon Hits Your Eye Like A Giant Plate of Pasta

Following European races makes me miss my limited time traveling through the continent. Delicious espresso and wine, no set plans or places to be, and everything I needed was in my backpack.

It's a good thing bikes work on water.

Final provisions for the 2009 Giro de’Italia are underway. It has been nice seeing the teams getting all cozy on romantic gondola rides. Preparation for the time trial I guess. I’m excited to see a TTT in Venice. I’m going to guess it will be more technical then fast unless they just circle the island. Venice is tight quarters and it got confusing just walking around that city. Can hardly imagine it on a bike.

Actually, I did have a bike there for a short while. A little girl shared her bike with training wheels. It was pretty; I’d put it up against any one of Shepherd Fairey’s bikes any day.

No bikes will be needed though if riders did the tourist bird dance in St. Mark’s square. Those pigeons are rumored to be some of the most diseased unsanitary tourist traps anywhere. It’s only competition may be found in the Blarney Stone. While swine flu is all the rage right now, but the bird flu wasn’t that long ago. I have no idea how either disease is contracted or spread, but those pigeons are still gross. The risk probably shouldn’t be taken on the eve of a three week race, come back with your family for that experience.

Good luck to all the riders; big thanks to Universal Sports for allowing those of us in the States and Canada to be able to view the race. (Article and air schedule: http://sn.im/hkufc )

If You Grab NY and Shake, All the Crazies Fall to CA

It is normally best for me to just space out on rides.

My sporadic thoughts:
Keep pedaling.
Crap that car was close.
Keep pedaling.
Rubber side down.
I can totally catch that guy up there.
Keep pedaling.
Ouch I’m out of shape.
Pedal anyways.
Pedal in a full circle you idiot.
Why did I put this song on my ipod?
Pedaling… still.

Keep in mind that in between all of those are long bouts of nothingness. I really do mean nothing; it’s shocking how few brain waves I can have.

To the lady walking opposite of the direction I was riding today, thank you for throwing a little gem into my blissful monotony. She looked all fine and innocent clearly sizing me up, but we could share the space on the road. As I got a length away she started barking at me. Not yelling at me, barking as in “dogs bark, cats meow.” She then lunged at me reaching for my bars like a chained up junkyard rott. Luckily, she missed.

So to this lady, thank you. Thank you for missing my brakes. Thank you for filling my mind with jokes and confused laughter. And thank you for reminding me that I live in a city.

With a backdrop of the Pacific no less. Only in this city… good day.