New team kits?

Okay, Cipo, I'm glad you did it...

Now that I am over the shock of Cipollini deciding to come out of retirement to race with a bunch of ex-dopers on Michael Ball's Rock Racing team, I have to admit that I am actually glad Cipo made this decision. Initially I thought there is no way Cipo, at 41, would stand a prayer next to the younger sprinters in the Tour of California like J.J. Haedo and Tom Boonen. I imagined Cipo's return to pro cycling after a three year hiatus would be reminiscent of Jordan's disastrous foray into pro baseball after retiring from the Bulls or Drew Bledsoe's last season as a pro quarterback. Much to my surprise and enjoyment, however, Super Mario pulled off a podium spot earlier in the week, two spots behind Tom Boonen. Seeing a guy like him race again is quite cool, especially when he shows he can still pull it off.

Seeing interviews like the one below is well worth the disappointment of seeing him race for Ball's team. My favorite quote: "I am 41 here in the body, but 20 in the brain."

Please don't do it, Cipo!

Mario Cipollini's apparent intentions to race with Michael Ball's Rock Racing squad made me lose all respect for the guy. Why would a great sprinter like Super Mario, with 42 Giro wins, want to make a lame return from retirement to race with a bunch of dopers like Tyler Hamilton, Oscar Sevilla, and Santiago Botero? It's worse than Jordan's disastrous post-retirement foray into baseball.

Promoting 'Cross Races....

...is a hell of a lot of work. Over the past few days, I have planted no fewer than 700 international orange wired flags in the nearly impervious, rock-hard Texas soil, blistering and cutting my hands to shreds in the process, all in an effort to bring out a cyclocross course from an otherwise empty field at Ft. Sam Houston, somewhat like a sculptor chipping away at a hunk of marble, slowly revealing the form embodied in the rock. Or something like that...

The course had a serious flaw in that it had to traverse a gravel parking lot that was used even on weekends. Getting it closed off seemed to be impossible, so I was attempting to route the course on the perimeter of the lot, basically using car bumpers as one side of the course. Not exactly the most aesthetic of cyclocross courses to be sure. Even worse, the dirt at the edge of the lot was rutted and torn up, which would have translated into a bone-jarring section.

Today while working on the course, a footbridge near the parking lot caught my eye. I had ridden the course dozens of times, but I had never seen this bridge tucked away in the trees. My problem was solved instantly. Instead of traversing the parking lot, I could route the course across this bridge. Not only could I avoid the treacherous parking lot, but I could incorporate a pretty cool feature found on many euro courses!