Forgive me, my readers, for I have sinned ...
Hello everybody (hi Smitty!) I've committed a cardinal sin of blogging, which is failure to write. I have a couple of good excuses.
First of all, my clients seem to want More Of Smitty. In one case, I am the garrison force left behind while my client engages in an European invasion. In the other case, I am the European invasion. This is very good for me. However, it has consumed much of my writing time lately.
The other is that we're in the thick of the Tour de France. Here, they show the races live, and the very best ones, the rides in the Alps and Pyrenees, they show start to finish. When I'm not writing, I'm watching the race. Quite frequently, I'm doing both.
Now everybody forgets that it wasn't until after Lance Armstrong won his first maillot jaune in 1999 that Americans got to see anything more than a half-hour daily highlights show on ESPN. In 2000, the Outdoor Life Network started showing the Tour live (or at least the last 90 minutes or so) every day, with a rerun at night. So I can't say that I've watched more of the Tour than anybody. I have watched a lot.
Yesterday's ride by Floyd Landis was the most incredible ride I've ever seen, and perhaps the most incredible thing I've ever seen in all of sports. It was a performance that matches Bob Beamon's world record long jump in just how improbable it was. After an absolute disintegration on a final mountain ascent the previous day (he looked sick at the finish, and I've been in the same boat he was at the end of a long bike ride), to nearly erase an eight minute deficit yesterday and put himself back into contention is just too amazing to describe.
OK, enough of that. I hope to resume more regular posting next week.
First of all, my clients seem to want More Of Smitty. In one case, I am the garrison force left behind while my client engages in an European invasion. In the other case, I am the European invasion. This is very good for me. However, it has consumed much of my writing time lately.
The other is that we're in the thick of the Tour de France. Here, they show the races live, and the very best ones, the rides in the Alps and Pyrenees, they show start to finish. When I'm not writing, I'm watching the race. Quite frequently, I'm doing both.
Now everybody forgets that it wasn't until after Lance Armstrong won his first maillot jaune in 1999 that Americans got to see anything more than a half-hour daily highlights show on ESPN. In 2000, the Outdoor Life Network started showing the Tour live (or at least the last 90 minutes or so) every day, with a rerun at night. So I can't say that I've watched more of the Tour than anybody. I have watched a lot.
Yesterday's ride by Floyd Landis was the most incredible ride I've ever seen, and perhaps the most incredible thing I've ever seen in all of sports. It was a performance that matches Bob Beamon's world record long jump in just how improbable it was. After an absolute disintegration on a final mountain ascent the previous day (he looked sick at the finish, and I've been in the same boat he was at the end of a long bike ride), to nearly erase an eight minute deficit yesterday and put himself back into contention is just too amazing to describe.OK, enough of that. I hope to resume more regular posting next week.
posted by Smitty Werbenmanjensen at 11:11 AM
4 Comments:
Oh, Smitty, wasn't that amazing? I had counted Floyd out. My OK almost cried when Floyd cracked so badly on Wednesday. My house is always a mess and my emails are left unanswered in July because of the TDF. I Tivo the live broadcast (which usually starts at 5:30 a.m.) and watch it with the kids after everyone gets up.
Smitty, you're totally forgiven by the MK family!
Hi Smitty! Floyd is pretty amazing. As soon as he finishes the TDF, he has to get ready for hip surgery!
Glad you're back. And yes, that was an awesome day. I was out in Iowa at a family reunion in a TV-free zone all weekend, so I missed Thursday through Sunday (saw snippets of the Thursday stage before I left -- wow). I did get home in time Sunday to see the prime-time replay of Stage 20. It was an anticlimax after all that, but I was still glad I got to see him win it.
Don and I missed your patient explanations this year. :-)
The best part about moving to the UK is turning off the TV after the last TdF stage and NOT bursting into tears on confronting reality in Texas after a month in virtual France.
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