What is challenging about the below pictured course? Why do you even need a suspension fork let alone one that costs $1000? I’ve said it since the introduction of MTB to the Olympics and I’ll say it again — professional mountain bikers and the courses they ride on are fucking lame. I’m ecstatic that the US Nationals are coming to Mt. Snow so that all the US pros will suffer and cry some more. They’re already freaking out about it and as they face one of the most hardcore courses in the sport I really hope some reconsider their profession. I remember reading an article about Tom Danielson’s (c/o East Lyme, CT) wife (a pro MTB’er) pissing and moaning about a NORBA course in North Carolina being too difficult. Isn’t that what mountain biking is about? In the mid-90’s Connecticut had the most hardcore local mountain bike series in the country. Jack Rabbit Run in Norwalk, CT was the LARGEST one-day mountain bike race in the WORLD. 13,000 riders and spectators! I was there! And trust me that shit was hard.

I might give racing a big FUCK YOU this year and just ride on my own because even on a local level its not what it once was. Real riding is done with your friends on your local trails when no one else is looking. Real riding becomes legend during the post-ride beer that follows.

This is the single saddest day in the history of sports.

From Velonews.com,
“Embattled German cycling star Jan Ullrich, a former winner and five-time runner-up of the Tour de France, announced his retirement from cycling on Monday.

Ullrich was one of dozens of cyclists implicated in an alleged doping network in Spain last year, which forced him out of competing in last year’s Tour de France along with many other top riders.

The 33-year-old, the only German to win the world’s most prestigious bike race, claimed Monday he never once cheated in his career.

“Today I’m ending my career as a professional cyclist. I never once cheated as a cyclist,” said Ullrich, who called the press conference in Hamburg to discuss his future. “I still don’t understand why I was not allowed to compete in the Tour last year.”

After being implicated in an alleged doping scandal, dubbed ‘Operación Puerto’, last year, notably alongside Italian star Ivan Basso, Ullrich was eventually sacked by his T-Mobile team during the race.

The team said at the time that damaging evidence from Spanish investigators in Madrid prompted the decision to drop their star rider.

Ullrich said he never recovered from not being allowed to race the Tour last year.

“My life as a cyclist collapsed that day,” added Ullrich, who went on to criticize the people who he said “condemned him before being properly judged.”

“I’ve been painted as a criminal while I’ve done nothing wrong,” Ullrich said.

In recent months, none of the riders linked to Operación Puerto – launched to weed out an alleged doping and blood doping network being run by a Spanish doctor, Eufemiano Fuentes – have been sanctioned.

While Basso went on to be cleared of all wrongdoing by the Italian authorities, and has since signed for the Discovery Channel team, Ullrich fared less well in his search to resurrect his career.

The Switzerland-based German was first pursued by the Swiss federation over his alleged involvement in the affair, and more recently has been charged with sports fraud by prosecutors in Bonn.

Ullrich has always denied knowing Fuentes, who is set to stand trial in Spain this summer.

“At the start of this whole affair (Operación Puerto) it was difficult to take, now it’s just sad,” said Ullrich. Since the affair erupted Ullrich has not been short of detractors in his native Germany.

The German took the opportunity to hit back, aiming fire at Germany’s former defense minister Rudolf Scharping, who has since become the president of the German cycling federation (BDR).

“Cycling doesn’t benefit from men like him,” said Ullrich.

For many years Ullrich was one of Germany’s biggest and most popular sports personalities, his feats easily eclipsing the Formula One achievements of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.

But after returning to the Tour de France in 2000, having decided to race the Tour of Spain, which he won, in 1999, the German was faced with a new, and more determined rival in Armstrong.

Despite unquestionable individual talents which saw him win an Olympic road race crown and two world time trial titles, Ullrich and his various teams struggled to challenge the American, who, having conquered cancer, went on to win the race for the next seven years.

Ullrich came closest to winning the yellow jersey again in 2003 when he raced for the Team Bianchi outfit finishing just over a minute behind Armstrong.

In subsequent years he finished fourth (2004) and third (2005)."

The 2007 Amgen Tour of California is starting today with a 1pm local start time for the prologue time trial. Of course actually being able to find a cable TV service that will let me watch it live is near impossible. You can find some initial information here. Updates will be posted daily or as they occur if something really interesting happens. This years line-up, most notably missing Floyd Landis, is stacked with the best ITT racers in the world so today’s stage is one to keep an eye out for.

Personally, as much as I’d like to see Danielson capture the stage, my money is on some up-and-coming domestic rider who none of us really know of yet.