http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/tour-of-california/2008/02/23/stage-5-post-itt-quotes/ Just another Reviews.roadbikereview.com weblog Fri, 8 Aug 2008 17:47:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.1 http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/tour-of-california/2008/02/23/stage-5-post-itt-quotes/#comment-20 David "SPIKE!" Shuppert Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:51:10 +0000 http://reviews.roadbikereview.com/tour-of-california/2008/02/23/stage-5-post-itt-quotes/#comment-20 From a FANFANATIC, thanks for the coverage and interviews. Not quite like being there but great none the less, and especially appreciated in bringing us the nitty gritty feeling, emotions and experiences of the riders. Rider comments about the the AMGEN and the state of Cycling here in the the U.S., vis a vis Europe and the rest of the World, are particularly interesting and encouraging. Seeing so many American and non-American riders aboard powerful American teams really demonstrates the evolution of the sport brought on by the Armstrong era (Thanks Lance!). My take on this is that American dominance has arrived and is surging. As a Yank, this is on a personal level exciting stuff for sure...but more so, for Cycling, successful early season tours (ie the AMGEN) followed and applauded by so many, bespeaks deep felt public support for the excitement and pleasure of Cycling, and this inspite of the flood of negative publicity over the past several years. Yes, when things get really baaad...we all need a hero...ie, Tina Turner's lyrics in the Mad Max movie...and from that fictional drama transposed into the real life world of today...insanity has gotten out of hand...and yes, the public desperately needs and wants redeeming heros. Now, if we can just see a return of sanity to the managements of the European Tours, perhaps, maybe just perhaps, Cycling can move beyond irrationality, and onward into some truly golden, glorious times...quite obviously, there is a plethora of heroic cycling talent ready, willing and able to make it so. Mr. FANFANTASTIC...SPIKE! From a FANFANATIC, thanks for the coverage and interviews.
Not quite like being there but great none the less, and especially appreciated in bringing us the nitty gritty feeling, emotions and experiences of the riders.
Rider comments about the the AMGEN and the state of Cycling here in the the U.S., vis a vis Europe and the rest of the World, are particularly interesting and encouraging. Seeing so many American and non-American riders aboard powerful American teams really demonstrates the evolution of the sport brought on by the Armstrong era (Thanks Lance!).
My take on this is that American dominance has arrived and is surging.
As a Yank, this is on a personal level exciting stuff for sure…but more so, for Cycling, successful early season tours (ie the AMGEN) followed and applauded by so many, bespeaks deep felt public support for the excitement and pleasure of Cycling, and this inspite of the flood of negative publicity over the past several years.
Yes, when things get really baaad…we all need a hero…ie, Tina Turner’s lyrics in the Mad Max movie…and from that fictional drama transposed into the real life world of today…insanity has gotten out of hand…and yes, the public desperately needs and wants redeeming heros.
Now, if we can just see a return of sanity to the managements of the European Tours, perhaps, maybe just perhaps, Cycling can move beyond irrationality, and onward into some truly golden, glorious times…quite obviously, there is a plethora of heroic cycling talent ready, willing and able to make it so.
Mr. FANFANTASTIC…SPIKE!

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