Lance Armstrong and seven of his U.S. Postal Service teammates will race in the Tour de Georgia, April 20-25. The 7-stage race starts in Macon and features one mountaintop finish. The event's 630 miles will include 30,000 feet of climbing.
This will be Lance's first appearance in a U.S. stage race since beginning his streak of five victories in the Tour de France. www.tourdegeorgia.com
[the following is an excert from "Uncle Al's Rant" of roadbikerider.com]
Your Two-Wheeled Therapist
Ever notice that when you're forced off of your bike for more than a week, your mind starts to crumble?
Small tasks become larger than life. You get a little short with everyone around you. You feel like kicking the dog, the cat looks like Satan (probably is) and the fish in your tank mock you.
That's because you're missing sessions with your therapist: Dr. Colnago, Dr. Serotta, Dr. Merlin, Dr. Waterford, Dr. Klein -- whoever your doc is.
I can't think of anything more calming than a couple of hours on my bike. Group therapy might be fine, but nothing works better than a one-on-one session with the pedals.
Fifteen minutes into the ride, you feel yourself starting to open up and talk about what's bugging you.
At 45 minutes you realize it's pretty damn silly to get so uptight about how your spouse brushes their teeth or that a seemingly rude person is just trying to be a comedian.
After an hour, you move into a state of reflection and calmness. You start to notice the scenery and appreciate how lucky you are to be able have these sessions and sort through all your gremlins.
You cruise back home with all the planets once again aligned. Aaaahhh! Endorphins are so cool!
Tips for these sessions:
---It's okay to talk out loud. Non-cyclists already think we're nuts.
---Primal screams are fine and can be very effective (particularly if a dog decides to interrupt the session). However, I don't recommend it when police are within earshot.