Yay for me - one of my OV guys got up

Latest geek toy. It's ultra cool and it's free! Well free until you get the bandwidth charges from your ISP that is. https://desktop.google.com/download/earth/index.html

A couple a faux pas from Paul Sherwin in the commentary last night. My favourite: "These riders are going through these little towns so fast that under normal circumstances they would get a parking ticket."

That makes absolutely no sense.

Sorry I forgot the word "through". It still makes no sense, but at least it's more clearerer.

Bastille Day today. Reckin we'll see one or two Frenchmen busting a gut to win. Then they can retire back into anonymity for another year

Christophe Moreau is French, isn't he?

Can't be that anonymous if I can remember his name!

How's Mickael Rassmussen though? He's riding like he's on fire at the moment. "no, I'm not interested in GC" He says. Err......Mickael? You're top THREE. HELLO?

See, that's all because he's an ex-mountain biker.

he's got no TT, he'll lose plenty there, but hopefully he will attack Lance to make it interesting.

the Ex MTBers are doing ok! Cadel Evans, Rasmussen in the tour taking it to the front and also ppl like Trent Lowe who are doing good things in the states.

they are, but now we got no god MTBers. What's happened to Sid T lately? He's way off the pace.

Didnt he end up 4th at the 1st round in the US? i havent really followed much since then. Lowe is in a bit of a rut at the moment as well and has re assesed his season.

I think there is a big decline in club based and State/ National attendance with a big leaning of people to race meets like the 8/12/24hr races. why this is i dont know, but i rekon its having an effect on what cream is or isnt rising to the top. the longer races are more road rider friendly due to their format, so maybee there is an overall decline in XC MTB in general from what i hear DH is going great guns. could be due to an increase in freeride culture here, which lends itself to DH more than XC, and also could be the cause of the XC rot.

yep, as per the latest DH results and the selection of the DH Worlds team taking some time right now, a wealth of talent. We had 6 or 7 guys in the top 10 one of the last races in the US.

I think you're right about XC, local races struggle to get 50 people up here, put on an enduro and you turn people away.

Yeah, the Euro's are dominating XC recent years. What can ya do? *shrug*

Anyway, at least we have enough silly downhill Hucksters to keep the bastards honest.

P.S. What's a Bully Pro? Never heard of it.

ed, more results from superweek up, we're at it again.

Bully Pro is an oldish urban/tricks BMX that i used to get around on. pull it out occasionly when i feel like re - living the good old days.

Problem with such an increase in the enduro end of the market is that if the clubs stop running regular XC races, then this will in turn impact on the enduros and problably put Aus MTb into a terminal spiral. We get good turnouts at richmond WSMTB rounds where i normally race with 100 + XC racers at times, however ive been up at ourimbah where your lucky to have 30 XC racers. then youhave quite the opposite problem in Canberra where there are plenty of people turning up to races but near no races being run

No one's rushing to bid. They do make Thylacine's look like a bargain by comparison.

From the Hobart Wheelers web site

It doesn't like my expensive video card, but seems to work ok on the computer with the cheaper card. Go figure. Yes, the ultimate geek toy. I shall now waste several hours exploring.

Thanks Jock.

5th in a very reduced field, 13 minutes back.

44th at New Mexico, 25 minutes back.

Brent Miller (AUS) was 14th.

Amazing Ned Overend 18th (50 years old this year, he IS the energizer bunny)

Boonen out! Shame that Hushovd managed to stay with Stu. I guess the old fella has some work to do.

who ya tippin? Stu or Robbie?

Ned is a God. That's undebatable.

Hey, I actually stayed up and watched a stage last night. Not a bad stage win by Moncoutie. He was a driven man, and the Frenchies got their win on Bastile Day. Yay for them.

The coverage was ****house though. One of the real battles was in the second bunch 30 seconds behind, where Hushovd and O'Grady were going to be battling for points now that Boonen is out after struggling to stay upright in the first week.

Did they show Hushovd and O'Grady duke it out? No, of course they didn't. 5 minutes after the finish they were showing the main field and saying 'Oh yeah, by the way, Hushovd is now up on points."

Thanks for that *grumble*

Not sure who to tip. Can't count Thor out, and who knows, Cookey might find some form later (big maybe) but then again Robbies' team worked so hard today they might be out-the-back tomorrow.

I think you'd have to tip Robbie, wouldn't ya?

Robbie has a bit of catching up to do though. Thor could come 2nd or 3rd every sprint and still get the green surely. We go back to the hills soon, only a few flat stages left and an ITT. I hope he can get up there and make it a nice 3 way battle, it'll make for a good finishing stage.

Anyone know who this old codger is?