Nebraska Cycling News

Tom Boonen created somewhat of a stir earlier this year when VeloNews featured him on the cover of its April 25th issue.

Titled "Boom, Boom! Boonen does the double at Flanders and Roubaix" many readers wondered if the magazine had doctored the picture because of Boonen’s unusually large arm muscles.

A couple of weeks later, VeloNews denied "Photoshopping" the picture, saying the bumpy terrain of the road caused the riders’ arms to be distorted. Judging by the way Boonen thrust his arms into the air after winning today’s stage, the guy has some pretty decent "guns" — manipulated or not.

It’s the flat stages of the Tour that are said to cause the G.C. ("general classification") riders so much concern. With high speeds, narrow roads and the possibilities of long successful breakaways (like in 1984 and 1990), there is good reason to be vigilent. It’s also in the early stages like this where people not familiar with cycling tend to ask, "How’s Lance doing? Did he win today?" Not exactly.

Do you get the feeling that David Zabriskie, as young as he is (26), we might just see him in yellow again a few years down the road? He’s a tremendous time trialist, he has several grand tours under his belt and he’s being nurtured along by one of the best team directors in the sport (former Tour winner Bjarne Riis).

Visit davezabriskie.com
Did anyone else visit David Zabriskie’s home page after his win yesterday? I did, and I felt even worse than I did after talking to him at the Interbike booth last fall.

There’s nothing CSC-related on it and his last diary entry was June 26th. There are some interesting section titles (Z-Rated, Hiztory and Z’s Point) but nothing of any real substance. Maybe the "DZ Team" which messaged me with an automated reply after I sent Dave some e-mail, will get into gear and get some yellow jersey pics posted. And if you’re wondering about that automated reply, here you go: "We appreciate your mail and be assured every email is read. Keep coming back to see what Dave has gotten himself into lately."

Cheryl Crow Provides Insight
It just about made me gag when I saw that OLN put Cheryl Crow on the set after today’s stage. But I quickly realized that, given the chance to answer some pretty intelligent questions, she provided some inside information we wouldn’t get anywhere else. Like how Lance felt wearing the green jersey ("I don’t want to insult the French."), what it was like to ride in the director’s car with five-time champion Bernard Hinault ("He was giving me the whole strategic talk") and how Lance was preparing for the time trial yesterday ("I knew he was going to do well because he was blasting Led Zepplin").

So if it means OLN has to trot out an aging rock star to get the minute details of Lance’s final Tour, so be it.

Phil Is First To Wear Yellow
I really like OLN’s competition between commentators Al Trautwig, Phil Liggett, Bob Roll and Paul Sherwyn. When I was living at home, my brother Neil (10 years my junior) and I used to pick the top 10 finishers for every day’s stage. OLN takes it a step further, awarding an actual Tour de France yellow jersey (emblazed with a huge "OLN" logo) to the commentator who is doing the best on predictions. I couldn’t help but notice that Phil Liggett, the current leader, seemed a bit uncomfortable wearing the maillot jaune. Perhaps it’s because he understands the significance of the real thing. No matter, it’s all fun.

About Sean Weide
Sean Weide is an accomplished sports journalist who has been avidly following the Tour de France since 1981. He started competing in cycling himself that same year and has been a race promoter, team director and USCF official. His "real job" is public relations director for Envoy, Inc., an Omaha, Neb.-based advertising agency. He still rides when he finds time, putting in a nearly four-hour, 55-mile Friday that he’s still feeling today.