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 Post subject: Tour of Colorado
PostPosted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 8:56 pm 
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The Tour of Colorado/USA yada yada.... Tour of Colorado kicked off today.

Click here to see an old dog animate things.

And here for a down to earth, honest interview with the runner up on the stage.

I like watching 'The Tour' and Giro to see all the places I'd like to ride but love watching the Tour of CO to see the places I've ridden and the memories the images bring to mind.

Here's to many more miles,

:cheers:

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It is not enough to fight for the West; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. -Edward Abbey


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 Post subject: Re: Tour of Colorado
PostPosted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:44 pm 
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Jensie tried again today! Gonna miss that dude in the peloton.

Some excerpts from velonews.com

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (VN) — In the end, it really didn’t matter if he’d won or lost.

In his final race, in what has been a season-long farewell tour, the fan favorite from Trek Factory Racing was doing what he’s done best since the Clinton administration — suffering, tempting fate, attempting to defy the odds.

After making it into the day’s 12-rider breakaway, Voigt attacked with 40km remaining on stage 4 of the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado Springs Thursday, on the third of four 25km circuits that included a steep climb leading into the red-rock wonderland of the Garden of the Gods, followed by as a short kicker 2km from the finish line.

With 5km to go, the gap was 35 seconds. With 2km to go, and one short, steep climb remaining, the gap was under 20 seconds. Would he hold it, and win one last time? Or would he be absorbed by an unsentimental peloton? And in the end, did it matter?

Voigt’s performance, a month out from his 43rd birthday, had already been a victory of sorts. The oldest rider in the pro peloton had, once again, put on a show. He’d brought the drama. He’d given it everything, against all odds, alone, again. He’d accomplished what he’d set out to, what he’d said was his main objective coming into the race, when he hoped only to have the opportunity to “try one of my stupid breakaways one last time.”

In the end, Voigt was caught inside the final kilometer, steamrolled by hungry, younger bike racers looking to create their own legacies. Cannondale’s Elia Viviani won the stage ahead of Martin Kohler (BMC Racing). Voigt finished 67th, 52 seconds down, completely spent.

Yet during the podium celebration, where Voigt was awarded as the stage’s most aggressive rider, the cheers were, by far, the loudest of the day.

After the stage, VeloNews asked Voigt if — even though he hadn’t taken the stage win — he had been able to soak up the experience of one final, odds-defying breakaway, and if that wasn’t a victory in itself.

Voigt’s response was, like the man himself — energetic, entertaining, and filled with emotion.

“Despite the fact that I was hurting, yes, I was also soaking it up,” he said. “I saw all the signs on the roads — ‘Shut up legs,’ and ‘Farewell, Jens.’ I could hear the people on the road, the fans. And it felt like it was my home crowd. I wanted it like that, one more time in the last week of my career. I felt obliged to show it one more time, to try to win in the fashion they would expect.

‘Maybe, in a bizarre way, it was fitting it ended like this,” he continued. “This is the story of my life — from 20, 30, even 40 breakaways, maybe one works. This was the typical breakaway, you give it all, and you get caught. It was a perfect example of my career — you put it all on the line, you’re taking risks in looking stupid.

“I like today. It was a good day, and I’m really happy that I had it. To be honest, I was a little emotional on the podium. I think I had maybe more applause than the yellow jersey, and I was the closest to crying since the birth of my first child, 19 years ago. I was really close to having tears in my eyes. It was a beautiful and emotional moment for me, and I am happy to one more time be on the podium, with these other amazing riders. I’m happy. I feel like I accomplished something, in my last race. It was a success. I was operational today. I was a force to reckon with. I made it hard for those guys to chase me down, and they only caught me with 800 meters to go.”


Read more at http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/08/ ... Ko1umpg.99

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It is not enough to fight for the West; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. -Edward Abbey


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 Post subject: Re: Tour of Colorado
PostPosted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 9:54 pm 
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An article on cyclingnews.com covered much of the same ground as above but included the following:

On his last foray off the front, Voigt hoped that his example would help to inspire the next generation of riders to take not only cycling but life by the horns, the way he has.

"Hopefully I've shown them you just need some self-belief and that you need to take destiny into your hands instead of waiting for it. You have to go out and force it. You need to go out and take life and shape your future and destiny the way want it, and you need it. I hope I can pass that message along."

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 Post subject: Re: Tour of Colorado
PostPosted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 9:57 am 
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My favorite part of watching him in the break was that he did not let riders skip their turn.

He was running the show!

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