Great stage. Nervous stage.
1. First off, be sure to check out the new Versus commercial "A New Stage Begins" where they show clips of Floyd putting on the yellow jersey, Rasmussen winning a stage, Vino rolling out of the start ramp. EXCEPT THEY SHOW THEM IN REVERSE. The obvious implication is that these guys all got caught for doping and had their victories taken away from them. And that the Tour is now clean. A bit of an idealistic but somewhat damning ad by Versus.
2. Valverde - as Phil would say, he's dangerous b/c he's a sprinter who can climb and a climber who can sprint. His acceleration with 200 meters to go was just awesome.
3. The biggest improvement Versus needs to make is to put the riders' speed on the screen much more often. They do this every once in a while, but I think this will make viewing much more interesting. Similar to when they finally started showing poker hands on TV. Otherwise, it was just as boring as watching from behind the ropes in Vegas. Once they made that change, you could actually understand and appreciate the skill and strategy. Similarly, watching cycling w/o a speedometer is a bit deceptive, and you'll never appreciate the grade on the climb, but at least it's a start.
4. Here's a piece of info that will help you win an obscure bet w/ your friends - the first rider to retire from the 2008 tour? Hervé Duclos-Lasalle of Team Cofidis.
Maintain a calm deportment when you play even when the game becomes heated. Do not ever give your opponents hints through your gestures and body language about what is going to be your move. Perfect timing is also essential in a poker game.
Posted by: poker tips | August 08, 2009 at 07:47 AM