My Niche Sports Front and Center

Noticed during my morning News Roundup: Amgen Tour of California Bicycle Race to start in Lake Tahoe May 15th, 2011. My sport, in my neighborhood! Squaw Valley USA is the Start of Stage 2 and Northstar at Tahoe will host the Finish of Stage 1!

Team Garmin lead the ToC Peloton May 19, 2010

Oh my, Stage One will be awesome on TV! Lake Tahoe is tops TV-wise...it should be good racing too. The Organizers have yet to release the Stage Routes, but scenery aside, there's thin air and big mountains to climb around the Lake.

Stage 2 Squaw Valley USA to Sacramento will be good too...again lots of scenic climbing, and more than a little descending.

The Amgen ToC is the premier Professional Bicycle Race in America. I think of it as a Preview of the Grand Tours later in the season...Le Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and the Vuelta a España. Since moving the ToC from February to May, the race has attracted the best riders and biggest Pro Teams in the world. It's another step forward for American Bicycle Racing.

In the beginning only a few Americans raced in Europe for European teams. Now American Teams are common on the Grand Tours, and Lance Armstrong is Le Tour's greatest Champion with seven wins.

New Salts Advance AC Agenda
News from the America's Cup Arena is good this week too! The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the Terms Sheet from the Organizers on a 9-2 vote. With the potential bottleneck breached, the Golden Gate Yacht Club's bid to host the 34th America's Cup Regatta on San Francisco Bay is free to campaign Internationally for the nod.

USA and Alinghi pre-start in Valencia, Spain

I won't gush about the America's Cup on the Bay, I've done enough on that score...and more.


Early Snows Continue
Ski Magazine tweets Early Snow at Silverton Mountain, Colorado. Their Ski Patrol got some turns in, too.

First Freshies at Silverton Mountain

October Baseball!
The San Francisco Giants begin their Playoff Season at home against the Atlanta Braves Thursday evening. AT&T Park will be rockin' Go Giants!

Giants' closer Brian Wilson prepares the final pitch of the 2010 Regular Season