Don't cry for me

To say that the Belgian cycling world is disappointed with Opening Weekend is an understatement. "We wait and look out for more and better," read one headline. Another proclaimed, "Crying for the Belgians ? Yes, that is possible."

Belgian Champion Stijn Devolder was even more blunt, saying he was disgusted with Opening Weekend. "It is a weekend to quickly forget." he added. Devolder had problems in both races. He blamed the lack of radios with having to wait 20 km before he could change bikes after his derailleur malfunctioned on Saturday. And on Sunday he crashed on the Oude Kwaremont. Tom Boonen also blamed the absence of radios for bad results. That and plenty of "fresh cowboys in the peloton."

Not a bad weekend for Ivan Basso apparently. The Italian went on to win the GP of Lugano in neighboring Switzerland.

Cadel Evans, meanwhile is taking it easy. The Australian will start his season on Thursday in Fruili, Italy. Evans is aiming for the Tour and he plans to only race 30 or so times before that event. "He could become the oldest winner since Henri Pelissier in 1923," said his manager. That is if he wins! Evans will be 34 by the time the Tour comes along, the same age as Pelissier.

It was pretty cold, but sunny in Northern California. On Saturday I went on a 28 mile bike ride, but yesterday I opted for some indoor training on the treadmill. I have lost some weight since the holiday and that appears to have helped my performance. I managed 325W on my 20 minute test recently and yesterday I ran 8.35 miles on the treadmill in one hour (including warmup). That means I ran over 8.5 for most of the hour.