What a day

What a day. I started in Calistoga, and now I'm having a beer at the famous Rogue Public House. A chipotle ale, of all things. I love how beer can take so many forms in the hands of those willing to try. Another example of thinking outside the box.

I thought I was going to eat here, but there are literally dozens of restaurants in walking distance, and despite the rain, I am determined to make the most of my trip. Besides, beer food just won't sit well on my tummy tomorrow (for that matter, neither will this spicy beer) and I've got a hard 65 miles from Palo Alto to Santa Cruz. Just ask Lance. This weather is taking the steam out of everyone. I'd be lying if I said that it's going to be easy. The fun will be finishing, for sure.

I've got another 10 or 15 miles to the next stop, then it's early to bed, early to rise. I've got to be at Palo Alto Bicycles before a 7:30 departure. That means air in tubes, water in bottles, ready to roll. I'm going to earn my fig rolls tomorrow.

I passed the Rock Racing and QuickStep team cars on 101 coming to SF. It's pretty cool to see sports wagons with $35000 worth of bikes on the roof blazing down the road. And they drive at the same pace in non race conditions. 90 MPH is a conservative estimate for the speed of the QuickStep wagon passing me. Speaking of Rock Racing: they are definitely the bad boys of racing, but they are a facet of domestic racing that everyone loves to see (even if they love to hate them). The team Escalade was surrounded by onlookers the entire day of the prologue, which is no different from my experience this summer in Philly. And while the kits fall somewhere near electric on a scale of flashy to obscene, the cool factor is undeniable. The skull and cross bones "take no prisoners" image can be confused with undue confidence, but I tend to regard the image of Rock Racing as an attempt to break open the stiff tradition of cycling. They are fresh and new, for the sake of it. I like that idea. They challenge peculiar traditions that have entrenched over time, and at the very least ask us to revaluate why certain things are so. You don't have to sport slime green and black to support the "nothing is too sacred" approach. If you can buy into the Vaughterian notion of redeeming cycling through change, at least give Rock Racing credit for staking everything on that very premise. Everything to lose, not much to gain outside of pride. I sincerely hope that they are able to maintain sponsorship for a few more years. If today's result is any indication, they are a worthy adversary for international competition. Chapeau, RR.

Enough commentary. Everyone, hold a drink high, and let's touch glasses to the notion of change. Tomorrow will be a beautiful and different day for us all.