You don't see too much about demolition derbies these days.

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

The last time I saw a demolition derby on TV was an episode of Happy Days. Fonzie won, of course...

It's the Law! Share the ...

...Roadie?

Also, it's Group Ride, not Groupie Ride. Please make a note of it.

I'm not proud of it, but I laughed pretty hard.

Actually, I have nothing to apologize for... except I wrote "hard" in the title. And yes, I still have the funny bone of an adolescent male. Apparently. And now I just wrote "bone." Gah!



 

 

And another point, local news outfits are making good use of those large touch screens, aren't they? Aren't they?

See how far NASA's Curiosity Rover has traveled since August 5th 2012.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

The Mars Reconnaissance Observer captured the landing site of the hulking Rover, and one can follow its tracks to its current location. It seems to have gone about 2000 feet since its landing. From NASA:

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity appears as a bluish dot near the lower right corner of this enhanced-color view from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The rover's tracks are visible extending from the landing site, "Bradbury Landing," in the left half of the scene. Two bright, relatively blue spots surrounded by darker patches are where the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft's landing jets cleared away reddish surface dust at the landing site. North is toward the top. For scale, the two parallel lines of the wheel tracks are about 10 feet (3 meters) apart.

Very cool pictures of crashed planes where all aboard survived.

All the wrecks are still in place today, and a German photographer captured them in a new photo book.

At first glance, "Happy End" may not seem like the most natural title for pictures of wrecked planes in forbidding landscapes, but German photographer Dietmar Eckell has a very positive outlook on what these photos represent. As described by Eckell, these pictures document 'miracles' in aviation history: forced landings where everyone on board survived and was rescued from the remote locations.

Swamp Ghost © Dietmar Eckell

I can has cheezburger memes coming soon to the Rose Parade. Maybe.

Glendale is proposing having a Meatball themed float, referencing the black bear who was addicted to trash can offerings in the Glendale foothills last year. He was too big for the Daily Squee, at 400 pounds, but definitely kept asking, "I can has Meatballz?"

Update: Glendale approved the float. Now they have to figure out a way to pay for it.

Tour Tidbits 2013 - Miscellany

There were some tidbits that didn't make it into the daily post, but they were still good enough to share, so here are the ones that stuck in my mind.

Wookies seem to like Grand Tours. Maybe soon, they'll get their own corner like the Dutch and the Norwegians.

Photo: BrakeThrough Media | VeloNews.com

Well, one of Chris Froome's nicknames is Froomedog, but I think that polka dot dog shows way too much emotion to be a match for Nairo Quintana.


Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com

I must say, this scene reminds me of the break room in any manufacturing plant before the morning shift. Teejay looks like he has the early morning stares. Obviously needs more coffee.

 Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com

And finally, a big deal was made of Ted King of Cannondale missing the time cut by 7 seconds on the team trial stage, and one of Team Sky's riders, Vasili Kiryienka, also missed the cut on the 2nd Pyrenean stage. However, there was one stage where there was no time cut because the route was just too hard: the mountain top finish on Mont Ventoux. While even the sprinters' autobus finished about 32 minutes back of Chris Froome, the very last rider finished 18 minutes after that. Jonathan Hivert of Sojasun had the honor(?) of being the lanterne rouge on the only stage without a time cut.

Now I'm all ready for next year's Tour! Eh, not really. Maybe in about a week...

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/21/2013 - Finale

For the overall winner of the Tour, the last stage is a parade in yellow. Chris Froome's Sky Team knows this, especially with how they treated the last day with Sir Bradley Wiggins last year. This year, they are keeping with their traditions. From Twitter logo:

To the bike, bus, and team cars.

It would be rude not to! "@modcyclingphoto Yellow @TeamSky #tdf pic.twitter.com/IAh4TzBuoJ"
— Team Sky (@TeamSky) July 21, 2013

And the yellow @Sportbrake fleet (via @kingblem) pic.twitter.com/HppX2HTi9p #TDF #VaVaFroome #TurnItYellow
— Team Sky (@TeamSky) July 21, 2013

However, yellow isn't the only color on the cyclists' minds, as the sprinter teams will want to put their stamp on the last stage as well. For Peter Sagan of Cannondale, he just needs to cross the line to win his 2nd green jersey in a row, as his lead over Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel is too large to overcome with just one win. He also has green on his mind, and on his beard...

We are all for matching accessories, but did @petosagan go to far with the green goatee to show winning #TDF green? pic.twitter.com/BUXetFl8S9
— NBCSN Cycling (@NBCSNCycling) July 21, 2013

Added: Have not seen green wigs and sunglasses on those other riders after the start. Aww.

Let's get the party started!! #tdf #green #cdalepro t.co/GAeYA6Ci3X
— Cannondale Pro (@cannondalePro) July 21, 2013

Programming Note for Tour Tidbit Finale

In solidarity for the late start time of the final stage of the Tour de France, Tour Tidbit du Jour will also be late. Ending the 100th Tour in Paris, the last stage will take full advantage of the City of Lights, by starting at dusk, and finishing on the Champs-Elysees at around 10 pm local time. Included for the first time on those final laps will be the roundabout of the L'Arc de Triomphe, which will be bathed in yellow light.

Expect the last Tour Tidbit to be very, uh, yellow. Just sayin'.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/20/2013

I noticed this last year, so it seems to be a thing for the pro cyclists to park their kids on the handlebars for a short ride to the start of a stage, at least while the children are still small enough.

Thomas Voeckler's boy may be enjoying (actually, he seems a little blasé about it) his last ride on dad's bike.

Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/19/2013

It took 18 stages for a Frenchman to win at his home country's Tour, but Christophe Riblon did it on the special stage set for the 100th Tour de France, climbing Alpe d'Huez twice.

Yes, they climbed it twice.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/18/2013

On yesterday's hilly time trial, there were two Category 2 climbs, which meant there were 10 King of the Mountain points available. How did they decide who got what points, since each rider rode the course one at a time, instead of the usual circumstance of just determining placings during a road race? The extra lines counted as unofficial time checks, since they were placed near the official time checks at 6.5 km and 20 km. Alberto Contador won the maximum 5 points at the first KOM, while Joaquin Rodriguez won the second. Chris Froome, the time trial winner, placed in the top four of each KOM, and added a total of 5 points to build on his KOM lead over Nairo Quintana.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/17/2013

Gap, the finishing town of Stage 16 of this year's Tour, is the capital city of the High Alps. Nearby is the Montagne de Céüse, whose cliffs are famous for rock climbing.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/16/2013

I'm not sure this new aero helmet will feature in tomorrow's hilly time trial, but you never know.

Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/15/2013 - Rest Day

How does Peter Sagan acknowledge being caught by the peloton after scooping up 20 more points at the intermediate sprint line? Why, by popping a wheelie on 23 mm wide tires, of course.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/14/2013

Are we headed to the Alps soon at the Tour de France? Why yes, yes we are.

Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/13/2013

The Tour's 13th stage was blown apart by crosswinds, and several teams took advantage of the steady direction of that wind and the geography of the course. Below is a map of where the Saxo-Tinkoff team of Alberto Contador made their move to put in time against Chris Froome's Team Sky.

We know from race reports that a 14 man group broke away from the peleton at about the 30 km mark from the finish line. That lines up with the left hand bend in the road between the first and second blue arrows. What was once a cross tailwind, keeping the front group together, nice and tight, turned into a cross headwind. Saxo, along with Belkin, Cannondale, and Omega-Pharma-Quickstep, broke away right before that turn, made a 10 second gap, and held it for 6 kilometers before the right hand bend at Chateaunieuf sur-Cher. The crosswind became a cross tailwind again, and that cemented the gap and the eventual 1:09 gain made by Contador and Roman Kreutziger of Saxo-Tinkoff, and Bauke Mollema plus Laurens Ten Dam of Belkin,  on Chris Froome.

Saxo might have had a bit of insider information on this stage, as their race director Philippe Maduit was born in this part of France, and is very familiar with this region's windy conditions.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/12/2013

Peter Sagan, the current green jersey holder, was nicknamed "The Terminator" by his Cannondale teammates last year, and had a custom decal and paintjob for his bike to match. This year, his teammates are calling him "The Hulk," referring to one of his signature victory salutes and the green color he is targeting to wear in Paris. Of course, his bike is decorated with the green monster theme.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/11/2013

Yesterday's individual time trial to Mont-Saint-Michel was almost an exact repeat of last summer's Olympic time trial, minus Bradley Wiggins the gold medalist. The silver medal winner, Tony Martin, jumped up a spot, while the bronze medalist, Chris Froome, came in second. I wonder how much a difference Froome wearing his own skin suit, instead of the race-provided yellow jersey version, would have made when the course turned toward the wind next to the wetlands of Mont-Saint-Michel.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/10/2013

This year's edition of the Tour de France is the 100th, even though the first one was in 1903. Several years were missed because of World War I (1915 through 1918, resuming 1919) and World War II (1940 through 1946, resuming 1947), a total of 11 years.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/9/2013

According to Tour lore, the origin of the climbing categories comes from the corresponding lowest gear a charabanc, or old style French touring bus, needed to drive over an ascent. Here's what a charabanc looks like:

A category 1 climb meant that the touring bus had to use 1st gear to get over the mountain, which corresponded to about 6 miles an hour. An Hors Catégorie climb, or above category, meant that a charabanc couldn't even make it to the top.

Rated climbs in the modern Tour no longer match what gear a big bus needs to use, being judged on gradient, length, and altitude.

I have to admit that I am fully committed to team #cronut

Just look at that! Crookies can go jump in a lake. Seriously.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/8/2013 - Rest Day

Sunday was the Festival of San Fermin, otherwise known as the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. And while Pamplona native Imanol Erviti on the Spanish team Movistar couldn't be there, since he was running with all sorts of other snorting, panting, excited beasts, he was at least there in spirit.

Imanol Erviti (Movistar) wears the red neckerchief to celebrate Saint Fermin – a festival day in Spain

Photo: © Sam Dansie

TourTidbit du Jour - 7/7/2013

The Tour has entered the Pyrenees proper, and that allows for incredible helicopter shots like this one:

Gnarly Tree

This tree gave me some nice shade while changing a flat tire from a slow leak when a bad bump finally made either a cactus sticker or piece of glass already stuck in my front tire prick the tube. One old guy passing by was impressed that I was able to get 85 psi in the new tube with just a hand pump. I think it's more a statement of how scrawny I look instead of how strong I actually I am, but I'll take the compliment.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/6/2013

Team Europcar may be a French team, but they're not all French. One of those foreign riders speaks French fluently, although with a strong accent. David Veilleux hails from Quebec, Canada, and is one of three Canadians riding the Tour this year, along with Svein Tuft on Orica GreenEdge, and Ryder Hesjedal on Garmin-Sharp. His team has given Veilleux the nickname "Caribou."

Spider Bot Has Funky Moves

From a story about 3D printed parts there, to a fun gif here.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/5/2013

Having 3 stages around the island of Corsica, while a beautiful and challenging setting for a course, presented some logistical challenges as well. The caravan and media had to follow the race at the start and finish towns too, not just the race and team staff. The media center commandeered a ferry which moored at the many piers near the finish lines, which made things much easier than having to dismantle the press room and rebuild it everyday, and also gave the reporters and production staff a place to park their vehicles. Some of the cycling teams liked that idea as well, as we can see from the Katusha team's accommodations during their stay on Corsica.



It looks like the Katusha team has a nice hotel for the evening. Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/4/2013

It was heartbreaking to see one of our Americans have to leave the Tour early because he missed the time cut in the team time trial in Nice. Ted King of Cannondale, suffering from a separated shoulder he received on Stage 1, had to ride the time trial on a regular road bike instead of a time trial machine because the pain was too much to stay in the aerodynamic tuck. The time cut was calculated at 25% of the winning team's time, and King missed it by 7 seconds.

There are other Americans still at the Tour: Andrew Talansky, Christian Vande Velde, and Tom Danielson of Garmin-Sharp; and Teejay Van Garderen and Brent Bookwalter of Team BMC.

It's official: SchmoBike 2013 beats SchmoBike 2010 in all benchmarks.

The Six Million Dollar Man may have been rebuilt better, stronger, faster, but SchmoBike 2013 is lighter, stronger, faster than SchmoBike 2010. My last speed record from 2010, which was aided by a pace line of motorcycle cops, was 46 seconds faster than my personal best of this year so far. Thanks to some young guy with shaved legs, whose wheel I was able to jump on for 3 miles, I beat that personal best by 56 seconds, and the old 2010 by 10 seconds. I wasn't feeling that great, but my pace was already on form to set a new record for the year. Then that young man passed me on my last lap, and wasn't going that much faster than me, so I decided to see how long I could suck on his wheel. Long enough!

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/3/2013

Simon Gerrans enjoyed his time on the podium after he pulled on the yellow jersey following Orica GreenEdge's winning performance in the team time trial.

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/2/2013

How close was that finish yesterday when Simon Gerrans of Orica GreenEdge out threw his bike against Peter Sagan of Cannondale? This close:

Tour Tidbit du Jour - 7/1/2013

Yesterday wasn't just a celebration for Jan Bakelants with his first professional victory and taking on the yellow jersey as a nice prize. There were a couple of birthdays in the peloton too, and while they didn't get a jersey, they did get nice cakes. Marcus Burghardt of BMC turned 30, and Sylvain Chavanel of Omega-Pharma-Quickstep turned 34.

Birthday cake for @chava_sylvain ! #opqstdf pic.twitter.com/qiswr90us7
— OPQS Cycling Team (@opqscyclingteam) June 30, 2013

Sneak peek at #TdF treat for BMC Racing Team birthday boy @MBurghardt83. (G. Lüchinger pic) http://t.co/bfMZZIeOMh
— BMC Racing Team (@BMCProTeam) June 30, 2013

However, Sylvain Chavanel got more than a cake for his birthday; he got a new bike from Specialized with a personalized paint job.


That paint job matches his car at home, a Chevrolet Camaro.