Still Watching, Still Loving Pro Cycling Despite Myself

Sometimes life just gets in the way. A relationship. A baby. A new job. An injury. Whatever it is, sometimes we are taken away from our hobbies and must be patient until we have a chance to re-engage. I am hoping that that time is now. And I still love bike racing.

We are in the heart of the spring classics season, watching amazing performances by both individuals and teams. My thoughts up to this point in the season.

Oscar Freire is timeless. The veteran Spaniard has been oh-so-close multiple times this season to winning big races, and seems as sprightly as ever on the bike. He talks about retirement at the end of this season, but it would be folly for "El Gato" to bow out now, not when he is going so well.

Let all the negative rhetoric about Tom Boonen's career cease now and forever. He is, without a doubt, the greatest cobbled classics rider of his generation. This includes Fabian Cancellara. everyone wants to say that Boonen faces inferior competition. Wrong. he is just that much better than everyone else. In 2010 Boonen suffered bad luck in almost all of the races he entered. People said he was done. How about now?

Alejandro Valverde isn't quite as good now that he isn't doping. He is still a dangerous rider though, and should be heard from before the Ardennes classics are over.

Mark Cavendish clearly has one goal for 2012 in mind: Olympic gold on home soil this summer. He'll be hard to beat, especially with the support he'll enjoy.

Did Robbie McEwen even ride the classics this year? It was said he would bow out mid-season, but it appears as though he took that decision early. He had an excellent career, but made the right decision to retire this year.

Jens Voigt needs to be more like Robbie McEwen.

Cadel Evans, although very quiet thus far in 2012, will be ready to defend at the Tour in July. He has been preparing for grand tours for a long, long time, and knows what must be done to be in top shape for a three week race. Providing he doesn't crash or get sick, he'll be on the podium at the end of this year's Tour.

If Brad Wiggins doesn't win the Tour this year, he never will.

Andy Schleck better enjoy his default 2010 Tour title, cause he is never going to win a Tour outright. Not even if Johan Bruyneel is managing him.

Good to be back writing. Hopefully I'll be able to muster additional posts in the coming days.