It's good to have friends; specially the types that understand your obsessions and share them. I won’t name names to protect the innocent but I have a friend that will wake up with me at 5:00am this Saturday just so that we can go see “Le Tour de France” live, on a big screen at a mall theater. Then we will do it all over again on Sunday at his house; he’ll make the coffee, I’ll bring the croissants. We’ll watch this year’s Queen Stage of the Tour de France on his TV before dawn. We’ve been doing this strange ritual for a couple of years and I’m apprehensive about it. I think this might be the last year we do it!

Other friends leave such wonderfully weird messages on my cell phone that it makes me glad I miss their calls and instead get voice mails documenting their aberrant behaviors. One friend called me to let me know that he was worried about the possibility of hurricane Emily devastating Venezuela. With the same impending sense of doom, he let me know he is worried about “…just 38 seconds!” He wanted to let me know that he knew what I would be worried about.

Another friend left me a voice mail impersonating Lance Armstrong. “Lance” let me know that he is disappointed in me this year. He says I have been writing notes to my friends about him for the last six years, sharing my enthusiasm for the Tour de France and his racing prowess; yet this year “…nothing!” He’s deeply hurt. Well, here you go Lance:

Thirty-eight seconds! That is what separates Lance from his closest contender at this year’s Tour de France. The contender is some Danish guy with a name out of a Nordic tale of trolls and fairies. This tall and lanky biker is no troll: If you don’t Mountain Bike, the name doesn’t mean much and you would probably dismiss the contender as a pretender. If you Mountain Bike, the name will sound familiar because Michael Rasmussen was the 1999 Cross Country Mountain Bike World Champion.

And he is definitely no fairy. You don’t come to the Tour de France and tell the press that you will win the “King of the Mountains” unless you are very confident in your abilities. Rasmussen consolidated his claim to the polka dot jersey on the first serious stage of this year’s Tour de France. He escaped on Stage 9 and came across the first mountain passes gaining maximum points for the King of the Mountains competition. He then went on an impressive solo suffer-fest to claim the stage. What made it impressive is that the peloton could not catch him even tough he was on his own for several flat-road miles to the finish. He was just as impressive on Stage 10, He did not win the stage but he did hang with a very select group of five who conquered the most difficult stage in the French Alps. Two of the climbs were “Hors Category,” so tough they are “beyond categorization.” Rasmussen hung with Lance to finish the stage in third and gained so much time over all the other, more well-known contenders that he is now in second place, just thirty eight seconds behind Lance who is now back in yellow.

What makes Rasmussen a serious threat to Lance is his obvious ability in the mountains. With the Pyrenees stages still to come, this year’s Tour de France will be most likely decided over the weekend. What makes Rasmussen really dangerous is his confidence. Pay special attention to the way this guy is wearing his polka dot jersey.

This guy is styling! He only gets the red polka dot jersey from the race directors but he is also wearing red polka dot shorts. He is even wearing a red polka dot helmet! He was so confident he would claim the King of the Mountain jersey, he had two pieces of very personal riding items specially made so that he could “accessorize!”

So should we worry about Lance’s final farewell bid for an unprecedented Seventh Tour de France win? Will Rasmussen get tired of the red polka dots and think yellow is more stylish? Will Lance be affected by the loss of one of his mountain goat domestiques? How many more contenders will come out of the Spanish Armada and start thinking they don’t have to wait for next year to make their mark? Will Jan and Vino finally rise to the challenge?

I am not worried Lance! You see, I know all about your character and determination. I know what makes you a champion. I also know what makes really dangerous: Your confidence! I know that you have a “Lucky 7” painted on your bike! And that has to be the ultimate accessory!

Labels: cycling, sport