February.

Global warming, or just freakishly terrific weather for February 1: it does not matter.  Pantani would be punching it up something steep right now either way. 

And so, it turns out, would The Rooster:

This just in:

Cock-a-doodle friggin' doo!
Count me in
Again
with another douche bag or two.



The Rooster will see you now. 

Yeah, it's like that when you're in Richmond and it's 80 degrees in the dead of a Winter - which is to say, very much alive.  Judging from the size of the needle, I bet that dude is monster fit, and if he's rolling up here with who I think he's rolling up here with, they'll be off the front by the time we hit Markwood rd.  Welcome to Droppedville - population: Me. 

You know what I've been pondering more of lately?  Not just the whole global warming scare, which is tough to really squawk about too much when you can sunbathe in January, but instead, Global Dimming - basically, the idea that, through pollutants in our atmosphere allowing less sunlight through to the Earth, things are just a little darker than they used to be.  As a metaphor for humanity on this planet, that's strong and at least worth considering. 

You know what else is strong and worth considering?  C-ham winning the Pantani Ride.  I put a considerable amount of thought into this, and without really knowing who will show up fresh on 2/19 in what is likely to be radically cramp-conducive early season conditions, C-Ham is my pick.  Nobody cramps and rallies like C-ham. 

ouch face.

 Lots of naysayers, perhaps, on that subject, and the forthcoming installment of our now-annual, mostly fabricated, pre-race interview will probably not convince them either.  But, just remember who knows the sneaky way down from the top the best. 

this way

 That's about all I've got time for.  In fact, no, that's way, way more than I had time for.  But a man's gotta say his piece and stick to it sometimes, and here's mine: 

C-HAM BY 2 LENGTHS.

Which, if you're C-ham's size, is just over 13 feet. 

Chime in with your picks, but don't forget -  keep your cards close to your chest, especially if you've got an ace or two, and don't play 'em until we hit Brokenback. 



vile, yet delightful. 



Up, up, up.