ToC, Stage 1; DVR suckiness

Well the first stage of the ToC finished just as we all expected it to, with a bunch sprint to the line. Juan Jose Haedo (ARG) from the newly formed United Pro Cycling Team took the sprint easily over Olaf Pollack (Ger) from the T-Mobile Team and Stuart O'Grady (Aus) from Team CSC.

The GC didn't get shaken up due to the fact that all but 16 riders were awarded the same time as Haedo. Today's stage has long been pegged as the real catalyst to separate the true GC contenders from everyone else. There is a category 1 climb just 23 miles from the finish line of the 94.88 mile stage, so whoever wins today will most likely come from a lead group that summits the climb first. Look for the usual suspects to be there: Levi, Floyd, Bobby J., Dave Z., Tommy D., George, Cadel etc. etc. etc...

DVR Suckiness
So I've set my Digital Video Recorder (DVR) to record all of the stages aired on ESPN2 for the whole week. I wake up an hour early in order to have time to watch the previous day's stage before going to work.

I had to really use some will power to not get on the computer last night to check out the results of stage 1. I wanted the conclusion of the race to be a surprise.

I got ready for work and eagerly sat down with my bowl of Cracklin' Oat Bran to watch my pre-recorded race.

I became very involved with the way that the stage was winding down...the 3 finishing circuits, the jockeying for position, the lead out trains moving to the front...I was on the cusp of the climactic sprint finish...one K to go...STOP!

"what the F*#&"

Apparently, the stupid Gonzaga basketball game had been aired just prior to the start of the ToC coverage. The stupid basketball ball ran over the allotted time frame and into the ToC time block, thus not allowing the stage to finish before the pre-set record time had elapsed. UUHHHGGG

I got to work and checked out the results of the sprint (which I would've done anyway), but not before re-adjusting all of the record times for the remainder of the week to run over 5-10 minutes.

Being a cycling fan is hard work.