Two Words...

NICE EYEBROWS!


New pink jersey leader of the Giro Italian champion Giovanni Visconti (C) (Quick Step/BEL) is kissed on the podium after the sixth stage of 91st Giro between Potenza and Peschici on May 15, 2008. Italian Matteo Priamo (CSF Group/IRL) won the stage. AFP PHOTO / DAMIEN MEYER

Yankee or Dixie?

This is a pretty cool online quiz to figure how Yankee or Dixie you are based upon some common pronunciations and terminology that you may or may not use on a daily basis.

I ended up with a 78% Dixie...coulda been higher, but I was born in Chicago, that probably has something to do with it.

Check it out

Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

...but I always thought it was "Out of site out of mind" when it came to websites and blogs. I've obviously been irregular with the good ole' 5count blog of late...I've laid off the entire editorial staff and just come to accept the fact that things around the 5count world headquarters were kinda dormant. But I've recently checked out some of my hit-counter stats, and to my surprise I still have a steady trickle of people viewing this site (probably just checking to see if I've put anything new up). So for those few of you who make the effort to swing by from time to time, here's a little random post for ya.

Last year I was playing around and made a composite photo of me and myself collaborating on a project. It ain't much, but at least it's something new to look at.



For some recent cycling stuff, cruise on over to the site that has been using up all of my "bloging-time"...Cycle Logic

How fast you type?

79 words

Speed test

Oooh Dannnngggg!

Team Astana may be barred from this years Tour de France. This is going to SUCK for Levi and Horner.

I'm not commenting on anybody's guilt or Innocence with regards to doping, past or present, but even with all the management, rider, and staff changes in the world....Astana still has riders on their roster who have been implicated in Operacion Puerto.

I'm just wondering if the ASO (and the Giro de Italia for that matter) would've made different decisions had Johan not brought Contador over with him???

Bring it On - week#2 results

week #2 - January 26th, 2008
Juniors 10-12

1 Justin Pfaff - Cycle Logic
2 Augustus Harrison - Unattached

Women

1 Angela Connaughton - Atomic Race Team
2 Amanda Hall - Atomic Race Team
3 Heather Davis - Naple Cyclery
4 Kristin Donahue - Team Florida
5 Jacqueline Dougherty - Unattached
6 Alicia Provenzano - Unattached
7 Ying Xing - Unattached

Men's A - field of 43

1 Daniel Chavez - Preferred Alliance Cycling Team
2 Phillip Gaimon - Fiordifrutta
3 Gary Yates - Naple Cyclery Gulf Coast Racing
4 John Salsbury - Jacksonville Racing Club
5 Karel Sumbal - Beaches Velo Sport
6 Charles Jerabek - Jacksonville Racing Club
7 Shane Braley - Team Wheel & Sprocket
8 Joel Chavez - Outspokin Inc.
9 John Cody Vance - Colavita Racing Inc.
10 Anthony Alexander - Helens Racing
11 Gerald Bouchard - Cycle Logic
12 John Faulk - Colavita Racing Inc.
13 Roger Montes - Cycle Logic
14 Rob Robins - Cycle Logic
15 Jayson O'Mahoney - Cycle Logic
16 Diego Henao - Team American Classic
17 Unknown
18 Anthony Musalo - Cycle Logic
19 Beck Frydenborg - Team Florida
20 Kenneth Sallot - Cycle Logic

Men's B - field of 33

1 Jimmy Page - Unattached
2 Eric Shields - Team Florida
3 Derek Schanze - Gainesville Cycling Club
4 David Reich - Team Florida
5 Colby Smith - Unattached
6 James Penrod - Cycle Logic
7 Romero Gill - Unattached
8 Eric Stubbs - Unattached
9 Ryan Fisher - Aarons/l5flyers
10 Unknown
11 Ron Palsgrove - Cycle Logic
12 Trung Tran - Unattached
13 German Barco - Unattached
14 Michael Arena - Florida Road Cycling Association
15 Justin Sapp - Unattached
16 Steven Severance - Unattached
17 David Schofield - Team Florida
18 Benjamin Talbot - Unattached
19 David Low - Unattached
20 Michael Boyco - Unattached

Floyd seems angry...for good reason?

In a recent interview with VeloNews senior writer, Neal Rogers, Floyd Landis tells how he REALLY feels.

To this reader, he comes off as frustrated, betrayed and above all...angry. We all have our own take on the doping situations that have plagued the sport of pro cycling and I pretty much hate them all. But read this interview and tell me Floyd doesn't have a reason to be angry. Does he get hot-headed and possibly makes comments that he doesn't have enough information to make...Yes. Does this reader agree with all of his comments and accusations...No. Does this reader think Floyd is madder than hell and with good reason...Yep!

Bring it On - week#1 results

week #1 - January 19th, 2008
Juniors 10-12

1 Justin Pfaff - Cycle Logic
2 Augustus Harrison - Unattached

Women

1 Jacquelyn Crowell - Team Kenda Tire
2 Kristin Donahue - Team Florida
3 Melissa Weddell - Unattached
4 Julie Pitts - Unattached
5 Kimblery O'Brien - Unattached
6 Alicia Provenzano - Unattached
7 Jacqueline Kurth - Team Kenda Tire
8 Alexis Dabroski - Team Florida
9 Heather Davis - Naple Cyclery
10 Jacqueline Dougherty - Unattached
11 Ying Xing - Unattached
12 Erin Epstein - Team Florida

Men's A 34 man field

1 Winston David - Toshiba - AEG
2 Phillip Gaimon - Fiordifrutta
3 Charles Jerabek - Jacksonville Racing Club
4 David Guttenplan - Time Pro Cycling
5 Robert Sweeting - Toshiba - AEG
6 Brett Miller - Naple Cyclery
7 John Faulk - Colavita Racing Inc.
8 Ryan Saylor - Lindner Capital racing team
9 David Comiskey - Team Florida
10 Anthony Alexander - Helens Racing
11 Unknown
12 Gerald Bouchard - Cycle Logic
13 Unknown
14 Patrick Weddell - Foothills Cyclists
15 Rob Robins - Cycle Logic
16 Unknown
17 Unknown
18 Scott Pfaff - Cycle Logic
19 Tim Molyneaux - Atlantic Shores Velo
20 Beck Frydenborg - Team Florida
21 Jayson O'Mahoney - Cycle Logic
22 James Wright - Jacksonville Racing Club
23 John Salsbury - Jacksonville Racing Club
24 Shane Braley - Team Wheel & Sprocket

Men's B
***Race cancelled due to area wide tornado warning

Rain or Shine

Tomorrow is the first edition of a 3-week practice Crit Series presented by Cycle Logic. The weather forcast is calling for a high of 62 degrees, 14+mph winds, 30% chance of rain early with a 60-90% chance of rain during the bulk of the races and toss in some scattered thunder storms just for good measure...now that sounds like some good bike-racing weather!

Regardless of the weather, the show will go on. Tune back into the 5count blog next week for race results and a recap of the days racing.

• View the FloridaCycling.com event page for the Bring It On race.
• Click here to view the event flyer in printable PDF format

Slipstream press

ESPN did a great story on Team Slipstream, their anti-doping efforts and their recent team launch in Boulder, Colorado. If you missed it, check it out.

Best line of the story...

"If we really want to keep doping out of this team, we have to keep how we win in the context of the human body. Some days are great, some days are not ... To agree to not dope, to never let that enter the context of a team, is to agree to fail sometimes. It is to agree to let your fans down sometimes. It is to agree to the fallibility of the human body. It is to sign that contract and live by it, no matter how high the pressure.
-- Jonathan Vaughters

Bring it On

Team Cycle Logic will be putting on the "Bring It On" race series this year. Previously run by Dan Larson, former Team Florida cycling coach, the "Bring It On" race series has a long tradition of kicking off the road racing season in North Florida.

The dates of this year's series will be JANUARY 19th • JANUARY 26th • FEBRUARY 2nd

Please see the Race Flyer for more information. We look forward to kicking off the 2008 season with you.

After further review...

I've been pretty critical of Team Slipstreams final team kit for 2008 and how they came off as 'misleading' with regard to the jersey design competition.

At first glance of the new jersey on Frischkorn's blog, I thought the resulting design was worse than the winning design, but after seeing some better photography of the jersey, it would appear that the orange isn't really that ugly "coral" color and there is actually some recognizable argyle (especially on the long sleeve jersey).

The team kits will look pretty sick when placed atop the newly designed Felt's (both road and TT bikes).

Regardless of the kit, I've always supported the Slipstream team, what they stand for and what they are attempting to do and will continue to support their efforts in the future.

What's the point...

...in having an extensive contest to design the next team jersey if they aren't going to use the design of the winner???

Slipstream had hundreds of entries and narrowed it down to 5. Those 5 were then voted on by the public...the result was this design:



But I just saw today on Will Frischkorn's blog that the new jerseys look like this:


What's the friggin' point???

Zabriskie to Slipstream???

I didn't think much of it the first time I heard of it, but I read this today and now wonder if there is something more to it?

Personally, Slipstream is my favorite pro team. I would love nothing more than to see them earn a wild card bid into the Tour de France next year. I love the fact that they are largely (18 of 23 riders) an American team. They are young and aggressive and without a doubt (in my mind) the cleanest team in the sport.

It'd be awesome to see someone like Zabriskie sportin' the Argyle. Slipstream is obviously bolstering their roster in order to meet their goal of becoming a Pro-Tour team by 2009...other current pros linked to contract talks with Slipstream are:

Backstedt - I guess it'd be nice to have the Sweedish National Champs jersey on the team, but he's kinda in his twilight isn't he?
David Cañada Gracia - really? how 'bout Horner instead
David Millar - I guess he's a big name, which is what they need, and he's a good ambassador for racing clean, but he's a bit old too, no?
Thomas Voeckler - Another big name, especially one that would carry some weight with the French organizers of the TdF.
Christophe Laurent - Another Frenchy to carry some weight with the ASO (TdF organizers). I'm pretty sure he's already signed too...his personal blog comes right out and says that he's riding for Slipstream next year. (the blog has been translated from french, so it doesn't read well, but you'll get the idea).

Depending on how he shows in the U.S. National TT championships this year, maybe bring Saul Raisin on as well. While we're at it, let's sign some other American studs...Tyler Farrar, George Hincapie (for leadership), Jason McCartney, maybe even young John Devine.

No matter who Slipstream signs, I'm very much looking forward to watching as my favorite team grows into one of the most competitive teams on the Pro-Tour.