Wednesday night riding....be aggressive!

Competitive cycling, like most other sports, can bring about a certain amount of aggression occasionally. This is typically directed toward other cyclists as was witnessed yesterday in the St. Louis Biking Forum regarding the topic of sandbagging.  However, if you are like me, you just wish you could be good enough to actually sandbag someone other than the typical campus-sidewalk-riding-grad-student on their rusty-chained Murray.  Thus, aggression on my part is typically self-directed and results in long conversations within my head about why I continue to suck.  I thought about getting myself a Jens Voight "Shut up legs" t-shirt....

But this would be discriminating against my equally feeble lungs and gut, which also tend to falter at inopportune moments.

Speaking of aggression, yesterday's Stage 4 finish in the Tour de Suisse saw a massive pileup which resulted from Mark Cavendish and Heinrich Haussler colliding as they aggressively jockeyed for position during the final sprint.  As Cavendish swept slightly to his left and caught Haussler's front wheel, his own front wheel crumpled to the fork.

You can pretty much guess what ensued.

Cavendish was penalized 25 points, 30 seconds in general classification and 200 Swiss fances ($175).  Officials also relegated him to the back of the group he finished with.  At the beginning of today's stage, much of the peloton delayed the start in protest of Cavendish's supposedly over-aggressive riding. 

If you watch the above video closely, you can see Tom Boonen T-bone Cavs in the head just before he goes down himself.  And speaking of Tommeke, how about his new advertisement...

In the new marketing campaign for Merckx, the elf-eared Tommy reminds us that each of us is, indeed, a cannibal.....or in my case....that it's Wednesday evening, and I have just vomited the Hostess cherry pie I bought from the vending machine at work on Andy Sapp hill..... 

That's real artifical flavored fruit filling!