Time For A Cool Change

Evelyn Stevens wins La Flèche Wallonne Feminine.  USA!  USA!

I can only imagine that sometimes my readers don’t know what the hell my headlines have to do with the stories that follow.  If last month’s “Dydd Gŵyl Dewi” didn’t elicit a Google search or two, then I haven’t done my job.  But usually the relationship is obvious: I don’t imagine anyone missed the point of January’s post entitled “2012 NBC Sports Cycling Schedule.”

So, what could “Time For A Cool Change” portend?  Obviously it’s a nod to an old song by the Little River Band, though I am not a fan.  As the self-styled Dennis Miller of cycling bloggers in West Bend, ages 45 and over, I throw plenty of music and other pop culture references at you.  And I do my fair share of bitching about the weather, which for the next couple of days will be very cool indeed.  But why stop at double entendre when you can have quadruple?  (Stick with me: the last two have something to do with cycling.)

Today I did what should be my last Wednesday ride for a long time.  I’ve got softball practice next Wednesday and the first game of the season on May 2.  Wednesday won’t be back on my cycling calendar until the end of August … except for July 4, as I’m sure we won’t have a game on Independence Day.  So, it’s time for that change and it’s cool because I love to play softball.  I probably wouldn’t have found my way to cycling if I hadn’t needed a low-impact way to strengthen my legs for softball.

The other cool change?  American Evie Stevens beat the almost-unbeatable Marianne Vos today in the women’s version of La Flèche Wallonne.  No American woman had ever won that race before, and the victory couldn’t have come at a better time.  With just 100 days remaining until the Olympics in London, American riders are fighting for qualification points.

The men’s version of La Flèche Wallonne was held earlier today too, and the finish atop the Mur de Huy was great theater.  I won’t tell you how it played out, just in case you’re waiting for the tape-delayed NBC Sports broadcast late Saturday night.