Sanchez, Morrissey and Belgium's Supreme Court. Reheating yesterday's leftovers.

As the title above clearly states, today's post is little more than my attempt to use up leftovers from the last few weeks, bits of information that have not made into other posts for one reason or another. Sadly, that means that the literary artistry you've no doubt come to expect when reading this blog will not be on display today. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it.





1.
The headlines are everywhere. The Spanish economy is crumbling, Euskaltel-Euskadi may not exist for another season, and the UCI will have to bail out several Spanish races. As economists look under the proverbial couch cushions for reasons why these things are happening, I'd like to suggest that the cause has been right in front of our eyes for some time: Sammy Sanchez and his insatiable love for gold componentry* and kit.

If you've watched even an instant of professional cycling over the last four years, you've probably come to realize that Samuel Sanchez was awarded the last gold medal in road cycling. Even if you didn't watch the road race at the Olympic Games, you know this because Sanchez insists that his team's sponsors dip numerous amounts of bike-related bric-a-brac in gold to let everyone know about his victory. Short of dipping his entire body in gold, Sanchez has gone to great lengths to remind us of what he achieved four years ago, while choosing to disregard the extreme damage that he's caused the Spanish economy.

Now, as the London games draw near, Sanchez has decided to go out in style, as he showed in the recent edition of the Vuelta a Andalucia. There, Sanchez showed off his latest jersey. This abomination features reflective gold foil strip embedded into the fabric, thus putting him one step away from looking like an ice skater at the winter Olympics.


*Not a real word

When you finally notice the gold foil, you'll wince. That's exactly what Donald Trump did when he saw this jersey, and that's saying a lot because he owns this apartment.

With this latest move, Sanchez has moved up one spot in the Crazy Gold Scale™, which as we all know goes like this:

Level 1. Morrissey in a gold lamé shirt
Level 2. The wrestler Goldust
Level 3. Rapper Master P making a solid gold replica of himself






2.
As I type this, two print publications have once again lowered their standards and chosen to print something I've written. Both Road Magazine and Peloton have articles by me in their current issues. Thanks to both magazines for publishing my masterful work.




3.
This Saturday, the Strade Bianche will feature the all-Colombian Colombia/Coldeportes team. Additionally, Gazzetta dello Sport will provide unrestricted live video coverage. And you thought you had nothing to do this Saturday morning.


4.
A recent obsession of mine: Long videos on YouTube. Here are a few of my recent finds, which will provide you with some weekend entertainment.


Last year, while visiting the Tour of Flanders museum in Oudenaarde, a kind gentleman helped me with my suitcase, and stored it behind the counter as he ate his lunch. Typical of me, it wasn't until I finally looked up and readied myself to pay for admission that I noticed who the man was.

Freddy Maertens.

Below is a 53 minute documentary about Maertens. If you're like me, and you've grown accustomed to watching races in languages that you don't understand (my personal favorite being Basque, which sounds like my dog trying to clear her throat), you'll enjoy this video even if you don't understand much of it.





Documentary about the KAS team, including old footage of the Orbea and BH factories. This one is in Spanish.




An hour long documentary about equestrian trainer-turned cycling manager Paul Baeremaeker? Why not.




In the 1998 World Championships, Steve Bauer crashed Claude Criquielion in the final sprint. Criquielion proceeded to sue Buaer for assault, a case that made it all the way to Belgium's supreme court. This is a documentary about that event.




And lastly: a two and a half hour video on Youtube? Oh yes indeed. And it's a documentary about the Tour of Flanders.