First Orange Day in One Week

I got this great cycling calender for Christmas. It's photography by Graham Watson, and I've had one every year for the last four years. I've posted it right in front of my desk, so that when I'm working I can look up at it. This month there is a fantastic picture of Stuart O'Grady winning Paris-Roubaix last spring. The determination on his face is incredibly, and seriously awe inspiring. I love it.

One of the best parts about my calender is that races days are highlighted in orange. So you can look up and see if there is a race that day. If its black, then there is no race. The months of November and December are completely black. No races. January is mostly black too. The black days aren't very good days in my opinion. I like being able to watch the race, or at least follow the live broadcast online. Months like April and May are almost completely orange. Those are good months.

The first orange day of the year is in exactly one week. January 20th. This day signifies a lot. It stands for the beginning of the cycling season proper. It stands for the beginning of the ProTour. It stands for, at least for me, the end of winter, the end of the off-season. I don't care that it is still January. The beginning of cycling season is the end of dreariness.

I've got mixed feelings about this season coming up. My team, US Postal/Discovery Channel, did not opt to continue after last season. So I don't really have a team to support. Most of my favorite riders switched over to Astana, the Kazakh team. I would throw my support over there wholeheartedly except for the fact that Astana used to be the enemy. It's weird changing allegiance to the enemy. I've got to wait it out and see them race a little bit. If I like what I see then I will change allegiance. I'm not sure yet.

Mostly I'm just really excited for the season to start again. The off-season, though short compared to most sports, is too long for my liking.


The top picture is of my Calender. The bottom picture illustrates the difference between an orange day and a black day. Note the 20th, its the first orange day.


A shot like this is painful to look at. The black guys are my faves, the former riders of USPS/Discovery Channel. The bright blue guys are the enemies, the former riders of Astana. What color will they make when they combine?