Well, it's July.

And that means it's time for the Tour de France.

I've been busy. In between celebrating Independence Day with an unholy quantity of unhealthy food and beer, preparing for my upcoming trip to Oregon, and not riding my bicycle (after a serious bout of heat exhaustion last year, I refuse to ride when the heat index reaches above 95°f), I've tried to keep up with the Tour de France. All I really know thus far is that some men in spandex crashed a lot, and that Mark Cavendish has won two stages, which is reason to celebrate!

The news seems concerned about Armstrong vs. Contador, who is and "isn't" doping, and those damn cobblestones. (In fact, it appears cycling has devolved to the point where Alberto Contador eatting a biscuit is now considered a newsworthy event. Is biscuit-eating the new fingerbang?) To me, the more important issue is that of Mark Cavendish vs. Thor Hushovd.

Now, this has been an ongoing debate with my friend Evelyn since last year's tour. If it's not obvious thus far, I'm on Cav's side and she's on Thor's. While it started as a friendly debate about who was the better sprinter, it has since shifted into a sometimes-fiery feud. Since both racers are very fast, we've had to use other criteria to determine who is actually better. Such criteria include country of origin, how boastful the individual is, and how good they look in the color green. (To start with, Mark Cavendish is Manx, and therefore inherently awesome. I know this because I am partially Manx.)

As the tour goes on I'll be paying close attention to who has the green jersey as well as who's racking up the most stage wins. Thus far it stands Cav: 2, Thor: 1.

Clearly Cavendish wins the "who looks better in green" battle.

In domestic news, things are finally beginning to pull together for my family reunion trip to Oregon (which departs on Tuesday). I've acquired adequate rain gear for the day hikes I'll be doing, and trips are planned to Crater Lake, the Oregon Caves, the Rogue River, and the Redwoods in Northern California. Just one area of my trip is yet to be decided: the bicycle aspect. I've been searching for a shop in the area (Canyonville) that rents bikes...so far, the closest shop that rents bikes is in Eugene, which is about 2 hours north of where I'll be. The lack of available bikes in southern Oregon has surprised me and I find myself wondering, why couldn't they have just planned the damn reunion in Portland?