Heading to the ATX

Early in the morning I take a cab to a plane to another plane to Austin. This weekend is the big Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest), and I'm gonna wallow in it.

Lots of great stuff going on. Check the schedule. Here's where I'll be. Beck, Silversun Pickups, Mars Volta, Gnarls Barkley, Octopus Project, Okkervil River, Band of Horses, so much music. And if you're around, they're doing live webcasts of lots of the shows.

I'll tray and post reports here, but you know how that goes. All that beer and sun and biking and beer takes a toll.

Contador Hangs On

Levi Leipheimer lit up the TT course to Alto de Navacerrada, taking the stage win and 31 seconds out of leader Alberto Contador, but it's not enough to take the lead in the GC. So it looks like Contador will win the Vuelta, completing his sweep of all 3 grand tours, and doing it at the age of only 25 and in the shortest span of time in history. Impressive.

(And Lance wants to come back and compete with that? Surely he has to be a bit nervous...)

The results, and the standings.

• 05:51 PM: The final top five on the stage
  1. Levi Leipheimer (Astana), 33:06
  2. Alberto Contador (Astana), at 0:31
  3. Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Epargne), at 0:31
  4. Carlos Sastre (CSC-Saxo Bank), at 1:02
  5. David Moncoutie (Cofidis), at 1:09

• 05:52 PM: The overall standings.
  1. Alberto Contador (ESP) Astana, in 77:21:52
  2. Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana, at 0:46
  3. Carlos Sastre (ESP) CSC, at 4:12
  4. Ezequiel Mosquera (ESP) Xacobeo - Galicia
  5. Alejandro Valverde (ESP) Caisse d'Epargne

Final TT

Alberto Contador has kept hold of the lead in the Vuelta de Espana, and as we head today into the final ITT he has a gap of 1:17 over the 2nd place rider.

However, that 2nd place rider is Levi Leipheimer, who has won on this hill before, and who could take time out of Contador. The fact that this stage is an ITT makes it all the more interesting, as Levi's role as helper to Contador is on hold.

All things being equal, Contador should be able to hold Leipheimer off. But, then, when are all things equal?

(A side note: Both these riders hail from the Astana squad that was kept out of the Tour de France, unjustly in my opinion. Considering that Contador won the Giro and the team is now headed for a 1-2 at the Vuelta, it's difficult to deny that this year's Tour did not host all top riders and that Sastre's victory, while impressive and laudable, has a tiny little asterisk next to it.)

E-mail of the week

What do you want to be when you grow up?

The New Townie

New on the Range

Great show headed your way this week.

I'm loaded down with new stuff. Weird shit like Atlas Sound, Deastro, and Animal Collective. Sweet and chill hip hop instrumentals from the new one by Alias. A new jam from Four Tet, a new song from The Real Tuesday Weld, and a brand new record from Okkervil River.


Also, big shows coming up from Blitzen Trapper and TV on the Radio, so expect to hear that.

Wednesday 5 to 7, Friday 1 to 3. Dig it.

Quote for the Day

"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers."

Thomas Pynchon


(Thanks to Andrew Sullivan)

Vuelta a Espana

Every year I complain how little attention the Vuelta a Espana gets, and every year I miss the start and forget to check in on it daily.

Well. My loss. This year's edition of the race around Spain has seen loads of leader changes, some really exciting finishes, and a rider name of Contador slowly build strength, like a hurricane spinning just offshore, affecting the air pressure and waiting to release his fury on the rest of the peloton. He's not in the lead yet, but most expect him to pull off the triple (wins in all 3 grand tours) in the shortest span of time ever.

Here's yesterday's finish.

Contador's just behind Valverde, waiting.

Valverde's going good, but even he expects Contador to take over. After all, he's largely acknowledged as the best climber in the world right now. Who can fight that?

Look What's Growing In My Wife's Belly!

Here you have the reason this blog has been so lame lately. The reason we've been stressed and lame, the reason I've missed deadlines and been scattered at work, the reason we've been preoccupied for the last month plus.

It's been a bumpy ride to here, but lately we've gotten some good news and it's finally time to be open and excited about this. A baby! And not just that, but a girl! When the euphoria wears off, I'll be scared sh*tless, no doubt. But for now, a baby! I did that!

Cathy's doing well, being a real trooper about all the issues we've been having. At many points it looked like we wouldn't get this far, but we have, and we're excited to move forward and get on with the true scariness of actually being pregnant and having a kid.

Expect more on this topic in posts to come. The ultrasound above (yes, there are legs) is from a couple weeks ago, so we should be seeing some new images, very different ones, in a couple weeks.

Lame Ass Weekly Update

Yep, Wednesday again. And yep, I'm going to substitute a simple preview of this evening's show for anything of substance. But, trust me, when I get back to this space, it's gonna be good. Shocking. Just you wait.

Anyhoo. This week's show has some great new stuff from Frightened Rabbit, Ra Ra Riot, Conor Oberst, The Walkmen, etc. Ruby Suns? Fleet Foxes? Not so new, but still pretty new. Got some new old from Townes Van Zandt, too. Sera Cahoone oughtta show up, as will lots and lots more.

Check it out.