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Jeannie Longo

The world’s best athlete no one knows turned age 50 today. She’s cyclist Jeannie Longo of France. Racing for nearly 30 years after an alpine skiing career, Longo has won more than 1,000 events, including 55 national titles an Olympic gold medal and victories in countries around the globe.

Although widely revered in the cycling world, Longo remains unheralded in the mainstream media. But she she shouldn’t be, particularly considering her legacy.

Longo, who has a doctorate in Sports Management, was born Oct. 31, 1958 in Annecy, France. She began her athletic as a downhill skier. After winning the French schools’ ski championship and three university skiing championships, she switched her main athletic endeavor in 1979 to cycling at the urging of her then coach (and now husband) Patrice Ciprelli and won her first national title.

As one of the 10 oldest athletes in the Summer Olympics in Beijing in August, Longo, 49, finished fourth in the individual time trial.

Floyd Landis

Floyd Landis, the dethroned winner of the 2006 Tour de France, has signed to race next year with the newly sponsored OUCH squad base in Southern California. The Australian-based cycling web site, cyclingnews.comn reported late Thursday that Landis would ride for the squad formerly known as Health-Net. The team is by owned Momentum Sports Group and will be officially named OUCH presented by Maxxis. Landis will join the team following the end of his suspension in January 2009.

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Charles Barkley, the former NBA All-Star forward and current network basketball analyst, confirmed Monday the long-time speculation that he’ll run for political office. Speaking with Campbell Brown, the new CNN political talk show host, Barkley said he plans to run for governor of his home state of Alabama in 2014.
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Alberto Contador

Alberto Contador of Spain, winner of the 2008 Tour of Italy, will not defend his title in 2009, opting instead to focus on winning a second Tour de France title. Contador, who rides for Astana, won the Tour de France in 2007, but his squad wasn’t invited to cycling’s prestige event this year because of past doping offenses. The team hasn’t officially been invited to the 2009 event, either, But it’s expected to receive a position in the race.

Contador’s announcement seems like a savvy move by Astana. Since Lance Armstrong, the newest Astana team member, will competed in the Tour of Italy as his first grand tour since coming out of retirement, he will avoid racing against his own teammate.

Likewise, Armstrong, the seven-time winner of the Tour de France, recently said he’s unsure he would vie for his eighth title. Of course, that would again allow Armstrong and Contador to avoid direct competition.

Contador also won this year’s Tour of Spain, the final grand tour of the season, in September.

There’s always a surprise when the Tour de France route is announced, and this time around was no different. The event’s 96th edition, scheduled July 4-26, 2009 was announced Tuesday in Paris. It will incorporate five countries after starting in one of the world’s most wealthy principalities. Race director Christian Prudhomme unveiled the course at luncheon press conference, detailing what could be among the race’s most spectacular journeys. The race will begin with a 15-kilometer time trial in Monte Carlo in Monaco on Saturday, July 4 and advance on a clockwise route that will take the peloton into Spain, Andorra, Switzerland and Italy before its traditional finish July 26 in Paris.
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Mike Singletary

Mike Singletary replaced Mike Nolan on Monday as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Nolan was largely ineffective in his tenure with the team that dominated the National Football League during the heydays of Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice and a coach named Bill Walsh.

But now, with Singletary in the charge, the team will be run by the middle linebacker some say was the best in league history. And he’s also the player whose image represents television technology at its best.

Remember the first time the close-up camera captured Singletary’s intense look as a play was being called? Has there ever been a more vivid image in NFL history?

If Singlestary can install some the same intense degree of concentration, they’ve got to improve, right?

Every year, lots of folks try to speculate what route Tour de France organizers will select for the following year’s event. The starting city of the cycling’s most prestigious event is usually known a year in advance. But the rest is kept secret until the annual fall unveiling.

This year, the presentation will occur Wednesday, Oct. 22 in its usual lavish presentation at the Palais des Congres in Paris.
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The National Football League has announced the price of Super Bowl ticket will both increase and decrease for next year’s game.

Twenty-five percent of the tickets for the game Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz. will be $1,000. A majority of tickets will be priced at $800 with the remainder priced at $500. The latter two prices are lower than last year.

The first Super Bowl was played 43 years ago in the Los Angeles Coliseum and the tickets cost $6, $10 and $12.

Ticket prices surpassed $100 in 1988, which means they’ve increased ten-fold in 20 years.

I’m not a NFL fan, but a Super Bowl ticket for $1,000?

Let’s see . . . with $1,000 I’d rather . . .

1. Buy a new laptop;

2. Make an extra mortgage payment;

3. Make a sweet credit card payment;

4. Throw a great party, buy a lot of pizza and beer and chips and salsa and watch the game at home with good friends . . . and probably save $800.

I’ve never met Joe Lindsey, at least I don’t think I have. But I’ve read his work for years, and he’s among my favorite cycling writers. Who else could reference Eddy Merckx, Andy Hampsten, Elvis Presley and the Japan-based Morning Banana Diet fad all in the same article?

The Morning Banana Diet part is a coincidence. But Lindsey, a freelance writer in Colorado who contributes a column and other articles to Bicycling Magazine, wrote a piece awhile back on the benefit of bananas in cyclists’ diets.

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Craig Alexander provided Australia with its fourth Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon World Championship victory Saturday when he rallied from 11th place beginning the marathon en route to win the famed 140.6-mile swim-bike-run in 8 hours, 17 minutes and 45 seconds.

Alexander, who finished second last year to compatriot Chris McCormack, was victorious by more than three minutes. Eneko Llanos of Spain was second in the 30th anniversary event in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, in 8:20:50.

Britain’s Chrissie Wellington won her second consecutive women’s title, finishing in 9:06:23. She overcame a flat tire that cost her 10 minutes on the bike ride. Wellington took the women’s lead approximately 30 miles into the bike segment and the eclipsed the current women’s run course record with a 2:57:44 marathon. Yvonne Van Vlerken of the Netherlands was second in 9:21:20.

McCormack dropped out during the bike ride, about four hours into the race, due to a mechanical problem. Greg Welch, also of Australia, was the first Australian men’s winner in 1994. Michellie Jones became the first Australian women’s winner in 2006.

A total of 1,731 triathletes began the 30th anniversary race. Luc Van Lierde of Belgium set the course record of 8:04:08 in 1996. Paula Newby-Fraser of Zimbabwe set the women’s record of 8:55:28 in 1992.

Top 10 men’s and women’s results
Men
1. Craig Alexander, AUS, 8:17:45; 2. Eneko Burguera Llanos, ESP, 8:20:50; 3. Rutger Beke, BEL, 8:21:23; 4. Ronnie Schildknecht, SUI, 8:21:46; 5. Cameron Brown, NZL, 8:26:17; 6. Patrick Vernay, NCL, 8:30:23; 7. Andy Potts, USA, 8:33:50; 8. Mathias Hecht, SUI, 8:34:02; 9. Michael Lovato, USA, 8:34:47; 10. Eduardo Sturla, ARG, 8:36:53.
Women
1. Chrissie Wellington, GBR, 9:06:23; 2. Yvonne Van Vlerken, NLD, 9:21:20; 3. Sandra Wallenhorst, DEU, 9:22:52; 4. Erika Csomor, HUN, 9:24:49; 5. Linsey Corbin, USA, 9:28:51; 6. Virginia Berasategui, ESP , 9:29:15; 7. Bella Comerford, GBR, 9:34:08; 8. Gina Ferguson, NZL, 9:36:53; 9. Gina Kehr, USA, 9:37:06; 10. Dede Griesbauer, USA, 9:39:53.