Crushing the pedals

Anybody who knows me is well aware that I am a cyclist.

I do ride a lot, it’s true. Last weekend, I knocked off a 101-mile ride with relative ease. I love riding hills - even ones that would be considered tough to ascend on foot. And I’m in the process of building a tricked-out carbon fiber bike.

(And yes, that’s a picture of me, climbing Emigration Canyon when I was in Utah last month.)

And during the month of July, I’m glued to Eurosport, VeloNews and NOS, following the Tour de France.

I’ve seen the race in person, back in 1990 when Greg LeMond won his third (and final) Tour. And I’ve followed the race closely since 1986, when LeMond won his first. I loved watching the five consecutive wins of Miguel Indurain, the seven wins by Lance Armstrong, and the trials and tribulations of Jan Ullrich. And for the past six years, I’ve followed the adventures of Levi Leipheimer, former teammate of mine at Rowmark Ski Academy (he’s racing well this year - go, Levi!).

So what song could be more appropriate than Queen’s ode to cycling, “Bicycle Race”?

This version was recorded live in the late 1970s - I have no more data than that, as it’s from a ROIO that is a bit lacking in the nitty-gritty details.

Download: “Bicycle Race” - Queen (mp3)
(Right-click/control-click link to download)