That is it. I have no idea when SBNation plans to show the positioning off (read-only mode), however I assume it’s by January 1.
First issues first, as I’ve signaled earlier than, the FSA Directeur Sportif is cued up for one more go-round. Undecided about 2026, however 2025 is on. I can’t deprive myself of the prospect to cost Tadej Pogačar after his megamonster yr. Or deprive all of you of the dilemma that worth will pose. I might by no means look Ursula within the eye once more if I missed this opportunity. The directions for enjoying are easy: simply go to the FSA DS website and login. By February 1, 2025, you need to discover every part you want there. Although not sooner (keep tuned).
Different stuff…
I’m busily establishing a WordPress weblog for if (okay, when) I do get the itch to jot down. And please be at liberty to proceed chatting at our Reddit.
I may be adopted on Twitter, or Threads (chrsfnt), or Bluesky (chrispodiumcafe). As is true for a lot of of you. Please do comply with me there so I can comply with you again. Please publish in feedback every other hyperlinks you prefer to folks to learn about.
I like to recommend following Michael Baumann’s Wheelysports publication, which I discover to be similar to our strategy right here. Michael is knowledgeable author, principally about baseball, for a few of my favourite pubs, but it surely’s solely a matter of time earlier than he publicly admits that his true sports activities love is the Tour of Flanders. [That’s my guess. I don’t know him well, just corresponded a bit, but I have a keen sense of who might be a cobbles addict.]
*****
I received’t miss the biking, as a result of the present, as all the time, goes on. I received’t miss Belgium or Italy as a result of I intend to go there once more, with a motorbike or two. I received’t miss driving as a result of I plan to start out all of that up once more within the spring. I received’t miss the nice tales of the previous twenty years as a result of I can revisit them. I confess, I do like simply writing, I’m useless that manner, however no matter I wanted to say, I completed up saying it already. That’s a life lesson. Not all journeys are countless. [Except, of course, Journey’s. That’s another life lesson, about what vanity really looks like. I digress…]
However I’ll miss the neighborhood. It was all the time in regards to the neighborhood. I keep in mind within the earliest days you can name up a world map which might present the place folks had logged in from. San Francisco! Minneapolis! Brussels!! Riga! The place is Riga? It was fascinating, and although anecdotal at first, it did change into an precise neighborhood, not simply wired collectively however linked, in that thrilling manner that sports activities brings folks collectively.
I had the privilege of being a central determine right here, however that’s not what I’ll keep in mind most. What I’ll take with me is an accident of geography, being nearly farthest from the motion (time-zone-wise) such that by the point I’d present as much as the dwell chat, everybody was already there. The Cafe that I walked into so many mornings, latte in hand, was a constructing filled with previous pals, buzzing with exercise and chatter, jokes and race-talk, with an enormous display screen bringing the motion to all of us. Figuring out there was all the time a spot to take a seat, a race to look at, and good pals to look at it with… that’s what it was all the time about. Thanks.
