babies and the ranch

Big week for the ranch - riderjosh starts us off with a new baby girl - sophia. Ridermamma not to be outdone - provides her own solo break and produces ranchbaby on sat a.m. 7:31 - described by riderturbo as "healthy as a bean - smooth as butter". Ridereazy-e, riderchichi, and ridercali are all in france preparing for the etape on monday. Riderzinni is in london re-living his big race in austria around the breakfast table. Ridercrespo is enjoying all the comforts that attach to being londons newest millionaire. Riderhowe is working the hills around zurich and watching the first steps of lizzie. Riderpitts is doing his best impression of ridernoshow and not showing in france. And ridercriti is just getting his breath back after watching his credit book trade up and down 20mln buck this week. For all that follow our knuckleheaded blog - make your own bets on the etape chosing from these 3 hombres pictured.

Ranch Team Dog does TdF Prologue

Wild and crazy, yes it was!

This past weekend saw the 2007 Tour de France kick off with the 7.9km prologue in London. The route wound its way through town passing by Big Ben & Houses of Parliament, Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace in a spectacle for all 1 million to see.

Ranch members were in attendance cheering on the riders, who careened through the streets at mach speed on aerodynamic TT rigs of the speediest sort.

Even the Ranch Team Dog Jake was in attendance, barking up a storm and getting everyone psyched for the upcoming Etape de Tour.

We DO miss Lance and the ol' school posse, but there are oh-so-many other wonderful riders forging the new era in cycling, including US Postal's former captain, Big Man George Hincapie (shown here in this weekends Prologue) and other tour Guns include Vinokourov, Sastre, Valverde, Cancellera.

These men poured on the watts for a fab blast through the London streets with spectators lined shoulder to shoulder for the entire 9 minute course.

The upcoming Etape is a monster event that will see the Ranch venture to France to ride elbow to elbow with eight thousand cycling enthusiasts in a genuine stage of the Tour, exactly one day prior to the actual TdF stage race, this upcoming July 16th.

There is big, there is bigger...and THEN, there is the Etape: otherwise known as... BIGGEST!