Lance Armstrong uncertain about his 2010 Tour de France chances
Normally i would dismiss an article like this as nothing but Lance trying to play with the heads of Contador and the Schleck brothers. But something about his answers leads me to believe that this is one of those rare occasions in his (professional biking) life where he is being honest.
The three good pieces of news so far this year are that Contador seems to be in good form with several wins already under his tires. In addition, as of today, and the 7th stage, Vinokurov is in second place at the Giro and has said that winning in Italy is his priority this year, going on to say that he will be riding in support of Contador at the Tour. He's not the most trust-worthy rider, but if he's telling the truth, that's great news for Contador. Lastly, but closely related to the second point, is given that Vinokurov is in second place in Italy, that means the Astana team must be riding well. That, also, bodes very well for Contador's Tour ride chances. Contador may well be the best individual rider out there, but there's an awful lot of great team talent stacked against Astana this year.
I think i read somewhere today that Hincape is the reigning US National Champion? How cool is that. If there's one pro rider i respect more than all the rest, it's George.
I'm getting goosebumps already and the Tour is still a month and a half away. :-)
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Complete change of subject. In my readings this afternoon, i ran across these noteworthy paragraphs.
"The burdens which men, indeed all beings, carry round with them are no different now from the Buddha-time. For then as now men were burdened with unknowing and craving. They did not know of the Four Noble Truths nor of Dependent Arising and they craved for fire and poison and were then as now, consumed by fears. Lord Buddha, One-attained-to-the-Secure has said:
'Profound, Ānanda, is this Dependent Arising, and it appears profound. It is through not understanding, not penetrating this law that the world resembles a tangled skein of thread, a woven nest of birds, a thicket of bamboos and reeds, that man does not escape from (birth in) the lower realms of existence, from the states of woe and perdition, and suffers from the round of rebirth.'
The not-understanding of Dependent Arising is the root of all sorrows experienced by all beings. It is also the most important of the formulations of Lord Buddha’s Enlightenment. For a Buddhist it is therefore most necessary to see into the heart of this for oneself. This is done not by reading about it nor by becoming expert in scriptures, nor by speculations upon one’s own and others’ concepts but by seeing Dependent Arising in one’s own life and by coming to grips with it through calm and insight in one’s “own” mind and body."
The Wheel of Birth and Death
Bhikkhu Khantipālo
Buddhist Publication Society
And then this was expanded on and reinforced later in the day when i came across this from Daido Loori:
"Holding on to the absolute is a dead end. That’s one of the diseases of incomplete Zen practice. It’s got to do with using zazen as a place to hide. That’s not what zazen is about. We think of zazen as meditation. Zazen is not meditation. It’s not contemplation, introspection, quieting the mind, focusing the mind, mindfulness, mindlessness. Zazen is a way of using your mind. It is a way of living your life, a way of being with other people. In order to be able to do that you have to go very deeply into yourself to find the foundations of zazen, the foundations of your life."
Caoshan's Love Between Parent and Child
John Daido Loori
Online Dharma Discourse
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