Biking or Politics?

As many of you know, our country is in the process of selecting a new president. Thank god. This has happened a handful of times in my life, but I've never found the process exciting until now (in fact, I wasn't even aware it was taking place before now). And I must say, I do find it exciting. Here's why: I'm a cycling fan.

Who would have thought, but major cycling stage races bear an uncanny resemblance to the primary elections. Think about it: the build-up, posturing, and preparation. The scandals, and allegations of foul play. The grueling series of races that span a huge block of time, travel around the country, and test a variety of skills and disciplines (not just of the contestant, but also of the the team propping up the contestant). It's a perfect match.

The next time you find yourself yawning at the political pundit yakking about Hillary and Obama, instead imagine that you were being guided through the primary races by none other than cycling commentators extraordinaire Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin.

"I do say Paul, that was an absolutely brilliant win in (Iowa/Bordeaux) by (Barack Obama/Robbie Mcewen). By timing his (campaign/attack) to absolute perfection he was able to catch the other racers unawares. It appears the field may have underestimated him a bit."

"Yes Phil, but don't write off the likes of (Hillary Clinton/Allesandro Petacchi) just yet. (S)he has one of the strongest teams in the world, and when it comes to winning (elections/bike races) they know how to get the job done. There's still a lot of ground to cover before we get to (Washington/Paris), and I wouldn't be surprised at all if the other contestants have a few tricks up their sleeve in the stages to come."