And Speaking of Hobbies ...

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Did you know there is a fairly significant sub-culture of people who want to be just like Lance Armstrong? (Significant in terms of number of people, I think. Not political influence or wealth, of course.) The ten-speed bicycle has really changed.

And a lot of these people shave their entire lower bodies. So I'm told. They also wear the funny skin-tight clothes (I think they're called "jumpsuits".) you see on the guys at the Tour de France even just to ride around on their bikes in their neighborhood. I'm all for hobbies, of course, but I don't dress up like a storm trooper just to practice memorizing the lines to Return of the Jedi.

The above is a picture of one of these guys that I found. One can only imagine what's next for the otherwise normal-looking tot smiling there in front of him. Decades of chapstick and windburn if he follows in his daddy's footsteps.

Now, in all seriousness, I wish I could do that bike racing myself. I never participated much in team sports in high school or college, but what I've read about the bike racing world sounds pretty interesting. Apparently there's a lot of strategy involved. And there is certainly a lot of terminology that has unique meaning and application in the sport. So that's pretty cool.

But look at that guy - what a tool. Can you imagine seeing a guy dressed like that, working out on a stationary bike in a hotel gym in New Jersey or something? That would be too much.