Mellow Johny

This is a picture of Daddy and Charlie celebrating George Hincaipe's day in yellow last week. Charlie is still a bit young to cheer for Hincaipe & the Disco Boys, but he is learning and he looks great in yellow. Maybe by the time this Tour finally gets to the mountains Charlie will have developed a fuller appreciation for cycling, he is certainly listening to enough of it while Daddy watches and tries to keep Charlie from looking at the TV -- do as I say, not as I do son. :)

------ TOUR LINGO 101 ------

Laura here. I am afraid that some members of the DN-lovin'-but-non-cycling public might benefit from a bit of translation relating to Dave's latest post. Here goes.

"Mellow johny" refers to the crass Americanization of the phrase "maillot jaune," French for "yellow jersey" [the coveted jersey worn by the current leader].

George Hincapie is a former teammate of Lance Armstrong's. George wore the yellow jersey on Day #2 of this year's Tour, much to the delight of the Americans.

The "Disco Boys" does not, as one might think, refer to a flamboyent a cappella group led by Matt Gulde. Rather, it refers to the Discovery Channel Team, formely led by Lance Armstrong.

Charlie does look great in yellow.

Apparently this Tour is the flattest that anyone can remember, and will not reach the mountains anytime soon. Thus, it will be quite a while before Charlie fully appreciates cycling. [The route changes every year. It does not take place entirely in France. It is not even necessarily one contiguous route. Sometimes the riders travel to the next stage by train or even by airplane. I knew none of this before living with Dave.]

A final Tour-related note: During last year's Tour, Dave, Fido and Tilly drove to Chicago to attend a fancy dinner with my boss. We stayed at the Sofitel, because, being a French hotel, the Sofitel surely would provide TV coverage of the Tour. Wrong. We ended up at a lousy, smoky sports bar near O'Hare squinting up at tiny TV screens.

Dave, please review the above for accuracy.