Whew. Finally a day of rest and catching up and re-charging the cycling batteries. Actually, I think it will be at least two days of this for me. I need it after last week's hot-weather-riding-fest of all those miles.

You sit around for months in winter waiting for better days to come, and when they get here it all seems like a blur and suddenly it's autumn already and you're looking for where you stashed the arm warmers. I swear it all peaks in the month of July. Just looking at my calendar I thought I'd run down the list here:

* The Tour de France starts Saturday in Monaco. Don't forget that soon I will be posting here the info/link to sign up for the Rainbow Jersey Pick the Podium contest I'll be featuring on my Tour de France updates daily at 4:40-ish on WTMJ Radio. I love the routine of July. Watch the live coverage early in the morning as I work at home, then go out for a ride after the stage at about 10:30 a.m. Then it's work, home for dinner and watch the replay coverage at 7:00. My wife likes to catch some of it then too, just for the scenery. It's worth it.

* 4th of July Saturday. Can you believe it is here already?! I'll be at the Wisconsin Cycling Association races in Palmyra in Jefferson Co. mid-morning-ish to watch some it before heading out for my first ride of the year out in the countryside with my new Madone.

* July 9-12 it's the annual trek to the Iola Old Car Show, where we stay at a B&B I have been going to for almost  20 years now. The owner always prints out the TdF stage map of the day for me and I watch the coverage there along the Crystal River as I eat breakfast. Marvelous, relaxing weekend.

* Thursday July 16th it's the Shorewood Crit, part of the local Superweek races. I head over there at the end of the radio show and will probably be on stage for the start of the pro race at 6-ish. Last year I got to fire the start pistol and say a few words on stage with "Fast Eddie" of the movie Breaking Away who acts as the MC each year.

* Saturday July 18th is the tentative date for the "Pie Ride" up in Sheboygan with a group of blog readers/riders who joined me last year for a stage of my Tour of Wisconsin with my sister Tracey who was visiting from Penn. I'm promised home-baked pie, so how could I not attend?

* Sunday the 19th looks like a chance to hit Festa Italiana down at the Summerfest grounds. Good food and my heritage.

* Monday July 20th is the Botanical Gardens Superweek race day, when I always have to make time to ride down there to watch them race on one of my home training courses.

* Saturday July 25th there is a special Porsche show being held at Germanfest, and yes, I'll have my 911 in the show on that day. It'll be a long full day too, because the show cars have to be into the grounds early to set up, and then they have to stay until after the fireworks have concluded.

* Sunday July 26th is the morning the TdF rolls into Paris, and that is always a special morning when we watch live and eat crepes in celebration. Then I ride, somewhat saddened that the string of the routine of watching le Tour every morning and evening is now over for another year.

* Monday the 27th we'll draw the winners from the Pick the Podium contest on the radio show.

See...and so goes the month of July...poof.