As promised, it's time to move out of the gutter and discuss the highlights, best of, and all around cat's ass that was "the best of 2010"! Similar to our last post, expect a mixed bag of opinion and common sense vs unfocused, mindless ranting. Now that we've dispensed with the disclaimer, let's move on shall we? We look forward to hearing your thoughts on our picks so don't be shy, LEAVE A COMMENT!
Best race: Holy schnikes... where to start? There were some great races in 2010, no doubt about it. Tri, cross, road...didn't matter, the racing was awesome. It's hard to pick a winner in this category but since we HAVE TO...here goes. atlanticspeed's choice for top race of the year would have to go to (pause for effect, the Ironman World Championship in Kona. It has been some time since a race had us glued to the live broadcast and/or NBC coverage after the fact and checking up on all the late breaking news and excitement. Chrissie Wellington pulls out with an undisclosed injury before the race starts? What the hell? That one news item alone generated a ton of buzz and kept people guessing as to who would be able to take over and put their stamp on the race. Diebens? Never run a marathon before? Kona is a tough place to do your first! Carfrae? Major? Cave? McGlone? Who knew, and what a great race it turned out to be.
As for the men, what more can be said that hasn't already. The Lieto train killed on the bike, Alexander left himself just a little too much of a hole to crawl out from on the run but posted a killer time, and the Macca / Raelert battle was epic, a la Iron War from years ago...remember the first post on this blog? Nuff said. All in all, a great race and one that will be remembered for years to come.
Honorable mentions would have to go to: (a) any Spring Classic that Fabian Cancellara was in! Seriously, E3 Prijs Vlaanderen, Flanders, Roubaix... what a season this guy had. To be able to pull away from Boonen,seated, on the cobbles, and crush the field is simply unbelievable (atlanticpseed crosses it's fingers hoping no positive tests or further "motorised doping" charges surface against him). The dudes legs look like tree trunks and his power is unmatched. It will be interesting to see what kind of plan Quick Step comes up with in the New Year to take him down and put Boonen back on top as King of the Classics!
(b) the Giro d'Italia. What an epic race, why the hell is this not on DVD yet anyway...horrendous weather, total suffering and Cadel Evans actually winning over some fans (for a change, just don't stand on his dog or touch him and it's alllll good!) based on his gritty performances! Great stuff.
(c) for cross races, the recent US Nationals in Bend, OR were wicked (apart from spectators colliding with racers (ie. Z. Macdonald from Rapha) as was the World Cup in Kalmthout...a surprise at the finish line plus snowy / icy conditions = one great race.
Best sports story: Hmmm, this is a tricky one. Lebron James and his signing with The Heat? The hell with that. The Leafs still somehow being considered an NHL caliber team (let the hate mail begin) and starting off the season with at least a few victories? Tiger's "redemption"? Don't think so. As much as I would like to highlight a tri story, no can do. The award has to go to The Golden Goal. Crosby and all of Canada = elated. Ryan Miller and all of the US = deflated. I don't know about you, but for the rest of my life I will remember the moment in time when Sid scored that OT winner and sent all of Canada into hysterics. A stellar game of evenly matched teams and the nail biting suspense of OT...hard to ask for much more.
Best TV show: sorry folks, I have to wimp out on this one and give you our pick(s) based on input from others. See, I am more than capable of writing a post about the "worst TV for 2010" based on evenings being trapped watching TLC crap and Judge Judy, but atlanticspeed is not exactly a hard core TV junkie (is still addicted to Married With Children, no further comment needed). So, based on third party feedback, some of the contenders are: Dexter, Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Modern Family and (?) CSI (not Miami). Rumor has it though that Don Draper and his crew are still kickin' ass so Mad Men gets the nod as best show for 2010. Anyone care to dispute or offer an alternative? LEAVE A COMMENT!!!
Best movie: I got nothing. The last movie atlanticspeed saw was The Expendables in the comfort of his own home, while sitting on the couch drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon and eating turkey bites so it's pretty hard for us to comment. Inception? Toy Story 3? We have no idea? Come on, throw us a bone and let us know what your picks are!
Best song: I can already hear peeps sharpening their knives: " gimme a break, you slam Usher but like XXXX??". Yah, well...whatever. We completely understand that music, like other categories on this post are totally subjective / personal and our credibility as judges of good/bad may be subject to scrutiny. Let's move on shall we? Rihanna had some decent stuff with Rude Boy and the Eminem tag team of Love The Way You Lie. Gaga is always entertaining (even though Alejandro was a bit of a stinker). The WA Phoenix CD came out last year (Fences, 1901) so we can't include it which sucks. Arcade Fire? Too predictable.Janelle Monae and her Tightrope was pretty sweet. Katy Perry was unstoppable in 2010 with Cali Girls, Teenage Dream and Firework (why the hell is she with Russell Brand, why? Can no one hear my cries?). Flo Rida and Far East Movement also had some catchy pop ditties getting waaay too much airtime on top 40 radio. Wave 97.3FM, are you listening?
The award though goes to Robyn for "Dancing On My Own". Never heard it? Shame on you! Remember "Show me Love"? From back in tha dayz? Yah, well she's still kickin' and putting out some wicked tunes that stick in your head. Simple, addictive, engaging, just a great tune and justified winner in this category:
Best beer: Picaroons. What type? They all kick butt. End of story.
Best jackass: Where to begin? Tony Hayward, Bieber, Lohan, Hilton, Kardashian, Gosselin, Contador, Landis, Woods, Kanye West, Jon Mayer, Heidi and Spencer, J Lo... Dick Pound and the UCI would have to be best in class though :)
Best band: Not sure if there is a legit contender this year? Caribou, Robyn, Arcade Fire, Big Boi, LCD Soundsystem, Kanye...I dunno? Whatever happened to the U2, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth days where a band completely dominated the music scene? Not sure if this was a good thing or not? Thoughts?
What about you? We've weighed in on what kept us pumped in 2010 but there must be other great stuff out there we've neglected to mention. Feel free to drop us a line...speak now or forever hold your peace!
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