Tour Down Under done. Alaphlippe fan here. He showed up, make me hopeful he can regain his old form this spring and summer. No I won't put money on that. . . Joe D retires after a solid career, including a Giro stage win. Will he reconsider, maybe race in North America? Doubt it, not enough money here. . . Personalities raise a sport's awareness, which = $. Cycling would benefit from playing this card. Pog should be making money on par with a very good soccer player or NFL player, say $20M per year. . . PS clarification, "Hot Stove League" refers to news and observations during the American baseball off season. Hard to imagine now, but baseball a few generations back was way bigger here in the US than every other sport combined, with just a few athletes notably certain boxers and Knute Rockne enjoying the high status of baseball stars.