Tour of California rolls into Pasadena

For months, we've been mired in a morass of negative economic news ranging from the collapse of the housing market, to toppling banks, job losses, heavy stock market declines and store closures.

That's why it'll be nice to finally see something a little more uplifting. And no, I'm not talking about a new Playtex bra.

I'm talking about the Amgen Tour of California.

It's clean, it's simple and it's fun to watch. The 750-mile race, which began in Sacramento, rolls into Pasadena on Saturday with scores of world-class cyclists competing for the yellow jersey. The energy level is especially high this year because seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will be among the pack.

But all of these guys are pretty amazing to watch. I mean, we're talking about people who can ride at full tilt for 120 miles at a pop. And the routes often include big climbs - the kind that would leave most of us gasping for breath.

So grab that old bike in your garage, lube up the rusted chain and come out and watch the race. I guarantee you'll forget about the federal stimulus package, layoffs and the automakers' bailout ... at least for a while.

Providing that the racers aren't found to be doping ...

And if that happens, forget everything I just said.