Recently on Cyclingnews.com |
 Mont Ventoux Photo ©: Sirotti |
Letters to Cyclingnews - July 31, 2008
Here's your chance to get more involved with Cyclingnews. Comments and criticism on current stories, races, coverage and anything cycling related are welcomed, even pictures if you wish. Letters should be brief (less than 300 words), with the sender clearly identified. They may be edited for space and clarity; please stick to one topic per letter. We will normally include your name and place of residence, but not your email address unless you specify in the message.
Please email your correspondence to letters@cyclingnews.com.
A bike by any other name
Accountability and cycling teams
Andy Schleck "killing moves"
Anti-doping chief calls Tour tests a success?
ASO, doping and Astana
Bad blood
Boycott le Tour and Olympics
Carlos Sastre
Bring back bonus seconds to liven le Tour
Canadian eh! Ryder Hesjedal
Cleaning up cycling, a suggestion
Confused
Crank Length Formula
A bike by any other name
My Gosh he is right!
Stephen Connell
Friday, Jul7 25, 2008
Accountability and cycling teams
Cycling teams are big business. One would think that both riders and team managements would have some grasp of their respective accountabilities. The scene of a Saunier Duval rider dedicating his victory to his dead brother one day and leaving the Tour in disgrace soon after says a lot about accountability and little about respect.
My particular beef is with team management and particularly with that of Silence-Lotto. Given that the Silence-Lotto management is spending many millions of dollars on behalf of its sponsors, what is its level of accountability to those sponsors? Cadel Evans has no support in the mountains. Robbie McEwen had no support in the sprints. They employ a rider who seems to glow in pride with coming last in the Tour three times and second-last once (is he the Silence Lotto team accountant?). Who is responsible for this debacle?
If I were a share holder, I would call for the sacking of the management.
Crying in my beer in Australia.
Dick Wright
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Andy Schleck "killing moves"
I find that in racing, the pack may let one contender get away, but if Christian Vande Velde jumps, then Schleck jumps on his wheel so CSC doesn't have to work any. Then if Menchov thinks, "this is a move that could gain me some time", and tries to bridge, before you know it, everyone is answering and Christian Vande Velde move has gone nowhere.
Amos Meyers
San Angelo, TX, USA
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Anti-doping chief calls Tour tests a success?
Interesting that Pierre Bordry, president of the French Anti-doping Agency, calls this year Tour a success. Leonardo Piepoli, who won a stage and was thus necessarily tested, apparently did not test positive for any doping agents despite his unsolicited admission of guilt. The testing has a long way to go before I would personally label the efforts to catch cheaters successful.
PJ D.
Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Saturday, July 26, 2008
ASO, doping and Astana
Samuel Brower writes that "Astana have the same in house anti-doping protocol as Garmin-Chipotle, Columbia, and CSC-Saxo Bank."
Samuel, I challenge you to prove it. Press releases hyped Astana's johnny-come-lately adoption of Daamsgard's anti-doping program, but where is the data? No specifics were given and no results provided. I'd like to see you find it on their web site -- or anywhere else.
Brian Trudell
Burbank, California, USA
Thursday, July 24, 2008
ASO, doping and Astana #2
Michael de Serb's letter highlights the level of jealousy that exists in the minds of some cycling fans. If you win one too many times, you must be doping. And if you never get caught for it, well then, you really must be good at doping.
Given that level of cynicism, we really should go back and erase all of the great exploits of cycling: Merckx's domination in his first Tour, Miguel Indurains' destruction of the field in a Tour time trial, Bernard Hinault and LeMond's shellacking of the field on Alpe d' Huez etc. Obviously, they must be on drugs. No one is better than the average. No, really they are not.
This will then serve to elevate the mediocre performances that the jealous crowd so adores. That way no one will appear "too good". No one will appear "better" than the others. The ultimate "dumbing down" of civilization will be complete. Then the naysayers can go about their mediocre, boring lives with a smug look on their boring faces.
This is the same crowd that suggests we should cancel the Tour, or any event that finds a cheater. Makes sense. Let's get rid of any sporting, academic, or social event where those "cheaters" make the rest of us look impotent.
Scott Grimshaw
Marcellus, NY, USA
Thursday, July 24, 2008
ASO, doping and Astana #3
Jeff, your comments are completely wrong. I've been following the professional peloton since '81. As I was a 16 year old American transplanted in Italy. Two truths are evident over the past 2 years:
1 Dopers now stick out like sore thumbs, and
2 Internal programs work.
If you really pay attention to the race this year (and last year for that matter) the style of racing and those who excel are completely different from 3-4 years ago. Carlo Sastre would never have been in yellow years ago.
Also, look how close the race is. It makes more sense that the top contenders would be this close based on training and their own physiology. Doping is what creates large gaps in performance at this level. The fact that a talented rider like Christian Vande Velde is in a position to podium is a testament to a cleaner peloton.
Contador may be the best out there, but I always thought that by making teams responsible for the riders actions sends a powerful message to the peloton. Astana with their internal monitoring had a strong argument to start the race. But it is also true that they have been in the centre of too many scandals. A year in the penalty box is not completely ridiculous.
Ricardo Riccò and last years big scandal riders Michael Rasmussen and Alexandre Vinokourov, performances stick out like sore thumbs. This is not the same old story. If you have a trained eyed this reads like a fresh, long awaited new one.
Joe Galitzin
NY, USA
Thursday, July 24, 2008
ASO, doping and Astana #4
With all do respect to Sameul Brower, this year's Tour shows that ASO is doing more than that UCI. Compare the results of the Giro to this year's Tour. Riccò nearly won the Giro and never tested positive whereas in the Tour - under the ASO testing regime - he gets tested and caught.
The ASO is a business and is protecting its rights. The UCI is a governing body that was attempting to steal those rights and take money from the ASO and other tour organizers. As Americans I would hope that folks like Mr. Brower would defend those rights and those who act to protect them.
As for Astana - shame on Alberto if he joined a team that had participated in the 07 Tour (as a wild card invitee) under the threat from Prudhomme that any shenanigans would doom their future participation. Sure the Let Levi Ride crowd will crow about this being different, that being different. But the important things remain the same - the team and the sponsors. Sponsors have responsibilities too.
Having had two successive years of major issues and having been warned to not have issues in 07, Astana knew what was coming (both the team and the sponsors). We should be pleased that the ASO put some real teeth into its threat. Doping has consequences; it has intentional victims and unintentional victims. Alberto made his choice knowing all of this.
Tom Bruno
Bertrange, Luxembourg
Friday, July 25, 2008
Bad blood
I was reading about this book by Jeremy Whittle called Bad Blood on Cyclingnews' site.
His final point about:
"We love sport, not for its certainties, but for its uncertainties. But uncertainty is of no use to a doper. They want guarantees for success. (...) Paradoxically, dopers are fragile, paranoid and insecure, because they know that, on the day they don't dope, they will have non certainty. Ironically, for people who have given their lives to the pursuit of sporting excellence, those who dope themselves will never really know what their natural limits are."
I strongly agree with this assessment, and would further that by pointing out an excellent book about what is the fundamental basis of drug use and abuse of all kinds, as well as many other ills of our society in general: The Control Disease. The book is called "Compelled to Control" by J. Keith Miller. I would say what Jeremy Whittle has pointed out here is an indictment of our own societal ills.
We live, in general, in a society based on control. Everyone reading this has likely tried the new performance enhancing something or other. We are controlled, and we rage against control, but as in The Matrix, we rage against using only the methods given to us, pushed at us. Even our heroes form a method of control and are handsomely rewarded for it. Lance Armstrong is everywhere now on the web pushing FPS drinks.
When things don't go as we wish, we often, in our fear, step up to use controlling behaviours. Doping is so frightening to us because it looks just like us. Whole societies national pastimes (oddly, usually the ones based on English/former English rule) involve huge quantities of substances of various kinds. Entertainments are described as "opiates of the masses". Our entire society is defined by its addictions, and at the root of these is the control impulse.
I fell victim to this group mentality when I was cycling. I drank the Kool-Aid (err, Cytomax) like a good boy- I had a whole cocktail of stuff I took from ibuprofen to "power" (power or control?) gels. Sure, it's all "legal" but it's not different. We all want to feel that we have exerted some level of control over our performances and companies are more than willing to take our money to satisfy this urge. This is the essence of marketing. The promise of control. I didn't see that then, but it's clear enough to me now.
You see this everywhere, and not only in cycling. Control is my disease as well as yours. Even Jeremy Whittle's (and everyone else's) desire for a clean Tour de France is based on a fantasy of integrity that has never existed in any sport, including our own beloved one since the beginning. This itself is a form of control.
Real integrity is what right is done when no one is looking. It's a completely unclaimed thing. I am sure David Millar knows this, and can take our messages about his own apparent hypocrisy knowing this. We all rail against hypocrisy in these letters on a regular basis, but only you know if you are standing on truth or not. No testing can show this, and no ultimatums by organizations can assist you in this effort, or our beloved heroes in the hardest sport on earth.
Regis Chapman
Soda Springs, California, USA
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Boycott le Tour and Olympics
"And don't tell me that America doesn't censor what it finds to be dangerous to its own ideology.... China is far from perfect and yes it's silly to ban something like the bible but it's their country and they make the rules, live with it."
Richard Hinsliff
Friday, July 18, 2008
I hope you are not a zookeeper. From this line of reasoning you would have a hard time telling the difference between a rattle snake and a dog. Yes, America is not perfect, but they are not a totalitarian dictatorship with onerous restrictions on speech, property, etc. You are trying to compare the imperfections with the out and out tyrannical actions of another nation. I would suggest doing some reading on the subject before making a larger fool of yourself.
Steve Stringham
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Carlos Sastre
Bravo Senior Sastre! Great win by a great rider on a great team. Do we have a new "Jan Ulrich" in the making, i.e. a perennial second place, in Evans? At least Jan was fun to watch. I'd like to see le Tour add another placement, "The Beige Jersey" for most boring GC contender. Mr. E would win that easily.
Jeff
Wisconsin, USA
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Carlos Sastre #2
Carlos Sastre performance in the TT on Saturday reminds me of another great Spanish climber who worked hard to become a good time trial rider and win grand tour races.
Who could it be you might ask? Well, none other that Joseba Beloki; nice ride Carlos.
Mike Payne
San Clemente, Ca USA
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Bring back bonus seconds to liven le Tour
I think that the route was great this year, but without bonus seconds on offer the leaders were content to follow and watch each other (apart from Sastre on Alpe d'Huez which was great tactics from CSC).
If there were say 20 seconds for the leader available each time, then Menchov, and certainly Valverde, would have been drawn to them and it would have made things more exciting - apart from Hautacam and Alpe d'Huez the race was neutralised the rest of the time.
Colin Flockton
Monday, July 28, 2008
Canadian eh! Ryder Hesjedal
Canadian eh!
Congratulations to Ryder Hesjedal for his impressive first Tour de France. You have made all of Canada proud racing for one of the cleanest teams in the peloton. We watched you work for Christian Vande Velde, soar in the mountains and then rocket on the final ITT to land an impressive 13th for that stage, beating some of the world's best. Nice brother. I cannot wait to see you get some freedom to ride for yourself in the years to come.
Too bad that Michael Barry wasn't there to share in the fun; we've long been rooting (Canadian slang, sorry Oz) for him. I hope that together Ryder, Michael and Svein Tuft can dish out some pain at the Olympics.
Thanks to previous riders like Steve Bauer, Gord Stapleton, Alex Steida, Clara Hughes, Gord Fraser...and now Ryder, Canadian cycling continues to look healthy as ever.
Drew Schemmer
Barrie Canada
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Cleaning up cycling, a suggestion
I would like to respond to Fred Hawkins' suggestion to strike through the names of cyclists who used doping. I don't think it's a good suggestion, since it the suggestion ignores the principal problem with doping: a lot of it goes unnoticed. For example, it is possible that Riccò used the same product during this years' Giro as he did during the tour. But he did not test positive then. So, logically, it stands to reason that earlier the product could not be detected or that it was not tested for. So any number of cyclists could have used it during that Giro. What would be the point of striking through only Riccò's name?
Many cyclists complain that they are all painted with the same brush, but gross generalization is not on the audience's mind. Rather, it is the realization that there is no definitive way to distinguish the clever liars from those who ride clean. The number of doping cyclists who never tested positive (like most of Fuentes' customers) is proof of that. Striking through names would create the illusion the public could make such a distinction, which is, in itself, a lie.
Jonathan van der Sluis
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Confused
To Patrick of Oregon (and others):
Armstrong did not lose 10 kilos of body weight during his cancer treatment. As a matter of fact, if you look at his body weight before cancer, and when he started the Tour in 2004, the weights are only a couple of pounds apart.
Also, Coyle's work has been described as shoddy, and has been refuted many times by other experts in the field of physiology.
Yes, Armstrong was a gifted athlete. But you have all bought into the hype, and the grand tale woven by his PR folks. Thing is, most, if not all of the pro cyclists out there are highly gifted athletes. Armstrong's VO2 numbers and power output aren't much better, and in some cases a lot worse, than other cyclists who rode during his reign.
Tom Arsenault
Asheville, NC
Friday, July 25, 2008
Confused #2
Lance Armstrong losing 10kgs in weight is often cited as one of the reasons why he improved so much in the mountains. However the evidence points to there being only a small change in his weight of perhaps 2-3kgs, while one report I've seen suggests there was no change.
One US article suggests that he outperformed cyclists such as Ulrich because he was 10kgs lighter; however the latter appears to have weighed just 2-3kgs more. What people might be confusing is that Armstrong may have decreased his body fat level, while increasing his lean muscle.
Regards
Stephen Burke
Monday, July 28, 2008
Confused #3
Without a mention of Dr. Michelle Ferarri, all other arguments are a waste of time. Ferrari and his mentor Conconi perfected the practice of doping cyclists.
I'm a physician who used to live in Italy and know Ferrari personally. For those of you who argue on guilt or innocence without fully understanding how he conducted his "practice" are deluding themselves that they actually understand the topic. The association with Ferrari says it all.
Joseph C. Galitzin M.D.
New York, NY, USA
Monday, July 28, 2008
Confused #4
It appears that my asking a question concerning Lance Armstrong has struck a chord with the avid fans of Lance. There was no accusation in this just a certain curiosity. Experts seem to agree that the physiological profiles of the cyclist in the Tour varies by only the slightest amount (less than 1%) They also say that EPO increases performance by as much as 30%.
When considering these facts (with no finger pointing in mind) it presents a confusing picture. The physiological profiles of Lance (which have been published and documented) did not vary, to any large degree, from the other competitors; which have been proven to be doping. I am in no way saying Lance used performance enhancing drugs!!! I am asking how an athlete (any athlete) can achieve such fantastic results. I am sure all athletes would benefit from that answer.
Bruce Hanawalt
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Confused #5
On July 15th, Mr. Brian Hanawalt wrote: "Prior to the cancer he could not finish a Tour. After he came back he was able to dominate the world's best (while the competitors doped) and he was reportedly clean. This causes me much confusion."
Get the facts straight and stop providing bad data. In the 1995 Tour de France Lance finished the Tour in 36th place and he took stage 18 in honour of team-mate Fabio Casartelli who crashed and died on stage 15.
Keith Luzzi
NYC, NY
Friday, July 25, 2008
Respond to this
letter
July 25, 2008
Contador
I pity Jeff Miranda and any others who are not watching this year's Tour because Astana is not in. Yeah, it would be great if Contador, Kloden, and Leipheimer (or even Ullrich) were racing it, but geez, it's still been one of the most exciting Tours in a long time.
There have been seven different guys in yellow (so far) and six guys with a chance to win the overall heading into the last mountain stage...awesome. Your TV boycott really only hurts yourself, as the ASO sees only the increased crowds on the roads of France, not the scattered-few TV viewers changing the channel.
Rob Found
Canada
Friday, July 25, 2008
Crank Length Formula
For those readers that intuitively feel that crank length should be chosen on an individual basis, but are less than thrilled with the many formulas using seemingly arbitrary numbers to reach an end result, I'd like to offer this.
Height / Phi / Pi / 2 = Crank Length
Example with a 177cm cyclist: 177 / 1.61803 / 3.14159 / 2 = 17.4cm or 174mm
Why use phi and pi? Phi is the "number" nature uses to create levers in organic beings. In this model, we are leveraging ourselves, so we use our height. Because the UCI likes spinning in circles so much, and requires cranks to do likewise, we then divide the length of our lever by pi. This gives us the diameter of the circle our cranks will circumscribe. Divide by 2 to get the radius of that circle, which is equal to the crank length.
Of course for those with particularly odd bodies, who parents' genes didn't use phi to determine their own body proportions, you may need to look elsewhere for a way to determine your crank length.
Joe Wiley
Canyon Lake, California
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Recent letters pages
Letters 2008
- July 31: A bike by any other name, Accountability and cycling teams, Andy Schleck "killing moves", Anti-doping chief calls Tour tests a success?, ASO, doping and Astana, Bad blood, Boycott le Tour and Olympics, Carlos Sastre, Bring back bonus seconds to liven le Tour, Canadian eh! Ryder Hesjedal, Cleaning up cycling, a suggestion, Confused, Crank Length Formula
- July 25: Confused, Consistency please, Damages paid, Dave Russell passes away, David Miller on Riccò, Do you believe?, Doping, ASO vs UCI, what is going on?, Evans to wear number one in Tour, How does Andy Schleck "kill all the moves"?
- July 24: Gerrans, One question & two predictions about the Tour, A bike by any other name, ASO, doping and Astana, Beating a dead horse, but..., Boycott le Tour and Olympics, Cascade Cycling Classic accident, Cleaning up cycling, a suggestion
- July 17 - Edition 2: The effect of time bonuses, Cascade Cycling Classic accident, Confused, Boycott le Tour and Olympics, Alison Starnes diary, Is McQuaid interested in Cycling at all?, More involvement needed from CPA, Teams ditch UCI, Yet another...Manual Beltran, LeMond: Cycling doesn't need UCI, Dave Russell passes away
- July 17 - Edition 1: Tour mountain cats, Is Pereiro getting a bum wrap?, Popovych! Where the bloody hell are you?, Evans' team-mates, Evans to wear number one in Tour, Poor quality of competition, Tour climbs, What if…, Riccó uses outdated bike in ITT, Fabian Wegmann's electronic Dura Ace problems?, Hushovd's Look, Stage 10 coverage was a treat!, Tour de France accident, EPO is back on the menu boys!, Consistency, please
- July 15: Tour de France: Stage 3 - The Badger is back!, Thor Hushovd's Look, Riccó uses outdated bike in ITT, Boycott le Tour and Olympics, Astana and the Tour, Romain Feillu, Cascade Cycling Classic accident, LeMond: Cycling doesn't need UCI, Tour de France accident, We Might As Well Win Review, Evans shoe covers, Pure climbers, Why on earth Danielson?, Historical information, Stefan Schumacher loses yellow, Sylvain Chavanel, Yet another...Manual Beltran, Stage 10 coverage was a treat!
- July 10: Stefan Schumacher, LeMond: Cycling doesn't need UCI, Excellent article - ASO v's UCI, Insulting comment, Romain Feillu, Pure climbers are they a thing of the past?, Evans and shoe covers, Evans to wear number one in Tour, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, Experience with UST Mountain Tires, Boycott le Tour and Olympics, Astana and the Tour, Riders stuck in the middle, Oval bars, Landis decision
- July 4: WADA, Inconsistent Lab Analysis, and Landis, Rabobank and the Tour, ASO and past Tour winners, Landis decision, Teenager mauled by bear in Anchorage, Evans to wear number one in Tour, Experience with UST Mountain Tires, iPods while riding, Erik Zabel, Oval bars, ASO's hidden agenda, Joe Magnani, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, Giro, ASO's world domination, Ban Boonen?, A Hollow Tour Victory
- June 26: ASO's hidden agenda, ASO's world domination, Ban Boonen?, Gilberto Simoni, Giro d'Italia, iPods while riding, Oval bars, Tour without minimum bike weight rule?, What about Friere
- June 19: ASO and the Vuelta, ASO's world domination, Ban Boonen?, Ban Boonen? Beware the inquisition, Boonen, Boonen vs. Petacchi, Boonen's Tour exclusion, Giro d'Italia, iPods while riding, Oval bars, Road rage incident, Tom Boonen exclusion from Tour de Suisse
- June 13: Tom Boonen and his nose, Apologies from Montreal, Chantal's Philly win, Gilberto Simoni, Boring first week of Grand Tours?, Giro d'Italia, iPods while riding, ASO and the Vuelta, Road rage incident, Astana chain choice
- June 5: Apologies from Montreal, Astana chain choice, Bennati and race radios, Race radio?, Gilberto Simoni, Giro winner, Good result in road rage court case, Helmets in the Giro, Lemond vs. Armstrong, Millar, No, no, you can't take that away from them, Oval bars, Review error, Ricardo Riccò, Road rage incident
- May 29: Bennati and race radios, Helmets in the Giro, Review error, LeMond vs. Armstrong, Losing something in the translation, Millar, Petacchi, Race radio?, Road rage incident, Weight work on the bike
- May 23: Road rage incident, How much will it take?, Paralysed cyclist, Fausto Exparza, David Millar, Basso gets a contract, Weight work, CAS and Petacchi, Shortest TdF, Petacchi & Piepoli
- May 15: Sydney road rage incident, Steegmans lashes out at UCI, Steve Hogg's article, World Cup #3 XC, Where is Chris Horner, Slipstream, Astana and Le Tour, Giro stage 5!, US time trial Champion?, Basso gets a contract, Race radios, CAS ruling on Petacchi, Hamilton's integrity? Dude!, Weight work
- May 8: Race radio?, Ridiculous ruling, What a farce!, CAS ruling on Petacchi, Basso gets a contract, Hamilton's integrity? Dude!, French riders had to give up their jerseys?,
- May 1: Race radio?, Basso gets a contract, Advise needed for Alpe D'Huez, LeMond vs. Armstrong, Bottles, Scars of war, ProTour in Russia! China? Ahem... America?, LeMond's 1989 TdF, Mayo?, Stuart O'Grady Team CSC Cervélo R3 Paris, Have any French riders had to give up their jerseys?
- April 25: Just shut up and ride, ProTour in Russia! China? Ahem...America?, Bottles, LeMond's 1989 TdF, New format for the Vuelta? , Scars of war, LeMond v. Armstrong, No tour for Astana #1, Rock Racing rip off #1, Advise needed for Alpe D'Huez, Stuart O'Grady Team CSC Cervélo R3 Paris
- April 18: Just shut up and ride, USA Track Cycling, Paris-Roubaix, Little Indy 500 - Women's Race Article, Stuart O'Grady Team CSC Cervélo R3 Paris-Roubaix, What's happening to road tubeless?, Thanks Cyclingnews, Bottles, Just think?, Tour of Georgia - Lame, Colavita, No tour for Astana, Clever tactics by McQuaid expose ASO, Suggestions for the little bullies, Rock Racing rip off, LeMond Vs. Trek
- April 10: Suggestions for the little bullies, Pat McQuaid, Clever tactics by McQuaid expose ASO, Just think, Trek vs. LeMond, Rock Racing rip off, Homepage overhaul, Some praise, USA track cycling, Team car order just the first gamble, Come on Greg & Lance, LeMond vs. Armstrong
- April 3: Pat McQuaid, April fools, Carbon Wrap-It System, Sylvain Chavanel, Astana vs. Rabobank vs. Slipstream Chipotle, Cadel Evans, Clever tactics by McQuaid expose ASO, Colavita, Let VDB ride?, Race radios, Rock Racing rip off
- March 27: Riccardo's manner of professionalism, Rock Racing rip off, Chavanel's Paris - Nice shoes, Cadel Evans, Cadel Evans at Paris - Nice, Let VDB ride?, ASO vs. Astana, ASO vs. UCI help me with my memory, Astana vs. Rabobank vs. Slipstream Chipotle, Police kill cyclists,"PRO"cycling teams
- March 20:"Pro"Cycling Teams, AIGCP does have a choice, ASO vs UCI help me with my memory, ASO vs. Astana, Chavanel's Paris - Nice shoes, Kevin van Impe's doping control, Cadel Evans at Paris - Nice, Hamilton, Operacion Puerto, and the ToCA, Paris - Nice: What it could have been, Police kill cyclists, The Astana affair, UCI hypocrisy
- March 13:"Pro"Cycling Teams, ASO vs. Astana, ASO vs. UCI, ASOh well, UCI'll see you later, Cycling fans must let their voices be heard, Denounce ASO's actions for what they are, Hamilton, Operacion Puerto, and the ToCA, Knife between the ribs?, Paris Nice, Police kill cyclists, British track sprinters' helmets?, Rock Racing and Michael Ball, The Astana affair, The real ASO problem, Tour and ASO, UCI - very bad poker players, UCI hypocrisy.
- March 6: Zirbel and the"ride of his life", British track sprinters' helmets, Hamilton, Operacion Puerto and the ToCA, Three grand tours or five monuments?, Rock Racing and Michael Ball, Pro cycling is dead, Paris - Nice, Knife between the ribs?, Doping and the Tour, Astana, the ASO and the UCI, ASO vs. Astana, The Astana affair, ASO vs. UCI vs. AIGCP vs. the non existent riders, The real ASO problem, Denounce ASO's actions for what they are, Sponsorship code of ethics, Where are the other ProTour teams?, ProTour vs. ASO
- February 28: ASO vs. Astana, Passion and sponsorship, Crash or crash through, Pro cycling is dead, Why we must have the ProTour, Rock Racing and Michael Ball, ToC and Rock, The hidden message behind banning Astana, ASO is killing cycling, ASO could be right, The real ASO problem, UCI - draw a line in the sand, ASO has lost the plot, The Astana affair, Astana and ASO/RCS, the Astana decision, Operacion Puerto, Old rider classification
- February 15: Doping controls, Tour of California moving up!, Why I love the Tour of California, Operation Puerto, Astana rejected by ASO, Boycott ASO, ASO - stop the madness, Tour de France, ASO is wrong to exclude Astana, Astana, ASO, and the NFL, Tour de Farce, The hidden message behind banning Astana, Astana exclusion, ASO is killing cycling, Astana out of Tour, ASO has lost the plot
- February 8: Lampre doping controls, Grand Tour Monopoly?, Giro selections, Slipstream Qatar, Allan Davis, Sheldon Brown, Dick Pound to head CAS?, Find out who's leaking lab results, Rock racing
- February 1: UCI vs. Grand Tour war, Best wishes to Anna, The incident, Rock racing & Starbucks, Rock racing Rocks, Rock racing, Landis in NUE, Lance is the best of all time, Sinkewitz logic, Astana for 08 Tour?
- January 25: Rock racing, Time to draw a line in the sand, ASO vs. UCI ProTour, UCI vs. Grand Tour war spills over to European federations, Readers' poll stage races 2007, Cyclist of the year, Team High Road's black kit, Lance is the best of all time, Landis in NUE, Toyota-United abusing USAC team rules?
- January 18: Cadel Evans - returns to training, Cyclist of the Year, DOPING - time to draw a line in the sand, Hincapie in T-Mobile kit, Lance is the best of all time, Readers poll: best stage races 2007, Rock racing, Speaking about Lance, Toyota-United abusing USAC team rules?
- January 11: Armstrong on Landis, Cadel Evans - returns to training, Hincapie in T-Mobile kit, Ivan Basso - why no tough questions?, Reader Poll, Rock & burn racing, Speaking about Lance, Sydor's consistency, The 'Bruyneel philosophy', Toyota-United abusing USAC team rules?
- January 5: Great day for cycling, Sydor's consistency, Hincapie in T-Mobile kit, CA awards misses national series, Thank you, Ivan Basso - why no tough questions?, Cadel Evans - returns to training, Helmets belong on heads, Armstrong on Landis, Will there be a Tour of Missouri?, Roberto Heras, Speaking about Lance, Mayo's B Sample
Letters 2007
- December 27: CA awards misses national series, Armstrong on Landis, Vinokourov's sentence, Vinokourov, Cadel Evans - returns to training, Mayo's B sample to get B test
- December 14: Sydor's consistency, George Hincapie, Helmet straps must be cinched a bit too tight, Will there soon be a sample"C"test?, ProTour, Vino's joke of a suspension, Mafioso McQuaid, Obee and Health Net, Mayo's B sample to get B test, Campagnolo offers its own 'red' shifter, T-Mobile's withdrawal a blow to Jaksche
- December 6: Tschüss T-Mobile, Anquetil, Mayo's B sample to get B test, T-Mobile drop out, Obee and Health Net, Stefano Zanini
- November 30: Anquetil,Mayo's B sample to get B test, Stefano Zanini, Rider's passport, Betting, Jonathan Page, Wake up!!, T-Mobile drop out, Bike design originality
- November 23: Remembering Jacques Anquetil, Done looking back, Mayo's B sample to get B test, Cross crank, Rider's passport, Blood passports and humanity, Fothen's comments on Bettini, Nathan O'Neill , Sinkewitz, Rasmussen blood values, Sponsorship strangeness, Dick Pound better understood, Bike design originality,
- November 16: Nathan O'Neill, Rasmussen blood values, The Crocodile Trophy, Sinkewitz, Drug testing procedures, Rider's passport, The drug issue, Bike design originality , Sponsorship strangeness, Selfishness will ruin cycling
- November 9: The Crocodile Trophy, A little bit of bias here?, Rider's passport, Kasheckin, Positive tests, Drug testing procedures, Marco Pinotti: Engineering a new path, Bike design originality
- November 2: What does this mean?, Le Tour 08, Mayo's B sample, Bike design originality, Trimble, UCI says Mayo case not closed, Drug testing procedures ... and false positives, Kashechkin: controls violate human rights, Drug testing procedures, Mayo, UCI, Kashechkin, et al... Great, now it's coming from both ends, Positive tests, Why even bother with B samples then?, Mayo's positive EPO test, Falling barriers
- October 26: Rider passports & Cadel Evans, Drug testing procedures ... and false positives, Iban Mayo's false positive, Iban Mayo and Landis, Armstrong on Landis, Mayo's B sample, UCI turns Mayo's case into a debaucle, Great...now they hand pick the results, No justice for Mayo, UCI says Mayo case not closed, Bike design originality, 2006 Tour de France, A bad week for cycling, A fitting end to the season
- October 19: 2006 Grand Tour trifecta!, 2006 Tour de France, A fitting end to the season, Armstrong on Landis, Bike design originality, doping in cycling, Doping numbers, Paris-Tours testing mishap, UCI and the lack of testing!, Vino's other Tour stage win, The absolute best?
- October 12: Armstrong on Landis, Bike design originality, Cycling drama, Doping is unfair; but so is discrimination, It’s not doping that's..., Landis case - everyone's a loser, Length and cost of the Landis case, R & R, The Landis decision, Tour of America
- October 5: Cycle drama, It's not doping that's"killing"the sport, Why is VAM a benchmark, Tour of America, The Landis decision, DYNEPO, Worlds, Rock & Republic's CEO Michael Ball, Please explain, Giuseppe Guerini, FICP
- September 28: Tour of America, World champion zany-ness, The Landis decision, ASO v UCI, McQuaid vs ASO vs the riders, Please explain, Why is VAM a benchmark, Giuseppe Guerini, Menchov felt betrayed by Rasmussen, ProTour and Le Tour, Where is the due process
- September 21: Astana's future and Bruyneel, Bruyneel's afterlife, Floyd Landis decision, Why is VAM a benchmark, Lifetime bans, Menchov felt betrayed by Rasmussen, Ungrateful Levi, Spanish cycling, Where is the due process
- September 14: Astana & Bruyneel, Cycling vs. soccer, Cycling will survive, Floyd Landis decision, LeMond's comments, Menchov felt betrayed by Rasmussen, Ungrateful Levi, Why is VAM a benchmark?
- September 7: Cycling vs. soccer, Floyd Landis decision, UCI, ASO, LeMond, et al who cares? Riders, Lawyers in the Landis case, LeMond's comments, Riders taking the fall?, US Postal/Discovery R.I.P.
