Letters to Cyclingnews - November 6, 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.

Boonen, Armstrong and Gerdemann
Doping
Germans pull the plug
Lifetime bans
UCI bans skinsuits

Boonen, Armstrong and Gerdemann

Just wanted to focus in on a couple of things here. Why do we need to hear from an undisclosed source that Boonen used cocaine frequently for a period of time? This stuff needs to be left in the past. I am tired of reading about his recreational drug use. He didn't use it for competition and he has more than paid the price in terms of his career, personal life and financial affairs.

Also, I am sick of Armstrong and his holier-than-thou attitude. With comments like, 'Who the heck is Gerdemann? He better look out for me!' Argh!

I did not read any malintent in Gerdemann's comment about the status of racing and Armstrong's comeback. Heck, it is his opinion and he is more than entitled! I am happy to see Armstrong come back to racing - I think it will make the season very exciting, but this is the most sensitive man I have ever heard. God forbid someone not bow down to the almighty Lance. Now I hope Gerdemann and him are in a breakaway together... and maybe Gerdemann might just smoke him!

Here is to a great season in 2009!

Timothy Dean
Wednesday, November 5, 2008

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Doping

We need a comprehensive approach to solve the drug problem. Firstly, I believe cycling is getting a black eye because it does the best job in sports in attempting to control doping (just look at American baseball and football).

Athletes should get a four-year ban, plus heavy fines for the first time, lifetime for a second. Lifetime bans for all doctors, and team managers actively involved.

When verifying the B-sample, this should be done at a second lab to prevent a conflict of interest.

The controls should expand to collect, and properly store 3-4 samples, so future testing can be done as new tests become available. Athletes should never be subject to a penalty without a second verification. Athletes caught using previously undetectable drugs should be subject to even harsher penalties.

All legal drugs, like CERA, need to have a specific limit for therapeutic purposes, which is some cases might be zero. This would allow doctors to prescribe the appropriate therapy. There should also be a process for doctors to appeal a limit prior to prescribing a drug that they deem important for the athlete's heath.

For the drug passports, specific athletes should be selected (domestic and start), for daily sampling for one year, This would provide a comprehensive, accurate way to track the athlete reaction to the stresses of training, and racing, and to its recovery. It would provide a baseline for to make testing even better, since most of the current studies have been done with the general population.

Glen Larson
Friday, October 31, 2008

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Doping #2

In response to Mr Jones' letter on use of legal drugs in contravention of cycling regulations, I have always wondered what happens to the doctors that are implicated in providing (supplying or prescribing) drugs to cyclists.

The classic Hippocratic oath begins "do no harm." Obviously, taken by itself, that would rule out huge amounts of modern treatments (surgery, for example?), only in practice, the harm is balanced against the good that will be done by administering the treatment. Drugs with potentially harmful side-effects are administered by doctors to sick people because potential harm in taking the drugs is less than that in allowing the sickness to continue untreated.

Professional cyclists normally do not compete when sick, and so there is nothing against which to balance the risk of harm caused by administering drugs. If a cyclist is too exhausted to continue, the best treatment is to stop cycling. If this happens in the middle of a Grand Tour then tough, you just lost - that's sport. Administering a drug to allow an exhausted cyclist to continue is not good medicine.

Of course the cyclists should be punished but so should the doctors involved - they should be struck off for serious breach of professional ethics. How many of them are? I don't seem to hear much about it, although it would be another, potentially valuable front in the fight against doping.

David Milner
Strasbourg, France
Friday, October 31, 2008

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Doping #3

In response to Sean Jones:

CERA is not an illegal drug but in most countries it is illegal to use it to enhance sporting performance [it is on the banned list]. There is such a thing as aiding and abetting. Doctors who provide medicines are acting as an accomplice to the crime of sporting fraud. Don't tell me these doctors thought the riders needed CERA for health reasons.

In many cases the drugs also appear to be acquired under false pretenses - that is, they are obtained for persons other than those they are administered to, which falls under medical malpractice. Acquiring the drugs by direct prescription for the rider would make it too easy for police to prosecute the riders.

Conor Teljeur
Dublin, Ireland
Friday, October 31, 2008

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Germans pull the plug

I don't know what Mark Schmidt said in his letter, but criticism of ZDF and ARD is certainly justified. Their decision to drop coverage of the Tour de France has nothing to do with combating doping. These two organisations have taken a commercial decision that the potential for advertising revenue and viewing figures in July no longer justifies the expenditure of coverage and risk of negative publicity.

This is in contrast to their attitude to cycling coverage and even direct sponsorship of the German national pro team (Telekom/T-Mobile) during the glory years of Jan Ullrich & co. How prevalent doping was at that time? To think that reporters had no idea of what was going on is naive. Professional cycling in Germany developed from being a minor sport, before the birth of Team Telekom and their Tour successes, into a major sport with a huge media presence and capacity for revenue.

Cycling for the first time became a sport with celebrities, and the whole county was aware of them and proud of their achievements. Telekom/T-Mobile were representing Germany and the German public on the world stage, and ARD/ZDF fed off the publicity. They jumped on the bandwagon when the going was good, promoted the sport to the wider German public, and then when the same public became disillusioned by the doping scandals, they withdrew their support.

I believe that ARD/ZDF would much rather have continued with the situation as it was in the 90s, i.e, German riders and teams with unblemished images riding to top placings in top races broadcast on their channels, regardless of what was going on behind closed doors. Journalism? Forget it! Hush it up and keep taking the money regardless of the suspicions and rumours. This approach incidentally is to the one followed by the UCI for many, many years.

Only when the issue became too big to ignore did ARD/ZDF start to discuss the doping during their cycling coverage. This again, in my opinion, was a reaction to public interest and no reflection of a wish to help cycling change.

Whether this action motivates the anti-doping campaign or not remains to be seen. Sadly, an effective campaign against doping is impossible to conduct without finances, and the pressure to perform, and therefore to cheat, becomes greater when fewer jobs are available for lower salaries.

Stephen Davison
Munich, Germany
Friday, October 31, 2008

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Germans pull the plug #2

In response to Hugh Mooney's letter of October 27:

The decision by ARD and ZDF reeks of hypocrisy. Every sport has its heroes and villains, but the European media only focuses on cycling as it provides easy pickings. Drug abuse in other sports simply doesn't provide sensational headlines. Imagine what would happen to the ratings if ARD suddenly stopped showing football matches due to yet another player being banned for nandrolone use.

While the problems in cycling are apparently persistent, the fact riders are being sent home means the system is working. It's not failsafe, but at least a large body of people is doing its best to keep competition fair. The constant barrage of negativity from the press detracts from legitimate victories by the athletes who are playing by the rules. Luckily we get Belgian television here!

Eric Wictor
Wageningen, The Netherlands
Friday, October 31, 2008

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Lifetime bans

I agree with Reuben Ryder's comments regarding Ricco. I watched the whole Giro di Italia and the reason why Ricco doped (more so than before) has a name, and that name is Contador, when he learned that Contador was running the Giro he expressed the ever presumptuous words: "I'm not going to let Contador come to my race and let him win."

It is one thing to have passion in the sport, but his sore-loser ranting was just sickening; the way he had to eat his words when Alberto won it. NO, he had to go to the Tour and rub it in Contador's face, but I'm glad his action backfired, and I truly hope that if he ever returns, he learns his lesson.

Guillermo Castillo
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Thursday, October 30, 2008

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Lifetime bans #2

Cycling is now serious about stopping doping - the UCI, national federations and large organisers like ASO are pretty well all singing from the same hymn sheet. Blood passports are a big step. But what is crystal clear, is that unless the level of doping decreases to a very small level (i.e, the odd lunatic here and there), the professional sport of cycling as we know it will die - simple fact. Sponsors have had enough. For this reason, and to be honest because the cheats are pissing me off, we need LIFE BANS.

I'm not talking about stuff like pseudoephedrine which you find in cough medicine, mistakes will always be made by athletes - I'm talking about EPO, blood doping and hormone/steroid abuse. I don't want these idiots pissing in the soup any more - and I use that phrase purposely - because the majority of riders now want to ride clean and they have no doubts about alerting the authorities when they're suspicious of their colleagues. It is they who would have been seen as pissing in the soup in the past - but now the tables have turned, and not before time.

Look what's happened in Germany; two big sponsors have pulled out and their TV companies are not interested in showing any cycling on TV, including the Tour. Repeat that around the world and cycling will die because of the actions of the few.

I have a lot of time for David Millar; he doped in the time before this imminent danger, he put his hands up to what he did, all of it, he served his time and he has made it his personal crusade to work against doping. I respect that, although I have always been disgusted by doping. I have my heroes, from Coppi to Merckx to Armstrong. Whether they doped or not, they came from a time when doping was accepted and rife - they were of their time and they were great champions.

But now is now, it must stop! The UCI must issue a statement loud and clear before the start of next season: any dopers will be given a LIFE BAN - it stops here. I guarantee you will see a Tour even more exciting than this year's, with everything up for grabs. The only guys left doping will be the guys at the end of their careers, making a last-gasp effort to stay competitive. And when they are gone, (hopefully) there will be a bright future.

There will always be cheats, but we must do our utmost to catch them, to be seen to try and catch them and when we do, deal with them ruthlessly. That is the only way to keep our beautiful sport alive.

Clive Richardson
England
Thursday, October 30, 2008

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Lifetime bans #3

I see the question about lifetime bans is very open. Most of people agree with the attempt to keep the doping cheats out of sport for good. However, has anybody questioned themselves why the heck are criminals (robbers, drug dealers, etc) released from prison? A lifetime ban can be compared to death sentence. When a certain criminal is sentenced to death, there are protests everywhere. They say death punishment is inhuman. And now suddenly a cyclist, caught on doping has done even bigger crime than murderer?

Come on, lifetime bans after first capture are unfair. Everybody deserves a second chance. Two years for first-time dopers are more than enough. You bet they will not make the same mistake again. At least most of them will not. I understand doping is a huge problem to cycling, but so is in other sports. Don't blame it only on cyclists.

Sojar Voglar
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Saturday, November 1, 2008

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UCI bans skinsuits

I take issue with Matthew Spohn's letter of October 24 - he stole my thunder!

Of course, Matthew is correct in pointing out that tight-fitting clothing could hardly explain a four-second difference in a downhill MTB race, and that racers had a choice in what type of kit they would race in. Sounds like whining to me.

I also find it hard to believe the attitude of racers like Rachel Atherton. Results are secondary to looking cool? Can't wait to try that with potential sponsors! Show us some data that suggests that DH racing will suffer because racers wear skinsuits during final heats before heaping a load like that on the fans.

I find it hard to believe the UCI would mandate something that silly. Are only skinsuits banned? What about wearing a XC jersey and shorts? Is that banned, too? Those geniuses at the UCI at work pushing racing forward, I guess.

Rich Henthorn
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Thursday, October 30, 2008

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Recent letters pages

Letters 2008

• October 30: Germans pull the plug, Doping, Kohl, Lifetime bans, UCI bans skinsuits, 2009 TdF parcours, LeMond's power test
• October 24: Doping, McQuaid's approach, Re-testing samples, Chris Horner, Germans pull the plug, Basso and Liquigas, Does doping work?, Lifetime bans, LeMond's power test, Rashaan Bahati
• October 17: Attitude to cheats, Doping, Lifetime bans, Solutions to doping problems, LeMond's power test, Rahsaan Bahati
• October 10: Enough is enough, Thomas Bach's comments, Recent positives, Riccò confesses to using EPO, Baden Cooke's comment, Holczer to sue Schumacher, Life bans for doping, Advice to Contador, My own comeback, Better Borat than Vinokourov, Lance has a Michael Jordan complex, Armstrong's busted former teammates, Astana, Lance vs Basso, Say it ain't so, Frank!, Leipheimer's best Grand Tour
• October 3: Another Armstrong Special: There comes a time, Guilty by association, Lance Armstrong returning, Armstrong comeback, Armstrong should be applauded, Lance is back, Armstrong and Astana, Mr Armstrong and SRAM, The resurrection of Lance, Armstrong's return
• September 25: The Armstrong Special: Armstrong obligations, Armstrong comeback, Armstrong riding for Astana, Armstrong's return, Guilty by association, Lance Armstrong and Taylor Phinney, The resurrection of Lance
• September 18: Armstrong come back, All round classification, Madiot's need to explain himself, Does doping work?, Exciting racing!, Contador and the Vuelta, Lance on Astana?, Say it isn’t So Lance!, ARD not looking forward to Armstrong return, Guilty by association, Garzelli, Scott Spark project bike
• September 12: Does doping work?, Scott Spark ultralight bike, Cadel stays with Silence-Lotto?, Vuelta, Giro, Tour triple, All round classification, Editorialising / opinion within articles, Do it twice or until you get it right, Olympic mountain biking, Say it isn't so Lance!, Armstrong come back, BMX....That's all?
• September 4: BMX....That's all?, Olympic mountain biking, Cadel stays with Silence-Lotto?, Head tube logos at Olympic Games, Fabio Baldato's premature retirement, Does doping work?, Cadel Evans and the Beige Jersey, Team Australia helmets, British track team's Olympic Games medals Pro cycling sponsorship
• August 29: BMX, Carlos Sastre, NRC Calendar, U-23 Championship road race fiasco, Therapeutic use exemptions - please explain, Phil Liggett encounter, John Fahey and Jacques Rogge on doping, Aussie Allan Davis?, Pro cycling sponsorship
• August 28: US cyclists and masks, Cadel, Cadel Evans and the Beige jersey, Levi Leipheimer’s Bike, Doping, Team Australia helmets, Lance and the doping debate, British Olympic track medals, BMX....That's all?
• August 22: Spanish federation questions Leipheimer's bronze, Hushovd's Look, Cadel's Injury, NRC Calendar, Phil Liggett encounter, British Olympic track medals, Therapeutic Use Exemptions - please explain, Truvativ HammerSchmidt, Carlos Sastre, Cadel Evans and the Beige Jersey
• August 21: Levi Leipheimers Bike, John Fahey and Jacques Rogge on doping, Cycling out of the Olympics, Team Australia helmets, Scott-American Beef excluded from Vuelta, Doping & money, U-23 National Championship RR fiasco, US Cyclists and masks, World Road race championships national quotas
• August 19: Therapeutic Use Exemptions - please explain, Carlos Sastre, Riccò confesses to using EPO, Lance and the doping debate, Cadel Evans and the Beige Jersey, Bring back bonus seconds to liven le Tour, Crank Length formula, Thank you, Confused
• August 14: Cycling out of the Olympics, U-23 Championship Road Race Fiasco, Phil Liggett encounter, WADA chief John Fahey, Moreno, John Fahey and Jacques Rogge on doping, Beijing Road Race, World Road race championships national quotas, Scott-American Beef excluded from Vuelta, US Cyclists and masks, Team Australia helmets
• August 7: Riccò confesses to using EPO, Carlos Sastre, Contador, A question for Susan Westemeyer, Confused, Lance and the doping debate, Accountability and cycling teams, Crank length formula, Bring back bonus seconds to liven le Tour, Yet another...Manual Beltran, ASO, doping and Astana
• 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.

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