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Letters to Cyclingnews - March 5, 2009
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.
Ending Operacion Puerto
Kimmage and Armstrong
Encore Andy!
The Showdown
Frederiek Nolf
Cycling and the heart
Classics...
Alpe d'Huez of America
The death of Marco Pantani
Ending Operacion Puerto
With the latest messy Operacion Puerto news rearing it's ugly head again, this time the Italian federation (CONI) taking DNA samples to get a Spanish rider sanctioned, while Spain (RFEC) continues procedural legal battles on its own front, and both the UCI and now WADA looking into Puerto evidence, while it looks like there's progress on the case of Alejandro Valverde, I fear we're in for a long, messy process trying to get these cross-organisations and international federations to get to the bottom of it.
I have a better solution: amnesty. It's time for RFEC and the UCI to get together and finally declare an effort to end this cloud hanging over the sport, once and for all. And the best way to do that is for authorities to flatly state to the riders that they have until March 31st to come clean and cooperate. By doing so, they will face a minimum suspension (3-6 months?) and a fine equal to a half-year's salary.
By not confessing and cooperating, the testing of the blood bags and DNA matching will continue, and those that are caught will face the full force of punishment. They will be punished in accordance with the UCI's anti-doping charter (remember that thing?), banned for life, and prosecuted to the full extent of the reach of the sanctioning bodies.
Why offer amnesty at this point? Let's examine this closer: Operacion Puerto as a case was broken on May 23, 2006, with doping records dating back to approximately 2002. On the 26th, three days later, then-RFEC president José Griñán said he wanted it to move swiftly, and end.
That was nearly three years ago.
Since that time, some riders were forced into retirement, others fined and suspended, others kept riding. Some rode and then retired. Koldo Gil offered to have his DNA matched to blood bags to clear him, and the UCI rejected that. Gil has essentially been blacklisted and forced into retirement.
In 2007 Hans-Michael Holczer, then head of Gerolsteiner, suggested that they move forward to match the blood bags with DNA gathered at various races "we have it all here" he stated.
Nothing was done.
Now, we're finally matching the DNA? On riders that may or may not have actually doped. Riders that may or may not have been directly involved, even unwittingly, in team-sanctioned doping programs?
Take a look at the case of Valverde. What do we do now, suspend him for two years? What if it takes 3-4 more years to get to the bottom of OP, and during that time riders later proven to be further involved, keep riding scott free, win big races, and then retire? Then what do we do? What do we do if Valverde's case drags on, he wins the 2009 Tour de France, and on the day after is found guilty for his involvement in OP? Then what?
And why stop at DNA testing of bags? What happened to the 6,000 page report? Tyler Hamilton for example reportedly has his name both in the books, and a very detailed FAX showing a laundry list of two years' worth of doping. But he already served a two-year suspension. What do they do about that? Considering it's likely this aspect his his case won't come up for months and months, he's likely to retire before that time.
The bigger problem in cycling now isn't certainty of punishment for crimes dating back several years, but to get this cloud from OP to be over with. And the best way for that is to finally offer a form of amnesty.
Phil Anderson
Oregon
Monday, March 2, 2009
Kimmage and Armstrong
In response to Mr. Howe's letter, I don't think what Armstrong said was so unreasonable. Let me say that I am not a huge Armstrong fan, so I am not here to sing his praises. But the fact is, he has never tested positive for drugs. He has never failed a drug test in spite of being the most tested athlete ever. So for someone to publicly accuse him of being a cancer on the sport is just a little bit off the mark.
Thing is, Armstrong has to lose. He came back to cycling to raise cancer awareness. He is riding for free. He could have walked away from it all forever, having 'gotten away with it', having fooled everyone and never having to pay the price. If I was that person, wouldn't I be pretty stupid to step back into the lion's den with people like Kimmage and LeMond hounding me at every step?
Additionally, Armstrong has an enormous responsibility that other riders don't - he has the entire cancer community looking to him for inspiration. Think of all the young boys and girls, the weekend warriors, who are unfortunate enough to have cancer, who look to Armstrong for hope and as an example of how someone can beat cancer and live a productive life. Think, if he did test positive, how all the millions of dollars he had raised would be tainted, and all the kids who look up to him would be crushed. You would have to be a pretty heartless SOB to do that to an entire community of people with cancer.
Until he does test positive, let's just allow for the fact that there just might be some incredible athletes in this world with amazing stories and perhaps we are witnessing one of them now. That said, I still hope Simoni smokes him in the Giro.
One other thing about all these "unrepentant dopers" like Hamilton, Landis, Sevilla, etc. You don't have to repent. You just have to sit out your suspension and take your punishment. When you get a speeding ticket, you don't have to promise never to speed again. You just have to pay the fine.
Garth Giesbrecht
Houston, TX
Monday, March 2, 2009
Kimmage and Armstrong #2
I totally agree with Richie McNamara's view of Kimmage's tunnel-vision pursuit of Lance Armstrong. The man is out to line his own pockets with stories - true or fabricated - about doping in cycling.
I raced with Christie Kimmage in the mid-sixties - what must his thoughts be now about Paul? My view is that Paul couldn't make it as a pro cyclist, so he (rather cleverly, I thought) bit the hand that was feeding him.
Yes, there has always been doping to a greater or lesser degree in cycling and other sports. But cycling is making a real world-beating effort to stamp it out. Let's concentrate on the future and not look for skeletons from the past.
Nigel Dean (British Pro, 1971-1986)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009 12:09:45 +0200
Kimmage and Armstrong #3
I would have to agree with Mr. McNamara's letter. Despite Mr Kimmage's crusade and the crusade of others there does not seem to be any credible evidence to prove Lance Armstrong was a doper. Yes, there are some 1999 samples in a French lab somewhere but who really knows how credible those samples can be after all these years. Given the French pathological dislike, bordering on hatred, for Lance I would have a hard time giving any credence or credibility to the objectivity of the sample, test or results.
Is it possible he doped? Yes, I would think so given the era and climate at the time. But, and we need keep this in mind, he is probably the most tested athlete ever and for some reason there are no positive, reliable tests, available of which I am aware.
So, let's give the man his due and let him move forward. Has he done a lot for cycling? Unquestionably. Has he done a lot for cancer? Indisputably. He is a giant in the sport.
Now as far as Mr Kimmage. What has his impact been on cycling? I don't really know - negligible, perhaps? What has he done for cancer? Don't know. Perhaps he should find a new crusade that might add something positive to the world of cycling or the world in general. You can flog a dead horse as hard as you want and it still remains, just that, a dead horse. Give it up and get on with life.
Grant Suderman
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Sat, 28 Feb 2009 11:28:52 -0600
Kimmage and Armstrong #4
We may never know if (or what) Armstrong used anything other than water to win his Tours but the debate, regardless of whose side you are on, muddies the cycling waters and tarnishes our sport. Thankfully (for cycling but not for sports in general), other pro sports are finally being shown for what they also are: an oportunity for huge profit for the winners at any cost.
So cycling may not be the 'drug sport' anymore. Let's focus on the riders who are clean, not the riders who have found loopholes in positive tests or those who have admitted doping after being caught with their 'hand in the cookie jar', or those who 'can suddenly ride 10 km/h faster than anyone'. Mark Cavendish, Cadel Evans, Dominique Rollin and George Hincapie look good this year to name a few. Naturally I favour the (Mostly) North American riders, but there is no shortage of strong, clean riders from all over the globe looking to make their mark. Pick one.
Jim Guy
Sydney Mines, Canada
Friday, February 27, 2009
Encore Andy!
Huge thanks for landing Andy Schleck as a contributor! I figure pro cyclists are pro cyclists because they aren't pro writers, but Andy is one of those rare breeds who is entertaining both on the road, and at the keyboard. I haven't read the like since Allan Peiper's great TDF journal in VeloNews from years ago. Now, if you could only get David Brinton to illustrate....
Jim Pavlichek
Davis, CA, USA
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The Showdown
Wiggins vs. Phinney
The individual pursuit will be contested in Poland shortly at the world championships and this is perhaps by far the anticipated climax.
First, there is Wiggins; mature, confident. His best times include 4:15.013, 4:15.165, and 4:15.976. The challenger, Phinney recently rode a 4:15.22. Then he went on to lay down a very competitive kilo the next day. For a few years, there hasn't been anyone to push Wiggins to his limit. While Phinney is fast, he is still very young. Can he maintain his peak condition for a whole month? Does he have the experience and skills to save his best effort for the final race? Can either rider break the 4:15 barrier?
Chris Boardman may have the record at 4:11 but this was done with the Super-Man handlebars and the Lotus frame which are now both illegal. So where would Boardman be with today's equipment? Maybe the final will show us.
Timothy Shame
USA
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Frederiek Nolf
Michel, you are failing to compare like with like when you state "I know of a young cyclist who died quite naturally of a heart attack at the age of 21, and a post mortem revealed nothing unnatural and that it was not uncommon and most likely hereditry".
I have no problems with the findings of the post mortem on your friend - that is fine - but tell me, what did the post mortem reveal about Nolf? There was no autopsy. So the cause of death was brushed under the carpet, not established.
The beauty of failing to establish facts is that speculation can then run riot, shoot off anywhere. You can allege that Nolf died clean and you can wish to not know the truth - that is the beauty of having the facts brushed under the carpet.
John Leitch
London
Monday, March 2, 2009
Cycling and the heart
Regarding the letters about Frederiek Nolf:
I am 52 years old, and wrote four years ago on this site about the episode of atrial fibrillation I had just recovered from. More than a few other cyclists responded about their own experiences with arrythmia. Two days ago my primary training partner went to his doctor after feeling out of sorts for more than six months, and was immediately sent to the ER. When the first EKG printed out, the doctor asked in disbelief whether he had driven himself to the visit, because his heartbeat was so irregular they thought he had had a major heart attack. Another friend of mine, whose physiological gifts rival Lance's, had a similar experience last year after two successive days of four-hour skate skiing workouts in the mountains.
When I first went to my cardiologist in New York City, directly after finally persuading my primary care physician to humour me and do an EKG, he told me that he regularly - four to five times a year - has patients arrive on their bikes directly from Central Park where they experienced symptoms while riding.
My point in bringing this up is to direct readers' attention to the fact that very hard exercise can adversely affect their hearts. It's not at all unusual for highly trained individuals, and I fall into that catagory according to my doctors, to have heart problems. You can wear out your heart on a bike, or skiis, just by going too hard, too long. And there's the odd individual who might be oblivious to this until hooked up to an EKG. I don't presume to know what happened to Fredereik Nolf, but knowing the training loads that are required to be a pro, it is entirely likely that he worked past his heart's limit without any help from any drug.
Jay Dwight
Cummington, MA
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Classics...
I know that you good folks at Cyclingnews are quite the anglophiles, which is absolutely fine...however, please pay respect where respect is due.
You've seemed to enjoy ripping on Boonen in the past weeks, as he didn't quite seem up to match with Cav's pure speed at California... and Hushoved 'only won because he benefited from a perfect leadout' (paraphrased quote).
I would hope that this past weekend has reminded you at CN that there's a hell of a lot more to this sport than the 'February Championships'. Both Tom and Thor are light years ahead of Mark in the the 'Champion' spectrum. Let the Manx Express win the great Classics, or stages/jerseys of Grand Tours with less anaemic fields, before you start purporting that he is somehow better than ANYONE with genuine palmares.
The same goes for Levi - his comparing TOC to the Tour? Give everybody a break!
I am respectfully asking that you regard TRUE Champions as such, and give them proper credit, regardless of what country they hail from, or which happens to be their first language. Thank you for your consideration, and the otherwise great coverage.
Adam Simms
USA
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Alpe d'Huez of America
While the Arizona Snow Bowl climb is very impressive, I think Alp d'Huez edges it out by a hair. The average grade for Alpe d'Huez is 8.1 percent average grade, the Snow-Bowl averages about 5.2 percent. Alpe d'Huez really cranks up the steepness in the lower portion of the climb, and then eases off towards the finish. Either way I think the Snow Bowl climb would be a great finish to a stage race. It's very spectacular in late spring with all that snow on top!
Interestingly Alpe d'Huez does not rate in the top 20 of the world's most difficult climbs, while Mount Washington, New Hampshire, rates as sixth most difficult in the world. My highly unscientific stats come from www.climbbybike.com which is a great tool for finding the hardest climbs around the world. At least for those climbs that have been measured. Keep an eye out, I just entered the data for the Arizona Snow-Bowl climb, so it should be published in the next few days.
Many of the bike climbs I've done in the eastern US were for sure going to be ranked highly, only to find out that they are simple child's play compared to what the big elevation climbs of the Alps can dish out. In my retirement days 30 years from now, I see myself suffering up long, seemingly endless climbs in the Alps, day after day, week after week... ahhhh Utopia.
Here is the top 20 list:
1. Scanuppia-Malga Palazzo
2. Alp Rionda
3. Grosser Speikkogel
4. Pico-de-Veleta
5. Mt-Haleakala
6. Mount Washington
7. San Genesio - Edelweiss
8. Grosser Oscheniksee
9. Pico Ariero
10. Alpe Fuori
11. Kitzbüheler Horn
12. Edelweiss
13. Nebelhorn
14. Prato Ma slino
15. Colle-delle-Finestre
16. Prada-Alta
17. Oetztaler-Gletscherstrasse
18. Roque de los Muchachos
19. Rifugio-Kaltenbach
20. Pic-du-Midi
Jason Turner
Cary, NC, USA
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The death of Marco Pantani
You know what it feels like to read a good book and then you want all your mates to read it too. Well I have just read The death of Marco Pantani, a biography of il Pirata by Matt Rendell.
If you want a well-researched account of the blood doping situation during Marco's reign and his subsequent death through cocaine abuse then you must read this book. The depth of research and detail is incredible and I learned a lot from the book.
Len Hall
Perth, Australia
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Recent letters pages
Letters 2009
- February 27: Kimmage and Armstrong, Armstrong drops Catlin, Michael Rogers, Frederick Nolf, French suspend Schumacher for two years, Valverde's case, Frank but still wrong, VDB's Frankness, Aero rules, Alpe d'Huez of America, Rock, Radio & Astana, Drug use in baseball and cycling, Harry Hill: Olympic Bronze Medalist 1936, Runners, TOC Clowns, No radio
- January 16: Vande Velde - my new homeboy, Michael Ball - a true amateur, A way with words, Lance's anti-doping programme?, Armstrong? Hold on there a minute!, Piepoli's 'mistake', Added perspective on Aussie elite, Painted on abs, Warm Spain?
- January 9: Piepoli's 'mistake', News coverage of Armstrong, Rock Racing, The new look, Australian time trial championships
- January 2: Piepoli's 'mistake', News coverage of Armstrong, Tinkov on his way out, Cadel Evans, Chicago Olympics road race, Viagra - a doping product?
Letters 2008
- December 18: Popo's holiday, News coverage of Armstrong, Old School Rules, Cycle Sport's Lance Armstrong interview, Cadel Evans, Rock-n-Rudy Racing, Viagra - a doping product?
- December 11: Kayle Leogrande, Boonen, Basso diary, Come on, Chris!, Is Kohl kidding?, Lance in the news, Popo's holiday, Schumacher off the radar?, Rock-n-Rudy Racing, Viagra - a doping product?
- December 5: Prevention better than cure, Is Kohl kidding?, Kayle Leogrande, Enforceable Biological Passport, Armstrong's team duties, The Cycling Path, Rock-n-Rudy Racing, Come on, Chris!, Viagra - a doping product?
- November 27: Is Kohl kidding?, Lessons from cycling, Why is Basso back?, Frank Vandenbroucke, Vino returns to Astana, Pevenage to Rock Racing, Rock-n-Rudy Racing, Pricey bike reviews, David Walsh article, Lance Armstrong, Cyclocross at the Olympics
- November 21: Pevenage to Rock Racing, Pricey Bike Reviews, Bobby Julich column, David Walsh article, Merida release, Chasing Fabian, Gilmore in Colombia, Frank Vandenbroucke, Albert's Tour remarks, Stylin' calendar dudes, Vino returns to Astana, Keep up the good work..., THC suspension, The Museeuw MF-1, Why is Basso back?, Basso diary, Taking it seriously, Moral high-horse, Gerdemann vs Armstrong, Don't do it Lance
- November 13: Taking it seriously, Basso's diary, David Walsh article, Gerdemann vs Armstrong, Boonen, Armstrong and Gerdemann, Germans pull the plug, Lifetime bans, Chasing Fabian
- November 13: Taking it seriously, Basso's diary, David Walsh article, Gerdemann vs Armstrong, Boonen, Armstrong and Gerdemann, Germans pull the plug, Lifetime bans, Chasing Fabian
- November 6: Boonen, Armstrong and Gerdemann, Doping, Germans pull the plug, Lifetime bans, UCI bans skinsuits
- 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.
