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Letters to Cyclingnews - September 8, 2006
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.
Recent letters
Turbo bottle
Discovery's Vuelta double-standard
Hunger Knock
Basso's DNA test refusal
Eneco
DNA testing
Fitting punishment
Natural process possible?
Operacion Puerto etc
Response to 'No Doping Control is Insane'
Stage 17 water consumption
The Testosterone test
The Tour
What's up with Sevilla?
Mano a Mano
Turbo bottle
Thanks for the good early morning chuckle. I thought the rider getting the penalty for cheating by hanging onto the water bottle too long during the Vuelta was hilarious! With all the ballyhoo about using performance enhancing drugs to gain an advantage over your competition I thought it amusing to see when grownups are involved in sports where there's a will there will always be a way.
I think it would be appropriate for anyone involved in an illegal water bottle handoff to have to mount the podium in front of everyone during the awards and have their hand roundly slapped! That'll learn 'em.
Peace and safe cycling.
Susan Moore
Seattle, USA
Saturday, September 2, 2006
Discovery's Vuelta double-standard
So Tom Danielson "tows" a fading Janez Brajkovic to the line in Stage 9. He assists the new Discovery leader because he was told to do so by Johan Bruyneel, his DS.
Did Johan Bruyneel ask Janez Brajkovic to slow down for his then "team leader" Tom Danielson on Stage 7?
Tom Danielson had a bad day and his "team" couldn't wait to abandon him. I had read the letters regarding Paris-Roubaix and the treatment given George Hincapie, and now its crystal clear.
Tom Danielson better get what success he can at this Vuelta because he has no future with this team.
As for the future of USA based Discovery Cycling Team--with its shabby treatment of its gifted American stars ( congratulations US Pro Champ George Hincapie ): it doesn't have one.
Steffan Havas
Palos Verdes, CA, USA
Sunday, September 3, 2006
Hunger Knock
I am still amazed in these days of constant communications between the DS to the riders and scientific racing how anybody can get hunger knock – the more so when it seems to be always the Discovery Team and John Bruyneel. Does nobody make a note of who has eaten what ? They seem to keep records of everything else.
How can they forget to eat ?
John Andrews
Singapore
Monday, September 4, 2006
Basso's DNA test refusal
I am somewhat perplexed by Basso's stance, as reported by his lawyer, concerning DNA testing. It would seem that if Basso were really intent on proving his innocence, if indeed he is innocent of any involvement with Fuentes, using DNA testing to prove that the blood samples found in Fuentes' Madrid offices did not contain blood taken from Basso would remove any suspicion in the current case. Instead, his lawyer seems intent on attacking the case through procedural maneuvering, in which case that shadow of doubt and suspicion will still remain.
Roger Stevenson
France
Thursday, September 7, 2006
Basso's DNA test refusal
So Basso's lawyer says that Ivan will not have a DNA test. That is tantamount to an admission of guilt. You can bet that if a DNA test would totally exonerate him, he would be up there clamouring for the test as admissible evidence.
And as for an "invasion of privacy" - how can a DNA test be any more an invasion than a simple blood or urine test? It is just an assessment of the body fluids - albeit a lot more definitive.
Where it can be of justifiable value, DNA testing should be an automatic component of the anti-doping armamentarium. There is no way a cheat should be able to hide behind a so called invasion of privacy.
Paul Salmon
Albany, W.A., Australia
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Basso's DNA test refusal
Simple facts….
Basso’s refusal to take a DNA test (any rider for that fact) = Guilty of doping.
If he is sooo innocent … be a man and step up to the plate!
Ben Lund
Milwaukee, WI, USA
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Eneco details
Bram Hafkamp wrote that, "Even if the spectator wouldn't have been there, and no crash would have taken place, there was no way Hincapie could fully take over Schumacher with 50 meters to go."
Hincapie did not need to overtake Schumacher, he simply needed to stay in the position he was in. With the time bonus for third, Hincapie would have won the Eneco Tour without needing to pass Schumacher. The only way for Schumacher to win the race was to knock Hincapie over, and that is what he did. I am sure it was unintentional, but there is no question that this is exactly what happened: Schumacher was rewarded with a win because he caused a fellow rider to wreck. I doubt that any of us want that to be the way that races are decided.
In response to the numerous writers who claim that Discovery tried to make Schumacher look bad, nothing could be further from the truth. Demol and Hincapie never accused Schumacher of doing anything wrong, they rightly chastised race officials for not doing their jobs.
John Daigle
Atlanta, GA, USA
Saturday, September 2, 2006
Eneco reporting
It’s interesting how different people’s impression/interpretation of the same event can be so different. I think this almost certainly is a manifestation of underlying bias. I admit I would like to have seen Hincapie win the race.
A few comments on the letters from Mr White and Mr Hafkamp: In fact, Schumacher moved not once, but twice. The first time he moved, it was the effect and response to hitting a fan’s arm. He said he had to swerve a second time to avoid another spectator’s arm. It was the second swerve that resulted in the crash, and I believe it was an over-reaction, as do many others who saw the crash or have watched the video.
However, arguing this point further will not change anyone’s opinion on what happened – I think we see what we want to see. The main point of my original letter was that I felt Cyclingnews should have been less biased in its reporting of the incident. The letters from the aforementioned gentlemen simply underscore how difficult it can be to try to be objective in one’s assessment of a controversial event.
Mark Hsu
Dunlap, IL, USA
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Eneco - Hincapie
"When was the last time Hincapie won a sprint?" -S. Cross
Memories are short... how about last year in Plouay against 65 of his closest ProTour buddies? Plus a pair of smaller sprints this year in the Tour of California.
M. Perez
Irvine, Ca, USA
Friday, September 1, 2006
Eneco - Schumacher amazing
The gentlemanly and sporting thing to do, would be to refuse the overall win and give it to Hincapie, no matter how the officials ruled. Leaders in the Tour have historically not worn the yellow jersey if the previous leader crashed out.
I don't agree that Schumacher won fairly. Fair would have been if Hincapie did not crash.
Keith Goldstein
New York, New York, USA
Friday, September 1, 2006
Eneco - the rules
I think this is the most sensible take on what happened. I don't have a UCI rule book in front of me, so I'm not sure of this, but it seems logical that, while there is an organizer's responsibility to control how close they can get to the race, spectators should be considered 'part of the course,' and it's the riders' responsibility to avoid them. If that's a reasonable premise, then Schumacher cut the corner too tight, and that's why he hit a spectator, as opposed to got hit by a spectator.
A swerve is a swerve, and it's dangerous to allow in any sprint. Schumacher ought to have stayed further out in the road--there was plenty of room.
Reuben Smith
Friday, September 1, 2006
Eneco - hard to stop
In response to Jan Hagenbrock's letter, if riders covered 50 meters in 0.3seconds, they would be riding 150m/sec, or 9000m/min (9km/min) or 540kph! At 40mph (70kph), 50 meters would take approximately 3 seconds to cover.
Mark Rishniw
Ithaca, NY, USA
Friday, September 1, 2006
DNA testing
In light of the recent doping scandals to hit the cycling world and the backlash from those riders involved about not wanting to take a DNA test to "prove" their innocence, maybe the UCI should take a harder stance and require that all riders who apply for a UCI license submit to a DNA test. The DNA profiles from these tests would then be kept on file at the UCI. By requiring these tests, the UCI would have a definitive file of riders DNA that could be compared to the DNA in sample that shows suspicion of doping.
Mark Wagner
Allentown, PA, USA
Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Fitting punishment
Simply banning an athlete for 2 years is not nearly sufficient punishment for
the crime. Sport these days at the elite level is no longer a sport, it is a
business with huge financial rewards and prestige, even more than ever.
We can no longer allow the drug cheats to continue these unbelievable performances
and expect the adulation of everyone as though they are clean. People world
wide have put up with this for too long.
I would support any move locally or world wide to introduce across the board controls to ensure drug cheats and their suppliers and managers serve mandatory jail terms for their offences.
Seriously strong penalties is the only way we will begin to stamp out drugs.
Whilst I am not naive enough to think drugs will be eliminated, surely we need to make a stronger stand now!
Danny O'Neil
Adelaide, South Australia
Friday, September 1, 2006
Fitting punishment
A life time ban for failing to reveal your source only makes sense if the person actually is guilty. It makes little sense if a person is falsely accused. Imagine if you were innocent with a false positive and you are asked to identify your source. It would be tough to come up with a name and you would face a life long ban. This doesn't sound like such a good deal.
Stephen LaCasse
USA
Saturday, September 2, 2006
Natural process possible?
I read the recent article by Dr. Marker with interest. I am a chemist and while my specialty is not biochemistry, I know with great certainty that, as implied by Dr. Marker, the detailed mechanisms of chemical conversions in the body are not known. I believe that those of us with the chemical insight appropriate to opine on the chemistry of steroids chemicals in the body would be hesitant to conclude a guilty verdict as a result of tests being performed on elite athletes.
Consider the following:
1. The isotopes of carbon are present in the environment. While there is some selection that occurs in processing materials in the human body, chemistry is based on the energetics of electrons and other factors, e.g. size and stereospecificity, which are not at all impacted by an extra neutron. Without a valid statistical study to describe the universe of possible isotopic carbon ratios, a conclusion that an exogenous substance was responsible for the ratio observed in an individual is not justified.
2. A study in Sweden indicated that approximately 30 individual in a population of approximately 9000 had a testosterone/epitestosterone ratio greater than 6:1. I have not read the article (J Chromatogr B Biomed Appl. 1996 Dec 6;687(1):55-9), so I cannot note the maximum observed. However, I suggest that the only valid population to consider for T/E ratio would be athletes of the Landis, Ullrich, Armstrong, et cetera caliber at the end of a day when emotion and exertion were comparable. I propose that such a sampling does not exist.
I conclude that the present guilty until proven innocent approach has been forced upon elite athletes by zealots. Personally, I find that type of individual compromised simply by the hubris of their convictions.
John R. Walton, Ph.D.
San Diego, CA, USA
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Natural process possible?
Oh, please. Testosterone is a complex chemical. It is not in any way comparable to cortisone any more than water. It does not generate itself spontaneously, like a magical rabbit pulled from a hat. Here are a few other clues for you as to where the testosterone came from. It isn't found in raindrops or asphalt or diesel exhaust fumes or polluted rivers or dirty laundry or pencil erasers or toothpaste or coffee beans. Get the picture yet?
Timothy Shame
USA
Friday, September 1, 2006
Operacion Puerto etc
Do the so called documents really exist? Or is this someone's active mind in overdrive? For all the hype the press is creating, I haven't seen a single document made public. So, where are those news hounds?
Shaila Mani
Houston, TX, USA
Friday, September 1, 2006
Response to 'No Doping Control is Insane'
The issue Brad brought up is very similar to the situation Jon Vaughters faced in his last TdF (2001). A wasp sting caused his abandonment an hour and a half into Stage 15. He could have abandoned during the night but chose to do so during the Stage for positive publicity reasons.
Immediately AFTER abandoning, he received an cortisone injection that cleared up the swelling. If administered during the race for wasp sting, he would have been deem a cheat. He could have declared it's use for other approved ailments and would have gotten off scot free.
Now how fair was that?
Mark Chen
Australia
Friday, September 1, 2006
Stage 17 water consumption
Well Bill, that's the thing about modern racing, you never lay your balls out at the beginning of a race like Floyd did. He made a poker play and that was that he took off so early and so hard that the other riders conscience kicked in and said he was insane and they elected to drop back. Floyd was at full time trial speed and trust me, no one would want to be on his wheel at this speed. Floyd's play worked, and then he knew that in order to keep this up, he would have to hydrate and eat like no other so he did not bonk like he did the day before. If Floyd had taken drugs the night before, he would have been so nervous, he probably would have forgotten to eat and drink again and still lost the Tour. The truth is the UCI is screwing with Floyd, Heras, Hamilton, Ullrich, Basso and they even tried to mess with Armstrong (he has too much money and power, so the UCI never had a chance). This is about the UCI controlling Pro Cycling and the Major Tours and they are discrediting the stars one by one by one.
Joshua Crow
USA
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
The Testosterone test
I've been reading the Cyclingnews.com Floyd Landis letters and seeing good and bad assumptions as far as the testosterone analyses go. I am a analytical chemist and, if I understand the protocols I've been able to tease out of the Internet, I use the equipment and similar procedures as are used to perform the T:E test all the time. I don't use the carbon isotope type detector in my lab, but it is a fairly simple concept. I thought I'd explain the basic process of these two analyses so everyone could get a concept of what has happened in the lab. This will allow everyone to see if their hypotheses match up with reality.
The analyses work like this:
* The body makes testosterone and a bunch of other steroids.
* Some of these are excreted in the urine.
* The lab preps the collected urine.
* The lab injects the prep on a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS).
* To put it very simply the prep is injected into a long narrow tube (aka column)
that has gas, usually helium, flowing through it.
* Each steroid in the prep travels through the GC column at a different speed.
This separates the steroids based on their physical (eg, volatility) and chemical
(eg polarity) characteristics.
* Each steroid will come out of the GC intact at the unique time after injection
(called the retention time).
* This retention time is reproducible and is a fairly good indicator of compound
identification by itself.
* The GC detects the compound using a mass spectrometric detector, which gives
a pretty definitive identification of the compound, especially when matched
with the retention time.
* This detector can also quantitate compounds; more compound, more response.
* The GC-MS can't tell the difference between natural and synthetic testosterone,
as these will have the same retention time, and the mass spectra are overlapped
and will not be different enough.
* Epitestosterone and testosterone (and cortisone) will have different retention
times, and if there has been doping the ratio of T to E gets skewed (if one
is stupid and took too much T)
* If this ratio is greater than 4, the prep is then injected onto a GC-combustion
isotope ratio mass spectrometer (GC-C-IRMS)
Here’s where it can get a bit confusing. Now the body makes testosterone out of what it eats; taking a bunch of steps to get to squalene, then a bunch of steps to get to lanosterol, then about 20 steps to get to cholesterol, then a few more steps to progesterone, then a bunch of steps to testosterone. THEN the body takes the testosterone and turns it into other steroids. Epitestosterone gets made along this pathway somewhere too. The C13 to C12 ratio should be the same in precursors, the testosterone itself, and the metabolites. This ratio in the man-made stuff is not the same as the stuff made in the body; enzyme kinetics, test tube kinetics, and starting material (food versus plant sterols and petroleum) being a little bit different in their C13 and C12 abundance and handling.
* The GC-C-IRMS separates the compounds like the GC-MS
* The separated compounds are burned down to CO or CO2 (this is the combustion
step)
* All the carbons from the molecule are now in the same form
* The combustion products are swept into a mass spectrometer (different configuration
from the GC-MS’s MS)
* The IRMS determines the amount of C13 and C12.
* The chemist checks the C13 to C12 ratio of certain precursors (i.e endogenous
markers) to that of the testosterone
* They better be the same or you're a doper.
Note that the GC separates each compound. The presence of synthetic cortisone in the urine will not affect the C13:C12 of the testosterone directly. Cortisone will have a different retention time than testosterone so each compound’s C13:C12 measurement will occur at a different time. If there is biochemical conversion of synthetic cortisone to testosterone within the body that certainly would affect the ratio.
Also note the lab is certainly running under a quality assurance program using validated methods. Before every analytical batch is started certain tests must be carried out to verify that the instruments are performing correctly. Known standards of known concentrations must be injected onto the GC-MS. These QC checks must return a value within defined quality control protocols before any of the athletes’ urine can be tested; otherwise it is time to do instrument maintenance.
Hope this help everyone understand how the tests are performed.
Scott Clauss
Richland, Washington, USA
Monday, September 4, 2006
The Tour
Just because sprinters do not win by a big margin, does not mean that they 'deserve' bonus seconds. Why should the prologue winner, like Thor Hushovd be relegated to second place because a sprinter wins stage one and gains a six or ten-second bonus for the day? Did Hink really deserve to be in yellow? No, it was only because of time bonuses. No one will respect an overall win that is due solely to time bonuses.
Second, time trials as the prologue of the tour this year, finish at less than one-second apart. Third, no one would be 'passing' downhill if it was a time trial because they would not start five seconds apart. Descending is a very difficult skill to master. Many times in a road race it is impossible or too risky to descend as fast as one would like to due to slower or less skilled riders. So, yes, a big downhill trial would be exciting. They have them in mountain biking all the time. They are hugely popular.
If you learn about racing, you will find that time bonuses were started because the peloton use to ride very slowly until they approached the crowds near the finish line. I do not think that would repeat itself if bonuses were removed from races. It can still happen, as in the day that the peloton let Periero get 30 minutes ahead.
The only thing that stops the Tour de France from including downhilling is the potential for a rain-out. But it would be awesome.
Timothy Shame
USA
Friday, September 1, 2006
What's up with Sevilla?
There seems to be absolutely no information about Oscar Sevilla other than his being fired from T-Mobile along with Jan Ullrich. Does anyone know what's going on with him? He might be low enough in the T-Mobile payroll to possibly provide some insight.
Konrad LeBas
Friday, September 1, 2006
Mano a Mano
I really enjoy your website for keeping up with all the Cycling stuff, but I've got to point out that the well worn phrase "mano a mano", actually means hand in hand. Not man to man. Sorry if this seems pedantic, but it has to be said.
Graham Elliott
UK
Monday, September 4, 2006
Recent letters pages
Letters 2006
- September 1, part 1: The Eneco Tour controversy: Details, Reporting, Eneco vs doping, Time bonuses?, Who was at fault?, One of those things, Discovery behaviour, More barricades, No way for Schumacher to stop, Hard to stop, Officials to blame, The rules, Schumacher amazing, Hincapie's 2nd Place Trophy
- September 1, part 2: Dick Pound, Devil is in the detail, Diane Modahl and Floyd Landis, Dick McQuaid?, Fitting punishment, Floyd Landis and polygraph, Jake to play Lance?, La Vuelta coverage, Natural process still possible, likelihood uncertain, Protour rankings, Hour Record & Tour, Response to 'No Doping Control is Insane', Ullrich's trial by media
- August 25: Eneco Tour, Bring on an Hour Record, Cycling needs a dictator, Diane Modahl and Floyd Landis, Natural process still possible, likelihood uncertain, Response to 'No Doping Control is Insane', Testing procedures must be understood and public, A German Pound?, All winners dope?, Change the things we can, Track the testing, Cycling is not flawed, Defamation lawsuit, Dick Pound, How did the testosterone get there?, Julich: "No one is able to cheat anymore", Floyd Landis, Patrick Lefevere follow-up, Systematic doping? Where is the evidence?, Ullrich's trial by media, Unfair dismissals
- August 18, part 1: Natural process still possible - likelihood uncertain, Denial, Dick Pound, Oscar Pereiro, UCI - Pro Tour drug solution?, The problem with legalising doping, Changing the rules won't stop cheating, Scandal reduces respect, Blood tests, Corruption, A couple of questions, A couple of questions, A German Pound?, According to WADA: Who isn't doping?, Collect samples every day from everyone, Corruption in the system
- August 18, part 2: Does the dope fit the crime?, Doping and the death of pro cycling, Change the things we can, Doping, Landis, tests, Dufaux?, Floyd, dope, and cycling, Floyd's only way out, It's the jersey, Julich: "No one is able to cheat anymore", Landis affair, Landis and faulty test equipment, Landis and what he leaves behind, Lefevere, Phonak, and cycling's future, Stand by Our Man Landis, Only one positive, How did the testosterone get there?, Patrick Lefevere, Please help with these questions, Case thrown out, Stage 17 bad tactics or dope?, What were the actual results?, Wouldn't it be great, Zero tolerance
- August 11, part 1: Patrick Lefevere, "The media knew before I did", A couple of questions , Distribute the testing, A possible scenario for Landis, A real Tour, Anti-doping transparency, Anyone hear Jack Nicholson?, Are we fighting doping or not?, Bad for cycling - are you kidding?, Best way to deal with doping, Can some one please tell me... , Case thrown out, CIR and T/E tests, Collect samples every day from everyone, Complaining about drugs in cycling, Corruption in the system
- August 11, part 2: Cycling's reputation, Distortions in the Landis case, Does the dope fit the crime?, Doping, Doping in general, Doping, Landis, tests, Doping - the whole sorry mess, Drug testing for cyclists, Drugs & the Tour Down Under, Enough already!, Flawed process?, Only one positive, Unrealistic expectations
- August 11, part 3: Floyd Landis Affair, Floyd, dope, and cycling, Robbie Ventura, Hoping Floyd soon shows HIS evidence, I will prove it, Is this true (and if so, what's its import)?, Landis, Landis and Merckx, Legal black hole, Media circus, Operacion Puerto Victims, Pat McQuaid and doping... , Penalize teams, organizations
- August 11, part 4: Players, Post race reunion, Robbie Ventura, Solutions are there, Stage 17 Bad Tactics or dope?, T-E testing and Oscar Pereiro, Testosterone cheating, Testosterone Gremlins, The "System", doping, and so on, Who do you believe?, Time to level the playing field, UCI - Pro Tour Drug Solution?, Ullrich, Why process matters, Worse than VDB, Wouldn't it be Great!
- August 4, part 1: I will prove it, Doping, Landis, tests, Why process matters, Robbie Ventura, Rubbish!, Leadership & cleansing, 21st Stage, A few minor thoughts, Stage 17 water consumption, Was it a recovery prep?, Anti-doping transparency, Bad for cycling - are you kidding?, Best way to deal with doping
- August 4, part 2: Case thrown out, Center podium, Collect samples every day from everyone, Complaining about drugs in cycling, Confidence in the testing system, Courage off the bike, Who is Cowboy (2003)?, Crime and punishment, Nothing without the cyclists!, Davis and four others, Does the dope fit the crime?, Doping & money, Doping in cycling, An examination, Drug testing for cyclists, From a fellow pro, In Floyd ..., Do the right thing, Floyd's steroids, Grow Up and Get Real!, Future of testing, Idea for a clean Tour, Landis vs Periero TT, I'm done with cycling, I'm retired as a fan of the pros, Feel like a fool, I'm so disappointed
- August 4, part 3: Team management & doctors, It appears the dope does fit the Crime..., It was the whiskey, It's all a sham, It's everywhere., Nothing is conclusive, Worse than VDB, Cycling needs our support, Of all the tests…, Doesn't add up, Test timing, Players, Legal black hole, B-sample & Marco Pinotti, Landis is guilty of something, Former Phan, Landis Ordeal, Landis Situation, Landis, drugs and cycling, Landis: lab accreditation, The question, Laughingstock, Lawyers in tow, Leaks, Learn from NASCAR, Letter to Editor
- August 4, part 4: Losing hope against the dope..., Mitigating factor, No doping control is insane, One toke over the line, Keystone Cops, Operacion Puerto Victims, Raise the stakes, Something not right, Exhuming McCarthy, Testerone testing, Testing procedure, Landis has been caught, The Jack Daniels defense, The Landis Situation, French testing: a leaky boat, What a positive A sample means, The sieve called doping control, Time to level the playing field, US Perspective, WADA, UCI ruining sport, What about Pereiro?, What's the hold up?, Who's watching the henhouse?
- July 31, part 1: I will prove it, Stop the complaining, Public perception, The process - flawed?, Courage off the bike, Dallas on wheels, Surely not, Sick & insulted, Mitigating factor for Landis, Landis... it is a shame, Landis' abnormal (supernormal) results, Travesty, Who's watching the henhouse?, Could it have been the result of the bonk?, I'm sick of this!, One toke over the line
- July 31, part 2: Why does McQuaid make a bad situation worse, Why does the UCI make a bad situation worse, How one-off testosterone helps, Why risk it? Here's why., Must be natural, Sick of hearing about doping!, Previous reading?, If Landis turns out to be doped, Cycling on trial, All that is gold does not glitter, The science on testosterone, Maybe I am a fool, Loons, Results not yet known, Surely not, Cheated
- July 31, part 3: Who to believe, A slightly inappropriate Landis defence and proposal , Gut feeling, Jaded, Landis, Latest doping allegations, Tired of the system!, Cheating or not, Hard landing for the sport if Landis issue turns sour, Another Landis comment, Why?, Elevated T levels in Landis, Crucified, Floyd Landis, What is happening to cycling?
- July 31, part 4: Testing testosterone, It was the whiskey, Does the dope fit the crime?, Results not yet known, Landis - Say it ain't so!, Doping, Landis, tests, Landis - guilty until proven innocent, T/E ratio and treatment of Floyd Landis, Bad science and a possible solution, Testosterone is a natural substance, Confidence in the testing system
- July 28: Landis - Say it ain't so!, Surely not, The science on testosterone, Results not yet known, Jaded, Leave Landis ALONE!, "Everybody cheats.", Fairness of testing, Crucified, Who to believe?, Landis doping, The A and B test., Why does McQuaid make a bad situation worse?
- July 21, part 2: Legalising doping, Full transparency, Basso and DNA, Doping, lawyers, and Basso, Ullrich's Innocence, Tyler Hamilton, Did Millar come clean, Ullrich's doping plan, Doping and still suffering
- July 21, part 1: Stage 17, 2006 Tour, And the winner is?, Chicken!, Rasmussen not a "team player"?, Enough Lance, Floyd's bad day, Is Discovery really a true U.S. ProTour team?, First-time winners' past records, Kudos to Leblanc, Landis' aero bars, NORBA Nationals, Floyd's not "photogenically challenged", Respect the yellow jersey?, US Nationals, Very unsatisfying
- July 14, part 2: Landis' aero bars, Wide Open Before the Cols- An Average Fan's Predictions, US Nationals, Cipo @ the Tour, And the Winner is?, Boring spots, Disco Boys?, Enough Lance, Is Discovery really a true U.S. Pro Tour Team?, Kloden by default, Millar's new TT position, Photogenically Challenged Champions, Segregation is not the solution
- July 14, part 1: Legalising doping , Small world, Hamilton's fax, Cheats, Come clean, Simoni, Doping and the double standard, Dopers don't affect love of riding, Greg LeMond, Vino, Lance & LeMond
- July 7, part 2: Legalise it!, Doping, Greg LeMond, Plenty of riders don't dope, What I will do, Phonak, Come clean, Hide & Seek, The Early Signs coming True, Doping and sponsors, Santiago Botero not on the list, An alternative
- July 7, part 1: Are we paying these guys enough? Cardiac hypertrophy and sudden death, A cycling scandal? A sad day for cycling fans, Discovery's team leader, Easier racing won't help, Simoni, Cheats, Vinokourov, An open letter to Ivan Basso, Are we alone?, Sharing the road, Searching for an old book
- June 30, part 1: Easier racing won't help, Communidad Valencia and the ASO, Doping & fans, What a Shame, Sunny side of pro dopers, Tyler Hamilton: how long can he deny, The new "performance" enhancer, Greg LeMond, Armstrong's letter to IOC, Armstrong, L'Équipe, WADA & Pound, A call for one more test
- June 30, part 2: Ullrich and the Tour, Mancebo: The Unsung Hero, Hincapie to lead Disco, Jane Higdon, USA junior development, Voigt vs. Hincapie, Operation Puerto, Where there is smoke, there is fire, Watching the wheels come off, Why only cycling?, UCI request for riders to submit signed statements, UCI leadership questioned by reporters
- June 23: "Next!", Hincapie to lead Disco, USA junior development, Jane Higdon, A call for one more test, Armstrong's letter to IOC, Defending Landis, Doping, The Armstrong/L'Équipe/WADA/Pound affair, Spanish doping allegations, Team consequences, Voigt vs. Hincapie
- June 16: Pound should resign, Now I’m really confused, Vinokourov, Saiz, doping and the TdF, The Spanish operation, Misplaced sympathy, Name the suspects, Spanish doping, Opinions from France, ASO, Simoni vs. Basso, Voigt vs. Hincapie, Jens Voigt vs. George Hincapie, Voigt and Hincapie, Jane Higdon, Jeremy Vennell diary
- June 11: Simoni vs. Basso, Basso and Simoni, Simoni versus Basso, Simoni's smile, Sour grapes Simoni, Sarcastic, disgruntled fan?, Congrats to Jan, Non-round rings, Sport, Voigt and Hincapie, Jens Voigt, Three cheers for Jens Voigt, Jens Voigt vs. George Hincapie, Voigt vs. Hincapie, Thanks to Voigt and Manzano, Champion in countless ways, Chapeau Jens!
- June 9 - Special edition: Vino’s position, Astana-Wurth and the TdF, Vinokourov, Saiz, doping and the TdF, Spanish doping allegations, WADA, Vrijman's findings, That Report, WADA and Armstrong, WADA vs. UCI vs. the riders, WADA's double standard, WADA and Pound missing the point, Pound should resign, A Pound of what?, The role of the AIGCP, The Spanish operation, Botero interview, Say it isn't so, Manolo
- June 2: Simoni versus Basso, Simoni and Basso, Simoni, Simoni's smile, Simoni is a crybaby, Basso and Simoni, Sour grapes Simoni, Gibo Si-MOAN-i, Blood, drugs, cash and corruption, Sickening double standard, Spanish federations' reaction to Saiz, Don't be surprised by drug use, Giro d'Italia, Thanks to Voigt and Manzano, Chapeau Jens!, Jens Voigt, Three cheers for Jens Voigt, Jens Voigt is the man, Voigt 2006 vs Boogerd 1999, Voigt and Hincapie, Discovery’s Giro team, Altitude tents and EPO, Not just name-calling, Say it isn't so, Manolo, Spanish doping allegations, Armstrong and L'Equipe, CSC is a class act, Basso and CSC, Jimenez memories, Markers in drugs, Discovery Channel's Giro performance, Pound should resign, Giro live reporting, Banning of altitude tents, Bettini is consistent
- May 26: Their A-game's at home, The Tour and the TT, Jan's good form, Jan bashing, Congrats to Jan, The diesel, Double or nothing, Ivance Bassostrong, Bravo, Basso!, Discovery Channel's Giro performance, Bettini is consistent, Banning of altitude tents, When disqualification isn't enough, WADA should ban intervals
- May 26 - Special edition: Say it ain't so, Manolo, Say it isn't so, Spanish Federations' reaction to Saiz, The doping scandal to end them all
- May 19: Bettini is consistent, Banning of altitude tents, Hypoxic tents, WADA and altitude tents, Latest WADA crusade, WADA bans another, Congrats to Jan, Criticism of Jan Ullrich, Jan bashing, Jan ready for the Tour, Jan's good form, Armstrong - the New American Idol, The same old Lance, Defeatism in Discovery, Giro reactions, One of Savoldelli's secrets, Rasmussen's time trial position, Riders under helmets, Difference between following and leading, The Tour and the TT, Bruyneel's Giro comments, When disqualification isn't enough
- May 12: Marion Clignet, Bruyneel's Giro comments, Criticism of Jan Ullrich, Jan bashing, Jan's weight, Defeatism in Discovery, Lance talking up Basso, The same old Lance, Rasmussen's time trial position, Giro team time trial, Hincapie in Paris-Roubaix, Riders under helmets
- May 5: Criticism of Jan, Criticism of Ullrich, The Ullrich-bashing bandwagon, Ullrich in 2006, Jan dramas, More Jan dramas, Bruyneel's Giro comments, Team helmets, Volunteering at bike races, Hincapie in Paris-Roubaix
- April 28: Working for the team in Georgia, Ullrich's thick skin, Ullrich and the 2006 Tour, Jan Ullrich racing, Ullrich and THAT wheel, Jan Ullrich, Jan dramas, Paris-Roubaix technology, Hincapie in Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Roubaix controversy, Paris-Roubaix comments, Paris-Roubaix tech, Team helmets
- April 21: Paris-Roubaix final say, Paris-Roubaix controversy, Paris-Roubaix and technology, George and the fork issue, Quotable quotes, Cycling technology, Behaving like a champion, Paris-Roubaix: UCI Code of Ethics
- April 14: Continuing to behave like a champion, No curse of the rainbow jersey, Tom Boonen, Hang in there, Saul, The gods of cycling, Trek and Paris-Roubaix, Looking out for George, Paris-Roubaix and technology, Broken forks and broken dreams, Jan Ullrich, Jan dramas, Disqualifications, So you know, Paris - Roubaix, THAT railway crossing incident, Need for consistency, Paris-Roubaix - poor Cancellara, Paris Roubaix disqualification, Paris-Roubaix: setting a good example, Roubaix disqualification decision, UCI Roubaix disgrace, Paris Roubaix disqualification, Paris Roubaix affair, Paris-Roubaix fiasco, Paris-Roubaix sham, Racing's railroad crossings, George's bike failure, Let them race, Roubaix controversy
- April 12 (Special Paris Roubaix edition): Paris-Roubaix disqualification, Disqualification on the pave, Level crossing in Paris-Roubaix, Rules are rules, Paris-Roubaix, McQuaid's reasoning, Pat McQuaid and train barriers, Railway crossing at Paris-Roubaix, Disqualifications in Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Roubaix crossing, Roubaix controversy, Grade crossings, Railroad crossings, Safety at Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Roubaix sham, Paris-Roubaix safety, Paris-Roubaix rail crossing, Boonen and friends cross the tracks, McQuaid's explanation, Roubaix disqualification decision
- April 7: Hang in there Saul, De Ronde parcours, Edwig van Hooydonk, Discovery’s American riders, Tom Boonen, April fools, Hair care product line, Brave new world, Commonwealth Games time trial, Photo of the year
