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Letters to Cyclingnews - June 1, 2007, part 2
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.
Is amnesty the best policy?
Following the recent spate of confessions from current and former riders, the Cyclingnews Inbox received its own flood of opinions on how best to deal with a problem that appears to have been endemic throughout professional cycling in the 90s, and possibly beyond.
Suggestions ranged from an all out amnesty, to locking up offenders and throwing away the key. And while we can't print each letter received, rest assured we do read every one.
- Ben Abrahams, letters editor
June 1, part 1: A
thought for cycling's true heroes..., A cunning plan, A great opportunity for
the UCI, Admissions of guilt, Let's have some real confessions, Amnesty is the
way forward, Suggestions for an amnesty, Amnesty, Amnesty or punishment?, ASO's
double standard, Tour Clowns, Bjarne Riis, Bjarne Riis confession, Riis must
go, Riis, Basso, Zabel, et al..., Repairing the Magenta Express, Tip of the
iceberg, Riis and winning the tour on EPO
June 1, part 2: Confessions?,
Honour - Seemingly rare in cycling, How deep do you go?, Who do we give it to?,
A week of confessions, Peer pressure, Mind boggling hypocrisy, Pro cycling -
Sometimes you make it hard to love you, Meaningless defence, Riding with Lance,
Lucky Lance, Cheating by proxy, LeMond trying to tear down US riders , So, if
Floyd is right..., Thank you Floyd, Floyd Landis hearing, Mr. Young's closing
arguments, Something more important..., What ever happened to Iban Mayo?, Percentage
of pros with asthma
Confessions?
Honour - Seemingly rare in cycling
How deep do you go?
Who do we give it to?
A week of confessions
Peer pressure
Mind boggling hypocrisy
Pro cycling - Sometimes you make it hard to love you
Meaningless defence
Riding with Lance
Lucky Lance
Cheating by proxy
LeMond trying to tear down US riders
So, if Floyd is right...
Thank you Floyd
Floyd Landis hearing
Mr. Young's closing arguments
Something more important...
What ever happened to Iban Mayo?
Percentage of pros with asthma
Confessions?
Zabel, Riis and others confessing to their doping pasts are not heroes or courageous, or any way to be admired. They are sneaks and cheats, who have held up a deception for as long as possible. It's only now that they stand to loose more than they can gain from this deception that, upon lawyers' advice, they now fess up.
I'm a passionate clean competitive cyclist but now quite frankly I don't give a turd about who wins the Giro or the Tour. McQuaid and the UCI moreover are still firmly in denial, by the sound of their language, still talking Riis et. al. up. This shows that the "culture" of top level cycling still has light years to go. One wonders in this age of corporate social responsibility, just how many corporations can stay willing to have their brand names and reputations carried around by these drug couriers. If I were CEO of a big firm, I'd definitely be looking to put my money elsewhere.
In the meantime, I'll keeping rocking up to my local races, racing clean, and sleeping soundly at night, happy with my honest albeit humble achievements. More than can be said of a crooked Yellow Jersey holder.
Shane Chaplin
Stockholm, Sweden
Monday, May 28, 2007
Honour - Seemingly rare in cycling
The half-baked doping confessions that we are currently hearing from cycling's elite show that cycling has the collective will to address transgressors, but is also highlighting, once again, the painful lack of honour in today's (and yesterday's) athletes.
Why are all of T-Mobile's stable of former riders coming clean now? Because the team doctors confessed to endemic doping. The riders have to either come clean now on their own terms, or face being exposed eventually by the Freiburg "doctors". In this case, the riders' confessions have nothing to do with their desire to "do the right thing" and everything to do with preemptively striking in order to salvage some goodwill from the cycling fan where none should be granted.
Between Puerto and Freiburg, it is clear that the road to cleaning up cycling (and sport in general) is through exposing the medical and financial (ie gambling) machinations behind the team structures. Cycling is leading the way in doing precisely this and I applaud the organizing groups and teams who are pushing this leading edge.
Edmund Idziak
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Saturday, May 26, 2007
How deep do you go?
Riis' confession today got me to thinking... As Cyclingnews pointed out, the 2nd and 3rd place finishers in the 1996 Tour are in no way capable of accepting even an honorary victory. My question is, how far down do you have to go before you find a clean victor? What is ‘clean,' anyway? If somebody doped years ago, are their current victories null and void? If one dopes with a substance that is not yet illegal, and becomes illegal later, is that person a cheater?
If Lance came forth with a similar confession, and then Indurain and other big names, what do you do with the more recent results? If everybody cheats (or at least the vast majority), is it really cheating? If it truly is almost everybody, then it's the system that's being cheated, not a racer's fellow competitors. That's not as bad, is it?
Cheating is really the issue, not doping. If only the decision were as simple as determining whether or not a rider had hopped on a train to make a long stage easier, this wouldn't be as difficult as it is. I don't think Zabel's tears were crocodile tears. I have to believe that the majority of dopers feel badly about what they've done but also feel that they had no choice if they wanted to perform at the highest level. Spending the rest of your life knowing that the great success you attained in your youth was fraudulent is a curse that I wouldn't want to live under. There are many with no moral compunction to feel that guilt, but I'm betting that the majority do.
This week's spate of confessions is the only way out of this prison. My advice to the rest of the peloton, regardless of any deal-making or amnesty, would be: Now's your chance. ‘Fess up before you're stuck holding it inside forever.
Peter Krogh
Friday, May 25, 2007
Who do we give it to?
So Bjarne Riis admits to doping and says, "If they want my yellow jersey, they can come and get it."
Well, who would they give it to?
Since Riis admits he doped during the 1996 Tour de France, doesn't that mean that the runner-up should be named the winner? And that was... Riis' Telekom teammate, Jan Ullrich. Of course, Amaury Sports can't exactly give the jersey to Ullrich, seeing as how Telekom appears to have had a team-wide doping effort and that Ullrich is implicated in the Puerto affair. There's too much of a risk they'd have to take it away from him, too.
So maybe the next guy in line will be named the winner. Let's see, third place. Richard Virenque, Festina. Oops, that won't work. After all, Virenque confessed to doping and was implicated in the Festina doping scandal two years later. If he doped in 98, he was probably on the stuff in 1996 and 1997.
Well, so let's give it to the fourth place finisher. And -- drum roll please -- Laurent Dufaux of Festina. Oops, that won't work, either.
Are we ready to call Peter Luttenberger the 1996 champ? Please...
Jack Beaudoin
Bowdoinham, ME, USA
Friday, May 25, 2007
A week of confessions
What a week for confessions. The Inquisition itself couldn't have extracted more of them! The corker is Bjarne Riis's, ole Mr. 60% himself (which I read about years ago for his hematocrit level). You have to like someone saying "Yeah, I did it for years and if you want my Tour jersey, come get it." Brassy, if not classy. Riis's comment that just slays me is the one where he stated, seemingly with some derision, that all he got out of it was being faster. Well, gee, Bjarne, what else did you expect, a head full of hair?
But it's Erik Zabel's confession that strikes me as one most in need of clemency. It was preceded by a confession from his good friend Rolf Aldag, whose confession in turn was prompted by the whirlpool of information uncovered by Operation Puerto. Zabel and Aldag are in an excellent documentary, Hell on Wheels, which looks at the Tour de France over time and as it unfolded in 2003. It's called a superb look into the life of these two and their immense struggles to succeed at what they hope to accomplish. You come away from that film with such respect for them!
Let's applaud their courage to admit to something that had been bothering them and that needed to see the light of day. And, Bjarne, keep your jersey, but place beside it a big asterisk.
Scott Phoenix,
Newberg, OR, USA
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Peer pressure
Your team captain wins the biggest race of cyclingdom, the Tour de France, and he took them. Your team and teammates are adored by all and revered for their hard work and dominance, and they took them. The results speak for themselves by what they took. You are touted as the next big thing and come in second in the biggest cycling race in the world. You bring national pride to your country, your sponsors love you, the media loves you, everyone loves you. You are a star in your home country and people recognize you. You want to take that next step to win it all. So how do you do it? You do what your team captain and teammates did to win it all... you take EPO. Why not? They got away with it and have for years. The doctor will make sure of that!
So if everyone around you does it and gets away with it, it probably seems like a safe bet that you can to. And you do and win the Tour a year later.
The pressure to perform and live up to expectations can be a stronger temptation than what is legally and morally right. But you are an elite athlete and the pressure to be like your peers can be awfully great.
When a team as a whole dopes and the results speak for themselves, do you do as they do? Or do you risk fading away into oblivion as a never-will-be?
I don't condone what they did, but I can certainly understand why.
Gary Lee
Daly City, CA, USA
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Mind boggling hypocrisy
I agree with Stan White. If Pereiro does not have anything to hide, why should he mind having a DNA test?
While the cycling fraternity is congratulating itself regarding admissions
to past doping offences I have to wonder why these people should be forgiven
and why should they be allowed to continue on as if the past does not matter.
The utter hypocrisy is vomit worthy. These are the people responsible for what
is still happening and team owners and sponsors are just supposed to forgive
and forget.
Should team owners on good faith alone, allow Aldag, Riis and company to continue
in their official positions? What sort of message does this send to the rest
of the community? The best they could do is resign and tell the full story about
doping.
It seems that the much maligned Dick Pound was right all along. He always asserted
that doping was endemic in professional cycling and now we know that it is.
I now wonder whether it is worth my time maintaining a keen interest in the
sport. To say that I am disillusioned does not even approach the disappointment
and anger that I feel towards these cheats. I cannot think of a better word
to describe them.
Ian Sharp
Wollongong, Australia
Monday, May 28, 2007
Pro cycling - Sometimes you make it hard to love you
This has been a tough 12 months for me concerning cycling (as it has for many cycling fans). I live in the US where Cycling coverage is scarce, there is no one to talk about the races, the riders, or current events. It's just me and the cycling websites. I often send emails to my cable company asking them to air more ProTour races - live. I try to get people at work to "just watch one stage, I promise you'll fall in love with it, too!" I showed off my 2007 Discovery Channel official jersey signed by Gianni Meersman that I won - people were happy for me because I was so excited, but no one really cared.
In Feb, when Ullrich's DNA matched the Puerto bags, my spirits saddened - everyone else had a great day. In May, when Basso confessed, I was crestfallen - no one understood. Last week when Zabel confessed, I could be heard talking to myself at my desk - no one to share my increasing sadness for the sport that can bring me to tears (in a good way). Just yesterday, when half the 1996 Telekom team confessed to doping, discouragement starting to set in - everyone else excited about the 3 day holiday weekend. Just 5 minutes ago, when I learned Riis was doped for the 1996 le Tour - well that hasn't sunk in yet.
Add to this the bickering between the UCI and the Tour Organizers and I am here to tell Pro cycling, "Sometimes you make it hard to love you".
I will still watch. I will still check the websites every hour for updates in news and riders. I will still see the human side of the riders (which for me makes their racing more special), and I will still be the cheerleader for these great, talented men. I am, in fact, counting down to le Tour de France because it is televised. I will watch the race live when I can, and catch the replay at night - staying up until past 11pm and going to work tired every morning for 3 weeks.
For the love of cycling,
Julie Harden
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Friday, May 25, 2007
Meaningless defence
The recent round of doping confessions by more mid-90s Telekom riders proves that passing a doping control is no proof that a rider rides clean, even on the very day he passes. In other words, it doesn't matter one small bit that Lance Armstrong passed his doping controls. The doping confessions of those who passed the same controls eliminate that defence, for better and for worse.
We now know that lots of guilty riders pass doping controls. Their confessions are proof. They doped; they passed. Indeed it seems obvious by now that guilty riders pass doping controls far more times than they fail them. We don't know how many times some confessed dopers passed the controls. But we do know how many times some dopers failed -- none. Given these and other confessions by riders who never actually tested positive but who later admitted to doping, beating the system is a rather mundane challenge. We now know it happens all the time.
Note to pro riders: Please do not insult our intelligence by trying to establish your innocence on the ground that you passed all the doping controls. Passing doping controls just puts you in company with all the self-confessed guilty riders who did precisely the same. But please do tell us how you managed to beat those who doped without doping yourself, especially if you have done so over and over, year upon year.
Having the physiological readings of a race horse just won't explain it. Basso has precisely that kind of physiological data. I know so for a fact. So does Ullrich. Yet someone I can think of beat them with amazing regularity, sometimes by shockingly large margins -- clean, they tell me, and then point to passing the doping controls as evidence. If you beat not only the best in the world, but the best in the world on dope, then I don't for a moment believe you are clean. Ironically and sadly, your success is your accuser. Winners must now answer for winning.
Is it really a matter then simply of better training, or of mental toughness? I doubt it. There are plenty of wonderfully well trained riders in the pro peloton, and some of them are tough as nails. And please don't tell me about Eddy Merckx in this regard. Remember, he was caught doping too.
At this moment, Bjarne Riis has not spoken, but is scheduled to do so soon. I can't wait to hear what old "Mr 60" (a common 11 year-old reference to his hematocrit level) has to say. But the possibilities now reduce roughly to two: Confession or meaningless allusions to passing doping controls. The first should mean lifetime expulsion from the sport; the second means precisely nothing.
Dr. Michael Bauman
Hillsdale, Michigan, USA
Friday, May 25, 2007
Riding with Lance
My experience riding with Lance and George Hincapie on the US Cycling Team in the early 1990's is exactly what Todd Dunn has stated. I have memories of us doing early season training in the Texas hill country and almost daily, after all of us, including George, were tired from riding 100+ miles daily, Lance would continue on for another hour or two. Never have I seen more dedication, talent and toughness in one person and I seriously doubt I'll ever see anything like that again.
I dare say that anyone that challenges his accomplishments obviously has zero concept of what Lance's genius can and has accomplished.
Glenn Milano
Washington, DC, USA
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Lucky Lance
In addition to everything else said about Armstrong, you have to admit the guy was also VERY lucky in the TDF. He could have been in the pileup that broke Levi's hip. He could have broken his collarbone when he and Mayo so famously crashed during the attack in win #5. His bike frame was cracked in half when he finished that stage. He could have been more caught up in the Beloki crash that effectively ended Joseba's career (Lance's not blowing a tire on his little cyclocross trip still amazes me).
Heck, the guy didn't even have a flat tire during one of his 7 TDF wins. It wasn't all pure luck... amazing bike skills (compare the number of time Lance hit the deck to... say... Tyler), fanatical technical preparations including some of the most amazing tire aging in the industry, and careful intake of food and fluids to keep from getting sick.
He was lucky... but luck comes to the people who are prepared to accept it.
Kenneth Mitchell
Friday, May 25, 2007
Cheating by proxy
Great rider he may be but Lance could not have won seven tours on his own - his team played a huge part in his victories. Given that some of his biggest allies in US Postal have since been shown to be cheating (Heras being the most notable), I ask the question, did Lance cheat - by proxy so to speak?
M G Matar
Melbourne, Australia
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 23:04:54 +1000
LeMond trying to tear down US riders
When LeMond started taking about L.A., I thought he should keep his mouth shut unless he had some real evidence. I vowed never to buy any of his cycling products and wrote him off. I agree that he tends to treat supposition as fact, and that bothers me, but I also think he is doing it because he knew the peloton was doping and he wanted it to stop.
We all made fun of him and called him a heretic, but now we are all finding out he was right. It appears he was willing to do anything, or say anything he could to bring the doping out into the light and put a stop to it. I have personally decided to cut him a break, and forgive him for using supposition as fact, because when you really look at it, he only targeted people he really thought were doping and didn't strike out indiscriminately.
Todd Tuengel
Los Angeles, USA
Friday, May 25, 2007
LeMond trying to tear down US riders #2
Oh dear, I see that the apologists are at it again. According to Dr. Prell, "LeMond was never tested positive in "those" years, when, by the way, blood doping was still unknown." Unknown? Really? I wonder when "those" years were, as apparently Dr. Prell has never heard of the East Germans. Or the Russians. Or the U.S. Olympic cycling team's hilariously amateurish first stabs at blood doping in those Los Angeles hotel rooms way back in 1984...
As for Aldag still being employed in the aftermath of Bill Stapleton's previous evangelistic pronouncements that by God, things would be different under his reign, we'll just let that sit there on the table like the intellectual turd that it is. He's keeping Rolf and says he'll hire Zabel no questions asked. Nice work Bill.
As for Floyd and his drunk assistant threatening to expose (pardon the pun) the secret history of Greg LeMond's weenie, all I can say is who needs pro wrestling or NASCAR for cheap entertainment when you have pro cycling? You have to love Floyd's intellect, what with changing from a yellow tie to a black one whenever LeMond showed up. Gosh, I haven't seen that sort of childish egotism since grade school. At least he didn't wear his baseball hat backwards.
As for Zabel being commended for his sudden bout of honesty. Sorry, no sale. He's a doper and a liar, and he copped to it only to try and get in front of it. And only then because all of his former teammates have already let the Telekom cat out of the bag. He should be gone, as should they all. I am sickened by all of this crap about how admirable these guys are for their honesty. They're scumbags.
Marshall Ellis
Friday, May 25, 2007
LeMond trying to tear down US riders #3
Lance Armstrong showed the cycling world that he was willing to ruin another rider's career to protect "doctor" Ferrari. That is what you witnessed on stage 18 of the 2004 TdF when Lance chased down Filippo Simeoni.
Indeed, the feud between LeMond and Armstrong started when LeMond called on Armstrong to end his relationship with Ferrari back in 2001.
In 2001, I did some research on Ferrari. I found references to Ferrari right here in the pages of CyclingNews.com. In excerpts from the book "Breaking the Chain" written by the Festina affair's main character, soigneur, Willy Voet. True cycling fans need to read these two excerpts.
Here is a quote from the book (written before anyone knew about Lance and Ferrari) - "What's more, teaming up with Ferrari was like putting a saucepan up your backside: it was immediately obvious what you were doing. And Virenque wanted at all costs to keep his family out of what he had to do."
I can understand the general public not being aware of the meaning of Armstrong chasing down Simeoni on that Stage. However, a fan that reads CyclingNews.com or VeloNews.com should see that was the TdF's darkest hour. Publicly tampering with a witness shows that Lance believes he is above the law.
Mike Kilcoyne
MPLS, MN, USA
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
So, if Floyd is right.....
Interesting:
LNDD, the lab, does such a knock up job, that results are routinely leaked to L'Equipe (which at the very least could be said to have an unfriendly view of American cyclists). They report 1 test result for elevated testoterone, and then all negatives. Then they go back and test B-samples (which in and of itself is insane, why not have a 3rd party doing the test to verify the results) and big surprise they come back positive. Then the Technical Manager for the company that manufactures the testing machine testifies that they have no idea how to work the testing machine, that they actually needed his help with some of the samples. Ridiculous.
And these are all facts, in addition to the fact that LNDD has 300% more positive results then any other WADA lab.
USADA has such an air tight case that they are relegated to talking about Floyd Landis character, and what he wore to court. Sad, just sad. And what of the supposed offer to inform on Lance Armstrong and some sort of leniency being granted? I won't even get into Dick Pound and his Captain Ahab routine in regards to Armstrong, or Greg LeMond's continual supposed insider information regarding American TdF winners, though I do wonder how he didn't have any information regarding Tyler Hamilton (hmm didn't win the tour), but does any of this really matter? No.
Why, did Floyd cheat? I think in this case he didn't. Mistakes were made, he should be cleared and recognized at the winner of the 2006 TdF.
If you want to really stop or try to control cheating in cycling, talk to John Vaughters, he seems to have a good hand on it, because no matter what people will always cheat. Unfortunately.
Jim Carlson
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thank you Floyd
Thank you for making my favourite sport all that much more respectable. Your periodic appearances in the media, as strategically placed as they are, really enhance the 3 ring circus that this sport has become. I truly believe that if you had chosen a straw hat to go with that yellow tie, it would have made a big difference. Oh well, maybe next time...
Borja Arenzana
San Sebastian, Spain
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Floyd Landis hearing
When the manufacturer of the equipment (Mass Spec Solutions) used to test the samples sends a representative (Mr Simon Davis, technical director) to the proceedings and he says that the people who bought his company's product are using it incorrectly...it makes me sit up and think.
My understanding is that these machines require extremely precise and consistent handling to achieve accurate results time and again. If the manufacturer's procedures are flouted and not consistently followed, then errors will result. Every chemistry student knows that to repeat the results of any experiment, the steps, procedures and timings must be followed to a T.
Mark Chen
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Mr. Young's closing arguments
It is interesting that Mr. Young spent so much time during his arguments on something other than the scientific evidence in the case. It doesn't matter about Floyd Landis' character, Floyd Landis' associates, or Floyd Landis PR mistakes or missteps, or what Greg LeMond says about a conversation that occurred last year.
If the IRMS evidence was completely solid, then the data would be un-impeachable. However, a GLP lab should never have the kind of mistakes that were on display from LNDD. The chain of custody and documentation were compromised from the start. The analysts knew of the identity of the subjects being tested, and the desired outcome. Therefore, tampering with the chromatography baseline will always be questionable because the analysts are subjective people, like all of us. The GLP process is supposed to prevent investigator bias by having a defensible and transparent process.
The litany of errors and the unwillingness of Mr. Young to stand on the only thing that matters, the data produced at LNDD, are inexcusable. The athletes deserve better, the cycling fans deserve better, the sport deserves better, and the scientific community deserves better.
Ed Cable
San Diego, CA, USA
Friday, May 25, 2007
Something more important...
I am shocked and saddened to hear of Dario Pegoretti's lymphoma diagnosis. While it is terrible news whenever anyone is stricken with a serious illness, it seems always to strike home more profoundly when it is someone with whom we identify or feel a strong personal connection.
I like to think of myself as a fairly non-materialistic person, one who does not become overly attached to or obsessed with physical objects. The one clear exception to this ideal is my 2005 Pegoretti Marcelo; I adore this bike! I can't even begin to find the right superlatives to describe the butter-smooth ride that is somehow fused with massive drivetrain stiffness, or good-natured, predictable stability that happily co-exists with razor-sharp, instantaneous cornering response. Every time I get on the bike, I reflect on 1) how I am not worthy of it and 2) how it was made, one weld at a time, by the hands of one of the greatest framebuilders who has ever lived.
The top tube is inscribed with a simple Italian slogan that neatly encapsulates the Pegoretti artisan vision: "Fatti con le mani".
Get well soon, Dario. The world can never have enough beautiful bikes in it, and yours are the best in the business - we need you building them for years to come.
Alex Parker
Cambridge, MA, USA
Friday, May 25, 2007
What ever happened to Iban Mayo?
Your question has been on my mind for some time. I can see parallels to other events and offer perhaps a conspiracy theory or two that polite and rational people will not talk about.
After Mayo's fantastic run up Ventoux, he simply disintegrated. We never even saw him as a possible contender for a top 10 in the Tour. After Cunego's phenomenal Giro, he fell apart and still has not truly resurfaced at the same level. We have seen Kloden outrun his team captain Der Kaiser, take a podium spot then establish himself as a domestique for another rider as opposed to posturing himself for his own Tour win. There are many events like this and no one seems to even notice the similarities. Each rider has shown up unexpectedly, had brilliant performances then faded away. I see two possibilities:
1) They doped, showed off and the team made them back off because they knew what was going on and did not want to raise suspicion.
2) They all dope in order to maintain the demands on them physically. Teams and race organizers are fully aware of it. Small groups of riders are chosen by the racing community as a whole to be allowed to win a given race. If one crosses the line, he is either warned (Cunego) or slammed (Landis). It smacks of a pseudo-choreographed event to me.
In any event, the level to which doping occurs is too big to fly under the radar anymore. Without a big, splashy anti-doping campaign to distract the public (wait, we have one of those) people would start to think things are fixed. In any event, I am forever skeptical.
Anthony
New York, USA
Friday, May 25, 2007
Percentage of pros with asthma
On the TV coverage of the Giro the other day, there was a British elite woman cyclist telling how she was tested each year for controlled use of asthma medicine.
It involved exercising in a dense, moisture-laden atmosphere until an attack starts, then repeating it over again to trigger an episode, just to prove she is not cheating!
I'm not saying that some athletes may be using asthma medicines inappropriately, but if all local governing bodies applied the same rules as vigorously, then the urge to obtain these medicines might decline.
I must say that my own steroid asthma medicine precludes me from this year's Tour de France - but I can climb the slope to the local pub!
Tubbygeeza
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Recent letters pages
Letters 2007
- May 23: Landis case live coverage, LeMond a true champion, Questioning LeMond's motives, LeMond trying to tear down US riders, Saint LeMond, Landis and his character, Landis has made cycling a joke, Landis had his drink spiked?, Landis in a corner, Landis polygraph?, Landis' disclosure of information, The quality of Landis' character, Landis' behaviour, Joe Papp
- May 18: Armstrong can defend himself, Di Brat, Chris Hoy's world kilo record attempt , Hoy in sixty seconds, What ever happened to Iban Mayo?, Hypocrisy of the cycling world, Italian Reactions to Basso, Who's telling the truth?, Basso + Ullrich = Armstrong?, Basso still a legend, Simoni vs Basso, Basso, Landis etc The new mafia?, Landis to ask UCI to boot Pound, Vinokourov to claim second in '05 TdF?, Percentage of pros with asthma, Unibet at Dunkerque
- May 11: An attempt at doping?, Almost as bad as Ullrich, Basso admission, Hats off Basso, Basso still a legend, Basso's attempted plea bargain, Basso and Discovery, Discovery's PR, Basso vs Simoni , Truth and Reconciliation Commission, A means to an end, Hypocrisy of the cycling world, Vinokourov to claim second in '05 TdF? , New Puerto plan, Where is the Puerto money?, Time to start re-stating race results, The morals and math of cycling, Chris Hoy's world kilo record attempt , Unibet at Dunkerque, Davide Rebellin
- May 4: Call that a race?, Reflecting on Schumacher's win, Pose with Landis, at a price, Danielson should leave Discovery, Davide Rebellin, The year of the clean Classics?, Basso and Discovery, Basso this, Landis that, Ullrich the other..., Basso, DNA and whatever else, Basso's DNA, Say it ain't so, Johan, Let's cut them some slack!, Armstrong, head and shoulders above?, Landis, Armstrong vs the Lab, It's not all about the Tour!, Puerto Affair
- April 27: The year of the clean Classics?, David Rebellin, Call that a race?, Reflecting on Schumacher's win, Danielson should leave Discovery, Inspirational O'Grady and those cobbles, L'Equipe does it again!, Tour de France speaks out, The morals and math of cycling, Basso and Puerto, Puerto, part deux, Gilberto, you were right!, Landis, Armstrong vs the Lab, Pose with Landis, at a price?, Taking blood, Gent-Wevelgem and the Kemmelberg, Gent-Wevelgem and water bottles
- April 20: Stuey wins Roubaix, O'Grady Rocks!, An Aussie in Arenberg, Deep-dish carbon versus the cobbles, Gent-Wevelgem and water bottles, Unibet/FdJ/Lotto - Help!, U.S. Open Cycling Championships, Racing in America, Retesting Floyd's B-samples, Taking blood
- April 13: Thoughts on Flanders, Crashes at Gent-Wevelgem, Gent-Wevelgem and water bottles, What about that loose water bottle?, T-Mobile one-two, Popo for the Classics, Racing in America, U.S. Open Cycling Championships, Unibet/FdJ/Lotto - Help!, French hypocrites?, Bjarne Riis, Floyd Landis 'B' sample fiasco, Taking blood, Ullrich DNA match
- April 6: April Fools, Ullrich DNA match, Taking blood, T-Mobile and Puerto, The song remains the same, Ullrich and Hamilton, Tyler Hamilton and flu, Unibet and access into France, Bjarne Riis, Popovych, The death of irony, Armstrong boring?, Ullrich/Armstrong comparisons
- March 30: Basso wind tunnel testing, Bjarne Riis, Riis' response, Drugs in other sports, Dominquez at Redlands, Armstrong boring?, Ullrich/Armstrong comparisons, Popovych - the new Armstrong?, ASO wildcard selections, ASO-UCI split, Boys atop the sport, Cycling at two speeds, Puerto shelved, Tyler Hamilton.
- March 23: Popovych - the new Armstrong?, A few years ago, Tyler Hamilton, Operación Puerto not complete, Puerto shelved, ASO-UCI split, Drugs in other sports, Basso wind tunnel testing, Water bottle and cage sponsorship, Bates' article on Jan Ullrich, Ullrich's retirement, The current state of cycling
- March 16: Don Lefévčre, Lefévčre tries to reinforce omerta, Spring fever, Ullrich's retirement, UCI has no power, Puerto shelved, Who's been taking what?, ProTour a flawed competition?, UCI-Grand Tour organizer dual!, ASO-UCI split, ASO needs to see benefits in ProTour, Sponsorship, drug use and dinosaurs, The current state of cycling, New Pro Cyclist Union, Congratulations to Unibet, Unibet situation, Unibet.com marketing, Tour of California mistake
- March 9: ASO - UCI split, UCI has no power, UCI vs. ASO, UCI vs. the world, ProTour and contracts, The Unibet fiasco: is it that bad?, Unibet and French law, Unibet situation, Pete Bassinger's Iditarod Trail record ride, Bates' article on Jan Ullrich, Ullrich's retirement, Tour of California expenses, Discovery's profile in Europe, Discovery's reasons for pulling sponsorship, Floyd's big ride
- March 2: Ullrich's retirement, Altitude tents and EPO, Home-made altitude tents, Tyler Hamilton and drug testing, The agony of Unibet?, Discovery's reasons for pulling sponsorship, Discovery's world upside down?, Upside down Disco solved, Tour of California mistake, Graeme Brown, Hats off to Dick Pound?, Grand Tours, who really cares?, ProTour and contracts, ProTour vs wildcards, RCS' decision, UCI vs. the world, Floyd's big ride, Asthma everywhere
- February 23: Altitude tents and EPO, Tour of California mistake, Chavanel's training regime, Discovery's reasons for pulling sponsorship, Discovery's world upside down?, Tyler Hamilton and drug testing, Grand Tours, who really cares?, The Unibet fiasco: is it that bad?, A solution to the Unibet situation, UCI and the ASO, UCI vs. the world, Will the fight never end?, Paris Nice and others, Pro Tour and contracts, RCS decision, Hats off to Dick Pound, Armstrong owes Dick Pound nothing, Graeme Brown, Asthma everywhere, The sorry state of pro-cycling
- February 16: T-Mobile, Adam Hanson and doping, Unibet's new jersey, Double standards for Unibet?, RCS decision, A letter to ASO, Hamilton and Tinkov, Discovery Channel, Asthma everywhere, Bart Wellens' comments at the cross worlds, Best moment?, Crowd control at the cross worlds, Doping reconciliation, Get into 'cross racing, Pound still wants answers from Armstrong, The sorry state of pro-cycling
- February 9: Unibet show they won't be put down, Double standards for Unibet?, Unibet's new jersey, Asthma everywhere, Bart Wellens' comments at the Cross Worlds, Crowd control at the Cross Worlds, Jonathan Page's mechanic beaten, Cheers to Bradley Wiggins, Bradley Wiggins' comments, Jaksche lashes out, Get into 'cross racing, Le Tour was created to sell newspapers, The stakes are too high, Doping reconciliation, Best moment of 2006?, Ivan Basso interview, Ullrich's DNA sample, Ullrich to Relax-GAM?, Ullrich partners with sports-clothing company, Still love to ride, My perfect state of mountain biking, A terrible model for cycling
- February 2: The sanctimonious need to be taken out back, Confidentiality of test results, Oscar Pereiro cleared, Cyclo-cross reader poll results, Fairness in Operation Puerto?, Riders' nicknames, Doping reconciliation, Help for Floyd Landis, Museeuw's insults, Sven Nys, The Floyd Fairness Fund, The sorry state of pro-cycling
- January 26: Drug testing methodologies, Museeuw the PR man, Museeuw's insults, Johan Museeuw and Tyler Hamilton, Sven Nys, Conduct in the pro peloton, McQuaid unhappy with Pereiro, Put doping in the correct context, Moreau wins 2006 TDF, Who wins the 2006 Tour now?, Drapac Porsche's exclusion from the TDU, Bike sponsorship, Compact geometry, The Floyd Fairness Fund
- January 19: Drapac-Porsche and the TDU, Bettini to win the Ronde?, Frame geometry, Phil Liggett's recently stated views, Prudhomme's zealotry, 3 cheers for Christian Prudhomme, Deutschland Tour, 3 cheers for Saunier Duval, Dick Pound, Fairness in Operation Puerto?, Do the maths, The Floyd Fairness Fund
- January 12: Dick Pound, Just 'Pound' him, Pound casts doubt on Landis, Pound comments, The Dick and Pat Show, McQuaid starts cultural polemic, Why the Pro Tour model will never work, The Floyd Fairness Fund, Riders' union, Cyclo-cross reader poll results, Danny Clark - an inspiration, Allan Peiper, Do the maths, Peter Van Petegem's secret, Justice and America, Lance in Leadville, Tubeless road tires
- January 5: Danny Clark - an inspiration, Legal standards and cycling, Peter Van Petegem's secret, Lance a no show for Leadville, Cyclo-cross reader poll results, Do the math, A fair trial, Tubeless road tires, Manzano's polygraph test, Blind trust in implicated riders, A terrible state of affairs, Armstrong's credibility - the conspiracy theories, Best ride ever
Letters 2006
- December 29: Lance in Leadville, Leadville Trail 100, Manzano's polygraph test, British Cycling and the Tour de France, Tell me, what's the problem?, "Disco" team?, Presumption of innocence, Landis and the Landaluze case, Landis' defense fund, American culture, Armstrong's credibility, Back room politics and the IPCT
- December 22: Scott Peoples, Hypocrite?, Landis and the Landaluze case, Landis' defense fund, Rumours and innuendo, Bjarne Riis interview, Enough already, Back room politics and the IPCT, Armstrong's credibility, American culture, Bjarne's ignorance factor, Deutschland Tour and Denmark Tour, Operation Puerto and the UCI
- December 15: A totally predictable situation?, Armstrong's credibility, Deutschland Tour and Denmark Tour, Back room politics and the IPCT, Holczer and others, Holczer and the Discovery exclusion, Bjarne's ignorance factor, Can't we all just get along?, DNA safety, Floyd Landis on Real Sports, Genevieve Jeanson, Mark McGwire, Operación Puerto bungled...deliberately?, Operation Puerto and the UCI
- December 8: Genevieve Jeanson, Floyd Landis on Real Sports, Deutschland Tour, Bjarne's ignorance factor, USADA does it again, Labs and testing, Astana denied ProTour license, Isaac Gálvez, McQuaid, Question about DNA testing, Le Tour de Langkawi 2007
- December 1: Hamilton, Isaac Gálvez, USADA does it again, Bjarne's ignorance factor, Shorten the Vuelta?, Vuelta short, shorter, shortest, Labs and testing, Ullrich to CSC, Clean up cycling's own house first, Fed up with doping, Strange sponsorships, What about Leipheimer?, French anti-doping laboratory, Basso agrees to DNA testing, Basso to Discovery, What's going on behind the scenes?, Graeme Obree
- November 24: Graeme Obree, What about Leipheimer?, French anti-doping laboratory, Basso agrees to DNA testing, Basso to Discovery, Richard Virenque, UCI are the problem, What's going on behind the scenes?
- November 17: Saiz and Tinkoff, Countdown to the 2007 Tour, Improving the reliability of testing, Basso to Discovery, Cycling and DNA testing, Forgetting Tom Simpson, Operación Puerto and national federations, Refusing DNA testing - an admission of guilt?. Reverse blood doping, Richard Virenque, What's going on behind the scenes?
- November 10: Forgetting Tom Simpson, Tour Route, Basso to Discovery, Cycling and DNA testing, What is DNA testing?, Refusing DNA testing - an admission of guilt?, Jan Ullrich, Operación Puerto and national federations, Reverse blood doping, What's going on behind the scenes?, Comments on McQuaid
- November 3: Tour Route, Return of a real good guy, Cameron Jennings, Future Australian ProTour team, Neil Stephens, 2007 Tour Intro Video Snub, Richard Virenque, Reverse blood doping, Comments on McQuaid, Marc Madiot, Who's more damaging?, What's going on behind the scenes?, Wada & Cycling's Governing Body, UCI and Doping, The Pope of Cycling and the Spanish Inquisition, Refusing DNA testing - an admission of guilt?, Put up or shut up!, DNA, its so ‘easy', DNA Testing In Cycling
