Recently on Cyclingnews.com |
 Mt Hood Classic Photo ©: Swift |
Letters to Cyclingnews - December 14, 2007
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.
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
Sydor's consistency
I first saw Alison Sydor in a '05 World Cup race. She made the podium then and has made a real consistent habit out of strong finishes ever since.
At 41, she is still throwin' it down in cross now, staying near the front, AND getting 2nd overall in the USGP of 'cross this year. Havin' fun and basically - firing on all cylinders more consistently than others younger than her.
She must have a real passion for the life she lives.
Hats off to her!!
Chuck Scarpelli
Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Thursday, December 6, 2007
George Hincapie
It was great to read an article on George Hincapie. What a solid all around rider he has evolved into!
If he can have more lead outs, life for him will get way better. Glad he chose a team that will most likely give him better support in more races. He deserves that.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Hincapie in T-Mobile kit
I am saddened by T-Mobiles pullout. I was very excited in the upcoming 2008 season and seeing George Hincapie (One of professional cycling's icons I must say) in magenta. I guess it will all be in my dreams now. He may not win the classics he always wanted to but he is always there to contest it.
I think T-Mobile missed the opportunity to resurrect and redeem their name with Hincapie on board along with riders like Mick Rogers, Linus Gerdeman and all the young talented riders.
I will be cheering for Big George and Team High Roads in all the classics and the grand tours!!! More power to you!!
Ben Izra Dacudao
Davao City Philippines
Friday, December 7, 2007
Helmet straps must be cinched a bit too tight
Ralph Emmerson obviously misses the point when he describes Cadel Evans as "celebrating his Pro Tour win so enthusiastically"......not how I read it. Cadel answered a question about which achievement in his stellar year he was most proud of, did you read the full response Ralph?...nah, didn't think so, or you'd have known that what Cadel was proud of, was the consistency of his year, from March till October, virtually.
The fact that Di Luca has got himself embroiled, yet again, in a controversy, not of Evans making, is hardly Cadel's fault. Next Ralph will be decrying Contador's win because Rasmussen got thrown out. Give us a break Ralph, winners are grinners & losers can suit themselves!
Chris Hitchen
Victoria, Australia
Helmet straps must be cinched a bit too tight #2
Wow Ralph,
Take a breath and let the air back into your head so the veins in your temple do not pop. Evans, not a huge fan but 2nd on GC in the Grand Tour, 4th in another Grand Tour, the World's, 5th……… yeah, a real hubbard?? Hope you place higher than this on your local bunch ride.
You sound like a real glass is half full sort of guy. What do athletes need to do, or anyone for that matter, to impress a fellow such as you?
Guys like Cadel represent the top 200 riders selected for the top tours and PT classics, and then they excel in them…….. get off your soap box, the altitude is dramatically effecting your brain.
Adrian Booth
Brisbane, Australia
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Helmet straps must be cinched a bit too tight #3
There's a lot of sad people out there ,Cadel is a great champion, there's no question marks over whether he has doped or not, he's a true winner ,to criticise his enjoyment for winning the ProTour shows how petty people can be, if you know anything about sport, then you will know that its a very fine line between winning and losing.
In a time where our sport is not seen in a good light ,to criticise a true clean rider is stupid ,if you don't like Cadel that's fine ,but I don't like all those riders who we know are cheating and seem to get away with it. Don't be a hypocrite just because you like or don't like a certain rider. I like Jan Ulrich but it is right he's gone along with Vino and Basso. What we do need is to sort out the testing. I think the Landis case has shown there are some serious problems in the labs and I think there's a lot to do to get our sport right .
Ray Willings
London, UK
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Helmet straps must be cinched a bit too tight #4
I was as disappointed as any that Di Luca was stripped of the Pro-Tour title, but I was disappointed at him, not the UCI. Perhaps Mr. Emerson is not aware that there are statutes of limitation on doping offenses, but there is and this case was not left open in perpetuity. If this was not the case I would be in complete agreement with him. There is an 8 year statute of limitations on doping offenses, this is why Zabel, Riis, et. al. have not been pursued by the ASO to return the money, and Riis' jersey was only returned because he volunteered it, even after admitting to using dope. The purpose of this is the same as it is in the outside world, to protect the rights of the individual while balancing this right against the needs of the authorities to fight crime. It is clear that doping methods advance faster than doping controls. How is one to pursue a case against a doper who uses a drug 2 years ago that was undetectable then? Simply ignore it when his name comes up in a Doctor's ledger for being "prescribed" this substance? No. But there is a limit.
Now I am sure Mr. Emerson will say "8 years, it may as well be a hundred years...". In response, every criminal justice system in the free world has such a statute of limitations. In the State where I reside the SoL is 2 years for minor misdemeanours and then for more serious crimes it hops to 5 years. It then jumps again to 12 years for Sexual offenses. Murder and aggravated assault on a police officer are the two exceptions with NO SoL. It is important to note that in the federal system, as in many other nations (and perhaps US states), the clock doesn't even start ticking for some offenses until the authorities know that the suspect actually committed a crime. If this were the case with doping offenses then Riis, Zabel and others could all be sitting out 2 year bans right now because their involvement did not become known until their confessions this year. Based on these facts the statute of limitations in the doping system seems to be relatively on par with the criminal justice system, seeing as an actual doping offense is a "major crime" vs. say not reporting your whereabouts to the vampires (another violation).
We also have to remember that the purpose of a statute of limitations (which again, exists in this case) is not to protect someone from "when you were gainfully employed and creatively nurturing a fruitful career, suddenly the "authorities" came to your place of employment, and hauled you away to detention, erasing everything you had worked years for.", but rather to ensure one's right to a "speedy trial". If one commits a crime, they can not (and should never be able to) use a defence of "I have gainful employment now so you can't arrest me", this is irrelevant. What is relevant is whether or not the authorities got to you before the clock ran out. In Di Luca's case they clearly did.
Now perhaps one can argue that a 6 month ban is excessive for being found to have associated with an infamous prepatore', but to say that to continue to pursue a case within the statute of limitations has no logical basis, especially in light of the fact that the SoL does not appear to be excessive.
John Schmalbach
Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Cadel and his helmet straps #5
Dear Letters Editor,
Ralph Emerson rides a painfully deluded weaving line against drugs, letting his champion Danilo draft behind while spitting on Cadel for being too - pure?
Di Luca's removal from the ProTour rankings was the result of being (finally) sanctioned for a past offence (that the legal system is clogged with unsporting sportsmen is no fault of Cadel's. Of course it's never a good time to serve a racing ban, but The Killer should thank his lucky stars the case didn't conclude in the months before the Giro).
Its OK to be firmly against doping, indeed it takes a hard man to stand up and criminalise it; but that's not overly righteous anti-drug zealotry?
The anti-doping battle the public gets to hear piecemeal may seem ludicrous, but apply some critical thinking to every story, and realise the layers of miscommunication/translation/interpretation that lie behind them. The cycling authorities are not the police or the judiciary; they are restricted by law in what they can do, and the world's legal systems have higher priorities than a bunch of people who want to ride their bike faster than others. That you get caught up in years of adjournments while defences wriggle and prosecution teams painstakingly build a full picture of a complicated situation is only a burden if you are hiding doping stupidity.
A year long enthusiasm that brings you within an ace of Tour glory, a follow-up Vuelta fourth and a world champs front group finale is indeed something to be proud of - well done mate.
Helmet straps - now there's a topic worthy of venting - plenty of pros don't know how to wear em' and that really grinds my gears as a poor example for the kiddies. The loose, dangly, I'm too cool for a functioning brain look is unfortunately a too common still-adolescent mentality amongst "top" riders. Wear your helmet like you want your loved ones to.
Simon Day
South Yarra, Australia
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Will there soon be a sample "C" test?
Having been involved in cycling for 37 years, the words and rhetoric used today to me and many others are sad to say the least. Emotive lines like "Cycling's darkest hour, the death of cycling, is this the end of the Tour, and on and on."
Yes, I unequivocally believe that cheaters in all sports must be caught. But how far are the WADA'S of this world prepared to go. Do they feel it is time for a 'C' test?
It has been muted by officials that they know the men in black but do they convict them at any cost.
Even murderers and criminals have human rights, I know we get swept along on the tide of media speculation, but I caution everyone to stop and reflect on what is being allowed to be done to the sport by others with no genuine interest in cycling other than newspaper and magazine sales.
In conclusion, it is ludicrous that the same Laboratory that found the 'A' sample positive, should be responsible for testing the 'B' sample. I know there will cries of justification that they do not know who the sample belongs to! But did Damien Ressiot of l'Equipe magazine, a football journalist not a cycling journalist I hasten to add in 1995 gain access to sample records (specimen numbers to names) of a well know cyclist via the UCI.
Let us keep our system clean but let us also be seen by the rest of the sporting world to be doing it with integrity and respect for the riders who have entertained us for years.
From a Lover of Cycling,
James McAllister
Friday, December 7, 2007
ProTour
Dear Cyclingnews,
What ever happened to the World Cup? I think this was a far better idea than the current ProTour. It was exciting to see who the best classics rider were, and the big tours never seemed to suffer as a result.
Nowadays cyclist do specialise in one day or stage races so the ProTour does not seem all too realistic.
The only advantage the ProTour ever had from a fans point of view was to see all the best teams in the tours, rather than local teams who you would never really hear of apart from when they were participating in their national tour.
The World Cup format is still present for women, and cyclo cross and seems to work well.
All this squabbling between the UCI and the race organisers, and now the national cycling federations does the sport no good, at a time when a unity is needed to solve the current doping issues sullying the sport.
Bring back the World Cup I say.
Kind regards
Luke
Friday, December 7, 2007
Vino's joke of a suspension
Alexander Vinokourov's ban from cycling for one year is a joke!! While others are suspended for two years, his so called federation bans him for only one? Why? Simple. So that he will be eligible to ride in the Olympics. They did it so he could ride for Kazakhstan. What a joke. The nation turns its head and closes its eyes to doping and cheating, so their "hero Vino" can ride for the nation in the Olympics. Hopefully, UCI will win the appeal and the Court will see through this charade by the Kazakh association. Perhaps the Olympic Committee will ban him from coming to the Olympics. What a freaking joke.
Danny Autrey
Jacksonville, Alabama, USA
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Mafioso McQuaid
I don't know about all of you, but I've heard enough out of this joker-president of the UCI. Pat McQuaid is certainly more articulate (though rarely making any sense) than his predecessor Verbruggen, but clearly suffers from perhaps even greater incompetence and delusion. He fashions himself to be godfather type holding absolute authority, protecting the "family", attempting to mould a beautiful and richly traditional sport to his own skewed, irrelevant concepts. Recall his less than savoury remarks about the "two cultures" in cycling, the Anglophone versus the Romantic? What the hell does this kind of political conjecture have to do with sport? It was shocking to me to hear such Nazi-esque drivel coming from someone claiming his interest is to unify the world of cycling.
No one cares about the ProTour. It is flawed and it has failed and it is dead. Cycle races such as the grand tours are complicated enough to follow for the casual fan, and difficult enough to manage for the organizers and competing teams without the superfluous mandates conjured up by the politicians at Aigle. Give cycling back to the riders, the federations, and the public that have made this amazing and unique sport the greatest in the world. There's no room for the incredibly misguided agenda of the UCI mafia anymore. The president can talk himself in circles all he likes, however, Pat McQuaid lacks the vision, charisma, or diplomacy to convince anyone of his worth, particularly the most important faction concerned: cycling's fans.
Impeach him.
Thank you!
Adam Simms, California
Friday, December 7, 2007
Obee and Health Net
In response to Jeff's question, it is quite simple and is definitely a heartbreaker. The company Health Net has dramatically reduced its sponsorship money for the team in 2008. This is also part of the reason the team has gone from a Professional-Continental team to a Continental team.
Because of this budget decrease the team had to sort out it's riders and decide which would stay as the "core" and which would have to go. It's sad that O'bee had to leave the team as he is a phenomenal rider. He just wasn't in the budget, so to speak. Hopefully we'll see him picked up by another team and racing professionally again next year. Good luck Kirk!
Chris Di Re
Seattle, Wa, USA
Friday, December 7, 2007
Obee and Health Net #2
Health Net has a reduced budget to work with this year and so they cannot afford to keep everyone. Kirk O'Bee stated in a recent interview that he believes the low offer is due to his past doping suspension. I would have to agree. With the current climate in cycling, and the reduced budget, Health Net have chosen not to spend their money on O'Bee, even with his winning history and current National Champion jersey.
Kevin Rutherford
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Mayo's B sample to get B test
I agree with Mr. Mendiska concerning the insulting B test of the B sample for Iban Mayo.
I deplore the use of drugs in sports and I know that it is widespread in Most of them. That doesn't mean that we should agree with so-called authorities simply dictating whatever they wish the rules (and laws) to be.
But the insulting B test of Iban Mayo's B sample that was found to be negative by a qualified second laboratory is beyond belief.
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the UCI is not qualified to rule the sport as it appears are the major race promoters and national race sanctioning bodies. Maybe it is time to simply stop this "international sanctioning body" nonsense? Exactly what do they provide this sport?
Thomas Kunich
Friday, December 7, 2007
Campagnolo offers its own 'red' shifter
I find it strange Campagnolo, a company with rich history and brand appeal would decide to jump on the "Red" bandwagon. It demonstrates insecurity and a total lack of marketing skill. Branding their products "Red" tells the world SRAM must be really good. I feel this defensive action makes them appear weak. If they truly were interested in changing the product with new springs, why not do it with a marketing plan embracing an entirely new idea or approach.
The worst part may be making the 'upgrade' only available to the pro's.
Don't they understand that what motivates many of us, is knowing we can ride the same gear as the pros? Hmmm, maybe I should go test ride some of that SRAM stuff...
Craig Ryan
Noblesville, Indiana USA
Saturday, December 7, 2007
ate: Sat, 08 Dec 2007 19:20:51 -0500
T-Mobile's withdrawal a blow to Jaksche
In response to Jorge Jaksche and his disappointment:
Do the riders in the sport of cycling have no idea what their doping has done and is doing to the sport of cycling?
These men are professionals from 20-35 years of age and acting like 3 year olds with no responsibility for their actions.
Wake up!
Cheating - the act of putting dope into your bodies - is killing what little credibility the sport of cycling has. How can you act surprised when a sponsor does not want to take your contract or a sponsor chooses golf as a sport to invest its money instead of professional cycling?
Your drug-taking has affected your ability to think clearly.
Richard
Canada
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Recent letters pages
Letters 2007
- 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.
- August 31: LeMond’s comments, Farewell De Peet, Cycling needs a Norma Rae, Vino & human rights?, Cadel was robbed, Floyd Landis decision, Market beliefs, Sinkewitz Positive.
- August 23: Biting the hand that feeds you, Cadel was robbed, Congratulations to grand tour organizers, Cycling needs a Norma Rae, Discovery folding, Drugs and cycling, Fewer ProTour teams, Floyd Landis decision, Petacchi’s asthma, Science of doping, Sinkewitz positive, Tailwind withdrawal, The good news...., Unibet, what a shame, World’s exclusion, Vino: "a clear violation of human rights"?,
- August 17: Dying from within..., Cadel was robbed, Biting the hand that feeds you, Discovery folding, Astana-Tour cover-up?, Christian Moreni, UCI may lose it all, Drugs & cycling, Aussie proTour team, Valverde and the worlds, Klöden: are things getting out of control?, Congratulations to grand tours organizers
- August 10: Smarter Drug Testing, Cassani and Rasmussen, Bruyneel: take doping seriously, The dubious Disco boys, Spanish ethics, Who's to blame for doping?, Untrustworthy authorities, Insurance for pro riders, Science of doping, It's working?, State of cycling, Less mountain stages, Positively false, Sinkewitz positive, Team suspensions, Tour ethics, Vino response, Editorials call for ending Tour, Revoking le Tours jerseys, LeMond, the voice crying out in the desert, WADA vigilantes
- August 3, Part 1: What about team suspensions?, WADA vigilantes, Vino response, Vino excluded, but why the whole team?, Unanswered questions, Tour de France doping "scandals", State of cycling, Spanish ethics and the A.C. joke, Sinkewitz positive, Secondary testing?, Editorials calling for ending Tour, Rasmussen's location, Quality control and anti doping, Positively False, McQuaid: not the Godfather of cycling, Less mountain stages
- August 3, Part 2: LeMond, the voice crying out in the desert, Le Tour, L'affaire Vino, It’s the culture, IOC questioning cycling in Olympics, Greg LeMond is not surprised, Greg LeMond, German TV, Due process, Evans v Contador - the real margin of victory, Doping, the media and the MPCC, Doping, Evans, Dope tests and the tour, Different perspective on doping, David Millar, Cycling revolution, Cadel was robbed, Bruyneel a 'man in black'?, Another drug test result leaked, Andy Hampsten
- July 27 Part 1: 80's style back in fashion?, A great few days for cycling, Vino excluded, but why the whole team?, Another drug test result leaked, ASO discretion in administering Tour justice, Astana in stage 5, Astana’s tactics, Bad day for Australia, Bloody dopes, Cadel Evans, Catching Vino is good news, Conspiracy?, David "what a joke" Millar, Doping, Doping controls, Tour ethics, German TV, LeMond, the voice crying out in the desert, How many big bastards in the peloton?
- July 27 Part 2: How will cycling survive, Kazahkstan Pie, Kessler's lie, Landis and lie detector, Landis testing, Le maillot jaune is gone, LeMond and mitochondria myopathy, The'Vino' scene, Losing time and bouncing back, Losing my religion, Moreau, No, not Vino, Out of season testing and baseline tests, PED's, Revoking le Tours jerseys, Petacchi out
- July 20: What about team suspensions?, Tyler Hamilton, Stuttgart Worlds, Sinkewitz positive, Petacchi out!, Bad day for Australia, Kessler's lie, Landis and lie detector, LeMond and mitochondria myopathy, Intestinal problems, Greg LeMond, the voice crying out in the desert, Fair doping tests, Drug testing and sequence of recorded results, Revoking le Tours jerseys, Advice for Stapleton and Sinkewitz, Astana in stage 5, Crashes, bike changes & team cars
- July 13: Fair doping tests, Tyler Hamilton, Tour downright exciting!, Stuttgart(?) Worlds, Rocketing Robbie v tormented Tommy, Armstrong's comment to ASO, Petacchi out, LeMond and mitochondria myopathy, Intestinal Problems, Incentive for doping, Imagine, UCI agreement, Does the UCI test for blood transfusions?, The real heroes, Bicycle options,
- July 5: Tour de France boring!, The real heroes, The flying Scotsman, Signing the contract, No Zabriskie?, LeMond and mitochondria myopathy, Incentive for Doping, Bicycle Options, Anti-doping charter, Sale of the century
- June 29: "The Flying Scotsman",Cancellara,The real heroes, Categorised Climbs, Tour for Devolder and Zabriskie?, Tour de France, boring!,Nationalistic pride, Anti Doping Charter, Bicycle Options, Doping, Doping Coverage - Enough already..., Who dopes? Who doesn't? Who cares!
- June 22: Anti Doping Charter, The real heroes, Basso's "suspension", Categorized climbs, Bicycle options, Greg LeMond and record ITT's, It is about us!, Finding the clean winner of the TdF?, Tour de France, BORING!, Prudhomme and the 1996 Tour farce, Riis, the '96 Tour and Prudhomme, Amnesty for doping..., Cycling, doping....???, Who dopes? Who doesn't? Who cares!
- June 15: Bicycle options, New Trek Madone, A week of confessions, Cycling - not yet a real professional sport, Di Luca's finest win..., Three Tour wins for Ullrich?, Ullrich getting screwed, Giro fever, Amnesty for doping offenses, Greg LeMond and record ITTs, Is drafting a known doper cheating?, Let's sort this mess out, Doping hypocrisy, Cycling, doping....?, Prudhomme and the1996 Tour farce, Simoni goes 1850 meters / hour
- June 8: Di Luca's finest win, Simoni goes 1850 metres / hour, What ever happened to Iban Mayo?, Andy the Dandy, Three Tour wins for Ullrich?, Ullrich getting screwed, Percentage of pros with asthma, Amnesty for doping offenses, ling - not yet a real professional sport, Doping and cycling, Greg LeMond and record ITTs, Meaningless defense, We are out of denial - Let's look forward
- 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:
- 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
