Letters to Cyclingnews - May 26, 2006

The Tour and the TT

Looking into my crystal ball this is what I see;

1. Ullrich and Basso will put about 5-7 minutes into Valverde in the Tour's TT's.
2. Ullrich will limit his loses in the mountains and Basso at his worst will be right with Valverde in the mountains.
3. Valverde will have a hard time making it to the end of the most rigorous of all cycling races.
4. Any small amount of time Valverde makes in the mountains he more than loses in the TT's.

Therefore you have to be kidding / delusional to think that Valverde will win the Tour!!! After all you have to finish one first to think about winning one.

My parting shots; Valverde is a great rider and certainly now one of the best one day riders. He will win some stages in the big ones but let's get serious about him winning the majors. He is not the next Indurain…Spain, keep looking.

Scott Wilcox
Ontario, Canada

Friday, May 19, 2006

Respond to this letter

Jan's good form

Basically you don't win a major tour time trial unless you've got excellent form. Clearly Ullrich has some work to do in the mountains, but his performance shows he is already competitive for the Tour and is improving rapidly while Basso has maybe peaked already, unless there is something very special in his bag of tricks.

Clive Jones

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Respond to this letter

Jan bashing

I find it very odd about the ill feelings, he said/she said antics of some people. Cycling is so beautiful and it is clear to see the passion, I figure these comments made about Jan, Ivan (far out, it is like we know them ) show that we are passionate more than anything.

Truth be told, I would like for 10 stages to roll in the bunch, be within 16 minutes on some god awful climb and then pump every one in a 51km/h + TT over 45km into a headwind to lay down the smack. What a fantastic effort from Jan if not anyone. I guess the banter comes from the world knowing this man can do so much, and for what ever reason, our passion has has been met with many 2nd places and that one victory.

The tour, bring it on, Lance or no Lance, Jan or no Jan. Bring on fair and decent gentlemen hammer and tong busting it out whilst I enjoy that Vino collection of the last 12 Mondayths since July, I think I have 21 bottles! Just have to wait to see the Victor as to what is the last one I consume.

I do hope Jan gets up - I really do, but, as an Aussie, go Mick Rogers for GC, Alby for the sprint and McGee for prologue.

Adrian Booth
Brisbane, Australia

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Respond to this letter

Congrats to Jan

You are right - Jan is looking good for the Tour with a great result in the Giro TT and if stays on track will be a major force at the Tour. I am a big fan of Jan's, but to say that Basso will "slowly fade this summer" after the performance he put in at the Giro last year, refusing to give up after having a stomach virus and then following it up by wining two stages and second overall at last year's Tour is a ridiculous statement. He has proven that he is more than able to contend the two tours and possibly be the first man to do the double since Pantani.

Ezra Kedgley

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Respond to this letter

The diesel

I would like to make a point to all of Jan Ullrich's detractors. It's very easy to criticise an athlete of his calibre for not achieving the levels we (the impassioned supporter) have demanded from him over the years. The reality is, Jan has never had the very public steely determination of Lance, or used the media to afflict such psychological blows on his rivals.

But he is, nevertheless, possibly the most determined cyclist of the last decade. To come second that many times and continue on the same path year after year shows a doggedness few other pro's can claim. Never once has Jan held up his hands and abandoned his dream of a second tour win. He could have easily won half a dozen Giros or Vueltas over the last 10 years - had he wanted to avoid that second place on the podium. But alas no, Jan has held one ambition. To be Tour champion - again.

So to all those who have had a dig at him for not racing enough, getting fat in the winter, turning up at the Tour unfit, etc, etc…why not give the guy a break. It will only be after he retires from the sport that the true greatness of this athlete will finally dawn on such critics - something I and other fans have been aware of for many years.

In my view, Jan is a calm, dedicated, honest athlete who is gifted with a huge talent, has harnessed this, but never lost sight of 'real life'. Whilst most of the grand tour winners of the last decade have at some point had to defend themselves against quite probable claims of doping, such an accusation has never been levelled at Ullrich. To win at all costs is not the attitude of Ullrich. To win...yes, but only on his terms and with the knowledge that he's won clean. That's a true sporting idol.

Alex

Friday, May 19, 2006

Respond to this letter

Double or nothing

We are at present witnessing a Thursdays far perfect ride in the Giro by Ivan Basso. It's hard to see him losing any time to the main challengers. He has ridden like the ice cold Indurain - no emotion betrayed, not a glimmer of weakness.

While others have wilted away on the hard Italian roads, Basso has shown that he clearly is a cut above the rest. This then brings me to my question. Is it possible to peak twice to with both the Giro and Tour, or in trying, is it more likely to fail at both. One might argue that Basso must surely be at his peak. As the notorious Dr. Ferrari claims, to win a grand tour you must have a watts per kilo reading of 6.7. For Armstrong this was his target right from the beginning of each season: to reach the tour with a reading of 6.7.

Armstrong and Ulrich (the best athletes of the past 10 years) could hold top form for 40 days. So it is theoretically possible to have form for two grand tours, but in reality, is it possible to reach such a level twice in one season?

If Ullrich is only starting to reach his optimum reading of 6.7 but Basso has clearly been peaking for some time, is the Tour a forgone conclusion? Or, has Basso come to the Giro well below the magical 6.7 and is riding himself into top form for this, the final week, but with the knowledge that he can hold form right through to the tour? If so, clearly he is a more phenomenal athlete than both Armstrong and Ullrich.

Alex,
London

Monday, May 22, 2006

Respond to this letter

Ivance Bassostrong

Is it just me, or was Lance riding the first real mountain stage in the Giro (Stage 16)? Or was Ivan just channelling his old adversary? Same facial expression, same position on the hoods and pedals…Hmmm…

Mark Rishniw
Ithaca, NY

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Respond to this letter

Bravo, Basso!

Being an Ullrich fan, I'm happy to watch his progress into form and hope he canes all other challengers at le Tour. But, he's also getting on a bit in age so I must search for a new GC cycling hero. Basso is my obvious choice, and no it's not just because he is winning. It is for the way he is winning. Declining a special edition pink helmet (read: Scott Sunderland's Giro Diary) shows the sign of a true humble champion.

He knows that without his team, he is just another rider, really. By sticking with the rest of the team kit and not being flashy and over the top, it's like he is dedicating the win to the team.

Karl Butler,
Brisbane, Australia

Friday, May 26, 2006

Respond to this letter

Discovery Channel's Giro performance

First off, I am a big fan of the Discovery Team and believe that they are one of the strongest teams in cycling. I also believe that Paolo Savoldelli's Giro wins were not flukes and that he is definitely suffering from a combination of his preparation being effected by illness in the Tour of Romandie and some allergies.

There has been a lot of hype about the fact that Discovery brought an A(minus) support team for Paolo for the Giro and on paper I would agree. However having watched all the stages so far as soon as the road goes up the likes of Chechu, Beltran and Danielson (on paper maybe the best mountain domestiques around) get shelled off the back.

Actually, the guys have been able to maintain pretty high placing in the GC but when other teams such as Lampre, Saunier Duval, CSC and the like have 5, 6, 7 guys left in the peloton on the steeps, Paolo was found fighting it out at the back and there was often no other Discovery guy to help (they were possibly all pacing a few minutes back). As always Chechu would work like a madman and has seemed to always fight his way up the climbs to help bring Paolo home.

This is not the Discovery of old. Strong? No! Can you imagine if Paolo wasn't affected by his illnesses and his team would not have been able to support him? Sad...but maybe the real story is that Discovery never had any true ambition to win the Giro. Paolo/George/Yaroslav are going for the Tour (the route is better suited for them anyhow)! We will see in July and that will decide the season for Discovery for good or for bad!

Christopher Halleus
El Dorado Hills, California

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Respond to this letter

Bettini is consistent

I agree with Chuck. What type of rider says things like, "I also have photos of me doing well and beating the best of the sprinters, like Petacchi and others. In how many rooms of your house do you have enlargements of them? I almost prefer Bettini's endless excuses to his classless riding (e.g. raising hands for second place, causing crashes, etc.) and bizarre self-aggrandisement.

I can't wait until the next Olympics - hopefully the new road race winner will spare us four years of the gold helmet and shoe treatment.

Matt Lechner

Monday, May 22, 2006

Respond to this letter

Bettini is consistent #2

Chuck,

You're right. Bettini put Cooke into the barriers in the 2005 Giro then tried to shake his hand afterwards. Cooke would have none of it. There's a lot about Bettini I'm prepared to admire - but a punk is a punk, after all.

Patrick Hartigan
Portland, Oregon

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Respond to this letter

Bettini is consistent #3

As a military officer, I'm supposed to stay abreast of current affairs. But in this hateful, spiteful, vindictive world that we live it, that's a fairly depressing thing to try to do. I had to give up newspapers because the letters section and op/eds are just full of bile and anger, and nearly all of it is misinformed or poorly written.

So I follow cycling to help clear my head, to revel in the noble suffering of others and maybe occasionally inspire myself to throw a leg over the bike and pedal a few miles.

But every so often, even here I'm subjected to the pointless complaining and whining of others. Some guy in Dallas who has probably never met a European in his life has the audacity to make a personal judgment about the character of a man whom he only knows through the clipped and edited translations of the occasional quip made at the end of a seven-hour ride.

If the comment had any bearing on Bettini's racing performance, then I could see it. But when did venting become a national right?

Let's talk about racing, or better yet, let's get out there ourselves.

Steve O'Dell
Peachtree City, Georgia

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Respond to this letter

Bettini is consistent #4

How can you blame Bettini's fighting spirit and his ever-consistent quest for victory? If you watch closely at the sprint in question (Giro stage 9) you cannot honestly talk about a voluntary gesture. Bettini wanted to win and tried to do everything to achieve it...he thought that the work was done and in the same movement of throwing his bicycle over the line raised his arms, just to discover at this moment that he has been betrayed by his senses and his enormous will of victory. Just today he got a perfect revenge (the mark of a real champion) by winning a bunch sprint.

Who else in the peloton is at the front than him? Who is consistent from the beginning of the season till the end like him? Who attacks everyday (or quite) even when the odds or the terrain is against him? Who has such a nice sense of show and theatre that even by his shoes everyone can recognize him immediately? And who is such a good sportsman that even when he is beaten, he acknowledges always the strength of his rival and to my knowledge never invokes some misfortune or bad manoeuvres of others when it his not true?

To finish this off, who else with such an achievement dares to go into a bunch sprint at a grand tour? I think that definitely some people will be unable to appreciate the extraordinary mixture of great athletic abilities and" commedia del arte". Probably unlike others, you are not missing a Cipo. Their sport, cycling, is professional but we like some extravaganza and victories from talented but nonetheless flamboyant riders, not only well planned and administrative wins like the other guy from Texas gave us for many years (but a lot of respect to him, nevertheless!)

M. Ventura
Brussels, Belgium

Monday, May 22, 2006

Bettini is consistent #5

Chuck,

On the objective side Bettini is one of the greatest classics riders of his time. Two Liege wins, Two World Cup titles, Giro di Lombardy, Olympics and more. He straps on his shoes and rides hard, in the cold cold, wet spring of France and Belgium, not for himself but in support of his team. He wins Classics from March to October and in between, rides and finishes the Giro and the Tour, winning stages and riding as a tireless domestique.

He climbs (pretty well), wins from 20K out and is always at the nose in sprints. No, as a fan I didn't like him raising his arms when the victory was not his but this happens to the best, look at Zabel. As for the Baden Cook incident, that's racing in the big leagues. Don't judge what they do on the road from what you see on your computer. At the front, everyone is tough, mean and nasty. It's not a "nice guy" sport. It's only in the USA that we expect our heroes to wear white hats.

Joey De Munk

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Respond to this letter

Bettini is consistent #6

Paolo Bettini isn't a punk or a bad sport. He can be a little cheeky sometimes, but so are all riders in the sprints from time to time. Sure he loves to throw his arms up most of the time, but that just shows his fiery little nature, not because he's bad natured. If we only had more riders like Paolo Bettini in our sport - what a sport it would be!

He is a class act and a champion and all champions get frustrated when they get beaten again and again. Have you seen poor Olaf Pollack's reactions after each sprint in the Giro? One day he'll break his bars! Why aren't you calling him a bad loser? And every rider gives excuses why they don't win...all of them!

I met Bettini in 2003 at the Tour, I called his name when I wanted his signature. He had just become Italian champion. He saw me alone and ducked under some security tape and walked over some cobbles in his cycling shoes to give it to me ,and then he shook my hand when I put it out to him. If that's how punks act well then what are you complaining about? In the sport he's really popular with fellow riders and (most) fans.

A bad sport? I don't think he deserves that title at all. Every rider does something that may be unsporting from time-to-time and that he regrets later. Think of Lance Armstrong infamously doing everything in his power to hurt Floyd Landis' chances in the Tour of Georgia last year because they had had a bit of a falling out. Lance seemed to take wicked pleasure in teaching Floyd a lesson, but I still don't think that makes him a bad sport. It was just a mistake.

Paolo may fight for his place in the sprint and constantly want to improve and win, but he wouldn't be the great rider that he is today if he wasn't like that. As for that Baden Cooke crash last year, everyone has an opinion. I think Baden shouldn't have tried to squeeze into an impossible gap or taken his hand off the bars; he should have eased off and the let the judges do their job and DSQ Paolo if he believed Bettini was in the wrong. But please, don't open this "Bettini-Cooke" can of worms again!

Andy Sullivan
Rep. of Ireland

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Respond to this letter

Bettini is consistent #7

Bettini is a punk. I was thinking the same thing a few days ago when yet again he was making another excuse. In the uphill finish in Belgium he was blaming the motor cycle being in his way. I personally think he just does not have it in this year's race. Last year he was riding the best off his wheel in the uphill sprints.

Shawn Jonas

Friday, May 19, 2006

Respond to this letter

Banning of altitude tents

Finally someone nails it. Why is WADA not working with the pharmaceutical companies to put traceable markers in doping products? Maybe they should be putting their money into this than banning ridiculous things like altitude tents. Never mind the fact that a ban on altitude tents would be impossible to enforce. No wonder people laugh when they here the name Dick Pound and WADA in the same sentence.

Kevin Hartle
Winnipeg, MB

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Respond to this letter

When disqualification isn't enough

Mr Swan's comment is patent rubbish. The drama of Cavendish's win was one of the high points of the games, and had me glued to the TV. Anyone with an ounce of common sense and understanding of cycling (especially the other competitors) should have been able to guess that Hayles would lead out Cavendish and could easily have tagged along and sprinted past if they'd had the legs. Next Mr Swan will be suggesting that Rob should only be allowed to ride at 50km/h to give others a chance and that riders from different countries should leave gaps to avoid gaining an advantage.

Andrew Salmon,
London, England (not IoM)

Friday, May 19, 2006

Respond to this letter

WADA should ban intervals

Did you notice the language Dick Pound (no jokes about his name please) used in regard to the altitude tents? WADA might have to consider them because they are "performance enhancing" and so probably "contrary to the spirit of sport." Many of you have listed various other goofy things WADA might consider next. I suggest they consider banning interval training. It would sure make my training much easier if intervals were illegal!

Eric Snider
Toledo, OH USA

Friday, May 19, 2006

Respond to this letter

Recent letters pages

Letters 2006

• 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
• March 31: Discovery’s American riders, Photo of the year, Commonwealth Games time trial, Edwig van Hooydonk
• March 24: Discovery’s American riders, Samantha Hellyer, Commonwealth Games time trial, UCI needs to grow up, Licensed riders in non-sanctioned events, Strong for the Tour, Electronic shifting
• March 17: Guess who I am, Floyd Landis, The next Lance, The race I'm watching, EPO test and credibility, Blood doping detection and altitude training, Electronic shifting, Electronic Dura Ace, Discovery’s American riders, Petacchi - Shiva
• March 13: The race I'm watching, Tour of California, Floyd Landis, Rory Sutherland and clomiphene, Rory Sutherland, Tyler Hamilton, Effect of doping on young cyclists, EPO test and credibility, Winter Olympics and Cyclocross, Cyclocross in the winter Olympics, Electronic Dura Ace, Big Jan Ullrich
• March 3: Tour of California, Sanctions for doping, UCI/WADA, Tyler Hamilton and Roberto Heras, Tyler Hamilton, Hamilton and testing, Blood doping detection and altitude training, Serrano, Drug testing, Tour of California, Laurie Schmidtke, Our wonderful sport!, Leave Jan alone, T-Mobile and Ullrich, Tour 2006
• February 24: Tyler Hamilton, Tyler Hamilton and Roberto Heras, Sanctions for doping, Drug testing, Doping, Culture of denial, Tour 2006, Ullrich and the 2006 tour, T-Mobile, Ullrich and Godefroot, Davitamon-Lotto outfits, Pantani
• February 17: Tyler Hamilton, Hamilton's decision, Culture of denial, Drug testing, Pantani, Support for Mark French, Heras' positive doping results, EPO, Bergman, Sanctions for doping, Ben Kersten, Hour record, Davitamon circus clowns, Team CSC at Solvang, Ullrich and the 2006 Tour, Confused about doping
• February 10: Ullrich and the 2006 Tour, Too early to call the Tour, AIS crash verdict, Punishment for the death of Amy Gillett, Women's cycling, Support for Mark French, Michael Rassmussen, More Kilo and 500m TT argument, Liberty Seguros at Tour Down Under, Hour record, Sanctions for doping
• February 3: International teams, Liberty Seguros at Tour Down Under, Anti-doping tactics, Ullrich and the 2006 Tour, Too early to call the Tour, Tour of California, Phonak training camp feature, Aussie national champs, More Kilo and 500m TT argument, McQuaid and the UCI, Australian championships, Support for Mark French, Sanctions for doping, Women's cycling, Team strip
• January 24: Future of Spanish cycling, Australian championships, Aussie national champs - a deserved winner, Aussie nationals, World champion kit, Ullrich and the 2006 Tour, With Lance gone, Some observations on Oz, PCA suing Dick Pound, International teams
• January 17: EGO Mania, Basso: seeing double, Aussie nationals, Australian championships, Russell Mockridge, PCA suing Dick Pound, USA cycling, World champion kit, The future, Some observations on Oz
• January 6: The Tour hypocrisy, Pat McQuaid, McQuaid, Bart Wellens, Urine testing, Dope so you can
• January 3: That damn Lance, Bart Wellens, Cyclists in South Australia, EGO Mania, King Pound, Urine testing for rEPO, The Tour hypocrisy, Dope so you can, Give McQuaid a chance, Elimination Tour de France
  Letters Index – The complete index to every letters page on cyclingnews.com