Another Save!

There was quiet fuming in my corner of the world when I read about the dissolving of Colavita-Forno D'Asolo squad on Monday. But, today, I feel a little more kindly disposed towards the veritable circus that is professional cycling.

Colavita's Heal to lead new, big budget women's squad

This is excellent news: More resources, both money-wise and marketing-wise to keep the squad training and riding, able to recruit new talent, and travel to more races. They'll also have the funding to bring in both veterans and new riders, getting a well-rounded, deep squad with the talent to bring home the hardware.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

What is happening?!

Days like these I wonder if the cycling world truly is imploding.

Top-Ranked NRC Team Colavita-Forno D'Asolo Folds

"'Without any intention of offending those many wonderful cycling industry companies who have supported our programs for many years, I must admit the direct cause of Colavita ending its women's team title sponsorship was in fact losing key industry supplier support,' Profaci said."

Wow, I'm baffled that another winning team (the HTC-HighRoad men's squad has already folded) has had sponsors back out. I really wonder what the reasoning is, too.
Is the down economy putting the squeeze on sponsorship money? Are these companies not seeing enough up-tick in business from sponsorship that they've decided not to put up the cash? Do they not want to be seen supporting a "dirty" sport, despite the huge strides and ongoing efforts to catch dopers and clean up the sport?

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Downsizing, please don't panic!

How do you make the playing field as level as possible? How do you give smaller teams a good shot at winning against bigger, more well-funded teams? How can you, as a race organizer, keep fans coming back to your event year after year; how do you keep it fresh? These are questions that are always on the minds of race organizers, no matter if it's Le Tour or a local event on the NRC.

Nature Valley cuts men's teams to six riders

The organizers of the Nature Valley Grand Prix are cutting the men's teams from eight to six riders, the thought being to shake up the podiums and make the racing more exciting for the spectators. Racers and team directors will have to [even more] carefully choose which riders they take to the race and what role each rider will play. Thankfully, the women's teams will still field teams of eight riders. It makes sense, as the women's peloton is smaller than the men's field and needs all the racers it can get.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

It Leaks!

UPDATE:
And, again! Giro d'Italia Stages Also Leaked?

The big announcement for the Tour de France route every year is usually in the middle of October, so I didn't think anything big was going on when I logged onto CyclingNews this morning and saw "2012 Tour de France Revealed" at the top of headlines. Then I read the article's sub-title, "Race owner ASO published 2012 itinerary by
mistake"

To quote Captain Jack Sparrow, "Apparently, there's a leak".

Oh well, this gives us diehards an extra week to analyze the route, the terrain, and make predictions about who will snatch which jersey next July.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Where Is The Love?

While scrolling though the headlines on VeloNews at work this afternoon, I came across this:

Top women pros say they deserve minimum salary guarantee

Wait, they don't get one already? I thought the whole point of the UCI was to protect the riders? So, what? The women aren't real riders? They don't deserve the same rights and protections as the men? They mose certainly do! They train, they suffer, they race, they get hurt, the same as the men!

Un-flipping-believable. If I were a member, I'd be writing a passionate letter right now.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Okay, the Girls Can Play, Part II

Well, it looks like Andrew Messick and AEG Sports listened to the criticism about making the Stage Six of the AToC a "Battle of the Sexes". The women will now have their own ITT (individual time trial) and a big purse to boot.
Women's Amgen time trial, invitation only, offers $10,000 purse
Mr. Messick, were you really surprised by the negative criticism of your prize money idea? I'm not.

I'm a little murky in my feelings towards such an event. Really, why would organizers just sprinkle women amongst the men in the ITT and tie the women's purse to how many men they beat? It makes little sense to this Women's Cat. 4 racer. I have no doubt that these elite women could ride the legs off a ton of the men, but why tie the money to that? Why not offer the purse in a traditional manner to both men's and women's fields? I don't get it.

I have no problem with women racing with men. I've raced Cat. 4 with Cat. 5 men for my entire (short) racing career. I actually like racing with the boys; it's challenging and motivating, especially when I can catch and stay on some one's wheel. I play co-ed hurling with men that outweigh me by 80 lbs. or more. And I love it! Playing with the guys makes me scrappy-er (is that a word?) and not afraid to make a tackle for the ball. I'm guessing it's the same, only even more so, for a professional woman cyclist.

I think a lot of pro women, purse or no purse, would jump at the chance to ride with the men. I would.

Boys, I still hope the women kick your @$$.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Okay, the Girls Can Play

Sometimes I wonder if modern society and Western culture have come as far as we think regarding women. Specifically, how women are viewed compared side-by-side with men in their accomplishments in professional sports.

There was a little blurb on VeloNews.com two weekends ago.
I didn't even see it. A possible women's time trial during the Amgen Tour of California in May? SWEET! I've checked the AToC website and found nothing. Nothing on the news page, team page, stage page, nothing. Is something rotten in the state of Denmark?

Bouncing around the blogosphere this morning, I found this piece by a communications student: The League of Extraordinary Non-Gentlemen

Women have worked hard in the past 2,000+ years to be seen and treated as having as much to offer others and worth as members of society as men. The prize money for the competing women will be based on how many men they beat? WHAT? Why, after Title IX, Women's Liberation, etc. are you thinking this is an intelligent idea? You say comparisons will be made to men anyway. Why encourage it and perpetuate the idea that women have to measure up?

If you really want to help women's pro bike racing, why not invite all these top women's teams (Peanut Butter & Co.-Twenty12, HTC-Highroad, Tibco-To The Top, Team Vera Bradley, Colavita, et cetera) and let them ride their own ITT? That's what they do in Minnesota for the Nature Valley Grand Prix. And guess what? It works! The women are insanely talented, fun to watch, and yes, they are fast.

Versus is (rumored to be) giving this women's event at least ten minutes of TV air time. How generous of you! We might be able to watch one rider take off, ride the course, and finish in that time. How much airtime is being devoted to the men's TT?

Boys, I hope Kristin Armstrong, Amber Neben, Evelyn Stevens, Alison Powers, Tara Whitten, and all the other women kick your @$$.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

It's Mine! No, It's Mine!

While teams were riding their legs off and racing there hearts out at Milan-San Remo, the race radio fuelled debate between the UCI and the teams was getting nasty.
UCI's Open Letter to Pro Riders Regarding Radio Ban

According to this letter from UCI President Pat McQuaid, when riders were surveyed in 2009, only one in four responded and was evenly split between those for and against banning two-way race radios. It goes on to question why the riders' opinions "suddenly" changed and if they were being pressured to change their stance. I find it interesting that McQuaid is criticizing riders for caving in to the wishes of their sport directors, when he admits earlier in this same letter to caving to pressure from television networks.

And now, news comes down the pipe that some teams are thinking of leaving the UCI and starting their own cycling league.
Eleven Major Teams Considering Plans to Break Away from the UCI

The teams are, understandably, keeping mum about a possible break. This whole fight is about so much more than two-way radios, it's about control. The UCI controls every single aspect of the sport: Who can ride, what teams get licensed to race, the race calendar, doping regulations and consequences, what equipment is legal, the list goes on. The riders themselves have very little say in how the sport is governed and run from day-to-day. Perhaps one good thing to come out of this whole thing will be more input from the riders on the sport that they give the best years of their lives to.

Is there no way these people can share a sandbox?

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

International Women's Day, Biker Style

Today is International Women's Day, a day to honor and celebrate the social, political, and economic achievements by women. So, in the spirit of celebrating women's achievements, here are a couple articles from Cyclingnews.com regarding the current state of the women's professional peloton and what can be done to improve it.

Five Ways to Improve Womens Cycling

Top Five Influential Women in Cycling

Top Five Rides of 2011

Let's go, ladies!

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Like the Terminator, She'll be back

Ah, finally! Something happy to write about in the wake of all the stuff on doping that I've been typing about for the past two months.
The next Armstrong comeback - Kristin's
Kristin's been working in the wind tunnel on her time-trial bike, preparing for the 2011 season.

I've been a fan of Kristin's ever since I tentatively dipped my toes into the pool that is road cycling back in 2004. I heard about her competing in Athens at the Olympics and how she started racing bikes after finding out she couldn't compete in triathlons due to hip issues. I was [am] impressed. Not everyone would take news like that so well, much less turn it into a stellar career the way she has.

I had the opportunity to speak to her a few times two years ago at a race I was volunteering at, you can read those posts here and I was pleasantly surprised that she was so... normal. It's amazing how often we forget that for all their accomplishments, training, and globe-trotting, professional athletes are people, too.

Good luck, Kristin! I can't wait to see how this season shakes out!

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Armstrong Retirement, Take Two

They say timing is everything. And because I have an inquisitive mind, I am puzzling and theorizing over the timing of Lance's second retirement from professional cycling.
Lance Armstrong Retires From Cycling

From what I can gather, the plan at the beginning of the season was to make the Tour Down Under Lance's final race on the international stage, and he was [at least] signed up to start several domestic races over the spring and summer.

So, what happened?

It could be any number of things. First of all, Lance isn't the spring chicken he used to be. He's approaching an age where racers are either already retired or are certainly considering retirement. The wear and tear on the body is just too much to keep making it do as you please and expect it to hold up.

Second, he's been riding professionally for many years, spending time based in Europe, away from his home and family in Texas. And while it's exciting to get to ride your bike for a living in some of the most beautiful places on earth, I'm sure life on the road has got to take it's toll, too.

And, of course, some theorize that Lance's most recent retirement was due to the recent allegations of doping that has been levelled against him and his former U.S. Postal team. Personally, I doubt it. Lance has one of the coolest heads in professional sports and a killer business sense. He has also never tested positive for a banned substance. I doubt he would let these more recent allegations ruffle his feathers.

My sense is that he just felt it was time. When he retired in 2005, he was at the top of his sport. He'd won seven consecutive Tour de France maillot jaune and I think felt he had nothing left to prove to himself or to the sport. These past three seasons, I believe, didn't go quite as he wanted. He wanted an eighth yellow jersey and finished third in 2009 and 23rd last year. He didn't complain about it or make excuses, only saying that was the way sport played out sometimes.

Thanks again, Lance, for another great ride. Kick your feet up a bit and enjoy life in the slow(er) lane.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Hang A U-Turn!

Wow. I have to say that I didn't expect this.
Confirmed: Alberto Contador Cleared of Clenbuterol Charges
Spanish fed clears Alberto Contador...

And it sounds like he's going to be on the start-line at Algarve on Wednesday.

I wonder that it turned out this way. I know that Alberto is a huge national hero in Spain and many have hailed him as the next great racer of his generation. However, in the past few years, the UCI, WADA, and other national cycling federations have really begun to clamp down on doping of any kind, seemingly intentional or not. Look at Tom Zirbel's case, if you don't believe me. The sport seems to be really trying to clean itself up. So, why apparently go "easy" on a rider, even a champion, who had a banned substance in his blood? In the past, it seems to me, regardless of intent or how the substance got into a rider's body, they got slapped with a fine and a minimum two-year suspension from rider.

So, what prompted a decision like this? The untarnished image of a champion rider never before popped for doping? The fact that he had enough money to hire lawyers and had a team around him to deflect, spin, and protect? Perhaps I'm becoming cycnical in my old age, but why should that matter? I was under the impression that the system is set up to make sure everyone gets a fair shake, am I wrong?

So, what do I think? I think the decision to drop the charges was a fair one, since no one seems to really know how the clenbuterol entered Alberto's system. But what does a decision like that say about all the other riders who have said they unknowingly ingested a banned substance and their protests of innocence went unaknowledged?

I'm glad I'm not the one making these decisions.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Alberto's Case, Continued

At a press conference in Spain earlier today, Alberto Contador once again protested that he never doped in his career. He lashed out at the media for dragging his name through the mud and the anti-doping rules and the system that enforces them.

At news conference, Contador vows to appeal
Contador Will Appeal Tour de France Doping Sanction

I'm sorry, but I've heard all this before. Floyd Landis sang a very similar song for years and look how that ended up.

That said, I think Alberto will fair better in whatever way he chooses to fight the sanction. He has wisely let his agent and his lawyers do much of the talking, rather than blindly flailing about as Floyd did. Alberto has allowed himself to be advised and guided (to a certain extent) by his legal team and has wisely not proposed any truly outlandish theories (contaminated whisky, really Floyd?) of how he believes clenbuterol entered his system.

What do I think? I think it's odd that only a small amount of the banned substance was detected and that plastics that could indicate blood transfusions were also detected. I think it's a shame that the anti-doping system that is so supposedly broken is still in place, without anyone willing to step up and propose changes. I think it's a tragedy of magnanimous proportions that some riders feel they must dope to gain an edge.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Uh... Uh... Uh...

I step away from my computer for a bit to go workout and this happens!
Contador suspended one year, stripped of 2010 Tour de France title

I am absolutely flabbergasted. I thought Alberto would somehow slide on consequences resulting from his positive test for clenbuterol due to the small amount and the fact that no one seems to really know how the substance got into his system.

I'm not even sure how to feel about this. I'll be back with more once I've let this sink in.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

For Carla

This is quite cool. The Nature Valley Grand Prix has established the Carla Swart Sportsmanship Award as a memorial to Carla Swart, the HTC-HighRoad rider who was killed on a training right last Wednesday.

I never had the opportunity to meet Carla, but from what I gather from what's been written about her, she raced with heart and tenacity. In 2008, she won the Division I road race, individual track titles in 2 kilometer pursuit and match sprint, the cross-country and short track mountain bike titles, the individual mountain bike omnium, and placed first in the US cyclocross nationals. And she did all this as a college student! She also raced in the Nature Valley Grand Prix in June 2008 on the Collegiate All-Stars team and in 2010 for the Vera Bradley Foundation team.

VeloNews published this article Making the Grade,
after her break-out collegiate season in 2008. I remember reading this article and thinking, Wow, now there's someone worth watching.

Here's the press-release:
Nature Valley Grand Prix Establishes Swart Sportsmanship Award

Minneapolis (Jan. 24, 2011) – Organizers of the Nature Valley Grand Prix have announced the establishment of the "Carla Swart Sportsmanship Award" as a memorial to an alumna of their 2008 Ryan Collegiate All Star team. The award will recognize the female athlete at the race who sacrifices her own chances for the good of the team. Carla Swart was a South African Olympic hopeful and the most decorated collegiate rider in U.S. history.

Swart died Wednesday after she was hit by a truck during a training ride in the central Free State province of South Africa. The 23-year-old was a member of the Ryan Collegiate All Star team at the Nature Valley Grand Prix in 2008 and competed professionally on Team Vera Bradley Foundation in last year's race. She won 19 national titles during her collegiate career and most recently finished 10th in the women's elite road race at the world championships in Melbourne, Australia.

"Cycling is a team sport, with talented athletes often sacrificing their own chances to support a teammate,” Nature Valley Grand Prix Executive Director David LaPorte said. "The Carla Swart Sportsmanship award will recognize these unsung heroes. We'll ask the racers to vote for the rider on another team who has sacrificed the most in support of her teammates. Particularly since the radio ban, the riders themselves know the most about who deserves this award."

The Carla Swart Sportsmanship Award winner will be recognized before the race's final stage, the Stillwater Criterium. The honoree will receive a special jersey to wear and a front row call-up, LaPorte said. Besides the recognition, a front row start is particularly valuable in Stillwater since the race hits the fabled 23 percent grade on Chillkoot Hill almost immediately.

Brian Sheedy, Swart's fiancé and a former professional racer, said he and Swart's family are extremely grateful to have an award established in her honor.

"She touched so many people with her vibrant and loving nature and her smile," he said. "She did so many things in this sport in such a short time. She was probably South Africa's top cyclist – man or woman – and their biggest hope for the Olympics, by far. On the world stage, she was making a name for herself really, really fast."

John Barron, director of the Collegiate All Stars, said it made sense to establish an award in Swart's memory because her performance at the Nature Valley Grand Prix helped her gain a professional contract.

“No one will forget Carla's infectious smile, razor-sharp focus and her stunning athleticism that she displayed at the 2008 Nature Valley Grand Prix as a member of the Ryan Collegiate All Stars,” Barron said. “I expect the recipient of this annual award will receive the extra strength, spirit and fortitude she will need to finish the last, brutal stage of the race.”

Swart went on to ride for the Team Vera Bradley Foundation at the Nature Valley Grand Prix last year. Her former team manager, Lisa Hunt, said the award will serve as a long-lasting symbol of the rider that her teammates and friends referred to as the "ginger ninja."

“Few cyclists will achieve what Carla did in the short span of her career,” Hunt said. "And by this, I mean not just the victories, but the relationships she built with her teammates. She gave more than 100 percent in every race. This award will strive to recognize others who display the same unselfish nature that made Carla the ultimate teammate.”

"Good-night, sweet prince;
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Gone Too Soon

It's always frightening and sad when a cyclist is killed doing what they love. It's even more scary to me when that person is fresh out of college and at the beginning of what promised to be a great life.
Carla Swart killed in South Africa

Carla was out on a training ride when she was struck by a truck while trying to retrieve her cycling computer. It sounds like the driver tried to stop and even swerved to avoid hitting her, but without success.

How many training rides to we go on every year, never really thinking that we won't be back home in a few hours? How often have we stopped or swerved to pick something up off the road, either because we dropped it or to make sure no one else hits it? This was a training accident, by all accounts, what could have been done to change the outcome? I'm at a loss.

Rest in peace, Carla; you will be missed.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Tipping the Scales of Justice

If a tree falls in the forest and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Wait, that's not right.

If you take a supplement with a banned substance and the label doesn't list it, did you intentionally ingest a banned substance?

Why yes, yes you did. And here's a two-year suspension for your unintentional mistake.
Court of Arbitration for Sport reduces Flavia Olivera suspension

Perhaps justice in professional cycling does exist after all?

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Evie Stevens Reloaded

I first heard about Evelyn Stevens last autumn while reading through The New York Times SPOKES blog. Then earlier this year, Bicycling Magazine published the story about her rather meteoric rise from amateur to her riding for HTC this past season. Her story sounds like something out of a fairy tale or a Hollywood movie: A young investment banker races her bike a few times, gets hooked, starts training nearly every spare minute, and eventually leaves her job to pursue The Dream.

And pursue, she has. She made some great results this season with her HTC-Columbia team. I can only think that if she continues to work and learn as she has this season, she will have an even better 2010/2011 season.
Evelyn Stevens signs two-year deal to stay with HTC

Evie, you're my hero.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Oh, really?

Landis says clenbuterol is quite common in peloton
Again, I wonder why people keep giving Floyd a soap-box from which to spout. I suppose as an admitted doper, he has certain insights into the dark side of the pro peloton. But, where is his credibility? He lied for years, wrote a book about it, finally came clean (so to speak) earlier this year, and proceeded to implicate other riders. He never apologized, to my knowledge, for lying and misleading so many people.

Floyd, please do us all a favor and hush? Thank you.
You want to be listened to? Stop running your mouth, accept the blame for the choices you made, and commit to riding clean and transparent from now on.

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.

Oh, for the love of...

UPDATE 11/25/2010:
There is always more to the story...
The Explainer: How do we get from aging dopers to the big names?

amateur: noun; (1) devotee, admirer (2) one who engages in a pursuit, study, or sport as a pastime rather than a profession (M-W.com) The origins of the word are French, from the Latin and originally refer to love or the love of something.

News has come down the pipe at VeloNews that a masters racer from Michigan has been handed a two-year suspension from USADA for purchase and use of EPO.

I can't help but think there's something seriously wrong when an amateur dopes. Is winning that local crit or Tuesday Night Sprint series really worth the potential health problems and legal problems that will most likely arise? What really makes this case sad is that this guy didn't really have any results to show. Basically, he risked his health for nothing, and now he can't race for two years.

Let's file this one under "You've gotta be kidding me", shall we?

Until next time, ride long and keep the rubber-side down.