The May 14^th issue of VeloNews just arrived in my mailbox.  On the cover is Danilo Di Luca celebrating his victory at Liege-Bastogne-Liege - an emotional finish surpassed only by Stuart O’Grady at Paris-Roubaix (in my book, this is saying a lot, as I suspect that O’Grady’s performance will go down as one of the most exciting this season).

 

 

 

But I didn't bring this up to talk about Danilo Di Luca or Stuart O'Grady, for there's something else in this issue of VeloNews I want to talk about.  If I can blow my own horn for a bit, the May 14^th issue also has a letter to the editor written by your’s truly.  The subject?  An article published in the April 16^th issue of the very same publication.  Unfortunately, none of this stuff is reproduced online, but all you really need to read is my letter: 

While I appreciate rebellious misfits as much as the next guy, I couldn’t contain my disgust when I read about Michael Ball and his Rock Racing team (“Revolution Rock,” April 16).  I’d never heard of Rock Racing prior to reading this article, but if Ball’s team reflects his attitude, then like his denim company, it’s all show and no substance.  It’s the corporate establishment disguised as rebellion.

 

Changing team kit colors for each race or driving Escalades as team cars doesn’t challeng cycling’s status quo.  A true rebel would try to shake the whole notion of corporate sponsorship or encourage alternative forms of transportation.  After all, some of us buck “the system” by actually commuting to work on our bikes!

 

It is perhaps unrealistic to expect a cycling team at this level to eschew corporate sponsorship altogether.  But to seek out and celebrate the sponsorship of a company that actively encourages America’s addiction to gas guzzlers is the kind of mindless consumerism that represents much of what is wrong with pro sports.  It doesn’t, as Ball so eloquently puts it, give cycling ‘a nice kick in the ass to make it fucking cool.’ 

It’s worth mention that, although I’d never heard of Rock Racing prior to reading this article, I did hear of the team after Stage 6 of the Tour of Virginia.  That’s the day which featured a criterium down in Harrisonburg where the first to cross the finish, Kayle Leogrande of Rock Racing, was relegated for not holding his line in the final sprint.  You can see some real nice photographic evidence here:  http://love2ride.smugmug.com/gallery/2788646#148675413; and check out the photographer's narrative of the event in the May 2^nd post here:  http://love2ridephotoszzz.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html).

 

I don't mean to pick on Leogrande here.  I have nothing against him in particular, and he's clearly very talented.  My beef isn't even about his team so much as it's about the presentation -- passing off something as revolutionary and rebellious when in reality it's about selling an image.  And besides, cycling doesn't need a nice kick in the ass to be fucking cool.  It already IS.

 

-- posted by Chris

i have a number of friends who follow pro cycling a lot less closely than they used to.  this is a generalization, but i think it's true that for many of them, the prevalence of doping has taken some of the enthusiasm away.  it's not so much that people dope.  in an odd way, this is not only understandable, but expected.  for many fo these guys, they are paid huge amounts of money to win races.  if they didn't do everything humanly possible to win, their employer would be unhappy.  it's sort of obvious really when you're talking about teams with 10 million euro budgets. 

look, it's not that we expect sports to be some sort of temple which cannot be fouled by dastardly cheats.  it's more the facade that's irritating.  the inevitable song and dance involved when someone wins or doesn't win, and someone tests positive or doesn't test positive.  press releases, investigations, police crack downs, publicity, rinse, lather, repeat.

but the latest developments are so stomach churning and revolting that i'm not even sure what to say.  if anything could kill people's appetite for consuming pro cycling as a sport, this might qualify.  (aside: then again, i think most people would have said that the slow motion train wreck / career trajectory of britney spears, lindsay lohan and paris hilton would have had them augering in months ago and that surely wasn't the case).  maybe our standards have slipped.  maybe we just don't care and want to watch them ride their bikes.

for me, i basically don't follow pro cycling any more.  i always found their exploits sort of super human and unapproachable.  i never had the feeling that i could aspire to that.  i appreciate it, and i love to watch people riding combatively and risking everything for a huge win.  it's really insiring.  i just think there's so much going on below the surface that it's hard to appreciate even the things that i like. 

i may not be describing this well.  let me take another swing at it.  i grew up north of baltimore, very close to the state fairgrounds.  i had some friends who used to hang around the track (horse track) and many of them ended up getting jobs working there.  I didn't work with the horses but i loved to go down and hang out and watch them run.  and in season, i used to watch the races a lot.  but as i got older, i learned about stuff that goes on in horse racing.  and then it just seemed kind of silly.  like a charade.  once you know that the fix might be in, the whole event seems like a staged farce, sort of like a set piece or illusion that penn and teller might try to pull off.  all the people up in the stands are watching, but they aren't seeing what's really happening.  there's a whole series of layers of things going on beneath the surface that are actually driving the outcome that are tranparent to them.  so i still like to watch horses run but i don't really care to watch horses race.  and it's the same with bikes.  i love to ride, and maybe even race locally.  and i thought i had a reasonable idea of the stuff going on behind the scenes in cycling as well, but this new landis stuff is just so bad.  maybe i'll regain an appetite for it later on, but i don't feel like i'm missing anything right now.

-sg

 

 

there was a lot of discussion in comments, over email and over coffee of chris's excellent post.  pete weighed in with something similar to the new mabra-google commons.  i'd like to weigh in with a tangential thought  i think people misunderstand the post.  it's just like a television.  it's not interactive.  you can yell at your television or write letters to the editor and you, on a practical level, will get the same result.  it's a business that's based on a one-way flow of information.  they may take feedback.  they may even solicit it.  but don't confuse their reception of a message with the decisions that run the paper.

the post just hasn't kept up.  email, newsgroups, blogs: these exceedingly democratic methods of information sharing.  they rely on comments to drive the discussion.  the exchange is what makes it dynamic.  a community.  the electronic forums are richer for the interaction as are the participants.  the closest the post gets is it's chats, where you ask a question, and like an oracle, an answer comes back.  how is that a chat?  it's hardly interactive.  electronic forums allow people to provide any degree of feedback they want to provide.  cold and logical, passionate, venemous or no response at all.  the post feels sterile.

community and cooperative is not the way papers work.  your feelings about an article don't enter their calculus.  every week the ombudsman catalogs an endless string of complaints about everything.  nothing changes.  there was a huge broughaha a while ago about how entirely dependent the post had become on citing leaks to anonymous sources.  the paper's general manager and news director all wrote articles saying they would change the style manual and do better.  and nothing has changed.  pick up any post and check it out. 

what i'm describing here is different than the occasional idiotic columnist who writes some screed about how he hopes the next cyclist to slide under his super large sport utility vehicle will inspect the condition of the ziebart and perform a useful service for once.  that person is just being provocative, stirring the pot to get a response.  the journalistic equivalent of an email troll.

but what the post does is different.  it's just like a modern politician in that it feigns interest in the details of the life of the average person, pretends to help and represent the little guy.  but in reality, it's no closer, and maybe even further detached.  it's not bad or evil.  and it's not good or benign.  it's more like that classic line from an old godzilla movie: "it can't feel pain, it can't be reasoned with".

my bottom line here is that change doesn't start with talkign to the post.  change starts with talking to each other.  and change starts with lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of people riding their bikes to work tomorrow.  i've got bad news.  if it's less than lots and lots and lots and lots and lots, well, we'll likely continue to be ignored or misunderstood or run over, both figuratively and literally.  change starts with people deciding that they want change, and acting accordingly.  telling their neighbors, telling their friends, telling their office. 

i really hope people don't see this as a bike-to-work-day pep talk.  it's not.  it's easy to lose perspective when you're dealing with large issues.  but i would suggest the old chestnut that every big change starts with a small change is still so relevant.  the next time you see an idiotic article or letter to the editor or provocative column, just run an extra errand on your bike that you would not have done before.  take a friend out for a spin.  force a neighbor to commute by bike.  there are certain battles we will simply never win, but i refuse to concede the war. 

-sg

I guess maybe Dr. Gridlock (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/15/AR2007051502697.html) decided to celebrate Bike to Work Day (which is tomorrow, by the way) by publishing some rants in this morning’s Post.  Rather than an intelligent discussion about how cycling can reduce congestion and our dependence on oil, however, we get garbage.  A few excerpts area below, followed by my not-so-comprehensive rants.  Have any further rants?  The comments section is all yours! 

“The truth is, cyclists bend and break traffic rules, exhibit behavior that defies common sense and are bullies.”

Bullies?!  Lemme see:  on one side, there’s a big heavy chunk of metal; on the other, a dude on a couple of metal or carbon pipes.  I can’t possibly imagine how the cyclist could ever be a bully in such a situation.  But hey, so long as we’re using adherence to traffic laws (written with motorized vehicles in mind) as the standard, consider how often you’ve seen cars speeding; turning right on red without stopping; failing to use a turn signal; speeding up to run a yellow light; and slowing, not stopping, at stop signs.  The truth is, nearly all vehicles on the road disobey the law every day in some way.  Speaking for myself, I can think of several places on my commute where the safer option to get from Point A to Point B involves breaking a traffic law (try crossing over to the left turning lane on a roadway full of speeding cars and you’ll get what I mean).  The bottom line is that any motorized vehicle is a far more dangerous weapon then a bicycle will ever be – while there are rare exceptions, when a motorists does something stupid, the cyclist could get killed; and when the cyclist does something stupid, the cyclist could get killed.  The cyclist does not enter this relationship from a position of power.

“Just stopping at intersections with stop signs would carry bikers a long way toward a better relationship with motorists.”

An old chestnut:  If cyclists would just follow the law, the reasoning goes, motorists would suddenly start respecting their rights.  Riiiiight!  What it fails to take into account is the fact that most cyclists are invisible to motorists.  When we are noticed, it’s when we’re perceived to be breaking the law (and, often, that assumption is a reflection of the motorist’s ignorance of the law).

“I strongly oppose cyclists sharing the road with motorists. It is not only unsafe, but inconvenient for drivers. Cyclists tend to act as though the rules of the road don't apply to them, and as though they possess the same presence on the road as automobiles. It is amazing that there are not more cycling-related fatalities in our area. Cyclists belong on paths, and nowhere else.”

Good start to the usual rant of the four-wheeled hegemony, complete with the convenience of the motorist taking precedence above anybody else.  But, there’s a twist:

 

“Before you chastise me for being anti-cyclist, I would like you to know that I am an avid mountain biker who rides more than a thousand miles a year, and I have been an assistant manager at a local shop for years.”

Oh good!  Thanks for the statement of solidarity, buddy!  And how convenient that your particular cycling obsession doesn’t involve riding on the road.  If all mountain bikers were like you, you can bet I’d think twice before being supportive of keeping trails open to mountain bikers in national forests!

There was one letter this morning which didn’t target cyclists.  Instead, it targeted pedestrians:

“Cars are my number one concern when I'm bicycling in the District, but I also get very nervous in the presence of pedestrians who blithely jaywalk and don't ever see me coming.  It seems to me that they are watching or listening only for cars when jaywalking and pay no attention whatsoever to bicycles. The worst area for such near-encounters is Pennsylvania Avenue NW, between 17th and 19th streets.”

OK, I think that’s fair enough, but I’d like to add something here:  Bicycles are to pedestrians what cars are to bicycles.  You can cause them significant damage, and assigning blame won’t prevent that damage from occurring.  Take care not to hurt anyone (or yourself)!

-- Posted by Chris

Last year, during the nascent stages of our glorious revolution, the Racing Union's Supreme Council for Propagation of Message and Truth sent out a request to our citizenry for a stirring patriotic anthem befitting our quest for all that is right and true on two wheels.  An anonymous sympathizer sent us a particularly gusto-filled little number set to the tune of the traditional Welsh anthem "Men of Harlech."  For further reference, and a moving ode, please peruse the following link: http://www.racingunion.org/PermaLink,guid,638193ef-c7be-43e0-b47c-ccf9f55d0218.aspx

However, today we received another inspiring anthem from our own Comrade Kevin (who's been tearing it up at Greenbelt lately), clearly aimed at our younger compatriots throughout the Union heartland (aka "The Fruit of the Union").  As an expression of our deepest gratitude to a comrade who has clearly been reading his manifesto, an extra ration of potatoes has been reserved for young Kevin at the Plaza de la Revolucion.  Just what the hell am I talking about, you ask?  Well, Kevin wrote a song about it, and even though our humble compatriot may not want it posted (heh-heh...), here it goes:

         You frontin the union? 
         Slow yo roll you ain't got that
         We fed yo communion,
         Don't act like you all phat.

         East side or west side, you know we roll hard,
         Forget all thorps corps, that shit should be barred
         You with us or against, don't fuck wit' tha vanguard.

         Ya'll actin like bitches, sponsor's little whore,
         Watch your step or you'll be right out the front door.

         Rollin on the win, hear the Union Da!
         All you others just droppin a jaw,
         Where they come from, ain't never saw.
         Raise yo glass to the Union, a resounding Huzzah!

Well, there you have it, dear friends.  I hope that this little ditty has brought a tear to your eyes as it has to mine.  To borrow some immortal words from none other than the illustrious Flavor Flav himself, I would like to say: "yeeeeeeahhhhh, boooooyyyyyyeeeee!."  In my own words, I say: Da, Union, Da!

- - - josh

this was recently forwarded to me.

Press release: here

Tracking sheet: here

since we don't play that class shit, we don't do executive summaries.  but a glorious and equalizing people's review would look something like this: there are some strong indications that when these products are utilized for their intended use, they may make existinging problems worse or cause new problems. 

for trade products such as procrit, aranesp and epogen, this is not good news.  but what about us? the proletariat, the cyclists, the citizens?  what does this mean for the people of the glorious revolution?  as with all things in life, there are several ways to look at this.  in terms of the glass being half empty, i'm not sure i see a downide here.  you might think that this sort of publicity of the deleterious effects would mean that these types of chemicals would be less enticing to dopers.  think again.  these people are not smart.

now if you're a glass is half full sort of person, this represents all sorts of opportunities.  first off, struggling young amateur cyclists can expect the prices at places like this to plummet.  i'm a little rusty on my market economics so i may need some help here: if demand goes down, availability goes up and if availability goes up, prices go down?  is that right?  as someone more interested in social justice than the exploitation of a sub-human working class for profit, it was never intuitive for me.  if government health programs, alogn with private insurance companies, stop covering these medicines in a lot of cases where they are currently indicated, this will cause prices to drop.  ergo, this stuff will be cheap and plentiful for young amateur cyclists.  qed.  wait, is that a glass half empty thing or glass half full thing?  i guess it depends.  other benefits: pharma swag can be had for a song.  though i don't know if it's really swag if you pay for it.  and who would pay for pharma swag anyway?

so many questions.  so little blog space.

-sg

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_10783.aspx

the latest from sim over in the south of france.  you can email sim here: simjetlag@wanadoo.fr

Yes, it's a tough life being a pro cyclist.
 
As I drove back from Belgium after covering a few small local Belgian races (Flanders, Roubaix), I stopped off in a tiny airport in Rodez to pic up Navigator's Pro Darren Lill. 
 
The Navigators are in Europe, and Darren was going to be basing himself in Cadalen, (Chez moi) for a fair portion of his European campaign.  He'd had a fairly stressful time with lots of traveling, health issues and crashes.
 
On our first day home we had to go for UCI blood test for Darren.  But after that most of the week was spent ridding around the french countryside, sitting on the balcony and drinking beer.

 
Yep, it's a great life... those guys have it SO easy... nothing but fun and glory.  Oh but wait... Darren was out there everyday doing 7 hour rides, 5 hour recovery rides and sometimes coming home so tired after hard interval he almost collapsed.

 
Then it was off to a Stage race in Germany... Darren came home with the most aggressive jersey, but after following Milram's leadout train for a week and being pushed around by a tall Pettacchi Darren (who was wearing the best climber's jersey) missed out on the king of the mountains final GC by only 2 points. 
 
The disappointment once he got home was evident... Nothing a few days of beers, DVD intervals and recovery couldn't sort out.  And lets not forget some good Cadalen homemade jam... that Darren seemed to tuck into as soon as he got in the door from training.
 
Ok, let go over this whole Pro cycling glory thing.  The Nav boys only have 1 bike in Europe, so every trip is a baggage/bike haul nightmare.

After a few days he was back on a plane to northern france for a rainy and windy 4 Days of Dunkirk (where things got ugly), then it's off to Germany for another week long race.  The day after the race finishes he flies to London, before traveling up to Birmingham where he rejoins his wife... the next day they are off AGAIN to the US this time.  The scary thing is that that is what life is like day in and day out for these guys.  When do they train you may ask?  In the winter.. once the season starts... well.... 
 
Sim

The Wednesday evening training series at Greenbelt Park is in full swing now, and this past Wednesday saw Racing Union with a strong presence in all three races.  For Racing Union's Cat. 5s in the "C" race, myself among them, it was fun to work together and think strategically as a team.  Our plan certainly caught the pack by suprise.  After pulling through Kevin's strong lead-out, I rode hard to finish second, although the first place guy rode my draft into the final sprint.  One can make out the Union Vanguard rolling in behind with fists clenched to the sky.  Da!  Union!  Da!

Above is a picture I snapped of Mikhail in the midst of the "B" race.  Mikhail and Bryan will be representing the green-and-black at Mount St. Mary's University Criterium this weekend - move forward boldly, comrades!

-- posted by Chris

A study in London (reported here) suggests what I've often suspected, that it can be safer for a rider to "run" a red light than to hang out in the intersection.  Adding even more controversy, the study found that women cyclists could be in more danger because they were less likey to disobey lights and tended to hub the curb.
“Women may be overrepresented in [collisions with trucks] because they are less likely than men to disobey red lights.” Apparently, by running red lights, men are less likely to be caught in a truck driver’s blind spot.  

-RR

this post could also could have been titled "here's what naturally happens when the people who run the country aren't total asses and in the pocket of the various energy industries."  via claudia gonzalez martinez:

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB117823466296891497-lMyQjAxMDE3NzA4NDIwMzQ0Wj.html

and featured in the wall street journal no less.  i mean, seriously, how much more obvious could it be?

- sg

Racing Union had three at the Poolesville Road Race on Saturday -- Jeff and me in the 4/5 race; Bryan in the 3/4 race.  I was sailing along pretty well with the lead group until there was a fairly large crash on the 3rd lap.  While I wasn't involved in the crash, I was directly behind it and ended up with a tour of the grassy ditch.  After I got back on the road, I kept slogging away, but ended up retiring when I was unable to close the gap with the lead group.  Newbie mistake on my part, as I didn't realize there was a group of around 15 somewhere behind me, including Jeff, who I could have helped.  Live and learn!  Jeff finished the race with the pack; Bryan ended up in 20th place in his race.

Sunday at Bunny Hop went much better.  Bryan and I represented the Union in the 30+/40+ race.  Both of us stayed with the pack, which caught the break on the linal lap.  Bryan came in 7th in the 30+ and I managed 24th in the 40+  Given all the talk on the D-20 listserv about Cat. 5s not belonging in the 30+/40+ race (I believe I read something about how they were going to drop all of us Cat 5s right off), I was particularly proud of hanging in there and coming in 38th overall out of 60 who finished (I'm pretty sure it was more like 75 who started).  It was a boost in confidence I really needed; and it felt great to be racing with Comrade Billington.  A fun, smooth, fast and safe race - Artemis did an awesome job putting this one on!  Putting on a race that's accessible by Metro is definitely Union-approved.  Below are some photos I took at Poolesville.  (No pictures from Bunny Hop, I'm afraid - I was too busy fretting about my race to snap any!)

Above:  Bryan in the 3/4 race; Below: the women's race.

Below: Er, I think this is the 1-2-3 race.

-- posted by Chris