Why Wait?

Great picture (PDXCross). Wish it was in color. Don't really understand b/w cycling pictures. But great great picture. Racing for all the marbles, winner take all, no pro's killing it solo off the front, 200m to go. What more could you want?

One question though....

Molly? You waited? Your opponent crashed on the last lap of the biggest cx race of the year and you waited? Seriously?

Amateur cycling seems to subscribe to the quaint idea that it is somehow respectable to wait for your opponent if he has somehow encountered misfortune. Nice idea.....but really?

Bike racing. RACING. R-A-C-I-N-G. Draw a line in the dirt, first one there wins.

Of course, recreational cyclists constantly point to Ulrich waiting for Lance at Luz-Ardiden, which was preceded by Lance waiting Ulrich on Peyresourde.

What is mentioned less, is that these are exceptions. If Lance had buried Ullrich after he overcooked a turn, fair play. Riding down the mountain is just as much a part of the game as riding up. Does anyone expect Boonen to wait for Flecha at this year's Paris-Roubaix? Nope. Hell, Chiapucci attacked Lemond after he punctured on Stage 17 of the 1990 Tour. Not really admired for it, but it got him the most aggressive rider award.

And to put it in a cx context, did Niels Albert wait for Sven Nys when totally shutting down his line and forcing him off his bike at Niel Jaarmarktcross? Nope, just rode like he stole something.

Sure, it's a sporting gesture, for certain riders, in certain situations to wait for a fallen competitor. Never. Ever. In a single day event, nave I ever heard of anyone waiting for anything.

So, again. Cross Crusade on the line and you wait? Really? Unless Molly totally caused Sean to crash, I just don't get it.

Bike racing is a race. It involves not only riding fast but steering, cornering and maintaining a working machine from start to finish. Positioning, judgment and skill also factor into success.

Molly and Sean are both talented hardworking racers who got landed on a nice stage and gave a hell of a show. Molly's decision probably cost her the race and the Crusade overall. It apparently endears her to the Portland Cx community even more, and she will sell more bikes because of it.

But Sean won the race.

The Money Will Roll Right In

It is no longer a rumor, Kenny 'the Cash Register' Williams failed a USA Cycling drug control after setting a World Record at this year's Masters Track Nats. He tested positive for DHEA, an over the counter supplement, the same stuff Tyler Hamilton got busted for this past spring.

Kenny followed his instinct and announced the violation with an apology.

A fixture in the Northwest cycling scene. His nose for cash prizes earned his illustrious nickname. He would often race the Masters' race, scooping up as much cash as possible, and then repeat the process in the 1/2 race. He never had a professional career of note, apparently content to use amateur races to supplement his income, rather than seek out a paid ride. His age defying speed impressed Master's and Elite competitors alike.

He is also a popular coach of northwest based riders. Many successful Seattle and Portland based riders turn to Kenny for training plans and mentoring.

Given his place in cycling, it is extremely naive for Kenny to expect that anyone believe the positive was the result in a one-off dalliance with a single over-the-counter supplement. DHEA is widely used in a variety of supplements. Double blind studies have repeatedly shown that it has zero performance enhancing effects. The most common use of DHEA in competitive athletes? As part of a supplement cocktail intended to maintain hormone levels while cycling off stronger anabolic agents. (Sorry there aren't more authoritative sources on this one, but this is some back room of Gold's Gym, Venice beach bull shit.)

If Kenny recommends DHEA for performance enhancing reasons, it exposes him as an inept, ignorant coach. His services put his clients at the risk of USAC, UCI and WADA drug testing, with no possibility of experiencing any performance benefit.

If Kenny was using DHEA as it is commonly used in athletics, as part of a systematic PED regimen, then he should come clean. Lay it all on the table.

Like most riders, Kenny doesn't seem to be sorry for the results he's stolen from other riders. He's not sorry for the relationships damaged, the respect lost and the damage to the reputation of his clients and friends.

He's sorry he got caught.

VdB RIP

It was reported today that Frank Vandenbroucke passed today at age 34. VDB defined style on the bike in the late 90's. His flair for the dramatic netted him a spectacular 1999 LBL win.

Ever since Lemond lost to Indurain, and up until the last year or two, pro cyclists have relied on large amounts of blood boosters, hgh and testosterone supplements to enhance performance. Nobody could not have a European pro career without them. Nobody.

A body on these PEDs is burning itself up at an impressive rate. The body can keep going, but the mind feels the terrible pain. Painkillers such as Tramadol help ease this pain without inducing numbness and fatigue. Tramadol is an extremely addictive drug, withdrawal induces severe, prolonged depression. Like performance enhancing drugs, the effects of drugs such as Tramadol vary greatly. No drug effects the same person the same way.

It is a constant disappointment that cycling cannot organize itself to maintain a minimum of health care, mental as well as physical, for riders. Unemployed riders are simply tossed to the side of the road like a bottle squeezed dry. Taken away from a sport that consumed them, saddled with the consequences of addictions acquired out of necessity, there is nowhere to go but down. And fast.

Ti-Blanc!!!

If there's any justice, this guy will go down in history as one of the best riders of his generation. Thomas Voeckler is up there all year, every year racing the right way. Always on the attack, always looking for opportunities. His sheet probably has dozens of top-10s where he lost out to guys with better programs. He's always knocking and today the door opened.

Today's finish was one of those great moments where the good guy won because he wanted it more. There was no superhuman feat, or magical comeback. Just a pro rider, doing his job and finally getting what he deserves.

Everything?

"Genius is not a generous thing
In return it charges more interest than any amount of royalties can cover"
-Jim Carroll

Remember when you were a kid? When this was all for fun? Doing that dance singing that song, it brought so much joy to so many people. To see a kid like that without a care in the world, saying those words that everyone knew deep down in their heart to be true, but when you get to that certain age with the kids and the mortgage and the wife. The truth of those songs gets crowded out. But you, you are able to live those songs forever.

And the songs and the dance, they look so easy, so effortless. One foot in front of the other. Over and over again, every movement analyzed and rehearsed. 10, 12, 14 hours. Focused, precise. One foot in front of the other is all that matters, over and over again. Not just better than anyone else can do it. Better than anyone else could imagine doing it. Everything you have, everything that most hold dear is traded.

Every move, timed to perfection, every twitch of every muscle is watched, examined, obsessed by millions of people. But it's so simple, don't they know anyone could do this dance, if they take the time. Right?

But it gets you there, to the top. The very top. But what you find out is it's lonely up there. You're no longer a person, but an opportunity. A revenue stream. They're not 'friends' anymore, they're 'partners' with opportunities. Just cut them in for a little bit, they'll return more, maybe do lunch. But it's all there. Anything you ever wanted and more. And there was so much more.

And they keep you there. Slow getting up in the morning, there's something for that, trouble sleeping, there's something for that. Need help getting through the show...maybe THIS doctor can help you with that. Because good doesn't make this much money. Great doesn't make this much money, But being the best, the best ever........

But then it stops, and it has to stop. Because this game is not sane. But, you can't be insane, can you? Nobody ever said we went too far, nobody said this was too much. Not while it was happening, anyways.

But once the show stops, the money stops. The phone calls taper off. And maybe, maybe the rehearsals, the training was a bit much. It's nice to spend some time with the family, but they don't understand. Maybe go on vacation, take a break. But the eyes, the looks. Hey, it's him, who did that thing, but now doesn't....what does he do?.......what did?

Now there's new guys, with new songs and new dances. A new generation. Their names in the headlines. And they're good, but not THAT good. Do people even remember what good is? Do they know what it takes to be good? Don't they remember what I did? Do they even remember who I was?

Do they know what you have to give? Your health. Your family. Your life. They aren't giving that.

I know, I'll get the coach back. Get the Doctors back. The sponsors. The money makers, the money takers. The friends start calling again, ONE MORE TOUR!

Maybe, maybe I could do it again. Just one more time. Make damn well sure, that everyone knows just how good I was.

The Reaffirmation

Yes, pro cycling can sometimes be a trying sport to follow. The biggest stars constantly getting knocked for running on rocket fuel, flaky sponsors and the inability of even the most respected media outlets to cover anything but Lance rolling to the line in 30th place.

But every once in a while you see an image that totally confirms that cycling is indeed the most beautiful sport in the world. A sport which rewards technical ingenuity and good-old-fashioned-hard-work equally. The pinnacle of sports performance played out in grand theater on the world's most beautiful country roads and mountain passes.

Without further ado, courtesy of Zinn at Velonews:


In all his glory, the Chief Mechanic of the Astana team, wrench to The Boss himself scraping tubular glue of a rim with a butter knife. After all those hours in the wind tunnel, the months of training and millions of dollars in logistics; it is on the shoulders of this man to keep the machine running.

Nietzsche wrote of the uber-mensch, the Superman whose understanding of life was so great and so thorough, that he knew that life in common society was a waste of time. He left to the dark hills of the Heartland to achieve a higher state of self-mastery. In time, one by one, the plebians would recognize his enlightened state, abandoning their material lives and discover their true purpose.

The true uber-mensch is hidden away from society, amid the exhaust of diesel trucks, surrounded by the most simple of machines, made from the most advanced materials. Constantly conducting a symphony of the ancient and cutting edge. Facilitating the wildest dreams of the world's most devious men. Wearing only a shop apron.

Theo Bos should never be allowed to race bikes again.

The blogging twitter-sphere has been abuzz about this, after watching it over and over, I have decided to set up my little soap box.

Theo Bos should be banned from cycling. At least for a year, but life would be justifiable. What he did was criminal.

What boggles my mind is that there seem to be plenty of defenders, or at least excuse-makers, for his actions. The (miserable) excuses seem to be based around the fact that he was against some 'uneven' barriers and running out of road and grabbing a handful of jersey and pulling the guy in front of him off his bike is a natural reaction to an imminent wreck.

The running out of road excuse is complete BS. In a bike race, you choose where to be. The peloton limits that choice, but where a rider is in a pack is a direct result of decisions that rider made. The choice you make at 10k, 5k or 2k to go can also effect the choices you have at 500m to go. Bos lacked the legs to be in the front and made a series of bad choices towards the end of that race. The result of these bad choices was that he ended up against the edge of some uneven barriers. My guess is that he then perceived that Impey was drifiting into the barriers and his heat-of-the-moment reaction was "If I'm going down, he's going with me."

I see this often in amateur races. Riders half wheel someone, put themselves in a position where one errant move can make their race go very wrong very quickly and then complain that they got a wrecked out. It makes no sense. Bike racing is no different than driving a car. Each rider is entirely responsible for where he puts his front wheel, and the consequences which result from that decision. Which may not be immediate.

If you aren't at the front then you're not going to win. Bos made the decision to try a late, really dicey surge up the left side for no apparent reason whatsoever. What would he accomplish by this? Crack the top-20? This is a pro race. If you don't win (or factor into the win) nobody cares where you finished.

What should Bos have done? Eased on the brakes, slowed a bit, hoped he could get back in the peloton, try again next time. That's the great thing about being a pro. Next time is just a few days away.

If Bos is allowed to race again this year, riders should protest. Refuse to start is he is in the peloton. He is clearly dangerous and lacks either the skills, decision making abilities or the judgment to race his bike at that level.