A quick apology to those of you coming solely for mountain bike stuff! If you don’t want to read an opinion piece about the state of pro cycling, skip this writeup!
For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past month, you should know that Phonak rider Floyd Landis won the 2006 Tour de France. After a miraculous Stage 17 victory, Landis won the title after dismantling Oscar Pereiro on the last individual time trial, and then cruising to victory the following day. The American’s joy was shortlived, because his ‘A’ sample revealed a high ratio of testosterone : epitestosterone. When the ‘B’ sample yielded the same result, Landis was fired from Phonak, and the team proceeded on its merry way. Next season, iShares was to take over the sponsorship of the team, but the company bolted after the team’s reputation for doping hovered over its head.
At this point, you probably imagine the saga comes to an end. But, if you thought this, you’d be wrong, because today, team owner Arne Rihs dissolved the Phonak team completely. And it gets even better, because Rihs blames American Floyd Landis for the whole thing:
“I am deeply disappointed because what he [Landis] did was what led to this decision,” Rihs said. “On the other hand you know the guys and I would never say this is a bad person because he played bad. I regret what he has done for him, too.
“But for us, it’s a tragedy that we had to stop the team now.”
Riiiighht. It was all Floyd’s fault, and Rihs knew nothing about it. Now, I know that Rihs doesn’t really believe that Landis is the reason for the team’s failure, and it’s absolutely crazy to suggest that the iShares pullout is all about The Floyd. Surely Rihs remembers Operacion Puerto? Where riders from a bunch of teams were expelled from the Tour because of their association with a doctor who provided them with doping products?
I understand fully cycling subjects its professionals to an incredible litany of tests, a process that is rivalled by few (if any) other sports in the world, and you’d find few people who’d argue that cycling is trying less to control doping than a sport like, say, the NFL or MLB. But the sponsorship didn’t fall through because of Landis, it fell through because of doping, and that’s a problem that everyone knows about but one that no one seems to control.
On Landis’ part, the cyclist has wisely gone underground after a disasterous PR run, where he looked really nervous, stumbled with his responses, and just looked plain old unconvincing. Today, an ‘open letter to the Phonak team‘ appeared on Landis’ blog. I’m not going to write on the letter itself, because that’s not what this post is about, but I was particularly aghast by the gushing, effusive, and obviously hand-picked comments that littered the end of the post.
Phil over at Spinopsys commented a couple of weeks ago about the Landis blog being closed to comments, something that kept critics and supporters alike from engaging in vigourous online debate. Some PR person in the Landis camp was obviously aware about the criticism, which left us with today’s selected words of support. But now, the comments are closed, and in this world of irony, e-sarc, and lols, some people might suggest that the comments are fitting, because although all that’s really left is a lot of snickers and muttered phrases from cycling followers all over the world.
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It won’t be long now until that special time of the year comes up for bicycle gear junkies like myself. Interbike is just around the corner and it’s almost like Christmas in fall for those who love bicycles.
When I was young, we got a catalog every fall that was called the “Wish Book” by the retailer that sent it out. I remember the day when it would come in the mail. I would turn right to the toy section and gaze for hours at the myriads of toys pictured in its glossy pages. Nowadays, it’s the fall bike show in Las Vegas called Interbike that does the same thing for me. It’s like the “wish book” for cyclists, especially now with the coverage that you can get on the web. Picture upon picture of new bikes, gear, and cycling celebrities are getting my attention now, much like the toy pages did in that catalog years ago. Read the rest »
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This past weekend, I travelled with a teammate to the fifth race in the Plastiglas /Chico Racing’s Ontario Cup Series. The drive from From Guelph to Sudbury takes about six hours and we only had a Pontiac Firefly to stretch out in, but watching the event in the flesh and riding the course afterwards were well worth the cramped legs.
Our trip began on Saturday around 5:30pm with Derek picking me up in his little three cylinder which we call ‘Booger’ (it’s a faded forest green which could have been sampled from a five year old’s trousers). We loaded the bikes on the rack, packed another layer in the hatchback, and took off like an excited sneeze. Having brought my laptop, I burned us a ten hour MP3 CD to cruise to and we were settled in for the long haul by the time we hit HWY 401. Read the rest »
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I’ve had a really busy couple of weeks. Last week saw a friend drop in for a few days before moving overseas, and then some other friends set up camp for the weekend while one of them raced in a local dh event. The riding conditions also happen to be stellar at the moment, so when you add all of this stuff together, it means that the computer has been gathering dust.
I’ll surprise you all with a boatload of new stuff some day soon but in the meantime…
TBH Content
Given my lazy man excuses (see above), new content has been a little thin the past couple of weeks but here comes the recap, fast and furious: check out this ride through the Southern Namib Desert. Guitar Ted describes some of the things you need to consider when sizing up a 29er. That was it for the week!
Elsewhere around the ‘net
Lots of goodies here, proving that the world doesn’t stop when The Biking Hub goes silent.
2006 Norco Six. NSMB serves up a review of the Norco Six from a woman’s point of view. I’ve ridden this bike, and it’s fantastic as a light freeride, Shore-style bike. It’s a little heavy for real all mountain use, but word on the street that that’ll change for 2007.
2006 Cannondale Prophet 4x. Pinkbike has a gushing review of the 2006 Prophet 4x. While I haven’t ridden the 4x, I have spent a bit of time on the regular 140mm Prophet and I must say that I was thouroughly impressed by the ride. It’s a fun, snappy little trail bike.
2007 Cannondale sneak peek. BikeMagic released some great shots of the 2007 Cannondale lineup, including photos of the carbon Rush, the Perp (a slopestyle / freeride rig), and the ‘07 Prophet (see above).
Other gear news. The forum users at NSMB.com bagged a look at the bikes that Commencal has for 2007 and, although I’m not riding too much of the gnarly stuff right now, I’d jump on the Supreme Six in a heartbeat. What a gorgeous looking bike. BikeMagic has a review of the 2006 SRAM X.0 rear derailleur and trigger shifters. Trek has brought Jose Gonzalez on board to work on the company’s full suspension mountain bike lineup.
Other. Flipper has some great cycling photos (Flash required). The Trans Rockies Challenge started up this past week. The Broadband Racer looks set to deliver cycling footage to you nuts out there — as long as you live in the United States. Since I don’t reside in the US of A, I’m just passing this one along and don’t forget Cycling.tv if you’re into this sort of thing.
Crankworx 2007. The Crankworx love fest was held up at Whistler a couple of weeks ago and, while the event wasn’t without controversy, the crowds loved the Slopestyle event and many of the industry’s big names (at least on the dh and freeride side of things) made an appearance.
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It was announced Saturday that Floyd Landis’ ‘B’ sample tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. According to CyclingNews.com, “Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry test (IRMS) had also been done, revealing the presence of exogenous testosterone (contained within, but originating from outside the body) in the sample.”
So, aside from the obvious fact that the UCI is going to push for a multi-year suspension of The Floyd, it looks as though the American is going to lose the 2006 Tour de France title. If the title is taken from Landis, it’ll go to Oscar Pereiro, who finished second to the ex-Phonak rider at the end of the event.
My thoughts? Aside from being disappointed by the audacity of these riders who try to pull the wool over everybody’s eyes, I don’t really care. There were some really dramatic stages this year — Phonak giving Pereiro the yellow jersey after a useless ‘defense’ where the Spaniard regained almost 30 minutes in the GC, Landis cracking spectacularly in the Alps, Landis going ape shit on the rest of the field the next day — and that’s what I’ll remember.
Pereiro can be the paper champion and be memorialized for that: the first rider ever to win the Tour who didn’t actually win the race. And I’m not saying Landis is or isn’t the ‘real’ champ either but, after all of the suspensions and hellfire that came down in the days before the start of the race, I wouldn’t be disappointed if the results of the 2006 Tour de France were voided and a blank space left in the annals.
Tough luck bro‘, but you’re involved in a sport with so many crooks and cheats that it’s difficult to take anything at face value. But whatever happens, your ride during Stage 17 will still go down as one for the ages.
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29″ers seem to be generating a lot more interest in the mainstream press than in past years and, with the arrival of new models from manufacturers like Cannondale and Kona, many of you are going to have a chance to get a close look at these big-wheeled mountain bikes.
This article takes a look at the important things to look for when shopping for that first 29 incher. Read the rest »
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Nick sent me the following pics, taken during a ride through the Southern Namib desert, near Rosh Pinah in Namibia. He writes, “Lots of sandy dirt roads and rocky double-track make for a fast exciting route that keeps you on your toes. We’ve had alot of rain recently, so its a lot greener than normal!”
Desert flowers
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TBH Content
We started out the week with Dan’s review of some of Amino Vital’s energy products. After that, I went camping for a few days in the mountains to escape some pretty uncomfortable weather down in the valley. Aside from a dumbass discharging a can of bear spray into our campsite, it was an awesome retreat — no bugs, comfy temperatures, and lots of swimming. Good stuff.
Elsewhere around the ‘net
VeloNews posted up the transcript for Floyd Landis’ chat with Larry King. BikeMagic has a review of the Scott Ransom 10. MTBR.com reviews Niner Bikes’ SIR 9. asilvertouch ‘zine takes a look at some Kona XC gloves and a Kona hydration pack.
One of the world’s premier mountain bike events has been taking place up at the Whistler Bike Park over the past 10 days. Even though I didn’t head up for the event myself, I’ll post up some links later in the week instead of the canned releases that are showing up elsewhere. As a teaser, you can know that Brian Lopes won the AirDH race down A-Line, Giant’s Adam Craig took the Super D race, and Cam Zink won the Slopestyle event.
Oh, and Floyd Landis’ Tour result is under the spotlight after the results from a single test showed a high testosterone : epitestosterone ratio. The results were released prematurely too — how difficult is it for the people involved in this thing to keep their mouths shut for a week while Landis’ B sample gets tested? And WTF is the media doing hounding Landis’ mom? Last I checked, she wasn’t even remotely involved in this thing, other than being on of The Floyd’s parents.
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I rolled back into town this morning and, lo’ and behold, another media storm around a drug scandal in cycling. Am I surprised? A bit. But I’d also be choked if I were Landis — how is he going to get fair treatment of his b-sample with all of his dirty laundry already out on the line?
Poking around quickly, I did get a chuckle out when I read some stuff that was credited to UCI prez Pat McQuaid where he lets everyone know that he’s bummed out by the positive test result:
I will say that I am extremely angry and feel very let down by this. The credibility of the sport is at stake.
Pro cycling as credible? Umm, Pat? The credibility of your sport is already in shambles. C’mon man.
At least Floyd has his good health to fall back on. No, wait….
Related entries - weboblogs
Again, mostly the same stories referenced here, but there are some good little tidbits of info and some fairly strong opinions…
Related stories - MSM
Pretty much the same story from a bunch of different news sources. I’ll update with links to cycling ‘blogs later in the day.
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Edit: This writeup was originally posted in 2005 at about this time of year. I’m bringing it back to the front because the advice is just as good now as it was back then.
When you get into the heart of summer (like we are here in British Columbia) your riding habits are bound to change. For me, that means fewer rides that start at 10a or 11a and more that start at 8a. Or it means that I just go for a cruise on the road after dinner to get some spin time on the bike.
Marla Streb recently posted an entry on her website about what can happen to a very fit rider when they’re not prepared properly for high temperatures. Unfortunately, Marla’s experience isn’t an isolated one — I’ve done the same thing and, let me tell you, it’s not an experience I’d wish on anybody (actually, I’d wish it on some people but that’s just me being small).
Here are a couple of things you can do to avoid overheating while biking during the summer:
- Don’t take the weather for granted. You can experience heat exhaustion even on overcast days.
- Make sure you have lots of water, even if you’re only going out for an hour.
- Dress appropriately and layer clothing (if necessary). Even when it’s chilly at your starting point, the temperature will likely be significantly higher in the hills when your body warms up and the sun is shining down.
- Bring a cell phone. Sure it’s added weight but if you do overheat, you have a relatively easy ‘out’.
- Don’t ride as hard as you would in more favorable temperatures. You don’t need to go full out on every ride.
- Don’t be afraid to get off your bike if you think you’re overheating. Dealing with heat exhaustion is not something you can ride through.
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