Lance Armstrong l'Equipe Doping Allegations

"Pardon monsieur, but zehr seem to be a petite problem wis your pee pee."

This latest allegation from the French media is the biggest crock of crap I have ever seen. Come on! A seven year old sample that may or may not have been stored correctly and may or may not have been tested correctly is dug up and tested and reported as fact by a French sports newspaper? Here in the U.S. we have similar in depth analysis by some of our newspapers. The Star, Globe, and National Enquirer all have similar proof of alien sightings, wolf-boys, and the like.

It is unfortunate, but it seems to be human nature that we root for the underdog and try and tear down the people on top of their game. If you look at any sport there is always someone who has a combination of factors that leads them to dominate their sport for a period of time. It is easy to assume that the reason is because they somehow cheated or didn't play by the same set of rules as everyone else. The real reason is somehow hard to believe because it involves sacrifices most people are unwilling to make.

As a cyclist, I have read as much or more than most on Lance and his training and here is why I believe he is the most dominant Tour de France cyclist ever.

He is gifted genetically - Everyone is born with a certain genetic capacity. Even if two people follow the same training regimen, one will end up somewhat better than another. Lance was born with a great capacity that he has maximized through training.

He is a hyper-disciplined trainer - Look at some of the dietary and training programs that Lance sticks to year-round and not just in some months of the year. It is a strict regimen that most people, even elite athletes would have a hard time sticking to. It requires both physical and mental toughness to be that disciplined.

A new approach to training - Lance has taken a different approach to training and peaking than most cyclists do. He is a fanatical collector and analyzer of training data, dietary data, and new technology.

Excellent strategy and teamwork - Lance is always the first to credit his team and staff and particularly Johan Bruyneel. The combination has been very effective. They do not have the team wondering who the leader is, they have a clear focus and direction for the year, and they do not try and peak everyone for every race throughout the calendar. The Tour is the primary focus of Lance and the whole team.

I think it is hard for some folks to believe that these are the real reasons behind his success because at some level it really means that they (or the racers they like) have not trained as hard, have not sacrificed as much, and have not been as smart as Lance has been.

- Tom Skowronski aka Daddy Bike

Quotes of Note - Issue 1

"To prepare for a race there is nothing better than a good pheasant, some champagne and a woman."

- Jacques Anquetil on training

Winner Tour de France 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964

From the book The Quotable Cyclist by Bill Strickland

Go, Go Gadget - Electric Shifter

So it looks as if Campagnolo is coming out with an electric shifting option that will shift both front and rear derailleurs. It is still unclear if this will ever hit the market. Given the dismal failure of previous attempts (namely Mavic's ZAP back in the early 90's) this may never see the light of day. Saeco used the electric shifting during the Vuelta a Espana in 2004. That fact combined with how refined and non-prototype looking the bits are at this stage make me think they are going to start offering this as an option soon. It is currently a wired system as Campy indicated they simply could not get a wireless system to work reliably without interference or cross talk with other systems.

Here are some pics of the system. Click to view full size.









More photos, comprehensive descriptions, and the state of development are available at cycling news.

While the design of this electric shifting system looks pretty bulletproof and pretty tidy too, I can't help wondering if the whole idea is a solution in search of a problem. It seems to me one of the great things about a bike is the mechanical simplicity. There are not many things that can go wrong with a bike that make it impossible to get back home (provided you have brought a minimal tool set along). While a failure in this system would not make it impossible to finish your ride, it introduces a point of failure in the shifting system which is generally not very prone to problems.

Tunes For Indoor Spinning - 08.15

Here is what I am listening to on the spinner this week. (8.15 - 8.19)
I know it is summer and I should be outside riding, but it has been hard to get out during daylight hours lately.

Listings are Track:Artist

• Center of the Sun: Conjure One


• Purgatory: Assemblage 23


• Love Action (I Believe In Love): Human League


• Shivers: Armin van Buuren


• Golddigger: Armin van Buuren


• She's Gone Tragic: The Echoing Green


• Swamp Thing: The Chameleons

Can You Hear Me Now?

Race radio is sucking the suspense and drama from professional cycling. The directeur sits in the car monitoring the radios and TV coverage telling the riders what to do and when to do it. There was a great video that Nike put out a few years back that followed the postal team, in which Christian Vande Velde is talking about the radios and how you can be racing with your brain switched off and don't really know what to do without someone telling you. What if the UCI banned radio communication? Wouldn't that make the racing more exciting as the racers would have to assess the race and decide when to chase and when to attack and when to hold back. In any case, can you imagine listening to that drone all damn day!? Imagine Manolo Saiz screaming "Venga! Venga! Venga!" in your ear 10,000 times. For a little taste of the race radio experience, Cervelo has some great podcasts from the last tour, one of which includes some actual race radio audio. To subscribe to the Cervelo podcast, or to listen to individual audio segments, visit http://www.cervelo.com/mediacentre.aspx

Pretty as a Picture

One of the things that the Tour de France has going for it that the other grand tours do not is the spectacular scenery. Those pretty pictures of the colorful peloton riding through fields of sunflowers or lavender, past old chateaux, and up into the majestic mountainside make it a spectators dream. For the last 25+ years the person capturing those pictures has been Graham Watson. Graham Watson's images are as much a part of the Tour as the commentary of Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin. Graham's website includes photos from most major races, a great online store where prints can be ordered, and periodic free computer wallpaper. Take a look at Graham's website and you can almost hear Phil Liggett..."Armstrong is coming down the finishing straight like a grand prix motor car!"

Moldy Turd or Golden Nugget? - Issue 1

eBay proves that there is great truth in the phrase "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Here is a random sampling of odd cycling related items for sale on eBay this week.

The items in this auction will convert your bike into a floating pontoon boat. The unit has a fin/rudder that attaches to your front wheel which allows you to steer, while a cable comes from the rear tire which propels the prop.

Looks like Snoop's ride. Check the stylin' baby Daytons. Sweeeeeeeeeet!

2005 old style Huffy bicycle with 80 cc 2 cycle motor. Gets 75 MPG, at 25 MPH! The earliest motorcycles were built the same way - piggybacking on bicycles.

LiveWrong! With the ubiquity of those little yellow bands, this just strikes me as funny...

Check back regularly for new issues of Moldy Turd or Golden Nugget?

Take a Bite Out of the Ass of Life

VO2 max, heart rate training zones, wattage output, lactate threshold, recovery time, split times, weekly distance, average speed, average cadence.

STOP!

All of the measurements above have their place in helping you become as fit and fast as possible; what about helping you have as much fun as possible? Remember why you started cycling in the first place? Why was it so much fun when you first learned how to ride a bike? To maximize your enjoyment threshold, I recommend any of the following:

1. Go slow and see how much you miss in training.
2. Own at least one bike you can hop on without donning special shoes or shorts.
3. Take your mountain bike out in the woods in a snowstorm. It is quiet as a church.
4. Own something made by Phil Wood, and polish it daily.
5. Ride a fixed gear - minimalist beauty, ballet, meditation, living in the "now".
6. Cruise from coffee shop, to bookstore, to beach on a cruiser.
7. Take your mountain bike to Davis W.V. it will thank you always - visit Blackwater bikes on Rt. 32 while you are there.
8. Go as far as you can, then eat and drink everything you want.
9. Burn up the rest of your tires doing skids and powerslides.
10. Ride behind your lover and enjoy the view.

Smell That Fine English Leather

For over 100 years J.B. Brooks & Co. Ltd. have been handcrafting unique leather bicycle saddles at their factory in England. The saddles produced by Brooks are the haute couture of aftermarket bicycle saddles. Each saddle is cut from the butt of the hide and will eventually mold itself to fit the rider like a glove.

My Swift (click the photo above to view it full size) is the best looking, most comfortable saddle I have ever owned. This racing model features hand hammered copper rivets joining the leather to a titanium frame. Even by todays standards this is a light saddle. Brooks makes saddles for all types of cycling, not just racing. Beauty does not come cheap, and saddles typically start at over $100 and go up to about $350.

While many modern day, spandex team gear clad, "how many grams can I save" riders will turn up their noses at the mention of Brooks, I think their saddles are works of art.

Bike Shop Bottom Feeders

Bike shop employees from coast to coast and around the world are familiar with the bottom feeder. He or she is the person who comes in to the local bike shop (LBS), and asks for advice, tries things on for size, and then makes their purchase online because they can get things cheaper there. Please people, do not become a BF! With all of the consolidation in the bike industry you see fewer and fewer truly small independent bicycle dealers, and more and more megalomaniacal Performance Bicycle type shops staffed by people who could just as easily be working at the GAP.

Small shops have larger overhead, get smaller discounts from distributors, and have less cash on hand than online retailers. What they do have are knowledgeable, passionate, folks who want to help you enjoy cycling as much as they do.