I have just finished reading the USADA (US Anti-Doping Authority) Reasoned Decision concerning Lance Armstrong's doping activities. It's well worth reading - all 200 pages of it. USADA published this document because Armstrong opted not to challenge the doping accusations made against him in 2012. It is a detailed and thorough list of accusations, with copious supporting evidence, that Armstrong, together with every world-class American cyclist, has, since at least 1998, used EPO, steroids, cortisol, and blood doping.
I remember when Tyler Hamilton tested positive for blood doping in 2004 at the Vuelta and again in 2009 and was suspended from professional cycling. I remember assuming he was innocent and that the foreigners were simply being vindictive. I was wrong.
I remember when Floyd Landis tested positive for testosterone in the 2006 Tour de France and reluctantly accepting he was probably guilty. That was an easier call after watching his suspiciously strong climb on stage 17, especially after he had ridden like a club rider on stage 16. I was right.
It seems those were just the two that got caught. All the American riders were doping and Armstrong was making sure they did. He may never have failed a drug test, but the evidence that he was doping is overwhelming. Now he has appeared on Oprah and he claims to be contrite. I don't believe a word of it. He's just sorry he got caught.
Ironically I think he would have gotten away with it if he had only won two or three times. The truth is the UCI doesn't seem to be too eager to expose dopers in the peleton. Read the Reasoned Decision and you'll see what I mean. But Armstrong got greedy and that's what got him more attention than he could dodge. So now the record is five consecutive wins again - although there's no reason to assume Indurain didn't dope.
One of the more sickening parts of the Reasoned Decision starts at page 149. It lists Armstrong's intimidation tactics including threats against Andreu and Leipheimer's wives. The doping I can understand - you have to dope to win a major tour - but the intimidation and threats made against other riders and especially their spouses is unforgivable. That's why Armstrong should have all his titles stripped and should never be allowed to compete in any sport again - ever. If he tried to register for one of my brevets, I'd ask RUSA if I can tell him to piss off.
While we're at it I think we should take a closer look at the UCI. They should be much more aggressive in pursuing dopers. I get the distinct impression from the Reasoned Decision that they deliberately and actively impeded the USADA's pursuit of Armstrong in collusion with Armstrong himself. There's also evidence that Bruneel (Armstrong's team manager) had inside information about the drug testers so he could warn his rider's of impending 'random' drug tests. That should be examined more fully.
A few years ago Armstring would likely have sued me for this blog (assuming enough people read it) just like he did the Sunday Times of London. I hope they sue him to get back the money he got from suing them. The court should add substantial penalties.
I bet Kristin Armstrong (his ex-wife) is glad she's no longer part of his life.
One sad thing is that Armstrong is clearly a talented cyclist. He could have been a great cyclist without doping. All his natural talent and all his hard work is obscured by his cheating. What a waste.
A few years ago I contemplated changing cable providers so I could watch the Tour de France. Now I don't give a damn. Thanks for nothing Armstrong.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Views of Anacapa
The 2013 brevet season has started. The PCH Randonneurs hosted their second 200k of the year on Jan 12th - their popular Views of Anacapa brevet. Southern California was in the middle of a cold snap so temps were very close to freezing when we started at 7am. Fortunately Amber and I were well prepared with double and triple layers. There was a chap there from Utah - it's so cold there he drove seven hours to Moorpark to ride a brevet with us. I think he brought the weather with him :-)
Views of Anacapa has 6000' of climbing which makes it a fairly tough 200k. Fortunately none of the climbing is more than 8% and the worst climb is the 500' grind over Casitas pass. It's a good way to start the season if you've been riding through the winter, but it's quite a challenge if you haven't.
While preparing to start I noticed a number of seasoned randonneurs with their taillights pointing high up into the sky. Such an elementary mistake. Taillights should be horizontal. They need to be seen by drivers while they are still 100 yards behind you. They don't need to be seen by passing planes.
The ride started off very cold in the face and fingers - even with the undergloves. It wasn't until we had been climbing Grimes canyon for a while that I warmed up. We hooked up with Mel at the climb. As the sun came up near the top we started feeling comfortable again. There's lots of climbing and descending in the first part of the route so we alternated between comfortable and freezing. Foster was hosting the first control where we lost contact with Mel.
It warmed up to about 50F which is a great temperature for riding when you have arm warmers and leg warmers. The ham sandwich at Casitas market was fantastic. The oat muffin at Carpenteria was less so but it did mark the turn around. Headed back south along the beach with a tailwind was nice although I swear CalTrans hasn't worked on that road in the twenty years since I first rode it.
The cheeseburger at Wendys was amazing - I must have been hungry. Soon after we turned inland and the tailwind got stronger. It pushed us up the dreaded Santa Rosa road faster than ever before and we got to the turn onto Moorpark road before I even realized we were climbing.
We got to the end of the ride while it was still light. My target time for the ride was 10 hours total and we came in at 9:42. Greg had great pizza waiting for us. We stopped and chatted with old friends we hadn't seen for several months. Just before it got too dark we jumped on our bikes and returned to the trucks for the drive home.
Next is the 300k in San Luis Obispo on Feb 23rd.
Views of Anacapa has 6000' of climbing which makes it a fairly tough 200k. Fortunately none of the climbing is more than 8% and the worst climb is the 500' grind over Casitas pass. It's a good way to start the season if you've been riding through the winter, but it's quite a challenge if you haven't.
While preparing to start I noticed a number of seasoned randonneurs with their taillights pointing high up into the sky. Such an elementary mistake. Taillights should be horizontal. They need to be seen by drivers while they are still 100 yards behind you. They don't need to be seen by passing planes.
The ride started off very cold in the face and fingers - even with the undergloves. It wasn't until we had been climbing Grimes canyon for a while that I warmed up. We hooked up with Mel at the climb. As the sun came up near the top we started feeling comfortable again. There's lots of climbing and descending in the first part of the route so we alternated between comfortable and freezing. Foster was hosting the first control where we lost contact with Mel.
It warmed up to about 50F which is a great temperature for riding when you have arm warmers and leg warmers. The ham sandwich at Casitas market was fantastic. The oat muffin at Carpenteria was less so but it did mark the turn around. Headed back south along the beach with a tailwind was nice although I swear CalTrans hasn't worked on that road in the twenty years since I first rode it.
The cheeseburger at Wendys was amazing - I must have been hungry. Soon after we turned inland and the tailwind got stronger. It pushed us up the dreaded Santa Rosa road faster than ever before and we got to the turn onto Moorpark road before I even realized we were climbing.
We got to the end of the ride while it was still light. My target time for the ride was 10 hours total and we came in at 9:42. Greg had great pizza waiting for us. We stopped and chatted with old friends we hadn't seen for several months. Just before it got too dark we jumped on our bikes and returned to the trucks for the drive home.
Next is the 300k in San Luis Obispo on Feb 23rd.
Friday, January 4, 2013
SON 20R and Cygolite taillight reviews
After work yesterday I rode the SART with my new SON 20R dynamo front wheel and Cygolite Hotshot 2-Watt USB Rechargeable Taillight. This was my first ride with them in the dark.
The dynamo hub was awesome. The light is as bright as my Niterider MiNewt 600 but I don't feel any drag from the hub. The light pattern is great and lights up the trail far enough for me to ride at 20mph comfortably. It's also perfectly bright as slow a 10mph and the stand light keeps it lit for up to a minute at a stop light. It's kind of heavy at 400g but just perfect for those all night rides. I now have a day and a night front wheel depending on the kind of riding I plan on doing.
The Cygolite raillight is awesome too. I reviewed it on Amazon and gave it five stars. It's visible during the day, but I really wanted to see it at night. It's incredible although it's very important to align it horizontally. That's how you make sure cars approaching from behind can see it but draughting cyclists don't get blinded.
I had to turn back early on my ride. There was a fire on the bike trail and it was blocked by five fire trucks with commensurate fire-fighters all doing their thing. They almost had it out, but I decided to turn around rather than wait.
Backbay tomorrow with Amber and then the Views of Anacapa 200k on the 12th.
I'm very pleased to note I rode over 8000 miles last year and I hope to do the same this year.
The dynamo hub was awesome. The light is as bright as my Niterider MiNewt 600 but I don't feel any drag from the hub. The light pattern is great and lights up the trail far enough for me to ride at 20mph comfortably. It's also perfectly bright as slow a 10mph and the stand light keeps it lit for up to a minute at a stop light. It's kind of heavy at 400g but just perfect for those all night rides. I now have a day and a night front wheel depending on the kind of riding I plan on doing.
The Cygolite raillight is awesome too. I reviewed it on Amazon and gave it five stars. It's visible during the day, but I really wanted to see it at night. It's incredible although it's very important to align it horizontally. That's how you make sure cars approaching from behind can see it but draughting cyclists don't get blinded.
I had to turn back early on my ride. There was a fire on the bike trail and it was blocked by five fire trucks with commensurate fire-fighters all doing their thing. They almost had it out, but I decided to turn around rather than wait.
Backbay tomorrow with Amber and then the Views of Anacapa 200k on the 12th.
I'm very pleased to note I rode over 8000 miles last year and I hope to do the same this year.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
First real ride for 19 days
I finally felt strong enough to do a real bike ride. It was the first since the 10th and I rode a whole 8 miles! I'm trying to sell my recumbent to Jennifer and this was her first chance for her to do a proper ride on it so a short easy ride was perfect for both of us. It was the shortest ride I've done since my crash on March 24th. Loved it.
I came home and rode 60 miles on my exercise bike. Not feeling quite so chipper now. I think I need a bottle of beer :-)
I came home and rode 60 miles on my exercise bike. Not feeling quite so chipper now. I think I need a bottle of beer :-)
Monday, December 24, 2012
Sick
Blegh - no sooner does the www.ridewithgps.com launch their competition to see who can ride most over the Christmas holiday but I get all sick. Not just a cold, but a violent flu that drags on over a week. Eventually I went to the emergency room, greatly speeded through by my daughter and son-in-law who both work there and seem to be on first name terms will most of the staff.
So here's the symptoms - see if you can guess the problem.
Extreme headache especially when you consider I had it for nine days almost continuously.
Stiffness in joints and muscles.
Vomiting.
Confusion
Slight fever
Numbness in the extremities
MRI was clear
I am the lucky owner of a case of Spinal Meningitis hopefully viral. Of course there isn't anything you can actually do about it. I haven't been able to do much cycling lately. Even a zero-resistance workout is devastating.
So here's the symptoms - see if you can guess the problem.
Extreme headache especially when you consider I had it for nine days almost continuously.
Stiffness in joints and muscles.
Vomiting.
Confusion
Slight fever
Numbness in the extremities
MRI was clear
I am the lucky owner of a case of Spinal Meningitis hopefully viral. Of course there isn't anything you can actually do about it. I haven't been able to do much cycling lately. Even a zero-resistance workout is devastating.
Monday, December 10, 2012
R12 and my second flat of the year
I rode my Santa Ana 200k brevet last Saturday with Mark Kaufman. Both of us were riding the last ride in our R12 series. That's where you ride at least a 200k brevet for twelve consecutive calendar months.
It was 44F and calm when we started about 6:30am but it dropped quickly to 35F just before dawn. I was wearing my usual cold-weather gear - Pearl Izumi arm warmers and leg warmers and a Pearl Izumi convertible jacket. It was chilly at first but as I warmed up I was comfortable except for some chilled fingers and tingling cheeks.
Mark and I rode well together having similarly relaxed styles. We both went through the predictable soft spots but we're experienced enough to know how to deal with them with the minimum of drama.
It warmed up slowly and eventually I converted my jacket to a vest and when the thermometer reached 70F I took the vest and arm warmers off too. I am still amazed that a few ounces of well designed fabric can keep me comfortable when the temperature drops close to freezing.
I got a rear-wheel flat on the way back. It looks like a piece of glass cut my tire and tube but didn't stick in the tire. Fortunately it happened near the Lucky Greek so I fixed it while waiting for my Gyro and fries. I think it's about 4000 miles since my last flat.
I'm looking for new tires. Specialized Armadillos Reflect 700x26 are looking pretty good but they're not cheap at $50 each. I see they have a reflective band but I can't see many reviews on them. I think I'll give them a try anyway.
Congratulations Mark.
It was 44F and calm when we started about 6:30am but it dropped quickly to 35F just before dawn. I was wearing my usual cold-weather gear - Pearl Izumi arm warmers and leg warmers and a Pearl Izumi convertible jacket. It was chilly at first but as I warmed up I was comfortable except for some chilled fingers and tingling cheeks.
Mark and I rode well together having similarly relaxed styles. We both went through the predictable soft spots but we're experienced enough to know how to deal with them with the minimum of drama.
It warmed up slowly and eventually I converted my jacket to a vest and when the thermometer reached 70F I took the vest and arm warmers off too. I am still amazed that a few ounces of well designed fabric can keep me comfortable when the temperature drops close to freezing.
I got a rear-wheel flat on the way back. It looks like a piece of glass cut my tire and tube but didn't stick in the tire. Fortunately it happened near the Lucky Greek so I fixed it while waiting for my Gyro and fries. I think it's about 4000 miles since my last flat.
I'm looking for new tires. Specialized Armadillos Reflect 700x26 are looking pretty good but they're not cheap at $50 each. I see they have a reflective band but I can't see many reviews on them. I think I'll give them a try anyway.
Congratulations Mark.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Back Bay = Wonderful day
Rode the Back Bay 100k with Amber. It was one of those days where all the lights are green and all the winds are tailwinds. I had creme brulee for lunch and I feel no guilt :-)
I bought a recumbent a couple of years ago and I've decided I don't like it so I'm selling it. I bought it with 650c wheels which was a mistake because the front wheel has a Shimano dynamo hub. As I'm selling it I want to keep the hub so I'm going to replace the hub of the 650 wheel with a regular hub and then have a 700c wheel built around the dynamo hub. I love having a dynamo hub. I'm amazed by how bright the light is and how little I feel the drag of the hub. It's a bit heavy so I'd only ride it at night. That's my Christmas present to myself.
I'm getting one of those new Cygolight 2Watt tail lights for my daughter. I want something that's visible during the day and this seems to fit the bill. I'll review it when we've had a chance to use it.
I run a couple of 200k permanents. These are 200k rides that anyone can ride at anytime to get credit towards various RUSA awards (or just for fun). Last week a RUSA member named Mohammed Adawi contacted me asking to ride the Tour of OC Bikepaths. Because of several errors (mostly mine) he was unable to complete the ride on Monday and abandoned at mile 100. He attempted the ride again on Thursday but didn't start until 8pm. The time limit for the ride is 13:30 and he completed it in 13:16. I would have given him credit no matter how long he took. He had trains cancelled, missed trains, got bad routesheets, rode in rain and all night. He deserved to succeed and I'm very glad he did.
I bought a recumbent a couple of years ago and I've decided I don't like it so I'm selling it. I bought it with 650c wheels which was a mistake because the front wheel has a Shimano dynamo hub. As I'm selling it I want to keep the hub so I'm going to replace the hub of the 650 wheel with a regular hub and then have a 700c wheel built around the dynamo hub. I love having a dynamo hub. I'm amazed by how bright the light is and how little I feel the drag of the hub. It's a bit heavy so I'd only ride it at night. That's my Christmas present to myself.
I'm getting one of those new Cygolight 2Watt tail lights for my daughter. I want something that's visible during the day and this seems to fit the bill. I'll review it when we've had a chance to use it.
I run a couple of 200k permanents. These are 200k rides that anyone can ride at anytime to get credit towards various RUSA awards (or just for fun). Last week a RUSA member named Mohammed Adawi contacted me asking to ride the Tour of OC Bikepaths. Because of several errors (mostly mine) he was unable to complete the ride on Monday and abandoned at mile 100. He attempted the ride again on Thursday but didn't start until 8pm. The time limit for the ride is 13:30 and he completed it in 13:16. I would have given him credit no matter how long he took. He had trains cancelled, missed trains, got bad routesheets, rode in rain and all night. He deserved to succeed and I'm very glad he did.
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