Category: Words

Bike Blog

Wrong

As the USADA spells out evidence against Lance Armstrong it looks like I was wrong for sticking with someone when everyone else could see the truth.

I’m disappointed in the apparent truth, concepts of a hero for a generation shattered and a general sense of some of the great moments in Le Tour over the last decade or so being underlayed once again by cheating. Millar’s book on how he came into drug use and then faced ridicule from many riders, including Lance now takes on a different stance.

Is it as tragic as it is being played out? No, I don’t think so. We’ve known for years that ‘drugs’ have had a part to play in cycling at the Professinal level, be it coffee or alcohol or other stimulant drugs in the ‘special bidons’ to get riders to the end of a stage race. The difference now is the cloak and dagger approach to getting that upper hand an an attitude to drug-use in sport that is unacceptable.

I think I’m most disillusioned about drugs in cycling headlines once again. Why can’t we have an expose of something we’ve not heard before?

Seven Month Drought Ends

It’s been just over seven months since I did more than a mile or so biking. So today I decided to change that which led to 12.2 miles biking down to the River Mersey and back to ‘see the ducks’. Inappropriate clothing, no real plan for a route, no spares, money or time constraints. Just a bike that’s a bit too small length-wise for me, which I have to pedal in a weird way so my heels don’t clip the child seat on the bike, a new riding buddy sitting out back and an afternoon out and about. It was great, the weather didn’t matter (bit of rain at the end) and everyone was either happy or asleep when we arrived home. Oh and the ducks were much appreciated.

Marc's First Long Ride

Marc's First Long Ride

Marc's First Long Ride

Marc's First Long Ride

There comes a time…

There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, “Enough is enough.” For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart’s unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense. I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA’s charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA’s motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene.

Lance Armstrong’s full statement to USADA here. Lance’s position seems fair to me, they certainly seem to be gunning for him. What happened to all the other non-cyclng sports people implicated in Operación Puerto? Amazing how all the suggested evidence against footballers have been brushed under the carpet. The playing field when it comes to handling of doping is not a level one.

Racing Past the Front Door

The plus points to having a house in France are that you get certain benefits from the experience. Like Stage 10 of Le Tour de France coming to town – it passed within 4km on the way to the Col du Grand Colombier. The following day it was even better when a regional French junior race, the Ain’ternational Valromey Tour, coming right past the front door and returning the following day for the descent of the col behind the house.

Racers

Racers

Racers

More pictures here

Be Strong

I haven’t really written much about personal views on things in the world of cycling for many years, however the recent news that Lance Armstrong is being pursued once again in relation to allegations of doping puts pay to that.

Lance has endured a physical trauma in his fight against cancer that few (if any) can comprehend. The physical hardening and mental toughening that will have accompanied his fight against and recover from cancer will have left him with a significant advantage. His pain thresholds, his level of determination, his desire to battle the odds and win all outstrip that of other riders, because ultimately at one point his life depended on being able to do it. Once you’ve been through that anything else is going to be put into a real context.

There is little doubt that the tailored training schedule and seasonal focus on Le Tour also gave Lance the edge. As team leader and a highly prominent figure, he seemed able to dictate his cycling calendar and race schedule allowing him to focus on the big event. Few others had the same luxury and ability to arrive in France at the peak of their form each year. There can be little doubt this gave him a significant edge.

Of course there were other factors like a World class team of hand picked riders many of whom had the ability to finish highly in the general classification but often sacrificed themselves and their opportunities for the Texan. The final thing should of course not be forgotten. Lance was clearly a very driven and intense individual from an early age and with a talent for cycling and a tactical mind that have made him one of the cycling greats. The fact that his abilities out stripped those of others of his generation is something that few will have been happy to accept.

Remembering Nick Wallis

My IF riding friend Jam Price just forwarded me the sad news that my friend through bikes Nick Wallis has made the choice to take his own life. I didn’t know the sad news until today and it’s come as a shock. Nick and I always saw eye to eye, even in recent times when his actions distanced him from even some of his oldest friends. At the time many people couldn’t understand his strange and uncharacteristic behaviour. I’m sorry to hear he saw no way out of his current situation.

I have fond memories of cooking teacakes in the Singletrack Office with him and then going out for a cracking ride around Hebden and Tod – on the frozen trails and warm winter sunshine the day after Chipps’ 40th Birthday… (Tim K, Ross, Nick and I were the only ones that made that ride).

Nick Wallis

This was Wuthering Bikes in 2006:

Nick Wallis

Nick had many friends who will miss him and his cheeky grin enormously. He will remain very much be in my thoughts.