Monday, November 27, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Early Thursday, Landis posted a PowerPoint presentation prepared by Arnie Baker, a retired doctor and longtime coach and adviser, as well as several hundred pages of documents related to the charges on his Web site, http://www.floydlandis.com .
The presentation highlights what are said to be a number of inconsistencies in both the paperwork and the results provided by the French lab that reported elevated ratios of testosterone to epitestosterone in Landis' "A" and "B" samples, as well as the presence of synthetic testosterone.
"We have no reason to question the conclusions of the Chatenay-Malabry lab," Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme said Thursday, referring to the town where the French lab is located.
The alleged inconsistencies were part of a motion that the cyclist's attorney, Howard Jacobs, submitted to a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency review board seeking to have the case dismissed. That request was denied last month.
Landis is scheduled to present his formal appeal to a panel from the American Arbitration Society in late January or early February. He also could appeal to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Tour de France organizers already have said they no longer consider Landis the champion, elevating second-place finisher Oscar Pereiro instead. They also planned to begin proceedings to formally strip Landis' title when the appeals process is exhausted.
Landis' positive test results were reported less than a week after his triumphant July 23 ride into Paris. In the days following the report, Landis contended a number of factors could have triggered the result _ thyroid medication, cortisone injections for a damaged hip, his tendency to produce too much testosterone, even some whiskey he drank the night before his stirring win in Stage 17.
In the online presentation, Landis' experts now contend the French lab erred in its analysis, incorrectly labeled samples and ignored the World Anti-Doping Agency testing standards and chain-of-custody protocol, among numerous other mistakes.
"The whole process has been full of errors," Baker concludes at one point in the presentation.
USADA rules prohibit the agency from commenting on an active case.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Boulder, Colorado---Imagine being able to train and compete like a professional. Starting now, eight ordinary people will get extraordinary training, equipment and coaching to compete like the professional Triathlete.
raceAthlete.com is proud to announce the formation of Team raceAthlete in conjunction with CycleOps Power, Zipp Speed Weaponry, BMC Bicycles, D3 Multisport and Descente Athletic Apparel. Eight lucky age group athletes will showcase the improvements that can be achieved through world class equipment and training resources. This will give select age groupers the opportunity to compete like seasoned professional triathletes.
The chosen athletes will get state-of-the-art PowerTap SL’s by CycleOps Power to help them train and monitor their progress with ultimate power and efficiency.
Swiss based BMC bicycles will provide them with proven bicycle technology—the same TTO2 Time Machine ridden at the Tour de France.
Zipp Speed Weaponry will provide world class speed and aerodynamic wheels and components. These are the same wheels ridden by champion Triathletes like Peter Reid.
D3 Multisport will provide comprehensive coaching and training plans for the athletes to help them with expert advice and today’s most cutting edge training tools for peak performance.
Descente Athletic apparel will provide state of the art training and racing apparel to help propel the athletes to the winner’s circle.
Members of Team raceAthlete will compete in triathlon events all around the globe. Athletes will chronicle their journey from “ordinary to extraordinary” as they progress towards the ultimate Iron distance race! You can follow their progress on raceAthlete.com, as well as the athlete’s own popular endurance Blogs and Podcasts.
raceAthlete.com is a one-stop source that spotlights top endurance sports writers, bloggers, and podcasters—all in a networked community for aspiring race athletes!
CycleOps Powertaps are provided by the Wisconsin-based Saris Cycling Group. The Saris Cycling Group is Saris Cycle Racks and CycleOps Power.(www.cycleops.com)
Swiss based BMC (www.bmc-cycling.com) builds bikes with style, passion and precision. Innovative design features, rigorous testing, and a long history of working with the World’s best athletes have resulted in truly unique bicycles. BMC sets new standards and continues to push the design and performance envelope year after year.
Zipp (www.zipp.com) produces world class wheels that are tops in speed and aerodynamics. Zipp also provides unsurpassed component technology always on the cutting edge. Zipp builds the fastest wheels in the world as tested in Tour magazine, they were the first company to manufacture carbon cranks and the new vuka Aero bar already has a patent pending.
D3 Multisport (www.d3multisport.com) utilizes the most current research and training techniques and combines them with race proven strategies to create the best possible training programs for any athletes.
Axcent Sports (www.descenteathletic.com) was formed to license and distribute Descente Athletic apparel in the United States for the sports categories of Cycle, Run and Fitness, among others.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
NY Times Travel on Bike Tours in Wine Country
Bicycling.com - updated news on all cycling events
Great Forum - everything from BMX, triathlons, biking2work, jokes, ok you get the picture
Great Music - DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER UNTIL YOU LISTEN TO IT ON YOUR MP3!!!!
Cool Custom Bikes - That I can't afford
Cool nonCustom Bikes that I can't afford
Cool Local Bike Manufacture - AND yes, sadly again I can't afford them either!
Awesome - environmental cylist, a very weird web-site, but very cool
My favorite band, my wife doesn't let me listen to because I get so pumped up!
My favorite band instead
Another great band that noone has heard of!
The ultimate band of all time that will never be removed from the top!
Monday, September 04, 2006
I had a great day on Friday, I was just biking along to work and noticed a group of 30 + cyclists. I stopped by and noticed it was bike2work friday. It's funny b/c all of my friends are impressed by me running or cycling to work. In reality, there are a lot of people out there that bike 2 work and have a lot longer to go than me. This one guy does 30 miles one-way, and even does it in the rain! Chattanooga really is very condusive for cycling and a lot of other outdoor sports.
I'm fixing to update my calendar on the side, I've been contemplating what my goals will be for next year, and that is why the long delay.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Biker hit by car and lands on his feet with ninja like smoothness
| This guy gets hit by a car running a red light, lands on his feet and walks around yelling. clipaday.com | |
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Day 1 (Wed) Aug 23
10k - 6:30 PM The course runs out toward Moccasin Bend
Day 2 (Thurs) Aug 24 - 2 races
5k - 6:30 am and 15k - 6:30 PM
Day 3 (Fri) Aug 25
Run up Signal Mountain (aprox 8k) - 6:30 PM Start at the Food Lion on Mtn Creek Rd, time trial start 15 sec intervals in reverse overall order
Day 4 (Sat) Aug 26
Big Daddy Trail Run (aprox 13 miles) - 7:30 am
Starts at the Commons Area on Lookout Mountain.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Landis fires back at UCI, WADA, maintains innocence
Floyd Landis continued firing back at his accusers on Monday, telling ESPN and ABC's Good Morning America that he was left to speculate the cause of test results indicating a high testosterone ratio when cycling's governing body and the World Anti-Doping Agency failed to follow their own rules and made the results public.
"I put in more than 20,000 kilometers of training for the Tour," he told USA Today for a story posted on the newspaper's Web site Sunday night. "I won the Tour of California, Paris-Nice and the Tour de Georgia. I was tested eight times at the Tour (de France); four times before that stage and three times after, including three blood tests. Only one came back positive. Nobody in their right mind would take testosterone just once; it doesn't work that way."
As for the accuracy of the tests that measured his testosterone ratio, Landis told ESPN "Based on the results I see couple possible explanations, either the test doesn't work at all or something happened to the urine sample, I don't know which & I'm not going to speculate." The results of his "A" test, which showed an imbalance in his testosterone to epitestosterone ratio, were made public July 27. The tests also showed a synthetic source of testosterone -- one that his body did not make. Landis denies taking synthetic testosterone, saying it would not give him the kind of short-term advantage that would have boosted him to his Stage 17 comeback. Landis told USA Today that sprinter Justin Gatlin's "A" test showing the same imbalance was not announced for three months, "while I had only two days to react to mine. [UCI head] Pat McQuaid said he had to release mine before the lab leaked it." In more desperate straits than when everyone counted him out of the Tour before Stage 17, Landis has been fired by his Phonak team and the Tour de France no longer considers him its champion. Landis said his biggest mistake has been offering daily excuses for his positive test. "That is where I got into trouble from the beginning," Landis told Good Morning America on Monday morning. "All of these reasons that have come up we need to forget about that and let the experts figure it out." Landis and his defense had offered various explanations for the high testosterone-epitestosterone ratio, such as cortisone shots taken for pain in his degenerating hip, drinking beer and whiskey the night before the tests, thyroid medication, and his natural metabolism. "Number one, the whiskey idea was not mine from the beginning," he told Good Morning America. "And the dehydration was a theory from the lawyers, which I must say I hired in Spain to represent me at the opening of the sample -- but was not authorized by me to say something like that, and I'm disappointed with that and something has to be done with that." He acknowledged that early kitchen sink approach has cost him credibility. "If I was watching from the outside it would look like I didn't know what I was talking about," he told ESPN. "I felt like I needed to say something to give the press something to say rather than harass my family and friends. That was a mistake." "I've been catching a lot of grief in the press: 'Floyd has a new excuse, a new reason for what happened,' " he told USA Today. "This is a situation where I'm forced to defend myself in the media. It would never have happened if UCI and WADA had followed their own rules."Landis said there's "zero chance" someone on the Phonak team gave him testosterone -- either by accident or on purpose. But he didn't discount some kind of conspiracy by the UCI or WADA.
"There's some kind of agenda there," he told USA Today. "I just don't know what it is."
After he has hip replacement surgery in about two weeks, Landis will have to start preparing for his appearance before the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency sometime next month, where he will try to explain why his test results came back positive.
Landis, who was raised a Mennonite in Pennsylvania, told Good Morning America he also leans on his mother for support.
"She's the one that no matter what happens, to me or to anyone else in life, she will remain unchanged," he said. "When she spoke to me, she said 'Look, tell me the truth, doesn't matter to me what it is, I'll see you the same regardless.' And I think if you saw any of her interviews on television she believes." "Based on how may times the rules have been broken I'm not confident the system works but I know the truth, my friends and family know the truth."Thursday, August 03, 2006
Monday, July 31, 2006
PHOENIX, Arizona (Reuters) - A hefty bystander at a road accident in southern Arizona heaved a car clean off a trapped teenage cyclist, possibly saving his life, police said on Friday.
Eighteen-year-old Kyle Holtrust was struck by a car as he pedaled along a Tucson highway late on Wednesday and pinned beneath it, city police said.
Tucson paintshop worker Tom Boyle grabbed the Chevrolet Camaro car and lifted it, allowing the driver to haul the injured cyclist clear.
"He lifted that side of the car completely off the ground," police spokesman Frank Amado told Reuters by telephone.
Amado said Holtrust was being treated in hospital, and was expected to make a full recovery.
Local media said Boyle is 6 feet four inches tall and weighs 300 pounds (136 kg).
"It was outstanding," Amado said. "It is quite unusual to have that strength."
Sunday, July 30, 2006
FROM http://neilroad.blogspot.com/
This is a must READ!!!!
Lets get the facts straight!
I’m a night-owl and like to sleep in late. This past Thursday, 7:00 a.m., I was awakened by a phone call from my publisher. As a rule I don’t answer my publisher’s calls and let them go to voice mail. “Neil, wake up! They found Floyd positive. Find out what’s going on and call me back!” After several days of researching, this is what I’ve found out.
First off, let’s all take a collective breath and settle down. First, he is not positive for anything. At this point all that has been identified is an abnormality. An abnormality in his ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone. As I write this we are still waiting for the “B” sample to confirm whether that finding is accurate. As Floyd has said, more than likely the “B” sample will come back affirming that his ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in his body is greater than the 4:1 ratio that the UCI has set as a threshold. But let’s look at the facts: if he was taking testosterone he would have need to have been on a course of this drug for weeks, not the day after his disastrous stage 16 [Dr. G. Forbes, Journal of American Medical Assoc. 1992 page 397-399]. A person can’t take testosterone exogenously one day and the next have a miraculous turn around the next. What the media has been stating is that Floyd has elevated testosterone, and that is simply not true. His ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone is greater than 4:1, which does not mean his testosterone is high. Also, testosterone is not a drug that a cyclist would take. Testosterone builds muscle mass, the last thing a Tour de France winner wants. Floyd’s doctor, Brent Kay, explained it on Larry King Live.
KING: How do you explain the high level of testosterone?
KAY: Well, I think that’s been one of the problems is that he does not have a high level of testosterone. That’s not been documented …
KAY: He has a high ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in his urine.
KING: Meaning?
KAY: Which could be due to an elevated testosterone level. It could be due to a lower epitestosterone level. And it could be due to a variety of other factors with handling and specimen contamination and various other things.
People have asked me, “But look at his comeback from his bad day to winning by eight-minutes the next.” If you know anything about the sport of cycling and the tactics employed this is easily explained. Stage 16 was a course full of undulations. With the pressure of the Yellow Jersey, he did what athletes sometimes do, forget to eat and drink enough, and he ran out of energy. The next day in Stage 17, with nothing to lose, he attacked on the first climb of the day. While a strong attack, it was nothing that his opponents couldn’t go with. Floyd gambled; he had nothing to lose and realized that the only way to make up the eight minutes loss from the previous day was to go early. The chase behind was unorganized. CSC and T-Mobile looked at the Yellow Jersey holder to chase. Oscar Pereiro didn’t want to put his men on the front and burn them out, so the peloton let Floyd go. On the climbs, the chasing peloton did claw back some time, but Floyd’s superior descending skills pulled back that lost time. And on the final climb Floyd lost some time, allowing Pereiro to retain the jersey by a hair. Allen Lim, one of Floyd’s trainers, had posted the watts generated during the stage (watts is the amount of energy produced). And while beyond the ability of ordinary riders, not unnaturally high, and within range of an athlete with Floyd’s ability. Floyd won that stage through guts, determination and luck, not due to any doping.
With Floyd winning the Tour, it was natural that he was going to be on our next cover of ROAD. Suddenly I was getting asked, “Are you still running Floyd on the cover?” My answer, ABSOLUTLY! Not for a second did we think of pulling the cover. I would also like to do something with Floyd on the following issue’s cover of ROAD for our Interbike issue, one of our biggest and important issues. That is how much I believe that Floyd is innocent. Unfortunately, Floyd and cycling will get dragged through the mud for a few weeks. I know that there will always be a group of haters that love to jump on a doping story and paint with broad strokes a dismal, dope-filled picture of cycling. If that’s what you want to do, there’s little I can say to open your mind. Scandal is all you can see. For now I ask people to look at the facts and don’t get caught up in the easy, hyped-up story of doping. Give Floyd the opportunity to defend himself.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
| Brief Description: | The 5th Annual 24 Hours of Booty, made possible by The Hearst Corporation. The one and only 24-hour road cycling charity ride! Details and updates about the event are on our website at |
| Fees: | $50 individual or $35 team member registration fee plus $50 minimum fundraising requirement |
| Online Reg. Closes: | July 21, 2006 11:59 PM Pacific Time |
| Online Donations: | Click here to donate to 24 Hours of Booty - 2006 |
| |
WHAT: The 5th Annual 24 Hours of Booty, made possible by The Hearst Corporation. The one and only 24-hour road cycling charity ride! This one-of-a-kind event features solo and team relay options with full support on a traffic-free course in beautiful Myers Park. Challenge yourself or your team to 24 hours of riding, whether you ride 3 miles or 300 miles, on the gentle and scenic Booty Loop while raising funds and awareness for noteworthy charities!
WHEN: The event will begin at 7pm on Friday, July 28, 2006, behind Queens University of Charlotte on Wellesley Avenue. All riders will finish at 7pm Saturday. Special awards for the top 3 individual fundraisers and top team fundraisers will be presented at an awards ceremony just prior to the start of the 3rd annual Bank of America Invitational Criterium on August 5th, including a 2006 Trek Madone bicycle for the top fundraiser! Maps of the Booty Loop and driving directions are on our website (www.24HoursofBooty.com).
WHY: The inaugural 24 Hours of Booty was created, organized, and completed by Charlotte cyclist Spencer Lueders in November 2002 to raise money and support for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (www.laf.org). Spencer did the event solo as a "test ride" to see if it could be done, although many people came out to ride with him during the day and night. Spencer set the bar by completing 312 miles. For the 2nd Annual 24 Hours of Booty in 2003, all cyclists were invited to register and participate in the event. We had a great turnout of almost 200 cyclists and raised over $33,000! The 3rd Annual 24 Hours of Booty 2004 included over 500 riders and raised over $100,000! The 4th Annual 24 Hours of Booty included over 800 riders and raised over a quarter of a million dollars! Our goal this year is to raise over $400,000, with proceeds going to the Lance Armstrong Foundation (www.laf.org) and Carolina-based cancer initiatives, such as the Brain Tumor Fund for the Carolinas (www.charlottecriterium.org/theCause.asp).
HOW: Through inspiration, hope, challenge, and celebration. There are many reasons why riders participate in this event. Maybe they know someone who has battled cancer. Maybe they battled cancer themselves. Maybe they are riding in honor or in memory of a friend or loved one. Maybe they are passionate about the cancer community, survivorship, and the desire to make progress. Maybe they believe the saying “knowledge is power” begins with them. Or maybe they want to try to riding a century, but afraid to try a course that could leave them miles from home. Maybe they simply want to see how far they can ride in 24 hours. Maybe they are part of a corporate team that allows each rider to participate in whatever capacity they wish. Or maybe they want to bring the family, camp on the lawn, enjoy the atmosphere, and soak it all in. Those are just some of the reasons why people ride the 24 Hours of Booty. It is a special event, whether from a cycling perspective, or from a cancer perspective.
THE EVENT FEATURES:
- a closed course
- round-the-clock police support
- breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all riders
- great fundraising award levels, including a Trek Madone bicycle for the top fundraiser!
- free bike support
- free camping
- tons of free products and schwag
- and a fun atmosphere the whole family can enjoy!
Friday, July 28, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Tour De France Winner Flunks Drug Test
The Phonak team suspended Landis, pending results of the backup "B" sample of his drug test. If Landis is found guilty of doping, he could be stripped of the Tour title, and Spain's Oscar Pereiro would become champion.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
More people are choosing bikes for fun, freedom, savings
By JAMIE SCHUMAN, The Herald-Sun
July 19, 2006 8:26 pm
DURHAM -- When Daniel Amoni moved to a new house in Carrboro, he didn't rent a moving van.
After all, Amoni, a carpenter and woodworker, already had a 5-foot trailer attached to his mountain bike.
So he just took off the plywood and tools that often sit there and put on bookshelves, utensils and even a bed.
About 25 trips later, Amoni and his family had biked their way to a new house, a half-mile from their old home (They did use a car on rainy days).
"Ever since I could ride a bike, it was always a symbol of freedom for me," Amoni said.
Amoni is one of a small but hearty contingent of area residents whose bikes are their main methods of transportation.
The number is growing, some bicycle advocates say, because of bike safety efforts, peer encouragement and rising gas prices. Regular unleaded gas prices were about $2.92 a gallon this week in the Triangle, according to AAA.
But many avid bikers say they choose to live car-free -- or nearly car-free -- not just for financial or environmental reasons, but for fun.
"I never liked driving," said Johannes Rudolph, who bikes seven miles round trip to his job at Duke University and who rarely uses a car. "Driving aggravated me."
When Rudolph moved to Durham seven years ago, he chose to live in the Croasdaile neighborhood partly to have a short bike commute to work.
Still, it took him awhile to feel safe riding in the city. When traffic started to scare him, he switched to a car for more than a year.
But one perfect autumn morning, he woke up and "couldn't take it anymore." So he invested in bright lights and yellow clothing and saddled up again.
"For me, it's how I turn on and off every day," said Rudolph, a biochemistry and chemistry professor who recently got rid of his $1,000-a-year Duke parking pass. "I need that transition period, and, in a car, I don't get it."
The area is conducive to biking, Rudolph says, because it is compact.
He often bikes to the grocery store or to the Carolina Theatre or the Southpoint cinemas -- but he does so on a tandem with his wife.
"This way, she's never more than a foot behind me," joked Rudolph.
The tandem, he added, allows one person to concentrate on signaling to traffic.
Brian Highfill, a bike mechanic at The Bicycle Chain on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, owns a pickup truck but hasn't used it in two years. He and his roommate have about 20 bikes in their Carrboro apartment.
Ironically, Highfill used to be a car mechanic for NASCAR and Volvo. But he got sick of the work and "decided to veer off in the other direction."
He prefers fixing bikes because they are cleaner than cars. He prefers riding bikes because he doesn't have to spend money on gas or insurance.
Plus, he says, pretty much everything he needs is nearby. When he does go afar, he gets a ride with a friend.
Highfill also uses his bike to deliver sandwiches for Jimmy John's on Franklin Street. About half of the restaurant's deliveries are by bike, said manager Erricca Dunn.
It's especially convenient to get around UNC, where many of Jimmy John's deliveries are, on two wheels, she said.
Other organizations in Chapel Hill and Carrboro also are trying to increase bicycle use.
Two nonprofit groups, Students United for a Responsible Global Environment and The Recyclery, are planning to launch a bicycle rental program in September.
People who pay a $10 annual membership fee would be able to borrow bikes from designated pickup points around town.
"We're not trying to make money," said Dennis Markatos-Soriano, executive director of SURGE. "We're trying to increase bicycle use."
Despite its appeal, riding bikes around here does have its problems. The main one, many bikers say, is car traffic.
Amoni said cars have passed him when he was riding in the middle of the lane.
For Scott Jewitt, Highfill's roommate, Franklin Street is a "death trap." Bikers aren't supposed to ride on the sidewalks, and cars often park on the road's shoulder. Still, Jewitt rides on the busy street each day.
Others avoid troublesome roads.
Rudolph takes a longer route to Duke to avoid Hillandale Road.
"Hillandale is a death trap as far as I'm concerned, so I don't take Hillandale," Rudolph said.
To promote bike safety, Durham officials recently wrote pamphlets on the topic for motorists and bikers and are distributing the information at libraries, universities and other locations.
In August, Durham city and county officials should complete a new draft of a joint bike plan, which has goals for road improvements, bike rack additions and education measures.
"There definitely are areas that are more bikeable than others," said Alison Carpenter, bike and pedestrian coordinator in Durham.
Carpenter said she was confident the bike plan would make Durham more bicycle friendly.
Heather Fisher, chairwoman of the Durham Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, said community members have designated Erwin Road, N.C. 751, Main Street, Hillsborough Road, Hillandale Road, U.S. 15-501 and Morreene Road as some areas where they want to see improvements.
Cycling News Extra for July 21, 2006
Edited by Jeff Jones, with assistance from Susan Westemeyer
T-Mobile terminates Ullrich and Sevilla's contracts
T-Mobile Team has terminated its contract with Jan Ullrich, effective July 20, the rider announced today. The team's manager Olaf Ludwig comfirmed this to sid. Oscar Sevilla has also been sacked, as a result of his involvement in the Operacion Puerto affair.
Ullrich's manager, Wolfgang Strohband, said, "The termination is groundless." If the discussions that are planned for the next week do not bring an agreement, he announced that Ullrich will be represented by Dr. Ulrich Theune, an attorney who said, "The termination will not hold up."
Ullrich showed himself hurt by the process. "The termination from T-Mobile is not acceptable to me. I'm very disappointed that they didn't inform me of this decision personally, but that the T-Mobile attorneys simply sent me a fax.
"They should be ashamed of themselves - after so many years of good work together and after everything I have done for the team, they just handle me like a fax number."
