It is just too easy this week. Please, please go to www.stolenundergound.com if you have not already and see just how C-R-A-Z-Y Matt Deccanio is. It really is a bizzare experience. Look...I am with him on his whole anti drugs thing, but nobody... and i mean anyone, should ever say they are doing something "for the kids." It sounds way, way, WAYYYY too much like a weird Michael Jackson quote. I love Saunders little bit on how you should know what you are getting when you hire a crazy mofo like that (1/25.) He is even selling "The Official Matt Deccanio Termination Letter" on ebay... it is all so punk i love it. I'll hire him for my D3 Team next year...
Speaking of anti drugs... it is the World Cyclocross Championships on Sunday. Guess who is favored to win...hmmm... i don't know, maybe, could it be, perhaps a Belgian? I mean do the odds... which country of ten million people wouldn't sweep a major international sporting event. I have been searching for the official sports book odds on who will win and the best i can do is an article from L'Equipe, which predicts Nys. They are really streatching it there. Good luck to Page and the Velo Bella girls. You are going to need it.
Small stuff
-I guess Danny Pate is a bit of a tool (1/27), he apparently fled from the Tuscon home in dead of night
-I love all the Velodromes that keep it going... St Louis is hardcore!
-I like theprostuff.com, Henk Vogels bike. How cool is that?
-Lance has a radio show, email him @ LanceArmstrong@Sirius-Radio.com and request some AC/DC for me
1.29.2005
1.19.2005
Training Camps and Boredom Shopping
Outside of reporting on how many Belgians might be doing dope there isn't anything good going on. Discovery Channel's training camp sounds a little creepy so far. Poor Salvodelli broke his collar bone, and they have a bunch of "staff updates", and pics of bikes and what not on the Paceline site. I think i am a little creeped out by the "casual shots" of Lance and the local reporters articles. I know she writes for the Daily Peleton but it still has a stalker vibe to it.
Everybody else is waiting for camp...So Pro is getting pumped for his own Solvang trip, McGuires camp isn't till February (see 1/18 entry), and the Navigators are just skipping camp and gettting to it Down Under. I was looking at some of the links in other guys journals, John Lieswyn, to the races in NZ and AUS and they get on these regional teams for local races. They look so bizarre dressed up in their weird euro/Japanese style cartoon outfits. To be honest the most interesting stuff I have read is form Barbarella who is making a go of it on the women's CX circuit overseas this year, now that is hard core
Any hoo... not much else to do but cruise and look for stuff to by. So Pro is auctioning a jersey for a charity of sorts. Saunders is trying to move his old track bike (1/17) and I been spending my time trying to figure out if i got ripped off for this stupid shirt i ordered from Italy. I crossed the line from cyclist to weird fan guy when I put in the order.
Everybody else is waiting for camp...So Pro is getting pumped for his own Solvang trip, McGuires camp isn't till February (see 1/18 entry), and the Navigators are just skipping camp and gettting to it Down Under. I was looking at some of the links in other guys journals, John Lieswyn, to the races in NZ and AUS and they get on these regional teams for local races. They look so bizarre dressed up in their weird euro/Japanese style cartoon outfits. To be honest the most interesting stuff I have read is form Barbarella who is making a go of it on the women's CX circuit overseas this year, now that is hard core
Any hoo... not much else to do but cruise and look for stuff to by. So Pro is auctioning a jersey for a charity of sorts. Saunders is trying to move his old track bike (1/17) and I been spending my time trying to figure out if i got ripped off for this stupid shirt i ordered from Italy. I crossed the line from cyclist to weird fan guy when I put in the order.
1.12.2005
Oh Really! Belgian 'crosser Berden positive
Now nobody can tell me they didn't see this coming...Belgian 'crosser Berden positive
1.08.2005
Week 2 Going Crazy and Doping in Belgium
Things are slow all over. Our domestic guys are going stir crazy with their winter training. Saunders is posting movie reviews and So Pro Jones is creating a completely alternative universe where bike teams and coaches work more to his liking. These guys better hit a race soon or they might damage some neurons. Things definitely are slow when the Velonews announces the Subway team roster as front page news. Here is a tip though guys. When you make your announcement send a team photo and your jersey logo.
(At a minimum send your sponsors logo in an EPS or GIF. Everybody is so desperate for news this time of year they will probably publish it. Your sponsor will love you and it will add some nice filler to your roster press release.)
I know it is old news but it makes for a good segue into what I really want to talk about. Tyler Hamiltons post on December 12 is chock-a-block CRAZY. Apparently there is some scandal about a former racer trying to black mail the Phonak team. It is one of those... this guys said I would be positive and other people would be positive if you don't pay me deals. Very 24ish... but hamilton goes on with all these quotes from different publications and how independent observers tagged him as positive, yadda yadd a yadda. I got tired just reading it.
But you know who never gets tired? THE BELGIAN'S!
I feel kind of bad for our guys slugging it out on the Euro cross scene. Page, Treefarm, Powers, and all those guys are putting their livelihoods on the line and are up against they (obviously) doped up Belgians. I mean come on...give me a break. Here are some loosely related facts to help you make the connection.
5. Museeuw Guilty - The Lion gets the hook
4. Even the Americans are suspicious - "Gee... i don't know why the belgians are so strong every week. It makes you wonder!"
3. Top 5 CX UCI Rankings - Belgian, Belgian, Belgian, GOOSE! If there were five americans in the top of the tour de france you would wonder right? Remember, Belgium is only a population of 10 million.
2. De Clerq named - Former Belgian and World CX Champ tied into the Landuyt doping investigation ... not looking good.
1. Even the Filip Meirhaeghe - I mean i know he's not in CX but this belgian guy didn't even pretend. He just quit and packed it in.
Good luck to the yanks at St Wendel... i think you will need it.
(At a minimum send your sponsors logo in an EPS or GIF. Everybody is so desperate for news this time of year they will probably publish it. Your sponsor will love you and it will add some nice filler to your roster press release.)
I know it is old news but it makes for a good segue into what I really want to talk about. Tyler Hamiltons post on December 12 is chock-a-block CRAZY. Apparently there is some scandal about a former racer trying to black mail the Phonak team. It is one of those... this guys said I would be positive and other people would be positive if you don't pay me deals. Very 24ish... but hamilton goes on with all these quotes from different publications and how independent observers tagged him as positive, yadda yadd a yadda. I got tired just reading it.
But you know who never gets tired? THE BELGIAN'S!
I feel kind of bad for our guys slugging it out on the Euro cross scene. Page, Treefarm, Powers, and all those guys are putting their livelihoods on the line and are up against they (obviously) doped up Belgians. I mean come on...give me a break. Here are some loosely related facts to help you make the connection.
5. Museeuw Guilty - The Lion gets the hook
4. Even the Americans are suspicious - "Gee... i don't know why the belgians are so strong every week. It makes you wonder!"
3. Top 5 CX UCI Rankings - Belgian, Belgian, Belgian, GOOSE! If there were five americans in the top of the tour de france you would wonder right? Remember, Belgium is only a population of 10 million.
2. De Clerq named - Former Belgian and World CX Champ tied into the Landuyt doping investigation ... not looking good.
1. Even the Filip Meirhaeghe - I mean i know he's not in CX but this belgian guy didn't even pretend. He just quit and packed it in.
Good luck to the yanks at St Wendel... i think you will need it.
1.02.2005
Week 1 - US Teams and Ill Will
USA Cycling had a sent out a little press release on 12/21 listing the new US teams for 2005. I love looking up stuff on their site, it always seems like a mess. I talked to their web guy on the phone once, and he seemed nice but a little over his head. I wanted to get to a list of press releases and I got an index file. Anyway...After looking for half an hour in the USA Cycling site I had to go to Spokepost.com and find the press release on the addition of Endeavour and Sierra Nevada - Ofoto team to the roster of US D3 teams. Open note to USA Cycling - Put a link on your site that says Press Releases, it just might help! No wonder USA Cycling is going bankrupt all the time.
I guess the UCI made some late additions, which is a little weird. There seems to be some ill will going on with some of the riders that were on Ofoto and McGuire. It is hard to get the whole picture at the moment but it sounds like some folks got screwed: Check out Eric Saunders comments regarding the "disbandment and looting" of the Ofoto team(see Dec 2 entry.)
Erik has ended up on McGuire, the former or current team of Mike Taylor. I need an update here people! I can't tell from Mikes sigos (significant other) last entry on the Ritchey site if he is still with McGuire or not. Joni, the sigo, is a total tease. It sounds like some assistant manager on McGuire or some other Nor Cal D3 team did something they shouldn't have, but no good details are provided. She goes on to compare the D3 cycling world to the Sopranos, dead bodies and all. Totally bizarre, but some obvious hurt feelings are out there. Come on Joni... share the details. Tell me where the bodies are buried!
I guess the UCI made some late additions, which is a little weird. There seems to be some ill will going on with some of the riders that were on Ofoto and McGuire. It is hard to get the whole picture at the moment but it sounds like some folks got screwed: Check out Eric Saunders comments regarding the "disbandment and looting" of the Ofoto team(see Dec 2 entry.)
Erik has ended up on McGuire, the former or current team of Mike Taylor. I need an update here people! I can't tell from Mikes sigos (significant other) last entry on the Ritchey site if he is still with McGuire or not. Joni, the sigo, is a total tease. It sounds like some assistant manager on McGuire or some other Nor Cal D3 team did something they shouldn't have, but no good details are provided. She goes on to compare the D3 cycling world to the Sopranos, dead bodies and all. Totally bizarre, but some obvious hurt feelings are out there. Come on Joni... share the details. Tell me where the bodies are buried!
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