The Mail Bag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.
Let the process play itself out
Editor:
Perhaps it’s just me, but lost in all the gnashing of teeth and recriminations regarding Tyler Hamilton’s guilt or innocence is the fact that the original infallible Olympic testing lab decided that Tyler’s “A” specimen was “negative” – may I repeat, “negative” – though suspicious. Only after submitting those same results to an “expert” panel, was the result deemed “positive.”
This sequence of events does point toward some subjectivity in the test, as Phonak has pointed out. Perhaps it is not a yes-or-no test, as the Aussie test developer would have us believe. I mean, Dr. Rogge, head of the IOC, assures us that the Olympic test lab was infallible – outside of that mistake it made regarding freezing Tyler’s “B” sample – and they deemed the “A” sample “negative.”
The point I’m making is that we need to let due process occur before indicting a rider, as there are clearly reasons to question the validity of Tyler’s test results. I hope Tyler, Santi and Phonak get the cooperation necessary to make their case so that there is no doubts as to the validity of these past test results, as well as future ones. We all benefit from knowing the truth.
Ken Cheng
Gardiner, Maine
Yeah, what he said
Editor:
Over the past few months I have been reading all the mailbags, and I laugh every time I read letters defending Lance Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton against doping allegations.
Let’s face it – just because everyone has read Lance’s book or Tyler’s webpage does not mean that any of us really know or understand them. How many people out there that rush to defend these athletes actually know even the slightest bit about the kind of people they are? We think we do, because we read a book or followed coverage of cycling events in which the media hypes these guys up to be superheroes.
The fact of the matter is that these guys make mistakes too. Nobody wants to believe that these guys are cheaters, but I think we should leave it to the right people to prove their guilt or innocence.
Rick Gorton
Saratoga Springs, New York
How about Lance helping George win P-R?
Editor:
I just read in Wednesday’s mailbag that Lance Armstrong might be competing in Flanders this coming year. That’s great, but I have something better to suggest. George Hincapie has helped Lance win six Tours – why doesn’t Lance get off himself and help Hincapie win Paris-Roubaix before Lance retires. Now that’s a people’s hero!
Seth Stiles
Wellington, Florida
Forget carbon – where are the new aero’ lids?
Editor:
All of this talk about light weight has just been getting to me. It seems that all the talk after Interbike each year is about “carbon this” or “lightweight that.” Let’s get into something that actually make you faster – aerodynamics.
We have seen a lot of new helmets this year as the UCI stopped allowing riders to use the head fairings. Every rider on our local TT circuit has a LG prologue helmet, and they all dream about having a real aero’ lid.
Let’s face it – the Prologue is sub-par and an old design. I have been starting to see the Lazer version available to the public – are there more coming? There has to be a market in the U.S. for them. What are Giro’s plans?
Jeremy Sievers
Des Moines, Iowa
The Mail Bag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.