Friday's Mailbag: Amgen Tour of California; the dope wars; and the Armstrong-Tour relationship

Published November 4, 2005 01:00AM

The Mailbag 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.

Amgen Tour: Truth is stranger than fiction
Editor:
My first glance at the news of Amgen sponsoring the Tour of California caused me a moment of confusion; it smacked of a classic VeloNews April Fool’s headline. Then my imagination got the best of me; can you picture the AMGEN PR tent with a line down the street waiting for swag? Little kids in EPO cycling caps? I’ll bet even the Cat 4 races will average 30 mph. Another fine example that truth is stranger than fiction.

It’s gonna be good
Editor:
The Tour of California. There isn’t much else to say beyond, “Hell yes, and thank you, Amgen.” It’s going to be good.

Elliot, our editorial director, John Wilcockson — who’s seen quite a few of these bicycle-race thingies over the years — tends to agree with you. You can read his take here. — Editor

Yeah, what he said
Editor:
The World Anti-Doping Agency wonders. “What kind of message does this send to athletes?”

The only message I can see is that there will be a pretty dang big race in California, and who cares who delivered it?

Let’s hope for sunshine
Editor:
Pray for California sun during the Tour of California. It’s a good thing the Climate Prediction Center is not predicting a strong El Niño year. Still, February in California is rainy! And a couple hundred miles of racing along the Pacific Coast with a winter storm rolling in would certainly scare away any repeat visits from the top European teams. Heaven forbid a landslide shuts down the route through the Central Coast area – there aren’t any short detours around there!

I’m excited for a big time tour race right here in my “backyard”, and I can understand the reasons for picking February (slotting in between the Southern Hemisphere races and the spring classics in Europe), but I’m crossing my fingers the weather doesn’t spoil the party. Also, Californians tend to be fair-weather fans, so if it’s even drizzling the crowds will be disappointing – but I’d love to be proven wrong!

Editor scores with radio interview
Editor:
To VeloNews news editor Charles Pelkey: I heard your comments on the Amgen sponsorship of the Tour of California this afternoon on NPR. I found your report to be fair and informative. Your concise discussion of EPO use and abuse was accurate in detail without being too wordy. I had been meaning to write to congratulate you on your successful NPR commentary on the Tour de France, and today’s report prompted me to do so. You also have a good radio voice. I prefer your commentary over Sam Abt’s. So, thanks again and kudos on your burgeoning broadcast career. Hope to hear you soon.

Henry, you’ll be pleased to learn that Mr. Pelkey has a radio face to go with that radio voice. — Editor

Dope wars unfairly tarnish athletes, sport
Editor:
I love our sport and the pure athleticism it requires. Obviously, there is a doping problem at hand. However, it seems to me that ASO, WADA and their war on doping are only perpetuating a greater problem.

With “leaders/organizers” like Mr. Clerc and Mr. Pound, who vehemently and slanderously pronounce or imply guilt as soon as one test — or even 15 7-year-old B-samples — show “indications” of doping, we only stand to step backwards in the world athletic community as a whole. Though I am no scientist, I have noticed that a few athletes have cleared themselves of charges based on inconclusive or overturned evidence.

Unfortunately, the true root of the doping scandals is the athletes’ willingness to compromise themselves for the sake of winning (and to appease sponsors, pay rent, burnish national pride — you see where I’m going with this). But is it fair to cast erroneous shadows of guilt, deception, and poor moral character on athletes that commit their lives to their passion without the facts being proven in court? And furthermore, is it fair to everyone to have these shadows loom forebodingly over our sport, which struggles hard enough as it is to gain a few scraps of air time over bull riding and baseball?

Like squabbling kin, Tour, Armstrong will separate, reunite
Editor:
Watching Lance Armstrong and the Tour officials reminds me of watching a teenager maturing and separating from his/her parents. The Tour pushes Armstrong away as they attempt to figure out who they are, now that they have to grow up and live on their own. And Armstrong is justifiably hurt as The Tour attempts to move on without him.

But I predict, as happens with most parent/child relationships, that in a few years they’ll both recognize how much they each got out of their relationship during Armstrong’s great seven-year run. Then they’ll kiss and make up and the world of cycling will once again be in harmony.