Daily Dose - 7/23
Junior World Championships - Cape Town, South Africa
Nathan Brown of Memphis turned in a great TT performance to finish 12th, but suffered some bad luck in the RR to finish 50th as the best placed American. Taylor Phinney missed out on the TT victory by just 7.94 seconds as he finished 3rd. To read more about Nathan's performance and what went down you can visit HERE - Kingdom Sports. Dave hasn't updated the blog about the RR finish yet, but he did send me an email detailing how Nathan and the US boys came incredibly close to becoming World Champions. Nathan unfortunately got pushed out within the last 500 meters when a Belgium kid took him and a couple of others down. Tough finish.
Stage 15: Powering the Break
Remember the breakaway containing Danny Pate the other day? Here you get some insight into the power he was having to put out to stay in the lead and fight for victory on the mountain top finish. Averaging over 5 watts/kg for more than 23 kilometers of climbing will wipe you out! If you've got a power meter then run some numbers on yourself to see where you'd rank. It's simple math to check your average wattage for a 10 to 20 minute climb divided by your weight in kilograms. The shorter the duration of the effort the more likely you could reach 5 w/kg, but for over 20k?! Not me that's for sure.
A speedy, harrowing descent this late in the Tour?
Looking at it from Julich's point of view he's right. These guys aren't robots and do have families to think about. It's the same thing that goes through a Masters level rider when they're doing a criterium. Taking risks that could seriously injure you or others simply isn't worth it; especially when you have a family that depends on you.
Jonathan Vaughters and his drugs-free team
Paul Kimmage pulls no punches in this interview with Vaughters. He does his best to dig into dirt that Vaughters handles quite well. However, he says he didn't see doping in the US firsthand. That comment may be truthful, but it's probably safe to say the US domestic cycling culture simply wasn't as corrupt as Europe.
For conspiracy minded folks this confirms what you likely suspected anyway. I think the difference between Vaughters and others is that he held on to his previously good conscience, knew his actions were wrong, but has now set out a path to turn around the sport around. Deep down, I don't think you can necessarily fault someone for doping within the dirty culture of the 90s and most of 2000s, but the measure of a person is what they're doing to change that culture for good. Reformed dopers of cycling aren't that much different than a drug addict or abusive alcoholic who turn their lives around and then help others to beat the addiction. If it's sincere and coming from the right place in someone's heart then how can you argue that?
CSC's Riis uses own doping admission as fuel for change in cycling
Along those lines of changing cultures you have Bjarne Riis who did admit to doping and is now actively fighting to rid the sport of drugs. I agree with Riis when he says the sport needs him, and he's wise to suggest outsiders are needed to come in and provide supplement leadership.
Even though he admitted to doping there are going to be lots of riders who still look up to him. He has great influence and has built a team that's admired by many. Simply put he's built a great organization for riders to work for, and the fact that he doped cannot take away from that. Sure, sponsors may be unhappy with the admission, but the organization is tangible and arguably the best cycling team in the world to ride with.
The next generation of top teams will attract riders (and sponsors) not because they simply want a job (or exposure), but because they want to work for an employer who has their best interest at heart. That, and the ability to take them to the highest level of success possible.
We may be turning the corner.....
SRAM moves on…
Then again, if a team or rider damages the reputation of a sponsor then responses like this will continue to happen. Sponsors have been leaving but on a timeline that still milked their sponsorship investment. I think if others like SRAM punch back and leave immediately it will have a greater long term positive impact. You can read how much this affects SRAM. They have put a lot of hours and energy into something that let them down. Talk about a sucker punch.
A lot of dopes racing in the Tour de Farce
My gut response to this article.....irresponsible . I realize Tim Dahlberg with the AP is a sports columnist, but has this guy been following the sport at all lately? If I didn't know any better I would have thought this was written a few years ago and not in 2008. His email address is at the end of the article if you wish to send him your thoughts of his opinion. Hey, to each his own, but at least get up to speed on your knowledge of the sport and not perpetuate old mentalities. I would put him in the category of US couch potato arm-chair quarterback NFL loving head-in-the-sand stuck in time guy.
Despite the headlines, the good guys will win cycling's doping fight
Tim Dahlberg meet Austin Murphy.
Beltrán case casts pall over Tour
Tim Dahlberg meet David Millar. I'm not linking this to read about Beltran, but rather for you to scroll down to watch/listen to the video interview with David Millar from Stage 8 of the Tour. He's dead on right about how journalists should stop reporting the sport if they're naive enough to think there's not going to be any positive doping outcomes. In other words, the cheaters are getting consistently caught and this should not be a surprise but welcome relief!
Doping scandals keep test lab busy
In case you didn't know it there's a local company involved in testing, Aegis Sciences Corp. of Nashville. However, even the leader of this company mentions the Tour de France risks losing its existence. Are Americans that out of touch with reality? If so, sure the riders are to blame, but it goes back to the news and journalism they receive here in the states. Plus, he's likely getting feedback within the testing community that's pushing that line of thinking as well.
Cavendish unstoppable in fourth stage victory
Don't you just know that somewhere in Italy Mario Cipollini is envious of the attention and success of this guy?! Sooner or later a nickname must be tagged on Cavendish. To think it all started with him riding BMX bikes and knowing he could win if only had a road bike. He got the bike and won immediately. Is there any better quote than this from him? "It's unfortunate for the other guys that I have to do my job."
Translation, "hate your luck!"
Ok, let's move on to some local stuff and other randomness.....
To Starbucks, a Closing; To Newark, a Trauma
Yes, just keep on riding by on that bike. Looking into my crystal ball I foresee a market need for more anger management classes! For Tennesseans I've read the Starbucks closings will not affect us, but if disposable income continues to dwindle sooner or later some will shut the doors. Even if you're the biggest fan of family owned independent coffee shops the closing of Starbucks stores is not a good sign. The correction is beginning to happen, so all you non-corporate types had better hope your favorite mom-and-pops survive. I can assure you everybody in the food and beverage service industry is struggling right now.
How Fat Is Your State?
Tennessee is ranked third, and no I don't mean the pre-season collegiate football poll. As the old saying goes, "thank God for Mississippi." It would be interesting to see the per-capita spending on health care costs for each of these states as well. Not to mention the exercise statistics, or for that matter the number of fried chickens sold. KFC does have a strong hold in the South!
Six of the Most Fattening Ice Cream Flavors
Maybe this has a little something to do with it too. I am in recovery and doing much better at resisting this addiction.
Bloomberg commodity futures
Oil has fallen down below $130 per barrel, but I notice the numbers aren't dropping in accordance on the gas station signs. Not that I expected a drop in the pump price. Of course now the response is, "well, there's Middle East turmoil and likely hurricanes." Tell me again when we've not had those to worry about?
Nathan Brown of Memphis turned in a great TT performance to finish 12th, but suffered some bad luck in the RR to finish 50th as the best placed American. Taylor Phinney missed out on the TT victory by just 7.94 seconds as he finished 3rd. To read more about Nathan's performance and what went down you can visit HERE - Kingdom Sports. Dave hasn't updated the blog about the RR finish yet, but he did send me an email detailing how Nathan and the US boys came incredibly close to becoming World Champions. Nathan unfortunately got pushed out within the last 500 meters when a Belgium kid took him and a couple of others down. Tough finish.
Stage 15: Powering the Break
Remember the breakaway containing Danny Pate the other day? Here you get some insight into the power he was having to put out to stay in the lead and fight for victory on the mountain top finish. Averaging over 5 watts/kg for more than 23 kilometers of climbing will wipe you out! If you've got a power meter then run some numbers on yourself to see where you'd rank. It's simple math to check your average wattage for a 10 to 20 minute climb divided by your weight in kilograms. The shorter the duration of the effort the more likely you could reach 5 w/kg, but for over 20k?! Not me that's for sure.
A speedy, harrowing descent this late in the Tour?
Looking at it from Julich's point of view he's right. These guys aren't robots and do have families to think about. It's the same thing that goes through a Masters level rider when they're doing a criterium. Taking risks that could seriously injure you or others simply isn't worth it; especially when you have a family that depends on you.
Jonathan Vaughters and his drugs-free team
Paul Kimmage pulls no punches in this interview with Vaughters. He does his best to dig into dirt that Vaughters handles quite well. However, he says he didn't see doping in the US firsthand. That comment may be truthful, but it's probably safe to say the US domestic cycling culture simply wasn't as corrupt as Europe.
For conspiracy minded folks this confirms what you likely suspected anyway. I think the difference between Vaughters and others is that he held on to his previously good conscience, knew his actions were wrong, but has now set out a path to turn around the sport around. Deep down, I don't think you can necessarily fault someone for doping within the dirty culture of the 90s and most of 2000s, but the measure of a person is what they're doing to change that culture for good. Reformed dopers of cycling aren't that much different than a drug addict or abusive alcoholic who turn their lives around and then help others to beat the addiction. If it's sincere and coming from the right place in someone's heart then how can you argue that?
CSC's Riis uses own doping admission as fuel for change in cycling
Along those lines of changing cultures you have Bjarne Riis who did admit to doping and is now actively fighting to rid the sport of drugs. I agree with Riis when he says the sport needs him, and he's wise to suggest outsiders are needed to come in and provide supplement leadership.
Even though he admitted to doping there are going to be lots of riders who still look up to him. He has great influence and has built a team that's admired by many. Simply put he's built a great organization for riders to work for, and the fact that he doped cannot take away from that. Sure, sponsors may be unhappy with the admission, but the organization is tangible and arguably the best cycling team in the world to ride with.
The next generation of top teams will attract riders (and sponsors) not because they simply want a job (or exposure), but because they want to work for an employer who has their best interest at heart. That, and the ability to take them to the highest level of success possible.
We may be turning the corner.....
SRAM moves on…
Then again, if a team or rider damages the reputation of a sponsor then responses like this will continue to happen. Sponsors have been leaving but on a timeline that still milked their sponsorship investment. I think if others like SRAM punch back and leave immediately it will have a greater long term positive impact. You can read how much this affects SRAM. They have put a lot of hours and energy into something that let them down. Talk about a sucker punch.
A lot of dopes racing in the Tour de Farce
My gut response to this article.....irresponsible . I realize Tim Dahlberg with the AP is a sports columnist, but has this guy been following the sport at all lately? If I didn't know any better I would have thought this was written a few years ago and not in 2008. His email address is at the end of the article if you wish to send him your thoughts of his opinion. Hey, to each his own, but at least get up to speed on your knowledge of the sport and not perpetuate old mentalities. I would put him in the category of US couch potato arm-chair quarterback NFL loving head-in-the-sand stuck in time guy.
Despite the headlines, the good guys will win cycling's doping fight
Tim Dahlberg meet Austin Murphy.
Beltrán case casts pall over Tour
Tim Dahlberg meet David Millar. I'm not linking this to read about Beltran, but rather for you to scroll down to watch/listen to the video interview with David Millar from Stage 8 of the Tour. He's dead on right about how journalists should stop reporting the sport if they're naive enough to think there's not going to be any positive doping outcomes. In other words, the cheaters are getting consistently caught and this should not be a surprise but welcome relief!
Doping scandals keep test lab busy
In case you didn't know it there's a local company involved in testing, Aegis Sciences Corp. of Nashville. However, even the leader of this company mentions the Tour de France risks losing its existence. Are Americans that out of touch with reality? If so, sure the riders are to blame, but it goes back to the news and journalism they receive here in the states. Plus, he's likely getting feedback within the testing community that's pushing that line of thinking as well.
Cavendish unstoppable in fourth stage victory
Don't you just know that somewhere in Italy Mario Cipollini is envious of the attention and success of this guy?! Sooner or later a nickname must be tagged on Cavendish. To think it all started with him riding BMX bikes and knowing he could win if only had a road bike. He got the bike and won immediately. Is there any better quote than this from him? "It's unfortunate for the other guys that I have to do my job."
Translation, "hate your luck!"
Ok, let's move on to some local stuff and other randomness.....
To Starbucks, a Closing; To Newark, a Trauma
Yes, just keep on riding by on that bike. Looking into my crystal ball I foresee a market need for more anger management classes! For Tennesseans I've read the Starbucks closings will not affect us, but if disposable income continues to dwindle sooner or later some will shut the doors. Even if you're the biggest fan of family owned independent coffee shops the closing of Starbucks stores is not a good sign. The correction is beginning to happen, so all you non-corporate types had better hope your favorite mom-and-pops survive. I can assure you everybody in the food and beverage service industry is struggling right now.
How Fat Is Your State?
Tennessee is ranked third, and no I don't mean the pre-season collegiate football poll. As the old saying goes, "thank God for Mississippi." It would be interesting to see the per-capita spending on health care costs for each of these states as well. Not to mention the exercise statistics, or for that matter the number of fried chickens sold. KFC does have a strong hold in the South!
Six of the Most Fattening Ice Cream Flavors
Maybe this has a little something to do with it too. I am in recovery and doing much better at resisting this addiction.
Bloomberg commodity futures
Oil has fallen down below $130 per barrel, but I notice the numbers aren't dropping in accordance on the gas station signs. Not that I expected a drop in the pump price. Of course now the response is, "well, there's Middle East turmoil and likely hurricanes." Tell me again when we've not had those to worry about?
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 7/23/2008 07:39:00 AM
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