Friday, July 27, 2007

doping and cycling

two interesting pieces in today's press.

from slate.com :
Still Doping After All These Years. By Nathaniel Vinton. Friday, July 27, 2007
With so much scrutiny on the Tour de France, why are cyclists still cheating?

from macleans.ca :
Interview: David Walsh. By Marco Ursi. Friday, July 27, 2007
The author of "From Lance to Landis" on doping, doctors and the tarnished reputation of the Tour de France

Some interesting points:
  • doping isn't gone from the '07 race.
  • it isn't going away anytime soon.
  • doping is ubiquitous, sophisticated, and can be hard to trace.
  • whistle blowers are often punished by the peloton.
  • we -- the fans -- participate in the coverup because we are denial about our heros (especially with someone like Lance).
added 07/28/07:
from dailypeloton.com:
Can we handle the truth? We are our own worst enemy. By Ray Cipollini. 07/29/06
[A]n open letter of my opinion on the subject of cheating, the constant trampling and indecent and incorrect treatment of our athletes, the realities of the Anti-Doping Agencies, and a call to action.

Thursday, July 26, 2007

le folie de le tour de france


International Herald Tribune:


more IHT TdF articles:


Daily Peloton :

2007 Tour de France Information & Links


Tour of California 2008

The tour of California announced the towns the tour will go through yesterday in a press conference.

Here's the list of stages and cities:

Prologue: Sunday, Feb. 17 - Palo Alto
Stage 1: Monday, Feb. 18 - Sausalito to Santa Rosa
Stage 2: Tuesday, Feb. 19 - Santa Rosa to Sacramento
Stage 3: Wednesday, Feb. 20 - Modesto to San Jose
Stage 4: Thursday, Feb. 21 - Seaside to San Luis Obispo
Stage 5: Friday, Feb. 22 - Solvang time trial
Stage 6: Saturday, Feb. 23 - Santa Barbara to Santa Clarita
Stage 7: Sunday, Feb. 24 - Santa Clarita to Pasadena road race,

concluding with a circuit race in Pasadena