WE RIDE BIKES ! ALLOW US TO ENJOY THE RIDE IN SAFETY !

WE RIDE BIKES ! ALLOW US TO ENJOY THE RIDE IN SAFETY !
There are NO " RIGHTS "! THERE IS MUTUAL RESPECT !

Monday, October 15, 2012

Oz Cycling's FUTURE ?

Matt White is not the only Aussie Cycle Racing Star that went to Europe and was presented with a dilemma but because he was mentioned by Levi Leipheimer at the USADA inquiry he has stepped aside to allow Cycling Australia to decide his future !

Remember " Festina " and those sent home from the 1998 Tour de France ? I was there , riding the Route of the " Le Tour " for the first time . Kind of interesting to find the Gendarmerie providing escort long into the time that the racers should have caught up . Unbeknown to me they were having a sit down strike in Annecy because of the way they were treated when their hotels were raided .

Festina Affair was supposed to have brought change , then the Grand Start of the 2006 Tour de France was supposed to have cleared out All the suspect racers , leaving out the likes of Jan Ulrich & Oscar Sevilla . Now we are in the throes of another controversy and when you read the next item you will wonder what is likely to happen when the European season gets going in 2013 .

George the Cyclist like myself rides the route of " Le Tour " each year and eagerly attends the Annual Chicago Garmin Store Event which Chris Vandevelde uses as a way to thank his hometown fans . This year he was front page news in the morning National Papers due to his Confession , nicely timed to coincide with the release of USADA's reasoned report on Lance Armstrong's Career . You would think that the evening event would be dominated by questions from angry and bewildered fans ? Not So as George relates here :

www.georgethecyclist.blogspot.com

Business will be resumed as normal on the 1st April 2013 thanks to USADA making promises to those US Racers that chose to give details at the hearings . A member of the US Justice Dept. sat in the room reading a transcript of the Grand Jury testimony they had previously given , no doubt ensuring accuracy ?

This weekend i came across a report that Senator Lundy , Australia's Minister of Sport was seeking Information from the Public about Cycling matters . This info was relayed by a comment in the CNF Clinic on Phil Anderson , who it appears has relayed his thoughts on a Cycling matter that he was party to in 1993 that was reported on the Australian ABC network .

Senator Lundy is seeking submissions via Post , Telephone , fax & Email . I have used email :

                      senaror.lundy@aph.gov.au

"  There is a report that you are seeking information on the USADA Inquiry into Cycling Activities surrounding Lance Armstrong and how it relates to Australians !

Blogging for several years I have made my views known , relating to Cycling , to a Worldwide Audience . Some of these people are Australians , as I am , and some are people that I have ridden with at the Tour de France and other events .

Most of the media reporting from  “ Le Tour “ are aware of my riding the route of the Grand Tours the past 15 seasons , to “ Publicise Disabled Sport  “! Each year many Aussies from the Media seek me out , as do those from other countries . Described as an “ Icon “ by some and laughed at by others , I have enjoyed meeting and greeting those of the “ Worldwide Disabled Communities “ that know of my work , espousing their cause . There are quite a few that have publicly thanked me in the media .

Last week many of those Cycling Athletes that I have ridden with on the Grand Tour Rest Days , admitted to “ Doping “ ! Many of those people were in the past two years called before the US Grand Jury and questioned under oath as to their activities relk ating to Lance Armstrong and the teams he worked with . The US Government were applying a higher standard to the Evidence obtained in the Grand Jury and in the fullness of time choose to do more with that evidence !

USADA ran a separate enquiry and their Standard of Evidence is at a lower level BUT whilst those named in the report published last week , were giving their evidence , it is reported that a person with a copy of the Grand Jury Transcript , was sitting in attendance , reviewing the transcript . What effect this had on those summoned by USADA is a matter of conjecture ? Certainly there were Australian Cyclists mentioned in the USADA report , since many Australian Cycle Racers have achieved international stature and are to be found riding in Europe at the Grand Tours and Pro World Events !

It comes as no surprise to see Matt White named ,as I first met him , when he was riding with Casagrande , whom the Tour de France Director advised in 1999 , not to arrive as a rider , at that edition of the Tour de France . I was with Matt when he won the Tour de Suisse Stage into Leichenstein that year , and I know he was heartbroken to be missing the “ Le Tour “!

Since the USADA Report was orientated towards Armstrong’s activities , only Australians that worked on that team nay be considered “ tainted “ by association .

Cycling Sport was rocked by the “ Festina Affair “ in 1998 , because that team was sent home from that edition of the “ Le Tour “!  Amongst the team was an Australian ,Neil Stephens , who works together with Matt in many roles associated with Australian Cycle Sport . What will be done about his past associations , remains to be seen , but I am sure speculation is rife ?

With the internet , I am able to communicate with you , and also follow the overall media picture . I use as a primary source the following website and suggest your staff take the time to provide you with a précis of matters that may require your attention and consideration :

http://www.steephill.tv/2012/usada-lance-armstrong-doping-case/

From this site you will get a comprehensive overview of what is relevant in the Cycling World .

Whilst riding the route of the “ Le Tour “ I have come to know  “George the Cyclist “ . He rides with Panniers whilst I race along the route so we only meet at the finish screen most times . Last week in his home city , Chicago  , he attended a Garmin Cycle Team Sponsored Event . Principal Speakers were Chris Vandevelde , whose confession to “ Doping “ was announced in the National Papers that morning , and another Team Member , Tyler Farrer , whose Father was a noted Track Cycle Racer that became a Renowned Surgeon until struck and paralysed in a road accident some years ago . The report of the evening’s event is contained in this link :

www.georgethecyclist.blogspot.com

It will be clear to you , after reading this report , that those confessing , believe that the “ storm of controversy “ will blow over , and that it will be back to normal before the start of their next racing Season !

Reports in the media indicate that All Those confessing were “ promised “ a 6 month suspension starting 30th september2012 , this means that most will have not lost any of their Team Racing opportunities ! Sweet deal for them if that is the truth ?

My purpose in writing to you is to request that you and the Australian Government require the Australian Olympic Committee and the Australian Anti Doping Organisation DEMAND of the IOC and WADA to institute an immediate “ AMNESTY IN ALL SPORTS “!

Sport is no longer “ Amateur “ in the OLYMPICS and World Championship Levels ! It has become a colossal Money Spinner for the Athletes , Organisations and Sponsors that are associated with Sport ! It would be almost certain that Criminal Elements have infiltrated Sport to the extent that very few Sports could claim to be “DRUG FREE “ and results are not corrupted by “ Match Mixing “ activities .

Until those who have stepped across the line and participated in Doping in their Career , ALL Athletes both Past and Present are open to pressure from Criminal Elements who are continually seeking an advantage for their activities . Just look at the number of retired athletes advising their doping Activities once they past the Statute of Limitations , in recent years !

On the 29th October , Chris Prudhomme of the ASO , owners of “ Le Tour “, will announce the route of the 100th Edition in 2013 of “ le Tour “! He will , it is believed , act to “ nullify the results of 1999 to 2005 “ . Personally I think this should be from 1990 through 2012 , since the EPO drugs were available in that period and the “ UCI “ did little if anything to control the effects they had on Cycling Professionals . Reports on the UCI , indicate that in 1997 as well as 1999 they chose not to impose “ Bans “ on suspect Racers !


Do you wish to see a continual dribble of sensation tainting Australian Sports OR do you wish to see the DOPING PROBLEM eradicated ? YOUR CHOICE !

AS an expat Aussie I can only hope that you will apply your status as Minister for Sport in leading Other Nations in supporting an “ AMNESTY “ that will close down the Criminal Elements controlling SPORT !


THOSE OF YOU READING THIS SHOULD THINK ABOUT WRITING TO YOUR NATION'S SPORT MINISTERS asking them to ACT !!

UNTIL YOU DO , there will be no change in Cycling ! More of Chris Vdv 's attitude will prevail and perhaps more young cyclists will risk their lives following their dream of success but finding DEATH and failure instead !

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Saturday, October 13, 2012

ASPIRING CYCLE RACERS

So you want to turn your Cycling Enjoyment into an income  ? Totally turned on with being outdoors in all weathers , enjoying the passing scenery ? Getting a buzz out of beating your friends over the line in Cycle Races ? Want to travel and see other parts of the world ? Have the ability to punish your body , until pain is all you feel ? Spend long hours on the open road and after recover quickly enough , that you are looking forward to repeating the experience the next days ?

Well life can be rewarding as a Bike Racer and YOU are the one who controls your destiny ! This week we are seeing so many of your " Peers " claiming they were forced down a road , they knew they should not take , but wanted to remain competitive ! So many of these people say that they sacrificed their principles to remain in the racing arena they felt they were " entitled " to inhabit ! They were Adults , they had been taught " right " from " wrong " as they grew into Adults ! Fact is they forgot some of the principles that were instilled into them by their parents . Some even claim they went against their own desires , into taking drugs because of " Team Orders "! No drugs , no job ! Yes there were some that buckled under , and there were many that walked away with their integrity !

Those that chose integrity over expedience , perhaps , do not enjoy the material benefits that those who regretted their choices this week , but some have done even better ! There are many who chose " Doping " that are not alive today because of the careless attitude of those supervising their " Sporting Fraud "! So many of the racers choosing the " Sporting Fraud " route are reported " Sick " when they have had severe reactions to the " blood Bags " , the contents of which , they were required to reinsert . Some of these " bags " contained the " blood "of other racers ! Seems the " Doctors " were so careless they could not even care for their Clients health ?

This week i saw a report from a former British Champion Cyclist that enjoyed a training ride alongside Lago Como with Lance Armstrong in 1994 . During the ride a discussion on drugs took place and obviously Lance did not enjoy Brian's attitude to Doping , since two weeks later , he was told that his contract with Motorola Team , would not be renewed . Brian is a founding member of " Braveheart ", a British Cycling Charity , among his many other accomplishments since that time !

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports

A blog i follow is written by Steve Tilford  , well worth the visit and worth following :

http://stevetilford.com/?p=22105


When you obtained your " Race Licence " , your fees were allocated to a variety of destinations including  the " UCI ", which is supposed to be the World Governing body for Cycle Racing . Currently there are difficulties in the Administration of Cycling since those in the Top Tier of Management of " UCI " are embroiled in disputes of various sorts regarding their " Personal Attitude " towards certain Racers ! An example of the difficulties that they face is the fact that they are engaged in Legal challenges against individuals such as Paul Kimmage , a journalist that reported matters in relation to Doping . Hein Verbruggen has in the past supported the likes of Lance Armstrong with statements that have been found to be incorrect and he has tried to backtrack unsuccessfully :

"  We’ve also seen the UCI themselves attempting to spin themselves out of their responsibility, beginning with Hein Verbruggen stating “And I never said that Armstrong never doped.“ However it’s pretty hard to deny the following comments he made to ad.nl in May of 2011, as reported by cyclingnews.com, where he said:

That’s impossible, because there is nothing. I repeat again: Lance Armstrong has never used doping. Never, never, never. And I say this not because I am a friend of his, because that is not true. I say it because I’m sure. Even if we would like, it would not be possible to bury a positive test. Test results are not only to the UCI, but also to the WADA. So once and for all: under my chairmanship have such practices never occurred at the UCI. "

It is good to see people standing up for those that they are responsible , but when the organisation they control  decides to cover up " Dopers " that should be sanctioned , then it would appear that there is either a two tier system or outright FRAUD ! Unfortunately the majority of the members of " UCI " will suffer for the benefit of the few .

ADDITION WED 17th October :



Anyone motivated to become a Bike Racer needs to read this article by Michael Barry , the Canadian , from Pro World Tour Level :

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/sports/global/cyclings-new-path-to-a-clean-sport-must-continue.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

A great Guy to know , forced to make unhealthy decisions !  DON’T FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE !

Perhaps you are ALL aware of Paul Kimmage , here is a link to the review of the book he wrote released in 1990 , according to the reviewer , most of it is relevant today :
http://inrng.com/2012/11/book-review-rough-ride/

You owe it to yourself to FIGHT THE CLEAN FIGHT !







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Sunday, October 7, 2012

PAUL KIMMAGE

" The Rough Ride " written long years ago , went against the grain , and thus Paul Kimmage became a " pariah " in the Cycling Industry ! Moving into a new way of looking at what has happened in the Cycling scene , has become de riguer all of a sudden , certainly since Lance was advised by USADA that they were seeking to strip him of his Palmares since 1998 !

 Last year Paul was interviewed at the Tour de France and some of the subjects raised would cause people to reassess their attitudes to those in the peloton , myself included : http://www.veloveritas.co.uk/2012/09/25/pk-2/

 Recently i have seen reports that Lance's Wife passed out " items " at the 1998 World Road Race Championships in Valkenberg , that was a " tipping point " from my perspective . Hard to believe that Lance was " innocent " of ALL the accusations leveled at him , with his wife acting in this manner ? Like so many i was happy to wait for the " proofs " that he was all that was said of him .

Whilst i do not rely on the likes of shamilton and flandis , i do believe that Kimmage and Walsh were on the right track with their revealing articles . " Emma O'Rielly " was , like Betty Andreau , treated to a battering in the media , but stuck to her position regardless of the consequences . Recently we have seen some Cycle Racers like " Bassoon and Simeoni " being hailed for their stance regarding the " Doping Era " .

Omerta still seems to be holding many Cycle Athletes in it's thrall , but with the USADA investigation following the Federal Grand Jury , many former colleagues of Lance have owned up to their involvement in the " Doping Era " ! Whether their evidence involving Lance , will be accepted as fact , no longer matters , since Lance on the 25th August , chose to " walk away " from the " arbitration process " that US Cyclists are bound by , with their Race Licences ! That they race with a US Licence in Europe , means that they must conform to the US rules and regulations , does it not ?

 During the past week we have seen " UCI " trumpet their win against flandis in the Swiss Courts ! What a joke ! Before this announcement , i and others were aware that there was an action in progress , but even that was because Heinous said that flandis could not be found ! Some joker on CNF stated that they did a search ( google ? ) and found him in one effort , says a lot for how hard the " UCI people " were looking .

That flandis's lawyer says no papers were served sounds certain , that he did not appear in the Swiss Court , is a fact . That in recent times he has been committed by US Courts to repay $480000 to those who believed his lies , could mean that he no longer had the funds available to visit Switzerland if he chose to defend himself .

 That the prats of Aigle succeeded in telling ALL and Sundry what flandis stated some years ago , has now come back to haunt them . Just about anyone that is interested in Cycle Racing now knows that he said CERTAIN THINGS that can be summed up as follows :

 " The Swiss Court ruled that flandis can no longer state the following in these words : that " the UCI, Hein Verbruggen and Pat McQuaid " : .have concealed cases of doping. .received money for doing so. .have accepted money from Lance Armstrong to conceal a doping case. .have protected certain racing cyclists, concealed cases of doping. .have engaged in manipulation, particularly of tests and races. .have hesitated and delayed publishing the results of a positive test on Alberto Contador. .have accepted bribes. .are corrupt. .are terrorists. .have no regard for the rules. .load the dice. .are fools. .do not have a genuine desire to restore discipline to cycling. .are full of sh1t. .are clowns. .their words are worthless. .are liars. .are no different to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

 Of course there are ways they can spend more money in the USA Courts to make the decision of the Swiss Court applicable in the USA , but, we have seen their behaviour in relation to Greg Lemond , when they took the same action route against him some while before . Could Greg initiate an action against phat &  heinous to cause then to avoid visits to the USA in case there is risk of imprisonment if his Court action was to succeed ?

 Paul Kimmage was also treated to a similar court summons and is thus required to be in Aigle on Dec 12th 2012 . Could it be that the " prats " will have the matter adjourned for fear that they will have their butts soundly kicked ? Through the intervention of one of the " publishers " of the offending articles , a " Defence Fund " was set up by the following site which currently contains contributions by 1700+ people , including Greg Lemond , of in excess of $53000 !

 http://www.cyclismas.com/

 Paul Kimmage called earlier in the year for a " Root & Branch " clean up of the " UCI " , and this must have struck a chord with Phat , since he proposed a " truth & Reconciliation Commission " , at the UCI Management Meeting in Holland recently . This was recently backed by Anne Gripper formerly a member of UCI Management , but the " UCI  Board " decided , that it was not necessary , since they were already doing such a " good job ( my words ) "

 http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gripper-cycling-cannot-move-forward-until-lance-issue-is-resolved?ns_campaign=news&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=cyclingnews&ns_linkname=0&ns_fee=0

 Rupert Guinness , an Australian Journalist has recently returned from vacation and as the articles that follow indicate , he has undergone a revision of his approach to the doings of Lance and the UCI .

 http://m.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/cycling-must-come-clean-from-top-down-20120926-26kzv.html

 http://m.smh.com.au/sport/cycling/exdoping-head-backs-armstrong-inquiry-20121005-274ox.html

 Here is what a member of the CNF had to say about him on a thread in recent days :
 http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=18735

 " rupert is not a real journalist, he just writes fluffy 'opinion' pieces about what people want to hear (though he never seems to have his own real opinion on anything) but yes it appears that the tide is turning when a clown like rupert turns on wonderboy "

 Another commented : " It has been a long hard road but I think we are finally getting somewhere. The comments section now has 'Lance is a cheater' remarks greatly outnumbering apologist remarks. A lot of articles I read have a tone that assumes that everybody understands LA was a doper. In a podcast I listened to several weeks ago the commentators spoke in defense of LA and very much against USADA only to have an interview in the next show with Alexi Grewal where he nonchalantly stated "I probably would have doped like lance did too!" You nailed it Dr Mas. Thankfully we are now getting some truth. I am glad I won't have to have lance is a doper arguments anymore. The only thing is now the arguments will be whether it was morally acceptable or not. __________________ It’s an inbred system where the mentality is that if I don’t get caught then I’m clean.-JJ "

 Because of the " Paul Kimmage Defence Fund " and thus the likelihood that IF the prats of Aigle appear in the Aigle Court on Dec 12th , the Cycling World will see the " UCI " shown , for what it has become , REAL CHANGE could take place !

 Regardless of what UCI does in the next week , since the USADA have advised they plan to deliver their report on the " Lance Affair " , Lance , himself has been busy with his life as demonstrated by the following report : 

http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/10/news/must-read-armstrong-says-he-doesnt-care-about-doping-charges-confirms-livestrong-series-talks_255736

 Thanks to Paul , many more Cycle Racers , will then find it possible to BREAK Omerta and speak out !

When the floodgates OPEN , Cycle Racers will feel safe to voice their feelings but will the likes of Jaschke benefit and be brought back into the fraternity ?

 THE PETITION here , needs your SUPPORT ! SIGN ON TODAY :

 http://www.change.org/petitions/international-cycling-union-aka-the-uci-remove-pat-mcquaid-and-hein-verbruggen-from-cycling-forever?utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition&utm_term=884164#invite

 YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED , NOW !!

 ADDITIONAL MONDAY 8th Oct

 REPORTS are coming through the internet , that those involved in the " UCI " court action , are planning to call a halt to this action ! There are also reports that Mc quaid´s sister has made some pertinent comments on this Court case ! Would appear that the $53500+ raised to date , by 1750+ concerned people , has had a dramatic effect on the " prats of Aigle " !Would it be that they thought , that they were attacking a " lone , defenceless , unemployed reporter / journalist " ?

 BULLIES can be defeated by the TRUTH !

Not too late for Greg Lemond to issue legal action against the " prats of Aigle " for their attempt at silencing him ?

@paulkimmage is a twitter feed well worth following !  Last week he reminded me about a Great Paralympic Personality that i had found some time back and today he was revisiting how he came to join Garmin at the 2010 Tour de France ! Would love to see a blog about the experiences that he and his family are suffering as they approach the 12th Dec  confrontation in Aigle . There is bound to be a book at a later date and we have seen " Fat Cyclist " convert his earlier blog posts into the first of many books !
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