Misc. Cycling Notes

A big thanks to David at The Fredcast for the shout out on his podcast this week. David gave the Tour de Stooges a quick nod in his upcoming rides section. I should note that in his email in response to my suggestion (which I managed to delete along with all of my email that was still on the server yesterday afternoon, so if I didn't respond it's because I'm a bit of an idiot) David mentioned that a Monty Python themed ride would be equally fun, as well as equally confounding to wives. I'm happy to say that my wife, however, would welcome it. She can sing "I'm a Lumberjack" in its entirety.

Spouses aside, I think David actually has a great idea. It could be set up much the same as the Tour de Stooges. However, here's the big difference: At some point while you were at a stop refilling your water bottle, three guys dressed in cycling kits would come running by, pretending to pedal their imaginary bikes while two guys behind them made clicking noises that sound like the whirring of a chain over gears.

David is living proof of what Podcasting can accomplish. He produces, week in and week out, the best cycling podcast out there. The one guy, squeezing podcasting between working, training and family life, puts out a consistently better show than some of the pros out there. And, if that's not enough, he produces a bi-weekly cycling round table called The Spokesmen, with some of the best voices in the cycling business (including one of the wittiest, Carlton Reid). Both are frequently the highlights in the week of this bored freelancer.

On to doping. Of course.

My buddy Patrick Lefevre is being accused of being knee deep in doping. He denies it, of course, because he couldn't possibly be involved with anything so wrong and terrible. Of course not. Lefevre is the guy, after all, who pushed to ban Discover from the League of Honest Cycling Teams for their signing of Ivan Basso. And, if I'm not mistaken, as soon as Floyd Landis' A sample came back I believe he suggested that Landis should be stripped of his title, banned from cycling, denied a passport, banned from Europe, have his head shaved, be forced to listen to Barry Manilow, eat fried worms, kept out of the baseball hall of fame, have his Internet access shut off, taken outside and beaten, sleep with the fishes and be repeatedly kicked in the groin while being asked, "How's your T/E ratio now bitch?"

My point being, and always has been, that Lefevre has been talking out of both sides of his mouth for years. He condemns people left and right, acts like the Minister of Right Living and then gives a pass to his pet cyclist Johan Museeuw. Case in point? Museeuw has been under doping suspicion for years. Fair enough. Without evidence, he shouldn't be shuffled out of the sport, right? Except that, the Belgian cycling federation banned Museeuw for two years for being implicated in a doping scandal. He's banned from working in cycling.

According to Lefevre's rules, Museeuw should be treated the same as Landis. He certainly wouldn't hire a guy who is implicated in a doping scandal to work on his team, even if it's not as a racer. Right? Not really. Patrick claims that the suspension is "symbolic" so Museeuw continues to work for Quick-Step in a PR capacity. I doubt that will change now that Museeuw has admitted to doping late in his career. You see, there's nothing the cycling likes more than an "honest" doper.

Both sides of the mouth, Patrick. Both sides. Keep up your posturing and it'll be clear you're speaking out of another orifice.

My point? Nothing, really. Except that I'm #2 in the google search for Patrick Lefevre Doping.

I hope I'm not one of the guys he sues over these new stories. I've never said he gives people drugs. I'm just saying he can't go around condemning one doper and giving another happy slaps in the team hotel.