• Mailbag

Friday’s Mailbag: Vino’ v. Levi; ‘The Basso Era’; leaks, tough guys and foul-weather racing

by VeloNews.com

• June 02, 2006
• Comments Off

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.

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Vino’ didn’t steal anything: He got it fair and square
Editor:
What does Andrew Hood mean when he writes that “Alexandre Vinokourov swiped [Levi Leipheimer's] hard-earned fifth place at the Tour de France” last year (see “Eye on the prize: A conversation with Levi Leipheimer”)?

Before the race ever got to the Champs-Elysees, Vinokourov won an intermediate sprint with a time bonus that vaulted him over Leipheimer into fifth place overall (see “Vino’ conquers Paris; Armstrong collects No. 7,” July 24, 2005). He basically rode the legs off Leipheimer and two Gerolsteiner teammates to get across that line first. It was, to me, one of the most thrilling moments of the Tour up to then (though Vinokourov would soon top it with his dramatic stage victory in Paris).

If Leipheimer couldn’t out-ride Vinokourov with fifth place clearly on the line, I don’t see how anyone could claim that Leipheimer somehow deserved a top-five spot. Vinokourov didn’t swipe anything. He earned his place fair and square.

Alejandro Reuss
Cambridge, Massachusetts

It’s a little early to declare ‘The Basso Era’
Editor:
Every time a champion retires, the press has to immediately crown a successor (see “The Basso Era Begins”). Give the guy a break. He was the clearly the strongest at the Giro, but if Jan Ullrich (or even Floyd Landis) has anything to do with it, it’ll be a pretty short era.

Matt Chanoff
San Francisco, California

One bad leak deserves another
Editor:
It appears that the UCI and WADA can’t seem to voice their displeasure in a strong enough manner regarding the information “leaked” by the Vrijman report. Maybe this should be taken as a good sign that they will change their ways of dealing with their own announcements of alleged drug cheats in the peloton. Maybe they just need to eat a little crow themselves and let an outside entity take a long, hard look at how the WADA and UCI do business concerning the enforcement of drug-testing protocols.

Brian Hitchman
Folsom, California

Tough guys and tough conditions
Editor:
Thank you for saluting the exploits of Charly Gaul on a weather-beaten stage of the Giro 50 years ago. It was good reading and something for which I personally cheer – tough guys toughing it out in the toughest of conditions.

The irony of that report against the backdrop of the Stage 17 account prompts me to wonder when, exactly, do conditions warrant that a stage be shortened or canceled.

I’m not tossing any stones at the Giro for shortening Stage 17, but it would be preferrable to know that rules are followed regarding adjustments — temperature reaches a certain low, can’t see the graffiti for the snow – than to think that the climb was canceled because someone was simply crying the hoo-hoo over the weather. I am not saying races should be held in all conditions, just that the racers and the fans should know the parameters and let that be that. And look at the rules in NASCAR–the first hint of a drop of rain and, whisk, all cars are off the track and under covers and every fan in the stands knows it is because of a rain delay.

Additionally, it seems that when the weather is dicey, the Tours could implement a rule such as a “neutral descent” that would be like the speed limits in the NASCAR pits – let ‘em descend like low-ridin’ Impalas on a Saturday night in San Jose and no one gets hurt after the race to the top. And personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing speed limits on all descents for the sake of safety – post the limit at the summit and let standard telemetry disclose offenders, at least to a certain point on the descent, through certain harrowing sections or when the road surface cannot accommodate the highest speeds.

Some thoughts from a fan. Glad the photo gallery is back after some time at the beach!

Robb Chastain
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Neither rain, nor snow, nor fear of falling
Editor:
In his letter of May 31, John Nelson wrote: “Have you even considered risking your skin, bones and brain matter coming down a mountain, blind, cold, on wheels 1/3 of an inch think? Now, add 100 other people doing the same thing side by side…” The race was the U.S. Cyclo-cross National Championships in December 2005. Mr. Nelson probably was not there. We were happy to ride in the snow and ice and slide down every hill on the course.

Trish Albert
Atlanta, Georgia

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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.