• Mailbag

Friday’s Mailbag: Good news and bad news

by VeloNews.com

• October 20, 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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Tour of Missouri is great news
Editor:
Finally, there is some good news in American cycling with the announcement of the Tour of Missouri!

The American cycling has had a gloomy 2006 with the drug scandals. Having a fourth major state tour is the exact type of racing that we need to develop a deep pool of talent that is capable of winning a world’s on an off day. In the past we would only send one great rider to a major race, and than hoped everything went perfect for Greg LeMond or Lance Armstrong.

I read the feature that said that big-money crits were the future of American cycling, and I could not disagree more! The right direction for American cycling is the four major stage races that have the backing of the state governments, and Philly week! I hope there are more coming (like Colorado, New York, and Virginia). We need to continue to seduce the Euro fat cats to come over here with big prize lists and nice hotel rooms and good food. It will be iron sharpening iron for our developing riders.

Maybe now is the time to pull out the $1 million prize if someone can sweep all four events. It seemed to work well once. developing a seven-time Tour winner in 1993.

Donald Knoblet
San Antonio, Texas

How about a Tour of America?
Editor:
Kudos to the State of Missouri and the powers that be there for further expanding cycling in the collective consciousness. Here’s to a successful race and many happy fans.

Hopefully you’ll forgive me for being a malcontent, but I just have to ask: Where were all these people when the Idaho Women’s Challenge – arguably once the best women’s stage race in the world – went under a few years ago for lack of sponsorship? Idaho has some fantastic scenery, tremendous climbs, and ardent fans primed and ready for a party!

What we really need is a Tour of America: mountain stages in Colorado, Idaho, California, Brasstown Bald Mountain, and Mt. Washington; transition stages anywhere in between; and time trials on the salt flats or in Washington, D.C., along the National Mall. There’s more than enough mileage and mountains to go around.

Kermit Morris
Boise, Idaho

Meanwhile, back at the doping
Editor:
While on a trip to my local Borders bookstore to peruse the fitness section for training manuals I happened upon a book titled, “Anabolic Primer: An Information Packed Reference Guide to Ergogenic Aids for Hardcore Bodybuilders.” While this book was in the wrong field for an amateur cyclist, it was still impacting. It seems that an athlete who is looking for information on how to supplement their fitness with legal and illegal ergogenic drugs has to go no further than the local bookstore.

Ryan MacDonald
Old Town, Maine

Testing, testing
Editor:
One thing I wonder: Will Johan Bruyneel ask Ivan Basso to submit to a DNA test?

Kathryn Radford
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

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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.