Post-Tour Mailbag: A congratulatory poem, more on Cav’ and Thor and Lance and Greg and Bernie.

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Poetic congratulations

Editor,

My congratulations to VeloNews for fantastic coverage of the 2009 Tour.

The video recap poetry made me smile,
for it captured one and every mile.
By name and antidote
best by Gladiator quote.
By Pelkey’s click each day should rise
while here we are State side spy’s.
Then begin at night again the Sumner Kieffel recap live
bring to us the Wow, Now on the arrive.
Here’s to the Peloton, each and every one
Rest now day three, the spiders web has been spun.
By country, by technology, by component, by age, by kit, by frame and
by Team
You are Velo, I am News
You are Sport, I am like no other.

Katy Slater,
Eagle, Idaho

Once Upon a Time in the West

Editor,

Pinch me. I must be dreaming.

This is going to be one of those great westerns I love so much. The crafty but aging gunslinger taking the young gun under his wing. But a rivalry is born that naturally leads us to the movie’s climax: The showdown. The grand patron of the “Circle R” at one end of town and “El Pistolero.” Hands hovering over their pistols as the cheesy spaghetti-western music wells up.

Stay tuned.

Larry Buttrey,
Long Beach, California

Invasion Hit Parade

Editor,

Monday and suffering massive Tour withdrawal. I was looking at the Tour results again, and discovered that US and Canada bike makers dominated this year’s Tour. Some facts:

Places 1 through 9: Trek, Specialized, Trek, Felt, Specialized, Trek, Cannondale, Felt and Cannondale.

Jerseys:

Yellow: Trek;
Green: Cervelo;
Polka dotted: Cannondale;
White: Specialized.

Stages:
Scott: six, all by Cav’.
Trek: three – all by Contador
Specialized: three
Cervelo: two

Only Giant, Orbea, Pinarello, Ridley, Time (2) and Kuota broke the mass dominance of the North American bike makers. Well done!

Danny Autrey
Jacksonville, Alabama

Thor earned his jersey

Editor,

I have to admit I am not a Cavendish fan. There’s no question that he is the fastest sprinter in the world, with the best lead-out train in the business, thanks to Hincapie, Renshaw and company. And when he wants the win at the line, there’s no one out there better. But his diva-like manners and cocky interviews rub me the wrong way.

And then you see a classy veteran rider like Thor Hushovd. I think Cav’ thought he had it made in the green jersey after about stage 12, even Hushovd admitting he felt he was out of the chase for the green. It’s even too bad he was relegated after Stage 14, because it would have made for a better end of the Tour if it had stayed closer.

And the little punk had the nerve to tell Hushovd that the jersey was his, but “that’s always going to have a stain on it.” But Hushovd went out in stage 17 attacking solo after crushing a descent and didn’t weaken on the climbs to grab the intermediate points. That’s how you EARN the green jersey.

Aaron Payne,
Morrison, Colorado

UCI has bigger fish to fry

Editor,

I was disappointed to learn about the lack of clarity concerning UCI’s TT bike regulations. I thought it was particularly sad that Cervelo’s water-bottle innovation on the P4 did not comply with the regulations, because I thought it was clever and elegant.

I can understand the idea of the regulations, I suppose – wanting to keep the contest between the riders, rather than between the machines – but given that no one equipment manufacturer has a clear superiority over another, unlike in F1 and swimming, I don’t see why technological development should be stymied.

The other line of reasoning, that keeping technology comparable allows for a fair comparison between today’s riders and retired riders (as is the case with the hour record) seems more than a bit ridiculous given … let’s just go with the known cases, shall we: Francesco Moser admitted to blood doping to break Eddy Merckx’s hour record, and Ondrej Sosenka, the only person to have held the UCI hour record besides Merckx and Chris Boardman, is staring at a two-year ban for methamphetamine, besides having failed a hematocrit test earlier in his career.

In the meantime, Graeme Obree, a cyclist staunchly opposed to doping, is deemed to have used a bike and position that makes him ineligible. Give me a break!

If the UCI wants to truly keep cycling a competition between riders, they should devote the energy they expend enforcing bike compliance towards dealing with the doping problem.

Grace Teng,
Singapore

Hinault needs a column, LeMond needs to be quiet

Editor,

Hinault should get his own column, enjoy his blunt observations and cantakerous attitude … really. His old teammate, Greg LeMond, however, needs to let go of the everyone-still-dopes mantra.

His ranting about Contador’s stage 15 win and time trial abilities seems to discredit what has been a very interesting Tour this year and I’m tired of all the dope talk from LeMond the bore. Arrrghhhhh.

Jay Moore
Bethel, Ohio

The heroes of old

Editor,

I sometimes feel that not enough credit is given to the men who rode previous Tours. Sometimes history has some unique lessons to teach us. Take a look back in time and I think you will find some incredible accomplishments that deserve recognition.

In 1956 the Tour was 2795 miles with an average speed of 22.6 mph, in 2008 the Tour was 2212 miles with an average speed of 25.2mph. That means 2008′s TDF was 21 percent shorter and 11 percent faster. In 1956 the riders had no aero anything, bikes weighed at least 60 percen more than today and they often rode over dirt roads in the Alps.

In addition, they did this wool shorts and jerseys. They had no race radio, no real sports medicine and no air conditioned hotels. Think about that the next time you pull on the Lycra and go for a spin …

Bryin Sills,
Hagerstown, Maryland

Don’t dis’ the juniors, Cav’

Editor,

I am 15 years old and have been racing for a few years. I was a little offended by Mark Cavendish’s remark about the peloton riding like juniors, seeing as to how juniors are the next generation of the sport.

However, it was pretty funny when Thor Hushovd took the jersey away from Cavendish and how Cav’ climbs the mountains like there is a fridge on his back, but you know, if you ride like a junior you get junior results. So, Cav’ better be happy with 142nd place.

Logan Haskew,
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

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