Lance, Landis and VeloNews TV

Do you want to contribute to Mailbag, a regular feature of VeloNews.com? Here’s how:

• Keep it short. And remember that we reserve the right to edit for grammar, length and clarity.
• Include your full name, hometown and state or nation.
• Send it to webletters@insideinc.com.

Less about Lance, more racing coverage, please

Editor:

I don’t want to knock any of Lance Armstrong’s accomplishments. I
 admire what he’s managed to do both on and off the bike, but let’s be 
honest: not every race is about him. It seems like every time he gets on the bike, half of the race report is about him, even if all he does 
is sit in the bunch (see stage 1 coverage for the TDU — he got a whole 
section dedicated to him!).

There are plenty of other stories actually pertaining to the race that can be covered instead of dedicating 
as many words to Lance as possible. You guys aren’t the only ones 
doing it, either. Save it for when he’s actually involved in a race, 
like he was in the Cancer Classic Crit.

Last season, I got sick of 
the Lance coverage pretty quickly, and I really hope that it doesn’t
 happen this year. He has come to define cycling for most of the
 United States, but there’s plenty else worth talking about for those 
of us deeper into the sport.

Greg Genna

Charleston, South Carolina

Where’s Landis?

Editor:

What is up with Floyd Landis? Is he actively looking for a team? May we see him back? Regardless of what is situation was, he is still one of the most colorful people in the peloton, and in my humble opinion, a fantastic rider. My guess is that I am not the only one wondering.

Matthew R. Bruce

Wareham, Massachusetts

Matthew, it seems that Landis was racing just this past weekend as a privateer in the Tour of the Bahamas. The weekend’s action included a circuit race, an individual time trial and a road race. Word is that Landis won the TT, a 3-mile effort with “road bikes only — no aero anything,” according to the organizers. According to a story on The Tribune’s web site, Landis did not finish the 105-mile road race, which was won by Caleb Fairly (VMG-Felt Cycling Team). Fairly also won the overall; teammate Taylor Shelden took second. — Editor

Love VeloNews TV, hate the mispronunciations

Editor:

I’m always a fan of VeloNews TV — but please, please, teach the new guy how to pronounce riders’ and teams’ names 
correctly. It was brutal watching him butcher them on the Tour Down Under coverage. I mean, all 
it would take is like four hours to watch a stage of the Tour and he could get 90 percent of 
them correct.

 Keep up the good work.

Andrew Smola

Athens, Georgia

We’ll get right on that, Andrew, as soon as we finish teaching online editor at large Patrick O’Grady to speak English (his native tongue is @#%&*!!!). Meanwhile, you’ll be pleased to know that Zdenek 
Stybar (Zeded-neck Shtee-bar) has developed a bit of a cult 
following at Competitor Group HQ in San Diego, where they mostly speak Dude. — Editor

FILED UNDER: Mailbag / No Spoil TAGS: Floyd Landis / Lance Armstrong / Mailbag