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Letters to Cyclingnews - October 28, 2005

Here's your chance to get more involved with Cyclingnews. Comments and criticism on current stories, races, coverage and anything cycling related are welcomed, even pictures if you wish. Letters should be brief (less than 300 words), with the sender clearly identified. They may be edited for space and clarity; please stick to one topic per letter. We will normally include your name and place of residence, but not your email address unless you specify in the message.

Each week's best letter gets our 'letter of the week'. We look for for letters that contain strong, well-presented opinions; humour; useful information or unusual levels of sheer helpfulness.

Please email your correspondence to letters@cyclingnews.com.

Recent letters

Le Tour de Malcontent
LeBlanc's Tour snub of Armstrong
Caution needed
TdF 2006
Has cycling become a honky tonk sport?
Tristan Hoffman
UN effort to fight doping in sport
UCI ProTour
Cam Jennings
Exercise-induced asthma
Chris Sheppard is a class act
Why?
Crocodile Trophy - worlds' toughest race?

 

Le Tour de Malcontent

LeBlanc and Prudhomme betrayed their personal weaknesses when they chose the unveiling of the 2006 Tour de France to make less-than-vague references to the L'Equipe doping allegations levelled at Lance Armstrong.

They seemed determined to avoid slandering Armstrong directly while still brushing off his victories as a bad chapter in Tour history. That is not the path of the righteous, bearing truth; that is the path of passive-aggressive malcontents trying to dispel with words what was earned with labour.

People such as LeBlanc and Prudhomme have no place with Le Tour because it is a small leap from blaming without proof to ignoring proof altogether. The largest problem now faced by Le Tour as an institution is not doping, per se, but the appearance of favouritism, i.e. the lack of due process for some riders. How do we, the international fans, trust that the event is not constructed (in its course and execution) to match the personal sensibilities of its French organizers?

They clearly cannot restrain themselves from an opportunity to discredit athletes they appear to dislike. How can we trust that riders who fail to worship at the altar of the race organisers won't face shadowy, discrediting rumours at career's end?

Maybe Lance's biggest battle wasn't with the riders around him, but with those who sought (and still seek) to break him off the bike.

Brian Clement
Thursday, October 27, 2005

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LeBlanc's Tour snub of Armstrong

I am not one who typically rushes to the defence of Lance Armstrong, but the apparent snubs of Armstrong by LeBlanc and ASO of Armstrong at the Tour route unveiling sounded absolutely obnoxious. Apparently LeBlanc knows for sure that Lance was doping all those years he won the tour.

Yep, I guess Lance has just hoodwinked the whole lot of us! Does LeBlanc know something the rest of the world doesn't? If all he is relying on is the single unconfirmed B "positive" from Lance's '99 Tour sample (which by any legitimate scientist's standard is about as reliable as a Pinto), he's gone absolutely loony! How can you treat the man that has been an inspiration to millions and millions of people, blown away all types of Tour de France records, and helped bring the Tour to an entirely new level of popularity, this way? (God forbid Lance ever having legitimately tested positive for doping...would he then be burned at the stake?)

Stu Press

Los Angeles, CA
Thursday, October 27, 2005

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Caution needed

Watch out, Leblanc: if you keep saying stuff like "On the 24th of July we turned the page on a long, very long chapter in the history of the Tour de France. And one month later, current events made it clear to us that it was just as well that this was so," then the aforementioned chapter could easily get even longer.

That said, congratulations on dropping the TTT, which inevitably seemed to give a leg up to those riders (Armstrong, Basso, Ullrich) who needed it least. It should always be possible for the Tour to get hijacked by an outsider on a funky squad who has an crazy streak of form -- like Aitor Gonzales in this year's Tour de Suisse, or Greg Lemond in 1989, when the TTT was much shorter than it's been lately.

Sebastian Lecourt
Thursday, October 27, 2005

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TdF 2006

So, here we go again! LeBlanc and Prudhomme would have done well by not making the disparaging remarks at the unveiling of the route for TDF 2006. If anyone needs to be wiped out of the books, it is this pair for their highly unprofessional attitude. It's time they took their positions seriously and stopped doing disservice to the sport of cycling. They may have to wait until the turn of the century before finding another cyclist of the calibre of Armstrong. So, instead of backstabbing and throwing innuendos, maybe they need to step down and let someone worthy of the positions take control.

Shaila Mani

Houston, TX
Thursday, October 27, 2005

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Has cycling become a honky tonk sport?

I am not sure if I agree that cycling is a honky-tonk sport as any connection to music or dance with cycling is nebulous at best (cf. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=honky-tonk). However, Andrew makes an excellent case for the business professional cycling racing being rinky-dink (cf. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=rinky-dink 3.). Particularly his last paragraph is insightful. It has always been difficult to understand how at the highest level of our sport something like the Linda McCartney and Team Coast affairs ever happened. Not to mention the numerous other times cycling's top riders have met with unfortunate circumstances (e.g. Amica Chips' DS not paying some of its riders, Mercury's demise and Lemond's pulling his sponsorship from the same team midseason, et al). Never has such nonsense as these affairs been seen in the highest levels of any other professional sport that I can think of.

Furthermore, cycling further goes on to damage itself with all of the drug finger-pointing. Other professional sports have drug problems, but they do not compound their sport's problem with public navel-gazing over drug cheats. They quietly go about the business of finding cheaters and kick them out or suspend them. Athletics is a good case in point. Every year many cheaters are caught but it is done without damaging the sport or its sponsors. It is a tribute to Festina that they are continuing to sponsor cycling events as this company probably bore the brunt of the bad publicity from the drug scandal associated with their eponymous team. Perhaps cycling should adopt a system similar to football where the team's name belongs to a locality in order to insulate sponsors from scandal.

The UCI's ProTour is a step towards "professionalisation" of the top level of pro cycling. But the calendar was not the problem. The team system that has led to the above-mentioned problems and the fact that cycling I seen as being synonymous with drugs are the biggest challenges that cycling faces. If the UCI wants to rid cycling (and itself) of its second-rate and ad hoc image, it needs to further build equity in the team structures so that teams do not fold when a sponsor leaves and sponsors clamour to get their names on the team kits the way they do in football. Also, the UCI needs to reassure the public that cycling is clean because it is doing its utmost to rid the sport of drugs and the fact that a few people are caught every year is evidence that cheating is rare, not rampant.

To Hein and the new guy: are you listening?

Greg

Japan
Tuesday, October 25, 2005

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Tristan Hoffman

Thanks for the update on Tristan Hoffman (Team CSC) who is retiring this year. I had the chance to travel in the team car with Tristan on the way to the race in Lancaster Pennsylvania (USA) in 2004. He had just finished second in Paris-Roubaix but had none of the pretence of a big star. He was funny and down to earth and I enjoyed the chance to get to know him. He told some great stories and we all had a good laugh. Team CSC is lucky to have him stay on as a director. I believe his experience and humour will be appreciated by the riders.

To Tristan - thanks for making the action happen on the rough roads of the pro circuit for 14 years. Congratulations on a long and successful riding career and we look forward to seeing your success continue as a team director.

Mark W. Hopkins

Newark, Delaware, USA
Friday, October 21, 2005

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UN effort to fight doping in sport

Regarding Mr Eric Matthies' comments regarding the UN getting involved with fighting doping in sport; I could not agree more with his assertion that the UN utter failed to do anything positive in regards to the rape, murder and destruction of the peoples of Rwanda and Bosnia. No, keep the stinking UN out of sport. They are doing a lousy enough job screwing up nearly all their other efforts in the world; sport does not need to be further screwed up by the UN.

Danny Autrey

United States of America
Friday, October 21, 2005

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UCI ProTour

I agree. The only value of the Pro Tour is that it forces teams to ride the Giro and Vuelta. Besides that, Di Luca will be quickly forgotten. I couldn't believe that the UCI wanted the points jersey of the Pro Tour to be the top jersey in the peloton! Over the race leader's jersey or the world champion's jersey!

The worst of the Pro Tour is that it could alter the length of the Tour de France. This would greatly devalue the importance, history, and intensity of the greatest sporting event in the world.

Timothy Shame,

USA
Friday, October 21, 2005

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Cam Jennings

I just wanted to say that I've been enjoying Cam Jennings' diary entries. Well written and interesting - the next John Lieswin, perhaps? He's not bad on the bike, too!

Richard Sherratt
Friday, October 21, 2005

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Exercise-induced asthma

After reading the comments about Roland Green and his condition of exercise-induced asthma (a condition that Miguel Indurain also has) I wonder if it really is fair to other riders that they and any others like them are able to legally take otherwise banned drugs to be able to perform beyond the point that their bodies are naturally capable of reaching.

J Smith

Canada
Sunday, October 23, 2005

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Chris Sheppard is a class act

I found it quite heartening that Chris Sheppard came out and faced up to his actions. I've only raced with Chris a couple of times, but he's been a super good guy from my experience with him. I've often thought he was one of the more underrated pros on the mountain bike circuit, and I understand his overwhelming desire to continue as a sponsored athlete, despite the pressures that injuries and age had placed on him. Chris Sheppard is paying his debt to society in the form of his career effectively being ended.

What he needs now is the support of his fellow cyclists to keep him close to the sport. He's hurting right now, but his future lies in the bicycle industry. Yeah maybe not as a pro racer, but Chris is a very approachable, knowledgeable and friendly person. He is also very in tune with frame and component design and function. He will land somewhere in the industry where his presence will undoubtedly be felt by many. We haven't heard the last of Chris Sheppard.

Matt Gersib

Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
Sunday, October 23, 2005

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Why?

I just cannot help but wonder about a few things.

- Why does Discovery only have 27 riders for next year instead of the 28 they had this year? There is a big chunk of change out there with Lance gone
- Why did the TdF route announcement shun LA and the Discovery team?
- What surprises are in store with that extra spot on the team?
- And why oh why did they choose to get rid of four North Americans?

Philip Shepherd

Beachwood, NJ
Thursday, October 27, 2005

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Crocodile Trophy - worlds' toughest race?

What is up with the Crocodile Trophy Race and why on earth is it called the worlds' toughest race? I just do not get why anyone would want to do a mountain bike stage race that appears to take place nearly entirely on dirt roads. Why not ride a cross bike? How come the field is less than 40 riders? How much of a mountain bike race can it be when riders have aero bars on their bikes and some of the stage winners actually ride slicks? I just do not get this event, but I do admit I find it interesting and enjoy reading about it.

I do not mean to take anything away from the riders in this event. It clearly is a very hard physical challenge, with the length of the stages and the heat. Many of the top finishers are world class athletes with significant results in many disciplines of cycling. Looking at this race from a pure mountain biking/terrain point of view it pales in comparison to events like the Trans Alps, the Cape Epic or the Tran Rockies (which have international fields 10 times the size or larger). Of those I have done the Trans Rockies and I can say that our days in the Trans Rockies were often over seven hours, involved challenging weather (rain, snow, intense heat, high elevations), massive climbing, technical descending, and an insane amount of fun single track. That's pretty much the opposite of this race.

So I'll keep watching your coverage of this interesting event, but I just do not get the attraction of it or the self proclaimed title of worlds' toughest race.

CJ Gauss

Boulder, CO
Wednesday, October 26, 2005

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Recent letters pages

Letters 2005

  • October 21: The ProTour, UCI ProTour, Has cycling become a honky tonk sport?, UN effort to fight doping in sport, Doping. What else?, We need the same from Hamilton, I can forgive Chris, A mountain biker's reflection
  • October 14: Infallible doping tests?, Get on with your life, Doping. What else?, Pound versus Armstrong, Hamilton, etc, L'Equipe forgot - or not, John Lieswyn, Eddy Merckx
  • October 7: John Lieswyn, Bravo, Lieswyn, 1999 Tour de France urine samples, Allan Butler, Tyler Hamilton, Doping versus biomechanical enhancements, Doping control, McQuaid's image, Comment on Chris Horner at Zuri Metzgete, Scientific proof, Thank goodness Moreno lost, What has happened to American Cycling?, Pound versus Armstrong, Hamilton, etc, French bias
  • September 30: Petacchi and McEwen's reactions, Ale-Jet, Ale-Jet blasts his critics..., Petacchi's class, Petacchi, Bravo, Lieswyn, French bias, Tom Danielson, What has happened to American Cycling?, Quote of the year, At the heart of the matter, Lance's EPO tests, Doping control, On Pound and the like, Pound Ill informed, Verbruggen is wrong, Doping and apparel
  • September 23: A quick thanks, Australian worlds team, Go Mick!, Infighting, Pound Ill informed, WADA mess, Heras and the Giro, Verbruggen is wrong, Chris Sheppard busted for EPO, Explaining increases in performance, Quote of the year, Vuelta rest day observations
  • September 16: Vuelta rest day observations, Australian worlds team, Explaining the increases in performance, Debate settled, doping lives on, Samuel Sanchez, Scientific proof, The perfect crime, Another topic please, CYCLINGnews.com, Doping, Illegal motivation, Illegal motivation - another possibility, Lance and the Tour de France, Drug use, Alternate Universe, WADA, Chris Sheppard busted for EPO, Just Do It
  • September 9: The debate rages, Bad for cycling, Lance and the Tour de France, EPO Testing and Haematocrit, Doping, Illegal motivation, Lance the Man, Armstrong and doping, Question for Dick Pound..., Land of the Free, home of the Brave, Lance, I have a better idea, Where are the results?, Armstrong's Tour comeback, Don't make that mistake, Lance, Response to the test
  • September 2: Lance Armstrong, all-American boy, Doping, Claude Droussent lies, L'Equipe credibility, Lance versus Jan, Jan versus Lance, Cold fusion and Lance, The perfect crime, EPO and the Wink Wink Standard, Germany owed four yellow jerseys?, Lance, cycling and cancer, Lance issues, The whole Lance doping issue, Neither defense nor attack, The test, Land of the Free, home of the Brave, Armstong couldn't come clean, Summarising the Lance situation, Lance's tests, Keep an open mind, Lance and doping, Check results before you wreck yourself, Seeing is believing, L'Equipe and ASO, and Lance, Lance and EPO, Aussie perspective on the upcoming worlds, A rave rather than a rant
  • August 26: Lance and LeBlanc, Lance versus France, Can of worms story, The Test, Benoit Salmon wins the 1999 Tour, The perfect crime, Armstrong tests positive, L'Equipe and ASO, Lance rubbish, Lance and the French yellow press, Armstrong, EPO and WADA, Lance Downgrading Armstrong victories, Lance doping garbage, Lance versus Jan, Doping, Six stages to win the 99 tour, EPO test under scrutiny, Lance irony, Lance as a spokesman, Cyclists and politicians, Verbruggen's campaign to elect his successor, John Lieswyn, Can of worms, Americans in Paris
  • August 19: Ned Overend, Guidi positive, What is going on at Phonak?, Ullrich's riding style, How about credibility from both sides?, Lieswyn's gesture
  • August 12: Pro Tour 2006, Credibility from both sides?, Zabel leaves T-Mobile, Chris Horner, Ullrich's riding style, Well done Wayne!, Armstrong and class, Possible correlations
  • August 5: Zabel leaves T-Mobile, Thanks from a survivor, Bicycle safety, Message for Chris Horner, Perspective, Discovery in ninth, Tech, Armstrong and class, The King of July!, Heras through rose colored glasses, Possible correlations
  • July 29: Perspective, France and Lance's Legacy, Armstrong and class, Best Wishes to Louise, Levi's Diary, Heras through rose colored glasses, The King of July, Here we go again!, Treat Lance like the others, Tech, Lance Armstrong's time trial equation, Life begins at 30
  • July 22: McEwen - villain to superhero, Underdogs and overdogs at the Tour, Big George, George Hincape, Hincapie's stage win, Cadel's Tour memory, What the fans would love to see, Is Godefroot really NOT the man?, A true classic, Phonak's poor sportsmanship, Phonak double standards, My new hero, Discovery Channel tactics, Lance Infomercial?, Treat Lance like the others, TdF sprint finishes, Leaky Gas?, Little black box
  • July 15: The best seat in the house, Joseba Beloki, Message for Chris Horner, Treat Lance like the others, Lance Infomercial?, McEwen defense, Rail lines in the TdF, Ruse Discovered?, Discovery's unanimous breakdown, IS Jan really the man?, Cycling socks, Patrick Lefevre quit your whining, Armstrong and class, Leaky Gas?, TdF sprint finishes, Who is in charge of the UCI?, Tires and slippery roads, Response to the Vowels of Cycling, Little black box
  • July 8: McEwen defends himself, Tires and slippery roads, Random test on Lance Armstrong, French Government dope controls, The Pro Tour and Grand Tours, Tour de France's early finish?, Here we go again!, Thank you, Ed Kriege, Lance Infomercial?, No, the other Merckx!, The Vowels of Cycling, Armstrong's pre-Tour communiqués, Armstrong and class
  • July 1: No, the other Merckx!, Armstrong's pre-Tour communiqués, The Vowels of Cycling, Figures of merit - TdF tipping, Lance Infomercial?, Daily Terror, Sydney article, Why Michael Rogers will be awesome with T-Mobile, I love it!, MTB news, Twins
  • June 24: Sydney article, Hit and run on cyclists - Australia's new blood sport?, Another fatal hit and run on Australian cyclists, How can Ullrich win the Tour?, Drop Verbruggen, The second American, When the Tour heads up, Droppin' the Kilo!, Kilo or no go, What is Michael Rogers thinking?, Rogers to T-Mobile, For the love of god don't do it Mick!, The first yellow jersey, Horner Impressive, Leave T-Mobile/Fassa Bortolo, renew your career!, Horner's stage win at the Tour de Suisse, Bobby Julich, Daily Terror, Hell on Wheels review
  • June 17: Droppin' the Kilo!, Killing the kilo and 500, The kilo, Axing the Kilo?, The track Time Trials, The first yellow jersey, Armstrong and Class, The year of the comeback, Horner's stage win at the Tour de Suisse
  • June 10: The year of the comeback, An open letter to Cadel Evans, How Ullrich can win the Tour, USPRO/Liberty, Lance, the Tour and the Giro, Lance and the Tour, Show us your discards Godefroot!, Armstrong and Class, Ivan's training ride, Giro comments
  • June 3: Giro comments, Giro excitement vs Tour blah, Ivan Basso, Ivan's training ride, Discovering the future, Jose Rujano, Savoldelli vs Simoni, How Ullrich can win the Tour, Eddy Merckx Interview, Johan Bruyneel, Show us your discards Godefroot!, Improving Pro Tour Team Rankings, Lance and the Tour, Armstrong and class
  • May 27: Giro excitement vs Tour blah, Great Giro!, Double or nothing..., Colle delle Finestre and a Cipo farewell, Joseba Beloki, Ivan's training ride, Hell on Wheels, Matt Wittig, How Ullrich can win the Tour, UCI fines, Armstrong and class, Eddy Merckx Interview, The disappointment of Viatcheslav Ekimov, You have let us down Paolo
  • May 20: Colle delle Finestre tactics, Rogues, It just keeps happening, Davis Phinney, Joseba Beloki, Australia - number one, You have let us down Paolo, Bettini/Cooke, What's up with pro cyclists these days?, Cipo, Cipo, Cipo, A question about team names, The disappointment of Viatcheslav Ekimov, Go Eki!
  • May 13: Hit and run, Bettini vs Cooke, Bettini's Illegal sprint, You have let us down Paolo, Giro, Bettini/Cooke, Cookie's crumble, Bjarne's right: There's only one Jens Voigt!, Jens Voigt and the blind, South Australians protest against hit-and-run death, It just keeps happening, Liberty Seguros, The disappointment of Viatcheslav Ekimov, Go Eki!, Australia - number one, Irresistible in July, UCI weight rule
  • May 6: South Australians protest against hit-and-run death, Tyler Hamilton's case, Hamilton and the facts The USADA decision on Tyler Hamilton, Tyler Hamilton, Tyler, Testing and the Virenque Comparison, How do dopers live with themselves?, General view on doping, Hamilton guilty regardless of the facts, Hamilton verdict, Tyler is good going uphill, Hamilton interview, Klöden comments, Tyler H, Simoni, Grazie Mario, Sheryl Crow, or should we say...Yoko Ono
  • April 29: South Australians protest against hit-and-run death, Tyler Hamilton's case, Hamilton and the facts The USADA decision on Tyler Hamilton, Tyler Hamilton, Tyler, Testing and the Virenque Comparison, How do dopers live with themselves?, General view on doping, Hamilton guilty regardless of the facts, Hamilton verdict, Tyler is good going uphill, Hamilton interview, Klöden comments, Tyler H, Simoni, Grazie Mario, Sheryl Crow, or should we say...Yoko Ono
  • April 22: Lance Armstrong's retirement, W is for Witchhunt, Tyler's mishandling defense, Not for real, is it?, Bad Science, Blood testing issues, Hamilton - finally a decision, Regarding the Tyler Hamilton decision, Tyler Hamilton, Satisfying Verdict for Hamilton Case, How do dopers live with themselves?, Hamilton's case, Tyler Hamilton's case, Hamilton, Hamilton verdict and a call for outside expertise, Tyler Hamilton saga..., Tour de France preview...2006!, Klöden comments, Tour de France Training, The New Dynamic Duo, Sheryl Crow, or should we say...Yoko Ono, Random Musings
  • April 15: Glenn Wilkinson, USADA and Hamilton, Bergman; so sad, ProTour leader's jersey, That's a Jersey?, Too many chiefs?, Track World Championships, What do you think?
  • April 8: The New Dynamic Duo, Boonen's Hairdo, Viral infections and antibiotics, George Hincapie, What do you think?, Track World Championships, VDB?, A little bit more about blood doping, Blood testing issues
  • April 1: Well done Ale-jet, Eyes of tigers..., Viral infections and antibiotics, Let's talk about cycling…, What's worth talking about in cycling?, First Ride of the season, The New Dynamic Duo, Blood testing issues, Sydney Thousand, UCI Pro Tour Grand Theft, not Grand Tour
  • March 18: The Forgotten Hero!, Way to go Bobby, Bobby J, Lance has lost the ‘Eye of the tiger’, Blood testing issues and Hamilton, With all Due Respect, All this Lance Talk..., Is Lance getting soft?
  • March 11: Blood testing issues and Hamilton, Cycling on TV, In Defence of UCI president Hein Verbruggen, Defending the Pro Tour?, Is Lance getting soft?, Lance has lost the "eye of the tiger"
  • March 4: In Defence of the Pro-Tour, Grand Tours back down...for now, Armstrong and Simeoni,Help - what’s on the TV?, Cycling on TV, Lance Defends His Title!, Hamilton movie role downplayed, Blood testing issues and Hamilton, I really don't know when it happened
  • February 25: Lance Defends His Title!, Build it and tear it down?, Build, dismantle and donate!, Lance's Hour Record attempt, I really don't know when it happened, Can't get enough!, Dream on
  • February 18: Build it and tear it down?, Remember Marco, One Reason I Love Cycling, The ongoing Hour Record Saga, Lance’s Hour Record attempt, Can't get enough!
  • February 11: One Reason I Love Cycling, Francisco Cuevas, F-One - Come down to earth Lance!, Armstrong and the Hour, Can't get enough!, Greatest of all time
  • February 4: F-One - Come down to earth Lance!, Armstrong and the Hour, Armstrong and Simeoni, Can't get enough!, Help, Greatest of all time Eddy is King, but who is second best?
  • January 28: "I am the greatest of all time", Armstrong and the Hour Record, F-One - Come down to earth Lance!, Lance Drug Probe, Armstrong and Simeoni, Can’t get enough!, Help, NBC's 2004 RAAM Coverage, Doping, Crash distance from 1km to 3km, Eddy is King, but who is second best?
  • January 21: Professional Cyclists, Der Kaiser's Goals, Jan Ullrich's problem = Lance, Rider of the Year, Crash distance from 1km to 3km, Help, Lance vs. Eddy
  • January 14: Der Kaiser's goals, Help, Foreign stage races, Lance vs. Eddy, Tour '05, Rider of the Year, Best bikes for heavy riders, Quick Step helmets
  • January 7: Death of Dmitri Neliubin, Der Kaiser’s goals, Rider of the Year, Best bikes for heavy riders, Who's Greater? Come on now!, Virenque "most charismatic"?, Downhilling, Downhill time trial, Trendy cyclists, No flat tyres, Spring classics trip advice, Bettini's trainer
  • January 3: Spring classics trip advice, Big Bear ends downhilling, Armstrong and Simeoni, Holding teams accountable, Downhill time trial, Trendy cyclists, Bettini's trainer, No flat tyres

Letters 2004

  • December 24 letters - Why are cyclists so trendy?, Business and cycling, Big Bear ends downhilling, Off-bike weight gain, No flat tires, Armstrong and Simeoni
  • December 17 letters - Business and cycling, Tom versus Axel , Big Bear ends downhilling, Shane Perkins, Spring classics trip advice, Tyler Hamilton, Phonak and the UCI, Why are cyclists so trendy?, Mark Webber interview, Armstrong and Simeoni, Injured and missing it: an update, Clyde Sefton
  • December 10 letters - Why are cyclists so trendy?, Big Bear ends downhilling, Floyd's choices?, Merckx, fit and trim, Pound must go, Spring classics trip advice, Tyler Hamilton, Phonak and the UCI, Punishment: Vandenbroucke vs Hamilton, Prosthetic hip, Armstrong and Simeoni, Dave Fuentes, Homeopathy, Jeremy Yates, TDF coverage for Australia, Weight limits and maintenance, Mark Webber interview
  • December 3 letters - Domestiques vs Lieutenants, Tyler Hamilton, Phonak and the UCI, Dave Fuentes, Santa vs Hairy Guy, Why are cyclists so trendy?, Mark French and homeopathy, Shane Perkins, Jeremy Yates, Weight limits and maintenance, UCI regulations, Armstrong and Simeoni, Prosthetic hip
  • November 26 letters - Mark French and homeopathy, Two big guns in one team, Tyler Hamilton case, Bartoli's retirement, Dave Fuentes, Shane Perkins, Merckx and Armstrong, Training like Lance, Lance Armstrong, Why are cyclists so trendy?, Phonak gets what it deserves, Armstrong and Simeoni, Bike weight, Spouseless riders, Mary McConneloug, Adam Craig, Mark Webber interview, Santa vs Hairy Guy
  • November 19 letters - Tyler Hamilton case, Phonak gets what it deserves, Are you there Mr Coates?, Bike Weight, Merckx and Maertens make up, Heart troubles, Where to find cycling spouses, Mark Webber interview, Lance Armstrong, Where's Greg?, What ever happened to..., Why are cyclists so trendy?, Armstrong and Simeoni, l'Etape du Tour registration, Still Laughing
  • November 12 letters - Why Armstrong will ride the 2005 Tour, Scott Sunderland, Why are cyclists so trendy?, Armstrong and Simeoni, Where to find cycling spouses, Lance on Italian selection, Heart troubles, l'Etape du Tour registration, Tour 2005 team time trial, What ever happened to..., Love and a yellow bike
  • November 5 letters - Love and a yellow bike, Tour 2005, Where to find cycling spouses, Why are cyclists so trendy?, Lance on Italian selection, Armstrong and Simeoni, Tour of Southland, Construction technique for veloway, Heart troubles, l'Etape du Tour registration, Rahsaan Bahati
  • Letters Index – The complete index to every letters page on cyclingnews.com