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Letters to Cyclingnews - May 5, 2006
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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 lettersCriticism of Jan |
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Criticism of Ullrich
Of course the criticism of Jan Ullrich is harsh, but it's not denigrating what he has achieved (or it shouldn't be); it's disappointment at his incredible talent never being truly spotlighted (since his victory in '97) on the greatest stage cycling possesses - le Tour de France.
Every year it's the same. He starts the season underdone - whether through putting on too much weight, illness, suspension or injury - so he pushes ridiculously hard to get fit and/or drop weight, which usually results in his getting ill or injured (again!). Then he starts racing too late so that when the Tour starts he's not on his game until the third week, by which time he's lost way too much time to do anything but aim for a lower podium step.
Then, late in the season he wins a Vuelta or an Olympic medal and somewhat redeems his year. But we all know those are consolation prizes and he wants the Tour again most of all. To me, he just seems unable to learn from his own history (it's got to be either bad advice or blockheadedness or both) and adapt whatever he needs to adapt to make sure he doesn't repeat his failure.
I honestly hope I'm wrong and he shows us his true measure, but I fear not. I believe he'll be destroyed by all the attacking that is going to happen among the Bassos, Landis', Valverdes and other new generation Tour stars in waiting...
Oli Brooke-White
Wellington, New Zealand
Monday, May 1, 2006
The Ullrich-bashing bandwagon
Ullrich deserves more credit than criticism, but after so many failures at toppling the giant that was Armstrong, people feel betrayed. Ullrich went into every tour as the underdog to Armstrong and people placed their faith in him to remove America from the historically European-dominated race. They cheered him to pinch America awake from its Tour de France dreaming. In that sense, he was a modern day Louison Bobet, providing European cycling with its best chance to save face against longstanding foreign domination.
The only thing that purists of the sport liked less than Armstrong winning, was Ullrich losing. He had seven years (six participating years) to stop Armstrong, but now that the American has set his record, the damage can never be undone, and for that Ullrich must suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Regardless of what comes to pass during this year's Tour, his place is already set in history and in the minds of everyone who has two cents: Ullrich was the one man that couldn't defeat Armstrong.
He may be one of the greatest Tour riders of all time, but in regards to the Armstrong era, he is just another ticket on the floor.
Stefan Harhay
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Monday, May 1, 2006
Ullrich in 2006
Basso will be absolutely knackered! The Giro 2006 is simply brutal. The problem for Basso is he up against climbers, not rouleurs. Cunego, Simoni, Di Luca, Rujano et al. Basso also hit form too early, indicating his ultimate commitment to Italy. Winning in March is dumb and dysrythmic; high altitude anaerobic attacks are severely debilitating. Basso is no Pantani!
The TDF course is pathetic (again)...the Pyrenees are non existent and only the Alps stand up to the power riders and guess what…Ullrich the diesel always hits top form in week three of the Tour. In fact if you analyse his performance: his average week three form would have seen him win more than his one solitary tour.
The Tour is by far the toughest Grand Tour in terms of dynamic course design, and therefore can be seen in the attacking behaviour of the riders - last climbs 50KM from the finish, easy gradient power climbs, long boring stages, no early mountains etc. But 2006 has been tailor made for Ullrich, hence Riis's odd gambling with his prize asset.
Basso will win neither the Giro nor the Tour.
Mark Wills
UK
Friday, April 28, 2006
Jan dramas
All of this criticism of Jan is very harsh. "Looking forward to his retirement..." Come on! He is one of the most amiable riders in the peloton, unlike Sir Armstrong. He is the most gifted rider in the peloton since Eddy, as has been mentioned by Armstrong and other former riders. Give the guy a break, he would outride all of us with one leg tied behind his back then feel bad about it. He may lack the cannibalistic sense of Eddy, or the maniacal determination of Armstrong; so what! How many of you can even finish a TdF mountain stage?
Glen Baghdasarian
Northhampton, UK
Saturday, April 29, 2006
More Jan dramas
Calling Jan Ullrich a loser is, regardless of anyone's opinion, nothing short of ridiculous (I self-censored my original word choices). Tour de France, Tour of Switzerland, Tour of Germany, Tour of Spain, World Championship, Olympic Gold medal...every rider in the peloton today, and certainly everyone reading Cyclingnews, would give almost anything to be such a big loser.
Rob Found
Jasper, Canada
Friday, April 28, 2006
Bruyneel's Giro comments
Johan Bruyneel needs to take his head out of his backside with his comments about the Giro. The Giro is for the people who turn up at the side of the road. Without the spectators the race would be nothing, there would be no sponsors and the professional sport would die.
I'm sure I speak for many such spectators when I say that last year's Giro was by far the most exciting race for years. We want massive climbs with summit finishes. We want unpaved roads. We want to be unsure of the outcome until the final day. We want to see the riders using 29 sprockets going up crazy climbs. We want the leader's jersey to change many times.
I'm sorry Mr. Bruyneel, but I know how hard it must be not being able to control a race like you have done for the last few years in France. But the public is tired of seeing one team keeping the tempo high and then everything happening in the last 5km of a climb. We want to see attacks two cols from the finish.
As the Microsoft commercials say, "Era is over". If the dura ace rear mech can't handle a 29 sprocket, use something else. I'm sure myself and several million other fans can't wait for the Giro to start and can't wait for the last week.
Dr Jonathan Roberts
Zurich, Switzerland
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Team helmets
In relation to Fausto Pastrone's letter about team helmets - it's because of the US safety rule. It requires helmets to pass a different test then they do in Europe.
Joe Coddington
Friday, April 28, 2006
Volunteering at bike races
My wife and I volunteered to be one of the neutral support teams for the La Vuelta de Bisbee in Arizona. We live close by, and our local bike shop, M&M Cycling, coordinates neutral support for the race. We supported, along with another team, the women's C event. The organizers, officials, racers, and our partner support team of Brett and Fiona helped and encouraged us from start to finish.
We were the inexperienced newbies, but were treated like old Fridayends. We got to see a bike race from the "inside" and witnessed an exciting finish to the final stage up close, since we were assigned to support the breakaway group on the final climb. If you have ever thought about volunteering to help in your local races, we say just do it! Being a part of the event gives you a whole new perspective on bike racing. It was fun and exciting, and we will be back next year.
Sandy and Pat O'Brien
Sierra Vista, Arizona
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Hincapie in Paris-Roubaix
I just wanted to point out a distinction between tactics and strategy. Reader Jim Graham mentioned that, with respect to Hincapie's teammates' support at P-R, when he crashed no one waited for him.
"Watch the crash; one teammate (sorry, I don't know which one) glanced at Hincapie falling and kept riding, the other got on the radio and kept riding. There was not a split second's hesitation from either of them. "
That's racing in the day of radios. When your teammate crashes, even if he's the protected leader, you charge on. Why? Because you have two choices, to stop immediately and to race on. But it's your DS's call, not yours. So if you guess right, you're golden. And if you race on but guess wrong, then it's too easy to slow down or even turn around, and all is still alright. But if you stop to wait but have guessed wrong, then you're screwed and you've just lost the lead group.
So, regardless of what the DS will eventually decide, the immediate response is always to charge on, while waiting to hear from your DS on the radio.
Steve O'Dell,
Peachtree City, Georgia
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Recent letters pages
Letters 2006
- April 14: Continuing to behave like a champion, No curse of the rainbow jersey, Tom Boonen, Hang in there, Saul, The gods of cycling, Trek and Paris-Roubaix, Looking out for George, Paris-Roubaix and technology, Broken forks and broken dreams, Jan Ullrich, Jan dramas, Disqualifications, So you know, Paris - Roubaix, THAT railway crossing incident, Need for consistency, Paris-Roubaix - poor Cancellara, Paris Roubaix disqualification, Paris-Roubaix: setting a good example, Roubaix disqualification decision, UCI Roubaix disgrace, Paris Roubaix disqualification, Paris Roubaix affair, Paris-Roubaix fiasco, Paris-Roubaix sham, Racing's railroad crossings, George's bike failure, Let them race, Roubaix controversy
- April 12 (Special Paris Roubaix edition): Paris-Roubaix disqualification, Disqualification on the pave, Level crossing in Paris-Roubaix, Rules are rules, Paris-Roubaix, McQuaid's reasoning, Pat McQuaid and train barriers, Railway crossing at Paris-Roubaix, Disqualifications in Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Roubaix crossing, Roubaix controversy, Grade crossings, Railroad crossings, Safety at Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Roubaix sham, Paris-Roubaix safety, Paris-Roubaix rail crossing, Boonen and friends cross the tracks, McQuaid's explanation, Roubaix disqualification decision
- April 7: Hang in there Saul, De Ronde parcours, Edwig van Hooydonk, Discovery’s American riders, Tom Boonen, April fools, Hair care product line, Brave new world, Commonwealth Games time trial, Photo of the year
- March 31: Discovery’s American riders, Photo of the year, Commonwealth Games time trial, Edwig van Hooydonk
- March 24: Discovery’s American riders, Samantha Hellyer, Commonwealth Games time trial, UCI needs to grow up, Licensed riders in non-sanctioned events, Strong for the Tour, Electronic shifting
- March 17: Guess who I am, Floyd Landis, The next Lance, The race I'm watching, EPO test and credibility, Blood doping detection and altitude training, Electronic shifting, Electronic Dura Ace, Discovery’s American riders, Petacchi - Shiva
- March 13: The race I'm watching, Tour of California, Floyd Landis, Rory Sutherland and clomiphene, Rory Sutherland, Tyler Hamilton, Effect of doping on young cyclists, EPO test and credibility, Winter Olympics and Cyclocross, Cyclocross in the winter Olympics, Electronic Dura Ace, Big Jan Ullrich
- March 3: Tour of California, Sanctions for doping, UCI/WADA, Tyler Hamilton and Roberto Heras, Tyler Hamilton, Hamilton and testing, Blood doping detection and altitude training, Serrano, Drug testing, Tour of California, Laurie Schmidtke, Our wonderful sport!, Leave Jan alone, T-Mobile and Ullrich, Tour 2006
- February 24: Tyler Hamilton, Tyler Hamilton and Roberto Heras, Sanctions for doping, Drug testing, Doping, Culture of denial, Tour 2006, Ullrich and the 2006 tour, T-Mobile, Ullrich and Godefroot, Davitamon-Lotto outfits, Pantani
- February 17: Tyler Hamilton, Hamilton's decision, Culture of denial, Drug testing, Pantani, Support for Mark French, Heras' positive doping results, EPO, Bergman, Sanctions for doping, Ben Kersten, Hour record, Davitamon circus clowns, Team CSC at Solvang, Ullrich and the 2006 Tour, Confused about doping
- February 10: Ullrich and the 2006 Tour, Too early to call the Tour, AIS crash verdict, Punishment for the death of Amy Gillett, Women's cycling, Support for Mark French, Michael Rassmussen, More Kilo and 500m TT argument, Liberty Seguros at Tour Down Under, Hour record, Sanctions for doping
- February 3: International teams, Liberty Seguros at Tour Down Under, Anti-doping tactics, Ullrich and the 2006 Tour, Too early to call the Tour, Tour of California, Phonak training camp feature, Aussie national champs, More Kilo and 500m TT argument, McQuaid and the UCI, Australian championships, Support for Mark French, Sanctions for doping, Women's cycling, Team strip
- January 24: Future of Spanish cycling, Australian championships, Aussie national champs - a deserved winner, Aussie nationals, World champion kit, Ullrich and the 2006 Tour, With Lance gone, Some observations on Oz, PCA suing Dick Pound, International teams
- January 17: EGO Mania, Basso: seeing double, Aussie nationals, Australian championships, Russell Mockridge, PCA suing Dick Pound, USA cycling, World champion kit, The future, Some observations on Oz
- January 6: The Tour hypocrisy, Pat McQuaid, McQuaid, Bart Wellens, Urine testing, Dope so you can
- January 3: That damn Lance,
Bart Wellens, Cyclists in South Australia, EGO Mania, King Pound, Urine testing
for rEPO, The Tour hypocrisy, Dope so you can, Give McQuaid a chance, Elimination
Tour de France
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