A Time to Heal?

"What is it in us that seeks the truth?
Is it our minds or is it our hearts?"

- Jake Brigance - A Time to Kill

From my "On Tap" post (a new weekly blog occurence, providing some sort of guide to the weekend), I was in attendance for the March 10th Floyd Fairness Fund fundraiser in Wilmette, IL. (Incidentally, if your directions to Central Ave. involve going north on Green Bay Rd., please be advised that Evanston has a Central St. just a couple of blocks south of Central Ave. in Wilmette). The event was held at the Wilmette Theatre (see inset), a historic theatre with two 200 seat screening rooms, which didn't really strike me as unusual until my friend with whom I share some interesting Chicago coincidentals, Betsy, asked "why's a fundraiser being held at a movie theatre?"

Although I had gone to the Floyd Fairness Fund website numerous times and downloaded Dr. Arnie Baker's presentation and other materials, the barnstorming nature of these fundraisers went completely unnoticed. It wasn't until later, while perusing the internet, that I found out that these events have been held in all sorts of venues, like bars and restaurants, and bike shops (as T-o-03 mentions below), all over the country. When I finally entered the room and saw Dr. Baker's Powerpoint presentation cued up for viewing, it only made sense to hold the fundraiser in a theatre.

There were approximately 140-160 people in attendance. During a question and answer period of the scheduled 3 hour event, I found out that some notables of the blog-o-sphere were present. One such gentleman was James, Steroid Nation, who not only has a complete breakdown of the event, but also has video of it. So rather than belabor a point, I'll pull a George Michaels here and suggest that we all "go to the video tape." (Another great recap of the event can be found on Rant Your Head Off)

Admittedly, I went to the event more as a fan rather than a skeptic. Most of the materials presented, I had already dissected and come to my own conclusions. But as I sat there drinking my Pride & Joy - Three Floyds' Mild Ale (yes, some of these fundraisers have alcohol present), the above quote from John Grisham's novel came to mind. What truth or what type of truth was I searching for that possessed me to drive four and a half hours from Ann Arbor, MI? Was I searching for more than simple validation, like the gentleman sitting next to me, who stood up and prompted his cycling hero to, "tell me that you haven't taken anything, and it'll be good enough for me...then I can look my kids in the face and tell them the same?"

What was my mind telling me and/or what was my heart telling me?

The Mind
For those of you who don't know me, I'm a person that can analyze to the point of paralysis. I like to look at things from a variety of viewpoints. Does that mean that I'm always right? All it says is that if you're so inclined to ask for my opinion, you'll usually receive something back that's been really well thought out. So what does my mind tell me about Floyd's case? From what I've read from the disclosed documents of the case and his Wiki Defense, there is more empirical data suggesting his innocence than there is to the contrary.

But, having spoken to relatives and friends in the legal profession, its also become readily apparent that these tribunal type arbitration hearings aren't in the same vicinity of anything that we, the non-legal types, know of jurisprudence. If those adjudicating his case aren't open to his defense, then it won't make a bit of difference come May 14th (when Landis' public hearing is scheduled).

The Heart
I met Floyd once before, last year in Chicago, while he was helping Robbie Ventura open up a north of downtown location of VisionQuest Coaching services. I don't claim to have any extraordinary insight into the man other than what I've read about him, and from these appearances and the meet-and-greet afterwards. So what makes me believe that Floyd Landis' circumstances, and for that matter, Floyd, are any different from those cyclists accused of doping in the past?

Floyd, in his demeanor, in his words, and in his actions seems genuine, from the heart. He has been unwavering in his denial and has been forthcoming and transparent in his defense strategy, "I've got nothing to hide." It also doesn't hurt that his foil in this matter, WADA Director, Dick Pound, seems more interested in the prosecution than in the truth.

So what is it in you that seeks the truth...your mind or your heart? In this case, both seem to point to the same thing.

Perhaps after the dropping of the Operacion Puerto case and the Landis hearing, cycling may finally get a chance to heal.

Other tidbits from the fundraiser:
- The May 14th hearing is public, so those of you in the area can attend.

- Contrary to popular, and somewhat legendary, belief, Floyd did not talk with Eddy Merckx to strategize the night before the famous Stage 17 (although he did talk to him several times during the Tour).

- Floyd has spoken to former teammates, like LA and Tyler, who offered their assistance, but he hasn't taken them up on their offer.

- He seems healthy after his hip surgery; no limping. He is still training, but doesn't expect to race at all this year.

- Dr. Baker's online presentation is only a small tidbit of information being used for Floyd's defense. Baker suggested that there is a lot more to be brought up.

- Is the Floyd Fairness Fund strategy working? Time and the hearings will bear that out, but as of today, a Google search of the same reveals 232,ooo results. It seems that some people are talking, writing, about it.

- Another great blog that has encapsulated all of the happenings on Floyd since his "positive" finding, is Trust But Verify (by sometime Triple Crankset visitor Dave Brower).

Too Funny...Not to Post

Photo: CyclingWorld.dk

Come up with your best caption, and we'll post it.

In the clubhouse so far:

"When you said long hours in the saddle would cause shrinkage, I was thinking of...oh never mind."

"Leaders jersey for the Tour de Mini-Me"

"Early favorites to wear the Tour of Denmark leaders jersey, Frank Schleck and Michael Rasmussen."

On Tap...

So the race calendar says that Paris-Nice, the Race to the Sun, is starting this weekend. The race marks the official start of the 2007 edition of the ProTour. Elsewhere, the Vuelta a Murcia and the Trust House Womens' Tour of New Zealand both come to a conclusion on Sunday.

But since my preference is toward the Classics, I've still got a little time before the giants like The Ronde and Roubaix kick off. So what's Granny gonna do in the interim? Well I'll definitely pay some attention to P-N, but I'm also gonna check out the Floyd Fairness Fund fundraiser in Wilmette, IL. Maybe I'll see some of you there (If you have any questions you want me to ask, drop me a line).

Going With The Gut

I have to say that after the kudos T-o-03 heaped on Oude Granny the day before, I was acutally at a loss for some material. Then I ran across this from Chris Selden at Pezcylingnews.com. Mind you, its only a snippet of the Euro Trash Thursday column regarding the Unibet.com mess (please click on the link provided as he does make some good points about this issue), but the last line in this excerpt invoked a guttural reaction. Search over, mind going...

"The ASO don’t seem to like Unibet because they are promoting an illegal business in France (gambling) – but is that really the issue? What about when they were known as MrBookmaker.com a couple of years ago? I saw that team race in France with my own eyes and not a word was spoken, despite the fact that their sponsor was a gambling organization. So what’s changed? Not much as far as I can tell, besides the fact that the Grand Tour Organizers were sick of the UCI telling them what to do and when. To this I can sympathise with the organizers – why shouldn’t they be able to invite who they want to their races?"

Whether the creation of the ProTour has actually succeeded is all its facets is another matter all together, and one which I won't discuss here because of it dauntingness. But one of the reasons for its inception was to insure that the best competition was at the grandest races. Listen, I'm all for nationalistic pride, but when you begin to exclude teams that have earned the right (by being competitive and winning races throughout the season) to participate in a race, then I think that race (and its fans) lose something greater. Take for instance the insistence of the Tour de France (the Grand Boucle!), pre-ProTour, to take as many French teams possible while excluding many of the top teams. Huh? What? When did that happen? How dare they?

Oude Granny doesn't even have to step into his Wayback Machine to show you why letting organizers invite who they want to their races isn't exactly the best things. Let's go back to the selection of the Tour de France teams in 2001. That year, Jean Marie LeBlanc actually made room for an extra 21st team, but choosing 5 wild card teams. So who did they choose?

Of the 5 chosen, they picked 2 French teams. Well Granny, that doesn't sound like squat!!

Let me break it down a bit. Of the 21 teams invited to the Tour that year, 8 were French teams, 5 of which were Division 2 teams. And of those 5 Division 2 teams, 2 were the wild card selections. Does that sound like a very competitive field??? And how do you select any Division 2 team over a more qualified Division 1 team?

Some of the more qualified teams left out that year were Mercury-Viatel and Team Coast. Mercury-Viatel could have been the second American based team to compete in the Tour, alongside Lance Armstrong's powerful US Postal squad. Instead, Mercury-Viatel, even with all the support Greg Lemond provided, went bankrupt after that season. Perhaps, if they were allowed to participate in that Tour, their sponsors would have bought into cycling and a young man living in San Diego at the time, Floyd Landis, would have ridden his first Tour.

As far as Team Coast, their exclusion meant that a two-time Vuelta winner and World Champion in Alex Zulle wasn't allowed to compete. Now flash forward 2 years from that somber moment, to a happier one, when Team Coast was finally allowed in to the Tour. How did they end up doing after being excluded year after year? Well, Team Coast actually went the way of Mercury-Viatel midseason, pulling their sponsorship. But the team stayed together and kept their Tour spot and re-emerged as Team Bianchi. The same Team Bianchi, with Jan Ullrich. And we all know what an exciting and memorable Tour that ended up being! It was the most competitive in ages, hands down.

Could you imagine what the 2001 Tour would have been like, if teams like Saeco (with Mario Cipollini), Mercury-Viatel, Coast, or Mercatone Uno (with Il Pirata) were chosen instead of Big Mat, Bonjour, Jean Delatour, or Ag2R-Prevoyance (all Division 2 French teams)?

But wait, its their race and they should be able to invite who they want.

Banner Day...

There's an inside joke in that headline, somewhere. But, Oude Granny thought it would be fun to create some web banners for those of you out there who are fans or readers of this blog and want to share it with others on your own website, blog, or myspace site. The TC has three options. Simply click on Granny's Profile and send an email to request the HTML code for a specific banner. Once you get the code, just paste it into your template, wherever you deem appropriate.

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3




Links Update
On the right navigation bar of the TC blog, you'll find some new and updated links (some were deleted, dead links, so if your favorite was one that is now gone, please find a new link and email it to me and I'll be glad to put it up). Plus, you'll also find a new category of links, TSTWKT. Taken from Dan Coyle's book Lance Armstrong's War, it was the way LA often referred to the new technologies, gadgets, etc. that his sponsors would come up with for his next Tour de France, "the shit that will kill them!" In this category you'll find some of our favorite things (not necessarily wrapped up in brown paper and tied up with string), like Independent Fabrication bikes, or a link to where you can find the best bike lubricant, Boeshield T9.

Haven't heard of the latter? Well its about time you did, as some of my friends can attest, its simply the best. The lubricant comes as a liquid or an aerosol, formulated by Boeing for use on small parts for their large airplanes. Oude Granny, and a bunch of wrenches, swear by it!

I Was Afraid of This...

I have to keep reminding myself, cycling isn't really a sport...at least to Americans.

Unfortunately, cycling is only as popular as the next great American cyclist. It will remain a fringe sport just like soccer and tennis, or until the next Lance Armstrong or Greg Lemond arises, where it will once again yo-yo to popularity. Does that sound cynical enough for you? Or is Oude Granny just being realistic?

Last week, the news came out that the Tour of Georgia was having difficulties securing a main sponsor. After 5 very successful years, there is the possibility that the race that brought us some memorable one on one battles up Brasstown Bald could go the way of the Red Zinger/Coors Classic. What's even more upsetting is that this news came on the heels of Discovery Channel ending their sponsorship, after this season, of America's only ProTour Cycling team. So even though there seems to be more cyclists and fans of cycling than in recent memory, US corporations still haven't bought into the overall product, only the personalities.

Photo: Courtesy of Emily K

How long will it be when a scene like this, at the final stage of the Tour of California, is just another memory of a race gone by, "hey remember when California had a tour," or "hey why doesn't a state like Colorado have a race? It seems like the perfect place with all the cyclists and the beautiful scenery and the great climbs?" Been there, GONE that!

Jobbed
Where in the world could you pay somewhere in the neighborhood of 32 million Euros in membership fees and still not be allowed into a club? How about when joining the ProTour. Unibet.com and Astana are doing just that after the latest deal between the UCI and the lead organizations of the three Grand Tours. A deal which could only be described as a bandage on a massive hemorrhage. In order to supposedly "save the cycling season," Unibet.com and Astana will be allowed to race as ProTour teams, but will not given automatic berths into the three Grand Tours (or any of the other races under the jurisdiction of the three governing bodies, the ASO, RCS, and Unipublic) like the other 18 ProTour teams. Huh? At least we now know who is really running professional cycling. I hope UCI President, Pat McQuaid, at least asked for a reach around? "L-UCI, You Got Some "Splainin' To Do!"

Weekend Wrap

Pipped
Honestly, it could have easily been the most overused headline since Britney Shears, as Filippo Pozzato (inset, photo: AFP) claimed the victory in the Omloop Het Volk. It was almost a carbon copy of his victory in Milan-San Remo; biding his time and then powering past the would be victors. With the way he was able to get up and over the cobbles, Pippo has to be considered a major factor in the Northern Classics from here on out.

Two things leapt out at me during the finale. It was interesting to see the two former Quick-Step lieutenants in Pippo and Nick Nuyens in the final kilometers with their former leader, Tom Boonen, and why and how in the wide, wide, world of sports do riders who "make" the race often end up losing it. Stuart O'Grady (CSC) and Juan Antonio Flecha (Rabobank) looked as if their efforts would be rewarded, but neither wanted to relinquish their wheel to the other. Instead, both lost out with Flecha at least salvaging a podium spot.

Revenge
Because of the way Het Volk and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne are scheduled, the latter is often deemed "The Revenge," for those riders and teams that missed out on the selection the day before. K-B-K ended up being just that for Tom Boonen( inset, photo: Luc Claessen/www.ctm-images.com/), whose Quick-Step team devoured the early breaks and set him up for an easy sprint victory. How easy you may ask? The Tornado's new lead-out man in Geert Steegmans had to free wheel in order to slow down enough, otherwise he might have won it himself.

One outstanding result on the day was the ninth placed showing by Tyler Farrar (Cofidis). Tabbed by some to be the next George Hincapie, the Washington state born Farrar broke his clavicle early last season, his first with the French outfit. Subsequently, he had an up and down year. You may remember Farrar when he was with Health Net-Maxxis, winning the US Pro Criterium in Downers Grove, IL in 2005.

NAHBS
Because we're a blog and not part of the press, we've often got to rely on other bicycle news outfits for our material. In the case of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, it might be well worth our time to somehow cover these shows firsthand. The offering below from Independent Fabrication simply blew me away.

What did I say earlier in regard to these handmade beauties, something about function meeting form, and form paralleling art ? The picture says it all!

Photo: James Huang/Cyclingnews

On Tap - Part II

For those who can't stand watching cycling (even with the start of the Classics season) on television, here are some other bicycle related functions that you can partake in this weekend.

Handmade
For those in the cycling industry, the annual Interbike trade show is the mother of all things cycling and cycling related. But, with all due respect to those who have particpated or gone to Interbike, there's another show out there for you hardcore cyclo-philes, the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (San Jose, March 2nd -4th). It's a show where function meets form, and where form at times parallels art. The show currently is represented by 4 countries and employs some of the greatest bike crafters (big and small) like Dario Pegoretti, Seven Cycles, and Independent Fabrication.

Couch and Popcorn, or On The Roleurs
If you live in the northern part of North America and aren't exactly as motivated as your neighborhood Belgian counterpart, let me introduce you to ROLL Film. I discovered their website as part of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (ROLL Film can also be found as part of the IMDB). All the films that Greg Borzo (The Bicycle Guy) and Brad Strauss (The Movie Guy; leave it to a pair from Chicago to review films) review all have some sort of relation to bicycles. So if you need a break from your saddle and just want to park yourself on the sofa, or if you've decided to hop on the rollers/trainer and don't want to watch your usual training DVD, then here's the first of a series of recurring post about movies with bikes in them. Without further adieu...

"2 Seconds is bike heaven, or at least bike church. Reverence for bicycling permeates this film. Laurie, the heroine who gives up bike racing and finds refuge in being a bike messenger, loves to ride so much she often ends up in the countryside between deliveries, oblivious to her whereabouts. And when she gets home after a long day of delivering packages, she washes down her bike before attending to her own aches and pains. "I just want to ride," she wails at one point.

And ride she does, as you will want to while watching this film. Never has a movie featured more time in the saddle or more beautifully photographed bike riding scenes—from mountain trails, to country lanes, to city streets..." - more

On Tap...

At The Start - Het Volk
Photo: Jeff Jones/Cyclingnews.com

For Oude Granny this weekend is truly a case of saving the best for last! What do I mean by that statement?

Of all the countries that have races scheduled, Belgium is the last to start its season. And that means the start of the Classics season. The season of the hardmen of cycling. The season of cool temperatures, mud, and possibly snow or rain or a mixture of both. The season of yellow Flandarian flags emblazoned with their lion, of men jammed in pubs engrossed in their Stellas, Westmalles, Piraats, Duvels, or Chimays, and of passionate people lining cobbled and tree lined roads.

Forget the three week Grand Tours for a moment, because these are the roads that can make mere mortals into cycling legends in just a day's effort. And what an effort those usually are!

This weekend the madness begins with the semi-Classics, Omloop Het Volk (Saturday) and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (K-B-K, Sunday). These two great races are a precursor to the great Spring Classics like the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix, as many of the same parcours are used in these races.

Look for a Belgian shootout in both races as all (PVP, Boonen, Devolder, Nuyens, Eeckhout, Gilbert, and Hoste) will be highly motivated. From the non-Belgian contingent, look for Juan Antonio Flecha, Max van Heeswijk (Rabobank), Filippo Pozzato (Liquigas), Jimmy Casper, and Baden Cooke (Unibet.com).

Cooke For All Seasons

Smiles Everyone, Smiles
Photo: John Flynn - Cyclingnews.com

Nicole Cooke reaffirmed her position as the #1 ranked women's cyclist by winning the Geelong Women's Tour down under. This may sound like a cliche, but the Welsh star was certainly the class of the field as she held off Larissa Kleinmann from Germany (more on Larissa later) and the entire T-Mobile Women's Team (more on them later, as well). The USA was well represented by teammates, Dotsie Bausch and Tina Pic (Colavita/Sutter Home) who each won a stage, while both finishing in the top 10. Bausch ran into some misfortune, missing her opportunity to finish on the podium, or even win, as she was caught behind a crash in the final stage. Before the crash, she was well placed at merely 8 seconds back of Cooke and 1 second back of Kleinmann. Next up for the women, the Geelong World Cup.

Hoy Boy!

Photo: Larry Hickmont - British Cycling

Not only is Britain's Chris Hoy a beast physically, but he's also one on the pine. Recently at the Manchester Velodrome (Track World Cup #4), Hoy was nearly perfect losing only once in the sprints, and totally dominating the Keirin event. For those unfamiliar with the Keirin, its a motorpaced (see photo below) event of 2000m that originated in Japan. The motorbike, or derny, gradually increases its pace from 25km to around 45km, before pulling off in the final lap.

Usually, this event attracts the most gambling and the best riders are often paid handsomely. So how much did Hoy take away from the International Keirin at Manchester? How about 10,000 Euros! Yeah, Baby!

In Like A...

I'm a little tardy with these comments, but I thought the above image could stand on its own merits (since it's officially the beginning of March). Given the competitors in the sprint above, this had to be one of Mario "Il Re Leone" Cipollini's easier victories.

But the image also got me to thinking about not only who the best sprinter was/is but also what team had the best lead out train to deliver the package?

Oude Granny wasn't even born yet to see what Alfredo Binda accomplished in his lifetime at the Giro, or was way too young to remember the greatness of Freddy Maertens. But I did see and remember Sean Kelly. Which brings up another point, what truly classifies a person as a sprinter, especially since most, back-in-the-day, never really specialized.

So as far as "true" sprint specialists, its hard to argue with a Mario Cipollini in his prime. His constant accelerations in the stretch often left his competitors unable to kick past him when he finally did decide to make for the line.

But because his sprinting style required such a concerted effort by his lead out train, its easy to argue for someone like Robbie McEwen, Tom Boonen, Oscar Freire, Thor Hushovd, Baden Cooke, or Eric Zabel well before another Cipollini-like sprinter in Alessandro Pettachi (for all his dominance in the Giro, he's had trouble containing a parasitic (following or jumping into Ale-Jet's old Fassa Bortolo lead out train) sprinter like McEwen).

Does it all come down then to a matter of taste or talent? For sheer guts, McEwen's your choice. For sheer top-end speed its hard to look past Ale-Jet or the Tornado. For Oude Granny, I've always been partial to those who could contest a sprint after getting up and over the big bumps or rollers, like an Alejandro Valverde.

But whatever your flavor, it's truly a magnificent sight to see a sprint train fly past the barriers close to the finish line launching their leader or to see a McEwen or Freire jump on various wheels before spotting the perfect hole to squeeze through before the swarm closes it. One thing is for certain, the finishes have gotten more exciting (and dangerous) with the growing amount of people specializing and capable of contesting for a win.

A Bit of Human Nature

Its been said that we never fully appreciate something (someone) until after its (they are) gone. Just a case of human nature, I guess. So with Jan Ullrich's retirement, it wasn't surprising to hear from his contemporaries and some of the all-time cycling greats praising a cyclist who was perhaps, as someone said, one of the most gracious and human in the sport.

From Velonews:
"Maybe Jan was too laid back but the fact is that cycling has lost a great name," Eddy Merckx

From Cyclingnews:
"Five-time Tour winner Miguel Induráin has declared that Jan Ullrich "was one of the greatest" according to Spanish newspaper Marca . Induráin also described Ullrich's retirement as a pity but said that the German's career was impeccable. "He is one of the few of my era who has always been on the podium, even if he failed to win more races."

From Pezcyclingnews (which had a whole page of quotables):
"I watched Der Kaiser race at both the Tour and the Giro. What amazed me most was how he would ride himself into shape over the course of those three-week events.

At last year's Giro, Ullrich was admittedly heavy and not in top condition, and his early results revealed more than a few flaws in his form. But as the weeks wore on, he just got better and better. While other guys were cracking, Ullrich was pulling it all together. At the TTT, from Piacenza to Cremona, Ullrich lead the T-Mobile train for much of the day, but he was pretty much spent as they rolled into Cremona.

Just one week later, in the Pontadera TT, it was big Jan's day to shine. He beat Basso for the stage win, and it showed that Ullrich was going to be a formidable force for the rest of the summer."
- Bob Cullinan

Here's a nice YouTube Tribute to The Diesel:

Der Kaiser Tritt Zurück

The news was expected, but like most announcements, you're never sure until you hear it out of the horse's mouth. So its official, or as official as any athlete claims, the emperor, Jan Ullrich, is hanging up his enigmatic cleats. T-o-03 will have to find another whipping boy.

But before we've kicked him to the curb, here's a 1998 cartoon (Velonews, Patrick O'Grady) as a parting shot, one which T-o-03 would be proud, detailing Jan's infamous "off"-season training regimen.


And a classic quote from Jan's former T-Mobile Director Sportif, Walter Grodefroot:

"Unlike [Lance] Armstrong, [Jan] Ullrich doesn't have the killer instinct. He's not obsessed. It's too bad. Because if you mixed the professionalism of an Erik Zabel with the talent of a Jan Ullrich, you'd have an Eddy Merckx."

So where does he go from here? Jan had already thought about what he might do after he had turned a pedal in anger for the last time. Try this one on for size: Jan Ullrich Cycles. Plus he's also been linked to an Austrian cycling team, Volksbank (not sure in what capacity).

You could be the first one on your block...

Take Care Diesel! At least we had 2003!

Cyclist Killed - Going Green

You're probably saying to yourself, "Ah, great Granny...nice topic for a Monday!" Like the Boomtown Rats, Granny doesn't like Mondays either.

But honestly, unless you're really aware of the issues regarding bicycle use, in and around roadways, or unless you've been personally affected by this type of tragic event, you'd probably have a hard time even guessing how frequently the above happens.

Cyclist Killed...Any guesses as to how many cycling deaths occur each year nationally?

How about around 750 (2001 statistic).

What prompted me to bring up such a morbid topic this morning? I read in the Chicago Tribune this weekend that a 74 year old man was killed riding his bike near Chinatown (may require registration).

Two things struck me about this story: why was he on his bike in such inclement weather (for those of you outside the area, Chicago had a mixture of sleet, snow, and rain this weekend), and Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth." Now the first thought makes total sense; its an easy connection. But how in the world did Al Gore pop into my head?

The 74 year old man was Chinese. And back-in-the-day, China was probably one of the most "Green" countries on the planet. Remember seeing those documentaries about life in China, with thousands on bicycles communting to and fro, or massive groups of people in some sort of Thai-Chi pose? Well ever since China has become industrialized, commercialized, consumerized, and Westernized, it's fast becoming a glutton for fossil fuels.

Now an interesting fact is that more people are using bicycles, nationally let alone worldwide, these days than in 2001, but only very minute pockets of Western culture have truly embraced the bicycle, for all its function and simplcity, as a means to commute.

We always used to kid about what a billion Chinese people could do. Ever imagine what 1.3 Billion people could do to the environment, to the ozone, or to Global Warming?

Scary...

Before

Today

Weekend Wrap - Down and Out in SoCal

With the end of the 2nd Tour of California coinciding with the 79th Annual Academy Awards, Oude Granny thought he'd hand out some early season awards.

Frontrunner/Best Man - "Jennifer Hudson Award"
Levi, who else! Just like Ms. Hudson (who swept every single award in her category this award season), Leipheimer led the TOC from start to finish, winning both the prologue and the ITT in the process.

About Time - "Martin Scorsese Award"
Well I was going to give this one to any of the various sprinters who won in the TOC, Bettini, Haedo, Brown, or Ivan Dominguez. But this one goes out to last year's winner, Floyd Landis because it seems that the cycling community/fan base may finally get some resolution to his case before the next Tour de France (wishful thinking; don't hold your breath!) His Wiki Defense on the Floyd Fairness Fund website has certainly caused a stir with (more like raised the ire of) USADA, WADA, and the other powers that be as the court of public opinion seems to be painting a picture of incompetence of the testers.

Hard Luck - "Leonardo DiCaprio Award"
Oude Granny's "man love" (which in the "man world" is alright, unless you continually talk about it, then it becomes weird; not that there's anything wrong with that) doesn't extend to the actor (by the way, you gotta give it up for Leonardo, not only for the great name, but because he's been in some great movies, so his acting can't be that bad or his presence in great movies merely a coincidence, but I digress), but more to the recipient, George Hincapie. Oude Granny's "Guy for the Classics" broke his wrist this weekend and will be unable to participate in his beloved Classics. So like Leonardo, you have to begin to wonder, will he ever win the grand prize (Paris-Roubaix or Flanders)?

Still My Favorite Cycling Pic!
Photo - Graham Watson

Too Funny...

Not to Post!


Leave it to the marketers to make you laugh, to make you feel like you're a kid playing doctor for the first time, to make you feel like a perv, and to make you feel creepy just for having followed a link to this Ad that simply said, "PROTECT YOUR PENIS!" all at the same time.

Check out the latest technology in cycling shorts from DESCENTE.

New Year...New Look

Oude Granny decided to make an executive decision and update the look of the blog. As we approach our 500th post and 1 year anniversary, the TC hopes to bring you updates from all those who joined us on that inaugural Trek Travel Tour de France tour in 2003, information from some up-and-comers in the world of cycling, reviews and tidbits on new cycling products, and or course or own special "Cranky" view of the world.

A new feature on the blog:

Email a Post - Below each post you'll find an envelope icon. Now you can send your favorite TC post to friends and family.

Cheers and Keep Crankin'

Policing The Police

Much has been made on this blog about Bad Boy Floyd, BBF, and the Floyd Fairness Fund, etc. To be perfectly honest, when T-0-03 wrote about the Fund, my initial and gut reaction was just as incredulous. How could such a high profile athlete go out there and solicit monies to what seemingly looked like an insurmountable doping case?

Then Oude Granny looked into it. Some folks out there believe I think too much, but I contend that I was given a brain for a reason so why not attempt to use more than merely the 10% (which by the way is a complete myth!) that is said to be used for conscious thought.

So what does Granny make of all this? Well, the short answer: send money only if you believe its a worthwhile cause (words of wisdom from Oude Granny, which I think you should employ when contributing any part of your hard earned money).

What about the "meat" of the argument? Ey, there's the rub!**

**Proceed only if you care to hear me on my soap box.

I'm somewhat of a rebel at heart. And as such, its easy to find fault with some of the systems set out for our use, whether they be laws or rules for everyday use or those policies set forth by some athletic governing body. So after much digging...yes, I am in research...here's why I think contributing to a Fairness Fund, Floyd's or anyone else's, isn't such an inane exercise.

For those who follow sport, I liken Floyd's situation, but on a much higher plane, to what mogul skier and part-time football player, Jeremy Bloom, went through with the NCAA. Without going into too much detail, Bloom was banned from playing collegiate football because he had received some endorsement monies as a part of his "amateur" athletic career as a Olympic caliber mogul skier. The NCAA, basically considered him a pro athlete.

So how is this at all relevant? Many cases are decided on an un-level playing field and frankly don't make much sense. For instance, the NCAA allows for two sport athletes, say in baseball and football, to sign a minor league contract (thereby getting paid), but still be considered eligible (as an amateur) to play football. Huh??? Exactly! So Bloom, never played another down for the Colorado Buffaloes, and ended up skiing for the US in Nagano and then trying out for the NFL. If only he had been a baseball player and not a skiier!

So how does this relate to Floyd? After looking into Floyd's defense on the Floyd Fairness Fund website, it's just another case of an athlete being subjected to the supposed judiciousness from his sports governing body, who for all intensive purposes isn't exactly concerned with what is "good" for the athlete!!! So where do the means come from to help the athlete fight for what he holds true or practical? From his own pocket!!! Hence the reason so many athlete's end up taking their lumps and end up leaving the sport they love even though their case might be a viable one. How can a resource depleted person compete with such a huge, well funded, and highly political machine. They can't, therefore, making the system one-sided. Are any pro bono lawyers listening out there?

To the heart of Floyd's case.

Since his test found a high ratio of testoterone to epitestosterone, this blog had a lot of traffic and opinions. For the most part, people have conceded that he's a cheat, therefore, I'm not backing a cheater.

But if you take a moment to look at Floyd's Wiki Defense, one which I read about in ROAD Magazine (and thanks to Liz "Roubaix Girl" Hatch, a magazine that I'll now continue to read; hopefully more on/from Liz on this blog soon), Dr. Arnie Baker, makes a very comprehensive and stalwart case in Floyd's defense (I urge all to look at this Powerpoint Presentation, in .pdf form, as you'll see a cover up of blunders a mile long). Not really "exact" science!!

Still not convinced in Floyd's favor...check out the latest from ESPN, where Floyd's case might get thrown out after all the lab blunders (pointed out by Dr. Baker). So if this case is dismissed, you have to wonder who's governing the governing bodies of sport (or for any other discipline for that matter). Allez Floyd!

Here's a vid of Floyd in NYC announcing at the NYVelocity, Love Crank (an annual indoor rollers contest with much alcohol) earlier this month.

Cricket Throws

That might sound like a headline on some supermarket checkout stand rag, but its exactly what happened at the end of yesterday's Stage 4 of the TOC. I can hear my coaches, Randy Walker (xXx-Athletico Racing) and Kevin Perez (Turin Cycles, out at Northbrook Velodrome) from last year talking about the importance of a good throw. And sure enough, there's an emailed photo from Randy exclaiming...now that's how you throw.

Still in the dark? A good throw of the bike can divide a winner from the field. A look at this photo shows just how close Paolo "the Cricket" Bettini came to being a runner-up on the day.

Photo - Phoenix Sports

Crazy Legs...

Oude Granny would show off his "gams," but I wouldn't want to embarass anyone (especially myself). Recently, The Paceline, held an online contest to see if you could guess which Discovery team rider belonged to the set of legs in the photos. Below are the answers (check out the quad development on newly signed Allan Davis; think he might be a sprinter? Click on a section to enlarge. Photos - Liz Kreutz)

Golden Two-Fer

It was nice to see a rider like Jens Voigt, CSC (second victory in as many days), win Stage 3 of the TOC. Why you may ask? Because he's Old School, and like the great Eddy Merckx, Jens only knows one speed, FLAT OUT!

Photo 2007 - Jonathan Devich

Dyno-Mite

If you're like Oude Granny, you'll remember the above as the signature catch-phrase for another JJ (Walker from TV's Good Times). Last year, JJ Haedo, riding for Toyota-United, dominated the sprinter's field at the TOC (53rd Tooth posted about JJ last year riding in Altoona). Now he's found his way to a big league team, CSC, and judging by this easy victory, it'll be fun to watch this Argentine take on the likes of Boonen, Petacchi, and McEwen down the line (as he easily destroyed a former TDF Maillot Vert wearer in Thor Hushovd; center, about 2-3 bike lengths back).

Another Crash, Another Brown Win...

Alright, that headline/byline might be a little unfair, but it's accurate in its description as Aussie sprinter Graeme Brown (Rabobank) survived the carnage of the Stage 1 finish in Santa Rosa. Although he wasn't responsible for this crash, which ended Dave Zabriskie's TOC, Tom Steels has formally filed a grievance with the UCI for Brown's sprinting tactics during this year's Tour of Qatar, in which Steels was injured.

Home Cookin'

The 2nd Annual (that has a nice ring to it, I hate when people refer to the 1st running as "annual") Amgen Tour of California kicked off this Sunday much like it kicked off last year, with a Prologue win by Santa Rosa's own, Levi Leipheimer. On top of Telegraph Hill, he was greeted by his wife, Odessa Gunn, (see inset) who was a pretty darn good racer back in the day.

But perhaps the best thing about the Prologue was who showed up on the podium with Levi at the end of the day, Jason Donald (USA) Team Slipstream, and Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA) Priority Health Cycling Team, respectively. Now Oude Granny was as unfamiliar with Jason Donald as the next person, as he surprised not only himself but his DS, Jonathan Vaughters, as well with his effort. How surprising? Well to listen to the Versus telecast, it was as if Phil and Paul thought the world had suddenly stopped on its axis. Now for those unfamiliar with Ben Jacques-Maynes, you won't be for long as he's been steadily on the climb having showed his mettle during the inaugural TOC while racing with Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada. Incidentally, his new team, a health insurance company based out of Grand Rapids, is Michigan's lone procycling team.

Granny's Grab Bag

For those of you out there in internet-land who personally know Oude Granny, you're all too familiar with my encyclopedic knowledge of useless facts. But for those of you who share the same passions as Granny, every once in a while that knowledge can actually "help a brother (or sista) out!"

So starting this weekend, I'd like to introduce a new Triple Crankset (TC) feature; The Grab Bag. In it we'll try to drop some of our knowledge on you, like products we use in our daily cycling lives, to new products we've tested. So without further fanfare, here's your first tidbit.

Scenario: Let's say you're that random person, who like most these days, has a busier than busy business schedule, but also plays as hard as you work, maybe does half a dozen triathlons in a season or needs to stay fit for the upcoming cycling racing season.

So what do you do in your down time? Well you're probably on your rollers, or on some fixed trainer, in your garage (on some cold floor where Granny's probably sat on before while I did some wrenching and lubing, you know who you are!) spinning or doing some intervals on the steed you use for your races. Do you at times feel that your road tires are heating up too much on the trainer or there is the distinct smell of burning rubber?

If you're the pragmatic sort, then you've already planned on putting on some new race tires for the outdoor season. But if you're also like Granny, who has to have good racing tires, you know that they cost some coin (or as another of Granny's minions refers to money, "pieces of meats and bones," as in you owe me "49 pieces of meat and 95 bones, $49.95 for those tires").

If you're the intellegent sort, then you only drop $24.99 and switch out your racing tires with Conti's (Continental Tires, yes they make car tires too) Ultra Sport Training Tire.

"With an indoor trainer and the UltraSport Hometrainer tire, cold and rainy weather will interfere with your indoor training sessions. Thanks to its special cold-running compound, the UltraSport Hometrainer tire doesn´t experience the heat buildup of your typical road tire, nor does it suffer the tread separation that the road tire is prone to under the special loads occurring when in cycling and braking on indoor trainer or rollers. This tire is not suitable for on road use. "

It's been said, (thanks Ma and Pop) to know Oude Granny is to love Oude Granny. But if you don't trust me how about these ladies down below. No this wasn't a clever German advertisement bit, these are some of the actual factory workers who produce some of the best racing tires on the market!

Front Row View From The Cheap Seats

If you're not a cycling fan, the story below is pretty cool. If you are a cycling fan, things just got a lot cooler. If you happen to be like Oude Granny, a cycling fan and a techno geek, then your brain just went nuclear.

Check out what some of the lads starting this year's Amgen Tour of California will be doing.

"During this year's edition of the pro cycling race, the Computer Sciences Corporation, or CSC, will outfit seven contenders with specially designed tracking devices. Information about the riders' locations and relative positions in the race will be made available as a map mashup during each of the tour's eight daylong stages.

CSC -- which is a sponsor of the tour and the title sponsor of Team CSC, one of 20 teams in cycling's elite ProTour league -- is hoping that its new technology will give cycling's rabid fan base a more immersive view of the sport.

"This is more than just GPS," says CSC's Identity Labs chief technologist Dan Munyan. "This is object field tracking. We want to be able to focus on a field of objects in motion, looking not only at where they are on the route, but also where they are relative to each other."

For the full article, check out Wired magazine.

California Dreaming

It may not be July or France, but the 2007 Edition of the Amgen Tour of California is loaded with some of procycling's heavy hitters. For those who have always wanted to see high level cycling up close, but couldn't afford the ever escalating prices to do a cycling tour in France during the TDF, the Tour of California is quickly becoming a European favorite. Let's all hope that the shelf life for this American tour is longer than some of its predecessors, a la The (Red Zinger) Coors Classic.

Some of the notables:

Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team (USA)
Ivan Basso (I)
Antonio "Tony" Cruz (USA)
Tom Danielson (USA)
George Hincapie (USA)
Levi Leipheimer (USA)
Jason McCartney (USA)
Tomas Vaitkus (Lit)
Brian Vandborg (Dk)

Team CSC (Dk)
Fabian Cancellara (Swi)
Juan Jose Haedo (Arg) - Last year's Team Toyota-United sprinting surprise
Bobby Julich (USA)
Karsten Kroon (Nl)
Stuart O'Grady (Aus)
Christian Vande Velde (USA)
Jens Voigt (G)
David "Dave" Zabriskie (USA)

Quick Step-Innergetic (B)
Paolo Bettini (I)

Happy Valentine's Day

For this Valentine's Day, Oude Granny's got nothing but love for ya...a little LOVE #3 that is, from one of the best steel frame makers around, Dario Pegoretti (of course the bike featured below has to be made of scandium!)





To sleep, perchance to dream...ay, there's the rub.

Dick Pound-ed

Oude Granny couldn't resist the headline...But WADA's head, Dick Pound, was recently (and finally) reprimanded by the IOC for his years of commentary against Lance Armstrong.

"According to the IOC's decision, dated Feb. 2, the organization's ethics commission recommended that Pound had "the obligation to exercise greater prudence consistent with the Olympic spirit when making public pronouncements that may affect the reputation of others."

Armstrong lauded the IOC's stance against Pound.

"It's not common that the IOC comes out and issues a reprimand or a warning about one of their members at all," Armstrong told The New York Times by phone Sunday. "This is as close to a censure as it could get."

For the full ESPN story...Click Here

Is That George?

Big George in/around Solvang
Photo: Liz Kreutz

Sure this post probably falls somewhere in the "inane" category, but Oude Granny had to wonder: The glasses match the new US National Champion kit, but what's George Hincapie without his signature Oakely Racing Jackets?

Holy Costume Party Batman!

For those of you who haven't noticed, and I'll say that there are a lot of you out there who haven't, the procycling season kicked off this past week with the Tour of Qatar. And picking up where he left off last year was The Tornado. Tom Boonen and Quick-Step again dominated this event with Boonen winning decisively in the sprints that he contested, while teammate, Wilfried Cretskens, took the overall prize. Photo AFP.

In Asia, the Tour de Langkawi, an event Discovery's Tom Danielson won while riding for Saturn, began its 12th running, signaling the start for some of the less notable Pro Tour and Continental teams.



But perhaps the most notable start came in Europe, where the GP d'Ouverture La Marseillaise's start list included Tyler Hamilton (Tinkoff Credit Systems) and a Unibet.com squad who was banned from wearing their logo because of some squirrelly French law that bans the advertising of foreign gambling and betting houses. Huh? So what does the Unibet.com team do? They come out dressed like Frank Gorshin's Riddler from the old school Batman TV series and win the whole darn shooting match. C'est la vie.

POW!

Damn It's Cold...

Outside Kalamazoo College

Oude Granny wasn't just imagining that Phil, from Punxsutawney, or Chuck, the Buckeye variety of the little fuzzy season predicting rodent, didn't see his shadow 3 days ago, thereby signaling an early Spring, right?

Regardless, its all us Midwesterners (and other parts of the US) can hope for as those thoughts of a global warmed November and December have suddenly swung to the other side of the temperature pendulum in February.

To our hardcore cycling brethren who are still on two wheels, whether out of love for cycling or out of necessity (huge shout out to my former teammates and Chicago messengers), stay warm!