Mon, 17 Sep 2007
Tour of Missouri Wrap Up
I watched part of the race Saturday. I was able to hear the interview
with Johan Bruyneel and it was very interesting to hear how Bruyneel
contrasted the reception of the Discovery Channel team in the US
compared with Europe. It's seems they are a bit bitter over the way
things have gone in the sport. I can't say I disagree completely.
Not that I am against something being done about all the substance abuse
but still, the sport is really self destructing. It was also announced
that the Navigators team will be folding after this year. They are a top
US based team who also did a fair about of Euro races.
I left thinking that this stage would be very similar to the day before with the sprint oriented teams bringing back together in the end. But I was wrong and it must have been a very exciting finish to see Danny Pate attack and win solo at the end. I would think this is probably one of his biggest wins (if not the biggest).
Sunday I went down to the course. The stage consisted of a circuit race. The idea here is that you do multiple laps on a closed course. The course was about 10 miles in length and they would do 7 laps. I was walking around the far west end of the course which was DeBaliver avenue. I had my amateur radio HT with me and about half way through I got the race radio frequency. This is not the audio that the fans listen to on the Internet but it's what the team directors listen to. It is mostly just information. They relay time gaps and the numbers of the racers. The time gaps were most useful. There was a break of 4 that formed early but Discovery was again holding the rope and with this course being mostly flat, I was sure they were not going to stay away for the whole race. I was really hoping the Missouri native Brad Huff would be up there and it looks like he was right on Ivan Dominguez' wheel but apparently hit someone or something and crashed into the barriers on the left at high speed. He is OK from all the information I received.
Cycling news has lots of photos. A local racer took some good photos and caught Huff right before he impacted the barriers. And here's some YouTube video of the climb from Saturday. A couple of my Big Shark teammates are in the frame at the end.
I guess I just can't express how exciting and really surprising the reception of the race has been. 30 thousand people in St. Charles Saturday to see the finish and 55 thousand at Union Station finish line Sunday. I think next year I'm going to try and see more stages. This is really turning into one of the premier bike races in all of North America.
[/cycling/professional] 2 comments permalink
Sat, 15 Sep 2007
Stage 4: Discovery's Leash
I took the day off yesterday, not to watch the Tour mind you but
in order to paint our dining room walls. But of course I had
my computer on with the video going and I was able to catch most
of the stage. The break that took form fairly early looked interesting.
The fact that it didn't contain any of the 12 from the stage 2
break meant that it did have a chance of sticking. But as Mark
Gorski pointed out (co-commentator), Discovery Channel employed
their typical tactics and were never going to let it get more
than 5 minutes or so away. And with that being the case,
as the race came down to it's final few hundred kilometers,
the teams interested in winning the stage with their sprinters
took over and drove the peloton to finally catch the break.
The Brazilian, Pagliarini, who won the stage really seemed to keep his speed and stay ahead for quite a distance there at the end. It's kind of rare to see a sprinter who can go early (like 200 meters out) and hold it. But it's kind of hard to tell from the video exactly how far out he was before he came forward. It looked like it was pretty far but I'm not sure. The quote from Ivan Dominguez indicates that he caught something near the end and that held him up for a moment. That's enough to do it at these speeds.
I can't say enough about how well the commentators are doing. Schlanger along with Mark Gorski are doing a fantastic job. Not only with their own comments but they are managing to get on the phone with some of the team directors who are calling the shots in the team cars and it is really very insightful. One interesting thing that Gorski said when discussing the business end of the tour is that, compared to the other tours here in the US (California and Georgia), the ToM has much better financial backing from major corporate entities like AB, Monsanto, ATT, Enterprise Leasing, and Build a Bear to name just few. That really seems to indicate that this race is going to be going for a while to come. What a fantastic event to have in the State!
[/cycling/professional] 0 comments permalink
Fri, 14 Sep 2007
Stage 3: TT thoughts
The stage 3 time trial went pretty much the way I thought it would with
George Hincapie taking a slight lead for the overall win by pulling out a slight
margin of time over his 11 other companions in the break away from stage 2.
Nathan O'Neil put in an excellent performance and Levi Leipheimer was even
better, taking the stage win.
I was able to watch some of the video coverage from the Tour web site yesterday.
This features local sports commentator Steve Schlanger who has been doing a pretty
decent job covering the Tour in my opinion.
But one thing I have a slight difference of opinion on is a comment that was made during the coverage yesterday. Schlanger mentioned that this particular TT course doesn't give the riders any chance to take a rest but I'm not sure that's true. The course (like many of the stages) features rolling terrain. Now with rolling terrain you do have downward sections which can provide some moments to rest. The thing that makes this kind of riding difficult is that it's hard to get into a rhythm. And this makes it hard to gage your effort and tricky to determine an overall strategy.
The Velonews account of the stage has quotes from Hincapie, Leipheimer, and Nathan O'Niel. All three of them seem to feel they didn't do the TT as well as they would have liked. Curiously, O'Niel says the course did not provide any place to rest But Leipheimer on the other hand says he was actually stopping pedaling on some of the downhill sections and getting into a better tuck. When you are going uphill on a bike there is less momentum and it is easier to hit your target wattage output and even go over it but when you go downhill, the effect is reversed and you carry more momentum and speed and it can be harder to maintain the same wattage output. O'Niel was using a power meter and it's possible that his strategy in terms of average power was difficult to maintain due to the rollers. Hincapie and Leipheimer were not using power meters but still, the rollers might make it harder to determine your overall effort and perhaps they felt like they had more to give by the time they reached the end or perhaps they felt overly exhausted and were not able to ride as consistently as planned. At any rate, I think the conclusion that is most certain is that rolling terrain can be the most difficult to race effectively and it takes a certain kind of mind set as well as physiology to do well.
[/cycling/professional] 2 comments permalink
Thu, 13 Sep 2007
Stage 2: Armadillo Attack!
Anyone who was skeptical of the existence of armadillos in the
state of Missouri was treated to prime evidence to the contrary as
one of the little critters apparently ran into the middle of the
peloton yesterday about 3 miles into stage 2 of the Tour of Missouri
bike race. This apparently caused several riders to go down and
unfortunately Dan Schmatz of St. Louis got the worst of it
suffering a bad collar bone break. Let's all wish Dan
a speedy recovery (no it's very difficult to even pedal
at all with a broken collar bone, he's out of the race) and hope he comes back
next year to show those rodents who's boss!
And you might also wonder about my ability to understand bike racing as my prediction of today's time trial being the major selector stage for the overall winner has been disproved for the most part. The reason this is so is simply that 12 riders formed a break yesterday and proceeded to extend their lead over the rest of the peloton by about 15 minutes. So for sure, the winner of the tour will be one of those 12 guys. And the guy who is sitting in the cat bird's seat is George Hincapie who was clearly in control yesterday. The only question is how much energy did he use chasing down attacks at the end and in general keeping that break together for most of the day. But today he will have an advantage over the others because he will go last and so will know who of the 12 has the best time at each checkpoint on the course and he can adjust his speed accordingly so that he maintains the overall lead. That's not to say he can't be beaten but if I were a betting man, I would probably not bet against George at this point.
Cycling News' account of yesterday's stage is really good and will give you some great insight into what makes bike racing so interesting and at times unpredictable. As that break formed, there were certain politics of the situation that came into play and the article explains it quite well. And you have got to love some of those beautiful photos of Midwestern Missouri!
[/cycling/professional] 2 comments permalink
Wed, 12 Sep 2007
Stage 1 to Ivan
I have to admit, it's pretty exciting to
see these guys racing on the roads of my home state. And the St. Louis
Post actually has a
decent and informative article.
There are two natives of Missouri in the race. Now that in itself is quite interesting. Brad Huff from Springfield is on Jonathan Vaughters Slipstream Sports team. This is a very innovative team that very likely will be in the Tour de France next year. Huff has had success over in Europe in the past two years. Then there is also our home town guy, Dan Schmatz who races on the BMC team which is active on the US pro tour here in the states. Dan and Brad are both sprinters who I expect to be competing with Ivan Dominguez who won yesterday's race. Dan is providing some good insights on his blog. Reading his entry from yesterday gives you a bird's eye view of what transpired on those closing laps. You can get a feel for how bike racing (at least for the sprinters) almost equal parts luck, skill, and intuition. Those sprinters have to make decisions within just a few seconds in order to be in the right position. Let's hope Dan gets it right on one of these stages. For sure there will be a lot of people shouting for him on the final stage here in St. Louis.
So who do I think will win the overall? It's all going to come down to tomorrow's time trial stage in Branson. I don't know exactly how steep it is. That will be very telling. If it's more like a climb then Contador (the Tour de France champion) might have a shot. But if it's less steep, then look for the pure TT guys to dominate. Maybe Health Net's Nathon O'Neil or Levi Leipheimer of Discovery.
[/cycling/professional] 0 comments permalink
Tue, 11 Sep 2007
Tour of Missouri Starts Today
I haven't said anything about this recently but today is the day.
Cycling News has coverage and their
preview of the race gives an
overview. They are a bit critical of the date on the calendar.
The Vuelta De Espania (tour of Spain) is still going on right now
as well as some other UCI races both here in the states and in
Europe. But most of the top domestic teams and Canadian teams
are here. The final stage will be a circuit race in St. Louis on
Sunday afternoon. Well perhaps the good thing about this is that
both the Cardinals and the Rams are struggling so perhaps the
attendance at both of these games (which will also be going on
Sunday afternoon) will be diminished. The official web site,
www.tourofmissouri.com
has more information on the course. The biggest stage will be
the Time Trial in Branson. It will most likely provide the best
opportunity for the overall winner to take command of the race.
[/cycling/professional] 4 comments permalink
Wed, 30 May 2007
Some Thoughts on Doping in Pro Cycling
Professional cycling is hurting from recent revelations of Ivan Basso and
now CSC Director Bjarne Riis who
admitted to taking EPO during the
'96 tour which he won while riding for Team Telekom. He says there were
no side effects and that he purchased all the products and used them on
his own initiative. For sure this is only the tip of the ice berg and
the doping problem is and has been systematic since the early to mid
'90s.
Now the question I have is concerning the health and well being of the athletes who engage in extreme endurance sports. The effects of these activities are not insignificant. Extreme oxidative stress and Ischemia damage internal organs and body functions to the detriment of an athlete's health. So I wonder if a certain amount of intervention in the form of "doping products" may be a healthy thing? What if EPO up to a certain point helps promote the health of cyclists? And what if micro dosing of synthetic testosterone also helps athletes stay healthy by enhancing recovery? The critical point here is what products are safe and which ones are not? Steroids seem to be a pretty bad thing as they put stress on the the liver and kidneys as well as tendons which cannot develop as fast as muscles. It would seem a good idea to ban them. But what about the other things?
In my opinion I think it would be better to make rules that focus on safety. Ban substances that we know are unsafe or that we don't really know about. So in this way of thinking, EPO might be safe if used in conjunction with the 50% hematocrit rule. If an athlete goes above that level, they can be risking their safety because their blood could be too thick.
I don't know if this is the solution. I really only have questions at this point. All of us take drugs or vitamin/mineral supplements to make up for deficiencies or to help recover from sickness. In a similar way, why can there not be substances for these athletes who are putting tremendous amounts of stress on their bodies?
[/cycling/professional] 0 comments permalink
Mon, 12 Feb 2007
Tour of Missouri
See the details at
www.tourofmissouri.com. From what little I have heard, Governor
Blunt moved quickly and aggressively to get this major professional
bike race here in our state. It will hit all of the major places
in the state, ending up with a circuit race in St. Louis. It
seems that Columbia was a bit slow to grasp the significance
but they finally got on board. Being in September, we should
be able to get some of the big teams to come and race. I
don't know any details on this yet. Now for all my blog visitors who
are not bike racers, take note. This is not an amateur event. It
will be the big boys. Guys who make a living racing bikes. Look for
some of the pro teams from across the pound being here. This
is really a tremendous event. I hope St. Louis and the other towns
will get on board and make it a success.
[/cycling/professional] 0 comments permalink
Mon, 29 Jan 2007
US Gets Silver at Cross Worlds!
A great performance by Jonathan Page yesterday at the cyclocross
world championship race in Belgium. Page has been living in
Belgium for the past 5 years and it looks like his dedication has
payed off. Read a full account of the race
at Cycling News. And don't miss Graham Watson's
Photo Expose.
[/cycling/professional] 0 comments permalink
Wed, 13 Dec 2006
Comments on Doping by Aitor González
González is a cyclist who retired from the pro ranks last year.
I find his comments very interesting (part way down
the page here). For example this quote:
"Many people do not understand that the cycling is like a disease," continued González. "When you compete, your organism deteriorates, and to be able to maintain healthful analytical values, it is necessary to help the body; that is, a rider who finishes the Tour without any medical aid, finishes it ill; with values of testosterone like a woman; with anaemia and a series of pathological symptoms.One point that people make against sports professionals taking any kind of substance is that it is a bad example. But in reality is there any pro sport that is really healthy? Sure, many athletes achieve phenomenal fitness levels but are they really healthy? Does their fitness translate into longevity and good health after their careers are over? Not too many I would guess and especially not in endurance sports. So one could ask in response, are any pro sports a good example that you would want your children to aspire to? Because of this, I think it might be better for the various anti-doping agencies to focus on health and not strict banning of any "performance enhancing substance".
So perhaps we need to think about how to do endurance sports in the most healthy ways. This most likely would include using various kinds of supplements (vitamins, minerals, etc...) under the supervision of knowledgeable doctors and physiologists. Banning rules would be pointed at only those substances and methods which are suspect or proven to be dangerous.
[/cycling/professional] 2 comments permalink
Tue, 28 Nov 2006
Vaughters Words of Wisdom
Jonathan Vaughters, a former US Postal team member of Lance
Armstrong's 1999 team at the Tour De France is now the
leader of the TIA-CREFF Team which will be racing in
Europe in 2007. His recent interview
is worth a read to all professional athletes and fans alike.
People and the press need to remember, athletes tend to be very self-conscious and they want to do what makes the crowd happy. Don't criticize and push hard and then act shocked when doping scandals erupt. Athletes are humans - entertainers - and very fragile humans at that. Think of them as shivering greyhounds on a cold day. All they want is to go fast so they can see the smile on your face.
[/cycling/professional] 0 comments permalink
Tue, 05 Sep 2006
A Note From Tyler Hamilton
Recently embattled pro cyclist Tyler Hamilton
wrote on his web site
concerning the strong allegations listed against him coming out
of the Operation Puerto scandal. These allegations include
photos of a doping schedule he supposedly used in the 2003
season. Tyler has a guest book at his web site and I wrote
him this simple message a few days ago:
Tyler, You raise some good questions about the Operation Puerto scandal but can you be more specific about your own involvement? Did you work with Dr. Fuentes during the 2003 season? Did you transfuse your own blood during the 2003 season? Bobber St. Louis, MO USA Aug 26, 2006 at 11:20 AM E-mail:kc0dxf@yahoo.comMy message has not appeared in his guest book but he did take the time to write a brief response a few days later:
In response to your question, and as I have said repeatedly, I have not transfused blood - mine or anyone elses and I have not worked with Dr. Fuentes. Thanks for writing. Best wishes, Tyler Hamilton
It is interesting that he would take the time to write to someone apart from a response in his guest book. It goes without saying that I am a nobody. Proving his innocence to me gains him nothing. Why would he do this?
[/cycling/professional] 7 comments permalink
Wed, 21 Jun 2006
And the Winner is...
Daniel Wyss crossed the RAAM finish line close to midnight last night.
Today's Velonews article has some interesting insights into
Wyss's preparation. He gained 15 pounds and used a liquid diet.
He did get regular sleep periods (2 hour per night and a 15 minute
power nap during the day). A local cyclist shot a
photo of Wyss as
he passed through St. Charles. He looks pretty strong there doesn't he?
There was a crash with one of the racers in Alton. This is one of the real hazards with RAAM. They don't close off the streets for these races like they do with something like the Tour de France (or Tour de Georgia). You are out there with the traffic giving it your all at the same time. You can make poor judgments when you are on the limit. It's a danger these guys have to be aware of.
[/cycling/professional] 0 comments permalink
Tue, 20 Jun 2006
RAAM Neck Brace
The traditional solo and the new enduro classes will finish
some time tonight.
Here's an update from today which says that
traditional leader Daniel Wyss has only gotten ten hours of sleep since
the start 9 days ago. Enduro leader Jonathan Boyer is a former Tour
de France racer. He is lagging Wyss but there's some optimism in the report
that he might catch him. He's having neck problems and is
using a brace. And
here's another photo of him
on the bike. Is this real endurance racing or what?
[/cycling/professional] 0 comments permalink
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