Thursday, December 25, 2008

What the. . .?

from cyclingnews.com:

Armstrong to be father for fourth time

It will be a memorable year 2009 for seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, not only for his return to professional cycling, including an anticipated start in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, but also for the birth of a child with girlfriend Anna Hansen.

"Anna and I are thrilled to confirm that we are expecting in June and our families are ecstatic and grateful," said Armstrong. "We are very much looking forward to what 2009 brings on many fronts. We appreciate respecting our privacy, as we are both eager to celebrate the holidays as a family."

Armstrong and Hansen met at a charity event and have been a couple since July.

Armstrong, 37, has three children with his ex-wife Kristin, a son Luke and twins Isabelle Rose and Grace Elizabeth.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Who's doping? (from cyclingnews.com)

Kohl: "Half of the peloton is on CERA"

Bernhard Kohl thought that half of the pro bunch was on CERA
Photo ©: Sonja Csury
(Click for larger image)

In his hearing with the Austrian National Anti-Doping Agency on Monday, Bernhard Kohl has alleged that "probably half the peloton is on CERA." The Gerolsteiner rider who has admitted using the performance-enhancing drug for the Tour de France insisted that he cooperated with the authorities and "named names" - but admitted that he did not name the doctor who provided him with the latest generation EPO for which he tested positive.

The former Gerolsteiner rider said that he had first heard of CERA last year, and looked it up on the internet. Upon learning that it was a form of blood-booster EPO, "it was out of the question for me." However, as time went on, the drug was discussed in detail in the peloton, he said, with the supposition that "probably half the riders were underway with CERA."

Kohl wants to protect his supplying doctor, saying "He gave it to me at my insistence. He has nothing to do with sport or doping. If I would give his name, his existence would be destroyed," according to the wienerzeitung.at. The 26-year-old further said that "It had nothing to do with a doping network."

The former pro has also testified before the World Anti-Doping Agency and the German federal police Bundeskrimnalamt, which is investigating the former T-Mobile Team for which Kohl rode from 2005-2006. "And I definitely named names there."

Rudolf Massak, general secretary of the Austrian Cycling Federation ÖRF attended Kohl's hearing on Monday and said that he had apparently tried to argue that the difficulties between the UCI and the ASO made a difference in the case. But, as Massak told laola1.at, "it can't be the point of this hearing that you have to discuss whether the positive controls came about at a ProTour race or not." He added, "It is not written anywhere that you can only be tested in races which have been approved by the international federation."

Kohl is facing yet another investigation. Prosecutors in his hometown of Klagenfurt are investigating him for fraud, according to diepresse.com. Doping itself is not a criminal act in Austria, but the investigation is looking at whether he defrauded sponsors, rivals and others. It carries a penalty of up to six months imprisonment. (SW)

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Tour de GA, No Go

Looks like it is actually dead for 2009, but may be back for 2010.

Tour de Ga

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Soldier Ride

I told Frankie Andreu at the Soldier Ride that I would post this:

The front group dropped Frankie. . .did the 60-mis course in under 3 hrs at a 20.4 mph pace.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Kohl seems to come clean about being dirty. . .

From cyclingnews.com

Kohl details his doping practice

A crash in the Dauphiné time trial started the downfall for Bernhard Kohl
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
(Click for larger image)

Austrian Bernhard Kohl, who returned a non-negative A-sample for EPO, gave details about his doping consumption. He started using it at the Dauphiné Libéré until one week before the Tour de France. He used it twice in three weeks and also said that he did all on his own.

Kohl said he used EPO for the first time. "A lot of things had come together. At the Dauphiné I was in good form. At the time trial I had the fourth-best time, but then crashed. I couldn't train for a week and I was running out of time," Kohl told Austrian paper Kurier. The former Gerolsteiner rider knew already there was a chance that Gerolsteiner would not continue and was also fighting to find a team. "I didn't have a result yet."

Kohl explained that he injected EPO himself, "Into the stomach, just like an insulin shot." He added that neither the team nor a doctor was involved. In fact, he praised Holczer for his anti-doping stance. "He did all he could. He talked to us and lived the clean sport for us – but he can't look over me for 24 hours. He definitely had no clue. Had he known he would have thrown me out of the team."

Kohl wasn't aware of organised doping in any of the teams he had been riding for. Kohl was at Elk Haus, Rabobank and T-Mobile before Gerolsteiner. "Maybe it was like that earlier. I have read the interviews with Jörg Jaksche. In comparison what he says, a lot has improved. It's probably thanks to the blood passport of the UCI. They see exactly when something is wrong. I never had as many controls as this year."

Despite the blood passport, Kohl decided to take the risk. "I was told CERA was undetectable." He started to have a bad feeling at the world championships, when rumours started that something would come out. Kohl realised he could get problems, but was holding out hope. "Maybe they won't find anything, maybe I took it long enough in advance. At the time I had no idea how long it would be detectable."

Kohl is choosing a different approach than his teammate Stefan Schumacher, who was also caught for CERA usage. "He says he is innocent. I can only say, I am going my way," Kohl stated. Kohl went on to explain that the crown witness rule to reduce his sentence would not be for him. "I deserve the ban and I will accept it. A bit of distance will be good, too. In sports you make a lot of sacrifices."

Monday, October 6, 2008

Positive from the Tour. . .

Piepoli and Schumacher Tour de France samples positive for CERA

Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval - Scott)
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini
(Click for larger image)

Both Leonardo Piepoli and Stefan Schumacher have tested positive for the performance enhancing substance CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator) according to reports released Monday. The riders were declared positive by the French Anti-doping Agency (AFLD) which last week re-tested a number of blood samples taken during the Tour de France.

The Italian Piepoli tested positive twice according to a statement by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), and confirmed by the AFLD on Monday. Pieopoli's results came back positive for samples taken one day prior to the Tour on July 4 and also on July 15.

During the same edition of the Tour de France, Piepoli's team-mate and stage winner Riccardo Riccò also tested positive for the third-generation EPO. As a result, team director Mauro Gianetti pulled the entire Saunier Duval team from the race.

Prior to the team's withdrawal, Piepoli won stage 10, and Riccò won stage six and stage nine of the Tour de France. Riccò confessed to CONI that he had used EPO and has since received a suspension totalling 24 months.

According to Spanish media, Piepoli previously confessed to taking EPO; however, he later denied doping when called before CONI as a witness during a hearing concerning Riccò.

CONI will hold a hearing with Pieopli on Friday, October 10.

Double time trial winner positive

Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner)
Photo ©: AFP
(Click for larger image)

Stefan Schumacher tested positive after being targeted by the AFLD, and was one of the riders who turned in suspicious results for the urine test for CERA, according to his team manager, Hans-Michael Holczer. The AFLD was unable to declare a positive from the urine results, and last month ordered blood samples delivered from Lausanne, Switzerland, corresponding to the riders with suspicious results.

"I heard the news a few minutes before – I read the report on L'Equipe and I got a phone call from Christian Prudhomme," said Holczer, confirming that he believed the report to be true. "The whole team has been betrayed ... I will do everything that is possible to sue him," he told Cyclingnews' Gregor Brown.

The German who rides for Holczer's soon to be defunct Gerolsteiner team won both of the time trials in this year's Tour, taking the yellow jersey after his win on stage four and holding it for two days before crashing during the sprint into Super Besse on stage six. His second win came on stage 20 where he beat world champion Fabian Cancellara.

Last month, he signed a contract with the Quick Step team, replacing two-time world champion Paolo Bettini on the Belgian squad.

This isn't the first time that Schumacher has failed under suspicion of doping. In 2007, he showed abnormal blood values prior to the world championships. He attributed the changes to intestinal problems. Following the 2007 season, he crashed his car while under the influence of alcohol.

In 2005, he tested positive for the stimulant cathine while racing for the Shimano-Memory Corp. team. He was cleared after demonstrating that his positive came from allergy medicine prescribed to him by his mother, a physician. The medicine contained the drug, but was not on the banned substances list.

Mircera misinformation uncovers cheats?

CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator) is a longer lasting form of EPO which supposedly results in a more stable increase in red blood cells. It is similar to previous generations of EPO, but has a chemical called polyethylene glycol attached to it. Because this molecule makes the drug larger, it was rumoured to be undetectable in urine, which may be why some riders were convinced that they could get away with using it.

However, the AFLD used a two-pronged approach to root out cheaters in this year's Tour de France. They first checked the blood values of every rider in the Tour in pre-race screens, and began targeting any rider with suspicious values with additional controls. They then rolled out a urine test for Mircera, which was developed in co-operation with the manufacturer, Roche.

The targeted tests ended up catching two riders: Riccò for CERA and Manuel Beltrán for EPO (the type was not announced). Moises Dueñas tested positive for EPO after a random control.

The urine tests were somewhat unreliable at giving definitive results, so the AFLD decided to order the blood samples taken before and during the Tour for additional testing with a newly developed CERA blood test. The testing was delayed, but resumed last week, giving rise to rampant rumours about who might test positive.

The positives of Piepoli and Schumacher are the first to come out of this new batch of testing. AFLD did not say how many more riders' blood was being tested.

The UCI followed the French agency's example in August, putting Emanuelle Sella, the winner of three Giro d'Italia stages and the mountains classification, under the microscope. He was found to be positive in August after an out-of-competition control.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Dura-Ace 7800 starting to be on SALE. . .

With the new DA models coming out (7900 and the electronic version soon. . .), some have started putting the 7800 models on sale.

See Competitive Cyclist for one such sale. 30%-40% off.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Words of Wisdom and Safety, Scott McNeal

Hey all,

Tough topic coming here. Recent events and/or near events on the Cancun ride prompt me to write this e-mail. This also applies to other rides where things get competitive. I hope I don't offend anyone in particular, but in an effort to produce a safer ride...

We all want to ride well, and we all want to be with the group that best fits our riding style. Some of us are riding well and getting better. Some of us have a history of riding well, but haven't been able to get on the bike as much as before and aren't as strong as we once were. What ride do we choose? A or B? It really DOES matter, both in terms of safety and riding manners-wise.

The easist way to get better is to ride with stronger riders. However, it is important that you recognize your limits and minimize your "liabilities" in the pack. DON'T try to exceed your
abilities; when a rider is at his limits, he is the most dangerous. Stay in the back and let people from the left paceline in. You can maintain position and use a lot less energy. As you get stronger, take a short pull every once in a while; it is ok to skip a pull because the group will recognize that you are making an effort when you can.

If you are getting dropped off the back of the pack on a consistent basis, think about telling the group that you are going to drop off. Most likely, someone will drop off with you. You probably aren't the only one suffering! Think about the B ride for the next time and be one of the studs taking more than your share of pulls. You will benefit greatly from this.

Sprint sections will always be part of the Cancun culture. A lot of winning a sprint zone is being in the right place at the right time. Don't force your position at the end and put others at risk! There will be other sprint zones! You may think crossing the yellow line is the only way to pass, but it sets a bad precedent and is frowned upon/illegal in real racing around here. You may see good riders do it, but the rider I respect most in the upstate doesn't, and that is good enough for me. (Nazgul)

There have been three bad injuries in the last month. If you ride, you will fall at some point, unfortunately. Let's keep it to a minimum on our watch!

Scott McNeal

Monday, September 22, 2008

6 Gap Plans, directions, etc

I’ve included several links that might be helpful for our adventure this weekend. In addition to regular stuff, we will need to bring bedding (sheets, pillow). AIM will have bunk-style beds and outdoor showers. Their facility is 7-8 miles from restaurants and shopping for last-minute supplies. I saw that the ride has showers at the finish—probably makes sense to shower and leave from there instead of driving back down to Gainesville.

I would suggest we carpool from the 290 Ingle’s, leaving about 3:00 or so Saturday. We can go directly to Dahlonega, pick up packets, and then head to Gainesville or dinner, whatever the group preference. I’d like to get to AIM before dark if we could as it is out in the country—there’s not much around there.

Six Gap website

AIM website

Driving directions to AIM

(I have never taken the MapQuest route. I take a different route that goes closer to Gainesville and then heads north to AIM. It uses fewer back roads. We can do that if you’d prefer—it’s the same travel time.)

Driving directions from AIM to packet pick-up in Dahlonega

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Poor Astana sure needs Lance. . .

Final GC for the 63rd Vuelta a España:
Final General classification

1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 80.40.08
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana 0.46
3 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC - Saxo Bank 4.12
4 Ezequiel Mosquera Miguez (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia 5.19
5 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 6.00
6 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 6.50
7 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank 6.55
8 David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone 10.10
9 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 10.57
10 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre 11.56
11 Oliver Zaugg (Swi) Gerolsteiner 12.38
12 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 13.35
13 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Crédit Agricole 13.41
14 David Garcia Dapena (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia 15.59
15 Juan Manuel Garate (Spa) Quick Step 17.53
16 Jurgen Van Goolen (Bel) Team CSC - Saxo Bank 20.14
17 David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 21.33
18 John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale 22.34
19 Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des Jeux 24.57
20 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 25.13

Thursday, September 18, 2008

High-mile Saturday option info

I noted some of us are meeting at my house to LEAVE for Cancun at 7:40—Cancun ride Sat starts at 8:30—

Here is the route we'll take to Cancun if any want to meet at my house or along the way.

My home is the 218 summerfied rd part of this—590 5458

Monday, September 15, 2008

Descending

All, we have had a second descending accident in the past few weeks. First our mega-mile friend Steve Roberts and now this note (emailed from John Barrett):

"Good morning!

Many of you know Derek and Kelly Kazlowksi from the Cancun ride on Wednesday and other rides. Derek was coming down Hogback Saturday solo, had a flat in a turn, and went down hard. He got quite a bit of road rash, cracked three ribs, fractured his scapula, and had a partially collapsed lung. He lay in the middle of the road, unable to move because he could hardly breath (from the collapsed lung). He used one foot to drag his bike to him, get his phone out of the seat bag, and called 911. A kind resident, coming down the mountain, stayed with him until the ambulance arrived. (Fortunately, they stopped since Derek was still in the middle of the road!) After the ambulance took him down the mountain to Harmon Field, he was airlifted to Spartanburg Regional. He is home this morning and I’m sure would appreciate any e-mails.

His e-mail address is:

Derek.Kozlowski@Milliken.com

If you’d like to give him a call, his home phone is: 703-3569

Please remember Derek in your prayers."

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Deer Population Control At Croft State Park

September 17^th and 18^th

October 1^st and 2^nd

October 15^th and 16^th

November 5^th and 6^th

Hunters will be hunting at Croft State Park/ Southside on these dates.
Please refrain from using the park trails during these dates.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Rides Week September 22

MONDAY



TUESDAY


WEDNESDAY

• We are in for more beautiful weather to meet at Cancuns 'n ride!

HEADLIGHTS ARE A GOOD IDEA. REAR BLINKERS ARE A MUST

AT 5:30 Madeline and friends will lead a friendly chilled out MILD pace of 15-16 avg group. The distance will be 30ish miles.
This is a perfect speed for those who want to use Weds as a recovery ride day.

AT 6pm we'll leave for a 30 mile ride as one group and split up into a coupla groups depending who wants to bust things up. Typically the two groups end up averaging 20 and 18. If that's not enough for you, we'll come back to Cancuns on Blackstock Rd. to devour lots of chips'n salsa, great mexican cuisine and lots of beverage!

HAVE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT FOR FLATS—HAVE A CELL PHONE
NO ONE LEFT BEHIND. We say this knowing that there is always some chance that someone IS left behind.

Most of us have experienced this at some point. While its great to rely on the camaraderie of fellow cyclists,

THURSDAY



FRIDAY

SATURDAY



SUNDAY

Saturday, September 6, 2008

No Tour of GA for 2009?

Read about the demise of the Tour of Georgia here.

Saturday Sept. 6, Sunday Sept. 7

Looks dry for today's Tour de Paws. 9 am start. . .

TdP starts here.

Sunday Morning: Recovery ride, leaving from downtown Sptg YMCA @ 8:30; we'll do Ralph's loop.

Two Sunday rides are standing rides from BikeWays:

• 1:30 with Madeline

• 2 with Richard White

See the eRide emails for details.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Welcome

Hello, cyclists and mainly the Eride group!

This can become a web-based companion to our emailing—if you all want.

It is intended to be informative—a one-stop spot for all your cycling needs. If you want this to survive and grow, email me and offer additional links and categories.

Also, I can post your ride announcements if you wish—just let me know and I will post.

Contact me at: paul.thomas@furman.edu

How to Join eRide Emailing List

1) Go online to www.yahoo.com

2) Select the GROUPS button on the left side of the page

3) Type in ERIDE in the FIND A YAHOO! GROUP box and click on SEARCH

4) When the search is complete click on ERIDE ( in purple letters )

5) Scroll down to the JOIN THIS GROUP button and click on it

6) At this point you will need to enter your Yahoo ID and password . If you are not a Yahoo member you can click on the SIGN UP button and create an account with them for free .

7) Fill in the required information on the ERIDE membership application and then click on the JOIN button .

8) The moderator of the ERIDE group ( Greg Kyzer ) will review your membership application and if approved extend you an invitation to join the group . The review is necessary to allow him a chance to weed out spammers .

Weekly Local Rides

Monday:

Tuesday:

• Bike Ways, 6 pm, 30-40 mis., fast-paced (not for beginners)

• Donaldson Center, 6 pm, lap-length varies, race

Wednesday:

• Cancun, 6 pm, 30-40 mis; A, B, C options (see email weekly)

Thursday:

• Fat Boyz, Anderson Farm start, see email for info

Friday:

Saturday:

See weekly email posting on eRide

Sunday:

• 1:30 from BikeWays, Madeline (ride leader)

• 2 from BikeWays, Richard White (ride leader)

• See weekly email posting on eRide