Every little two lane county road is nicely paved, every road goes through to someplace unless it is marked at the start with a Dead End sign, all you need is a GPS unit to get you back to where you started and you can just head off in any direction and have a fantastic ride.
That’s what I did yesterday.
I rode east from Elksnout all the way to the shore of Lake Michigan. I had intended to circumnavigate the entire lake but, as I did last year in my attempt to circle Lake Winnebago, I failed miserably. Upon my arrival in Manitowoc I realized that I had repeated the same mistake of last year, riding two hours out with a tail wind. The wind was just howling from the east which meant a long grind back to the start for me.
Using my GPS unit to keep aware of my starting point I headed off, taking back and forth, into the wind when I felt good and trying to recover with the cross wind when I felt crappy.
I had hoped to get in 90–100 miles by the end of the day but dealing with the wind for 40 miles left me pretty well baked upon the finish of the ride. But it was very enjoyable and quite scenic.
“The time has come to put the cards on the table,” said Riis. “I have done things which I now regret and which I wouldn’t do again. I have doped. I have taken EPO. For awhile it was part if my life.”
When a journalist questioned Riis about what else he took besides EPO, he responded that he also took hormones and cortisone.
OK. Bravo Riis. A bit late but better late than never.
Are things changing? Finally? Is the revolution under way?
When I was a rider in the 1990s, I worked extremely hard to get my results. I worked extremely hard, day in day out and I sacrificed a lot just even to be part of the best. In that time, the perspective on doping and preparation was wrong and misguided.
That also means that I did things that I shouldn’t have and I have regretted that ever since. Those were mistakes that I take the full responsibility for and I don’t have anyone to blame but myself. We all make mistakes and I think my biggest mistake was to let my ambition get the better of me. That I have had to deal with a long time ago and I am glad to say that I am a lot wiser now. Both in my personal and in my professional life.
Without going into much detail I think Riis went a lot farther than many expected.
Bert Dietz, Christian Henn, Udo Bölts, Rolf Aldag, Erik Zabel, all members of the German Telekom cycling team during the 1990’s, have confessed this week to doping during their time with the team.
I can’t recall where I read it, but someone made the point earlier that it may be a “cool fad” to admit guilt for doping.
Maybe it’s just a passing thing, or maybe it’s the start of a real revolution in professional cycling.
CSC team director, 1996 Tour de France winner, and former Telekom team member, Bjarne Riis had called a press conference for today to comment on the situation. Is Riis going to join the fad?
I have said previously that this situation will never change unless the “top-down” pressure for race results is replaced with pressure to race clean. It’s the teams that are responsible for doping as well as the elimination of doping. It’s the teams that should be punished for doping offenses and it’s the teams that should be assuring that they are creating the conditions that do not cause riders to resort to drugs.
Riis, a rider who is rumored to have used EPO to the extent that it generated a 60% red blood cell level (thus the nickname “Mr. 60%”), has an opportunity to push this potential revolution forward. Doing so could certainly put him at great risk professionally. His Tour de France win would be tainted, his directorship at CSC would be in jeopardy. However, the riders listed above were in no less jeopardy when they made their confessions. Bölts has lost his job with the Gerolsteiner team and Zabel’s status as a rider with the Milram team is in question.
Will Riis make a bold statement that past actions are no longer acceptable in the world of professional cycling? Or will he defend the “old way” and try and protect himself? Today will show if Riis wants to be an agent of, or an obstacle to change.
“That move does nothing for me…but that move does everything for me. Excuse me for 21 seconds…”
“ummm, why do I keep thinking about mom? Is that normal?”
“Hey Jim, what’s the difference between a thong and a g-string? Which one am I wearing?”
“Pants tight, must remain seated…”
“How much for a lap dance? I got fourteen dollars and some change.”
“Tuffy, did you really once have a girlfriend that could do that thing with the ping pong ball? That’s awesome. I am going to try that when I get home.”
“I don’t hate you for being ugly, you are only as god made you.”
“Do they serve any food here? I feel like eating a hot dog.”
“Are those real?”
“Hey Jim, what’s the difference between a ‘dancer’ and a ‘stripper’? Is it the benefit package?”
“Any of you guys want to split a lap dance?”
“Hey baby, what’s your major?”
“Tuffy, I have had four beers now. Does that qualify to get into the VIP room?”
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