The Dope

"Lance Armstrong is Cleared of Doping Charges", screams the headline of this NY Times article. "A Dutch investigator appointed by the International Cycling Union cleared Lance Armstrong today on charges of doping during the 1999 Tour de France".

Since most people don't read very far past the headline, and the mainstream press knows this, the NY Times has definitively stated that Lance isn't a doper. But let's look at this a bit more critically than the well-financed, well-connected and powerful NY Times did.

First, this so-called investigator offers up no proof that repudiates the testing that showed Lance Armstrong's blood contained traces of the banned performance-enhancing drug EPO. His basic objection is that the lab that performed the tests did not have adequate controls in place to ensure that test results were kept private. Whether or not the lab violated confidentiality rules has very little to do with the fact that Lance's blood contained an illegal substance. The investigator wants this to be one of those technicality items that allow criminals to roam freely.

This investigator is not a chemical analysis expert, he is a lawyer. And essentially, this lawyer is asking that Armstrong's name be cleared because he, the lawyer, is upset that the information regarding Armstrong's failed blood test was leaked to the press (that, and as a doper defense lawyer this is what he does, more on that in a bit). I guess asking the NY Times to clear the name of a friend of the NY Times is good enough.

Lots of people are asking that VP Dick Cheney be cleared of any wrong doing in the silly, waste-of-time-because-it-doesn't-matter Valerie Plame incident but at every turn the Times is critical of Cheney and continues to call for a full investigation. Full investigation? Where's is that cry over Armstrong and his failed drug test? The goings-on in Washington may be more important in some circles than cycling, but shouldn't the NY Times be consistent in how they approach every matter, at least from a journalistic standpoint? If they insist on asking whether or not Cheney released Plame's name shouldn't they similarly be asking whether or not Armstrong's blood contained dope?

Back to Armstrong - even the investigator/lawyer's employers are upset with him and his report and state that they, "Firmly deplore the behaviour of Mr. Vrijman (the investigator/lawyer), who has prematurely voiced, offending the agreements that foresaw that all parties implied would be informed before any public comment on the report content would be done". Prematurely, as in, he hasn't a fricking clue. Offending agreements, as in, scoffing at rules and regulations. Wait a minute! Isn't that exactly what he was charged to do? Look into rule and regulation violations? And here he is doing it himself. Do as I say, not as I do, or, now we shouldn't believe anything that he says because he is a liar. Didn't this matter to the Times?

Oh, and one minor point that the Times is quick to ignore; the investigator/lawyer has spent the past few years defending athletes accused of doping. Nothing beats a non-partial, fair and open-minded investigation. I'm quite sure that Johnny Cochran was convinced of O.J.'s innocence too. If you can't pay me more than Lance, then a report calling him a doper has no chance.

The investigator does not have the authority to clear Armstrong, he was assigned to review the manner in which the leak occurred. So the very first sentence of the Times article (reprinted as sentence number two of this post) is false and misleading. And I suspect that the Times knows it. Just where the investigator and the Times get off making such bold lies I'll never understand.

So there you have it; a rogue investigator who doesn't have the support of his employers, without any expertise in chemical analysis, who is simply unhappy about a leak to the press (being sanctimonious about press leaks is certainly something that the Times can appreciate), who is a known liar and who makes a living defending dopers - asks that Armstrong be cleared, and the high and mighty NY Times complies without taking even the most cursory look at the facts or circumstances surrounding the issue. Nowhere in the Times article or anywhere else will you find that Armstrong's blood, which showed traces of an illegal substance, was re-tested and found to be dope free. And isn't that the real issue?

Note: The Times article was written by Samuel Abt, a cycling hanger-on if there ever was one. His entire career has been based upon access. If you look at his resume you'll see that access to Lance Armstrong has enriched Abt well beyond where his talent would have taken him. He's not going to be too keen on bashing Lance, is he?



What does Lance have to say about the report (which he says he has not had the time to study but doesn't let that stop him from making sweeping statements)? Not surprisingly, this;

"Although I am not surprised by the report's findings, I am pleased that they confirm what I have been saying since this witch-hunt began: Dick Pound, WADA, the French laboratory, the French Ministry of Sport, L'Equipe, and the Tour de France organizers (ASO) have been out to discredit and target me without any basis and falsely accused me of taking performance enhancing drugs in 1999".

That's right Lance, it's a witch-hunt and the world is out to get you. Poor Lance.

Wheels on Willy Race Report

From Darin;

Too early for a race; 9:00am. It was sunny but cold (low 40's), and windy. The course was pretty fun but with a lot of stuff to run into on the sides of the road. There were more mattresses around the course than in the Bunny Ranch in Nevada (Editor's note: I'm not quite sure how Darin would know this. But I need to find out!). The pace was fast with some breaks and primes. Russ and I stayed in the middle of the 50+ pack for most of the race. I moved up with three laps to go and finished at the back of the bunch sprint. Russ was in the second group sprint. There was a crash right before the last turn that took a couple of guys out. Just like the Whitnall Park crash; they ran out of road and hit the curb.

(Editor's note #2: Darin failed to mention anything about the sleeping arrangements the night before the race. It is the editor's understanding that he and Russ shacked up in Madison after the Circuit of Sauk race. I think the readers would find the Saturday night activities much more entertaining than Sunday morning's.)

Results

Darin 6th in Category, 16th overall
Russ 13th in Category, 27th overall

Currently in our category Barry is 3rd overall, Russ is 4th and Darin is 7th.

Circuit of Sauk #2 Race Report

From Darin;

The group screamed up the first hill and broke the whole group apart. I got caught out by myself for a good part of the race. Russ was able to stay in a small group. Nice day, tough race.

Results

Russ 8th in Category, 15th overall
Darin 11th in Category, 26th overall

Seeking Shelter From the Storm

During last evenings group ride Darin, Russ, Buster and I discussed adding some structure to the rides. Things like proper warm-up, defined goals, recovery periods and cool-downs. We all agreed that we most definitely should add more structure. Then we proceeded to hurt each other for two hours.

So tonight I decided to put in a two hour recovery ride, maintaining an average speed of less than 16.5 mph. Recovery rides in Wisconsin this time of the year are tough because it's usually windy. Not just breezy. We're talking leaning-into-the-wind-to-maintain-balance windy. And wind means that only 25% of any given ride can be easy pedaling (25% directly into the wind, 50% in a cross wind and 25% tail wind). So while you can have a lower than average speed, your work load is still high.

Tonight was different. It was only breezy. So off I headed in no particular direction. One and a half hours into the ride I notice that it's turned decidedly cooler and the wind was picking up. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the black storm clouds rolling in. Uh, oh. Time to head home.

At first it looked as though I would arrive home before the storm. But the overly large and intermittent rain drops were foreshadowing a far more bitter truth.

So down into the handlebar drops, pressure on the pedals and a fond adieu to the recovery ride. Nothing like steady lightning and booming thunder to get your adrenaline and leg speed up. Every now and then the crackle of the lightning was too close for comfort. Inch the body even lower into the wind and add more power to each stroke hoping against hope to avoid a nasty conclusion to the ride. And add one more item to the long list of justifications for buying the new bike; it's all carbon fiber. Lightning loves steel and aluminum but hates carbon fiber. I was less of an attraction on the new bike.

I rolled into the garage just as the wind and rain turned really ugly. Fifteen minutes later the setting sun momentarily exploded into view as it fell below the clouds, the sky turned orange and I took this picture;



And then I proceeded to wash off the bike for the fifteenth time this month. It really needs to stop raining.

Elvis Kennedy Podcast #3 - The American Idol Special

The very special American Idol podcast!

In which Elvis blows the lid off of American Idol. Well, at least he introduces us to some real musicians. With real talent. Not just a bunch of over-hyped, over-marketed people used as pawns by the show's producers for the evil purpose of making money, instead of music.

Elvis shares the musical talents of five independent artists. Enjoy the MUSIC!


Click here; to immediately play the podcast on your computer (or right-click (option-click on a Mac) to download it to your computer).

Or click here; to subscribe to and listen to the show in iTunes or on your iPod or other MP3 player.

Overhaulin' the Bike

The spring season here in Wisconsin has sucked. March was cold and wet. April was cold and wet. And May has been a bust so far. Of six rides last week, five were in the rain. And all of that was after five months of riding in the snow, sand and salt of winter.

What is this leading up to? Time to overhaul the bike. In this case, the Colnago CT2, which has now been relegated to a rain/crappy weather bike.

After removing the wheels, brakes, derailleurs, seatpost, saddle, bottle cages, handlebars and fork it was time to take off the bottom bracket so I could give the frame a good cleaning inside and out. Take a look at what I found after removing the crank;



And here is what was beneath the bottom bracket;



And the bottom bracket itself. The Boss says to clean it up and reuse it but I am dubious after taking a good look at it;



It's a good thing I have a spare on hand. The other good thing is that about a half a pound of water and gunk came out of the frame. It'll feel light and fast when it's back together.

Tomorrow I'm going to break down the wheel hubs. I've never done this on the new sealed bearing type hubs. It should be interesting.

By the way, if you've got your bike set up in a comfortable position you want to take care to note where all of the parts are and how everything is set up before taking it apart. Or if you're trying to set up a new or second (or third, or fourth...) bike to match the first one. Here's an extremely handy chart for you to jot down on paper the position of everything;

Elviskennedy Position Chart1

Take the quick 20 minutes needed to complete it. One day you'll be glad you did.

Just another reader service of elviskennedy.com. You're welcome!

Muskego Criterium Race & Crash Report (Initial)

Major crash in yesterday's race. An unidentified rider took out Barry and Mike. Barry has some scrapes, bruises and a broken wheel. Mike has, get this, five, count 'em, five broken ribs and a broken collar bone. Spent a long and painful night in the hospital. I haven't had a chance to speak to him to get a complete report. I hope to sometime soon.

Barry was sitting third in the final sprint, just yards from the finish line, with Mike just behind, both on the right side of the road. It appears that two other riders on the left side bumped one another, sending one of them across the road and into Barry's rear wheel. Barry felt a strange tug and immediately hit the ground. He didn't see it coming. Mike was just behind Barry and when Barry hit the ground Mike hit Barry's bike and did a flip onto his back, breaking bones all the way.

Please understand that all of this is preliminary at this point. When Mike gets some strength back and I get a chance to speak with both Mike and Barry I hope to be able to provide complete and accurate details.

In the meantime, send positive thoughts, energy and vibes out to Mike who is undoubtedly in a lot of pain at this time.


From Darin, our only finisher, immediately after the race;

Yuck. Big pile up on the last step of the climb before the finish during the sprint. Barry got rammed in the rear wheel by some guy who bounced off of someone (we think), Barry went down and Mike slammed into Barry. Barry is OK, some road rash and he was getting pretty stiff by the time he left. We think that Mike broke his collarbone.

I finished 15th out of 43, not sure how high in my age class maybe 4th, 5th or 6th.

It drizzled and was VERY cold and wet the whole race. My thighs and hands were numb during the race and I shook uncontrollably for an hour after. I was under dressed for this, I just wore my knickers, I should of put tights on.

Official Results:

Darin 4th in category 15th overall

Neenah Crit Report

From Darin;

I loved the course, turn one was a little bumpy but everything was fun. Thirty guys started. The guy that won the Circuit of Sauk yesterday won today. The race was fast and slow at times. A couple of guys tried to go off about four times and never made it, everybody screamed when they came up and we covered them everytime. I stayed up towards the front all day always making up a ton of spots going into turn number four. I was pretty gassed and a little out of position on the last lap, I finished 15th overall and 3rd in my age, lots of thirtysomethings.

So I got lots of points and I'm still alive!

Official Results:

Mike 1st in category 13th overall
Darin 3rd in category 15th overall

Circuit of Sauk #1 Race Report

From Russ;

Very tough first lap, fairly fast up the big climb about 4 miles in. But
the almost continuous upgrade for the next 4 miles was very tough at a high
speed. I believe a large portion of the 52 starters survived the first 14
mile lap though. The Boss and I were in the sweet spot at the front
approaching the big hill on lap two and the Brazen Dropouts boys hit it first
then another rider went all out. I went as hard as I could and the guy was still
widening the gap. I went over the top 2nd behind him, and a few guys and
myself bridged up, but the next uphill shortly after had me fading
into a second group. For most of the rest of the way myself and two other
guys chased the small lead group of 5 or 6. We got close a couple of times.
Near the end of the race another small group caught us. Anyway... I
finished 13th and the Boss was 16th.

Official Results:

Russ 6th in category 13th overall
Barry 8th in category 16th overall
Mike 2nd in category 26th overall

Laughter in the Rain

With heavy rain in the forecast Russ and I agreed to meet at Starbucks and check the weather at ride time. But really, it was a wink-wink agreement and we knew that we would be sipping chai and looking at the rain from a comfy chair next to the fireplace (I dislike Starbucks coffee but like their digs). Unfortunately Barry, who had said earlier that he wasn't interested in riding in the rain, and Darin, who said he was sticking close to home as to make a quick retreat, both showed up and insisted on riding in the rain anyway.

A new rider to our group, Buster, also showed up, and while there was no thunder heard during the ride Buster's presence caused a bit of lighting to fly. As you will see.

We head east into a light sprinkle with a tacit agreement to keep the pace slower than usual. This gave Buster the opportunity to share all kinds of data that he's been collecting from his new Powertap. The Powertap is an electronic device that provides feedback of a rider's power output in watts. It's the latest rage in cycling and is supposed to be a more accurate gauge of a rider's fitness than a heart rate monitor. While I find all of the data somewhat interesting, fascinating really, The Boss has no interest in technical gobbledygook when it comes to cycling. Ride hard when you can, easy when you can't, is his motto. Tear the muscles down, then let them repair and strengthen via rest.

So within five miles we had our first disagreement. What happens when cyclists disagree? Someone puts the hammer down. First The Boss, then Buster. With Darin, Russ and I hanging on the back for dear life, the other two up front were trying to out duel one another and the pace quickly went from 17 mph to 23 mph. At the top of a sharp climb Barry turns to Buster and says, "That Powertap help you up the hill?". Buster turns to Barry with a sly smile and says, "No, but with the data I saw it will help me up the next one". Barry guffaws.

More hammertime and now the rain is coming down in sheets. Every corner is a slick and scary battle trying to keep on the right side of the razor thin margin of not having the rubber lose adhesion with the pavement while screaming through the turn in a valiant effort to keep up with the group. Railroad track crossings, dangerous on a good day, become moments of shear terror as both wheels would momentarily skid and become airborne.

With every ounce of effort that I can dig down and get I ride up to Barry and Buster to ask them to slow down. Barry says, "What's the 'Tap say?". Buster rolls his eyes. The pace quickens and I fade to the back. Darin and Russ want to know what's going on. I tell them that the other two are apparently trying to prove a point of some kind or another.

Darin moves up to ask Buster a technical question in hopes of slowing him down. Much to our chagrin he starts up a power seminar without dropping a single watt. This is what I call 'on-line' education. Having heard enough, Russ tries to get the pace returned to normal by pointing out that it's getting dark, we can't see through our rain covered glasses, the roads are slick and with standing water everywhere our tires are hydroplaning at least half of the time. Safety is a good trump card. "And", he says, "the two of you will soon be alone".

With that, the tension breaks. Barry and Buster glance at each other and begin to laugh. Their smiles barely discernible beneath the layers of mud and road grime. Two sets of bright cheshire cat teeth. "I like having something to motivate me when I ride", posits Barry. "And I love the data", quips Buster. They laugh again.

Darin, Russ and I, hanging over our handlebars from the extreme effort, give each other a weak thumbs up. A good work-out, a new friend and just a few more miles until we're warming up next to the fire with a nice hot cup of chai. Where later The Boss was heard to whisper, "I still say that it's the effort, not the data, that matters".

Fork in the Road

Went for a nice long ride on Sunday. Rolled through Holy Hill, around Big Cedar Lake and right next to the world's fastest high banked quarter mile. How did I pick this route? I didn't. I came to this fork in the road, so I took it;



And am very happy that I didn't crash. I had this thing in my jersey pocket and it would have undoubtedly impaled a kidney.

The Colnago is Complete

Yesterday evening I finally found the time and energy to git 'er done. All I needed to do was tape up the bars and slap on a computer. The computer turns out to be a CatEye that I found in the bottom of one of my bike boxes that I had forgotten about. Might not be my first choice but I've got it, it's on and who cares?

Take a look at the finished product;

The Complete Bike

I was able to take it for a 25 mile spin and my initial reactions are that it's light, stiff, quiet and smooth. And Sweeeeeet! After I get a few hundred miles on it I'll do a complete review. In the meantime here are some specifications;

Colnago C-50 frame (size 56cm, measured center to top)
Colnago Star fork
Shimano Dura Ace grouppo (that's all of the levers, shifters, brakes, etc. for you non-cyclists)
Mavic Ksyrium wheels
Specialized handlebar and stem
Speedplay pedals
Fizik saddle

Fully set up it weighs in at 16.8 pounds. My other bike weighs 18.3 pounds so I lost a pound and a half which according to my calculations makes this little project the most expensive weight loss program in the history of the free world. But did I mention that it's Sweeeeeet!

Here's the cockpit

I've heard a lot of riders call the feel of a carbon fiber bike, "dead". And not necessarily in a bad way. Dead as in no road buzz. Dead as in less noise when riding over cracks, potholes and the like. So maybe I was looking for this 'deadness' on my inaugural ride. It was definitely quieter but that might simply be due to the fact that everything is new and tight. There was less road buzz coming through the handlebars and the 1.5 pounds in weight loss is surprisingly easy to feel. The bike felt smaller than my other one even though they are identical in dimension.

Huge bottom bracket lug for stiffness

Note the unusual shape of the top tube

Handcrafted in beautiful Cedarburg, Wisconsin

For those of you from around the world who checked in on the progress, thanks for stopping by. Please check in from time to time as I am planning on posting a Colnago CT2 review, a Colnago C-50 review and maybe a comparison of the two. Plus I'll be posting the usual elviskennedy.com shenanigans, hi-jynx and tomfoolery a couple of times each week.

But right now, I'm going for a ride! Sweeeeeet!

Whitnall Park Race Report

This race was pretty much a deja vu of the first Madison race. Round and round we go, Aaron takes off, no one chases, Barry wins the sprint for second. Russ' form is obviously coming along nicely as he finished second in his category. He's becoming a wily racer.

This race featured lots of climbing, a cold and stiff wind and a nasty crash at about lap five. I was caught behind the crash and that didn't help my disposition much. I hung off the back in a silly effort to avoid trouble (when in truth, the best way to avoid trouble is to stay up front, ahead of most of the riders). The nasty wind hit you at the top of the climb on each lap. As I was a bit off the back and not in the pack I took the full force of the wind. Each lap saw me move further and further behind until it was clear that I had been dropped. Now what? Stay in or go home?

Not wanting to hear from The Boss I decided to tough it out. Maybe you learn something that way. Here are two things that I learned; First, when complete strangers clap and tell you to hang in there it matters. Russ' kids were there and on every lap they were yelling encouragement and even running along side me for a while. Almost every other spectator yelled encouragement as well. That was nice. Secondly, the brotherhood of cyclists, even competitors, can be a strong thing. The overall winner Aaron caught me just before the finish line on his last lap. As he went by he gestured to me and said, "Keep it going". I said, "Go get 'em Aaron", in return. In the midst of a race, I'm dying from the solo effort, he's dying to stay ahead of the chasing pack and yet we each took the energy to offer a friendly acknowledgment. Moments later as I made my way through coasting riders who had finished a lap ahead of me each of my teammates yelled out my name and told me to finish strong.

At the two points where I would normally have felt the worst, getting lapped and then weaving through the pack, I felt the best because of the support I received from other racers.

Maybe one of these days I'll be able to give you a more complete race report by actually being in the race.

Currently, Barry and Mike are in first place overall in their categories. Russ is fifth in his. Darin and I have both scored points for the team which is second overall.

Results;

Barry - 1st in category, 2nd overall
Mike - 1st in category, 11th overall
Russ - 2nd in category, 12th overall
Darin - 6th in category, 23rd overall
Elvis - 16th in category, 47th overall

Still Not Done

Jeepers! Life sure has a way of interfering with getting this bike put together.

Spent most of Saturday racing (or rather, just going around in circles behind a race, but more on that in the next post), then a birthday party, then it rained all day Sunday, bla, bla, bla.

Last night was the first time I was able to get at it all week-end. I set up and adjusted; cables and cable covers to correct lengths, chain, front brake, rear brake, front derailleur, rear derailleur and brake/shifter levers. Also put the bottle cages on. Here are some photos;

Adjusting the rear brake

Adjusting the rear derailleur

Current status

Next I'll ride it on the rollers to dial in just where the brake hoods need to be for maximum comfort and power. Fiddle with the seat height and set back, put some handlebar tape on and go riding!

Here are two of the reasons I didn't spend much time on the bike this week-end;

Daughter Lauren and Granddaughter Lily

Ain't life sweet?