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Friday's Mailbag: Letters about... well, what do you think they're about?

Published: Jul. 28, 2006

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Balance needed
Editor,
Thanks for printing such a narrow spectrum of self-righteous anti-doping pander in your letters section. If this news about Floyd is true it is not disgusting or offensive as your readers claim, only heartbreaking.
Jon Grabenstatter
Columbus, OhioWhat next?
Editor:
Et tu, Floyd?
Dave Rohlf
Golden, ColoradoI wanna believe
Dear Editor,
I want to believe Floyd, but do I believe Tyler Hamilton? Jan Ulrich?Ivan Basso? Rafiero Palmiero? Ben Johnson? Marion Jones? Tim Montgomery?Barry Bonds? Mark McGuire? Sadly the only people I believe are Jose Cansecoand David Millar.Sorry Floyd. I hope the "B" sample clears you.By the way, I do think the results of the “A” sample should notbe disclosed until the “B” sample is tested.
Douglas Ritter
Fort Worth, TexasSo this what we can look forward to
Dear VeloNews,
So let me guess. Another “innocent” rider is about to pursueadvanced studies in law and hematology. Perhaps Tyler Hamilton canloan Floyd some textbooks.And let’s lay out the next few years:B Sample is positive and Floyd isn’t surprisedFloyd gets fired, but doesn’t get mad at his team or the press (after they crucify him)Twenty-four months of appeals, arbitrations, lawsuits beginFloyd chronicles his highly technical, convoluted defense on his website (more help from Hamilton here)Floyd gets his hip surgery, accepts his fate, and begins a two year recovery during his banAfter Levi Leipheimer retires, it’s rumored that Floyd is headed to Discovery, but he instead signs a one year contract with a Continental upstart squad andAfter a disappointing season Floyd retires and rides off into the sunset.As much as I want to believe, despite the presumption of innocence, we’ve all been to this rodeo before.
Jeff Webb
Richmond, VirginiaIt's all about the lying
Dear Velo,
Invictus Maneo - I remain unvanquished - is the Armstrong mottoand was my response to Armstrong's "acquittal" of several weeks ago. Well, even cheaters can remain unvanquished. And why the turnabout? I never said he didn't dope, I just said he remained unvanquished. And now, yet another former "Postie" is implicated in a doping scandal;the winner of this year's Tour de France.Circumstantially, followers of the European peloton must agree thatto win one must dope. The reason is that there are dopers in thepeloton. A non-doper cannot beat a doper. So, doping begetsdoping begets doping, striking an awkward, if illegal, balance and the"best" racer wins. The problem, however, may not be in the dopingbut in the sanctimonious denials and wild speculation of endocrinologyanomaly that follows a "positive" test.Caveat Emptor, they say and we should all stop buying what they'reselling. And while I firmly believe in Mr. Landis' current innocence, there is just too much evidence, direct and circumstantial, indicatingthat doping is in widespread use. How about a "coalition of the willing,"lead by Mr. Landis or Mr. Armstrong or Mr. Ullrich (hell, how about allof them?), coming forward with a peloton-wide mea maxima culpa? After all, errare humanum est. And while the athletesdo not want or need forgiveness from me, I want to understand.For me its not about the doping, it's about the lying.
Jason Armstrong
Bozeman, MontanaLifetime bans for all!
After what appears to be yet another lethal blow to the reputationof professional cycling, Floyd Landis's shameful use of performance enhancingdrugs - if proven to be true - should be seen as a final straw by the governingbody of the UCI. Drastic action is needed to begin to remove fraudsfrom the sport, and a zero-tolerance policy for those that choose to cheatwould certainly be a step in the right direction. One strike andyou're out -- forever.
Mario Di Biase
Bloomington, IllinoisLet's just surrender
Editor,
It's time for the makers of the top performance drugs to step up andpay back to a sport that has given them so much. They could create they'reown league and different companies could sponsor teams and stipulate thatteam members only use their line of drugs. This would increase competitionin drug creating (maybe driving down prices for the rest of us) and wewouldn't have to deal with officials and team officials acting all surprisedwhen someone fails a test!The only cheating would be when a Bristol team rider gets caughtusing drugs from Pfizer!
Sven Cole
Conway, New Hampshire
The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.