The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you havea comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen incycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write toWebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name andhome town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writersare encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions of the submittingauthors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policies or positionsof VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, InsideCommunications, Inc.

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It's not a conspiracy
My fellow Americans,
The French don't hate us (see Dan Weitzel's letter in Saturday'sMailbag). You just hate them for doing their job. There is no conspiracy.If Lance or Floyd were Italian or Spanish the result would be no different.The UCI and the Tour organizers are doing their best to catch the cheaters,but it must be difficult when the peloton remains mum on the whole issuebecause it is likely a small minority who race clean, at the back of thepack.I find it interesting that anyone who speaks up, like Frankie Andreu,gets shot down. How is it that the average speeds keeps getting fasteryear after year? The answer? Better doping administration. Maybe Lancewas the best doper of the peloton, to add to all his other riding skills.And Floyd takes back 10 minutes, looking like a madman across the line,then tests show high testosterone.... is this not suspicious?Floyd was my man, now I can only hope he's legit' but I don't hate theFrench for doing their jobs in cycling. It's just coincidence that Floydand Lance are both American. Plenty of other nationalities are gettingbusted, too, including French riders.Face it, it's a dirty sport. The grand tours at the average speeds theyare doing them in are not humanly possible without performance enhancingdrugs. Basso, Ullrich, Mancebo.. should we be surprised? Bring on the DNAblood tests.
Ethan Harris
Leysin, SwitzerlandBurger bashing
Dear Velo,
Here we go again, another ill informed city boy perpetuating urbanmyths about beef (see Scott Gordon's letter in Saturday'sMailbag).Much of the beef consumed today is raised without the use of steroidsor hormones, some is marketed as "organic" direct to the consumer howevert producers who contract to fast food chains also could have theircattle certified "organic" but just do not see the need for the added expense.The Media likes to talk about the use of hormones and steroids in beef but the cattle industry found some time ago they could get superior resultsthrough better choices in breeding . They are now beginning to do a betterjob of getting that information out to the public.I think Mr. Gordon would be better off spending more time riding hisbike and less time swallowing beer and vegetarian propaganda.Sincerely
Kevin Christensen
Burlington, IowaPodcast fan
Dear Velo,
Excellent!! Hadn't noticed until this evening that you have a podcastfor my iPod.
Bill Feiereisen
Bike N Sport

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The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com.If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything youhave seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, writeto WebLetters@InsideInc.com.Please include your full name and home town. Letters maybe edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit theirsubmissions to one letter per month.The letters published here contain the opinions ofthe submitting authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policiesor positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company,Inside Communications, Inc.

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