THIS WEEK IN PRO CYCLING »

Get the VeloNews Email Newsletter FREE

  Learn More | Archive
Home » Top Stories » News and Features » » Tour de France

Monday's Mailbag: Thoughts on the Tour

Published: Jul. 30, 2007

The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside Communications, Inc.


ASO vs. UCI & the Pro Tour
Dear Velo,
I just finished watching another Tour and marvel at the ability ofthe ASO to pull this off and to keep the event growing year after year.I watched with interest the games the UCI played with the race and withthe ASO. I come down squarely with the ASO in this fight. TheASO (along with the organizers of the Giro and the Vuelta) have spent decadesand untold amounts of money building and promoting their races. TheUCI does nothing to promote races. The ASO has saved races that arethe classics of the sport with their wallet and their promotional efforts.The UCI would have let those races die.

The UCI wants teams to pay large sums (to the UCI only) to join thePro Tour to race and to then dictate to the organizers who can race inwhat events. Smaller, non-Pro Tour races are going away because thePro Tour/UCI plan denies them entrants. Major event sponsors haveleft big races because the Pro Tour/UCI plan of control denies more localteams (the wild cards) that are the focus of interest in the country ofthe race the chance to compete, thus eliminating the marketing draw toput the race on television in that country, which in turn drives the sponsorshipdecisions (and vice versa). The Pro Tour/UCI plan also proposes thatthe major tours to share their hard-earned television revenue with smallerevents (and, of course, with the UCI) that do not even get on televisionbecause no one cares about them.

The teams must also race in some events that mean nothing to them andtheir sponsors, which requires much higher travel expenditures (on topof the “fee” the teams must pay to the UCI). The teams also musthave more riders to run in order to run in all of these events. Thiscosts still more money and creates even more of a struggle for the teamsto survive. I would also bet dollars to donuts that the UCI getsbig sanctioning fees for these newer (and often smaller) races it requiresall teams to race. This is money the teams or the rider prize fundnever sees because it goes into the UCI pockets. Sound a lot likethe current sordid state of affairs in F1?

The whole business about the release of drug test results by federationsat the Tour and not telling the ASO earlier about the Rasmussen missedtests is more than an oversight. The UCI is supposed to manage thesefederations. For the head of the UCI to claim that he did not knowwhat the other federations were doing means he is a poor manager (at best)or worse.

The bottom line is that this is about power and money. The UCIdoes nothing, wants to reap the benefit from the work of others, and iswilling to cripple the sport to get the power it needs to be able to lineits pockets. The UCI has never promoted a race, financially supported arace, or promoted or supported any team or rider. It has no skinin this game. It simply wants to create illusory power for itselfand to then exert that power in a unilateral, heavy-handed fashion in restraintof trade to make money for itself. The teams are charged a lot ofmoney and must spend still more on meaningless races and larger staffs….andget nothing for it in return. Get rid of the Pro Tour and keep theUCI as a simple sanctioning body and nothing more.
Walter Nash
Tucson, ArizonaRasmussen, the Tour and the future?
Dear Velo,
Up until last Wednesday, I had been enjoying the tour on VS with myson. With the withdrawal of Rasmussen by Rabobank, I have finallyfolded. I have been a cyclist for more than half my life, and allmy adult years. I have competed in multiple events in the Midwest and thesouthwest. I love this sport, I love what it has given me.The excitement, the thrills, the tears and even some of the headaches ala'Festina.I had hoped that I could pass my passion for cycling on to my son. Ihoped it would be a way for us to connect and to teach him responsibilityfor his health and his actions. I had hoped watching the heroes of themountains and the flats would teach him to excel in all aspects of hislife. I had hopes he would learn through watching the riders, andparticipating himself, he can overcome tremendous odds and adversity.Now I have to sadly admit my hopes are dashed. How can I askhim to watch races with me, or participate in a sport where it seems ona daily basis someone admits to, or is caught cheating? Are thesethe values and priorities I want my son to emulate? What is a life-longcyclist to do? I guess it is time for me to find a new outlet forus to enjoy.Sadly,
Joel Funk
Prescott, ArizonaWhere's the justice?
Hiya,
Like many people I was completely taken aback by the news of Vino’spositive test results, but why has no one written about Klöden yet?Surely the fact that Vinokourov’s actions caused Astana to pull out andcompletely destroy Klöden’s chances at a podium finish in the Touris the real crime here. Andreas “rides like the team leader” Klödenhas been screwed by his teammate’s mistake, and there’s no justice in that.
Carry Porter
Kirkland, WashingtonA Few Requests
Dear VeloNews,
I have been a fan of the Tour de France since 1986, and it has beenour family tradition to hold a celebration at the end of the race eachyear, since 1999. We celebrate the race, usually accompanied by aseries of reflections and toasts. The following consists of my feelingsabout this year's edition.

As we sit here, reflecting on a yet another edition of the Tour deFrance….our Tour de France, I can’t help but think of the roller coasterof emotions that we have gone through. The Tour is more than justa bike race, it is a spectacle; it is an epic journey that is fought, andenjoyed, not just by the cyclists, but by the worldwide aficionados.It has a century-plus of history, and God-willing, will continue for centuriesto come. It has become a global spectacle that belongs to everyone, andas the crown jewel of the sport, it should be protected and revered, andnot just as a bike race, or a publicity stunt for some French newspaper,but as the symbol of a sport as a whole, and as the benchmark for cyclists,worldwide, and of all ages.As such, this year’s edition, in many ways, honored the traditions thathad been set forth by its predecessors. The riders who fought forglory did so against their competitors, the elements, and the course.They gave their minds, hearts and bodies to the mountains, to the heat,the crashes, and the high speeds which kept them on the edge of the limitsof what the human body has to offer. They attacked, they foughtback, they preserved through the pain of the race. The survivors rode ontothe Champs-Elysees this morning having given their all to the race, andhaving written a new chapter in this epic saga that is the Tour de France,and in many ways, authoring a chapter which may be significant inthe race’s history.It would be easy to label this race as a “Tour of What ifs?” Whatif Alexander Vinokourov had never crashed? What if he had never doped?What if he had never been caught doping? What if Michael Rasmussenhad never started the race, or if he had finished it? How would thingshave been different with the Astana team in the last week, or if they hadnever even started? It reminds us of what the Tour represents, interms of the zest for the highest achievement, and that it is based onwho is there, and not who did not ever show up.As the celebrations continue, it is impossible to ignore the problemswhich continue to plague our sport. While we could acknowledge thatcheaters have existed since the earliest days of the sport, it is clearthat doping and cheaters are still there, and if nothing else, are stillstrong in the public perception, which may be equally or more importantto the health of cycling at the highest level. Because this is mysport too, and the Tour is still the same race, at the most basic level,as the one I fell in love with way back in 1987, I have a few requests.To the Tour de France riders, I would request that you take sport backto the most basic level; man against man, and man against the race.Embrace the ethics that you hopefully learned to adhere to in your earliestdays in sport: do your best, respect your competition, win fairly,and lose gracefully. You are the best the sport has to offer, andyou represent the dreams and aspirations of all younger riders, and havedrawn the attention of sports fans worldwide. Please let us believethat what we are seeing is real, and that what we don’t see behind thescenes is only the hard work and honest preparation which leads to thespectacle played out on the roads. Do not give in to less propertemptations, and please take personal responsibility for yourself and yourown performances. Do not focus just on the rewards available, at the expenseof remembering how to earn them properly. Continue to race the right way,in a clean way, and provide us with decades more of Tours to enjoy andto cherish.To the Teams of the Tour de France: I request that you promotea clean sport, and train the riders the right way. When a systemis installed whereby ethics and clean living and clean racing are the absoluteexpectations, then the riders can concentrate on their sport in the rightway, with fewer temptations. Do not bend in your tolerance againstanything that is wrong, and concentrate solely on the riding of the race,the right way, and doing your sport, your sponsor, and your fans, justice.To the Organization of the Tour de France, and the other Governing Bodies:Continue in your fight to clean up the sport. I request that youclear out the cheaters, but that you do it in a fair, but streamlined way,that protects both the honor of the riders, and the integrity of the race.Find a means of championing integrity, and maintaining impartialness.I applaud your intentions, even if I am not always trusting in your methodsor your sense of timing. Please assume innocence until proven guilty,but also continue with your strongest deterrents and punishments towardsthose who dishonor the sport through cheating. I would further requestthat you continue to challenge the riders through the tough courses, butalso honoring the entertainment value for the spectators. Findingthe best way to keep all parties engaged is important to the value of therace. Lastly, I would request that you find a means to work together,to strengthen the relationship between the Tour de France, and the UCI,and find a means of putting your petty differences behind you, and solidifyinga united sport between the race, the governing bodies, and the riders.To the Sponsors of the Tour de France: I would request that youhave patience with the sport. The problems are not new, and theyare not limited just to cycling. With this in mind, understand thatcycling is taking the most aggressive steps to cleaning up their sport,and making it legitimate in the public’s eye. The sport depends uponhaving teams and races to support them, and as you fold, you cripple thechances for a recovery for cycling as a whole, and indeed for making theTour de France what it is: the best sporting event in the world.You need not show tolerance for the cheaters, but please find ways to support,and to reward those who embrace the sport in the best manner.To the Americans: I would request that you still find ways forus to celebrate cycling at the highest level. We have seen the sportchange over the past quarter century, to a point where the American ridersremain amongst the best in the world, and the American teams to be amongstthe best. I hope that Americans can maintain a presence at the highestlevel, and while we may not necessarily continue to have podium placersevery year as we have since 1998, Americans and American teams have puta stamp on the Tour, and hopefully this success can only help to inspirecyclists and cycling organizations stateside, so that we do not look backyears from now, as this period being an anomaly. I have placed mytrust in the sport on you all, as doing things the right way; please, donot let me down, only to discover that what I have seen for the past twentyyears to be only a well deceived product of an otherwise dirty Europeansystem.This Tour may very well turn out to be a giant turning point in history.It has made a lasting impression on everyone who rode it, and it producedone of the closest finished of all time. It has introduced a newgeneration of riders, while honoring some of its veterans, and perhapscleaning out yet more of the senior greats who may have attained theirheights through less than honest means. It has shown an Americanteam be the best in the race for the first time, while putting three ridersin the top 10. We saw four of six Americans finish, all within thetop 25. We may look back on this race, generations from now, as thepoint when all parties concerned announced that they were completely sickof the doping, the cheating, and the interruptions. We may see itas a point whereby those in power can institute a process which will protectthe race, protect the riders, protect the sport, and protect the historicalvalue of the achievements. And perhaps most important of all, wemay be able to look back on this race as a point whereby we, the fans,can say that this was the last time when we really ever had to look atthe race with a cynical eye, wondering who was clean, and who was dirty,and be able to celebrate greatness without wondering what was real, andwhat was falsely achieved.I know that my requests are not simple in fact, even if they are basicin nature. Because I firmly believe that after watching 21 of thefirst 94 editions, these are as much mine as anyone else’s, I feel stronglyabout this. I have gone through the gamut of emotions, and as muchdisappointment as I have had in this race, I know that the end result isa sum of more positives than negatives. The fact of the matter isthis: it is the Tour de France, and the riders, the champions, thesurvivors, have all given their best. We were not deprived of greatracing, nor of historical significance. We saw the best the currentcycling has to give, and we should celebrate that. I celebrate continuedAmerican success, and I raise my glass as much to this race, as I do towhat I hope can become a great future. I am optimistic, despite allof my questions….and I am grateful for yet another year, new heroes andbeing able to witness yet another great Tour.Vive le Tour de France!
Dr. Matt Gilchrist
Centreville, Virginia
The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside Communications, Inc.