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Monday's Mailbag: Fairness, equality and the outspoken Mr. Ball
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.
Extra hurdles for masters?
Dear Velo,
Let’s see how this works.Work 40 to 50 hours per week. Try to fit in riding as much as I ca nwith work and family. Save my money, take time off from work to go to CyclocrossNationals. Get crushed by pro riders in the Masters
Categories.Definitely not for me.
Michael Olenick
Hailey, Idaho
Parity is possible
Dear VeloNews,
In regards to Georgia Gould's attempts to get equal prize money for women here is my take. I have been organizing the Cheakamus Challenge Fall Classic MountainBike Race www.cheakamuschallenge.comfor close to 20 years and have always had equal prize money. I have also organized Canada Cups and events in three countries and have always given equal shares. I realize that there are 90 percent men and 10 percent women in the races and if it were strictly based on a percentage of registration $ then this would not be so. I have always felt that in order to get more women racing we had to do something outside of the box and I feel quite solid in my decision to go this way. How I differentiate the two is this way and it seems to make sense.If I have more than 10 racers in the Pro Elite race we go 5 deep in prize money. If we have less than 10 then we go three deep. Really easyformula with no gender bias. So if we have 20 men in the race we go five deep. If we have 20 women in the race we go five deep. If we have 11 men in the race we go five deep. If we have seven women in the race we go 3deep.The amount of the prize for 1st, 2nd and 3rd for both men and women is the same $$ amount. End of argument.We are always looking for more men and women in our events and thisis a simple way of doing the right thing. I am also involved as the course director for the BC BIKE RACE for days 6 and 7 and we are also working on this formula.
Regards,
Grant Lamont
Whistler, British Columbia
She needs to do this?
Dear Mr. Editor
Regarding Georgia Gould's effort. You mean the UCI don't already mandate this? I guess it's not really a surprise. I gave equal money in the Ontario Cycling Association criteriums that I organized way back in the mid '70s. Get with it UCI. You're an embarrassment.
Mike Tierney
Woodstock, Ontario, Canada
Powered by $300 jeans
Dear VeloNews,
Your article with Mr.Ball made me furious and disappointed.The last thing American cycling needs is a guy whose wallet and mouth are bigger than his brain.What a foolish L.A. show off. He is more concerned with how you wrap a team up in flashy status symbols than creating a positive racing environment for the riders. Great. Busting on Horner because he wouldn't let himself get played out demonstrated to everyone who didn't believe that this guy is a jerk. Even if you dislike Horner you can't take away the fact he is a world class rider by way of his results.So really Mr Ball, I'm not impressed you sell tacky $300 jeans, really I don't think anyone cares for the spoiled trust-fund set you obviously cater to. Whether you're one of them I can't say but you certainly actlike one. When you can't bully cycling around to get your results you'll bail out. I bet you don't stick around past this season.I have my doubts that you can even ride a bike. Have fun putting your foot in your mouth this season. I'll be training and racing at the amateur level and enjoying the sport you're trying to steer back down theo ld path. Good luck with the ultimatums and day-to-day contracts. That won't get you results. Seriously.
Jim Wirtanen
Boston, Massachusetts
Ball is right
Editor,
I can only support Mr Ball wholeheartedly. The vast majority of your readers/letter writers have absolutely no clue as to what goes on in the world of the Anti-Doping Agencies. I do. How many of your readers have competed at the highest levels internationally for many years? Been threatened by the ADAs? Were told that you would be recorded as refusing a test/testing positive when you had the temerity to point out that the ADAs were violating their own protocol? Have been wrongly accused and convicted of ingesting a banned substance (which of course now is no longer banned!!), were subjected to trial by the media (who had the results before you did!!!!), wasted time and money pursuing a futile and unwinnable battle against the ADAs to prove your innocence?
I could go on, but I won't.
I was one of the lucky ones... or rather, I made my own luck. I armed myself with science and information, always had friends in high places and, fluent in several languages, I was never afraid to be outspoken or to cause controversy, and was able to take the fight to the media and ADAs in their own languages. I pity the athletes who, not understanding the latest science, are confronted with a ADA team which does not or does not care to speak to them in their own language, or at least in English. Michael Ball is only too right. It is no longer about guilt or innocence.That is a moot point at this stage. WADA has lost the battle. Possibly the war. Their credibility is shot. Gone. At this stage I would not trust them to find their own way out of a paper bag!!
Doina Seedhouse,
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Why publish?
Dear editors,
If parity were among VeloNews’ goals, it isn’t quite so difficultto imagine why it might solicit the views of Rock Cycling’s owner as theyrelate to professional cycling. After all, what better way to counterbalancemore forward-thinking philosophies emphasized by such team directors asJ. Vaughters and B. Stapleton than to compare them to those put forwardby Mr. Ball.However, if VN’s intentions in printing Ball’s remarks weren’t basedon the notion of maintaining equality or contrasting the differences betweenviews held by other, more experienced team directors, it seems VN has accomplishedlittle more than insulting the integrity of its own publication by printingsuch drivel.
David Jackson
Portland, OregonReader responds to readers' responses
Dear editors,
The reaction to Michael Ball's statements have been as fiery as theman himself. Personally, I find him and his attitude both refreshingand disturbing at the same time. But one thing I find even more disturbingis the "You're either with us or against us" attitude copped by some regardingBall's criticism of the Anti-Doping establishment.
If WADA and USADA are part of the solution to the scourge of dopingthey are the failed part. If, eventually, the war against dopingin cycling is won, it will not be because of the actions and policies ofthe Anti-Doping establishment but in spite of those actions and policies.
You can't "enforce" your way out of a problem that you do not understand.And by now it seems clear that WADA and USADA and their ilk do not understandthe problem. Heck, they can't even come up with a readily comprehensibledefinition of doping itself. Does that surprise you?Ask them to explain why EPO is illegal and Hypobaric Chambers are not.
As a former professional youth coach in another sport I recognize theevils of drugs and have seen their effects permeate down to frighteninglyyoung ages. But the current Anti-Doping establishment not only doesnot have a monopoly on truth, it seems they haven't got a clue.
Michael A. Gardiner
San Diego, CaliforniaLove him or hate him, he'll be noticed
Editor,
I think a Mark Cuban-esque persona is good for domestic cycling!The European scene has plenty of crazy and larger than life personalities,but the domestic scene doesn't have that. Michael Ball will definitelymake his presence known at several of the major races this season and manywill show their displeasure.
I don't know if I could work with Mr. Ball and I'm still not sure Frankywill, but his team should be sick. Anyone that improves the levelof competition and increases the excitement of the sport is entirely welcome.As for pressure on riders that exists everywhere or at least it shouldand riders not found guilty of anything should be assumed innocent.Mr. Ball just expresses himself in such a way that people take offense.
Botero and Freddy shouldn't need any drugs to be competitive in theU.S., but Horner might need some if he plans to be there for Levi and Albertoin the high mountains of the tour.
John Linvill
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Then why did you pursue him?
Editors,
Wow, I am really confused. If Chris Horner lacked so much talent,why did Rock Racing pursue him? Hmmm.Must be somebody's pouting?
Anita Franklin
Knoxville, TennesseeAn open letter to Chris Horner
Dear Chris,
Please just keep on doing what you do. You are one of the few brightspots in the sport these days, just by being yourself. We love what youdo, and we have your back.A cycling fan,
Kevin Timmermans
Seattle WashingtonAn open letter to Michael Ball
Dear Mr. Ball,
Why the need to be such an insecure prick all the time? No one is impressedand many are unimpressed.
FYI: Some insecure teenagers called......they want their F-word back.
Bret Martin
Oakland, California
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.
