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Wednesday's Mailbag: Trek ads; post-Tour coverage; MLB's drug rules; and a note from Afghanistan
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.
Sock it to the sourpuss
Editor:
I wonder if you could send Drew Kelly a pair of socks to brighten his apparently sour outlook on life (See Monday's Mailbag: "Lucky 7 ads dumb, amateurish"). I also thought the Trek "Lucky 7" ads during OLN's Tour coverage appeared amateurish, but maybe they wanted them to be that way. They took P & P out of their normally serious, reserved British mold and made them a couple of normal guys. They were, of course, straight men to Bobke's always-zany persona. I loved seeing those guys as they were, just plain happy to be doing anything near bikes.
I think OLN is missing the boat by not letting Bob out more often. In past years his spots imitating Liggett ("like a grand prix motorcar") and racing toy bikes (with Ullrich and Beloki challenging Lance) on the bar were some of the funniest bits I've seen.
I have equated Phil Liggett with racing since I was a kid. His is the voice in the back of my head as I labor up the mountains around my house. Keep up the good work, OLN! Oh, and did I mention what a superior product VeloNews puts out?
Ross Swezey
Reno, Nevada
P.S. I won a key chain and an energy bar.
Trek ads were hilarious
Editor:
Being a contrarian at heart, I differ with those who took umbrage at the apparent silliness of the Trek Lucky 7 ads. I found them absolutely hilarious. It was amusing to see the typically dry (and sometimes dull) Phil and Paul adopt a more animated persona for the ads. Meanwhile, wacky Bob was left to wallow in defeat.
The progression of the ads was quite amusing. Simple and simplistic humor, but it reminded me to try my luck with the game. I only won a bottle, but I'm happy.
Michael Y. Wong
San Francisco, California
What’s lame is the lack of post-Tour coverage
Editor:
Lighten up, ye critics of silly commercials. Those Lucky 7 ads were funny precisely because they were dorky. Must everything have corporate gloss on it? Sherwin's overblown cackle upon winning a ride with Lance was one of the few things in a TV ad to catch me completely off guard. And Bob Roll was hysterical with all that voodoo apparel piling up as the Tour progressed. Those guys had their mojo working in that ad.
More disappointing is OLN's almost complete abandoning of ProTour coverage post-Tour. A one day recap of the Vuelta and coverage of the single day Tour of Lombardy from now through October? No world championships? No more U.S. races? What happened? Why cover all the pre-Lance races but not the post-Lance races in the same season? Wouldn't consistent coverage help maintain, if not increase, interest in their cycling programs? I hope you VeloNews folks are giving them grief on this!
Nicholas Stevens
Roseland, New Jersey
Oooh, tough drug rules there, MLB
Editor:
Where's the fairness in this piece from my local paper? "Seattle Mariners pitcher Ryan Franklin was suspended 10 days for violating his sport’s steroids policy, the eighth major-league player caught under tougher drug rules enacted this year."
Tougher drug rules? I can't imagine how much more lenient they could be! I wonder what Dario Frigo or David Millar think about this?
Mike Tierney
Woodstock, Ontario, Canada
Bad millionaire – bad, bad, bad! Now go sit on that bench, count your money and think about what you’ve done. - Editor
A note from Afghanistan
Editor:
Wanted to take a moment to let you know that I received your package containing the Festina watch and the VeloNews cap, flip flops, and cycling socks. I can't thank you enough - they're wonderful gifts (I was desperately in need of new flip flops) that almost make the six months I'll be spending in Kabul worthwhile. My office mates, pictured in the attached photo, taken during a recent training exercise, were very impressed (I'm the one in the VeloNews cap).
I should add that even here at Camp Eggers, the Tour de France and Lance's performance dominated casual conversation while the race was ongoing. This obviously reflects Lance's story and his personal popularity, but VeloNews also deserves some credit for the increased attention that the cycling now merits in US sporting circles. There were a number of us here monitoring the race via your web coverage, and VeloNews is "the bible" for the small but dedicated community of military cyclists. Thanks for the great work.
I'll just close by saying that, while I missed being able to tune into televised TdF coverage, I'm really honored to be here in Kabul working to restore this country. When you see an Afghan cyclist, with two passengers aboard, battling traffic and choking exhaust, in 100-degree heat, on a thoroughly potholed avenue, making good time, with a smile on his face, you realize these are resilient people who are truly deserving of the work we are doing to provide them with a measure of security and stability. Some day I am convinced you will see Afghans in the peloton. Thanks again, or, as we say here, "Tashakor."
Lieutenant Colonel Brian Ruhm (USAF)
Camp Eggers, Kabul, Afghanistan
And tashakor to you, too, Brian. You and the guys stay safe and keep up the good work. – Editor
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.
