SB Nation User Blog: Hons

Armstrong Announces 90% Completion Toward Transformation Into Huge Nerd

Hons — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:03:22 -0000

Armstrong Announces 90% Completion Toward Transformation Into Huge Nerd

Fat Cyclist Fake News Service strikes again

Stage 2 Circuit Franco Belge

Hons — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:11:54 -0000

Stage 2 Circuit Franco Belge

1 111 Farrar Tyler (GRM), 2 51 Haedo Juan José (SAX), 3 21 Bonnen Tom (QSI) [my bad...that was stage 1]

Stage 2:
1 111 Farrar Tyler (GRM)
2 USOV Alexandre (96)
3 CASPER Jimmy (131)

Stage 3 is underway as I type

Thor just wants to ride his chicken

Hons — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:44:23 -0000

no matter what he says in his interviews. For example...last week he told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet

I'm not sure if I will ride in the Tour de France next year," said Hushovd. "I have other goals that are starting to become more important than a third green jersey in the Tour. To win the spring Classics and the World Championships is more tempting."

But nooooo, that can't be right. ah, yes, once his sponsors caught wind of this, he released the following

“Winning the green jersey was my major objective for 2009, and 2010 will be no different," said Hushovd. "I love the Tour de France. Given the level of competition for the green, it will no doubt be a great fight in 2010 and I am looking forward to it."

Much better. Or something. But don't worry, it's not a total about face

I am going to change some things in my program next year, to be in top form at the Worlds, since next year’s race suits me better than this year’s course in Mendrisio

Whatever..as long as Thor gets to ride his chicken.

Hincapie to dress his new teamates

Hons — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:20:44 -0000

Hincapie to dress his new teamates

Oh. my. goodness. I .am. so. surprised.

Hincapie Sportswear announced this week that it will provide cycling apparel for the BMC Racing Team in 2010. Apparently it was a key aspect of Big Georges contract negotiations. Shocker, I know.

I am prohibited from racing in Italy, but I can come here on holiday, go to a hotel or wherever I...

Hons — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:26:11 -0000

I am prohibited from racing in Italy, but I can come here on holiday, go to a hotel or wherever I want.

Alejandro Valverde

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/spanish-move-valverde-out-of-italy

I’m the opposite of cycling press. I’m completely subjective. I don’t even try to tell both sides of...

Hons — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:26:18 -0000

I’m the opposite of cycling press. I’m completely subjective. I don’t even try to tell both sides of any given story. I make news up, and I twist the truth to suit my own ends.

Oh, waitasec. I guess I’m regular cycling press after all.

Fat Cyclist

Armstrong's Bio Passport Critic Speaks

Hons — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:10:12 -0000

First of all, some may see this as a dead horse...to you, I apologize. However, this seems to be a fairly rational rehashing of said dead horse. In short, Velocity nation interviews the scientist at the root of the recent allegations.

More on the flip

Velocity nation has followed up on their original post regarding LA's blood values. Becuase there were unable to get anyone to speak on the record regarding the allegations (shocking I know), they went straight to the source, Jaekob Moerkeberg. A couple interesting snippets...

First of all...why did he comment:

There was a journalist from Denmark’s Radio that approached me, called me last Tuesday. He asked if I had seen the results posted on Armstrong's website, and I had. Then he asked me how I interpreted the data, and I told him what I saw, and he asked me if I was willing to say that on television.

and what are his qualifications?

I'm an exercise physiologist, Copenhagen University graduating 2006, and I have just written up my PhD and submitted it one week ago, the PhD is about detecting autologous blood transfusions in an anti-doping context.

...and has published with Damsgaard and Ashenden.

Some details on his concerns:

I am not saying these values are suspicious because they are high. That is the whole point. I am talking about a lack of relative low values for that specific athlete, which you would expect from a physiological point of view at the end of the Tour.

and my personal favourite comment (my emphasis)...

...when you as an athlete choose by yourself to publish your values - then it's free for people to comment on them. This was his own decision. If you're not ready for that scrutiny, you shouldn't publish your values. If a journalist comes to me, it's because I've done work in this area, and want my opinion as a scientist. If he has got a problem with people commenting on his values, he shouldn't have chosen to publish them. When he does that, it's an open forum, it's public, and if something looks strange it would be wrong for me not to say that, when I was asked. If I didn’t say his values looked suspicious, I would dismiss the scientific literature, which I have based my comments on.

There is much more there as well, including comments regarding expected patterns in the presence of blood doping and his thoughts on the bio-passort...go check it out. It's nice to see that the younger generation of scientists, as well as the younger generation of cyclists (see Kohl, Bernard) seem to be leaving omerta behind. It will be interesting to see what reprocussion result from this incident.

Vuelta VDS smack talk: premature edition

Hons — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:58:12 -0000

Yes I know, it's a little early for this, but I'm leaving for some altitude training in Sequoia next week until stage 3 and I didn't want to mis out on the fun, or for you all to realize why your collective teams don't stand a chance...You see, I've been peaking for the Vuelta all along. The details of your demise on the flip

So who do I have? Funny you should ask...I was about to tell you

SamSan (this is his year...it's going to be gold, orange and gold all over the podium)

JAGM

Barredo (we saw only a tiny hint of his form at San Seb)

Hesjeda/CVV

Anton (yes, the Euskies will have 2 in the top 10...this is their redemption tour)

Mixing it up in the sprints will be:

Rollin

Ciolek and

Gilbert

And incase there happpens to be an ITT (oh look, there is)

Tuft (he will be honing his form to improve on his modest performance in last years WCITT)

That's right...not a dud in the bunch. So who you got that will trump that? And don't tell me Valverde...Danielson almost beat him last week.

PdC is my internet happy box.

Hons — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:05:35 -0000

PdC is my internet happy box.

More Quebec ProTour race details

Hons — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 16:23:54 -0000

Apparently many of theses details have been known for a while, but I'm just catching up now. In short, the UCI has granted a five year protour license (to be re-evaluated after two years) for the two races in Quebec city and Montreal to be held September 10th and 12th respectively.

Follow me for more details on the course, broadcasting, and grand vision.

According to race organizer Serge Arsenault "The courses are 99 percent selected"

Courses:

Quebec city - Will use primarily the same course as the Tour de Beauce has used. It will be 290km and travel through old Quebec. Here is this years Tour de Beauce.

Montreal - This course is not totally finiallized but will be between 225 and 240km and use Mount Royal. I can attest first hand that this is not an easy climb. The women's Wolrd cup event does an 11km lap that includes this climb...so if they do a similar course for the Protour event, that means that they will climb Mount Royal (takes off socks to count)...20-22 times. This blows my mind.

Broadcasting: The organizer of these events, Arsenault, is also the owner of a television network here in Quebec, and has said that the two events will be broadcasted in HD, and the best part..."we will use the cameramen and motorcycle drivers from the Tour de France."

Grand Vision: Though the license has been granted for 5 years (2010-2014) the success of the events will be evaluated in 2012, with the possibility of a six year extension at that time. Arsenault has also discussed the possibility of a third event in Boston to make a two week series of regional one-day races in early September (haven't I heard that idea recently?). He hinted that there is a possibility of a world championship bid in the future. He also mentioned that after 2010 these two races will be moved back to the labour day weekend (Mountain Bike World Championships are in Quebec in 2010).

Long story short...plan your fall vacations now...Quebec is the place to be. We (North American cycling fans) need to demonstrate that at least this time, the UCI is not wrong to want to 'globalize' the sport of cycling. Arsenault was the organizer of the men's road World Cup in Montreal in early 1990's. He found that the sport was not ready at that time to leave Europe. He hopes that it's ready now. So do I.

Sources:

CN & Canadian Cyclist