Category: cycling

more Port Townsend photos

On By Rick McIn cycling, food, friends, health & fitness, photosLeave a comment

This is the last of them. 🙂

Diana training for her upcoming 50 miler
Diana training for her upcoming 50 miler

I’ve seen a LOT of wild animals in my day. But very few raccoons.

Racoons

That’s the family that tried to take up residence in Carrie’s treehouse.

flowers

berries

Nice place to retire …

more random Port Townsend, Washington photos

Jeni likes nearby Sequim as a retirement town. She grew up there.

… Sequim lies within the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and receives on average less than 16 inches (410 mm) of rain per year—about the same as Los Angeles, California—and has given itself the nickname of Sunny Sequim. …

farewell Port Townsend

On By Rick McIn cycling, friends, gymnasticsLeave a comment

I’ve been hanging around for WEEKS, seems. Gymming, hiking, biking …

But today at 5am I’m off to Coeur d’Alene on a Tumbl Trak Ambassador visit.

Last night in town we celebrated my departure at Dos Okies Barbecue and the Pour House.

pork

THANKS once again to Doug and Diana for their kind hospitality. James stays on for another week or more.

doug diana Rick James

more LAST NIGHT photos

cycling Cape Town

On By Rick McIn cycling, photos, travelLeave a comment

Kyle Shewfelt recommended getting on a bike. He had done a big race out of Cape Town earlier in the year.

Fantastic easy day for me, riding the city coast.

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Lovely city.

See more of my photos from that day in high resolution on flickr.

Lance Armstrong: Cheating Scumbag

On By Rick McIn cycling, dead to me, ethics, product complaints1 Comment

I wasn’t all that big a Tour de France fan.

Not like Dave Adlard.

Dave relates with and concurs with this missive from a real hero, Alastair Humphreys:

Lance Armstrong broke my heart. Or a tiny little bit of it, anyway. …

Then when Lance gave Ullrich “the look” on Alpe d’Huez on 2001 I was completely smitten. Shortly after that I set off to cycle round the world. I thought of Lance often. When I was struggling up long mountain passes I’d get up out of the saddle, give my imaginary opponents “the look” and put on a sprint. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Through all the years of allegations about Lance’s drug use I defended him strongly. I secretly suspected that he might be up to something. But I hoped -I really hoped- that he was clean. That he was the inspirational figure he always loudly proclaimed himself to be. He passed hundreds of tests. I wanted to believe. So I believed. I felt sorry for all the cynics. Sorry they couldn’t believe in miracles. …

The only regret Lance Armstrong appears to feel, since he was left with no option but to admit to having cheated in every single one of his Tour victories, is that he got caught.

Cheating was one thing. Showing no remorse is another. …

Lance Armstrong: Cheating Scumbag

All true.

But I have to add the usual disclaimer. The Cheating Scumbag is a superb athlete. I would love to have seen what he could have done without the drugs.

Lance Armstrong: Enough is enough.

On By Rick McIn cycling, ethics, sport - pro2 Comments

Lance Armstrong:

AUSTIN, Texas – August 23rd, 2012 – There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, “Enough is enough.” For me, that time is now.

I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart’s unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today – finished with this nonsense. …

LanceArmstrong.com

… Lance Armstrong says he will not fight charges brought by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, a surprising decision that sets the stage for the cyclist to be stripped of the Tour de France titles that turned him into an American hero. …

Armstrong refuses arbitration; faces sanctions

I’ve clung to hope that Lance is actually innocent, despite the dozens of top Tour riders of his era found guilty.

Ben Johnson, the sprinter, was a doper. Stripped of the Olympic Gold in the 100m in Seoul.

Coach Charlie Francis had all his athletes, including Ben, doping. Charlie claimed most of the top guys of the era were — including Carl Lewis.

Ben was retroactively stripped of his 1987 World Record — a mistake, I thought. Going back in history to re-test under new protocols is unfair. Unethical.

I’m sympathetic of Lance’s position.