Tour de France dead to me

On January 27, 2007 By Rick McIn bad news, cycling, dead to me, product complaints, sport - amateur, sport - proLeave a comment

I want to thank Bjarne Riis. Good on you for coming clean.

What shred of credibility remained about elite pro cycling has disappeared as 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis of Denmark on Friday became the first Tour winner to admit he used banned performance-enhancing drugs.

… Riis said in a news conference Friday he had taken the blood booster erythropoietin (EPO) from 1993 through 1998, including during his Tour victory. He also confessed to using human growth hormone and cortisone.

“The time has come to put the cards on the table,” Riis said. “I have done things I now regret and I wouldn’t do again. I have doped. I have taken EPO. For awhile it was part of my life.”

Riis, currently manager of the Danish CSC cycling team, expected to be stripped of his Tour de France title.

“My yellow jersey is in a box at home. You can come and collect it,” Riis said of the jersey worn by the Tour de France leader.

A sport caught in a cycle of cheating on ChicagoSports.com

I’ll never watch race cycling again.

source

promoting cycling in Canada

On December 6, 2006 By Rick McIn cycling, government, health & fitnessLeave a comment

An unsolicited email escaped my spam filter:

At this address: http://www.gopetition.com/online/10170.html there is a petition aimed at the Canadian federal government, asking them to promote cycling as a preferred means of transportation. It mentions the health and environmental benefits of commuting by bicycle, and suggests ways that the Federal government could entice more Canadians to become bike commuters. …

It strikes me as increasingly crazy that our society is so geared towards the automobile, and almost discriminates against public transit and the bicycle. I’m hoping that – someday soon – people who WANT to switch from driving to biking are able to do so – that the infrastructure will be there (bike lanes, bike lockers etc) to make it possible.

If you feel at all inclined to help the petition along and helping us switch to a more environmentally sound method of transportation, it’d be much appreciated.

I signed the petition because I do want a higher priority put on the cycling infrastructure. And because I appreciate that taxpayers have another way to be heard in government via the internet.

This group used the GoPetition.com service. Works well.

http://www.gopetition.com/online/10170.html – more information

San Francisco?

On October 14, 2006 By Rick McIn cycling, travel, traveloguesLeave a comment

Tourists love San Francisco: Eclectic architecture, diverse population, Alcatraz, Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, etc.

They love the restaurants and shops.

I was underwhelmed. This is not the destination for me.

I was let down, having had some vague idea I would visit the Googleplex, or Apple HQ — like they have nothing better to do than tour me around.

Though I had my bread bowl of chowder, I managed to miss the chance to ride a bike over the Golden Gate Bridge.

» next travelogue post on this trip – Green Tortoise, San Francisco

Floyd Landis-inspired bracelets

On September 21, 2006 By Rick McIn cycling, humourLeave a comment

The Onion | Millions Of Americans Buying Floyd Landis-Inspired Bracelets

Floyd-Landis-R.article.jpg

via WikedOutdoorsy

biking Prince Edward Island

On September 10, 2006 By Rick McIn cycling, photos, travel, traveloguesLeave a comment

Unexpectedly I found time to bike a day on the new “rails to trails” path on PEI.

It’s an ideal way to see this rustic, rural Province.

A sidetrip took me to the north coast beaches and Dalvay-by-the-Sea, built 1896, in Prince Edward Island National Park.

26 more photos on Flickr

One day I will return to do bike the entire 470km Confederation Trail.

» next travelogue post on this trip – PEI CFAs

sick of doping scandals

On July 31, 2006 By Rick McIn cycling, sport - amateur, sport - proLeave a comment

Gatlin Tests Positive for Testosterone

Tour de France winner Floyd Landis tests positive

Both claim to be innocent. Just like Ben Johnson. Ben was lying in 1988 though I believed him at the time.

It’s sad to see the accomplishments of fantastic athletes overshadowed by media coverage of alleged doping. The clean competitors must be plenty ticked off.

Despite what Lance Armstrong says, I believe drug use is endemic in tour cycling. There is just too much smoke for there to be no fire.

Henceforth I dismiss the Tour de France as I dismiss Olympic Weight Lifting and Olympic Sprinting. “Sports” with no more credibility than World Wrestling Entertainment.

Yellowstone National Park

On July 25, 2006 By Rick McIn cycling, hiking, photos, travel, traveloguesLeave a comment

I was ride-along shotgun on a hiking / biking trip with George Novak to Yellowstone National Park. It truly is a fantastic destination, much improved (I feel) by the forest fires of 1988. The park is open and bright. There is a real feeling of renewal.

It’s famous for geysers, hot springs, and other geothermal features and is home to grizzly bears, wolves, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk. We saw a lot of wildlife.

Photos and video clips I posted on besthike.com. See those by searching besthike for “Yellowstone”.

This is the last post in this travelogue. But you can find photos & a video clip of Grand Teton National Park on my hiking blog.

cycling the Kettle Valley Railway

On July 23, 2006 By Rick McIn cycling, travelLeave a comment

As cycling is my main fitness activity, I’m looking for good trips. There are a couple in Idaho that sound interesting, but #1 on the list so far is Kettle Valley in British Colombia.

Now — when can I get there?