Recent content by TheBean

Wiggins' list of accomplishments is impressive for several reasons: 1. He has been at or near the top of his sport for a long time. 2. He has won at the highest level in disciplines that are more varied than most other riders. 3. When he sets a goal, he achieves it more often than not...

Texas is a huge state. Some parts of it are as backward and crooked as you could imagine. Other parts are pretty nice and on the up-and-up.

Great thread of discussion, throughout. Welcome to the sport, OP. As far as rider rivalries and being a fan goes, I am a fan of rivalries. So, for the classics, I am a fan of Boonen as well as Cancellara. Either's accomplishments would not be as significant if they did not occur...

In the Olympics, the host nation is guaranteed an entry in every event. Other nations have to qualify for events via tournaments, etc. So, the "home team" can have their athletes peak for the games while other nations' athletes have to peak for trials, then for the games themselves. In...

The thought that doping is threatening international sport seems off-base. Many spectators want to see bigger, stronger athletes performing super-human feats of strength and endurance. Many of those spectators don't give a hoot one way or the other about doping as long as the show is good...

The plasticizers found in his blood suggest the introduction of a new bad, unfortunately for him the bag was likely tainted. You'd think the guys would be more careful to cover their tracks.

When most stop racing, they are content to leave the past behind. There are some, like LeMond, who are very outspoken and involved. But most choose to quietly coach, mentor, or do something completely unrelated to cycling. The crucible of competition is intense, so I think the clean riders...

Well said, Puppet. Horner's data is not difinitive proof of doping, but it does contain irregularities for which the simplest explanation is taking on a fresh bag during the Vuelta. I am a "innocent until proven guilty" guy, so I like to believe. But, as a physiologist, I have to say...

Sorry, rhubroma, but ALL the evidence does not point in that direction. MOST anecdotal evidence does, true. It used to be said that whites were better golfers. Anecdotally, that was true. Then, along came Tiger and a lot of Asian golfers, both male and female. It used to be said that...

The question of selective breeding for superior slave stock is (other than it's disgusting moral implications) not well documented. Most selective breeding, from what I understand, had to do with resistance to disease rather than increased burst performance. Some slave owners did try to...

There are kne conditions which can flare up, then subside quite quickly. Pes anserine bursitis is one such ailment. A day of rest does a lot to alleviate pain from bursitis. I have no idea what his actual diagnosis is. Does anyone have insight. On a personal note, I fing Voekler...

The job of the sporting media is to report on sport. Holding the media accountable for uncovering stories about doping is pointless. They are announcers, not investigative journalists. If anyone wants to hold the media accountable for investigative journalism about cheating, conspiracies...

Some people believe the races are clean. Others believe that a culture of doping still exists. To make a blanket statement such as the one you did is pointless. I don't think anyone believed DiLuca was clean this year after he tested positive and was banned.

Perfectly stated, IMO. I, also, couldn't care less about the record books. Watching racing is fun. Reading record books is less fun, regardless of whose names are written in them. The riders aren't heroes to me, more like circus performers in the Greatest Shows on Earth.

Ekimov never ****ed positive. Ekimov never confessed. Any implications of him doping are rumors. Those rumors may be true, but they are still rumors and suppositions. People get canned for positive tests and/or confessions, not rumors. I, for one, am glad that is the way it is...