Good Race, Bad Race

[BroDeal]

Armstrong's efforts to flout his ban give us an opportunity to see which promoters are committed to the fight against doping and which are not. In addition to Armstrong, there are other banned dopers competing, like Michael Weiss (triathlete). I will keep the list in the first post updated.

Events That Support Doping
-----------------------------------------
Alpine Odyssey
Breckenridge 100
Leadville 100
Mount Washington Hillclimb
Power of Four MTB Race
RAAM
REV3 Triathlon Series
Superfrog Triathlon

Events Against Doping
----------------------------------
New York Gran Fondo
SavageMan triathlon
World Triathlon Corporation

 

[BroDeal]

The New York Gran Fondo denied Ullrich a chance to do the event. The promoter has been active on Slowtwitch and says that there is no way Armstrong would be allowed to "compete." He also ponied up the money for testing by the USADA, which caught David Anthony and an Italian rider.

The Breckenridge 100 allowed Michael Weiss to race and he won. Weiss, currently a triathlete, is serving a ban for doping when he was a pro mountain biker.

REV3 just invited Armstrong to do one of their races.

 

[BroDeal]

He is doing a triathlon in Maryland next month but I think that is a cancer benefit one where he will be competing against other cancer survivors.

Below is the email the promoter sent out. They dropped USAT and found another insurer.

We are very excited to host you at the 2012 Rev3 Half Full Triathlon. Since day 1, the vision for Half Full Triathlon has always been to provide a platform to raise awareness and funds to support the programs and services of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. The success of the event over the years can be directly attributed to the effort of many people who support this mission. This year we are very excited to announce that Lance Armstrong will be participating in the half distance of the 2012 Rev3 Half Full Triathlon along side many other cancer survivors.

Half Full Triathlon has always been about the fight against cancer and we're excited to welcome another cancer survivor to the field. Lance is a young adult cancer survivor and arguable one of the most vocal and visible survivors on the planet. Having him support our organization and the event will help us raise more awareness and funds around the young adult cancer issue.

After discussions with USAT, we have made a decision that it is the best interest of Half Full Triathlon that we secure insurance from another provider in order to maintain our mission focus on Young Adult cancer initiatives. We have secured event insurance that will protect the participants, staff and volunteers at Half Full.All 1 Day USAT licensing fee's will be refunded in the coming week.

We look forward to hosting you during Half Full weekend and thank you for your support!

Best in the FIGHT!

Brian Satola

 

[Rockets160]

Armstrong's efforts to flout his ban give us an opportunity to see which promoters are committed to the fight against doping and which are not. In addition to Armstrong, there are other banned dopers competing, like Michael Weiss (triathlete). I will keep the list in the first post updated.

Events That Support Doping
-----------------------------------------
Power of Four MTB Race
Alpine Odyssey
Breckenridge 100
Leadville 100
REV3 Triathlon Series
Superfrog Triathlon

Events Against Doping----------------------------------
New York Gran Fondo
World Triathlon Corporation

Thats not a very big list...

 

[BroDeal]

Thats not a very big list...

I think I will just add events that have gone out of their way to make a stand against doping. Every promoter will tell you they are against doping--well, except for some the slimeballs that we see supporting Armstrong--but how many will turn down money or spend money to do something about it.

Uli, the promoter of NYGF, is very committed and has plans to branch out into promoting pro fessional races. He deserves Kudos.

Maybe the WTC was just playing it smart by upholding their policy and waiting, but there were a lot of people in triathlon who blasted them for not allowing Armstrong to race.

 

[kcycle12]

I am dissapointed in Rev3's decision, particularly because their events are typically USAT certified. I guess I get (a little) that it is a "cancer event" and that he is apparently competing in the cancer survivor wave (not pro, thankfully). I certainly hope this isnt the beginning of a trend for Rev3.


You may want to add BAA (Boston marathon), NYRR (NYC marathon), and whoever puts on Chicago to the list. Although that may all be because he is banned from USATF events. Still, good for them. And good for WTC, who usually are perceived as greedy and only interested in making a buck

 

[DirtyWorks]

More Info

-Superfrog Triathlon
This event is sanctioned by USA Triathlon, a WADA signatory. If Wonderboy showed up and did it, would there be any consequences? The promoter is pretty hard to find.

-Breckenridge 100
Thane Wright, Founder
177 Rasor Drive
Keystone, CO 80435
970-401-1422
It looks like the NUE series is all outside of USAC sanctioning. So, no pretense of using WADA rules required.

-Leadville 100
Owned by Lifetime Fitness and USA Cycling sanctioned. While Wonderboy did not race in 2012, he made an appearance there. Definitely a pro-Wonderboy organization.

-Rev3 Triathlon: They dropped USAT sanctioning. http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...8/+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Promoter: ATP productions
Possible contact info:
5885 Trinity Parkway, Suite 120
Centreville VA 20120
Phone: (703) 745-3070
Web Site: http://www.rev3tri.com
E-mail: info@rev3tri.com

-Power of Four event
owned by the Aspen Skiing Company
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspen_Skiing_Company
I can't find the organizer's name inside the Aspen Skiing Company at the moment.

 

[Kennf1]

Pro triathletes Richie Cunningham, Mirinda Carfrae, and Jodie Swallow have voiced their displeasure at Armstrong racing Rev3.

 

[slowspoke]

@samwarriner

Wow - just read the news...money really does make the world go round. How much more disappointment can this lover of fair sport take.

Nice one Sam

 

[BroDeal]

It anyone has examples of races that allow banned riders, post 'em up.

I will add the Mount Washington Hillclimb. Hamilton was allowed to race and win that twice while he was banned.

 

[trailrunner]

Some of this is getting close to home for me. I grew up in the town where the superfrog is. That's an old race, that started back in the days that triathlon started in San Diego when triathlon was a low-key thing. It used to be a little home-town race, but now it looks like it's gone full-tilt slick with promotion. I guess they finally realized that there were some big dollars to be made from the yuppies doing triathlon.

Now I live back near where the Rev3 Maryland race will be. It's at Centenial Lake, where the Columbia tri is held. I first did that race 15 years ago when I could sign up a month or two before the race. Now it's sold out six months before the race. Rev3's website is slick, and is going after the cancer angle big time. We used to think that the TNTers were bad, but now it's happening across the board with triathlon.

Speaking of the military connection, I did the Eagleman 1/2 IM (also in MD) in 2000, I believe. Pat Tillman did the race that year. I beat him, not because I was a better athlete, but because he did it on a mountain bike and hadn't really trained for a triathlon, and because he was just out having fun. At the finish line, they interviewed him, and I was struck by what a humble and upstanding guy he was.

Triathlon is getting slicker and slicker. It's not a race anymore - it's a life-changing chance to save the world and feel good about yourself. And in the process, the promoters are pocketing a lot of money.

Speaking of which, I wonder what kind of appearance fees Armstrong is getting for doing these events?

 

[BroDeal]

Bending the rules to allow Armstrong to race hits the mainstream press.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/bs-ae-lance-armstrong-20120920,0,5729283.story

 

[D-Queued]

Bending the rules to allow Armstrong to race hits the mainstream press.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/bs-ae-lance-armstrong-20120920,0,5729283.story

Perhaps Lance is exploiting a schism in tri.

He and Gold Medallist Simon Whitfield had a Twitter war earlier this year, summarized by Simon as follows:

“Disappointed to read Lance Armstrong’s comments that those of us working so hard towards our Olympic Tri dreams are participating in ‘a joke,’ ” Mr. Whitfield wrote

Hearing of Lance dissing other athletes and even a whole sport is not news to members of the Clinic, of course.

At the same time, his stance against drafting is odd for someone that was so reliant upon it to achieve his miracle.

Now, if he had won like Eddy instead of with a pack of PED-fueled racehorses carrying him along on their shoulders...

My guess is that if your name isn't Lance Armstrong, you aren't allowed to succeed at anything that Lance Armstrong does.

Dave.

 

[Fatclimber]

...
The Breckenridge 100 allowed Michael Weiss to race and he won. Weiss, currently a triathlete, is serving a ban for doping when he was a pro mountain biker.
...

Ha ha ha! Wow, mind blowing that organizers are doing this. What a joke. LA and Michael Ball should get a team together and go on tour.

 

[hasbeen]

You can add the Race Across America (RAAM) to the supporters of doping. They gladly allowed a banned rider to finish high on the overall and have no testing protocol at all. I emailed them during the race to make sure they knew one of the Americans they were so openly rooting for was banned at the time. No reply from them. Hoping to see a change!

 

[BroDeal]

You can add the Race Across America (RAAM) to the supporters of doping. They gladly allowed a banned rider to finish high on the overall and have no testing protocol at all. I emailed them during the race to make sure they knew one of the Americans they were so openly rooting for was banned at the time. No reply from them. Hoping to see a change!

Added. Could we get the name of the rider?

RAAM should be dissed in any case because it is a sleep deprivation contest held on public roads with complete disregard for the safety of others on the road.

 

[BroDeal]

Email from REV3 below. I like how on one hand they take credit for raising money for cancer and love how much LA can help but on the other distance themselves from the decision to allow Armstrong to race.


"XXXX,

We regret to hear that you feel this way. However it's important to know that 100% of the entry fees go directly to The Ulman Cancer Fund. Our goal in being involved with this event has been and will continue to be, to raise funds and awareness for young adults battling cancer! The overall picture is to raise more money for the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. Lance is a polarizing figure, no doubt about it, but his ability to help with raising money for their cause can't be understated.

The fact is that Rev3 is looking at the overall big picture, way beyond simply the aspect of USAT, triathlons or doping, towards cancer research and the affect that cancer has on families. The Ulman Cancer Fund, not Rev3, was in contact with Lance to participate, not to compete. To bring Lance in and increase not only funds but awareness for such a tremendous and positive cause is something we definitely will stand with them on.

It is important to note that Lance is not competing for the prize purse with pros and is actually racing the Half distance in the Cancer Survivor wave. It is not a largely known fact but the founder of the UCF is currently President and CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Livestrong. If Lance attending and racing brings more people to the Half-Full and raises more money for young adults battling cancer we consider that a victory! We regret that you feel that way but hopefully you can respect what the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults is working for.

Jonathan"

 

[hasbeen]

Alberto Blanco was/is the suspended doper.

 

[trailrunner]

At the same time, his stance against drafting is odd for someone that was so reliant upon it to achieve his miracle.

Not really. I guess this is one thing I agree with LA about. I don't like draft legal races. It's not the spirit of triathlon. Allowing drafting was a hugely debatable move and came about when triathlon was introduced into the olympics in 2000. Of course, I'm not a big enough jerk to call draft-legal races a joke and I wouldn't insult anyone over it.

That article just reinforces what a jerk LA can be.

 

[BroDeal]

Of course, I'm not a big enough jerk to call draft-legal races a joke...

I am.

Anyway, adding SavageMan tri to the list of good races. The race director is involved in a thread at Slowtwitch about Rev3 allowing Armstrong to race. He posted this:

"Lance will not race SavageMan under my watch. And this stunt by Rev3 has eliminated itself from contention for receiving stewardship of SavageMan long-term."