BRITISH CYCLING

Have these people JUST awoken to the fact that they are more than Cycle Sport ?

Two statements in a recent letter suggests that they are interested in the " everyday cyclist " also !

 " "In designing infrastructure and implementing road policy we need London to make the choice that it wants people to cycle and walk and that this takes priority over getting motorised vehicles through junctions quickly. Junctions like Elephant and Castle and Vauxhall Cross and the surrounding roads are deterrents to all but the bravest person on a bike."

" "In the Netherlands and Denmark cycle provision on urban main roads is typically a set of dedicated cycle tracks which are separated from traffic and provide those cycling with priority at side roads and a clear and safe way across junctions and roundabouts. If we are to achieve a cycling revolution in London and get a significant proportion of Londoners cycling we must have a set of design guidelines for road and cycling infrastructure that are in line with this international best practice and the political will to fund and implement it consistently throughout the city."

COME ON YOU GUYS ! Make British roads safer for YOUR RACERS and US , the everyday user !

Riding with Moser

Apologies to all for the lack of posts in recent times . Fact is with the " Le Tour " , Olympics and now the WCF Masters , i have been far too busy to get all that has been happening onto the internet / paper .

Topping off lack of time , was the arrival yesterday of Francesco Moser demanding i get organised to ride  within minutes . Normally he turns up on Wednesdays in St Johann , but with his lifestyle and the demands for his presence at a variety of events he has to juggle all the commitments  coming his way . Vic Haines ( google ) , a British Cycling Legend was there also  , seems he will be adding to Francesco's network of Wine Distribution by releasing the Wines in the UK in the near future .

When riding with Moser , you can ride to his shoulder , but passing him , particularly on a hill will provoke a response . Had warned Vic of this , so the first climb was  tempo but as we were on the actual WCF racecourse we had a couple of racers pass us . This caused Francesco to pick up the pace and so we were tootling along leading out these Guys , paceline style . Several kilometres passed in this way with a variety of surges along the way through rolling hills and shaded forest areas . On the second climb Moser led the way but close to the top i had to ask him to cool it since Vic was off the back conserving energy for his Time Trial effort on the next day . Reluctantly we had to let the others go and drifted along for a while so as to allow Vic to come up at his own pace .

After passing over another bump on the course we stopped so that Moser's rear wheel could be topped up with air , since he had developed a slow puncture . As we headed through the back part of the course several race groups passed and it was up to me to sprint so that we could latch on for a few kilometres whilst Francesco had a chat with some of the Racers . Arriving in the finish area we played a little cat and mouse but Moser decided that a sprint wasn't on today .

After attending the refreshment tent we watched some of the racers finish their race . Spotted a couple of Aussies at the barriers so asked one of them if they knew of Moser and was met with a blank look . Took Francesco over to introduce them but all that was said " we saw him introduced earlier "! Francesco , according to Vic Haines arrives in a restaurant and ALL are on their feet applauding , and yet for aussie cycling fans it's a yawn , too hard to get the autograph ! Puts me in mind of the occasion i was going to introduce Charlie Gaul to a group of Aussie Journos , their reply was they only wanted to meet 5 time winners ! Wonder if they recall meeting Lance ?

At some point i will air more of my views on the " kangaroo Court " treatment of Lance . Suffice to say that in stepping back from looking after his legacy , the public have been showing their support by increasingly reaching into the back pocket to support LiveSTRONG ! Says it ALL , does it not ?

Tonight the Paralympics start in London , i won't be there , i spent 15 seasons riding , Advocating more support for these Amazing Athletes . Best place to see their efforts is on the TV , so many more Countries have finally woken up to how entertaining these people can be and are looking to increase their ratings by showing their efforts !

TO ALL THE PARALYMPIANS !

You are already WINNERS by being selected for your country ! BE THE BEST YOU CAN , any madals will be icing on the Cake but a few NEW WORLD RECORDS along the way will demonstrate your courage and alert the SPONSORS to new opportunities !

GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU !

Addition on Friday 14th Dec 2012 !

Congratulations to YORKSHIRE !

Today it was announced that Yorkshire had won their BID !

6th July 2014 , those that are in Leeds will be able to PARTICIPATE in the GRAND DEPART ! ENJOY !













Meanwhile , here in Snowy Austria , i am riding the Tacx wearing the Shirt seen above and the Bib Shorts you saw on Francesco in the photo above :

Letter to Jonathon Vaughters

Jonathon
Read your article with a little understanding of the situation you found yourself in , when you were aspiring to be a Pro Cyclist ! Those of you reading this post can refer to the article direct :

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/opinion/sunday/how-to-get-doping-out-of-sports.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1

Whilst it is a " Mea Culpa " it does not show how to solve the situation ! I have for some time been writiung to John Fahey of WADA and Jacques Rogge of IOC asking them to impose an " Amnesty " , so as to get ALL the Skeletons out into the open !

You with your exposure and " high Profile " could if you wished see this necessary step imposed ! No matter how many " Mea Culpa's " we see on the road to Rio , the next Olympic Games WILL BE  " THE CHEMICAL OLYMPIC GAMES " ! So many see that there are exploitable loopholes and decide that if " Joe Athlete " is able to escape detection , then it is worth the effort !

Usain Bolt comes from a country where " Random OOC testing seems to be the exception rather than the rule . His success is being unfairly questioned as a result . How many of the Brits find the finger of suspicion levelled at them ? Dave Millar was at the Olympic BECAUSE there are " Lawyers " making a substantial income from defending the undefensible , " Sporting Fraud " ! Not read Dave's book but " Rhino " as he knows i now call him , is tarred by his 2003 mistakes . I was thrilled to see his victorious Etappe at the 2012TDF , the only Breakaway that succeeded as far as i am aware . Dave inspired his companions to work together to stay away until 5km from the finish line . It would appear that those riding with him trust his judgement and thus cooperated where on other days the racers treated each other with suspicion .

CALL FOR THE AMNESTY ! You can and should demand of the " Hierachy of Sport " to ACT NOW and bring into the open ALL that transgressed in their careers . Why talk about what you did when you have the opportunity to lead from the front !

In imposing an " Amnesty " , IOC & WADA can give until , say , 1 October 2012 to disclose as an Athlete OR coach , DS , Team Owner their episodes of stepping over the line ! After that date they risk being found out by " Whistle Blowers " and LIFE TIME BANS WILL APPLY !

If 1 October 2012 , is imposed then during October / November a website will publish ALL names that stepped forward and NO PENALTY will apply ! Those disregarding this deadline risk the following possibilities !

On 1st December 2012 any Trainer/Coach , DS , Team Owner , Mechanic or Soigneur that worked with an Undisclosed Athlete will risk Life Time Bans , Also , should they not disclose what they know about those , that choose to take the risk of discovery ! There will be many who think they can escape detection and ONLY by imposing on their associates the same HARSH PENALTIES will we the public be rid of the menace of " Sporting Fraud " !

What i have proposed to those with the ability to act , is not simple , but HARSH METHODS need to be applied to rid the coming Generations of Athletes from the CRAP imposed on you in your youth , and continues to be applied to other " LESS RESOLUTE YOUNGSTERS " these days  .

You know me as a " pain in the Ass ", but do you think i needed " PEDs to ride the routes of the Grand Tours ? I didn't but then , firstly i was under no " peer Presure " , and secondly i could get off my bike to enjoy a break as and when i chose ! 15 visits to the " Le Tour " and 14 rides of the route of the Giro d'Italia as well as various other Tours toughened me up to the reality the racers have to endure . It dismays me to hear of even " shamateurs " using PEDs to gain " bragging rights " with their Buddies .

On 1st January of 2013 , i should like to think that families can deliver their offspring to Coaches / Trainers whose background has been revealed ! There will be some Coaches that will lose " prestige and clients ", but overall there will be an " Informed Public " who can choose those that will best train their charges without resorting to Underhand methods to achieve results !

Can we trust YOU to ensure the Authorities will sit up and LISTEN ?

Can we trust you to start the ball rolling to ensure that SPORT IS CLEAN ?

Have you the willpower to ensure " SPORTING FRAUD IN ALL SPORT " has had it's day ?

WELCOMING LONDON

"JUST DOING MY JOB !" , stated a Southwest rail employee as he put a "parking ticket " on the transport vehicle of a " Para Victim "! This was despite my suggesting he go check the toilets at Hampton Court rail station , since that was the declared destination as the father unloaded the " Teenager's wheelchair  " off the built in ramp of the van . Anyone walking past would notice the yellow ramp in the rear of the van . Not this S/West guy , he was busy thinking of the plaudits he would get , for keeping the empty coach parking area , free of parking vehicles !

Photos i took show the parking area , the only coach willing to pay the £15 parking fee displayed on the board in the photo i will post later . Too far to walk back to the car to get the camera  and i will be using it tonight to capture moments of the " Closing Ceremony " of this London Olympic Games !

Austria allows you , the able bodied , to stand for up to 15 minutes on a " Disabled Parking Space "! Of course if you are " Disabled " and entitled to use that space , you will have to continue your search for another space and then go back to the Tourist Office where the space is occupied by some nitwit , unable to comprehend that there was a reason for that " Disabled space " , being placed there ! ME , ME , me is the common refrain used in this selfish world .

In several weeks the London Streets are going to be thronged with " Disabled Vehicle Owners " , some displaying their " Blue Accreditation  plaque " , most will be international issue and of course the owners will be unfamiliar with the intricacies of London Parking . These unsuspecting visitors will provide a field day for those with the " I am only doing my job ", work ethic . Too bad that they will go home poorer and even aggrieved by this high handed attitude . Even today's example of humanity , when i suggested he check the toilet then suggested he treat the matter in a spirit of goodwill , dug his heels in and completed the ticket before sticking it to the windscreen . He did not look in the car as requested to note the Yellow ramp , he did not make the effort to check the toilets but he did wait the 2 mins or so before commencing to write the " Parking Infringement notice "!

On speaking to the ticket office i was pointed to the notice warning of the purpose of the parking area and the cost to park a coach . You will see in the photo that both signs look like " Ads " for S/west rail , similar to others on their property . What you will not see is that the signs are not visible unless you drive through the bus stop to access the parking area . The other entry points are behind these signs so unless you wander around looking to find the reason this area is empty , it is unlikely you will discover them .

Madam Ticket seller voiced " He has parked illegally so he deserves the ticket "! She did agree with me that most people were unable to see the signs as they arrive , but added that they should look for them . Having overstayed the time in a Motorway Services Area , after feeling unable to drive further , i discovered weeks later , that 2 hours or more , had to be paid IN ADVANCE !  I have no intention of paying the " demand " and if they wish to waste more of their time , so be it ! Recently their signage has been improved and i pay more attention to this small , PETTY detail , i do not EVER SPEND MONEY in these areas , since discovering their attitude to safety ! All over the UK you will see signs saying " Do not drive when tired "! Usually they appear a little before the " Services " sign ! Could it be they cause people to take unnecessary stops by trading on their conscience ?