Is There Nothing More To Believe In?

The following quote is attached to my signature box through Gmail. As I got the news this morning about the Landis confession to doping, it all came back to this quote from Lance Armstrong...
.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets" - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it - Armstrong 2005 TDF
Will the "confession" crack the univeral moral fabric of our existance? Will clergy denouce their faith? Will kids stop believing in Santa Clause? Will O.J. just admit he did it? Of course not..According to the Mayans, none of these things will happen until 2012.
ANYWAYS. So here is what is going to happen over the next couple of weeks...
1. There will be a long series of carefully worded denials from those implicated.
2. Lawyer up! I am an attorney and I hope someone calls me. Lawsuits will be filed and insane legal fees incurred by those accusing and those accused. It's all good for the economy right?
3. If there are teams out there that were close to inking deals with major sponsors, uh sucks for you....
4. Non-cycling fans and media outlets that never cover cycling will weigh in and sound stupid.
5. If you are a reporter at the Tour of California, don't even try asking riders questions about it. They won't comment.
So what do I think? Well I am not surprised. I had this story about 2 years ago. My good friend Joe Praino got the scoop at the Tour de Georgia back in 2008. While out at a local bar in Atlanta at the conclussion of the race, Joe had drinks with a certain German sprinter who rode with Floyd at Phonak. While under the influence of alcohol this certain German sprinter admitted matter of factly that Floyd had doped in the Tour. I know it's not the most reliable source, but it turned out to be true.
I don't own a high horse, so I am going to give Floyd the benifit of the doubt. I am happy he is coming forward with his story. I am looking forward to hearing more from him. I look forward to arguing with my friends about it. I look forward to ranting on my blog about it. I look forward to ranting on the podcast about it.
So now all of the sudden my press pass for the Tour of California just exploded in value. Can't wait to get to the circus!
Adam

Race Report: Murad Road Race, Bunny Hop Criterium

It's damn hot. Tarzan couldn't take hot like this.

If you remember the movie Biloxi Blues, you know this quote. If you know the movie and you raced this weekend, you are probably laughing your ass off right now.


Michael Murad Memorial Road Race; Poolesville, MD
I had no expectations going into Murad. It's a road race. I don't like road races. It's 48 miles and the longest ride I have this season under my belt is 50. Throw in 90 degree heat with 70 percent humidity and you have the perfect recipe for destruction. Only saw a few of the crit guys.
I figured I would give it a go. After all, I am obsessed with bike racing and I never turn away the chance to pin a number on.
The race started with the group waiting in the sun for the whistle to blow. What was only about 4 minutes felt like an hour. We were baking like roasting pigs. The whistle blew, and we were off. The pace was high and the roads were a bit bumpy. I felt good for the first lap, but slowly started going into the red on the second lap. The group surged at one point, and like a Tyson punch, I was out. Instead of suffering another lap with other dropped riders, I packed it up and went home. I figured I didn't want to burn any matches for the Bunny Hop Crit the next day.
It wasn't until the next day that I heard about the horse that came out on the course. Weird...

Bunny Hop Criterium; Suitland, MD
I was very excited about this race. It's the type of course that suits my ability at this point in my fitness level. I have really been struggling to make the adjustment to being a Cat 4. The leap and learning curve has been much steeper than expected. Some races, I do well (Chantilly, Vint Hill) some races I do terrible (Murad,Tysons).
The Bunny Hop crit had a weird feel to it. Again the heat was a killer. On the way to the race, I didn't see any cars with bikes. Usually, while traveling to a local race, you can spot a few other racers on the way. Granted I was driving through, SE DC, so the likelyhood of me seeing cyclists was low, but it still was strange.
My girlfriend Kate and I arrived together and I started my routine. Pin the number, warm up, drink some water, bathroom ect... It was nice having my teammate Reb there racing with me. I was sporting my new Oakley Jawbones with the Gold Fire Iridium lenses. So gangsta....
We went out for a couple of laps for a warm up, and the course was very bumpy. Loose gravel in the turns and holes everywhere. Not a course I felt good racing my nice carbon wheels on.
The race started fast as usual, but I felt good in the group. I knew we were cooking pretty hard the first few laps, but we slowed into most of the corners. I began thinking of my strategy for the race. I figured I would hide out and really start to move up with 4 to go. I was feeling good. So where did it all go wrong?
About half way though the race, I knew I was in trouble. The road was so bumpy, and we were so tight, and the lines were so unpredictable I couldn't reach for my bottle with any confidence. Every lap guys were bunny hopping holes. Like an Indy car driver, I knew I was doomed to run out of fuel. When those Indy cars run out of gas they come to an abrupt stop. It was the same for me. 5 to go and my body quit on me. I ended up on the side of the road laying on the ground in pain. I know this sport is about suffering, but this was bad.
I had a couple of moments when I thought to myself, I never want to do this again. It's embarrassing getting blown out the back of races. Especially when most people know you from a T.V. show. Why am I killing myself for 30th place? Then I woke up this morning, jumped on bikereg.com, Gamjams.net and all of my favorite race sites looking for the next adventure.
I love bike racing.....