what people seem to forget is contador has been done for doping, stripped of tours amongst other things….now hes clean (supposedly), and hes just won the Vuelta has he not?!

so whats to say even if Armstrong wasnt cheating/doping (how ever you want to word it), he wouldnt have won anyways?

Contador hasn’t even admitted to the doping he was caught for. If you choose to believe he’s clean, that’s your decision. I personally think doping has still been rampant in 2012.

He still won 7 Tours

No he didn’t

He was winning the game as it was already set out……I still find him an inspiring individual.

I think you’re very wrong. He was creating the game. And there were casualties along the way, people ostracised from teams and from the sport.

I assume there are still drugs cheat in all sports but the systematic cheating that characterised pro road cycling at that time and LA and his team in particular are a thing of the past.

I think they’re probably very much still with us. I’m worried they might be very close to home.

Michael Barry statement:

ormondroyd

Michael Barry:

Cycling has always been a part of my life. As a boy my dream was to become a professional cyclist who raced at the highest level in Europe. I achieved my goal when I first signed a contract with the United States Postal Service Cycling team in 2002. Soon after I realized reality was not what I had dreamed. Doping had become an epidemic problem in professional cycling.

Recently, I was contacted by United States Anti-Doping Agency to testify in their investigation into the use of performance enhancing drugs on the United States Postal Service Team. I agreed to participate as it allowed me to explain my experiences, which I believe will help improve the sport for today’s youth who aspire to be tomorrow’s champions.

After being encouraged by the team, pressured to perform and pushed to my physical limits I crossed a line I promised myself and others I would not: I doped. It was a decision I deeply regret. It caused me sleepless nights, took the fun out of cycling and racing, and tainted the success I achieved at the time. This was not how I wanted to live or race.

After the summer of 2006, I never doped again and became a proponent of clean cycling through my writing and interviews.

From 2006 until the end of my career in 2012, I chose to race for teams that took a strong stance against doping. Although I never confessed to my past, I wrote and spoke about the need for change. Cycling is now a cleaner sport, many teams have adopted anti-doping policies and most importantly I know a clean rider can now win at the highest level.

I apologize to those I deceived. I will accept my suspension and any other consequences. I will work hard to regain people’s trust.

The lessons I learned through my experiences have been valuable. My goal now is to help turn the sport into a place where riders are not tempted to dope, have coaches who they can trust, race on teams that nurture talent and have doctors who are concerned for their health. From direct experience, I know there are already teams doing this but it needs to be universal throughout cycling.

Progressive change is occurring. My hope is that this case will further that evolution

KABOOOM! Michael Barry statement: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/cycling/story/2012/10/10/sp-uci-cycling-usada-doping-lance-armstrong.html

Boom

Hincapie confesses: http://www.bicycling.com/news/pro-cycling/george-hincapie-admits-doping?page=0,1

USADA statement: http://www.usada.org/cyclinginvestigationstatement.html

Evidence to be released in full this afternoon US time

KABOOM!

http://www.usada.org/default.asp?uid=4032

Today, we are sending the ‘Reasoned Decision’ in the Lance Armstrong case and supporting information to the Union Cycliste International (UCI), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The evidence shows beyond any doubt that the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team ran the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.

The evidence of the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team-run scheme is overwhelming and is in excess of 1000 pages, and includes sworn testimony from 26 people, including 15 riders with knowledge of the US Postal Service Team (USPS Team) and its participants’ doping activities. The evidence also includes direct documentary evidence including financial payments, emails, scientific data and laboratory test results that further prove the use, possession and distribution of performance enhancing drugs by Lance Armstrong and confirm the disappointing truth about the deceptive activities of the USPS Team, a team that received tens of millions of American taxpayer dollars in funding.

Together these different categories of eyewitness, documentary, first-hand, scientific, direct and circumstantial evidence reveal conclusive and undeniable proof that brings to the light of day for the first time this systemic, sustained and highly professionalized team-run doping conspiracy. All of the material will be made available later this afternoon on the USADA website at http://www.usada.org.

The statement also confirms Hincapie, among others, as a witness.

Don’t worry too much about the cruise ships. Just get off the beaten track, either up the hill a bit or the streets by the sea, or take a stroll round the coast at Lapad. The cruise tourists funnel neatly into the obvious tourist trap streets and restaurants. They don’t find the Buza bars.

Bump

Yep, Blackhound, I think that’s the case. He’s facing the prospect of being in pain for an extra year because those liable for the results of the criminal drunk driver who ploughed him off his bike, and did a runner, won’t stump up the cash.

(I’m taking sides on this one. Does it show?)

I didn’t, it wasn’t really the time of year when we were there (early spring). Not sure about climbing on Lokrum – it has some protected status – but I’m not the man to ask, really.

I think you’ll struggle to keep yourself occupied for a week in Dubrovnik alone, especially if the weather’s not so hot.

I agree with this. It’s a beautiful place to wander around but it’s not huge. I’d plan to do a few things. The more distant islands sounded pretty nice, forgot about those. But the trip to Mostar was pretty incredible and powerful too, don’t rule that one out.

EDIT: The inland Croatian/Bosnian borders are a pain in the arse. The one on the coast for the tiny strip of Bosnian seaside, less so on the day we went through. If you have a car, allow some time. Took our coach 30 minutes to get cleared through to Bosnia.

– Walk up the mountain or get the chairlift, and visit the fort on top, including the exhibition on the siege.
– Head down the coast to one of the smaller fishing towns such as Cavtat. Cheap as chips on the local bus.
– Boat trip to Lokrum island, have an aimless wander around getting lost.
– Do a coach trip to Mostar.
– Eat cheap squid at Kamenice in the little square near the port, with the locals and the cats.
– Go to the Buza Bar, perched on the walls overhanging the sea. Get beer, watch sunset.

If we’d had more time we might have done a trip to Montenegro somewhere too.

Ashenden: http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/13026/Ashenden-I-dont-know-whether-Armstrongs-passport-file-was-ever-sent-to-any-of-us-experts.aspx

“There are two damning features present in Armstrong’s blood values during the 2009 Tour de France,” he said, referring to the published figures. “First, his haemoglobin values did not decline by the 10 percent or so that is typically found during three week stage races. In the Pellizotti case, the publicly available CAS decision shows that the CAS found that this characteristic demonstrated the use of blood doping practices.

“Second, his reticulocyte levels were below the average of the rest of his reported results. Both of those are consistent with the use of blood transfusions.”

And interesting stuff about how the UCI effectively decides who gets passport data analysed.

or example 26/36 is NOT the same gear inches as 22/32… there’s about an inch difference.

Different ratios anyway, though, right?

You want to be spending £10K really. And you really, really want to be spending it on this beauty:

Mileage: 5300! Every one of them excruciatingly embarrassing?

bongofury forum is good for tips on dealers, etc.

There’s a “Montague” model of Bongo that was a camper right from the factory. They look pretty nice.

A Bongo won’t be £10k unless the market has changed radically from last year, where we bought a really nice one for a bit over £5k from a dealer.

Also you should ask yourself if you even need to convert it. The seats fold into a great big bed, and with a thin cotton mattress over that, ours is BLOODY comfy. We use a Quecha base seconds centre section as a good awning. We don’t want to convert – see no point.

Things to watch for:

– Rust underneath. They’re not treated for it in Japan because they don’t use road salt there. So anyone who imported one should have made damn sure to waxoyl the underside well. Some of them have horrible rust problems if this wasn’t done (ours is mint after a year, thanks to being properly treated by Discount Trucks in Newbury).

– Past cooling problems. Because they’re mid-engined, they’re vulnerable if the water stops. People have cooked them good and proper. I’d want one that had always had a coolant alarm and had been well looked after.

Get on the pepipoo website forum. They’re experts there.

I’ve never heard of a council accepting an informal challenge. You usually have to go through the whole process, to the point of arbitration (and often they drop just before that stage)

I’m very suspicious of my virtual self since I heard his virtual soigneur was photographed throwing a bag of syringes and EPO vials into a bin in a layby.

But he denies everything and points out he has never failed a drug test.

M&S paid out on my other half’s iPod without any fuss.

I think that in most sports, possibly expect rugby, the risk of life changing injuires are greater in cycling.

No more so than falling out of trees, though. For what it’s worth. And it’s better than other sports.

I’m not a dad.

But there’s a story my mum tells me about a doctor who was round to see my little brother one day. Mum looked out of the window and saw me (as usual) climbing trees and looning about in the garden, and said somewhat sheepishly to the doctor “oh sorry, I should stop him, he’ll kill himself”. The doctor smiled and said something like: “Naaah, he won’t kill himself. He might break an arm one day but he’ll be fine”.

Frankly I hope that if I have kids I’m happy to let them test their limits a bit, and that I’m brave enough to bite my lip if sometimes they scare me a bit. Within reason, obviously. But it’s a metric f***ton better than them spending all their time on the sofa getting fat. That’s far, far worse for kids in the long run.

Lots of sports can be pretty high consequence, when you think about it. I’ve seen kids take cricket balls in the face, seen kids in Europe doing amazing things on skis that would be pretty nasty in a crash. But is it a risk worth taking for active, fun-loving, fit kids? I reckon so.

The bike is quiet and simple, but now that it rains all the time, and there are mud everywhere , i use a geared mtb.

I’m completely the opposite to you. I tend to ride geared on dry trails when they’re fast, and switch to singlespeed for the winter clag. The mud round here (Reading) just kills gears, and I can’t be arsed with all the cleaning.

This is my current garage build – Kinesis frame and bits of several other bikes.

Please put some bar end plugs in. You’re making me worry

Except that two doctors are already, through this investigation, banned from any future involvement in the sport and a doctor, ‘coach’ and team director still have to have their cases heard and could well end up being banned for a period of time, through to indefinitely.

Tip of the iceberg. Last time I checked, Bjarne Riis was still running teams. Sky still haven’t announced the outcome of their promised “investgation” into Leinders. Contador remains totally unrepentant.

And anyway, Ferrari still seems to be up and running: http://www.53×12.com

Have one of each. Ride whichever one you feel like.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lance-armstrong-my-conscience-is-clear

So apparently we should be moving on, despite the sport being stuffed to the gills with cheats, despite convicted and unrepentant dopers winning the Olympics and the Giro, despite all the old faces of doping being in charge of teams, despite the UCI trying to silence Kimmage, despite whistleblowers still being hounded out…

“Yeah, others won’t move on. It’s sad. I’m aware that it’s out there. It’s like, why are you continuing? You got what you wanted; Lance Armstrong never did anything in his life. Great. For some, it’s like, shouldn’t you be out training and focusing on what you’re doing? F**king move on. So strange.”

Horrible man.

The Kimmage defence fund is at $53,000 and rising.

Paul Kimmage Defense Fund

I wish you could still get IRC Mud Mads.

Front was this pointy thing:

Rear was like a paddle steamer.

> Personally, I’d just let it slide and move on

People with that level of aggression should be sternly warned that they risk not being allowed to drive cars until they get help, in my opinion.

I recently got a Navin Minihomer from ebay for £19.50 delivered. Works absolutely great, long battery life too. Bit fiddly setting up the software initially but nothing too bad.

I defined emissions when i said the banding is set by emissions, just didn’t specify that some bands could be zero rate. And yes, there are of course exceptions.

There’s no point getting into semantics. It’s a tax on motor vehicles used on the public highway. It is not ringfenced to pay for roads; it is simply part of general taxation. Its bands are set according to emissions. There, easy.

Lawmanmx – I am the registered keeper of our vehicle. My girlfriend and I are joint owners of the vehicle. I am not leasing it from the DVLA.

And bung it on YouTube with her number plate in the title, too

Report.

The 0.3 sounds very illegal

A lot of these are longer than 1 minute 40. The rules (that I made up) are clear.