Do you want to contribute to Mailbag, a regular feature of VeloNews.com? Here's how:

Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company.

God Bless Neal Rogers
Editors,

Thank you so much for sending Rogers to the Tour, his interviews consistently ride the fine line between journalism and true bike nerd just like the rest of us. His ability to get riders like Hincapie and Vande Velde to take time out of their day almost every day both before and after the race is truly a godsend for those of us Americans who follow bike racing every day but don't get to watch it on TV.

My only question: where was he during the Giro? Thanks Neal from all of us bike nerds.

Rich Drick
Twin Falls, Idaho

Crappy Article
Editors,

What a crappy article. You show a picture of Carlos Sastra then state it isn't over until the lab lady signs?

The positive riders are doing a good enough job ruining the sport, they don't need you helping it along.
Ken Lefler,
Iowa City, Iowa

Fine Article
Editors,

I would just like to commend Andrew Hood for his article Sastre's Tour: Can we Dare to Believe?

It is without doubt one of the finest written articles I have ever read. Keep up the fine work.
Chris Mcabee,
Valley Head, Alabama

More on Hood's Sastre article
Editors,

Andrew Hood's article reads, in part: "There’s a lot of evidence that it is. Doping controls run by the French national anti-doping agency (AFLD) were precise, diligent, numerous and — after four doping positives — accurate."

I'm curious as to what the evidence is that the tests are any more accurate than they've ever been. I mean from an emperical outsider's point of view, don't we need a blind study with a control group? The only way to REALLY know how accurate the tests are is to have some known dopers tested. And dopers that the test administrators don't know are dopers, to see if they catch them. People might be getting away with something, and we really have no proof that we aren't catching them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the tests, I just think the fact that there were four positives doesn't logically lead to the tests being accurate.
Rich Wilson,
Rocklin, California

Cautious Optimism
Editors,

While I share Andrew Hood's cautious optimism, let's not be too hasty. The battle against cheating and performance-enhancing drugs isn't about to conclude anytime soon.

There's a lot of incentive to cheat and some people aren't above trying it. The battle is likely to be long
and protracted with setbacks along the way. As a cyclist and fan of the Tour, I am happy to contrast this year's event with the past 2 years. I hope that anti-doping authorities serve only the agenda of clean cycling and continue to have the upper-hand. But as new drugs emerge, will we know?
Jim Mees,
San Diego, California

Holy Cow!
Editor,

Holy Cow VN Editor!

I cannot believe that you get so little mail from your readers that you feel you needn't update your reader mail segment more frequently than this ... (last updated 7/14). Don't you have interns?

Or is it that your reader's contributions are not that valued? ... or maybe you just have less readers since you've all but abandoned the everyday cyclist portions of your site in favor of only reporting on the cycling elite or wallowing in the latest doping scandals? Either way, your new (really not so new by now) format is very unsatisfying to this everyday cyclist and frankly you're about to have one less reader to ignore mail and pictures from.

When did reader galleries and mail become so unimportant that it went from an every Wednesday (and sometimes Friday also) to an occasional update? ... and more importantly, why? I guess this is MY Friday Foaming Rant... a "do it yourself" version since you've pretty much quit that as well!

Jeff (used to check your site daily) Warman,
Yorktown, Virginia

Riccò: Unforgiven
Editor,

While I applaud Ricardo Riccò for at least admitting he doped, I don’t in any way forgive him. In fact, I wish his two-year ban were 20. To be that selfish to consciously dope when the Tour and teams find themselves on the precipice of total collapse, to ignore the anti-doping frenzy around the Tour, is simply unforgivable.

Yep, Riccò probably cost others their jobs, and he also risked the livelihoods of thousands of others in the cycling world. All for what? A stage win which he just HAD to know would be exposed? If stupidity were cycling talent, Riccò would be Eddy Merckx.

But I guess what worries me is that if he were really tested ten times, and only two came up positive, that’s a problem.

Thanks for nothing, Riccò. Maybe in your free time you can hang out with Vinokourov.

Adam Switzer,
Richmond, Virgina

Riccò: Here's hoping
Editors,

In a day when Bonds and Vinokurov, among other professional athletes, deny taking substances deemed illegal, I was heartened by Ricardo Riccò's admission and earnest apology for his mistake.

This morning when I read the article about his admission I was reminded of David Millar and that with admission there can be salvation from being a footnote in the history of this beautiful sport. By taking responsibility for his actions he showed there is hope for not only cycling, but sport in general.

Our children look up to these athletes and see their feats as something to strive for, then when one tests positive, we as parents are yet again put in the situation of trying to help an impressionable child understand that cheating has consequences. For Ricardo Riccò a two-year suspension and forfeiture of millions in salary over those two years and a huge black mark next to his name for the remainder of his career.

Here's hoping Ricardo Riccò can learn from his mistake and follow David Millar's lead in the fight against doping.
Allen Wahlström
Corpus Christi, Texas

Riccò: The tip of the iceberg
Editors,

The most recent update with Riccò shows him stating "I took a product that everyone was talking about.”

I think the truth here is we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. The testers are only catching the idiots, not the smart dopers. Everyone is whining about how cycling is the "most-tested" sport and "compared to football ..." I would say we are a long way from these guys being tested enough. Let's stop slapping them on the wrist with serious penalties (ie., jail time), or let it go and watch "The Cobra" do 60Km/h up Alpe d'Huez. Both are entertaining.
Jim Maybee,
Salmon Arm, BC, Canada

The Little Prince
Editors,

I just wanted to write in regarding Italy's two young stars in this year's Tour de France. Sometime after Riccò's performance in the Pyrenees, I looked at my husband and said, "I wonder how disappointed Italy is in Cunego's performance with Ricco doing so brilliantly?"

I wasn't happy with Riccò's success, given his behavior at the Giro, but I wondered if Italy wasn't confused about which young man should be their "little prince." When Riccò's doping surfaced, I smirked, along with most people, and when Cunego crossed the finish line during stage 18 with the help of his teammates, I no longer had to wonder who the "little prince" was.

Italy and the fans might be a little disappointed with Cunego's performance this year, but they
certainly don't have to be ashamed. There is no doubt which young man is up-and-coming in cycling royalty.
Anita Franklin,
Knoxville, Tennessee

Are deterrents working?
Editors,

I have to admit, I'm confused by Christian Prudhomme's report.

Prudhomme states, "deterrents are working." Anquetil admitted to dopeing during his reign. Merkx tested positive? There was Festina in 98, OP plus one positive '06, four positives and one lied of wereabouts in '07 and now four positives (maybe more) in '08.

How has anything changed? The only change I saw was how Prudhomme (a former reporter for L'Equipe) and L'Equipe reported the positives. One year with UCI (heat of ProTour battle) it's a tragedy. The following year with AFLD (no UCI and an end to ProTour) there's progress and a cleaner TdF.

Am I the only one that sees nothing has changed with doping? Two stages were won by a doper. A third stage was won by a teammate who was kicked out of the tour by his team. Yea! That's progress, alright. Add a couple of suspicious DNF's on the Italian border.

Media is a powerful and influential tool. Prudhomme has used L'Equipe to his utmost advantage in making the TdF look like it has a clean image.
Jay Hahn
Oakdale, California

Re: Another Andrew Hood story
Editors,

Thank you for Andrew Hood's wonderful, moving profile of Carlos Sastre.

When I went to the 2003 Tour de France with Destination Cycling (then Inside Track Tours), I had the opportunity to meet the CSC squad on the second rest day. Honestly, I had not heard of Carlos Sastre before that Tour, but I had just watched him win — live and in person — Stage 13 at Ax-3 Domaines, a hill that had nearly killed me on ascending it a few hours before the pros hit it.

One of our group leaders said Carlos was a man to watch, so I promptly asked Carlos to autograph my helmet. I don't speak Spanish and his English was not as good as it is now, so there wasn't much conversation, but he was gracious and, yes, tranquillo — and he impressed me.

I've been watching him and cheering him on ever since — and now, the ultimate win! The autograph on my helmet rises in status from Stage Winner to Tour Winner. I think it's time to put it in Plexiglas and buy a new one for the road. Thanks for such great coverage of all things Tour.
Katie Sanborn
El Granada, California

O'Grady: We can hardly stand it
Editors,

Just a note to say that O'Grady has written another outstanding commentary.

All the inside references, all the sharp wit.

I just start reading and all of a sudden I'm grinning ear to ear and laughing so hard
I can hardly stand it.
Mike Vrchota,
Thousand Oaks, California

Suspicious
Editors,

Great. You publish this great article about how CSC and Sastre are prepping for the time trial and their tricked-out Cervélos. Thank you. Cool.

But why not offer the same coverage for Cadel? And how about Kohl (I ride Specialized so I am biased there ;-)

I sure hope it's not advertising money bias but, absent another explanation in this cynical modern age of media advertising clout, that is what a lot of us will conclude.

I don't mind you pushing advertising when it's overt and clear that that is what it is. But advertising masked as in-depth reporting is more than a bit dodgy. I only hope you have a rational explanation for covering only one team in such a close race.

I really do. Really. I'd hate to cross you off my list of "go to" cycling news media because you were slanted and then spread the word about a sell out. Come on show me I am wrong. Please.
Daniel Lord

Editor's response:

I appreciate your concern for our editorial integrity, Daniel.

I would point out that we did write about Evans' Tour bikes and his Specialized time trial helmet. During the Tour, Technical Editor Matt Pacocha wrote about Lampre's Wilier bikes, Erik Zabel's Colnago and Alejandro Valverde's Pinarello, among other technical stuff that caught his eye.

I chose to publish Matt's article about Sastre's Cervélo last Friday because 1) it was technically interesting (they really take ALL the grease and seals out of the pedals? How cool is that?), and 2) the guy was on the eve of the most important time trial of his life.

I am not sure if Cervélo advertises with us (I don't recall seeing any Cervélo ads recently), but I can assure you that advertising concerns had nothing to do with the decision to publish that story.

Thanks for the opportunity to clear up any misconceptions. —Steve Frothingham, Editor of VeloNews.com

Do you want to contribute to Mailbag, a regular feature of VeloNews.com? Here's how:

Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company.