Wednesday Roundup

News
Wednesday's VeloNews mailbag is full of opinions about FL being named cyclist of the year. Depending on how you count, it's 2:2 about the decision, or 3:1 against Landis.

NPR ran a story, "Cycling Ends an Ugly Year", interviewing McQuaid, Andreu, and Bicycling Mag's Joe Lindsey quoting Kimmage. Lindsey thinks the year's scandals have cost $50 oops, $15 million in sponsorship. The report says a decision about Landis may not come until just before the start of the '07 tour. It's not a Landis-specific piece, and probably reflects a reasonable outside look. Culture of doping, Puerto, '98 Festina scandal, McQuaid's review, teams scrambling to find an approach that works.

Blogs
Rant bemoans "poor" Oscar Pereiro.

Has he not received his big check for placing second? Did his team not give him the bonus due for placing so well? Does he forget who put him into that position in the first place? I think it was some guy named Floyd, and some team called Phonak that let him gain so much time on the peloton that he was catapulted into the yellow jersey. Had Landis and Phonak played out their strategy differently, the only people in the world who would’ve heard of Oscar Pereiro Sio would be die-hard cycling fans. Because little old Oscar would’ve been an also-ran finishing way down the list.

A dutch reaction to Velonews, translated by the babelfish:

Stupid, stupid Americans. As a cyclist of the year in their country molars them Floyd Landis. How you can choose this way someone nou if he is caught on doping after winning the tour the France. Those guests get of it really nothing. Respectively as a number two and three George Hincapie and has been chosen Levi Leipheimer, two cyclists who have performed this year zowat nothing. In fact as much as a beetje gives the level of the American cyclists of this year to.

[end]