Monday Roundup

Coy Site Note
While checking out the Fat Cyclist story below, we note there the is a deadline on Jan 10 for "Bloggy" award nominations. Not that we care or would suggest anything tacky to our discerning readership. The correct category would be "sports", and we haven't a chance.

News
CyclingNews Readers vote Stage 17/Morzine the #1 cycling moment of the year, CN bizarrely tries to spin it as about doping, clearly disappointed in the result.

Cyclingnews publishes the Pound comments from yesterday's The NYT Magazine in a feature story along with the Landis response under the headline: "Pound casts doubt on Landis; Tour winner hits back":

Applauded by some for his directness, criticised by others for blasting athletes prior to an official guilty judgement, Dick Pound furthered his outspoken and controversial reputation over the weekend. The WADA chairman was quoted extensively in a large feature in the New York Times, and has caused waves with a sceptical - and somewhat unusual - assessment of Floyd Landis's Tour de France ride.

It takes the axe-grinding CyclingNews to spin the start of the story as "Pound casts doubt on Landis", and make the tease part of the article about Mr Pound's comments, with no balance, and relegating the heart of the response to the click-through. No other media outlet has framed the story this way. We have two examples of CN's bias today -- the way they wrote their "cycling moment of the year" poll story, and the way they presented this story.

AFP via ChannelNewsAsia reports a Landis letter in response to the Wired NYT Magazine articles featuring examples of Mr. Pound's loose lips.

"Dick Pound's recent defamatory and absurd public comments - in the midst of a process where the highest ethical standards should support a fair and just outcome - highlight the dramatic and systematic problems with global anti-doping enforcement and adjudication", said Landis

German radio (auf Deutsch, audio) interviews Landis spokesman Henson. If anyone listens and can provide a summary of anything interesting, that would be appreciated.

Time reprints a kinda related cartoon.

Blogs
VeloChimp observes that Mr. Pound is NOT a diplomat, and that his comments are, "surreal."

Triple Crankset says he will pony up for the FFF on Wednesday night Jan. 10 in Arlington, VA and is planning on spending the evening at the Drafthouse with "Bad Boy Floyd"

Science Fiction Twin concedes that he is now firmly in the Landis camp (even though he didn't start out that way):

Then his A sample came back with a wonky testosterone ratio. It didn’t seem right to me. Yes, his ride was superhuman; yes he looked angry when he crossed the line. But cheating? I didn’t quite buy it. Lots of BS from an enormous tool at WADA and chest thumping from every corner of the sports world still didn’t convince me. Which is odd. Generally I’m ready to convict. I even questioned the Godfather of American cycling at times (I can’t say his name, lest I sleep with the fishes). But I had a hard time buying it with Floyd.

Science Fiction Twin does double duty today with comments about yesterday's NYT article on Mr. Pound. He thinks the emperor has no clothes.

New blog/podcast/video site Quickrelease.TV gives us a link; we reciprocate.

Turf Toe has some snarky "Toe Knee" awards to give out, and Landis "wins" the "BEST IMPERSONATION OF AN ATHLETE BY A NON-ATHLETE" category. We note sadly that Landis' bonked trip up La Toussuire was faster with more watts then TBV can produce on a good day (250 sustained, if we recall correctly).

VeloGirl can't contain herself and makes further allusion to the NYT Magazine article and Mr. Pound.

Fat Cyclist thoroughly considers Lance's scheduling conflict that caused his withdrawal from the Leadville 100.

Smithers snarks TBV about the FFF bake sale, passing on the observation that even if Landis is innocent, he should still retire and go quietly away.

Friggin' Burt Friggin' Hoovis lets us know how he feels about Mr. Pound.

Dutch blog by Henry, machine translated here by babelfish.altavista.com goes into Mr. Pound and Landis' reaction.

' no virgin was safe for Landis '

yesterday, 22.46, 3 x had examined since 27/4 Spent: 8 January 2007 19.49

NEW YORK - the winnerwinner winner Floyd Landis suspected of doping has incensed Monday reacted to some stimulating judgements of Dick Pound, the President of the global antidopingbureau WADA.

In an open letter to the New York Times the American cyclist lays down the remarks of Pound absurd, defamatory and premature.


Harley-motor

Pound spoke reviling year previous concerning the "miraculous" wederopstanding of Landis during the tour the France. The American coureur got a heavy decline during the last klim in the sixteenth stage, but returned a day later in the seventeenth ride rockly-hard.

"it is a splendid tale", sneered Pound in the New York Times of Sunday. Terrible. Too beautiful for be. It is not possible also where to be. He lay eleven minutes ofzo at the back and suddenly performs he as Hercules. He opreed the mounts as if he Harley-motor flatlied refuse on zat.

Pound referred tevens in a conceited manner to the large deviations in the hormone household of Landis during the tour.

Virgin

The proportion between testosteron and epitestosteron was 11 against 1! With such values you would think that he would assault each virgin within 150 kilometres. That he ever still on its bicycle in that situation is for me a riddle has been possible climb.

Decenter

Landis, which have lodged an appeal against its suspension and everything do its purify name, reacted immediately to the denigrating observations of Pound.

He weet not about which he talks. He does not know the facts. With that he underlines the dramatic and systematic problems with which the antidopingcampagne contend. Given the seriousness of the beschuldingen to my address and damage which is as a result verooraakt to many people, Pound much more decently must establish itself.

Forums
DPF has a long thread dedicated to the NYT Magazine article on Mr. Pound, titled, "More bad journalism in NYTimes", which goes back and forth; also one debating whether McQuaid has lost his mind;

In a thread on the FFF, Veloflash asks for publication of the formation document, in the spirt of openness.

Correspondent Marc reminds us in a comment to note that the participants on the DPF threads regarding Messers Pound and McQuaid go about their posting with their customary warm friendliness and cheerful civility. Which is to say in the language of diplomacy, "there is a frank exchange of ideas and positions."

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