Irregular Report 26
Here and There
Tenacious T, competing at the Track Nationals, saw Landis among the few spectators on day 1 and got a picture.
awesome photo by Tenacious T Pez says the Landis-linked formerly-HealthNet team will be on Kuota's next year. The Italian designed/Taiwan (Martec) manufactured bikes were #2 at the Kona 2007 triathlon, and have high bling quotient. Not much high-end pro visibility yet, their largest previous sponsorship being of Agritubel. Kuota doesn't appear to be a step down from the Cannondale's the team had been riding, with good road and TT offerings.
Rant writes of two recent "bouncebacks", the "lucky" TBV's and Floyd Landis'. According to Rant Landis may have to redefine "vindication" for himself by the elimination of that $100,000 fine. At this point that would probably go a long way. Both surely qualify as "sagas". Well, maybe not TBV's. There are only so many stanzas can you get out of, "Car and bike collided / bike and rider lost."
Skatey-mark thinks Floyd Landis might need to take his "case" to the Swiss courts since he might not find satisfaction here. Let's wait for some real information before leaping to conclusions.
Sports by Joe notes the return of "Crazy Floyd Landis". Nope, cycling is certainly NOT boring.
Ryan met and socialized with Floyd Landis recently, but didn't say if he had enjoyed himself. How could you not?
An emailer sent some pictures from last weekend's "Save a Limb" ride with Landis and Bob Roll.
Landis looks thin behind those Elvis shades.
Bobke always has a few words to say.Holding the mike and the hat might have been constraining.
Outside All Day, working with the Ride Clean Team, is still convinced Landis didn't do it.
When it's out of you, it's beautiful Dept.
After waiting much of the day to get my CT scan done, the trauma doc looked at the results, rushed into my room and said it was time to pull this out of my chest.
When it's out of you, it's beautiful Dept.
After waiting much of the day to get my CT scan done, the trauma doc looked at the results, rushed into my room and said it was time to pull this out of my chest.
The J hook part is stuck inside you. The outside part goes to the drain box that holds the "stuff" that comes out. The box has a tube to the suction port in the wall. This is the second box; the first one got full at 2100cc and was replaced.The doc undoes the stitches that make sure it doesn't pull out on its own, and puts aside some suture material he'd left partly stitched at the time of installation. He tells you to exhale and hold your breath.
Ready?
He rips the tube out like he's starting a chainsaw -- one hand on the rope, and the other on the body to have something to push against.
Then he jams a
You can breathe now.
I should be going home tomorrow morning, after an X-ray to make sure there are no air leaks. To make sure the hole heals and doesn't leak, the advice is basically "don't do anything strenuous for a month."
A week after the incident, the bruising at region of impact was way, way down. That's the drain tube hanging down out of the bandage above.
And when it was over, I had the most marvelous meal anyone had ever had.
10 comments:
Saw this story today...
"Why are you coming back Lance? asks Leblanc
3 hours, 56 minutes ago
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Buzz Up
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Print
PARIS (AFP) - Former Tour de France director Jean-Marie Leblanc has questioned Lance Armstrong's motives for returning to race riding next year.
Leblanc, Tour director for all of Armstrong's seven titles, says in the editorial in the Velo Star review that the Texan took everyone by surprise by announcing his intention to bid for an eighth Tour de France in 2009.
"It seems that you want to collect funds for your foundation into cancer research. That's a laudable intention of course but was it necessary to get out your jersey and racing shorts given the revenue your conferences make in the United States?" he asks.
"They're also saying you haven't been overly impressed with the victories of your former rivals - (Oscar) Pereiro, (Alberto) Contador and (Carlos) Sastre - and that at 37 the challenge doesn't seem insurmountable; and that is something we can understand.
"But Lance, let's suppose that you'll still be competitive in 2009 - and that's a strong possibility - there is all the same a small problem which is bothering us.
"It's the side effects that your return will inevitably have on cycling's image.
"Us former riders generally have respect for winners, but that's not always the case with the public and above all the media who have heavy suspicions about you.
"The hounds will be let loose, column inches will be written, images repeated, and debate sparked about the one word which has petrified our passion over the past ten years: doping."
LeBlanc refers there to the persistent allegations of doping that have dogged Armstrong's career, his most vociferous detractor being France's sports daily L'Equipe."
LeBlanc and the rest of the Tour's cronies have done more to kill the
Tour's image and brand in the last few years than anyone else by letting L'Equipe violate any reasonable standard of objective journalism. He's a farce.
LeBlanc should be grateful that Armstrong wants to give it a go...the Tour is approaching irrelevance without him. Maybe he's afraid of what Don Catlin won't turn up.
Yeah, and according to so many others, Catlin's already in the bag.
Geez, some people.
John,
I thought the same thing the first time I read the LeBlanc interview. But I think what is most telling are the last couple of paragraphs,
"Us former riders generally have respect for winners, but that's not always the case with the public and above all the media who have heavy suspicions about you.
"The hounds will be let loose, column inches will be written, images repeated, and debate sparked about the one word which has petrified our passion over the past ten years: doping."
Basically, I think LeBlanc is saying that the Lance will be under an immeasurable amount of pressure. There's too many people out there that want to find Lance guilty of doping that they may do anything to make it happen. And if they are successful, cycling will be dead.
The way the article it written, the beginning makes LeBlanc sound like sour grapes, but the end comes to a logical ending in my book.
http://velonews.com/article/83918/french-lab-offers-to-retest-armstrong-s--99-samples
I've been wrong about many things, but dammit, I called this one.
Contrary to the title, it ain't LNDD making the offer, but AFLD. But gee, I wonder where the "analysis" will take place?
A double sawbuck says they do it regardless of LA's consent.
Well, lessee, I don't trust Rome, I don't trust the Swiss, I certainly don't trust the French, Spain is out for obvious reasons, I wouldn't give Ashendon the pleasure in Australia. Premont in Quebec can stuff herself.
I guess Catlin, but he's not working for a lab any longer, remember? Wasn't there a Portuguese lab involved in the results shopping for Mayo?
WADA has a new lab in India ... *cough cough*
mwbyrd,
Thanks for your comment. I can see how you can reasonably come to your conclusion...fair enough. But, put his comments into context with the following article written a couple of years ago and it's difficult to believe that LeBlanc doesn't still have an ax to grind:
"Armstrong still angry with Tour de France director Leblanc
Updated 7/18/2006 6:05 PM ET
By Jerome Pugmire, Associated Press
L'ALPE D'HUEZ, France — Lance Armstrong is in no mood to forgive Tour de France race director Jean-Marie Leblanc.
"The problems and the tension there are so deep," Armstrong said Tuesday. "I'm just not very optimistic."
After the seven-time Tour winner retired from cycling last summer, Leblanc heralded a fresh start for cycling, predicting an exciting time for Armstrong's longtime rival Jan Ullrich of Germany and the promising Ivan Basso of Italy.
But Basso, the 2005 Tour runner-up and 1997 Tour winner Ullrich were kicked out on the eve of this year's Tour, implicated in a Spanish doping investigation.
Although Armstrong "cares for them as friends," he used the scandal to hit back at Leblanc.
"I called Jean-Marie Leblanc the day all this news hit," Armstrong told a small group of reporters at a hotel in this Alpine mountain resort. "I said: 'Hey, I just wanted to wish you luck, sorry this happened. I know you were happy to see us move on ... but this would never have happened on our watch ever.'"
Armstrong is not unfamiliar with doping allegations.
Last August, the French sports daily L'Equipe alleged Armstrong tested positive for the banned performance enhancer EPO during the 1999 Tour — the year of his first win. Leblanc reacted strongly, saying Armstrong had "fooled" the cycling world.
The relationship worsened last October when Leblanc announced the 2006 Tour route in Paris.
"I'll never forget as long as I live, Jean-Marie Leblanc's address," Armstrong said.
Mimicking, even mocking Leblanc, he continued in a soft, throaty voice.
'"It's time for the regime to end, the oppression of the Armstrong (era),'" said Armstrong.
Any reconciliation seems impossible.
Armstrong has shunned L'Equipe— owned by the Amaury Sports Organization (ASO), which also owns the Tour — and says Leblanc's comments have caused irreparable damage.
"I think that's so complicated because of the relationship with ASO, L'Equipe. I don't think that's possible," Armstrong said. "The only question I have to answer is: 'Did you take EPO in 1999?' The answer is no."
The Tour sees no problem with conflicts of interest, shoddy lab work, unproven science, leaks to the press, and presumption of guilt all in the name of "cleaning up its image." Ironic. And too bad for Floyd.
Are we surprised? I'm not.
As soon as Lance announced his comeback, it was clear if dope testing found pop tarts in his system, pop tarts would be a banned susbstance.
Uh oh, sounds like "powered by poptarts" is going to be in trouble.
TBV
Oh, TBV, you have nothing to worry about. You are powered, not by poptarts, but by the King!
PS -- Markey Mark underwear???
PPS -- I saw Kuota bikes at the CSC invitational last year and fell in love. Not yet sold in the DC area. Bother - not that I am up to carbon anyway. Can't say nothing but good if Health/Net/Nexis/Smith and Newsome/Floyd uses them based on aesthetics.
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