Writing for ChaosCyclingClub.com

In addition to this specacular, epic, and eloquent blog that you, my loyal readers, enjoy on a regular basis (HA!), I have also started writing for www.chaoscyclingclub.com as one of their blog writers. The site is up but not completely functional yet. You can get the gist from their myspace page HERE. Here's the first piece I wrote for them:

State of the cycling Union

My fellow cyclists,

As we stand on the horizon of the 2007, I can't help but think about what this year has in store for us. What will bring us excitement? Who will win the tour? What scandal is going to rock our world next? Will the Pro-tour survive another year of mismanagement and bad protocol? Will I even come close to winning a bike race?

Who knows.

I've been mulling over the general state of cycling and how it has changed over the past year. The thing about this marvelous two-wheeled invention is that it means so many things to many different people. a work of art, a commuter, a $12,000 racing machine, a bike messenger's most prized possession, and a weapon of competition. Hell, to you it may mean all of those things rolled into one.

Look at the current state of pro cycling. Unfounded accusations can ruin a pro's career. Anti-doping regulations have turned into glorified witch hunts. All hunches, no evidence. It's a shaky base to build a case on.

What will happen in the next twelve months? Will we ever be able to look up to these cycling masters with the child-like reverie that people had for Eddie Merckx and Fausto Coppi? Can a cycling legend be forged in the current environment we live in, or will the reputations of every budding cycling hero be so easily chopped down by accusations and scandal?

When looking at the pro cycling world, I've realized a few things:

-A simple accusation does not make a person guilty until they're proven to be so in a court of law. Until then, they're innocent. Remember that the next time you get into a debate over Floyd, Jan, or Ivan. They're innocent until a court proves otherwise. Sorry. It's called the justice system.
-The (general) media does more harm than good when cycling is in the news. Does it ever surprise you that the media attacks cycling for being a dirty, scandal ridden sport when it is in fact vastly more regulated than other professional sports that overweight beer swillers watch? If Barry Bonds were a cyclist (which is a hilarious visualization in and of itself,) he would have had it MUCH rougher than he does now.
-The Officials governing the sport need to get their acts together. Sometimes it seems like they are out to kill the sport. They have to stick to the rules that they come up with, and there needs to be a system of checks and balances to ensure that officials cannot abuse their power. Reputations of the cyclists and the sport in general will be at stake if the officials can't get their acts together.

As for my predictions for the next year's winners, they're as follows:

Paris-Roubaix: Big George Hincapie
The Giro: Basso or Cunego
The Tour: Landis (if he can compete), Basso, or Vino

We as cyclists have to make a choice. There's no place for cynicism in cycling- that's what'll kill the sport. The world of cycling is larger than the pros. Sure, they're amazing to watch, and they're stronger cyclists than most of us will ever hope to be, but pro cycling shouldn't define what the experience means to us. It is what we make of it.

It's time to return to the simple joy of pedaling a bicycle. Get out there and suffer up a hill, blast down a descent, and trackstand at the stoplight. Do a wheelie. Sprint for the Line. Compete in your first race. Bunny hop a cyclocross barrier. Try to ride a unicycle.

Push yourself, and let this two wheeled wonder make you a better, stronger, and more balanced person. The more you ride, the better it gets.