Revisting Floyd

I've been silently watching Floyd Landis' arbitration hearing, decided to reserve my thoughts until both sides have made their case. once that happens, I'll see what i think about Floyd. as it stands, I believe in him, and I believe in his being innocent until proven guilty.

Let me say that again-

innocent until proven guilty.

witch hunts aren't justice. "every pro cyclist is a doper" isn't a viable statement.

i see red anytime i hear someone make a statement like that.

I'm sick of all these jaded s.o.b.'s who say shit like that just to sound like they're in the know. making an assumption about every pro cyclist like that undermines the very sport you love. it trivializes the hours upon hours of sweat and suffering that all competitive cyclists endure in order to cross that finish line first- be it at the penultimate stage of the Tdf or a central park race. it's a destructive, unfair, and ignorant comment to make.

one thing is glaringly clear about this whole situation, though- the system is flawed.

The anti-doping system has failed. WADA and USADA created a slew of rules and regulations to sort out the cheaters. Then, be it through a witch-hunt mentality, or just plain sloppiness, they break a whole bunch of rules just to try and nab the big fish just to make a point. If the governing bodies of cycling can't follow the rules they created themselves, then the whole anti-doping system is flawed.

At this point, Floyd's innocence or guilt is almost inconsequential. Testosterone or not, this whole experience has shown us all that the systems that are in place now do not give a cyclist a fair shake. There's no system of checks and balances. a simple accusation is all it takes to have a rider suspended without proof or litigation. Chain of custody? who needs it!? the a and B samples exceeded their thresholds for contamination? who cares?! inconsistent results? pshaw. I could go on and on (although Arnie baker does a better job than I) it makes me sick.

That being said, i think reform is necessary on the cyclists side. I think the work team slipstream has done in order to prevent their riders from doping is fantastic. I don't think it's ridiculous to ask all pro cyclists to submit to DNA testing.

I love what I do. I love this hobby and the experiences it provides me. I've experienced victories, pain, camaraderie, getting dropped, road rash, 50 mph downhills, sprints, climbs that make my soul hurt, crashes, pacelines, saddle sores, way too much spandex, and too many clif bars. That's what its all about. There'll always be cheaters. It's up to both cyclists and the rule makers to make sure that a system is in place that not only prevents cheaters from sullying our sport, but also protects the honest cyclists that pedal their asses off to win.

If cycling is ever to make its way back to being seen as an honest, beautiful, tough, and fun sport- both cyclists and the governing bodies alike are going to have to make an effort. it takes two, baby.

More TV Time, More Trainer time. Racing in T-5 days

And counting.

Well, kids, it looks like uncle Christophe was on TV again (thanks again to Jason for pointing it out) . looks like the VS network has taken a liking to the clip of me giving Floyd Landis one of my T-shirts (which can be found on sale HERE) . They've been selling pretty well, by the way. I've received a ton of positive comments about the "Free Floyd" shirts. I'm guessing they might be using this TV footage for some time (until the fiasco clears up). I'm really glad that VS has been making an effort to report on the situation in Pro-cycling in an even manner. That one network has provided more fair and balanced coverage on Floyd than any other major news source out there (although Trustbutverify could show everyone a thing or two). I find that comforting. Hopefully it's enough to bring more awareness to the true state of what's going on and how it's threatening the sport we all love. The more people know the true facts, the more public pressure there will be to do something about it.


I guess I should begin to reap the rewards of my fame and celebrity. Frankly, all I want is a lifetime supply of Assos Chamois cream and a flock of nude virgins to apply it. I'm sure that can be arranged for a Z-list celebrity such as myself...

Enough with my delusions.

The cold finally broke on Saturday, and by the "cold breaking," I mean it was a high of 53 degrees. I jumped out of bed, slapped on my early spring gear (base layer, short jersey, arm warmers, and knickers) as well as my obnoxious and commemorative Hincapie sunglasses, and off i went. I ended up riding 75 wonderful miles. some alone, some with my teammate Nate Follow the link for hit flickr site, he's a great photographer- and was the one that shot me for the Maxxis tire shoot- see below:



Anyway, enough of my narcissistic meanderings (wait, isn't the the whole point of having a blog?)

The ride was fantastic. I felt like a kid again (a kid with a $5000 racing bike and a heart rate monitor, but a kid nonetheless). I went across the GWB and headed up to Nyack via river road- doing a few hill repeats on the way. When I got to Piermont I met up with Nate. We met up at the Piermont bike shop and decided to extend our trip a little. we bikes out to Rockland State park and did a victory lap of it. as we were doing our lap, a cold front came in. Good job not remembering your wind vest, Christophe! It got colder, and my fingers started to numb a little. As we rode, though, we warmed up, and it was more than tolerable on the way back. I'm feeling pretty decent about my conditioning, although I won't really be able to tell until Saturday- my first road race of the season.

Hoo-rah. I can't wait to slap my race wheels back on my bike- my Eurus's have been sitting in their campy wheel bags waiting to go for a ride. Only 5 more days.

It's only a CRCA club race in central park, but it will be my 2nd road race yet. I'm planning on sticking with the pack and not trying anything stupid (unless I can find some accomplices to do so) The last thing i want is a broken collarbone or a snapped frame on the 1st race of the season.

I'm looking forward to it.

Am I ready? I don't know. I'm definitely in the best riding shape of my life, although I feel like I've slacked off the past week or so (although it was a rest week). I may just experiencing late term it's-been-a-long-trainer-season-and-I don't-want-to-see-that-godforsaken-thing-for-another-8-months-psychoses. (you can tell by the look on my face)


I also should quit eating like an ass hole.

The race is 4 park laps, about 25 mi. no biggie.

Here's to not coming in last!

Christophe on TV with Floyd, New "Free Floyd" T-shirts and frigid riding. Woot!

What a weekend. a great way to kick off a week of unemployment!

I quit my job on Thursday, and start my new job on the 26th. That equals a whole week of Christophe doing nothing but combinations of laziness, Bike riding, and food/alcohol!

What a life!

I made myself ride outside this weekend on sat and sun. both were pretty cold days, with the temps starting in the mid-twenties and ending around the low 30s. i couldn't feel my toes after the rides, but I didn't care. I took the cross bike out so that I could give the new build a solid test run.


I'd say it passed with flying colors! I can't wait to get this baby muddy on a cross course. The handlebars are super comfortable (especially with the cushy green deda tape), and the Campy Centaur gruppo shifts life BUTTAH. the new centaur right shifter has the new escape mechanism, which only allows for you to shift up (harder), one gear at a time. Campy did this to save weight and simplify the internals. I was a bit worried at first that I would miss being able to upshift 5 gears in one motion, but I realized that In 'cross it may be better to only be able to shift one at a time. I could see me shifting up too many gears by accident when hitting rough terrain if i had the same mechanism that they have on their shifters in Chorus and above. They've also refined their front derailleur mechanism. while you cant trim it as much, there's no need to. its the most responsive front derailleur I've used thus far.


a Dirty 'cross bike is a happy 'cross bike!


In other News, the Tour of Cali started on Sunday. To my pleasant surprise, I got a call from Jason saying that I was on TV.


Huh??


Apparently VS (OLN) did a piece on Floyd Landis and the Fundraisers that he has been holding. Little did I know that Camera crews were recording footage at the Brooklyn Brewery and they used the part where I was talking to Floyd and giving him one of the t-shirts I had designed! F-ing Crazy!

Since Then I've been getting a ton of feedback from people who want to order shirts. I figured, in order to please everyone, I should set something on on cafepress.com - so i did just that.



http://www.cafepress.com/cjammet

This way for all your "Free Floyd" apparel needs! I designed T-shirts (in different colors), Women's shirts (tank tops, tees cut for women), Stickers, mugs and greeting cards! Go wild!

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Floyd Fairness Fund.

Get a T-shirt and Show Mr. Pound who the real "Dick" is.

As for the ToC itself, Congrats to Levi on the prologue- that was a great job. I don't think you have the gusto to win the tour, but you're a great rider still.


Even bigger props to my homeboy Big George for coming in 9th- great job Georgie! George is just a fantastic rider with a great attitude. He probably won't win the tour, but without him, Disco/USPS and Lancey pants would have been dead in the water.

Levi Held on to his yellow jersey today, but BARELY. a big crash in the peloton felled Levi, who jumped back on the bike with his but showing from the ripped shorts and booked it back. I believe the refs let him keep the yellow since it was so close to the finish. and of course big George was there helping him play catch up after the accident.

God, I'm starting to sound like a Fanboy.


I hear its supposed to get warmer this week. That means more riding outside. Wheeee!


Keep training hard, kids- racing is coming up fast! (and has started for some already)

Floyd Landis and Beer

I just got back from the Town Hall/Auction/presentation/autograph session/beerfest that was put on by the Floyd Fairness Fund. It was a great event and I think it allowed for Floyd to make his case in a clear and direct fashion. He's doing exactly what he needs to to clear his name, and I applaud him for it.



The event was put on at the Brooklyn Brewery , home to many a fine beer. The taps were open and a-flowin' for this event, which made it all the better.

When Floyd came in, the place erupted. obviously this place was filled with more supporters than skeptics. And that's fine- this event was meant to allow people to 1) Be properly informed, and 2) ask him questions.

One of the people in the crowd Asked Floyd to look him in the eye and tell him that he never used performance enhancing drugs. Point blank, in front of all those cameras.

Floyd did just that. without hesitation. This was him as his most genuine- there wasn't any legal-ese or any run around questions. He looked everyone straight in the eye and told them what he believes to be the truth.



Arnie Baker gave a great presentation on the various flaws the regulators and powers-that-be had made in taking on Floyd. I won't bore you with the details- you should read it, and it can be found on Floyd's site. That presentation gives enough scientific, empirical, and logical arguments that should satisfy even the most jaded skeptic. However, it's up to you (the jaded Internet troller) to read it. It's obvious that we can no longer look to the media for objectivity in cases like this, where sensationalism is what sells.

It's obvious that the doping-related accusations and scandals in that past year have turned many a starry-eyed aspiring bike racer into jaded and dismissive elitists. It's a defense mechanism. If you just brush off any great rider in cycling by saying he/she probably dopes, it prevents you from hoping for the person- from believing in them. It's not surprising, but it's still sad.

Yes, sometimes cyclists have doped. However, to believe all or most of them do is to adopt an attitude that is destructive to the very sport that we love and believe in.



Afterwards there was an auction and an autograph session. I had designed some "Free Floyd" T-shirts on my own (inspired by the "Free Wynona" T-shirts that were made when she was caught shoplifting). I gave one to Floyd, who seemed to like it- i think told him where I got the inspiration from.

"Oh, great. That's exactly who I want to be associated with- Shoplifting celebrities!"

I got him to sign an extra I had, shook his hand, and told him thanks for everything. He then asked how in the hell I ride up here when it's this cold. I said I don't! That's what a trainer and rollers are for (even though I'm starting to get some serious cabin fever).



All in all, a great night. It was great to see, hear, and converse with a fantastic athlete and a great guy, and I'm sure that more than a few skeptics had their questions answered.

There's no doubt in my mind that Floyd will have this case overturned. At least that's where my hopes will lie. Maybe we all need to take a chance and believe in someone again. And I think Floyd's our man.

to all those in the tri-state area- be there to be fair

I believe in Floyd.

I've been considered an idealist in the past. I've done it with the girls I've dated, with my friends, hell, with my life. And I especially do it with the people I admire.

Call my naive, call me an idealist. I don't care.

I Believe in Floyd

It's so easy for people to go on witch hunts after cyclists, especially with all the historical bouts of doping. It's really easy to get jaded and just think that everyone dopes.

It's just that mentality that is ruining the sport.

People tend to forget an important part of the legal system, or when accusations are launched: You're innocent until you're proven guilty.

So far, nothing's been proven. What i do know is i read Arnie Baker's PowerPoint on Floyd that specifically outlined all the flaws, inconsistencies, and ramifications of the tests that were done on Floyd's pee-pee.

1) The chain of custody was broken
2) Both samples were above the threshold of contamination
3) the Testosterone test wasn't actually positive, and only one of the 4 indicators for the carbon isotope test was positive
4) all the other tests were negative. between the time the positive test was taken and the time the subsequent tests were done, it would have been impossible for Floyd to metabolise the purported amount of testosterone in his body
5) various factors could have thrown off the test:
a) He drank alcohol the night before
b) He had cortisone injected into his hip the day before (this would lower the levels of epitestosterone in his body, effectively raising the ratio of Testosterone-to-Epitestosterone, which is what the test measures.
c) He has a thyroid condition, for which he takes hormones orally. Wouldn't you think that a orally administered hormone would maybe affect a test that measures the amount of a hormone in the body?
d) taking testosterone on a one-off basis is stupid and yields no performance gain. If you were going to cheat using testosterone, you would use it over the course of weeks during the off season.

I believe in Floyd.

I do. There's so much reasonable doubt it's not even funny.

They logged his wattage for stage 17 and found that he was well withing the wattage and exertion ranges that he had trained on. Nothing crazy. The reason he won by the margin that he did was because the Peloton thought he would crack again. They dragged their asses until it was too late. It was an amazing ride, but it was a ride Floyd was completely capable of doing without any enhancement (which testosterone couldn't offer anyway).

I fume every time i hear overweight, inactive sports fans that watch football and baseball lecture me about how all cyclists dope.
Last time I checked, (next to the Olympics), cycling is one of the most heavily regulated and tested sports for doping. and the punishments are more severe. Every time a big headed football/baseball player gets accused of or caught doping, everyone shrugs it off. slap on the hand, 4 game suspension. It makes me sick.

cycling's a great sport. Our athletes sweat their lives out, the bleed for this sport. they break collar bones, swim in lactic acid, and suffer up the rudest mountains in the world to show they're the best. I refuse to let my perception of it get tarnished by witch hunts and people who carry bias.

I believe in Floyd.