The recent headlines being made in the cycling world have honestly not garnered a whole lot of attention at V-HQ, at least where a certain COTHO is concerned. Yes, The Keepers have added to the usual discussions on the topic here, read the news, and given it some thought. But we really don’t feel the need to take any sort of official position, recap the whole sordid mess, or offer up any ideas on how to move forward. Just as you all contribute positively to this place in ways we couldn’t possibly have envisioned when we started, the cycling community as a whole will contribute positively to our sport as we grow through this. COTHOS, governing bodies, PED’s, and corruption be damned. We’re here to live La Vie Velominatus.
That being said, we feel the need to retract LeMelvis from the Lexicon as a result of this whole mess. Perhaps the COTHO’s reach into public opinion went far enough to cloud our judgement of the greatest American cyclist and only American winner of the Tour. It went far enough that we thought it was okay, if not funny, to besmirch his more recent public image. We were wrong and for that we are sorry. Where has LeMond been in the recent tumult? Quiet, letting things speak for themselves. That’s class. The same class he showed when he turned up in Europe as a neo-pro to race with the best as a virtually solitary American. The same class he showed winning three Tours. The same class he showed in the above picture. Vive La Vie, Greg. You’re the man.
As point of clarification, Greg LeMan has maintained its honorary place in the Lexi. We might even put it in bold now.
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@Daccordi Rider, @ken, @Oli +1. He might not have had the greatest year on the bike, his stage win apart, but he's got to be a contender for an off the bike V-Award for being the voice of reason when a lot of others are either getting it horribly wrong or staying silent when something needs to be said.
I hear that USADA has just banned Spain. From everything. The EU is worried about jurisdiction and has consulted the UCI. But they won't do anything because Angela Merkel now has an excuse for not bailing it out (you can't give money to someone who's been banned). It is a bit of a shame, as I was quite partial to paella and find buy seco. But at least now there's a way to avoid a clash between ATOC and the Giro ...
@G'phant Er, "fino muy seco"...
@G'phant So if Spain has been removed from the records, who takes over or will it just be left blank? More importantly will all the EU money that's been pumped into it be paid back?
Just finished my first crit. Wish I was Spanish, some EPO would have come in handy. That really hurt.
@Daccordi Rider Don't forget Sammy Sanchez who is leading the Spanish charge to support the COTHO. Strange shit in Spain, no doubt.
I never noticed this before but with 21st century eyes I can see he totally slammed that quill stem on the TVT Lemond (main pic). Cool.
@scaler911
Ah yes - Tom Ritchey. Thanks for clearing that up, @Scaler911 - and many thanks for posting this classic image - couldn't resist 'quoting' it. There is so much sheer f'''ing class on display in that image it almost makes my eyes water. Great pic - epic ride and riders.
@Chris read up on Oppy. Born and bred in Victoria - and seriously respected by the Frenchies. A household name in Australia
@Marcus Misread your previous post as trying to put him a similar/earlier time frame to Mills.
Sounds like hardman, dying on an exercise bike 91. Anyone mastering the rollers on a rolling ship gets my vote.
Mills would have given the Tour a pretty good showing had he not pre-dated it. He put six hours on the first non Brit in the Bordeaux Paris.