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FROM THE SUMMIT
Well, you've done it again. You've squandered another perfectly good month reading my column. As it is the month of December, this will be the final "From the Summit" for 2007. I think it is only natural this time of the year to reflect on what one has accomplished or, in some circumstances, not accomplished these past twelve months. This is the season for remembering and, as Wei has recently reminded me, remember rhymes with December. How can one possibly attempt to summarize this year in such a short space? We are part of a sport whose highest ranks have been rocked by scandal. Not even cycling's pinnacle event, the Tour de France, was immune to allegations of doping. During the 2007 Tour de France, both Alexander Vinokourov and Cristian Moreni tested positive for banned substances. Both were heroes of the sport and yet their respective teams, Astana and Cofidis, withdrew entirely from the Tour in light of the scandals. This was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The scandal would continue even further, and up into the ranks of the yellow leader’s jersey. Tour de France leader, and one of Denmark's finest, Michael Rasmussen was found guilty of "violating internal team rules" and ejected from his team Rabobank while wearing the yellow leader’s jersey. Floyd Landis was found guilty, after a lengthy legal dispute, of doping by an arbitrator's ruling. He was stripped of his 2006 title and received a two-year ban from cycling. Even 1996 Tour de France yellow jersey winner Bjarne Riis, white jersey winner Jan Ullrich, and green jersey winner Erik Zabel have been linked to doping. While these might seem like the dark days for our sport, I have faith that we will recover and our sport will be redeemed. Our love for this sport has been shaken, not shattered. There is already an ongoing movement toward a drug free sport and our own Team Slipstream is on the frontlines. With the Tour of California coming so close to home again this year, I am sure we are in for an exciting time. I wish to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has stepped up during the course of the year and volunteered their time and effort and made this club what it is today. From leading club rides to organizing event such as the Criterium or the Primavera, without all of your help this club would not exist. I want to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. See you in the New Year.
Jeff G "My best advice is to just ride. Ride consistently. Uphill. Downhill. Level ground. Push yourself. It's better for fitness. Better for the long term. Don't stop, then start. You want to stop? Have some caffeine. Then have some more. Don't concentrate so much on your time. Focus more on your frequency. Oh, and of course, have fun. Still here? What did I just say? Go. Get out and ride." - Lance Armstrong |
Happy Holidays all,