http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352 Always select Genuine Rant™ Brand. Everything else is just words. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:27:08 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11497 Cycling Beat » Reacting to the End of Discovery Channel Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:31:50 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11497 [...] But if it’s a good ole fashioned Rant you’re after, the place to head is Rant Your Head Off who started out with the bemused tone of Tailwind Tailspin calling it a “strange turn of events”. This is then followed up with a very interesting quote from Lance Armstrong about the sponsership problem (part of the Sunday Short Takes post). (Incidentally, cograts to RYHO which is celebrating the first anniversary of the blog - onya!) [...] http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11475 Ken Sun, 12 Aug 2007 20:26:19 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11475 Team Eveready would great although Team FedEx would be good to. If they were team Eveready, would they have to have pink rabbit ears painted on their helmets? - My favorite Team Postal Service adds were the ones where Lance, George and crew were having to deliver the mail on their off season. They'd get done with their day and the postmaster said, "great job, see you tomorrow." To which the team look surprised and collectively asked "tomorrow?" -
My favorite Team Postal Service adds were the ones where Lance, George and crew were having to deliver the mail on their off season. They’d get done with their day and the postmaster said, “great job, see you tomorrow.” To which the team look surprised and collectively asked “tomorrow?”]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11453 Rant Sat, 11 Aug 2007 22:57:11 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11453 fmk and Ken, I'm thinking Team Eveready: They keep going, and going, and going ... Or Team Guinness: They may not make it to the finish sober, but they'll be bloody happy to be done. Or perhaps Team FedEx: When you absolutely, positively have to make it to the start by 10 a.m. tomorrow. Or maybe even Team Epogen: Hey, if you're gonna dope, why not get the pure stuff? ;-) - Rant
I’m thinking Team Eveready: They keep going, and going, and going …

Or Team Guinness: They may not make it to the finish sober, but they’ll be bloody happy to be done.

Or perhaps Team FedEx: When you absolutely, positively have to make it to the start by 10 a.m. tomorrow.

Or maybe even Team Epogen: Hey, if you’re gonna dope, why not get the pure stuff?


- Rant]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11449 fmk Sat, 11 Aug 2007 20:49:38 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11449 Ken: Team Microsoft? No, they'd keep crashing. Team Google? They'd refuse to follow the official route and come up with an alternate way of getting from the start to the finish. Rant: well, the UCI does have form for internal faction fighting being done in public. IIRC, the L'Equipe Armstrong story, about the old test, was partly leaked through someone in the UCI, trying to damage Hein Verbruggen.
Team Google? They’d refuse to follow the official route and come up with an alternate way of getting from the start to the finish.

Rant: well, the UCI does have form for internal faction fighting being done in public. IIRC, the L’Equipe Armstrong story, about the old test, was partly leaked through someone in the UCI, trying to damage Hein Verbruggen.]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11448 Ken Sat, 11 Aug 2007 19:51:50 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11448 Rant, I agree about hoping all Disco riders find new teams, although I'm still hoping for an eleventh hour rescue. Does anyone have Bill Gates phone number? I'm sure his company has some spare cash laying around. Either that or Serge over at Google could surely afford to fund a team. I could see the color scheme for "Team Google" now. :)
I agree about hoping all Disco riders find new teams, although I’m still hoping for an eleventh hour rescue. Does anyone have Bill Gates phone number? I’m sure his company has some spare cash laying around. Either that or Serge over at Google could surely afford to fund a team. I could see the color scheme for “Team Google” now. ]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11444 Rant Sat, 11 Aug 2007 18:23:45 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11444 Morgan, Actually, I haven't seen the pocket rocket article in Velo, yet. I'll look for it, though. Sounds interesting. Ken, I hope all the riders find new teams. It will be interesting to see who Hincapie and the rest will ride and work for next year. Bruyneel has been an excellent leader for US Postal/Discovery, the sport will be the lesser for his departure. fmk, I don't know that we'll ever get the full context of Armstrong's remark. It appears to have come from a press release, which may have been intentionally vague. But look at the article in today's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/11/sports/sportsspecial1/11cycling.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">New York Times</a>. Perhaps that sheds some light on where he's coming from. I think that UCI, besides bringing the ASO into the ProTour fold, wants to control things like TV rights and other money-making aspects of the whole kit 'n' kaboodle. It certainly is about money and power and control. Good point about individual motivations. At some point, it would definitely be good to delve into the warring personalities, too, because they're a big (perhaps biggest) part of the current power struggles. - Rant
Actually, I haven’t seen the pocket rocket article in Velo, yet. I’ll look for it, though. Sounds interesting.

Ken,

I hope all the riders find new teams. It will be interesting to see who Hincapie and the rest will ride and work for next year. Bruyneel has been an excellent leader for US Postal/Discovery, the sport will be the lesser for his departure.

fmk,

I don’t know that we’ll ever get the full context of Armstrong’s remark. It appears to have come from a press release, which may have been intentionally vague. But look at the article in today’s New York Times. Perhaps that sheds some light on where he’s coming from. I think that UCI, besides bringing the ASO into the ProTour fold, wants to control things like TV rights and other money-making aspects of the whole kit ‘n’ kaboodle. It certainly is about money and power and control. Good point about individual motivations. At some point, it would definitely be good to delve into the warring personalities, too, because they’re a big (perhaps biggest) part of the current power struggles.

- Rant]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11438 fmk Sat, 11 Aug 2007 14:34:02 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11438 Certainly I would like to believe that Armsrong is calling for unity between UCI / ASO / WADA. I haven't read the full context of the quote yet. But taking the comment in the context of Armstrong's previous comments on these areas - the zipped lips, the anti-WADA tirades - I'm not sure. As for the Machiavellian politicking - you're being far too generous to many of the players in this one. They're good at stabbing one and other in the back, but not good at the level of scheming you're imputing to them. Also, the media *is* being overlooked. Don't forget, it was the *media* that brought down Rasmussen, no one else had a hand in that one. LNDD tends to leak to L'Equippe, which has a particular historical interest in the Tour. Other papers have an historical interest in making L'Equippe look bad and also have access to leaks. The whole system leaks like a sieve, and the leaks are coming from multiple sources, for multiple reasons. The UCI has nothing to gain by discrediting ASO with drug allegations. Of all the organsiations, the UCI has, historically, the worst record on this area. For a start, just look at Pat MCQuaid's own comments on the subject in the past. It's only in the last year, as sponsors have finally put pressure on them and their finances have come under pressure, that they have seen the need to end the pretence of fighting drugs. Yes, the UCI has much to gain by discrediting ASO, in that they want ASO inside the lucrative ProTour. But using doping ... I just don't see that one working. It's driving ASO into the arms of WADA - which the UCI has hated from the get-go. Even I don't think Pat McQuaid is that stupid. What is most likely to be happening with any leaks coming from within the UCI is the same as before - political in-fighting within the UCI. Different factions within the UCI are trying to bring each other down, and sod the collateral damage. Yes, it's all about money and control. But it's also about personal politics. It would be worth looking at some of the personalities involved. Not just the organisations.
As for the Machiavellian politicking – you’re being far too generous to many of the players in this one. They’re good at stabbing one and other in the back, but not good at the level of scheming you’re imputing to them. Also, the media *is* being overlooked. Don’t forget, it was the *media* that brought down Rasmussen, no one else had a hand in that one. LNDD tends to leak to L’Equippe, which has a particular historical interest in the Tour. Other papers have an historical interest in making L’Equippe look bad and also have access to leaks. The whole system leaks like a sieve, and the leaks are coming from multiple sources, for multiple reasons.

The UCI has nothing to gain by discrediting ASO with drug allegations. Of all the organsiations, the UCI has, historically, the worst record on this area. For a start, just look at Pat MCQuaid’s own comments on the subject in the past. It’s only in the last year, as sponsors have finally put pressure on them and their finances have come under pressure, that they have seen the need to end the pretence of fighting drugs. Yes, the UCI has much to gain by discrediting ASO, in that they want ASO inside the lucrative ProTour. But using doping … I just don’t see that one working. It’s driving ASO into the arms of WADA – which the UCI has hated from the get-go. Even I don’t think Pat McQuaid is that stupid.

What is most likely to be happening with any leaks coming from within the UCI is the same as before – political in-fighting within the UCI. Different factions within the UCI are trying to bring each other down, and sod the collateral damage.

Yes, it’s all about money and control. But it’s also about personal politics. It would be worth looking at some of the personalities involved. Not just the organisations.]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11435 Ken Sat, 11 Aug 2007 14:07:30 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11435 Losing team Disco is very sad. Johann Bruyneel is simply brilliant and had put together a fantastic team. George Hincappe, is one of my favorite riders and has to be one of the most successful support riders in the history of the sport having guided and protected his designated rider to eight TDF victories. I hope next year he can find the same level of success at the TDF. I also hope he can avoid early season mishaps to win the one day classics he so dearly loves. Really, my team loyalties will go where big George goes. http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11429 Morgan Hunter Sat, 11 Aug 2007 04:51:34 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11429 Either way Rant - the way you applied it - just made my day. By the way - did you read the pocket rocket rant article in Velo? I have to admit to a secret liking for the little guy - I am certain that he is even more of a R Chandler fan then I. Agnew was not my fave either - but I stay away from politics - as a character once said: "A mans gotta know his limitations..." (:-)) - I read what has been written about what Armstrong said about Tailwind. I have never heard Armstrong "let down" the social mask as he appears to have in this interview. Refreshing - and people the world over still keep ignoring that the "issue" is not about doping at all... - You may recall what I wrote to you about why I responded to your forum - it still holds true - some would love to put you into a level of "mere blogger" - but good journalists are hard to find - and my only way to respond is to respond to your efforts. Keep up the good work, don't let the bums define you as to who you are - you have been doing real good and I for one may be counted on to throw in my two cents worth, even when some people seem to not be able to tell the difference between a "gadfly" from a sectarian. -
I read what has been written about what Armstrong said about Tailwind. I have never heard Armstrong “let down” the social mask as he appears to have in this interview. Refreshing – and people the world over still keep ignoring that the “issue” is not about doping at all…
-
You may recall what I wrote to you about why I responded to your forum – it still holds true – some would love to put you into a level of “mere blogger” – but good journalists are hard to find – and my only way to respond is to respond to your efforts. Keep up the good work, don’t let the bums define you as to who you are – you have been doing real good and I for one may be counted on to throw in my two cents worth, even when some people seem to not be able to tell the difference between a “gadfly” from a sectarian.]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11428 Rant Sat, 11 Aug 2007 04:06:58 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=352#comment-11428 Theresa, There are some pretty smart folks looking at this site. Pretty darn cool. Who knows whether Slipstream will make the jump to the ProTour next year. I can certainly picture it as a possibility. The post-Disco era will certainly be a different time for cycling. Morgan, Saw your comment yesterday about "nattering nabobs of negativism." It's not originally my quip. Spiro Agnew made the comment (probably written by a speechwriter, however) back in the early 1970s. I was never a fan of Agnew, but that quote stuck in my mind. Wish I could take credit. Use it in good health. - Rant
There are some pretty smart folks looking at this site. Pretty darn cool. Who knows whether Slipstream will make the jump to the ProTour next year. I can certainly picture it as a possibility. The post-Disco era will certainly be a different time for cycling.

Morgan,

Saw your comment yesterday about “nattering nabobs of negativism.” It’s not originally my quip. Spiro Agnew made the comment (probably written by a speechwriter, however) back in the early 1970s. I was never a fan of Agnew, but that quote stuck in my mind. Wish I could take credit. Use it in good health.

- Rant]]>