* * * * *

I’ve put in a lot of kilometers this week; sadly many of them have been on four wheels not two. I drove all the way from my home in Catalonia back to my family in the UK for Christmas. After that, I’m flying to Southern California for some sunshine and some studying, as well as the next racing season. As exciting as southern California is, and as much as I have good friends there, I was pretty upset to be leaving my friends in Catalonia. It’s where I feel most at home and most welcome. You can say what you like about crises, recessions, work ethics and exchange rates. The simple fact remains, we have less and we live more. I’ll take ten minutes of conversation in the bakery every day over a widescreen television pumping out the banalities of Jessica Simpson’s meaningless existence any day.

Philosophers tweeting before there was a Twitter

The difference between the U.S. and southern Europe (I feel the UK lies in between) can, in my opinion, be boiled down to how people conceive of others. I think the categorical imperative (yup – I just started writing about Kant on a cycling blog; that’s not the kind of thinking that makes you any friends in Georgia ) means more where I live. Let me cite an anecdote: I go to the same bakery in Barcelona once a week for the fantastic bread (Barcelona Reykjavik). Once when I was in Barcelona, my card was tapped out – no credit, no overdraft, no nothing. I didn’t know this until I handed it over to buy bread, and it bounced like silly putty; so I took the loaf out of my bag and began to wonder how I could hop the train home. The baker looked up at me with a “shit my friend, you’re in trouble” look, and I got the feeling that a means-based interaction would have ended there. But this one didn’t. He forcefully returned the loaf to my bag, along with one of yesterday’s croissants and ten euros for the train. “I read about what happened to you in El Pais, with the cycling team; we don’t let that happen to people here.” I was pretty touched by this. A week later I was even more touched, when I returned after flogging some books and bike parts to pay him back. He wasn’t having any of it. “I run a bakery, not a bank.” Isn’t that the antithesis of the greed which saw actual banks collapsing?

Treating people as an end in themselves, not a means to an end, is what differentiates the culture I love from that which I can’t understand. I share a language with people in the USA, a print culture, and common tastes in music and art, but sometimes I feel like I cannot communicate. My Catalan is far from exemplary but the understanding is so often complete. This isn’t to say that there aren’t wonderful, gernerous, friendly people in the U.S. – there are. But the culture doesn’t promote this way of thinking and I think that is a real crisis.

Sadly, this people-as-means-based thinking is pretty embedded in cycling. In a recent Twitter exchange with a few people, the idea was expressed that cycling is corrupt because of one or two individuals at the top. Now far be it frome me to suggest that people go and read Marx (because clearly, if someone’s solutions don’t work that means their analysis of the problem is also flawed, right?), but I’m pretty sure we’re dealing with a superstructural myopia here. It’s the substructure, the system, that’s flawed. The machine will keep burning up young men and popping out rich old men for as long as it continues in its current mould. For as long as contracts are temporary, and riders self-interested and un-unionized, then teams will have no longevity. And while I’m at this theme, can we please stop suggesting that Jonathan Vaughters would do anything differently? I’m sure he’s a nice man and I admire our common taste in facial hair, but go and ask Dan or Trent if they feel like he values them as people or merely as generators of income.

I can see all the objections coming in now so let me dismiss the ludicrous counter arguments before you tire out your fingers in the comment box: “It’s a professional sport, that’s how it works,” “Who gave you the right to be a professional?” etc., etc. Fine – it’s a professional sport, so you won’t object to the competitive advantage I can gain in the marketplace by doping, then? Presumably in this market-focused peloton, the buying and selling of races would be completely acceptable (and while we’re at that – there’s plenty of evidence that Armstrong paid Basso, but neither of them fits an ethnic stereotype quite as well as Vino). You’re all going to say “No” now, aren’t you? Doping isn’t okay, but why? Because you just feel it isn’t (and let’s face it, it’s NOT dangerous [see Lopez 2010, 2011] ). Well, once you find yourself in this position of self contradiction, consider this – are your feelings that doping is wrong really stronger than your feelings about those of us who earn –or try to earn – a living on the bottom rungs of this sport and then get shoved off once we’ve been burned out from racing too often in races which are too long?

What we need is a kinder, gentler, cycling – one with longevity of teams, with contracts that let riders plan for the future. One which values riders, mechanics, soigneurs, and directors as people and not products. One which develops other skills in riders at lower levels, giving them options outside the sport which empower them in negotiations with teams. A cycling in which we perceive our common interests as stakeholders, not merely as individuals fighting for the scraps from the high table.

Crowd sourcing comes to cycling (photo courtesy of Team Traveller)

Worst Five Things of the Week

Numero Cinco

CONI Requests four-year ban for Savio

So the criminal courts clear Gianni Savio from any wrongdoing. Savio has proof of no wrongdoing. However, it seems that CONI feels that he’s done something wrong in reference to the case, and has asked for a four-year ban? If I were Holczer, Vaughters, Bruyneel, or any other manager, I would look upon this development with alarm. Holding managers responsible for members of their team doping? That’s preposterous and completely ridiculous.

Numero Cuatro

Klöden declares WINNING is more important than family

Well, it seems that Andreas Klöden’s trek to the dark side of the force is complete. Eschewing the notion that a happy family is a vital component to a long and stress-free life, Klöden has basically declared that the brothers Schleck need to forget any familial allegiances to achieve greater professional gain. Of course, this sort of selling-your-soul-to-feed-your-own-selfishly-egoistical pursuits is really nothing new for Klöden. And it’s unfortunate that Becca and crew have failed to realize the marketing potential of having the first brother act on the podium at the Tour De France.

Numero Tres

No Place for Alexandr Kolobnev with Katusha in 2012

So once again it’s shown that it never pays to fall on your sword for your team, for your countrymen, or for one-day allegiances. Seems that Kolobnev has been told there’s no room at the Katusha table for him. Shocking. Funny how one guy just seems to have bad luck follow him at every turn. Maybe he should call Floyd Landis for pointers on the next steps to take.

Numero Dos

AFLD ends disciplinary action against Jeannie Longo

What a fooking disaster this is. I blame the Spanish. They started it. Oh wait! Or was it the Italians? No, maybe the Russians. Ah well, at least the Americans still believe in crime and punishment for the guilty, i.e., the end user.

Numero Uno

Vino Vino Vino

Quit being cheap. With the advent of social media platforms, everyone thinks that they don’t need PR people anymore. Guess what? Some people really should turn their PR statements over to someone else to release. Like Vino. Facebook? really? With unfortunate and questionable English usage? Sigh… Even I have an editor for my pieces. Yes, even yours truly isn’t fooking perfect. What? Sorry? Yes, yes, I’ll put the curtain back up. *chuckle*

Best Five Things of the Week

Number Five

Dan Lloyd speaks his mind on leaving Garmin

Why is it that almost every single person who leaves Garmin has nothing nice to say about their experience with the team? Lloyd, Lowe, Hushovd are just three of the latest examples of this. In fact, Lowe actually filed a complaint with the UCI back in June or so. But more on that down the road. Good for Lloyd speaking out, which led to quite an interesting Twitter debate between Shane Stokes of Velonation and Garmin poohbah Jonathan Vaughters, leading to a public apology by JV. Yet, Lionel Birnie just HAD to get his two cents in on it as well. Plus, the Twitter masses lining up to either support or skewer Mr. Vaughters made for an entertaining weekend on the social media platform.

Number Four

James Stout begins a crowdsourcing fund for a cycling team

I’m a big admirer of this lad. First off, he made the decision to leave a full racing calendar in the States to return home to Europe for health reasons after his employer withheld agreed-upon medication necessary to control his Type 1 diabetes. Second, he was unwilling to be “dissuaded” from revealing his unfortunate experiences, and chose to be publicly forthcoming in speaking out about the mistreatment he received. Thirdly, he resisted the temptation to turn his back on the sport, and chose instead to race for a new cycling team, Team Traveller, beginning in June. Now the lad would like to make Team Traveller a haven for those in pro-cycling who have received a raw deal from other teams. I predict a bright future for Stout. Take the time to support his initiative.

Number Three

Evans given vintage Cadillac Coupe as reward for Tour success

What makes this story one of the best of the week is the fact that the Caddy wasn’t a gift from BMC team owner Andy Rihs, but rather from rival WorldTour team owner Gerry Ryan of GreenEDGE. Ryan, is, of course, a fellow countryman to Evans and one really can’t fault his nationalistic largesse to the first Aussie Tour winner. But is this really permissible under UCI WorldTour rules? Absolutely, as we aren’t playing college-level American sports here. The question remains, however, if this could be construed as down payment for a future contract with GreenEDGE. I wonder what the current members of GREENedge have to say about the gift? Reminds me of the Jean-Francois Bernard/Bernard Tapie Porsche debacle.

Number Two

There’s new energy coming into women’s cycling

I’m very thrilled to see Lululemon getting involved in women’s cycling. I’m also very thrilled to see Kristy Scrymgeour move up to the team manager role for the Specialized-Lululemon squad. Here’s hoping this might cause the men’s side to re-examine to whom they pitch sponsorship opportunities, as Lululemon is a solid fit for this aspect of the sport. Those who have been around the team say the energy is overwhelming positive, which should translate into a very successful year for the team.

Number One

Pat McQuaid 2011 Round Up

I am thrilled at the development of the UCI YouTube Propaganda Network. It’s an outstanding way for the organization to disseminate the message directly to the masses. If you say something over and over again, not only will you start to believe it, but the ballyhoo may actually cause the general public and the media to begin to believe as well. It looks like I may have to pull strings at The Guardian, SkyNews, Velonation, Cycling Weekly, and Cyclingnews, though and put some better puppets in place to properly pass on my platitudes without inserting some fooking subjective knife twists pointing out how many holes my propaganda truly has. I’m picking up the phone, you hacks. Be forewarned. *chuckle*