UCI's Stance Towards Anti-Doping

LeMond not optimistic about UCI's stance towards anti-doping

April 23, 07:30

By: 

Cycling News

Believes governing body must be separated from drug testing

Three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond has reiterated his long-standing view that the UCI should not be in charge of running the sport of professional cycling and that he firmly believes the sport as a whole, including riders, teams and race organisers, want the sport to change. The UCI, on the other hand, has done little to change the mind of the sole US Tour winner.

LeMond's most recent comments came from a discussion group held at the University of Texas, Austin,symposium on doping in cycling. The event held last night was dubbed "The Real Price of Winning at All Costs". The outspoken former professional, who sat with a brace around most of his chest after breaking his back, was part of a panel that featured his wife Kathy, Betsy Andreu - the wife of one of Armstrong's former teammates Frankie Andreu -  and USADA's general counsel Bill Bock. Armstrong was invited to attend the discussion in his home town but declined the offer.

"I'm hopeful the riders want to change, I think the race organisers want to, but I am not optimistic where UCI stand in doping," said LeMond. "Most of the big scandals have been criminal. Festina involved the police because it was trafficking."

"Drug testing has to be separated [from the UCI]. It's not a game," he added.

Still a passionate supporter of the sport LeMond remained firm in his belief that cycling is capable of change and that it would be up to the riders and team to ensure it follows the right path. With so many former riders turned managers remaining in the sport, removing the old ways is arguably going to take time.

"I want to see cycling get to where I can say I can see a real winner."

LeMond also threw in a shot at the International Olympic Committee, which UCI president Pat McQuaid has held a position since 2010, stating that the Olympics should not be playing a heavy-handed role in how the sport is run.

"I believe cycling is an incredible sport and really do believe the riders want to change. It should be the riders, it should be the teams, they should get rid of the UCI. I don't care about the IOC – I'm sorry. We actually destroy the sport every four years. I never raced the Olympics. The Tour de France was enough by itself. When you think about World Championships, Olympics, 10 guys get to go from the US and we are letting guys from Switzerland (UCI) destroy the sport."

One of the key messages brought up in the two-hour discussion was that the outcomes following the USADA's Reasoned Decision document into systematic doping at the US Postal and Discovery Channel teams was, and remains, not just about the fall of the once seven-time Tour winner Armstrong.

Bock was quick to outline the tactics employed by UCI during their investigation and suggested that no other sporting body has refused to cooperate in such a way.

"It's the same people involved, it's the same problems we have always had in the sport and what UCI did in our case; we the brought the case under US rules and UCI rules. We clearly had jurisdiction over an American athlete to bring the case, we went on for a month and when Lance Armstrong's lawyers filed a case in federal court here in Austin, Texas and took the position that Lance had only agreed to play by UCI rules not by US rules, UCI dramatically changed its position and said 'that is right, that is the position'.

"They [UCI] asked us to drop the case, they don't just ask, they demanded that USADA drop the case.

"We asked the UCI for information on Lance Armstrong and they said 'no, he hasn't consented to you having that information'."

The fallout from the 1,000 page dossier was about uncovering and exposing some of the ingrained problems the sport of professional cycling has endured. It's the UCI who want the public to believe the problem lies simply with one man, according to USADA general counsel Bock.

"I think the ultimate tragedy would be if this whole scenario is viewed as 'The Lance Armstrong Affair'," said Bock. "That's how the UCI want everyone in this room to view it. Their view is, Pat McQuaid [said] in his press conference 'Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling'. They want you to believe that, 'look here's the problem over here, it was Lance Armstrong, now look over here and it's a different arrow'."

http://www.cyclingnews.com/editions/second-edition-cycling-news-tuesday-april-23-2013

GET THE MOST FROM YOUR TRAINING

 

How to Get the Most Out of Your Training

By Jeb Stewart MS, PES

Too often these days people can get overwhelmed, frustrated and feel like they aren’t doing a
“good job” if they aren’t getting all of their workouts in to the letter. I can assure you that this is
not the case, but if we don’t know how to adapt our training during these times, then it is likely
to occur. Your coach should be relatively available often for any questions you have regarding
your training or to help you adapt the training when life interferes. Heck, we encourage it
vehemently! However, if you do not have a coach, or even if you do, here are some simple tips
and strategies to help you adapt on the fly and make the most out of the training time you do
have.

In the course of working with my clients, I want them to learn how to adapt their training when
things come up so that they feel empowered and accomplished rather than feeling like they failed
and gettingstressed out about it. I try to create the weekly workouts to give my athletes bang
for their buck training to help make the most out of the days of the week when time is at a
premium. Most coaches are well aware of how hard it is to even get that time in as most of us
have families and full-time jobs just like those who they coach. So, when time is scarce, I show
my athletes a few ways that they can adapt their workouts in a time crunch to still get them in
and make them count.

Key WorkoutsIn an ideal world we would all sleep 7-8 hours, train for 3-4 hours a day, eat perfectly, take naps
and go to bed by 10pm. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen very often, if ever. So, when all else
fails, if you get your KEY WORKOUTS in for the week, you will at least know that you are doing
enough to maintain or even improve your fitness.  For most of us, our key workouts fall on Tue, Wed or Thu and on your long day/days on the weekend. These workouts usually consist of intervals or specific drills during the week and your long days if you are outside on the weekends. If you are stuck inside, your workouts should be kept brief, i.e. 1.5-2 hours or less, and very specific. Your key workout in the gym is your leg and core day. If you are only going to get one gym workout in for the week, make sure it’s that
one. And lastly, always make time to stretch. It only takes 5-10 minutes and is critical to
performance, recovery and injury prevention regardless of what some of the “experts” tell you
these days.

SchedulingIf you miss a workout on the day it falls in your training plan, either skip it and don’t give it
another thought or get it in when you can that week if it is a time of the year when workout
sequencing is not critical. If you have a coach, I would encourage you to contact them to find out
how to adjust your schedule to accommodate your situation. If you miss a KEY WORKOUT, it is
better you get that in, than skip it and do the easier stuff unless you are just happen to be worn
out from stress and fatigue. Then it would be best to take the day off or just ride easy to
rejuvenate your body, mind and spirit. When you are really tired, either riding easy or taking the
day off and pushing that key workout until the next day can be a good call. In the early part of
the season, specific scheduling is not as critical and we need to keep our training fun for it to be
effective long term.

Adjusting on the flyFor most of us, we are keeping the workouts during the week to the meat and potatoes to help
us get in effective training while keeping our lives balanced, but sometimes the workout may be
longer than the amount of time we have available to train that day. In that case, here’s what you
will need to do to adjust it on the fly so that you get in a good workout, even with a minimum of
time.


Cardio and bike workouts
Start by cutting your warm-up and cool-down in half but still get it in. Then if you still need more
time, cut your workload in half by doing less than the recommended number of sets for the day.
Then, if you still need time, you can cut the rest periods in half. If this still isn’t enough, you can
cut the interval times in half. Please go about it in this order as it is designed to eliminate things
in their order of importance. Of course, this is only to be done in case of emergency, in which
case it will allow you to still get in a quality workout in. Contrary to popular opinion, something is
still better than nothing, for our heads as well as our fitness!

Strength & conditioning
To save time here, similarly, start by cutting the warm up and cool down time in half. Make sure
you are super-setting exercises and performing circuits whenever possible to eliminate wasted
time between exercises. (Super-sets involve doing one set using the opposing muscles used in
the first exercise right after another without resting between the two. Circuits involve doing a
number of exercises one right after another without resting between each exercise. Both
concepts will reduce the amount of time you spend in the gym and the intensity of your
workout). Do 2 sets minimum so that you are at least maintaining and then do more next time
when your schedule allows. If you need more time, just do the key exercises for your core and
the biggest muscle groups such as squats, lunges, dead lifts, etc. And lastly, if you need more
time leave the stretching for another time later in the day or in the week and get on about your
day. Once again, this is to be done only when you are in a time crunch.

As you can see, there are many ways to adjust our training to help us get it in and avoid the
negative energy that we create for ourselves when life throws us a curve ball. The goal is to
make the training we do be effective and fun and avoid it becoming a pair of handcuffs or a
source of stress. Give some of these suggestions a try and let your coach or a friend know if you
have any specific issues you may be having with your training program and work on it together
to come up with a solution that leads to success.

For more information, visit www.endurofit.com or contact Jeb Stewart with any questions you
may have, at jstewart@endurofit.com. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/general-fitness/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-training.aspx

Why Cycling

      Although the weather in Tulsa can change from hour to hour, spring has sprung, trees are blooming, and allergy season is upon us, yet outdoor activities are building to an all time high.  Statics say Oklahoma is one of the unhealthiest states in the nation. Not having access to the data I won’t argue the point, I will however suggest they take another look at Oklahoma, specifically Tulsa and surrounding areas. At LEGENDS BICYCLES AND ACCESSORIES cycling is booming.  Bike sales, bike repairs, Individual and group coaching, and group rides five days a week are changing the lives of Tulsans’.

      Why Ride a Bike

      An exercise for people of all ages, the benefits of riding a bike extend from increased cardiovascular fitness and strength building to increased balance, flexibility, endurance, stamina and one of the most important – increased calorie burn.  Many riders report a reduction in stress, feeling more relaxed, more energized and happier with themselves and their surroundings.

      Biking and the Environment

      Whether you believe in global warming or not, we all agree emissions from cars affects the environment. You need look no further than our large industrial cities and their clean air challenges. Biking puts fewer cars on the highways – it’s a fact!  Short trips to the train, bus or subway station can make a difference.  Look around!  More and more people are doing it. Cycling is fashionable, environmentally conscience and saves money.

      Why LEGENDS BICYCLES AND ACCESSORIES

      Blowing ones own horn is not always appreciated, however supporting each “toot” of that horn with facts makes all the difference. Buster Brown, owner of LEGENDS has a long successful race and coaching career behind him. He and his staff are heavily involved in the cycling community. Bike sales, bike maintenance, bike repairs and bike coaching are their passion.  An even greater love is for the Tulsa community. Unlike other forms of transportation cycling is “close up” and “personal”.  Careful instruction, coaching and success monitoring is an extended benefit of the LEGENDS organization.  Most importantly the place is CLEAN!  Nothing can turn a new rider of more than a greasy smelling, dirty, unorganized first impression. Men will be men and boys will be boys, but cycling is a family activity which makes presentation crucial to a bike shops success.  LEGENDS offers one stop shopping - bikes, clothing, helmets, shoes, socks, gloves, glasses, water bottles, and more. They got it all! Most important however is trustworthiness. Ethical practices, respect for the consumer, knowledge of their products and services and top down customer service can be yours.

      Why YOU

      I have heard story after story of fitness club burnout, of boredom jogging in circles on a dirt or concrete road or track. Of seeing the same trees, fences, buildings, people day, after day, after day.  It’s time to change the routine, break the habit, find something new, refreshing and exciting. Time to explore your community, take old dirt roads, discover places cars can’t go, feel the wind at your back, wave to a friend, talk to a kid, share a new experience with interesting people you otherwise might never have met.  It’s time to consider cycling – if not for any other reason, for the fun of it.