I saw a few days ago that Lance and some of his old Postal Service team mates are racing the 24 Hour Old Pueblo MTB Race in Tucson in a few weeks.  The article said that Lance, George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde and Dylan Casey have put together a team.

I think the whole thing stinks.  I didn’t much like it when Tyler Hamilton went and won Mt. Washington Hillclimb when he was serving a two year timeout and I don’t like it anytime that Lance races bikes when he is currently suspended. As soon as his suspension is over, he can have at it.

I know that Lance’s “ban” from sports was partially lifted a few months ago.  I’ll find the article.   But I know that the ban was lifted in sports other than cycling.  Plus a lot of other stuff.  Cycling is still off-limits.  And I know that it says in sanctioned events.  Here is a link to an article.

I did the Old Pueblo race a couple years ago.  It was a blast.  Lots of life memories.  Those guys already have their life memories.  False memories, but memories, none-the-less.

Old Pueblo isn’t sanctioned.  But there are tons of races, that are races, that aren’t sanctioned. Most Grand Fondos, most MTB races, etc.  I really don’t want Lance, and his admitted doping buddies, showing up just to have fun.

In the article I read, George says – “Just bunch of old dudes trying to have fun time in the desert.”   If that is really the case, then they should go get a RV and a few cases of beer and have their fun in the desert.

Their fun is overlapping with a bunch of riders that are there to have fun too.  But also race. And these guys, the non-doping public, won’t get a thing out of the ex-Postal Service team doing laps with them.

I’m way more interested with Floyd and Dave (Landis @ Zabriskie) doing the Tour of Battenkill this year.  Neither of those guys have a lifetime ban from racing bikes, so they are free to enter races to “have fun”.

Whatever.  They should just throw the lifetime ban out on Lance and let the dude do whatever he wants on a bicycle.  He sort of is already.  Might as well make it “legal”.

Think this was the last time Floyd raced battenkill. Maybe 2010? I had to ride on a “Pro”like team to race the race the 2nd weekend.

Today was the final World Cup cyclocross.  Now there is only the World Championships next week.  Funny how sometimes the season feels so long, then the next time it seems to fly by. Probably not the case for the guys training through the end of January for the Worlds next week.

The races today were interesting.  Marianne Vos is killing it and is going to win next week, unless something catastrophic happens.   She looks like she should be racing the men’s races, she is that good right now.

The men’s race is going to be different.  Today, at the World Cup in Hoogerheide,  it was a tactical race.  A team, tactical race.  There was a huge group at the front and no one wanted to risk it.  Eventually Lars Van der Haar attacked and his team mates went to the front and slowed the remaining field.  I’m not sure I’ve seen that so much in cross racing recently.

It worked amazingly.  Van der Haar got so far ahead that he was completely uncatchable.  And his Telenet Fidea Lions team mates rounded out the podium with Meeusen and Van Kessel finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Mathieu Van der Poel didn’t have a good day, finishing in the mid 20’s.  And Wout didn’t even show up.  He had already won the World Cup overall, so he must be concentrating on the Worlds next week.

So, the Worlds for men is more open.  If I was betting, I’d have to pick Wout.  He took a weekend off and won last weekend.  And Mathieu seemed a little sluggish today.  But you never know.

Did you see the article about the Belgian junior cyclocross coach that killed himself after one of his riders was positive for cortisone?   At least the guy had a conscience.  Maybe too big of one, but he did take responsibility, I guess.

Anyway, the weather in Kansas was nice yesterday.  I rode nearly 55 miles, which is about my limit right now.  It was in the 50’s and not so windy, which is unusual.  Today it is supposed to be 10 degrees cooler and windier.  I’m a little tweaked from yesterday, but want to go ride with my friends, so I’m in.  It is hard to pass on warm weekend days in January.

Tucker being a bad dog and waiting for me in the middle of the street on his after ride romp. He is probably wondering why I’m so slow. In reality, he is gotten way stronger and faster. I can’t hardly keep up.