I’ve known Otto Wenz pretty much since I started racing bicycles.  I went to Superweek and broke my collarbone after just a few races.   I drove home, then back to the National Championships a few days later, which were at the Lakefront.  Otto promoted both events.  I remember him handing me an expense check, courtesy of the USCF, as I was the Kansas Intermediate State Champion and thus earned travel expenses to the race.

That was the very first time I met him.  Over the years I got to know him.  Otto is a doer.  He did so much for sport of cycling, it amazed me.  He promoted the entire Superweek stage race for year after year.  Sometimes it seems he pretty much sponsored it completely himself.  He served as president of the USCF (USAC) for a few years during the late 70’s and really contributed to the growth of the sport.

Otto helped bring the Junior World Championships to the US in 1978 and the World Road Championships to Colorado Springs in 1986.  He had the vision.  Deservingly, Otto is in the Bicycling Hall of Fame.

I started travelling  to bike out of state bike races at Otto’s events.  He helped me so much over the years.  When I was a junior, I was pretty much living hand to mouth.  Otto would let me race his events and if I won prize money, he would deduct the entry out of my prizes and then give me the rest.  I think he did this for a lot of guys.  There is no way that I would have been able to race these events without his generosity.

His races were the best competitions of the year.  Everyone, I mean everyone, that raced bicycles, at the time, raced events that Otto Wenz promoted.  Virtually the whole National and Olympic teams attended year after year.  He did it right and gave the United States a very good foothold for growth.

Otto has been ill recently.  He was in hospice and has son Michael was posting updates on Facebook. Late last night, Otto passed away.

We could use more Ottos, but there is and will only be one.  I personally wish him peace and want to thank him for his selfless contributions to his friends and to the sport of cycling. He will be missed by many.

Otto in his racing days.

Otto and Eddy.

I was fortunate to win a few stages of Superweek over my lifetime. I’m in yellow. Gag (Roberto) is being interviewed by Eddy. Otto obscured on the left.

Otto, Trudi and Bromont at Cyclcross Nationals in Madison.

Velonews had an article that said that five guys in Costa Rica were caught doping.  4 of the guys rode for the same team.  Something must have been up there.  I don’t see how that many riders on the same team could have been tested randomly without someone having something out for them.

I pretty much gave up on racing South of the border.  I went down and did a UCI race, the  Vuelta Chihuahua Internacional, way back in 2006 and what I saw there pretty much convinced me that racing in Central and South American was out of control drug-wise.

The Tecos/Trek team had just finished the Tour of Venezuela, which I think was 11 days, then they jumped on a plane and flew up to Mexico and started Chihuahua.  The Colombian guys on that team legs looked like something from another planet.  And they rode like that.   A couple years later, one of their riders died of a heart attack right after racing Bisbee or some race in Arizona.

Last year, Juan Pablo Villegas, a Colombian, did an interview and talked about the sorry state of cycling in his home country.  It is hard to not notice how many Colombians are now on Pro Tour teams with aspirations of winning Grand Tours and/or the Olympic Games.   It is a historical disproportion.

Anyway, after Costa Rica, then the Tour of Guatemala a few years back, where the first 13 guys or something were positive, it is not a stretch to say that if you’re racing down there clean, don’t expect to be able to keep up.

Anyway, at the Doug Report, I saw a list of riders that are currently under suspension.  It is something over 60 riders.  The list is kind of strange since it lists Lance Armstrong as a lifetime ban, but doesn’t have Phil Zajicek as a lifetime ban.  Plus Tyler Hamilton, who’s suspension is still in force until next year, isn’t on the list, so I guess it isn’t complete.  I wonder when Tom Danielson’s name is going to be added to that illustrious group?  Seems like that has been dragging on for quite a while.

Anyway, when you start looking at the numbers and then seeing that 4, 5 or more guys are getting popped at big National events throughout the world, it shows that cycling still has a long way to go to ensure credibility.  It is pretty depressing really.

I got this from an article by Simon Crisp at SICYCLE. It is a crazy long article at goes into a lot of aspects of doping in cycling and the fans perspective. If you have some extra time you should check it out. Click here for the link. 

Tucker has no issues getting comfortable when he needs down time.