ohBasso

so, aparently basso's gonna sing.
it is interesting that his blood didn't have any EPO in it... but Valverde's did?!
i say again... just what were they doing?
transfusions?
microdose epo?
will we ever truly know?

still moron-ulle

fine. dna sez it was ullrich's blood. surprise!
what were they doing with it?
doping?
trying to find a way to get around doping tests?
trying to raise hemocrit levels to just-under legal levels?
blood-banking for his plastic surgery nose-job & liposuction?
i don't know.
worse, i don't understand why someone would do this.
being a middleaged midwesterner whose never seen a mountain, let alone climed alpe d'huez in a pro peloton, i will still be a fan due to what i saw (which was f'ing brillliant) and what was proven by post race testing (jack squat).

more on ulle

in eight appearances, Jan Ullrich never finished lower than fourth in a tour de france. that got me thinking... how does his average TdF finish stack up against some other of cycling's luminaries:

Eddy Merckx: 1.85 (7 appearances, 0 dnf's)
Ulle: 2.25 (8, 0)
L.A.: 5.36 (11, 3)
Big Miguel: 15.58 (12, 2)

jaw-dropping numbers indeed.

even more impressive is the fact that he admits to motivational troubles... i wish my "motivational troubles" led to that kind of success.

der kaiser, kaput.

Jan Ullrich retires.


yes, the yellow blur in the far background is... you know who.
photo is from pezcyclingnews.com, copyright CorVos/PEZ, a site that lives up to it's slogan "what's cool in pro cycling."

this STINKS! convicted of zilch and run from the sport. some might say he deserves it for "not living up to his potential..." that's rubbish!

yeah, his career was up and down. but that's what made it so easy to be a fan. he is human. that made it exciting.

did i want to throw my 53T chainring through the tv when he got passed on the opening day time trial of the '05 tour o' frenchie? yep (it's too big for me to tick over anyway).

did i almost weep when he crashed on that 'round-a-bout in the rain at the final time trial of the 2003 tour, and thus sealing yet ANOTHER seat at the right hand of the yellow-wristed one? almost weep? i did weep!

but, most disappointing, was the sport missing out on the 2006 Kopf-to-testa between him and Basso at the tour for what reason? somebody tell me why? ain't got no answer for that one.

people have long questioned his drive, desire and guts. but, through all the CRAP he's been through in the past and now, the headline is that he retired... we've seen far more tragic off-season cycling headlines in the past under eerily similar circumstances.



gutes Glück Jan.

(of course, i want to make a joke about him getting "die mannschaft-ed," but i don't have anything quite ready for release...)