The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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Saiz got a what?
Dear VeloNews,
So riders who are implicated in an investigation cannot sign for aProTour team because of their Code of Conduct, yet Manolo Saiz - himselfimplicated in Operación Puerto - can be granteda ProTour license to run a team?

With the fox guarding the henhouse it's no wonder the sport is havingsuch trouble making strides against doping.
Andrew Averna
Flushing, New YorkPOG nails it!
Dear VeloNews:
O'Grady has hit it spot on again (see "Tuesday'sTrick-or-Treat Rant: Saiz it ain't so"). How can there be any fairplay when riders are suspended for just accusations, but team managers/ownerscan get caught red handed with the goodies and get their license renewed?Maybe Patrick LeFevre will demand reparations! I wanted to writea letter, but the rant said it better than I ever could. Bravo!
Ross Fogleman
Sarasota, FloridaPOG greeting cards... when only the very weirdest will do
Editors,
Stop! It hurts to laugh this hard. This man keeps me going.We recite material from his column on our Thursday night (metric) centuryrides. It gets even better now that it's dark after work. We needthis stuff to pass the miles with our world being only the sphere of 1watt LED headlamps on quiet, Linn County roads somewhere among the townsof Corvallis, Brownsville and Coburg.It is with great envy that I read Patrick O'Grady's material.He's one of a kind. We'd any one of us like to have ten percent ofhis talent when writing engineering reports at work, entertaining our friendsvia e-mail, or looking for those perfect words in a Valentine or birthdaycard. Someone with such a precious gift could actually make moneywriting serious stuff, so keep him well fed and in a nice cubicle.
Might I suggest a line of greeting cards by Velo Press with some, ahem,cute poetry and prose inside. On second thought, only regular readerswould appreciate the humor.
David Kamp
Corvallis, OregonYou recite O'Grady on your group rides? Oh man. Now there'sa reason to ride by yourself if we ever heard one. - EditorFunny, but sadly true
Dear Velo,
I love the genius of O'Grady. The bit about "Plexiglas," is far toofunny. However, with the laughter, come the sobering tears of truth. Justwhat the #$%@ are the cotton heads within the UCI thinking? Saizwith a pro tour license? Let's just level the playing field during theraces. Instead of having motorbikes providing neutral support with cokeor water, let them have a syringe tray with all the goodies dosed out inwait for the valiant gods of cycling.Welcome to Wankerville. Population: Pro Peloton
Logan Garey
Western State College Road Cycling Team
Gunnison,ColoradoA turn of phrase
Dear Velo,
I confess that I am still reading about pro cycling daily (but please,don't tell me that Sven Nys is taking anything except calls from his lovelywife).I also confess to having a taste for a good O'Grady rant (not an oxymoron,I assure you). Anyone who can turn a phrase like "...backpedalingfaster than a stoner on a stolen road bike who can't
figure out why the coaster brakes aren't working" is worth my reading.
Scott Swanson
Silvis, IllinoisRe: O'Grady,
Editors,
My sentiments exactly. Perfectly said!
Kitty Farago
Mesa, ArizonaThe truth is out there, man
O'Grady,
I think you have really missed the boat here. The only logicalexplanation for all this must be a vast conspiracy theory! Here isthe brief outline:Some group decided what teams or individuals would be acceptable towin the TDF '06. To get rid of all the favorites they concocted withthe help of many conspirators to come up with Operación Puerto. Thisgot rid of all the top riders and eliminated several teams from contention.However along comes Floyd Landis who upsets the apple cart. Voila!,now to fix this there is a monkeying with samples to get rid of Floyd.With the 2006 Tour de France long past, there's no need to keep driving the Operación Puerto bus, so let the riders and Saiz off the hook. Now, the conspirators need to just focus on getting rid of the wrong winner Mr. Landis.Come on, O'Grady, I've given you the basics, now develop your story.Me thinks you are spending too much time digging into U.S. politics tocare about the great rip-off in cycling!
John McSwain
Ridgeway, South CarolinaWaiting for an iPOG?
Dear Velo,
When can we start listening to Patrick O'Grady's rants on our iPods?I think the people are ready to listen!
Rob Holbrook
Tokyo, JapanAwwww, we'd have done it a long time ago, but he really does foamat the mouth when he rants and it ruins the microphones. - EditorCan you say BIO?
Dear Velo,
I worked for Steve Ready and Interbike when it was a small mom andpop operation. In 1994, a group of bike manufacturers decided to starttheir own show along with a "trade" organization. It was called the BicycleIndustry Organization. Headed by Trek, Specialized, Schwinn, in other words all of the powersthat be, at the time. They were looking to make the show a funding sourcefor their programs. Steve worked hard with these suppliers to come up witha solution.A trade show war ensued with everyone taking sides. BIO neglectedto take in consideration of middle tier suppliers and independent bikedealers for that matter. Nor did they understand the industry's likingof Steve and his support of the NBDA and quality of shows. Interbike wasthen purchased by a media/trade show goliath Miller Freeman. Caught offill-prepared, BIO flopped and Interbike continued on as the premier U.S.bicycle trade show.So now another show from another continent is coming to take on Interbike?Are suppliers now going to have to budget for 2 shows? It is a differentworld from 12 years ago. Emerging global markets, e-commerce were not factorsin 1994. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

It all comes down to which side the IBD's take.
Enrique PauloYeah, we were having a few BIO flashbacks ourselves when we saw thatbit of news. - Editor

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The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.