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Wednesday's Mailbag: Vino's exit and those Frenchmen in Georgia

Published: Dec. 12, 2007

The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside Communications, Inc.

Of glass houses and stones
Editor:
As a scholar studying the philosophy and ethics of performance enhancement, as well as a lifetime cycling fan, my suggestion to Michael Martens is to remember, as a member of the cycling-fan community, that he is implicated as a member of the throng who cheered for Alexander Vinokourov for years as the most daring attacker in the peloton (see Monday’s Mailbag, “Don't let the door hit you on the way out”).

One of the reasons these guys are cheating is because they're attempting to deliver the spectacle we demand as viewers. We all complain when the races end in bunch sprints and don't involve a good crash or two, but then we want to mock the riders for their attempts (misguided as they may be) to give us exactly what we want. Let's face it, who wants to watch three weeks of flat stages?

So don't get too self-righteous, Mr. Martens. Thanks to your letter, somebody now has the right to laugh and mock you the next time you make a mistake or get a little desperate.

David Tacheny
New York, New York

We’ve had enough Vino’, thanks
Editor:
Vino’ says, “I don’t want this sport anymore.” That works out great; we don’t want him anymore.

Chris Daggs
San Diego, California

One vote for Tour DAY Georgia . . .
Editor:
I read with interest the two published letters critical of the French preposition de in “Tour de Georgia.” Perhaps I’m in the minority, but I like it.

The Tour de Georgia was the race that largely put top-level pro cycling back on the map in the United States and I don’t think it would be a stretch to say it paved the way for the Tours of California, Missouri and Utah.

I think the faux-French pronunciation is an ironic, but affectionate, nod to cycling’s flagship event. There were other touches, too, like Georgia peaches on the climber’s jersey instead of pink polka dots that acknowledged the inspiration and model for the race while still making it Georgia’s own.

Kudos to the organizers for not jumping on the anti-French bandwagon in 2003 when large segments of the country were eating ‘freedom fries’ and refusing to French kiss.

William Kurtz
West Haven, Connecticut

. . . and another against it
Editor:
I have to agree with the recent barrage of readers who are against the "de" in Tour de Georgia. Does the USA lack its own cultural heritage, thus keeping us in a subservient cycling atmosphere that begs for European recognition? I think we have shown over the past 25 years that the USA is producing top-level riders that win (and win often) in Europe. If we need a North American stamp on naming UCI sanctioned races in the US, how about "Tour o’ Georgia", or "Uncle Daddy's Bicycle Race o' the South"? But really, folks, lets drop the attempt to fit in and refocus on the fact that the USA is in cycling at the top tier, and leave it at that with our own identity.

Warren Smith
Butte, Montana


The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside Communications, Inc.