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.

---

Webcor’s decision on Clinger’s tattoo is shocking
Editor:
I am shocked by Team Webcor's stand against David Clinger and his choice of "artistic expression.” (see Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood: Webcor gets a new look – one it's not happy with")

I was surprised that a clean-cut, Mormon boy from Utah would have such a bold tattoo on his face. It’s like Peyton Manning getting a nipple piercing. But I don't agree with their attempt to coerce him to remove the tattoo.

Forcing a rider to undergo painful, potentially unsuccessful laser treatments is just cruel and not appropriate. Webcor would probably get more national attention from this little story than they ever dreamed of when deciding to pool their money into a professional cycling team. They went from Wonder Boy Chris to Dave the Wild Man.

I am tattoo-free. But if I were David, I tell them to take an airborne attempt to fornicate with a rolling pastry! My opinion doesn't count, obviously. But I'm actually looking forward to seeing him at the races.

Shaun Bagley
Visalia, California

Test drive before buying
Editor:
Dear David Clinger: Please make a note to yourself – try the makeup routine first. Try it out on your employer and girlfriend prior to the permanent idea. If the employer wants to fire you, you then wash your face! If the girlfriend doen't like it – find a new girl friend.

Even the idiot fans at the Super Bowl didn't go out and tattoo patriots or flying eagles on their faces. Native Americans were smart enough to show up in war paint, not war tattoos.

Mike Creed Sr.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
P.S. Matt DeCanio thanks you for taking some of the heat off him for a while.

There was a better way to handle it
Editor:
Personally, I believe that the face tattoo, however strange, does not directly reflect back onto the sponsors. It is not harmful or rude or unethical behavior we are talking about here.

I think the general manager should have reviewed the issue with the sponsors to help them understand the situation, and then they should have thought of ways to use this to increase the visibility of the team (well, I guess it already is).

Bruce Johnson
San Francisco, California

With The Illustrated Man aboard, Bruce, we suspect Webcor would be visible from space. – Editor

It’s a job, not an adventure
Editor:
I am all for free speech and expression. What seems to be forgotten by many athletes is that they are employees. They have a job description, and expectations just like all other employees in that organization.

Riders must understand that there is a place and a time for personal expression. In any organization you should try to acknowledge and resolve through your expression, not accuse and punish. Bringing solutions to the table on how to fix the drug issue would be more productive and professional than pointing fingers.

I’m a pretty average looking Joe. I have short blonde hair, no piercing, and dress conservatively. This is how I presented myself to the company I work for when I went in to interview. This is what they expect to see from me. If I were to alter my appearance in a drastic way I would have to think:

Will this be acceptable for my position?
How will this affect the way people view me?
Will I be able to still get a date looking this way?
Will that tattoo look more like a huge mole 50 years from now?

In all seriousness, though, if you are a professional, you should look that way. I think cycling, and the world in general, has become much more relaxed with professional appearance. There are limits though, and I think those are being stretched a little too far.

The sport of cycling needs positive, proficient, and proactive figures. I thank the team managers that acknowledge this need, and select racers that promote these traits. It is for the good of our sport’s reputation.

Ian Stuart
Tempe, Arizona

Uptight weenies need to relax
Editor:
Let’s see how 2005 should have gone - David Clinger would have won some races, certainly have gotten Webcor more than its fair share of publicity, and continued to earn the respect he has in the peloton through his professional approach to the sport.

Instead, a bunch of uptight weenies at Webcor have resorted to the nuclear option by essentially firing a rider because they don’t like his tattoo, a tattoo that has historical roots throughout much of the Pacific. Oh, that’s right . . . Clinger is a self-respecting haole and therefore needs to toe the white line for appearance’s sake.

Webcor’s management needs to relax. We all know they would not be taking such action if Clinger were of Polynesian/Maori ancestry. My suggestion is give the guy a break, save him three months under the laser and try capitalizing on the opportunity, not spitting on it. And if you need some free legal help, David, don’t hesitate to ask.

Barry Sullivan
Honolulu, Hawaii

Toe the line, you workers!
Editor:
Whose side am I on? Webcor management’s, that's who!

People will full-face tattoos are not the people who make the world go 'round. Those of us who work for a living need to toe the line!

Cleveland Ray Johnson
Pasco, Washington

Tote that barge, lift that bale, get a little drunk and you land in jail. – Editor, channeling Oscar Hammerstein

Reaction is ridiculous and disappointing
Editor:
In this day and age, I find the reaction of Webcor's Frank Scoscia to David Clinger's self-expression (tattoo) to be ridiculous and disappointing. Scoscia exhibits his 1950's puritanism by reacting to Clinger's act of creative individuality with fear and loathing. Scoscia is clearly stating that he likes his riders to fall in line like good little soldiers (clean-cut, shiny American boys and girls!). How boring! I personally possess neither tattoos nor piercings, but I do appreciate individual creative expression, however it manifests itself in our increasingly homogenized world. Where would sports be without personalities like Dennis Rodman, Marco Pantani, Andre Agassi, Missy Giove or Mario Cipollini to counterbalance the norms of the establishment? These are flamboyant individuals that buck convention and redefine what it means to be a professional athlete. They add spice and color to an otherwise drab and predictable athletic canvas. And if any sport could use a kick in its conservative pants, it’s bicycle racing. Is it any wonder why bicycle racing in America is aging and not seen as "cool" among American youth? Instead, they flock to sports like skateboarding, because they identify with its image and its heroes. Why can't there be tattooed cycling role models? Where is the harm in celebrating individuality? Why can't there be room for punk in cycling? I for one would love to see a cyclist with a Maori-style tattooed face crossing the line in victory. How cool! How different! And while I understand Clinger's need to secure a contract, it is disappointing and surprising that he caved in so easily over the controversy, especially with the prospect of painful laser removal to "remedy" the situation. Clinger is a talented athlete and should be judged on the merits of his athleticism and not by his personal choice to decorate his skin. Why not turn this into a positive situation and just let him be an individual within a team of individuals? Show me a law that says an individual can't be a team player? Why not celebrate and encourage individuality and self-expression, rather than try to extinguish it?

Casey Mickelson
Santa Fe, New Mexico

DeCanio and Clinger, this is your wake-up call
Editor:
Note to DeCanio and Clinger: Welcome to the real world.

Charles O. Jones
Orange County, California

You want ink, this is one way to get it
Editor:
I really don't see what the big deal is about this tattoo. I agree that it would cause him to be pictured a lot more, which would bring a lot more attention to the team. It’s a fantastic team, and it could bring other sponsors.

Maybe they should look at it like Cipo's skinsuits. It's always great to have an individual to stand out in looks and performance.

Jennifer Husky
Asheville. North Carolina

Tattoo was selfish and unprofessional
Editor:
Somewhere, somehow, I thought cycling was a team sport. For one team "member" to decide to gain notoriety and have his own platform via a tattoo of the sort described is selfish and unprofessional.

Each of us has the right to our own individuality; when we're being paid by someone else to represent them, however, we should make sure that we represent them as they want to be represented. Otherwise, ride on your own money.

This guy sounds like X-Games material to me, not a pro cyclist.

Dino Lucarelli
Villa Hills, Kentucky

There is no "i" in "team." Or in "X-Games," for that matter. – Editor

Kudos to all involved
Editor:
Kudos to Webcor for not firing David Clinger on the spot for showing up to training camp with a facial tattoo.

Kudos to David Clinger for being willing to go through the process to remove it, as a condition of continued employment.

Steven L. Sheffield
Utah

And the final word
Editor:
Some times you just gotta put on your best face and get on with it.

Chuck Davis
Tulsa, Oklahoma

---

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.