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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Sinibaldi was a true champ
Editor:
Twenty-five years ago, when living on the west coast of Florida, I rode with the fledgling Tampa Bay Bicycle Sports club. The Saturday morning rides from Phillipe Park in Safety Harbor were attended by a widely diverse group, including a number of riders I then considered impossibly old - Joe Hayes, Phyllis and Roy Roemer, Ted and Jean Bowles, Gus Van Cauwenberg, and the unforgettable John Sinibaldi.

In his early 70s at the time, he was a big bear of a man, and even if he wasn't in sight, you knew he was there because you could hear his hearty, distinctive laugh. In fact, I don't think I ever saw John when he didn't have a smile on his face.

He and Gus have since become role models for me as I age - Gus, just a few years younger than John, for his intensely competitive spirit, and John for his endless good cheer, encouragement and support.

Since I moved from Florida I have followed John's "career" in VeloNews, continually impressed by his staying power and his many, many national championships. We've lost a real champion in every sense of the word.

Joe Green
Jerome, Arizona

Sinibaldi was an inspiration
Editor:
While I have been to masters nationals quite a few times, I am only in my 40s. John Sinibaldi had been on his bike longer than I have been alive. Seeing people like John, with so much drive and life, should inspire each of us. The cycling community has lost a true hero. My deepest sympathies go out to his family. Rubber side down, John.

Earl Aneas
Kingsport, Tennessee

Millar deserves another shot
Editor:
David Millar did deny using EPO, and he did fingers at his accuser, but let's face it — we would all probably do the same to a point if our livelihoods were being threatened.

He did admit to his offense, and he never waged a legal case — he knew he'd done wrong, admitted it, moved on and has learned from it.

I believe David deserves a second chance. He's not the type of person to make the same mistake twice, and it's taken a lot for him to return.

As for Dick Pound, now, it might be nice if he targeted some other sports for a change: say, football, hockey and soccer, to name a few....

Rob Fairall
Lexington, Kentucky

Pound’s blunt, but often on target
Editor:
I think Dick Pound's views on drugs in the sport of cycling are true more often than not. He comes across as blunt or arrogant in his opinions, a bit of a maverick, but that does not mean he is wrong. Every time an "elite" competitor is caught cheating, Pound's views seem more reasonable. But of course the immediate response by the rider concerned is that the testing was wrong or that it was a conspiracy. Just for once I would like to see someone have the integrity to admit to the cheating, warn the younger riders and then retire. Of course, if the rider lacked integrity to start with, the chances of that happening are minimal. Many of the riders getting caught are not first-year pros but seasoned, hardened riders. And while many in the cycling fraternity may dislike Pound, so far he has not been proved wrong.

The two-year ban should be scrapped; it has not proved to be a deterrent. Make the ban seven years and see what happens. The ideal lifetime ban is deemed to be too radical and probably will never be considered for a single offense.

Ian Sharp
Wollongong, Australia

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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.