by Davey Coombs
Racerhead #34
Friday, August 24, 2012 | 5:25 PMHonda is the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles, and the undisputed leader in motorcycle technology. More motocross riders have won titles on Hondas than on any other bike. When you’re serious about winning, Honda is the machine for you.
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PrintWelcome to the last off-weekend of the 2012 domestic season. There are just two races left—Steel City and Lake Elsinore—and then the Motocross of Nations in late September for a select group of regulars on the Lucas Oil Motocross tour. There will be one final get-together at the Monster Energy Cup in Las Vegas, though that's actually shaping up as a very interesting preview of 2013.... We close our eyes and another year goes by.
Everyone has been congratulating Red Bull KTM on its breakthrough race last weekend, and I will join them: Congrats to the whole team on Ryan Dungey winning them their first major U.S. title, Marvin Musquin on winning his first outdoor national, and Ken Roczen on winning his first moto here. What they all have in common is Roger DeCoster as team manager, and a very positive and enthusiastic technical and support crew. And over in Austria, they are absolutely committed to reaching the top in U.S. racing, and Lucas Oil Motocross was the first step—Monster Energy Supercross 2013 is the next goal.
Last Saturday dawned cool and damp after a dreary prelude, turning Unadilla into a very dynamic racetrack.
Simon Cudby photo
But with good news there's bad news, and I also join all those who were devastated by Michael Byrne's injury at Unadilla. Burner had the BTOSports Suzuki out front and was truly cruising—I haven't seen him ride that fast outdoors in a long time—and I was hoping he would get the monkey off his back and take a win, just like fellow Aussie veteran Brett Metcalfe did at Southwick last year. (Coincidentally, I think the closest Byrne ever got to winning a national was at Southwick in '03, only to lose out to Craig Anderson, yet another Australian who is soon to retire.) In fact, I leaned out from the event to give #26 a quiet go-ahead when he cross-rutted through a sweeping turn, stuck his leg out, and ended up with a tibial plateau fracture of his leg. He didn't crash—he just rode off to the side of the track and dropped his bike.
Byrne and BTO Sports team owner Forrest Butler had just reached a contract extension the night before, and they are also going orange for 2013 and beyond. It was shaping up as a Greatest Day Ever for both the team and the rider. But it wasn't.
Les Smith of the Langston-Witt Racing team also suffered a leg break without a crash, the only two times I can remember this happening since my dad snapped his leg at Appalachia Lake Park back in 1974 without even falling.
Here's wishing a speedy recovery to both Byrne and Smith, as well as James Stewart, who went down twice at Unadilla. More on that later.
Marvin Musquin ended up being the first of KTM's two imported world champs to win a national, not Ken Roczen, which somehow seems fitting. K-Roc already has three SX Lites wins to his name, and he won the first moto at Unadilla, beating MM to the punch there too. Musquin, on the other hand, has suffered a couple of unlucky breaks in his two seasons here in the U.S., and he was getting closer and closer to success. He didn't know he had actually won the overall when he came off the track, which made his reaction to the news really special. I have a feeling that both he and Roczen will be much more formidable next summer now that they not only know the system but know their way to the winner's circle too.
Eli Tomac has a Rick Johnson-like quality to the way he's getting faster and stronger as he grows.
Simon Cudby photo
But for the second race in a row, Eli Tomac appeared to be the fastest man on the track, especially in the second moto. But just like at Southwick, he couldn't put two motos together for the overall at Unadilla. But what he is doing, in my mind's eye, is evolving every time he's on the motorcycle. Tomac seems to be getting more and more aggressive—not in a knock-'em-down way but in a pushing-all-the-way attack strategy. He wastes little body movement by doing over-scrubs or going out of his way to get in someone else's way, and he's trying to carry as much momentum as possible into and out of every corner. He reminds me of someone in how he's evolving as a racer while he grows as a man: Ricky Johnson.
The title in the 250 Class is still up for grabs, though for the second week in a row GEICO Honda's Justin Barcia lost out on a prime opportunity to use some local knowledge to make up ground on Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki's Blake Baggett. Now, with four motos to go, Baggett controls his own destiny. He goes very fast at Steel City, and Lake Elsinore is in his backyard. The title is BB's to lose, then he and Barcia will team up with Dungey to try to win an eighth straight Motocross of Nations for Team USA.In case you missed any of last week's live coverage of the Red Bull Unadilla National (and if you live in the Seattle area, you likely did because the local affiliate once again preempted motocross with something else) here are all of the motos, archived for your weekend fix.
Simon Cudby scored Racer X Films a nice exclusive with his two Ryan Villopoto videos from earlier this week. The latest one of the sidelined Monster Energy Kawasaki rider went up this morning, and in it he talks about his plans to return, Team USA, and the Monster Energy Cup, as well as coming to the endgame of his 2013 deal.
"I feel good, the speed's there, just obviously working the fitness up," said Villopoto, the four-time U.S. outdoor champ and two-time AMA Supercross #1. He added that he has no intention of riding one of the last two nationals, where Red Bull KTM's Ryan Dungey has already claimed the title. Says RV on RD, "He's fast but very consistent, and he's on a roll like he's on—it's pretty hard to come in from nothing and go out there and race with him. It's a complete different ballgame when you start the series together, but now there's nothing to gain."
That's Ryan Villopoto closing in fast on his dad at Glen Helen!
BrownDogWilson photo
Get well soon, Zach Bell.
After holeshotting and leading two of the first three motos he entered as a professional, Zach Bell is now on the sidelines for an extended time. The GEICO Honda rookie shocked many in the motocross industry with his blistering start at Southwick, where he led two-thirds of the race before crashing out. He sat out the second moto at the 'Wick and then blasted off to another holeshot at Unadilla, before falling again but at least salvaging some points. The second moto saw him crash hard at the bottom of the Sky Shot jump, and now he's got several compressed vertebrae in his back. Our friend Thom Veety of Action Photos spotted this shot of Zach on his Facebook page, recovering in the hospital.
I did a little Style Check at Unadilla in practice for the 250 Class. This is on the uphill step-up double that marks the same spot where Travis Pastrana suffered his season-wrecking last-lap endo in 2001. It was cool to see the body english that guys like Justin Barcia, Eli Tomac, Travis Baker, and others were using to get over the ledge from the soft takeoff.
DC photos
Congratulations to Broc Tickle, who got another step closer to a first outdoor win as a pro. His first-moto battle with Dungey for the win was incredible, and then he rode a solid second moto to ensure himself a career-best second overall. That marks the best finish ever for Mitch Payton's Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team in the 450 Class.
Say it ain’t so, Lance.... As you might have heard, Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner, has decided against arbitration to once again defend himself over doping allegations from his epic run at the top of cycling. Armstrong, who has been dogged by the French press in particular for cheating, never tested positive for illegal drugs. He's been left to defend himself even while he grows his Livestrong program to help cancer survivors like himself. But now he says it's no longer worth fighting, and that he will accept whatever the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency decides, and likely be stripped of all of his titles and banned for life from competition.
It's a sad turn of events for a man who so inspired people in the sport of motocross that we quit asking people in the magazine's Two Tribes section what their favorite book is, because 95 percent would answer either The Bible or Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike. As someone who was a fan not only of Armstrong but of his whole Livestrong program, this is incredibly disappointing. But at the same time I hope he continues his work for cancer, because that's a hell of a lot more important than spending the rest of his life fighting to save an already damaged reputation.
Broc Tickle practicing up for what would be a career-best day at 'Dilla.
DC photo
Armstrong did not admit to the doping, but he's now at a point of diminishing returns: He's running out of money to fight and places to hide from eyewitnesses in the form of former teammates who either said they saw him dope or were themselves caught (i.e. Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton). And then there's the matter of science, as retro-testing of old samples he gave may now be able to pinpoint steroids that used to be invisible. Add it all up and it's just plain sad.
My favorite sports reporter, Jeremy Schaap, just said on ESPN Radio: "This is the day when Lance Armstrong's legacy vanished." Say it ain't so, Lance.
Check out this very cool video by Gary Price for Kawasaki in Europe, featuring Tommy Searle's big win at his home Grand Prix at Matterley Basin last weekend.
The event was dubbed "the biggest race in the history of the sport," as they featured 400 amateur racers on the track over the course of the four-day weekend (maybe they haven't been to RedBud or Unadilla or Washougal or Millville or...). The weather in Great Britain worked out and it looked like a fun weekend for everyone, and Searle winning added even energy to the event.
Speaking of Europe, while working on another project I stumbled upon some video of the 1978 Austrian Grand Prix at Schwanenstadt, the site of the '93 Motocross of Nations. I was there for that race, covering Team USA's thirteenth straight MXoN win for Inside Motocross, but the start definitely did not look like this!
The start of the '78 Austrian 250 GP went straight up!
Steve Matthes has had a busy week and he missed his Racerhead deadline, but you have to check out this supercool Pulp MX Podcast (that’s an mp3 file link) he did with Fox Racing's Pete Fox about the brand, the company philosophy, racing in general and more.
Here's a good place to pass it over to Jason Weigandt:
It's official: this is the worst year ever for injuries. And I don't jump on the "ever" bandwagon very often. In fact I've spent most of the year saying that injuries have always been and will always be a part of this deal, and we can't overreact. But this is ridiculous. What bites hardest is that so many of the riders have been hurt while at the peak of their powers.
Cool back-to-school shirts from BRAAP Creative.
Ryan Dungey hurt his shoulder right after winning the Atlanta SX. Chad Reed crashed out right after his awesome battle with Ryan Villopoto in San Diego (and he looked even faster right before he went down the next weekend). James Stewart won the Daytona Supercross, then crashed in the first turn of his heat race the next week. He then came back and won the first four motos of the motocross season on his Suzuki, only to essentially crash out of contention early in the next race. Ryan Villopoto went out at his home race, right after clinching the Monster Energy Supercross title. Then when a guy like Michael Byrne busts his leg just as he's logging his best race of the year—maybe even ever!-well, sadly, it's fitting.
One injured rider who has taken a low profile this summer is Dean Wilson. Since Hangtown, last year's 250 Motocross Champion has been laying low. In fact, I talked to Dean recently and he admitted he hasn't been watching many of the races this summer, because it's too depressing not being out there! Dean also recently purchased a home in Florida, and he'll head there in a few weeks once his shoulder therapy is done, so he won't even be attending Elsinore to see who gets to take over his #1 plate.
We learned this week that Ben Townley has re-signed with the Carlton Dry Honda team for 2013 to race in Australia. BT101 has been mostly forgotten about since a hip injury ended his return to the U.S. this summer, but he, too, must have a tough time watching the races here. With all the injuries in the 450 pack, BT could have done some real damage this summer, at least scoring a bunch of podiums and maybe even grabbing a win.
BTOSports.com Suzuki's Michael Byrne was having the race of his life before he joined the long list of injured.
Simon Cudby photo
Sadly now, with the season just about to end, most of these guys are just climbing back on a bike. Chad Reed just started riding again down in Florida, and Ryan Villopoto and Trey Canard are back riding now too. James Stewart rode at Unadilla (before getting hurt again). For a few days last week, the old "Big Five" were all back on motorcycles at the same time. Maybe we'll see them race again soon. Monster Energy Cup, anyone?
Before I go, just want to throw a congrats out to our friend Jason Hooper, who tied the knot last weekend with longtime girlfriend Krista. Hoops came to Racer X as an official FOTP (Friend of Travis Pastrana) and became a graphic designer here, before taking over the reins of the GNCC TV shows. And Krista is usually at his side at those races shooting pictures for their website, DigitalOffroad.com. Shooting pictures at a woods race is not easy, so clearly these two are dedicated to each other!
Congrats to Jason and Krista Hooper on their wedding last weekend.
Andrew Fredrickson photo
Okay, here's a good place to turn it over to Ping, who also had a great KTM moment when he won Anaheim 2 in '02 over James Stewart while riding the #39 KTM 125 (though it helped that Bubba crashed in the first turn!) to straighten the record out....
Quick correction from last week: Christian Craig has re-signed with TLD. Craig had an offer on the table with Langston Witt Racing and at the time both parties thought he was going orange. However, Craig had a change of heart last weekend and told TLD team manager Tyler Keefe he wanted to stay. Christian has been riddled with injuries since his pro debut but there is no denying his talent—the kid is the real deal if he can stay healthy.
I know talking about James Stewart is about as divisive as talking politics these days, but you can’t help but wonder what’s going on down at Camp Stewart. JS7 fans were on top of the world after the opening rounds this summer, posting blogs and photos and living it up. Then the Colorado crash happened and everything changed. His return at RedBud was not good. He was off the pace and his wrist was apparently still hurting. He took plenty of time off, and in the opening laps at Unadilla he looked like he was back. He made his way to the front and then, just as quickly as he got there, he crashed in what looked eerily similar to his Colorado crash, minus the photographer. Then in Moto 2 he went down again, this time in dramatic fashion, ending his day and his season once again. The photos of trigger finger looked painful.
Christian Craig is not turning orange, he's staying red with TLD.
Simon Cudby photo
So why does James keep crashing? Has he always been a crasher and the hits are just finally catching up with him? Have all the crashes taken a toll on him, physically or mentally? I’ll bet these are questions that haunt Suzuki's Mike Webb at night. Unfortunately, we won’t get another peek behind the curtain until maybe October and possibly as late at January of next year. The saga continues.
Honda has officially released its 2013 CRF250R and we got a chance to ride it this week. We had our buddy Wil Hahn help us with some testing duties and Matty Fran posted it for Racer X Films.
It’s always entertaining with Wilbur, so be sure to check it out. The entire GEICO Honda team came out for the day, including manager Mike LaRocco. I still didn’t see The Rock smile but he did put some gear on and do some laps on one of the team’s practice bikes. In case you’re wondering, yes, Mike LaRocco can still get after it.
James Stewart suffered another day of problems at Unadilla.
Simon Cudby photo
I came across a very cool project called RPM last week. Ryan Patterson was a motocross racer who was murdered last year. His brother is putting on an event in Delaware this November and he is looking for industry members to get involved. Find them on Facebook (Ryan Patterson Motocross Foundation) or contact them at [email protected].
Here is Aaron Hansel:
With Lucas Oil Motocross '12 entering its final stages, you might expect the mid-pack intensity to start decreasing slightly as guys who have had bad luck or struggled are wrapping up their seasons. That was my theory anyway, until I talked to Austin Howell earlier this morning. Howell, who just took the best finish of his season at Unadilla with a 14-14 for fourteenth overall, said that if anything the craziness and intensity has been ratcheted up a notch in these last few races as a sense of urgency to fight for a 2013 ride has started to set in.
“Everyone is trying to put in good results,” Howell says. “It’s hard to get picked up and get a ride, and everybody is pushing to get that. Everyone is trying to get better overall finishes, and everything is getting tougher. Everybody is trying to step it up.”
Austin Howell had his best day of the summer at 'Dilla.
Simon Cudby photo
Howell himself is part of that group that’s trying to finish the season strong after going it completely alone through the first seven rounds.
“I’ve been driving around a van and a little trailer,” he says. “Up until Washougal, I’ve been driving to the races all by myself. My dad finally got off work and is able to go to the last four with me. I’d drive straight through until I got there, then I’d practice as much as I could and ride my road bike, and it’d be the weekend already. It kind of beat me down driving as much as I did. Just going from Hangtown to Texas to Colorado, then all the way to High Point, that was a good push there. It was tough, but I got through it and now my dad is helping me and it’s a lot better.”
That’s dedication, for sure, and the privateer pits are full of stories like this. If you’re in attendance at Steel City or Elsinore, be sure to keep your eye on the action taking place at the middle of the pack, too. The racing is getting pretty intense there, and you’ll probably see some pretty epic battles taking place.
Speaking of crazy action, check out this cool picture of Mike Alessi getting loose at Unadilla, taken by NorCalMotocross.com’s Joey Washburn.
The picture was taken in the second moto when Alessi was just a couple seconds behind Ryan Dungey. It really shows how rough and rutted the Unadilla track got, and just how good the top guys are at handling this stuff. To see more of Joey’s stuff, you can check out his website at www.joeywashburn.com.
MISC:
In case you missed it last week, here's a link to Part 2 of Christophe Pourcel's autobiographical video series, The Endless Return. It's about the devastating injury he suffered in 2007 and the difficulty he's had to overcome it since. It's really good stuff, brought to you by Cristophe's own ThreeSevenSeven clothing company.
Don’t forget, all you Southern California racers, to come out this Saturday for Round 3 of the West Coast Classic Lucas Oil Race Series at Lucas Oil MX Park. Races will air on MAVTV! Check www.mavtv.com for the schedule. Cost is $25 per class, $10 per additional class. Pro class 100% payback. Gates open at 6am, sign up at 7am, practice at 9am. Check www.lucasoilmxpark.com for more information.
Ron Joynt from DeCal works sent us this interesting link to a motocross painting for sale on eBay.
Ron knows Racer X Publisher Scott Wallenberg wore #13 on his blue-and-yellow Monarks, but the $1 million price tag on this has us confused.
Heading to Steel City? Spend the day in the pro pits with the Racer X all-day pit pass, available now online. There are a limited number of these passes available, and this is the only way for you to get into the pro pits past noon. Spend five more hours in the pits!
For $40 you get 12 issues of Racer X plus an all-day pit pass, good from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. You can get the subscription for yourself or send it as a gift when you fill out the subscription information on the order page. If you need to buy more than one pass you can get a multi-year subscription to the same address.
Ping testing the 2013 CRF250R.
Matty Fran photo
Another cool video to check out this weekend while there's no racing: Shane Watts' helmet-cam footage of his rip across Skinny Ridge in Colorado. It's impressive, and it will give you a few gasps!
Earlier this month at Loretta Lynn Ranch, Jordan Hoover and his family were parked near a group of visiting Australian racers. They got along great together and ended up inviting Jordan and his father, Jeff, to Coolum, Queensland, Australia, this week to race at the Australian National there.
"Jordan is riding the Pro Open class, which will be his first ever Pro race," Jeff explains. "So after returning home from a week at Loretta Lynn’s we had to rush a license application through the AMA for an FIM license, get a passport and airline tickets and off he went!" Among the competition he will find will likely be Josh Coppins, Matt Moss, Cody Cooper, and more.
This is a funny photo of a moto enthusiasts wedding cake. Was tweeted to @AmericanMX by @AmandaRenea22
Jordan is the only U.S. rider in the Pro Open class, though his friend Colton McLeod has gone along is racing the 19-and-under division. Hoover is getting some helps from Todd Hicks and Aaron West at Fox Racing, Jeremy Garges at Twin Air, Mark Phares at Smith Optics, Lil D and Joel at FMF and more. Good luck down under, Jordan!
That's it for Racerhead. Enjoy your weekend off. Thanks for stopping by, see you at the races.
Godspeed Mike Shoemaker.
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What's all this about Tickle's 2-4 for 2nd overall being his 'career best' and the best for the Pro Circuit team in the 450 class? He finished 2-2 at Budds Creek, which was even better!
Good stuff as always from the staff of RacerX!! As the season winds down, I want to be one of the first to say, Thank you for all the hard work put in to cover this years races!! It never ceases to amaze me at the amount of information you put out each week. From regular columns to covering the races to interviewing the racers, you all should be commended for putting in so much time, bringing us a plethora of information on the worlds most exciting motor sport!!! So to RacerX and all the staff form this moto fan, a well deserved BIG THUMBS UP!!!!
Does AMA do drug testing?
Butler brothers racing going to KTM is interesting. They are associated with JGR and a JGR-built KTM sounds like super, uber, mega-awesome! There are no "entanglements" barring a KTM / Toyota association either which, makes it even more intersesting.
I'm bummed about L.A. and the one thing to understand is, if we knew of all the teams and / or people that cheated to win, every sport / motorsport would be affected...........yeah, it really IS like that.
@ MustardDog, who will pay for the testing, monitoring, upkeep, records, etc? We are not in the league of stick & ball sports at the promotion level (dollar-wise) and they are the ones that will ultimately have to carry that burden........AMA would mandate it though, IF they could make a profit at such an endeavor.
What an awesome cake! Surely this must be food network worthy?
WTH! Why does "Bubba crashed" always come right before or after "Ping won a supercross for KTM"????? He always crashes, no news there. Ping keeping his pumpkin together long enough to outlast the pack IS newsworthy.
Yes they do MustardDog, RV was tested and many others. They can stop anytime 24/7 and have to take a wiz in a cup.
Byrne has never rode this good. 2012 speed on a 450 is far beyond what was going on 2003 on a 125.
Another off weekend!!! DC you are too easy on the guys! You need to get all "Feld" with your series. Go to a 14 to 16 race series with no breaks, (or maybe just 1 break)!
No don't do that, I'm just kidding.
Lance Armstrong to James Stewart..... Seriously bro, its not about the BIKE !!!!!
That sucks on the testing -- I wanted to see the next champion all square chinned and buff back riding again the next week after just tearing both MCL and ACL in a prior week crash grinding his teeth and continually sniffing as he all nervous and jittery like puts on his helmet and goggles ready for the next moto.
Seriously though -- anyone who still believed Armstrong was clean better watch out for someone trying to sell you a bridge.
Guarantee this as fact. Lance Armstrong did not do anything different from the other top riders, except train more and try harder.
He spent millions defending himself, never tested positive, and deserves to be left alone. This is job security for USADA and pandering to Eurotrash.
I would cut off the other testicle, chew it up and spit it in their FACE !
Can we stop mentioning the photographer as the cause of JS7's Colorado crash. We all know he was lying.
A urine test doesn't test for performance enhancing drugs; only a blood test will tell you if someone is using PED's. A urine test is only going to tell you who is using "street drugs".
Holy sh!t, Shane Watts is officially insane.That video is unreal,think I would rather try a double indian air/heart atttack/nac-nac paddywack quadruple twisty barrel flip.
Yes it is Thorleif Hansen. That is his birth name. It was "Americanized" when he rode the Inter-Am series to Torleif because he said most people in the USA just could pronounce it right.
@monark613 What the hell are you talking about? Hahaha!
I just do not understand how they could strip Lance of all his titles.If he passed the drug test of the time then how could they do this.If they are going back to test his old blood samples with the new drug test then they should have to test Every champion that has ever won a Tour.I mean everybody.
In 450 SX this year didn't something like 8 of the top 10 get injured.I know 4 of the top 5 did.I don't think that there has ever been a year like this.If this happens again next year then its pretty obvious the problem is just to much instant horse power.The 450's are just two fast.There is a reason why the did away with the 500 2stroke class.Back in the seventies if they had made the premier class ride the 500 two strokes then every year would of been like the 2012 SX series.Just injury riddled.
Thank wedding cake was awsome.That 100000000 painting on ebay.Gook luck with that.The bike looked like a mid-80's Husqvarna.
Look's like I need to raise my art prices if that's worth 1,000,000!
The whole Lance Armstrong giving up the fight to defend himself is depressing!, but if he entered the US Presidential race, he'd still have far more credibility than all the other candidates!
Perhaps if govt. owned USADA had put the money they must have spent witch hunting Lance in cancer research, we might be nearer to a cure!
Greg Lemond tried to tell everyone years ago that Lance cheated but he met deaf ears. But cycling is known for that and now they are catching them for past years.
It makes no sense that the AMA doesn't test for PED's but only recreational drugs. The PED's should be the concern. Unfair advantage from injury recovery, strength or endurance is going to hurt the credibility of the sport more than someone smoking a j-bone after the moto.
C'mon man.
Bad news, Lance and Livestrong havent given a penny to cancer research in years. They decided years ago to focus on "awareness" not research. I cant deny how many people he have inspired with his book, myself included, but he may not be the guy we hoped he was.
The Lance story is sad due to what appears a violation of procedural rules. Lance has never once tested positive for any drugs in the blood tests. However, some guys he rode with 6 years ago said he did so they strip him of everything.
Imagine you are a truck driver. You take a blood test every day at work and it is always negative. Your boss comes in one day and says you are fired because even though every blood test is negative for drugs, a guy you worked with 6 years ago said you took drugs. Not exactly what we in America call fair.
LeMond is a punk. He said everyone was dirty except him. What a surprise. Keep in mind LeMond ran a 34 mph average speed time trial in 1989 in the final stage of the Tour to win after being shot with a shotgun in a hunting accident. That woukd be a winning time even today. If anyone was dirty, it was LeMond, particularly given the fact he won 3 Tour Titles in the heart of the drug era and before sophisticated blood tests.
By the way, the guys that admitted to drug use and said Lance cheated get a 3-6 month suspension during the off season. They will be back to racing in no time and all ok with the UDADA without even missing a race. Lance gets a lifetime ban and is stripped of all 7 Tour Titles dating back to 1999. This whole thing stinks of a “McCarthy like” witch hunt.
I don’t know if Lance cheated or not. None of us do. However, before stripping a man of everything you need something more than hearsay evidence, particularly when the blood tests over 15 years of competition are all negative for drugs.
Not to make this forum a Lance forum, but I think it is worth mentioning: he has NEVER missed an out of competition blood test. This means that no matter where in the world he is (with his family, training, etc.), he has been exactly where he said he was-and on a regular basis he was visited for a sample.
Ironically, the majority of the accusers (and those who admitted they took drugs) would disappear for a few months for a "training camp" and miss the out of competition testing. The penalty for missing the out of competition testing is a ban from racing - this never happened. Now you have a guy who passed EVERY test, made himself available for EVERY out of competition test and PASSED is going to lose everything because of a few riders that say they saw something.
What about the many people that would have to be part of this incredible cover up: from runners, coordinators, etc.? Something tells me that these individuals would have a much bigger financial gain from going public than some racer who has done well for himself (though not as well as Lance did).
In my opinion, I think that every professional athlete should refuse taking any drug tests effective immediately - it is evident that the results really don't matter in regards to determining your innocence.
Theres an important difference in saying "I've never taken PED's" and " I've never tested positive for PED's"
Its like an adulterer saying" I've never been caught cheating on my husband/wife".
Great video of the GP in Austria! Please continue to post Vintage MX links, I've enjoyed all of them over the 10-12 years you been writing this weekly column.
@Scrub-This, that is a good point on the end of LeMond’s career. I believe regular blood testing started in the 1990’s with the creation of the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency). In the 1960’s riders used cortisone. In the 1970’s and 1980’s testosterone. The 1990’s riders started using EPO (erythropoietin) which was new.
When one person gets a slap on the wrist and another guy gets a death sentence for the same exact offense, something is wrong. Something is also wrong when LeMond says he was clean but everyone else was dirty before him and after him. Look at the picture of LeMond crossing the line in the 1989 Tour deFrance. Secretariat wishes it had muscles and veins in its legs like LeMond had. The horse would have won multiple Triple Crowns. Eddy Merckx was actually caught doping three times in the 1970’s when he won multiple Tours yet never had a Tour title stripped.
This is an important issue for MX because bicycle training goes hand-in-hand with MX training by accounts of every top pro. In the quest for more endurance and speed, we do not want the sport spoiled by a possible doping scandal and perhaps there should be occasional random testing for PEDs and street drugs.
Anyone out there still insisting that Decoster should've asked King James to ride for our country? Lol!!!
@RCRDDW........hehehehehe, very funny considering the Stewtards are no where to be heard. Crash at the "dilla" the same as at Freestone, but with no photographer to blame. Whenit comes to outdoors (real motocross) Stewie is finished. He still has SX to be competitive tho.........
OOooopes....I meant Lakewood, not Freestone. First two rounds the Stewart fans were rubbin' it all in, but then take the defensive with childish comments like @Preston above.
@Preston...why is it you must attack people because we state the factual truth as to what is happening?
Fact; Stewart was racing well in the first two rounds, and all the Stewart fans were all lit up on the blogs.
Fact; Stewart cross rutted, and injured his hand.
Fact; Stewart tried to race but could not keep the pace because of injured hand
Fact; Stewart takes a few races off to heal. Is able to practice and is filmed doing so.
Fact; Stewart stays away to heal longer on the advice of his team. He does so.
Fact; Stewart comes back to race the "dilla" after many weeks of healing. Stewart qualifies top 5, leads a few laps, CROSSRUTS AGAIN, then is regulated to WAY BACK after a few more spills. DNF's second moto.
These are the facts that you cannot dispute. What of this outdoor season do you disagree that Stewart is not able to compete outdoors anymore? I give him credit to be able to race indoors for 20 50 second laps. Anything else and he is toast.
FACT........maybe Stewart needs to find a new sport. Just sayin'
Mr-Mx, what's yor take on Lance? I remember you saying you know him from your triathlon days.I you would rather not get into it I understand.
The Lance Armstrong thing is absurd. There is No...I repeat NO...professional bicycle racers who are not, or have not used performance enhancing drugs. That is what bicycle racing is all about...being on the cutting edge of performance enhancement. If you are a top amateur bicycle racer, it means you have mastered the use of these compounds....has always been that way...don't let anyone tell you different. Lemond is a D Bag, always was.
Same deal with being an olympic athelete. Did you guys know that every country has (well they did in the 80's and 90's so I dought it's changed) a hotline that the atheletes can call to find out (anonymously) how not to test positive. They would tell you when to come off certain drugs etc etc so you would test clean. An old friend of mine wrote a book about this stuff in the 80's, I didn't believe him about the hotline....he gave me the number, told me what to say etc, and I called it...it was very real.
@Preston.....heheheheheheh, we are talking about Stewart, no one else. The FACT that you bring other racers (who were not mentioned at all) into this debate shows you have no FACTUAL response to the FACT that Stewart can no longer compete outdoors as he used to be able to. That was my initial statement from the beginning of the outdoor series. You attack all those who speak of your favorite racer, and all I have said are facts about him. The truth hits home real hard, and hurts the ego, doesn't it??!!!!........
@Preston.....you are the only one making this a race thing. Seems as if YOU are the racist, and we are just talking about a racer. No skin clor there!!!!!!!!!!
@Preston.....the only thing that seems to scare you is that all people will be treated equally. Get used to the FACT that all people are created equal, and treated that way by 99.9 percent of the global population. If this scares you then maybe, just maybe, you are in the .01 percentile?????!!!!!!!!!
The real news is that 2013 SX/MX look good ....
How about a debate about 2013?
@preston I am sorry to say that you are a mirror image of JS. The only reason you are relevant on this forum is because of your lack of thought and insight to anything that is discussed. You enjoy every moment of it, which is somewhat disturbing. You continue to make comments about something that was never said. Your blind to society let alone the MX community, on your biased fictional comments on anything that relates to James Stewart. @seventiesracer gave you a couple fact that are just that...facts. All you come back with is riders win totals that never even sat on the gate for the season. Please for us just come up with something different, your name and comments are just getting sad to read.
@seventys ....for you to think there is no racism on this site is ridiculous ...are you kidding me ..for a guy who has dealt with Jair/scrubnuts ,handlebore the woman hating racist and a HOST of others ..believe me they are here., hoods in hand......I can understand even just not liking the guy since you all seem to have spent time with him and really know his personal life and just choose to hate him and his family and RIDING based on how it adversely effects your daily lives...(you'd think it was the haters who get hurt when he falls...lol).. ..and how can it be a FACT that your "initial statement was "JS7 can't compete" at the start of the year when he was winning..it was V E R Y quiet on here then if I remember..I am an RV fan ...I'm GLAD NO other rider who crashes or gets injured ALOT gets as much mention (that includes RV ,townley, byrne , grant, canard ,Cunningham etc etc) .......I like all those riders , but I just don't find it necessary to continuously bag on them or their misfortunes...where in Havocs case, some peoples live it 24/7....and why does he have to find another sport ...if he signs up and lines up he gets to go just like you or me and until some comment jockey takes it upon himself to actually go out and outride the guy...its his choice not anyone else's...hes not going away and I think the more the merrier , the racing is better when all the players are there.....good luck to ALL the racers who put their A*s on the line...and after they leave the track I don't care what they do or where they go ...its not my business , i'll leave that to the stalkers and theres none of them on here either....right..?
@VooDoo ...
Although there will be fans who disagree, and despite the possiblity that the 450 field could be stacked, I see Villo picking up where he left off.
On another topic, it would be interesting for me to see how Cairoli and Herlings would do in the USA. Roczen and Musquin seem to be adjusting ... all on KTMs ....
VooDoo Great idea!! Bench Race on a Moto site, I will give it a try!! To start with, Supercross, how stacked does the 450 class look!!!
Barcia and Wilson coming in are both very good at supercross and could have an immediate impact on the results sheet. Both are good starters and have been running lap times on their 250's comparable to the big bikes. The 5 extra laps should not be that big an adjustment so I look for them to be in in the mix right away maybe even stealing away a couple podiums from some of the established stars...
The Champ from last year should be back, great as ever,!! The way Villopoto attacks a supercross track is unlike any other rider today, simply controlled aggression!! He has to be the odds on favorite to repeat as series Champ, although he will be challenged at every race ..
The most talked about racer will be, as always, James Stewart!! Never has there been a more polarizing racer, fans love him or hate him!! James has always been a excellent Supercross rider, he sees lines others miss and can use them to his advantage. Sometimes I think James is to fast for his own good, if he can back it down a notch and stay of the ground, Stewart will win some and be a threat to RV, if not, he may be riding on the Astrick cart more than his Suzuki....
Chad Reed, the wise elder statesman of the class will be out to show he still has the speed he possessed before he cartwheeled at Jerry's World, where he was giving RV all he wanted!! Chad has the smarts, he will take advantage on tracks he feels the speed and to minimize the damage on his off days, a healthy Reed will be steady and in it to win it over the long haul...
Dungey, with a year under his belt on the KTM, should be very comfortable and ready to show what he can do on a supercross track. For Ryan, I think the starts will be the key to his success or lack of it, he is as fast on any given night as the others, but his patient style is more suited to motocross than supercross, where agression is rewarded. I still think of RD as the Locomotive, consistently up front, collecting points, building speed as the season goes on...
Canard, Mr Nice Guy, will be back and everyone wants to see Trey do well! He has shown amazing ability on a supercross track, only to be hounded by a list of unfortunate incidents, which have, so far kept him from reaching his potential. Trey's faith has never wavered, could this be the year that Honda's faith in him is rewarded, as they have stuck by him through all the injures. I see him inside the top five, a lot, if his run of bad luck is behind him...
Then there are the rest, lead by the ageless talent and crowd favorite Kevin Windham followed by veterans Milsaps, Brayton, Short, Metcalf, Alessi, Weimer. TIckle, Izzi and Stoupe also plan on being in the mix as they feel it is their time to rise up and be contenders..
The run for the 2013 Supercross title has no shortage of contenders, all want to dethrone last years king of supercross, Ryan Villopoto. Lets hope, that we fans, see a thrilling season indoors and all of the same riders are able to line up healthy for the Great Outdoors of 2013!!!
@handlemonkey ...lol you ALWAYS come through for me when I need an example of someone who needs something or someone to hate.....always..Why would I want to shut you up...your backwoods cornholer homophobic racist ( lets just say klan like ...if it walks like a klan and talks like a klan...etc...) woman hating comments provide me with many a laugh and a view into everything ugly and wrong......trust me though I would much rather talk moto,, where once in a great while even you have a take that isn't just spouting some hatred. @preston , They have you hooked ...if you respond in an emotional fashion it just prolongs their shi*tstirring and will cause the worst one to go on a fifty reply manifesto of his supposed brilliance (which is laffable at best)...after some of the fake named liars started actually stalking me and posting my personal info I realized it was just because I was playing their game...and had to stop ...I don't hate anyone .PERIOD..and I like ALL riders and admire their ability's and don't get any satisfaction from bagging on a rider because of his fortunes or misfortunes. You also may need to just take it with a grain of salt and just stick to your own opinion and not care so much about what others say and not get drug down into their 24/7 obsession and hate......Carlsbad and I go at it almost daily but I like what he has to say and we keep it fairy civil...lol when possible. Besides the off topic guys and haters theres some pretty good moto guys and comments on here....once in a great while...lol...
@ Osteo and BD25
BD25:
Yes. The 450 MX and SX in 2013 should be the best in a long time.
As far as some potential front runners, since Barcia appears to be less consistent than Wilson, it can be debated that Wilson will have better results.
Does Reed have the speed, will Stew race regularly, and can Canard avoid breaking his leg again are three questions.
Regarding "the rest," as BD25 put it, Villo wins championships and he also injures his knee regularly. There is also Baggett.
Osteo:
About your idea for KTM to bring Cairoli and Herlings to the USA for MX. Although I do not see it happening and it is sort of like "Fantasy MX," get it? if it did occur, then KTM, with Roczen and Musquin, would then have the potential to take it all.
@51FIFTY....you are kidding me right???? If Not, please refrain from offending my honor. I always tell the truth and am very passionate about the truth. Always telling the truth (which gets me in trouble sometimes...lol) is my agenda.
You could do just a little research and find the facts.
Oh, and if you are serious (which I can't imagine you really are as no one is that ignorant) then please pull your head out of the sand,
Alot of Americans have the "ignorance is bliss" attitude. That is why Obama was able to get elected and continues to get away with all he has done. I really don't think you are one of those people....but maybe I am wrong.....or maybe you are always drunk of your a... and are just trying to be funny but are not very good at it...I am really hoping that is the case...lol
I am living in Germany right now....you have no idea how much I have to defend Americans. They think we are all stupid. I can see why sometimes, and it embarrasses me. They can't believe we voted for someone who is obviously a Marxist/Socialist etc... Over here they seem to be much more involved and informed in what is going on with their political leaders. They can't understand how we all are not.
Dont you just love this great sport of ours? Something is always going on..if you blink you miss it !...
Oh, and I am well aware of what a Grifter is. I got that nickname a very long time ago by a guy we use to call "The Frankster" who was alot older (and bigger) than me. He had no idea what a grifter was....but the name stuck and I kind of had no choice...lol I come from a big Italian family in NY...when I was told my name was going to be Griffter from now on, (in the 70's at the age of 17) I was not going to argue about it....lol
@51fifty...really not so sure the President is gay as you say. But, he did admit that "he doesn't know how to drive a standard shift car", which is pretty " gay" if you ask me. I don't think I have ever met a straight man who can't drive a standard. Wait, and he was going to run the auto industry and all....too funny.
Preston the one rider race fan--why dont you go do something more your style, and hang in a alley and knock off some old ladies for thier purse to buy some crack bro'...
Well I tried to get it back to moto...lol
It does seem that at least a couple of the guys in west coast lites go down each year before the start and get the chance to go east..as you say that does make it tougher on the po boys in the east...wonder how they can fix that..as I am sure they want to guarantee the biggest names get to race to draw the crowds..something to think about there is how to remedy that....I don't see so many getting injured this year, as to me it seems to run in cycles, plus I think some of them may lay up a bit the first couple rounds to get the back in the groove before going all out....but you know Villlopoto will come out swinging, as will James, as those two don't know any other way but to go for it...Hopefully your scenario will not come to pass and the top dogs will all still be in the show well into the season....
@handledumba*s ...I based my statement entirely on the way YOU spoke to @lisaoutriding. some "pedestal"