The fourth-annual professional cycling road race will make its way through 16 host cities down the coast and through the Central Valley of California, which will include some of the state’s most picturesque highlights, along a demanding 800-mile course. The nine-day race starts on Saturday, February 14, 2009 in Sacramento and concludes on Sunday, February 22, in San Diego County, with a finish in Escondido. The race passes through many of the communities where Rabobank currently has a bank presence or in which it plans to grow.

As part of the sponsorship, Rabobank will present the daily award given to the “best young rider” for the just concluded daily “stage.” Each day, all riders who are under the age of 23 compete for this special recognition. The recipient is determined by his overall placement at the finish line after each stage. During the daily awards ceremony, special recognition is given to the winner of the award as he is presented with the specially branded Rabobank Best Young Rider Jersey. At the race’s conclusion, an overall winner of the jersey is also named. Coincidentally, a rider from the Rabobank team has been the overall winner of this jersey for the past two years.

“We are pleased to enter into this partnership with AEG and to become the official bank of the Amgen Tour of California professional cycling race,” said Ronald Blok, chief executive officer of Rabobank, N.A. “In just three years, AEG has built the race into a highly professional and well-organized event that attracts millions of spectators and cycling fans in California and, increasingly, around the world. Rabobank has a long association with cycling and a century-old heritage of community banking, so our sponsorship of the Amgen Tour of California is an ideal synergy between our commitment to cycling and the growth of our bank in California.”

In addition to active participation in the awards ceremonies, Rabobank also will have a significant presence at the Amgen Tour of California Lifestyle Festival, where thousands of fans will engage in various cycling, healthy lifestyle and sponsor-supported activities in the city where the race finishes each day. Rabobank will offer special co-branded banking products to promote the bank’s involvement with the Amgen Tour of California and will feature these
products at the Lifestyle Festival, along with games, giveaways and other items that showcase Rabobank’s position as the bank of choice in communities throughout California.

Rabobank has been a sponsor of one of the world’s top elite cycling teams for the past 12 years. Having participated in the Amgen Tour of California the past two years, the team is expected to once again compete.

Additionally, Rabobank’s sponsorship of the Amgen Tour of California will include VIP hospitality opportunities and promotional exposure through onsite advertisements, the Amgen Tour of California Web site, a commercial on the official television broadcast and all race marketing materials. Rabobank’s sponsorship will also include stage entitlement for a yet-to-be-determined stage of the race.
“The addition of Rabobank as a ‘Founding Partner’ of the Amgen Tour of California is a perfect fit,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, presenter of the race. “Rabobank’s commitment to the sport of cycling through their sponsorship of this race and of their professional cycling team is important to the growth of the Amgen Tour of California and to cyclists everywhere.”

During the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, elite international and domestic cycling teams will traverse the state from north to south with scheduled stops in the following host cities: Sacramento, Davis, Santa Rosa, Sausalito, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Modesto, Merced, Clovis, Visalia, Paso Robles, Solvang, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, Rancho Bernardo and Escondido. A portion of the Tour proceeds will be dedicated to raising awareness and support for people affected by cancer.

The undisputable facts are that he’s exciting, he’ll bring new fans and greater press coverage to the sport, he’ll encourage corporate sponsorship of racing teams, he’ll draw out budding racers to give our sport a try, and he might even help defeat cancer while he’s at it.  In my humble opinion, his return to the sport will be positive in almost every way imaginable.

Right.  I said almost every way.

See, the way this appears to be playing out is like finding out that that beautiful, sexy girl entering the room….is none other than your first cousin. Nice, yeah, but a clear letdown, right?

Here’s how that metaphor plays out with cuz’n Lance.  When speculation about his reemergence finally escalated to rock-solid rumors, the big question became “how” he would materialize in our lives, because his return could have come in a variety of ways, such as:

1.  Lance forms an entirely new team with which to take on the world, including going head-to-head against his quasi-brother Johan and the mighty Astana team, or

2.  Lance joins an existing team (e.g., Garmin Chipotle, etc.) and marshals a bunch of up-and-comers to go after the big boys (CSC, Astana, etc.) at the Tour, or

3.  Lance simply joins Johan and Astana, and they sort out the whole Alberto thing.

Clearly, option #1 seemed like a big stretch, given the logistics of getting together a pro team license, a bunch of free-agent riders, some sponsors, some management staff, and some invites to the big races. 

Option #2, on the other hand, would have involved, let’s see, right, a quick wink to virtually any Pro Tour team, and the oceans would part and he’d be off to the races.  Sure, there might have been the odd French team that would have turned up its nose, but the line of teams that wouldn’t have flinched at getting a great shot at a Tour win under their belt - not to mention a boatload of free PR for their sponsors - would have been a long one.

Of course, the correct answer to this multiple choice quiz turned out to be option #3, which is, unfortunately, the least-exciting by far.  

Why?  

Because rather than offering the spectacle of Lance trying to beat the best in the world, instead he’s chosen to join them — thus ensuring we’ll never know for certain whether he could again beat the best in the sport.

Lance will seemingly never go head-to-head against Alberto Contador and Lance will never ride against the powerful Astana squad.  Instead, he and Alberto seem destined for separate dance-cards when it comes to the Grand Tours, for the specific purpose that neither man ever be compelled to fight nor help each other win one.

And the powerhouse assets of Astana?  They’ll seemingly be divied-up between the two heads of state, with Alberto taking a squad to the Tour, and Lance taking another squad to the Giro.  What happens at the Vuelta, who knows — but I’m betting we’ll see a similar separation-of-powers arrangement.

The practical implication is that if Lance had chosen a path that put him head-to-head with Alberto, Air France could have charged me ten grand for a standby ticket in coach class to France next July and I’d have paid it with the family grocery-money if necessary. 

That would be an unmissable battle of epic proportions.  That would have brought out massive hordes of fans to watch the hijinks on Ventoux, and in the team time trial and the individual time trials.  Instead, it looks like my kids won’t be missing any meals next summer because the two most exciting racers in the sport will be kept as far from each other as possible, by mutual agreement.

So that makes me wonder what drove Lance’s decision. 

He came back because he wants to compete at the highest levels, he says, and he wants to bring his fight against cancer to a global stage. But maybe he feels the only chance he’d have for a successful career come-back is by joining a superior team that would be successful even if he weren’t riding with it; a team so strong it can pull him onto podiums even if his age or conditioning prove more of a challenge than he expects.  Or maybe he is afraid of riding against young Alberto, who probably reminds Lance of himself, minus a dozen years. I don’t expect we’ll ever find out how Lance sifted through all this and came to the decision he did, but that’s where it leaves us for now.

Going back to the original point, I’m unequivocally positive about Lance’s comeback, and have a hard time listening to people who bellyache about it.  There’s no bad news here, as far as I can see — but could this homerun have been even sweeter and even more exciting?

I think so.

The Texan, who won the Grand Boucle from 1999 to 2005, was speaking during a press conference at a cycling exhibition in Las Vegas.

He said: “I said (on Wednesday) I was going to participate in the Tour Down Under (in Australia at the end of January) and the Tour de France (in July). I can now add that after the race in Australia, I’ll get back into training and then race in the Tour of California.”

Armstrong gave no other indications of his race schedule. He retired from professional racing the night he won his last Tour de France, but announced his return to the international cycling scene on September 9 this year.

On Wednesday, he confirmed he would be returning to the sport, aged 37, saying he would be riding for the Astana team, run by his old sporting director Johan Bruyneel.

Armstrong, who was treated for testicular cancer in 1996, has continually claimed his comeback was to raise awareness of cancer through his “Livestrong”
cancer prevention campaign.

Oh yeah, and we’re told in advance there’s a chance Mr. Hincapie might make a personal appearance.  Nothing firm, of course, since he’ll have just finished his race and will need to clear out of his hotel for the bus-ride to South Carolina and so on.

And Mr. Hincapie appears!  

And he’s chatty, and he’s gracious and full of stories, and yours truly corners him quickly, and we share thoughts and insights about the Hincapie family, the family businesses, bike racing, Lance’s return, life in the Carolinas, the “Hincapie World” sports and recreation complex, his kids, and his grand-kids.

Yeah, about that grand-kids comment, let me explain that this isn’t one of those Sarah Palin my-babies-is-having-babies! moments.

See, we arrived at Dressler’s Pub just a few miles from the downtown circuit of the final stage of the Tour of Missouri at six last Sunday evening and the race had ended just hours before.   

Someone (okay, Francesco Chicci from Leakygas) had only hours earlier won the final day’s Hurricane Ike-shortened stage by edging out Mark Caven-dash in yet another sprint finish.  Poor Dasher had to sulk home with only three stage wins.  Keep in mind there were only seven stages, so he won almost half of them in a testament to his own sprinting prowess, the strength of his lead-out team, and the clear need for the Tour of Missouri to mix in some more interesting terrain. 

In all, the Hincapie/Cavendash-piloted Team Columbia won four of the seven stages and the team GC.  George Hincapie, last year’s GC winner, finished fourth overall.

Of course, as we’d proactively and omnisciently reported four days earlier (see:  http://www.bicycle.net/2008/sundays-news-today-vande-velde-wins-tour-of-missouri), American-cycling’s man of 2008, Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Chipotle), stayed atop the General Classification, having decisively won earlier in the week the Branson individual time trial stage that HAS very interesting geographic features — like climbing, lots and lots of leg-charring climbing.  

To say Vande Velde completely dominated the grueling Branson ITT and made all other racers seem as if they’d worn skirts that day would be fair, if not politically correct, but there’s no way to put lipstick on that pig, right?

But I digress.

We enter Dresslers and caramel-colored pints appear in our hands as if by magic.  Good moods quickly get even better and we schmooze and talk about you know what.  The evening is particularly good-natured, with road-racers mixing effortlessly with tri-guys and gals, and I suspect there were even a few runners about.  

After a bit, the good people who own our local shop and favorite gathering spot (excluding those that serve beer), Ghisallo Cycling, welcome in the Hincapie crew including two of their U.S. headquarters marketing executives, and yes, Mr. Hincapie himself.

Ricardo Hincapie, that is.  George’s father.

The Hincapie entourage is led around and they shake hands, and soon we all settle into a buffet dinner, but conspicuously the Hincapie crew is left to a table largely by themselves, with only one of “us” among them.  Clearly, not everybody is so comfortable mixing in with strangers.  

I consider breaking away from my group and gapping up to the Hincapie table, but all the seats are occupied.  I tuck back into my dinner.  

A few minutes later I spot an empty slot at their table, and a half-full pint-glass resting there suggests it hasn’t been unoccupied long, and might not remain that way.  It doesn’t escape my attention that the opening happens to be beside Mr. Hincapie, and I decide that’s sufficient reason to poach someone’s seat while they’re back at the feedzone.  

The key will be to hold the seat once I lodge myself in it.

So I scurry across the room and insert myself in this group, extend my hand, and begin my interrogation of the unassuming Mr. Hincapie.  

As he speaks, I lean in close so that I can hear over the general rumble of conversations taking place around the room — but really it’s so there’s no way I’d be able to take note of anyone trying to get my attention to kindly ask for their seat back.  I place my pint glass on the table and hand the abandoned one to the waitress as she passes, thereby taking legal title to this spot.  Check the rulebook, it’s in there.  

Before sharing with you the insights I gained by monopolizing Mr. Hincapie’s evening literally until the moment their party made their exit from the, uh, party, I need to comment about what you get when you meet Mr. Ricardo Hincapie:  Quite simply, Ricardo (we’re on a first name basis ) is a true gentleman and a pleasure to spend time with.  It was kind of like spending time catching up with my dad, but with the added benefit that I hadn’t heard these particular stories a thousand times. 

Ricardo is very enthusiastic about the endeavors both his boys are involved in, but also seems equally proud of his non-cycling-biz-employed daughter.  [How generous is that?  I've got a daughter, and I just don't think I could be so impartial.]  As a former bicycle racer himself, he clearly continues to love the sport, and as a retiree, he now has almost as much time to enjoy it as those of us who write for cycling e-zines for our daily sustenance.  [Pass the ketchup packets, by the way, we're making soup tonight.]

Most importantly, for my purposes, anyway, Ricardo doesn’t seem afflicted by the natural shyness that is part of George’s DNA.  And he’s a lot easier to corner for a long conversation without having to brush-off hoards of others who want a moment of the man’s time.  For my interests, a mano-a-mano with Hincapie senior seemed far more enticing than the prospect of a couple quick questions to and some even-shorter answers from Hincapie junior.  

If you want that interview, just surf over to Cyclingnews and we’ll see you back here in about two minutes.

They say, “To understand a man, you have to understand where he comes from.”  [In St. Louis, we adapt this slightly, to say ...which high school he comes from.  Can't fathom why.]  Anyway, Ricardo Hincapie grew up in Colombia.  For those geographically-handicapped among us, it’s about a four hour flight due south from Miami, more or less.  We St. Louisans would think of Colombia as the Gateway to South America.  We would also think they should have a big shiny Arch at the border with Panama.  And if they want a football team, we’ll comp them the Rams.

But I digress.

For the past many years Ricardo Hincapie has been a resident of New York, where he worked for United Airlines.  When 911 occurred, he took an early-retirement package that seemed enticing until some months later when the carrier filed chapter 11 and wiped out those promises.  Ricardo doesn’t seem angry about it, so much as disappointed.  Who can blame him.  In any case, I got the sense the man didn’t carry grudges.  He smiled constantly and energetically, and you could see in his eyes he’s too “centered” about what’s truly important in life.  A bit zen-like, if you ask me.

Anyway, Ricardo moved to the Carolinas two years ago to be near family.  He sold his New York home and bought one just down the street from his two boys, George and Rich, and was very pleasantly surprised at how much further a dollar goes down south.  Now he lives within an easy spin of most of his seven grandchildren, aside from the two his daughter has back up in New York, and also lives in one of the best cycling areas in the U.S., which he values.  

The family also owns a home down in Colombia.  Ricardo told me he’d selected it with a specific eye to the riding opportunities in the area, and described how he likes to take on the six-mile climb that starts at his doorstep and touches grades of up to 20%.  At that point, my mind began to spin with thoughts of how to politely decline going on such ride with the Hincapies if such invitation is forthcoming.   [I'm still nervous about it, even though we didn't exchange contact information.]

I asked Senor Hincapie what he rides, and he mentioned a Trek, a brand-new Giant (Team Columbia’s chosen steed) he got from George, and a “Hincapie.”  Yes, there’s a Hincapie bike made by a custom bike-maker.  Something like four of those bikes exist.  And wouldn’t your club like one of those to raffle off?  According to his father, George says the Giant is the best bike he’s ever ridden, by the way.  With Columbia switching bikes in 2009, time will tell whether Scott can produce something even better.

Son Rich runs the family clothing business, with eight headquarters employees in South Carolina, and about one hundred employees down in Colombia who assemble the high-quality cycling gear that most of us own.  There is also production done in Italy, but on a much smaller scale.  The business, under Rich’s guidance, is focused on quality & finish, which is something most cyclists understand. You can buy cheaper, but it’s hard to find better. 

Ricardo says that Rich runs most of the businesses under the Hincapie brand, since George “has a job.”  That he does.  And his job involves residing in Girona, Spain for about half the year, usually departing with his family from their South Carolina home after the Tour of California in February, and then packing up to come back to the States for the Tour of Missouri.  

I asked Ricardo how George is enjoying being on Team Columbia, and he said George is very happy.  George has the team-leader and elder-statesman roles on the team, and both the men’s & women’s squads are having a spectacular year.  They’re also quite happy to have secured the Columbia outdoor gear and clothing company as their sponsor this year, and to have given the sponsor a great experience in return. 

Then I brought up Lance.

Ricardo told me George had gotten a call a couple of months ago.  Lance said he’d decided to get back into the sport, and was making preparations.  Lance asked George to think about joining him, but George said he still had another year of commitment to Columbia, so it would be a non-starter.  

I suspect - not based on anything Ricardo said or implied - that George is also having too much fun in his current role to give much consideration joining the Lance-circus as number-one clown.  

Ricardo said he had no insider knowledge about whether Lance would join Astana, but he thought it would certainly be awkward asking Alberto Contador, the young, charismatic Alberto who just won the Tours de France, Italy and Spain back to back, to go back to fetching bottles.  Especially because he might be off the front of the pack at the time.  But he thought it equally improbable to expect Lance to chase down breakaways on behalf of Contador or anyone else in the Tour.  We wrote about this recently (see, http://www.bicycle.net/2008/armstrong-back-landis-backnow-youre-talking), for what it’s worth.  

Lance has recently made statements acknowledging that Contador is the “best climber in the world today” — but notably Lance has not called Contador the world’s best rider or the best stage-racer, or what have you.  We think Lance give himself the nod on those titles, notwithstanding that it’s been a while since he won a road race.

When pressed, and with a suspicious twinkle in his eye, Ricardo said we’ll all have to wait for Lance’s official announcement next week as to whether Lance goes to Astana or not.  Either he knew something he wasn’t saying, or the beer was having its effect — although we don’t recall the man actually drinking any.  

Either way, he left yours truly with the sense that there was a plausible chance Lance just might act perfectly Lance-like, and announce he’s cobbled together a team just to serve his needs, rather than trying to re-craft Astana for those purposes.  It would also seem Lance-like, if he announces he’s bought the country of Kazakhstan and therefore he owns Astana, as well. 

But. But. But.   But what if somehow Lance does reemerge with a team other than Astana?  If so, then woudn’t that set up the biggest showdown in the history of the sport?

There would be the always strong CSC wanting a repeat win at the Tour, and an almost muscle-bound Astana also wanting a repeat win at the Tour, given that both of these teams won it the last time they appeared in it.  And I’m not even going to get into the angles of Sastre’s new team and whichever team Landis lands on.  Okay, I did. 

Lance versus Alberto.  Lance versus Bruyneel.  Excuse me while I find my checkbook, mortgage my house and cash in the kids’ college funds to buy a ticket to see that happen!  I mean, wouldn’t we all go into hawk to fly to France for that kind of cage-wrestling match?  Wouldn’t the bookmakers love watching how much money was wagered on the Tour if this came to pass? 

Okay, one can harbor such dreams until next week.

As a final note on this topic, recently Johan Bruyneel has stated repeatedly his “surprise” about Lance’s decision to come back into the sport.  He said he hadn’t even had the chance to speak with Lance about it yet.  But now we know that Lance spoke with George about it two months ago.  So let’s just say that Johan’s denials never came close to sounding genuine to begin with, but if his is the “brother” of Lance as he describes in his recent pocket-sized autobiography, then clearly he is not the favorite brother.  

Either that, or maybe Lance has another manager lurking in the shadows. 

Finally:  Hincapie World, Party On!

So you may have heard about the Pla D’Adet development (it’s pronounced PLAH-da-day) near Grenville, SC that will have Hincapie-branding throughout. 

Or maybe you haven’t.  

In that case, it’s a planned performance training center and residential resort community aimed at cycling enthusiasts, as well as tri-athletes and runners.  

And I quote the marketing materials here:  Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwest South Carolina, it will comprise 97 homesites surrounding a village with a restaurant, a bike shop, a spa, and a training facility including an indoor pool/sauna, fitness center, and cycling training rooms.  There will be trails for running and cycling: a 4.6-mile rubberized loop and another seven miles of single-track mountain-bike trails, plus hundreds of miles of mountainous and flat, low-traffic roads for roadie-training. Home site prices start at $399,000.  

What I learned from Ricardo, was that the project recently took an important step forward. 

To date, about half of the lots have sales contracts in place, but things have slowed because development of the property has been scheduled for 2009.  For now, all you see is a mountain and some pretty brochures and a website.  That doesn’t exactly help drive the sales momentum.

Apparently a developer has been secured and work on roads, sewers and infrastructure is now set to move forward.  

The Hincapie brothers have an equity stake in this project in exchange for the brand name and endorsement, and they will consult on details of the facilities as the project progresses.  If you’re flush and so inclined, you can get your own little slice of this heaven by contacting (864) 561-9134 or www.pladadet.com.

We would like to genuinely thank the Hincapie organization, its representatives, and its Pater Familie, Ricardo Hincapie, for sharing an evening with us and for their continuing enthusiastic support of our favorite sport.  

Here are some thoughts on the subject from our own System 6 Enjoy.

LOS ANGELES (July 23, 2008) – The record-setting Amgen Tour of California professional cycling road race will be expanded in 2009, race presenter AEG announced today through a series of press conferences throughout the state. The 2009 race will include stops in 16 host cities over the course of nine days from February 14-22. Already considered cycling’s most important and successful road race in the United States, the event’s fourth running will be expanded to cover more than 800 miles over the nine days. Traveling almost the entire length of California, the race will begin in the state’s capital, Sacramento, and end in San Diego County (a new addition to the race) with a finish in Escondido on February 22. Also for the first time, the riders will cross the Golden Gate Bridge at the beginning of Stage 3.

The 16 official stage start and finish cities that have been selected for the 2009 race include eight new locales – Davis, Santa Cruz, Merced, Clovis, Visalia, Paso Robles, Rancho Bernardo and Escondido – that will join Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Sausalito, San Jose, Modesto, Solvang, Santa Clarita and Pasadena as host cities along the route.

“Each year, we strive to make the Amgen Tour of California better,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, presenter of the race. “And after getting input from riders and fans last year, we decided to expand the race to better showcase the great state of California. We are delighted to have such a great overall mix of cities partnering with us for the 2009 Amgen Tour of California and are pleased to include the eight new stops, along with so many of our old friends.”

In its first three years, the Amgen Tour of California has become the most successful race in the United States with regards to attendance, economic benefits to the state, global recognition and the caliber of the cyclists participating. In 2008, the race drew 1.6 million spectators, continuing to set records for a single sporting event in the state of California, as well as any cycling event ever held on U.S. soil. Each year the race has generated $100 million in economic growth for the state.

“This year is a year of exciting firsts for us,” Messick continued. “For the first time, the Amgen Tour of California will take place over nine days, we will make our first visit to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada and visit San Diego County for what promises to be another exciting conclusion to the race.”
The Amgen Tour of California kicks off the professional road cycling season each year and continues to draw some of the world’s most renowned and respected riders, such as top Tour de France competitors, World Champions and Olympic medalists that include Tom Boonen, Paolo Bettini, Fabian Cancellara, George Hincapie, Oscar Freire and Bobby Julich. Winner of the 2007 and 2008 Amgen Tour of California, Santa Rosa resident Levi Leipheimer of the Astana team has had a strong season since his Amgen Tour of California victory earlier in the year and will next be representing the United States in the Olympic Games.
“Winning the Amgen Tour of California has been a goal of mine from the beginning; no matter which races I compete in,” said Levi Leipheimer. “This has always been a top priority for me.”

Last month AEG, presenter of the race, formed a multi-dimensional marketing partnership with the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), owner of the Tour de France, to grow and develop each other’s events. Beginning with the 2008 Tour de France and 2009 Amgen Tour of California, the multi-year agreement calls for the organizations to develop and initiate comprehensive cross-promotional platforms for the world’s most prestigious cycling event and America’s most successful cycling race, as well as provide assistance with media and sponsorship sales for the races in their respective regions.

Returning for the fourth consecutive year as the title sponsor of the Amgen Tour of California, Amgen, a leading global biotechnology company with headquarters in Thousand Oaks, Calif., will continue to leverage the race to raise awareness and support for people affected by cancer through the Breakaway from CancerTM initiative. Amgen’s invaluable support of the Amgen Tour of California has helped to ensure the race’s continued success and impact beyond the sporting arena.

“Sponsorship of the Amgen Tour of California has given Amgen the opportunity to educate people about the great advances in medicine made possible by biotechnology, and to strengthen our relationships with local communities, cancer support organizations and cancer survivors through our Breakaway from Cancer initiative,” said George Morrow, Amgen’s executive vice president, Global Commercial Operations. “We look forward to another great race in 2009 and the opportunity to again lead the Breakaway from Cancer initiative to increase awareness of the support and educational resources available to help people living with cancer.”

Having been sanctioned by the UCI (Union Cycliste International) and USA Cycling, the Amgen Tour of California has drawn the attention of both cycling enthusiasts and first-time spectators, making it one of the most anticipated events on the international cycling calendar.

Beginning with a road stage (a first for the race), which both starts and ends in Sacramento, through the grand finale in Escondido, the 2009 race will visit 16 host cities for official stage starts and finishes, while other cities along the route also will have the opportunity to witness the excitement of elite professional cycling. Stages for the 2009 Amgen Tour of California include:

• Stage 1: Saturday, Feb. 14 – Sacramento
• Stage 2: Sunday, Feb. 15 – Davis to Santa Rosa
• Stage 3: Monday, Feb. 16 – Sausalito to Santa Cruz
• Stage 4: Tuesday, Feb. 17 – San Jose to Modesto
• Stage 5: Wednesday, Feb. 18 – Merced to Clovis
• Stage 6: Thursday, Feb. 19 – Visalia to Paso Robles
• Stage 7: Friday, Feb. 20 – Solvang (individual time trial)
• Stage 8: Saturday, Feb. 21 – Santa Clarita to Pasadena
• Stage 9: Sunday, Feb. 22 – Rancho Bernardo to Escondido

For further information on the 2009 Amgen Tour of California, please visit

Kazakh Dmitriy Fofonov of Credit Agricole won the 128km stage, with Valverde finishing among the leading peloton more than two minutes behind.

Valverde, winner of two stages during the week, took the title ahead of Australian Cadel Evans of the Silence/Lotto team.

The 28-year-old Spaniard grabbed the race lead on Wednesday as a result of winning the time-trial at Saint-Paul-en-Jarez.

It was his first success in the Dauphine Libere in three attempts and puts him among the favourites for next month’s Tour de France.

Di Luca is currently embroiled in an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to have a three-month suspension he served for a doping offense last year overturned.

He is also involved in another doping case with the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) requesting a two-year ban against Di Luca for providing an abnormal doping test during last year’s Giro.

The Italian Cycling Federation is due to take a decision on that case on the same day as the race, meaning Di Luca will not be present at his own hearing.

Subject to copyright.   

ROLLING THUNDER (cont’d)

Chapter 25

Raleigh Spriggs was the seventy six year old Chairman of the Board of Continental Tire, which was a fifty four year old company with annual revenues of over twenty billion Euros.  When Shamus scanned further articles Google suggested best matched his inquiry, he learned the man was a tycoon of the Rockefeller sort, worth billions, and made his fortune in dealings with India and Pakistan where he’d been stationed half a century ago as a young soldier in Her Majesty’s armed forces.  He read further and found Spriggs had gotten his first name from a “Raleigh” three generations preceding him who happened to have founded the eponymous Raleigh bicycle company.  That person man was Sprigg’s grandfather, may he rest in peace.

The more he read, the more tips he determined the old iceberg had, but never did he read enough to feel he’d begun mapping all of them.  The man was a virtual conglomerate of interests spanning the globe.  And he and Shamus were now to chat hourly like best mates. 

Now that was absurd, Shamus thought.

He looked at the clock on his Mac and it read twenty till nine.  He had to leave.  

Shamus walked out of the hotel and made his way down the block to the Eurotel, where the meeting was to take place.  The streets of Bruges were still active, though the racers were of course missing; most of them tucking in for the night to get ready for a hard day’s ride tomorrow, while a few others were slinking off to places unknown to hide from their own weaknesses and indiscretions they had no interest in the world finding out about.  

As he walked to the Eurotel, Shamus wished to himself for the simple life of a fan/reveler, following the show and caring very little about all the politics and evil that swirled about it at present.  How he would have liked to sit with Eve at one of the little sidewalk tables outside some pub and share a bottle of wine and have absolutely no plans for the following day, other than perhaps trolling the shops and, at some time, sticking his head up above the crowds just long enough the watch the racers pass by.

He entered the hotel and asked at the front desk for directions and was instructed as to the appropriate floor and meeting room.  

He didn’t know what he expected to find when he got there - armed guards, perhaps, or at least bouncers to keep out the riff raff – but there was only a door, and when he pulled on it, it opened, and he went inside and took a seat, all but unnoticed.  

The room wasn’t configured for a meeting or anything else particularly, and people scurried about with concerned looks on their faces, and as the minutes ticked by more people arrived and Shamus recognized only the ones who had made it to roles of general management on various cycling teams by way of spending copious years on bicycle seats.  

Thus he determined this was the right place, and time would tell whether it was the right place for him.

Everybody seemed engaged in conversations.  Everybody seemed to know one another.  Except Shamus, who was left by himself and still felt vaguely at odds with his own person.

A quarter hour passed this way, until finally a man in a suit moved toward the head of the room, and spoke. 

“Thank you all for coming tonight,” he said.  “This is a chaotic time, as I’m sure you’re all aware, and there is a lot of business to cover tonight, so let us begin.”

With that, people found seats and gave their attention to the front of the room.  The man introduced himself as an attorney with Glenboe Stolkey in Amsterdam, representing the UCI on behalf of the Tour de France.  

“Thank you again for coming on short notice, but there are matters that will affect the running of this year’s Tour, and every team involved in it, so your participation tonight is critical.  If you don’t mind, I would like to take roll and determine which teams are represented, and who is here on their behalf.  Please forgive me if I do not recognize you.”

They went around the room and each person said their name and the organization or team they were representing.  When Shamus did similarly, he expected a squadron of armed police would come in and haul him away, but actually few heads bothered to turn his way, and the process continued.

“Okay, good,” the attorney picked up again.  “Looks like we have a quorum of teams represented and no media have snuck in, so perhaps we can have a successful meeting after all,” he said, causing nervous titters around the room.

“I’ll come straight to the point.  We have twenty one teams signed up for the Tour, as you well know, but in light of the news that swept over us all today, and in light of changes in testing procedures in the race that mandated that all riders be tested after certain stages, including today’s prologue, we’re aware that four teams no longer have the appropriate management in attendance to answer questions necessary for their team’s continued participation.  This affects a total of thirty-six riders, and leaves us therefore with seventeen teams still potentially in.  

“In what will certainly be news to you, and perhaps shocking at that, that we have preliminary lab results back on the samples taken from the athletes today, and there have been twenty seven confirmed positive ‘A samples.’  In addition, twelve riders chose for whatever reason not to ride in the prologue today, so that raises the total to thirty nine riders who would be ineligible, or would at least face serious problems should they desire to continue in this year’s Tour.”

Shamus gasped at the incredible number of riders whose initial lab results turned up positive after the day’s stage.  He had no idea what effort had been made to get almost two hundred rider samples tested and turned around in a matter of hours, but that was a question to ponder another day.  Heads turned and people shared words of astonishment with whomever happened to be seated nearby, in a similar state of dismay as Shamus was about the bombshell the attorney had just dropped in the room. 

“Those two affected groups of riders, the thirty-six and the thirty nine, actually do not add up to seventy five riders out of the Tour, because there are some overlaps between the groups.  In other words, some of the individuals disqualified for their positive A-samples or who didn’t bother to ride in the Prologue today, are on the four teams now deemed ineligible.   

“You will receive detailed information momentarily about which riders and teams are no longer eligible to race, in the view of race organizers.  But, we had one hundred and eighty nine racers registered in total and based on the math I mentioned, a total of fifty four individuals appear to be disqualified from further racing, so appear to we have one hundred and thirty four still eligible.”

The attorney took pause, clearly aware of how easy it would be to overwhelm the room with too much information offered too quickly.  He spooned it out carefully, so as to allow the attendees to digest it, and to keep the meeting moving forward.

“At this point, there is no plan to cancel the Tour, notwithstanding what half of the European newspapers are speculating.  Quite simply, the legal and financial repercussions of canceling this event would be disastrous.  It all comes down to money, doesn’t it?”  He asked rhetorically.  “What we propose to do, is continue the event with requirement for absolute purity among the riders and the staff.  We will err on the side of disqualifying any person or team that appears even remotely involved in activities that cast a cloud over this event.  Let those people sue us – that we can handle.”

“So there should be no real controversy there.  Yes, tomorrow morning will find mayhem when we announce that a noticeable contingent of the Tour has been disqualified, and the number of racers has shrunk by more than a quarter.  To that all I can say is, ‘brace yourselves.’

“However, there is one large question looming, and that has to do with what will happen to the racers, both the ones that are allowed to continue riding in the Tour, and those who aren’t.  It occurs to the UCI that such a large number of disqualifications will cast a very dark shadow on the sport, and if these riders receive the standard two-year penalty, the total size of the professional talent pool will shrink and take years to rebuild. This sport has a problem, but the reaction might not need to be a nuclear one, if you follow.  However, there is a substantial debate about what should be offered to those angels among us who sport broken wings, speaking metaphorically.  That is the topic we would like to bring to the table tonight for resolution, and ask that we all commit to remain here until such a resolution is found.  You see, tomorrow morning, there will be many questions asked, and the fate of so many tainted cyclists is one question we cannot ignore,” he finished.

With that, the attorney sat down at the table and waited to see who would bring the first suggestions forward.  

Within ten minutes, virtually all team representatives present had made proposals, and virtually each such proposal had received condemnation or at least a strong lack of support voiced by the majority of these same representatives.

After an hour had passed, all these same points had been made again, said more loudly, and talked down more fervently.

Going into the second hour, Shamus sensed the chances of reaching any consensus were dissipating fast.  The room was actually becoming quieter as the energy level ebbed and people began to give up hope such a satisfactory compromise existed.

“And you?”

“Me?” Shamus asked.

“Yes, Mister McDonough, with the Continental Tire team, is that right?” Asked the attorney who had commanded the meeting thus far, but had seemingly removed himself from the debate among the team reps over what to do with the rogue athletes.

“It is.  I mean, I am.”

“We haven’t heard from you yet.”

“I’m here because our General Manager is unavailable tonight.”

“Right, said the attorney.  Well, you’re here and he’s not.  Have you got anything to say about all this?  You’re the only person in the room who actually is a racer presently, aren’t you?  So I would think you could speak for your colleagues better than the rest of us.  What do you think would be the best approach for dealing with this tonight?”

Shamus felt he’d been put on the spot royally, as all faces turned to him to see whether in fact he had anything meritorious to add.  It appeared anything but a friendly jury.

“I suppose I do have some thoughts, yeah,” Shamus said.  “I can’t say I’ve cleared them with the sponsor at this point, so I don’t know if they’d fly, but…”

“The evening’s getting late, with all due respect,” the attorney interjected, “So no apologies or equivocations are necessary, please.”

“Right,” Shamus said, now even less confident than before.  Thoughtfully, he began, “Okay, so we’ve got a mess that needs to be fixed, and people need to believe we’re really fixing it – not just painting over it another time.  And we have a responsibility to this sport that feeds us all, and happens to be an inherently healthy activity when we don’t all work so hard to make it otherwise.  The sport is popular and people want continue to like it, but we have to quit giving them reasons not to, and then the negative press will quickly move on to football or what have you.”

Shamus paused as constrained laughter echoed about the room.  No lynch mob materialized, so he picked up where he’d left off.  

“Lastly, we’ve got a generation of riders who were raised from youngsters to do what they’re told, including starving themselves and riding these torturous races and ingesting whatever they’re told.  The only promise in return is that so long as they win, they’re not out on the street.  If they should caught in the cross-fire of changing rules and expectations, we collectively hang them unceremoniously in the press.  That’s shameful.”

The UCI attorney could contain himself no further, and shot back, “the night is getting late, Mister McDonough…” and Shamus appropriately skipped further preambles. 

“So,” Shamus began his close, “I would propose that we first address this lost generation with a one-time offer.  It’s not amnesty, nor would it be self-immolation.”

He paused momentarily and hoped for some nods of ascent; seeing at least a few, he picked up again. 

“I suggest we should invite them to come forward and confess everything, including most importantly how and when they cheated and who helped them do it, and then forgive them, provided they agree also to zero tolerance going forward, including biological passports.  Certainly, take back any honors, medals or trophies they won ‘under the influence,’ so all the record books get set right with the names of people who won cleanly.  Then stop there.  No going after the salaries they were paid – it’s been spent anyway.

“Now before anyone says that’s letting them off easy, keep in mind that by the time this all washes out, there will be fewer teams, and dozens of riders will fail to find jobs, and their careers will be ended.  Most of these ‘confessors’ will face special difficulty finding their next riding job, but we should give them the chance to do so.  Their confessions will help law enforcement get to the root of the problem and shut down this doping racket that affects not only our sport, but also many others.  This will also show how cycling is disciplining riders, and even more so will be creating a divide between the athletes and the industry that prospers from getting them to buy this stuff.

There was silence in the room.  Shamus hadn’t drawn any great amount of opposition to his suggestions, but nor were there any rallying cries to take up the actions he proposed.  The loudest noise in the room was the vague humm of the fluorescent lighting.  He soldiered on.

“If we adopt this approach we can show moral integrity that will encourage sponsors to stay with the sport, and keep investing their marketing dollars.  We’ve got the consumer demographics they want, and we have a younger generation of ‘organic’ riders coming up to compete at the top levels without any of these poisons in their bodies.  We just need to keep this glued together while the sport sheds its bad habits.

“If this succeeds - and there are certainly plenty of ways it could fail - we will need strong representation for the riders in these discussions, so that it isn’t limited to talk between the race organizers and team management, both of whom have their own issues to address. 

The room remained still; the collective body language suggested he’d spoken right past them.  

Finally he excused himself.  “If you don’t mind, I’ll ask you to pardon me while I make a phone call.  My team’s sponsor is waiting for an update, as I’m sure many of yours are also,” he said, then left the room to find a quiet place to call Raleigh Spriggs.

The man answered on the first ring and listened attentively as Shamus described the meeting and what he’d learned.

“Good news that they’re not calling the whole thing off,” Spriggs said. “Sounds like calmer heads are prevailing, but you’re right there will be a whole host of questions from the press tomorrow morning, and ‘we don’t know yet’ isn’t going to fly.  It’ll be a shambles unless we have good clear answers, and I like what you’ve proposed.  Sounds like a page out of Nelson Mandela’s ‘Truth and Reconciliation’ approach to resolving historical crimes under apartheid in South Africa.  Wonderfully successful, that turned out.”

“I’m not sure we decided to do anything in there, though.”

“That’s alright, Shamus.  Rarely are good ideas embraced on first hearing.  You have to sell them, you have to find out what kinds of concerns others have, especially the ones they don’t want to air in front of the whole room, and you have to mold your ideas until they can provide the others with adequate options to resolve their own issues.  Good ideas are a nickel apiece; it’s the selling of them that creates value.  Young man, you’ve simply got to go back in there and get to work.  And remember, time is on your side.”

“How could that possibly be, we haven’t much of it left,” Shamus quipped.

“Precisely.  If you had enormous quantities of time, nobody would need to get this resolved, so more meetings would be planned, and maybe some studies and focus groups and even a subcommittee might be appointed, all to fill the remaining time.  But nobody in that room has the luxury.  Each and every one of you will be facing athletes, the press, and sponsors by the time the sun rises tomorrow, and none of you wants to do unequipped, right?  They’ll eat your lunch.  You’ll lose respect people have placed in you, and so will the others, and they know this.  It sounds like they need someone to lead the march and you’ve stepped to the front of the parade — and they’ve left you there.  Pick up the baton, man, and show them how to march!  And call me later and let me know how it’s going, will you?  That’s a good lad.  Cheers.”

With that, Spriggs hung up and Shamus headed back to the conference room to do as he was told.

The sun rose over Belgium at five minutes before six in the morning and the streets were still wore their Sunday morning quietness.  Shamus had left the Eurotel minutes earlier and was walking back to the team hotel after a sleepless night of fevered discussions and negotiations.  Mentally he was fatigued, but the Spring-like air had swept in overnight on the back of a mild cool front now invigorated him better than the cappuccinos that had powered him through the early morning hours.  Leaves blew then rested on invisible curlicues of wind, dancing around his feet as he walked.  His eyes felt heavy and burned with an exhaustion he’d not felt before; coming entirely without substantial physical effort, but from the hard task of leadership that was earned not with the overwhelming power of one’s muscles, but through the one’s ability to listen, adapt, and find compromise.  

Shamus was deeply saddened by the fore knowledge that the sleep he’d missed would play no part in his performance on the bike as the Tour embarked on its first official stage some six hours hence.  It wouldn’t hinder him, because he and his teammates would not be rolling out at all.

Shamus found out during the course of the evening from the UCI attorney that one of the four teams that had been disqualified had been his own, directly as a result of the arrest earlier that evening of Monsieur Trusseau, on a series of charges.  This news, he was told, was to be made public by the French police later that morning.  Trusseau had managed a taxi ride to a train station, which took him to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, where Interpol had patiently awaited his arrival.  He left the passenger facility in tears, and in handcuffs, headed for a long stint in a drafty concrete hotel.  

Eve had relayed this news to Shamus, who, in turn, discussed this with Raleigh Spriggs, who had responded surprisingly philosophically.  

Shamus had expected a litany of harsh responses and legal threats from the sponsor.  He’d also expected Spriggs to tell him that the team was being scuttled, forthwith.  Instead, Spriggs said he’d seen worse calamities in his day, and faulted himself for having been too distant from business matters pertaining to the team — and this was the price he had to pay for such absence.  Spriggs reassured Shamus that the team would recover, and that Spriggs’ company would not only continue its sponsorship, but if proper resolution could be ensured to the matters the teams faced during the night, his company would announce that it intended to extend its guaranteed period of sponsorship for the team, and that all of the team’s riders be cleared by the UCI under whatever new rules were adopted — would find their contracts honored.

They’d spoken several times during the night as discussions inside the room had evolved.  Spriggs had counseled Shamus on how to keep working through the process, and as the group neared resolution on the major issues, Spriggs had told Shamus that he’d changed his mind about engaging an attorney to step in and represent the company — and he would continue to count on Shamus to speak on the behalf of the team and its primary sponsor over coming days.

While Shamus felt the night had been a continual uphill battle, Spriggs remarked in one of their early morning conversations that he hadn’t had so much fun in years.  Shamus couldn’t understand why, exactly, but reckoned this was Sprigg’s equivalent of taming the famed climb up the Alpe d’ Huez, which left cyclists exhausted but euphoric.

Shamus returned to the team hotel and went to Phillip’s room first, and described to him what had transpired throughout the night.

He told Phillip the Tour was over, at least as far as their team was concerned, and that after they made the announcement to the team at breakfast Phillip should organize all the team’s gear and arrange transportation back to Girona where they would all regroup and see what chances remained for the rest of the season.  

Phillip seemed to jump at the opportunity to manage these tasks.  Shamus trusted the arrangements would all come together smoothly.

During the team breakfast, guys sat slack in their sweat suits, eating unenergetically, waiting to hear the news one and all sensed would be bad; the continued unexplained absence of Trusseau confirming their fears that the bad things occurring in their sport were happening underneath their own roof as well.

Shamus appeared with Phillip, and when they entered, the room went quiet and faces turned up, knowing.

For the umpteenth time, it seems, Shamus explained what transpired throughout the night, and what would be happening on this day.  He told them about the so-called Truth and Reconciliation process, which had been adopted during the night.  He told them that the only path forward was to live clean, and the only way to get on that path was to confess if one had ever gotten off of it.  Done right, and done willingly, it was a chance to continue riding and to learn from one’s mistakes, and put them in the past.  

He explained that the team would be continuing, and the sponsor had agreed to extend its contract for five additional years, provided the riders embraced the use of biological passports, as other teams were already starting to do, to demonstrated at all times that their blood values and chemistry remained consistent in the future.  

Shamus paused and let this information sink in.  From somewhere in the back of the room, the sound of hands clapping echoed forth, slowly at first, then picking up speed, and soon others joined in, and more on top of that, until the entire room was engulfed in applause as riders realized they’d done far better than merely dodge a death sentence from the team sponsor.  

When the applause dissipated, Shamus explained that the UCI and the team representatives had agreed that a permanent office would be established, funded by a one percent contribution of riders’ race winnings, and matched dollar for dollar by their team, for the purpose of advocating for the riders.  Who would run this office was yet to be determined, but the role would necessarily be filled by a rider who had raced professionally, and would be selected by an advisory group that would consist of current racers, with one such ‘advisor’ being designated by each UCI team.

“And I have to share with you some news that you will inevitably be hearing throughout the day, in part because the stories would be sensational, and in part because we will all be in our hotel rooms watching CNN rather than riding in the Tour,” Shamus stated and then paused to ensure that his point hadn’t been lost on anybody – specifically the point about their team not participating in the day’s stage – or any following ones - of this year’s Tour de France.  

He began by explaining that both Trusseau and Doc had been arrested attempting to catch flights abroad at Amsterdam Schiphol airport.  This news would be on the wires sometime in the morning, having been embargoed by the authorities until after the newspaper deadlines because associates of the men were being still pursued.  Shamus informed them that Trusseau would be charged with a list of complaints including money laundering, drug trafficking, tax evasion, and second degree murder in the death of Gerard Jouyet.  He did not bother explaining what Eve had told him about the sworn statements Petre Patrovski had provided to implicate Trusseau, in order to lighten the list of charges Patrovski faced.

Shamus noted dismay and shock on the riders’ faces. He guessed it was more a response to the arrests than an epiphany that these men were participating in unsavory doings.

Shamus mentioned only generally, based on information he’d gotten from Eve, that they should watch for announcements over coming days about arrests of certain executives in high levels of various pharmaceutical companies.  While he didn’t name names, he did say that he doubted the Tour of California would have the same corporate sponsor next year.  He also told them to watch for arrests and announcements of sudden resignations of certain officials within the worldwide network of WADA labs, as the elements of politics and manipulation that infected some of these labs were being remedied.

Finally, he told them that they should all go home for a few weeks, long enough to watch the Tour anyway, and they should decide what role they wanted to have in the new sport of cycling, which would be dominated by the strongest riders who would live an organic life, transparent and uncorrupted by drugs and potions.

He left Phillip in charge, and told the team he would look forward to seeing them in Girona in August.

Chapter 26

His toes buried in warm white sand, sweat carving tracks down his newly browned skin under the hot summer sun with few breezes and these almost as moist as himself, heat climbing his back as the sun rose in the sky behind him, and out on the horizon the ocean rippled and shimmered, nearly placid but for the waves birthed from its loins onto the white linen beach, swaddled in white foam.  

He’d come out of the water earlier in the morning, an hour after sunrise, and hour after he’d gone in.  

During that preceding session, he’d sat on his board, waiting to be seduced by a passing wave — but not just any.  A hundred and fifty yards offshore provided the best seat in the world, in his opinion anyway, to watch the earth spin him toward the sun, and the yellow-orange ball first appear over the horizon until moments later it dominated the sky and helped unveil the surf he’d paddled out to play in.

Warm water flowed around his legs, which straddled the twin-fin he’d recovered from Pedro when he’d arrived back in Cabo, and Pedro had returned it gladly from his care.  It looked no worse for his time away.  

Now, as the temperature left the eighties and breached the low nineties, taking only a momentary respite before resuming its steady march toward a triple digit peak it would surmount later in the day, he watched the endless entertainment nature placed at his doorstep.  To his right an ice bucket and partially submerged in that several beer bottles, one topless, and to his left, a small coffee table he’d commandeered from his rented hut to provide a resting place for his novel and his cell phone.  

The phone rang, perhaps crying out from lack of attention.  

“It’s for you.”

Oh yeah, opposite the coffee table was a beach chair matching his own.  On it, reclined and languid, sat the love of his life doing her best to stare down the novel she was reading.  

“Thanks.  Hello,” he said to the phone.

Eve looked over at him, curious.

“Spriggs,” he mouthed to her.  She went back to her novel, satisfied with the knowledge.

“Yeah, we’re fine.  It’s hot down here this time of year, but we’re coping,” he said, and took a long drink from one of his coping mechanisms.  “And you, Raleigh?”

“Uh huh,” he muttered, listening to his geriatric British friend.  “Uh huh.”

“Well, I certainly appreciate the offer, and I don’t mean to be cocky, but I’m not all that surprised you called about it.  I thought we worked together quite nicely also.  It was a real privilege and I’d love to do it some more, but I’ve had another offer,” Shamus said, and paused to allow Spriggs to plead his case.

“No, it’s not about money,” Shamus countered.  “I got a call from that attorney in Amsterdam who works with the UCI, what’s his name?  Right.  So he calls and says they’ve met with the teams and a name was put forward by the advisory board to serve as rider representative, and somehow mine was the one.  I’m not sure what the role involves, nobody knows yet exactly, but I think it makes sense for me and I’d like to settle down for a couple years before I commit to managing a team and traveling so much.  I’ve got a couple of projects I want to get underway, I’m sure you can understand.”

“Uh huh.”

“Right, of course you’ll be invited to the ceremony,” Shamus said, casting his eyes toward Eve, who’d heard every word so far, though she pretended otherwise.  “Right, September timeframe.”

“Uh huh.”

“So I had an idea for you also, if you have another moment.  Yeah, it’s about your search for a general manager for the team.  I think I know just the man for the job.  High energy, loves the business, great management skills and a killer C.V., and someone who can get people to perform above their own capabilities, in my experience.  Sounds like the kind of chap you’re looking for, right?”

“Uh huh.”

 “Yeah, well, I was thinking you ought to do it, actually.”

“No, I’m not kidding.”  

“Uh huh.”

“Think of it, you just got the company to commit to stand behind the team for five more years, so you need to get it off to the right start.  There are good riders and staff, but they need a seasoned hand to tighten things up and get them going in the right direction.  You’ve got the Frenchman Phillip Olivier to run the day-to-day for you, and he’s the best I’ve worked with — but the man is absolutely uninterested in dealing with the press and sponsors and so forth.  You can understand, I’m sure.  He’s a former rider and just wants to manage the lads and the staff and get them from race to race.”

“Yeah, give it some thought; I think you’re itching for something more than sitting on boards, am I wrong?”

“Okay, let’s talk next week.  I think you ought to be in Girona on the first of August though.”

Shamus hung up and set the phone on the table.

Eve set her book down for the moment and looked across at him.  “So I am a ‘project’ of yours, is that what you called it?”

“One of them.”

“And the other?”

“Well, the other I’m going to need your help with,” he responded lustily, gazing at her with a look that said the world was too big for just the two of them.

*************************************************** 

Congratulations on finishing your journey with Shamus through the world of pro cycling and athletic doping.  If it seems a little sinister, then maybe it captured some of the nastiness of the actual escapades some athletes are involved in to get that little something extra from their performances.  The downside is that there are undoubtedly a great number of athletes doing it 100% clean, and it is certainly unfair to them that others aren’t.  Perhaps their payback will be better health, a longer life, and the ability to look themselves in the mirror and be happy with the person they see.   So this story is dedicated to all those athletes who do it on guts and sweat, and whose idea of ‘performance enhancement’ means riding more, racing more, and working with a great coach who emphasizes physical and mental techniques, not on chemical ones.   If you’ve got any parting thoughts about the story, please leave them below.