Blog Corner

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, the Toughest Race in America, featured a who's-who of top professional cycling teams. The RideClean Team, due to it's roster and it's ethos, was one of the lucky few teams to garner an invitation to this USA Cycling National Race Calendar event. The significance of sending a multiple national champion like Ryan Trebon off the front of the pack on Day One wearing a RideClean jersey was not lost on the fans, as this picture shows.

The team represented themselves and the sponsor well, and will look to build on their success for next year.

Here is a pic from the Colorado Jr. Criterium Championships - with a RIDECLEAN racer in 2nd! The message is getting out...

The advances in gene therapy have been huge. There is a recent article in Sports Illustrated outlining the current state of the technology. It does have medical application, e.g. reversing or limiting muscle wasting diseases. The scientists behind this research report being contacted after publication by many athletes/coaches, included a high school coach offering his team as "lab rat". The 2 genes in question, as I recall it, code for the products: insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF 1), and a myostatin blocker. The 1st gene does what it says: promotes growth. Lab rats on this therapy end up like little bulls carrying weighted back packs up ladders. The other gene blocks the normal product that shuts off muscle deposition. Animals that naturally have this gene (steers dogs) are called "double muscle". Info on this can be found here: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=24998

The IGF 1 research was conducted by lab director H. Lee Sweeney

Recently Chris Strout from World Bicycle Relief took the time to answer a couple of questions about their efforts to use the Power of Bicycles in their mission to spread a little love. Check it...

* How long has World Bicycle Relief been in existence?

We started 3 years ago in response to the Tsunami of December 26, 2004.
Within 14 month following the disaster, World Bicycle Relief provided
24,000 bicycles as a way to help the recovery efforts on the island
nation of Sri Lanka.

* Man! That's a lot of wheels! What is the status of World Bicycle Relief today? Where do you find yourselves?

That IS a lot of wheels ! Right now our efforts are focused now on sub-Sahara Africa, where there is a great need for simple, sustainable transportation. Our largest project is providing 23,000 bicycles to volunteer, community-based HIV/AIDS caregivers, disease prevention educators and vulnerable households in the nation of Zambia. This is Zambians helping Zambians, in a country

This came out today (5/15/08) in cyclingnews.com

This is oddly reminiscent of what Rassmussen was accused of:

Balco head reveals methods, offers anti-doping advice
After masterminding a designer steroids ring which allowed athletes to cheat without detection, former BALCO head Victor Conte is now offering up detailed accounts of the doping regime used by top track and field athletes and giving anti-doping advice to the US Anti-doping Agency (USADA), the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) as well as the authorities in the Great Britain (UK Sport).

Conte served a four-month prison sentence for conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering, while the scandal also put former Olympic gold medallist Marion Jones in prison for perjury. Track cyclist Tammy Thomas was convicted of perjury in April in relation to the case.