I am being reasonably lazy, but not all together lazy. Training has started again. I am off the bike for another 2 weeks, but this doesn't mean that i all together go to sleep. I have to keep my body working, have to try and improve some of my weaknesses and this is the start of that push and that desire. It will start easy, but the intensity and volume will grow in the coming weeks and i hope that the pay offs become evident during the 2008 season. But i wont be able to tell you until then.
DRAPAC CONTINUE TO BE SCREWED
Lets assume for a second that the Tour Down Under is good for Australian cycling.....In the Tour De France we have seen Agritubel.....in the Vuelta a Espana we have seen Relax-Gam.....in the Giro de Italia we have seen Sele Italia and Panaria.....and now in Australia's only Pro Tour race we continue to see Australia's only Pro Continental team get shunned for what can only be described as BAD, UNFAIR, RIDICULOUS, CORRUPT (take your pick) politics.
Regardless of what you think about the Drapac-Porsche Team (and believe me i think they have some big issues), you have to agree that in such an event we should be encouraging and supporting Australian talent. The problem is that Michael Drapac, for better or worse, has trodden on a lot of toes since he bought his team to the scene and now the riders that he supports are having to suffer the repercussions.
They have achieved some very impressive results over the past couple of years....the most impressive of which being a 1,2 finish at our national road championship. Stage 1 of the Sun Tour was a disappointing one for them, but once the tour had concluded Darren Lapthorn had proved that had he not missed the opening day break, he would have challenged for overall honours.
I, like many, believe that Drapac-Porsche and their eternal message of education before participation is annoying and often counter productive to their athletes and the teams aspirations, but you can't help but admire some of the things they have achieved in a short time. I'm not going to spend a blog telling them what i think is wrong with the way they run things and the 'holier than now' image they portray, but i think that it sucks for their riders that they don't get to compete in their colours for our biggest race.
Id be interested to see what others think, but i think that the organisers need to take a long hard look at themselves and the ultimate damage that they may be causing to cycling in Australia. Problem is....they think they are brilliant.....
KATE LOOKS PRETTY!!!
8 comments:
Pretty spot on RE-Drapac
Rich,
Mostly right about Drapac. I encourage what they do, and wouldn't fully bag them out just yet, at least they are doing it. Extend the corrupt comment to all of management in Australian Cycling and you are getting close. Don't even start me on Cyclesport Victoria. As you said"they think they are brilliant". They're not. They're normal people who have let power go to theirheads. Time to make the whole process transparent and fair to all. Imagine if we had the best riders able to race in ALL races?
While you're on CSV, WTF is with the 'Jo Ciavola' velodrome??(AKA DISC)....
Wasn't Opperman wasn't good enough..
Hey anonymous, Joe was king of the boys club, Disc full of boy club members. I think it was named correctly full of idiots
This was supposed to generate some constructive conversation about Drapac being left out of Tour Down Under....im not sure how you guys all got off track and started slagging on CSV people. There are issues Australia wide, but i think that we should stay away from the personal insults.
I really could not if a **** what they called the velodrome in Fairfield does it really matter?
The issue here is about the Drapac Porsche team if they were allowed in the Sun Tour why were they not allowed in the Tour Down under. I think that CSV had very little involvement I reckon that Cycle sport South Australia had a lot more to do with it.
Hey Rich.... it is curtis from missingsaddle. hey do you want to switch you blog over to Missingsaddle.com? i will give you the details later. shoot me an email at curtisz@missingsaddle.com
Rich,
Its fun bagging CSV, and they need a rocket up them. Change is needed across all levels of cycling in OZ. May as well start at the middle and top. I put clubs a the bottom, and they're doing ok changing and keeping moving fwd. Its administration at state and national level that needs fixing. If changes were made then maybe drapac could get a ride. i guess it depends on which way you want to skin the cat, so to speak.
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