Still injured

Well, the marathon was a month ago, but I still can't run more than 15 minutes without pain in my right knee.

Tyler Hamilton

Busted a second time for banned drugs, U.S. champion Tyler Hamilton has left cycling (but would have been banned for life anyway).

He refuses to speak about his past, but he's full of excuses for the present.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/8004759.stm

Well done Tom Boonen

Yesterday, Tom Boonen won his third Paris-Roubaix - the world's hardest one-day cycle race.


For the race Boonen used handmade Dugast tubulars instead of his sponsor's tyres.


Tornado Tom lived up to his name.


Boonen doesn't forget the fans, even after a tough ride (seen here in the Tour de France)

The Lance question

As a cyclist, I often have friends and colleagues ask me "So, do you think Lance ever used drugs?" The problem of course is most people want a one sentence answer like "He's the most tested guy on the planet, he never failed a drug test, of course he was clean." But the answer I really want to give is READ THIS:

http://velocitynation.com/content/interviews/2009/michael-ashenden

A tale from 2003

Back in 2003, I made a trip back to Adelaide to see family and friends. After a night spent at the Exeter pub with a few mates I was making my way back to the train station when I spotted someone who looked familiar. I realised it was a cyclist I'd seen on TV quite a bit.
It was probably the beers that made me go up to him and say hi, but he didn't seem to mind. He talked to me about his racing - he'd recently won a world championship in the keirin event - and was telling me about his training. He even asked if I raced.
All I was expecting was a quick exchange - one of those awkward "Good on ya mate, love your work" type exchanges you have with celebs. But he was a nice guy, and he walked along with me for a good 10 minutes. Chatting like we'd known each other for years.
A couple of hours ago, the cyclist Jobie Dajka, was found dead in his house. Aged 27. News reports say he battled depression, aggression and with the bottle. But that night I met a really down-to-earth, well adjusted guy.