A good hard ride with Mike, my training buddy and psychical therapist, snapped me out of my funk over Landis and an impending descent into a Marlon-Brando-in-a-muumuu, beer-drinking fat phase. Like the SI.com reporter Landis spoke to today (also see ongoing coverage from CyclingNews), I want to believe, but I don’t believe anything about professional cycling anymore. From the lab results that get leaked, questionable tests, Jan, Basso, and all of Operation Puerto, there’s nothing that’d surprise me, even if Lance was “el dope.”
What I do believe in is the bike. I remembered that on (and later off!) Mike’s wheel, cresting a hard climb, and a fast descent. Heroes fall, some come back, and the tour will be on again next year. We started Bike Hugger for the passionate cyclist, the culture, and mostly just for the bike and that’s what we’ll continue to focus on. I’ll also have a few beers this fall, just not enough to get fat.