The Spokesmen #19 – June 19, 2007

1. 

   clarkie

   June 21, 2007

   Please help us circulate our petition. Skateboarding should not be in the Olympics and should not be governed by the Cycling Federation in any case. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/656763888
   Thank you!
   Clarkie, Editor Real Skate Magazine

2. 

   DaveP

   June 21, 2007

   A device to hold wheels on even when the nut/QR comes un-done?? My 5 year old’s bike has washers on each end of the axle, each washer has a single bent over tab, this tab locates into a hole in the dropout. So long as the nut/QR doesn’t undo more than the length of the tab they hold the wheel in place and ain’t too much of a faff to fit.

   Having seen two ‘expert’ mountain bikers hospitalised ( one paralised ) because their front wheels have popped out ( disc related? ) I think this would be acceptable fitted to new bikes – If you think you’re clever enough you could just take them off, like lights/reflectors/bells etc. It’d be a Darwin thing….

3. 

   Donna Tocci

   June 21, 2007

   You guys rock! Great show, once again. Carlton, you crack me up with your Masi reference…Tim’s got you so conditioned! Thanks for the Top 10 List mention even after I’ve been such a slacker with the show. You guys are great. I’ll jump on a call soon….really.
   Donna

4. 

   Paul

   July 23, 2007

   OK, so I’m curious: what’s wrong with NBA players in the Olympics?

   It can’t be because they’re good at what they do – the idea is that the Olympics showcases the very best athletes in the world.

   It can’t be because they’re professionals – if you eliminated professionals from the games, you’d have to eliminate the entire road racing field, from Bettini on down.

   So, what’s the deal?

5. 

   thefredcast

   July 24, 2007

   Hi Paul.

   Thanks for your comments. I will clarify my opinion about professional athletes in the Olympic Games.

   My beef with NBA players in the Olympics is that they are professional athletes. Their presence (and the presence of all professional athletes in the Olympics – cyclists included) diminishes, perhaps taints, the spirit of the Games as it was envisioned by Pierre de Coubertin, the father of the modern games. It was his belief that the Games should be a place where amateur athletes could display their talents in a non-political setting.

   Remember when we all used to get upset because all of the Eastern Bloc countries were winning so many medals. It wasn’t just because they were juiced up on steroids, it was because while they were technically considered amateurs under the rules as they were then written, they weren’t really amateurs in the spirit of that term. None of them held a job, they trained every waking moment of every day all year long, and were supported 100% by their governments.

   For reference, the first modern Olympics were held in 1896 in Athens, and professionals weren’t allowed into the games until a rule change a full century later.

   I believe that the addition of professional athletes has distorted the intention of the Games and turned it into yet another mass-market, over-commercialized event.We have plenty of those already. The Olympics isn’t about displaying the talents of the best athletes in the world, it is about displaying the talents of the best amateur athletes in the world. Or at least it used to be.

   I know that this opinion may not be popular, but that’s fairly typical. I know that I can sometimes be a curmudgeonly traditionalist, but I just can’t bring myself to act otherwise.

   Hope that clarifies my thoughts. Thanks again for your comments.

   David

6. 

   Rob

   August 4, 2007

   I couldn’t catch the name of the book/story about the oveweight man who rode his bike to help lose weight, what was it?

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