News around the world for me is centered on the Floyd Landis case, as regular readers are aware. Floyd has been enjoying some high-altitude hospitality in my ex-home town of Vail, Colorado, site of the TEVA Mountain Games.
However, here in the French-speaking side of Switzerland, one of our two free local morning papers from a couple days back, published a photo showing a woman standing along the roadside above Vail, in support of Floyd. She held two signs, one in each hand.
The first? “FREE FLOYD”
The second? “F**K the FRENCH”
If only she had added the words 'LAB' or 'PRESS' to the second, she'd have earned megaZENpoints...
In the small paragraph accompanying the photo, one could read that Floyd 'certainly has the supporters that he merits'.
In this sense the Suisse Romand (francophone region of this country with four national languages) publication parrots (as well may be expected) the venomous and blind devotion of the francophone world to walk in lock-step with their sister publication L'EQUIPE.
Any long-term readers of this blog will remember that ZEN is not a fan of the French sporting journal, long an embarrassment to and of itself, for its almost-impressive ability to destroy athletes' careers by receiving leaked confidential information on nearly every doping case around the world.
So the post that precedes this one, is an 'open letter' to Le Matin Bleu, in French, castigating them for their blind devotion to the WRONG side of this earth-shaking story.
Floyd was 'chewing' up the hillsides of Colorado last weekend, placing eighth as a participant in the Teva Mountain Games, held in my old town of Vail, Colorado. The road course that they use was my all-time favorite hill-climb (outside of Flagstaff Mountain Road above Boulder); it was also the scene of my worst accident to date (drunk rental-car employee driving over 110km/h)...
NB: do your 'FIND' command for Landis or Floyd! The Mountain bike course I have no idea... :-)
Twas also the road homeward for several beautiful months.
SHIFTING GEARS
Visual candy, the Gore Range mountains impose a majestic horizon, the first flat, straight kilometers rocket the riders past the Vail Golf Course, winding upward slowly from the East Vail interchange on what was once US Highway 6.
In closing my eyes, I still recall the many times I would turn a corner, surprising deer in groups of three, or seven, startled by the hardly-silent beast that huffed up, or swiftly spun downward, passing their grazing yet attentive stares.
Floyd's results in the hill Climb (he was eighth and 2'58" behind Ned Overend, a high-altitude rider who OWNS this race since I lived there in the 80s and 90s) reveal the state of his physical recuperation from his potentially career-ending surgery.
Floyd, who may or may not merit the form of attention that is rivetted on him nearly every day, unlike other TdF winners, donated his winnings to cancer victims: another quality he shares with the previous TdF winner Lance Armstrong.
As always, seeking justice, thank you for reading.
COURAGE ... to ethical Sports fans around the world!
ç*””*”*”*ç*””* ZENmud *””*ç*”*”*””*ç
