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Cellar/Tasting Notes "A more massive style than usual for this property (which normally produces elegant wines), the 2009 Magdelaine exhibits a classic kirsch liqueur note, but the color is more saturated, the tactile impression more full, meaty, and rich, and the wine is more loaded and dense. Filled with elegance as..
Cellar/Tasting Notes Fresh melon and green apple notes intermixed with hints of mango and pineapple, zesty acidity and subtle oak all make for a delicious, full-throttle wine.
Cellar/Tasting Notes "An unqualified sleeper of the vintage, the opaque purple-colored 1995 Grand-Mayne displays a sweet, creamy, black raspberry-scented nose with subtle notes of smoky, toasty oak. Both powerful and elegant, this wine exhibits layers of richness, nicely integrated acidity and tannin, and an impressive..
Cellar/Tasting Notes Attractive berry, sweet tobacco and olive aromas follow through to a full-bodied palate, with silky, tight tannins and a long, refined finish.
Cellar/Tasting Notes "Incredible nose combines orange zest, pear, and stony, flinty minerality. Enters the mouth with firmness and then expands dramatically toward the back, displaying an extraordinary airiness of texture allied to outstanding energy and grip. The lemon curd and stone flavors build inexorably on the..
Cellar/Tasting Notes RP: "More Burgundian than Bordeaux-like, Gerard Perse's 2005 white Monbousquet exhibits rich, medium to full-bodied flavors of smoky oak, mango, white peaches, honeysuckle, and nectarine. While delicious, its aging potential is suspect, and I suggest consuming it over the next 4-5 years"
Cellar/Tasting Notes "This is a quintessentially elegant Margaux, with a dense ruby/purple color and notes of charcoal, cassis, a hint of smoking embers, and a subtle touch of spring flower garden. Dense on the palate with medium to full-bodied flavors, superb concentration, and moderate tannin, this wine requires..
Cellar/Tasting Notes An absolutely stunning nose of violets, creme de cassis, lead pencil shavings, forest floor and subtle new oak burst from the glass. The wine has great fruit, superb texture, a full-bodied mouthfeel and an extravagantly rich, concentrated palate with low acidity and ripe tannin.
Cellar/Tasting Notes "One of the outstanding successes of the 2009 vintage, this may surpass the superlative 2007. It has a more understated nose at the moment, but is very well defined with honey, white peach, orange peel and crushed stones. The palate has a viscous entry, is very well balanced, very powerful with..
Cellar/Tasting Notes "The Coutet 2009 is a sensational effort from Philippe Baly and his team. It has a fragrant nose of honey, vervain tea, pineapple, frangipane and apple-blossom, well defined if needing a little more vigour at the moment. The palate is vibrant on the entry, informed by touches of apricot and orange..


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NTSB Recommends Lower Drunk Driving Threshold Nationwide: 0.05 BAC
Soulskill (UID: 1459) posted about 10 months ago | from the americans-pledge-to-get-fatter-in-response dept.
996Officials for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board have recommended a nationwide lowering of the blood-alcohol level considered safe for operating a car. The threshold is currently 0.08% — the NTSB wants to cut that to 0.05%. "That's about one drink for a woman weighing less than 120 lbs., two for a 160 lb. man. More than 100 countries have adopted the .05 alcohol content standard or lower, according to a report by the board's staff. In Europe, the share of traffic deaths attributable to drunken driving was reduced by more than half within 10 years after the standard was dropped, the report said. NTSB officials said it wasn't their intention to prevent drivers from having a glass of wine with dinner, but they acknowledged that under a threshold as low as .05 the safest thing for people who have only one or two drinks is not to drive at all. ... Alcohol concentration levels as low as .01 have been associated with driving-related performance impairment, and levels as low as .05 have been associated with significantly increased risk of fatal crashes, the board said."

subset: commoncrawl


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Africa's largest booking site, 26527 places, now in 56 countries
Alo Alo Restaurant is a small, cosy establishment seating about 20 guests; it provides a real 'home away from home' experience. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, ideal for laid-back lunches or enjoying a frothy cappuccino with the morning paper. Dine alfresco under the shady umbrellas, on the cool veranda, or indoors surrounded by rich, warm décor. Vegans have plenty to choose from, which surely makes a nice change from traditional health establishments. Alo Alo Restaurant also boasts a huge collection of local beers. Enjoy a myriad of flavours, a relaxed setting and great service at Alo Alo.
Avron is a bustling venue and caters for small to medium size functions. The restaurant can hold 100 people for dinner, birthday functions, and other special occasions. The capacity goes up to 250 for cocktail functions. The restaurant has a contemporary feel and is family friendly. A great selection of sushi is also available. Avron is open for lunch from 10 am until 3 pm and for dinner from 5 pm until 10.30 pm.
Tucked away in Bergville, Northern Drakensberg, with views of beautiful gardens and the swimming pool is a local hotspot brimming with flavour. The stylish and cosy décor make an ideal setting for relaxing and unwinding, either around the pool or in the lapa. Dine inside or within the boma feasting on contemporary and African dishes prepared using the finest fresh produce and meticulous attention to detail. The a la Carte menu offers wood-fired pizzas alongside tempting light lunches with a wide variety of dishes to suit the mood. Relax and indulge at this social hotspot in Bergville and discover the secret of local food lovers. Please note that the restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from Monday – Saturday. We are open for lunch on Sundays but close the kitchen at 15h00.
This bustling café restaurant is located in the popular Origins Centre and offers food, drinks and great coffee is an elegant and stylish setting. Breakfast and lunch can be enjoyed and all dishes contain only the freshest ingredients available. Great service and excellent quality is the order of the day.
This quaint coffee shop and bistro offers value-for-money meals. Great breakfasts, light meals and especially their freshly baked breads all form part of a well thought out menu. The restaurant regularly hosts baking lessons and events, so watch out for those. Wi-Fi is available throughout. They also provide catering and the venue is available for private functions.
Die Blou Nartjie serves traditional cuisine with a modern flair. The menu is large and offers great grills, seafood and even a wide range of vegetarian dishes. Die Blou Nartjie is fully licensed and can seat up to 30 people. A must-try dish is the Hantam lamb, and the steaks are always well matured. A good wine list is available.
The picturesque setting compliments simple and uncomplicated dishes that are full of bold flavours. Classic dishes present fresh and clean tastes, and although simple in appearance, are flavourful with every mouthful. The extensive wine list works effortlessly complimenting the menu. Flavours boast a roaring winter fire, perfect for warming frosty limbs.
Genki Sushi certainly lives up to its name, because the Japanese term 'genki' translates to 'Fine or Great'. This authentic Japanese Sushi restaurant offers its visitors a delicious slice into typical everyday Japanese cuisine while soaking up the Stellenbosch vibe. In keeping with its eastern style, the restaurant is not all table and chairs, though such seating is available outside. The Sushi bar, complete with sushi chefs working alongside the owner of the establishment, is the best seat in the house for a quick bite while marvelling at the art of sushi preparation and negotiating chop sticks, wasabi and soy sauce. More than just sushi, Genki Sushi also offers patrons a great selection of Japanese style tappas and side dishes to the likes of tako sunomono (boiled octopus salad with wakame and cucumber), yakitori and a South African inspired kudu-shi which is thinly sliced kudu meat served with sushi rice. The restaurant also has a small selection of wines to complement its food. Located at the very heart of town activity, Genki Sushi is an ideal spot for a Far East eating experience.
Green Gates is a relaxed, quaint little spot that offers a delicious lunch buffet. All the dishes are freshly made on the day and only the freshest ingredients are used. The menu is seasonal ensuring the best flavours and the best quality. Enjoy one of the delicious wines on offer with your meal - even take a bottle or two home with you. There is also a list of dishes and cakes that diners can order in advance.
Karoo Kraal is a traditional open-air restaurant situated 5 km outside of Cradock in the Eastern Cape. The restaurant serves delicious Karoo meals and homebrewed Karoo coffee. The standard menu includes freshly baked farm and pot bread with homemade jams, dried sausage, biltong, prickly pear syrup, pot stews, chicken and lamb kebabs, samp and beans, stuffed pumpkins, maize porridge and gravy, koeksisters, and milktart. Guests have to pre-book menu selections, otherwise the standard menu will apply. Sit back and indulge in a glass of wine while star gazing under the tranquil Karoo night sky. There is also a star-gazing guide available by special arrangement.
Lighthouse Tavern is a hidden gem on the Birkenhead Estate, just outside Gansbaai on the way to Danger Point. The restaurant blends in with its natural environment and summer days can be spent on the wooden benches outdoors. There is children's entertainment by way of a small playground with swings and a slide. This family friendly restaurant has a cosy interior with rustic décor. Lighthouse Tavern has a fireplace indoors to warm up its guests during the winter. The small bar is quite quaint and fully stocked. A TV keeps sports enthusiasts happy. Enjoy reasonably priced pub-style and traditional South African meals at Lighthouse Tavern. There is something for everyone on the menu. The proximity to Danger Point Lighthouse is the attraction of this bush restaurant. Stop at Lighthouse Tavern for a meal and then stroll to the lighthouse for some sightseeing and to work off the hearty meal. Please call for further information.
Sinful, as the name suggests, is the word that comes to mind. This beautifully presented little coffee shop reminds of everything indulgent. The delectable coffees, imported all the way from Ethiopia, are definitely the focus point and highlight. The Scuro Blend from Illy is served and is a dark roast with hints of caramel - a must-try. For the peckish, Love, Revenge, Cappucino serves freshly made pancakes, mouthwatering sandwiches and a huge selection of wicked cakes and cupcakes. Be sure to try the selection of gelato, preferably in a divine sugar cone. Love, Revenge, Cappucino - the name says it all.
Sinovuyo on Route 304 is a beautiful, laid-back breakfast, lunch and dinner venue that boasts breathtaking views of the Simonsberg Mountains. Al fresco dining can be enjoyed from the large patio where you can enjoy a refreshing sundowner on a balmy summers eve. The restaurant offers a beautiful garden and children's play area, making it ideal for family outings. A buffet is offered on 'Family Sundays', comprising home-cooked South African favourites. There is a modern bar area with a big screen for sporting events, and light meals are served here as well. Try the pan-fried line fish stacked with prawns and pineapple, or a succulent, perfectly cooked beef fillet with the top secret basting. The restaurant serves as a private function venue as well and the setting is perfect for a beautiful wedding. Watch out for the speciality evenings, whether it be an all seafood event or a Malay curry feast. Sinovuyo means 'we have happiness' - how apt.
Tembo Village Restaurant is set in a tropical garden overlooking the swimming pool and poolside bar. Guests can enjoy a continental breakfast, and deliciously grilled specialities, charcoal fired pizza, and freshly caught seafood from the Indian Ocean for lunch. Dinner is a three course meal with a selection of two starters, and a choice between a three-course meat, fish or vegetarian meal. The fish and prawns are particularly tasty, covered in a mouth-watering African inspired sauce and served with homemade risotto. End the night in style with a scrumptious lime cheesecake or vegetable crepe.
The Green Dolphin Restaurant is one of Cape Town's premier jazz hotspots. Located in the V & A Waterfront, on the water's edge, patrons can sit with Table Mountain as their backdrop, watching the seals at play while taking in the smooth sounds of some of the finest jazz the Mother city has to offer. Relaxed, intimate and jivey, the Green Dolphin is a popular haunt for tourists as well as Capetonians who are looking for a great night out. The menu is varied and has a little something for everyone. With plenty of fresh seafood on offers, as well as delicious meat and vegetarian speciality, diners will be delighted. The seafood chowder and fresh mussels with a creamy white wine sauce with chilli, coriander and garlic are a must on the starter menu. And the venison kebabs and prawn and crayfish duo are a tasty treat for those with a bigger appetite. The wine list offers some of the finest wines from around South Africa, the perfect complement to any of the dishes on the menu. With jazz every night of the year, fabulous food, unsurpassed views and a wonderfully warm and welcoming atmosphere, the Green Dolphin should be on everyone's list of places to eat in Cape Town.


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Nice work. A few suggestions.This is my first post on this forum!! I am applying to law school and they asked for a motivational letter in english. The topic was
This is what I have so far, do you guys see any major mistakes, or parts that you would change?
- Why have I chosen to apply to this programme?
- What do I expect to gain from my studies?
- Why does my background make me a suitable candidate?
- How will the programme help me to achieve my goals?
I have chosen to apply to this program because after carefully examining its curriculum, I have come to the conclusion that this program will prepare me for the kind of career I want in the future. What is extremely important for me is that the university, the program and its faculty have an outstanding reputation both in Finland,as well asand throughoutinEurope. After much research, I have found this to be the case with your institution.
Iam expectingexpect to acquire a high level of understanding of law and justice in the European Union as well as around the world. I expect this program to give me the tools to succeed in practicing law in an international setting,and in a very global world.
Iam aconsider myself to be a suitable candidate for this program because of my educational background, my character and my life experiences. Having already acquired a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the United States, I have an understanding of what it means to live and study in an international atmosphere. During my four years at -------------(name of college) I haveunderstoodrealized that I want to pursue an international career in law. The fact that I will have college degreesfromin both business and law will give me very appealing career opportunities in the future.
The fact that I have lived in so many different countries during my life hasmade me to a very independenthelped me to become independent as well as a hard working person. I know how hard it is to study in a school when you, at the same time, are trying to understand a new language and learn to live in a new culture. I believe these experiences truly set me apart fromtheother candidates. They have also made me realize that with hard work, I can achieve my dream of both studying and practicing international law.
ThisYour program, both because of its international character and its location in a dynamic, European capital city make it an outstanding opportunity for me to achieve my goals.
Thank you very much for considering my request. I look forward to your positive response.
------(my name)


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The Catalyst
Journalist Paul Kimmage has filed a criminal complaint against the UCI for defamation, slander and fraud.
That's worth repeating: Paul Kimmage is suing the UCI.
This would be where Wayne and Garth are supposed to say, "Yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt."
Lo, see the winged orangutans!
Even though UCI President Pat McQuaid and his predecessor Hein Verbruggen have always been as fast and easy with insults as the Real Housewives of Orange County are, as recently as a year ago, a defamation suit would have seemed impossible, like unicorn impossible. Of course, Kimmage isn't suing the UCI because they hurt his feelings. The papers filed on his behalf by Swiss attorney Cédric Aguet cite both slander and defamation, but that's not what makes the suit earth-shaking. It goes on to include a criminal complaint that there are "strong suspicions of fraud."
Yes, fraud.
It's the fraud charge that causes Kimmage's suit to step beyond what might be merely a civil case and into something with serious teeth. Criminal. Capital C. Jail time. Should the prosecutor the case has been referred to pick it up one can expect a bunch of subpoenas.
If there's one thing we've learned through this process it's that we aren't willing to believe the truth until someone gives sworn testimony. Richard Virenque was clean until he was confronted by a prosecutor in court. We'd never have learned Tyler Hamilton's full story without a subpoena. The eyewitnesses who were Lance Armstrong's undoing? Betsy Andreu, Emma O'Reilly, Tyler Hamilton—their stories were mostly ignored until they became sworn testimony attached to the USADA investigation, which, it's worth noting, was the second time around for Betsy Andreu. Sure Stephanie McIlvain lied on the stand, but she's maybe the best demonstration of just how important the moral courage of people like Andreu, O'Reilly and yes, even Hamilton were to the process.
It's why Kimmage suing the UCI for fraud is the best shot we have of finding witnesses who can tell just what happened in Aigle. But we're going to need more, better, witnesses than the likes of Julian Devries. You may recall that Devries told Kathy LeMond that Nike paid Verbruggen—not the UCI—$500,000 back in 2001 to make Armstrong's 1999 positive for corticosteroids go Jimmy Hoffa. While I believe LeMond, this case needs a witness closer to the action than Devries.
When Floyd Landis first started spouting off about the corruption within the UCI his charges were long on vitriol and short on specifics. Sure, he was making charges, but he wasn't doing a lot to tell us how he knew what he knew and what facts he'd seen to support his assertions. After all, the difference between saying "the UCI is corrupt" and "I saw a check for $500,000 drawn on Nike's checking account and made out to Hein Verbruggen" is the difference between saying "guns can kill" and watching someone shoot your mother.
As important as the testimony from each of the eyewitnesses has been, we would not be in this position without a couple of crucial acts by Mr. Armstrong. There's a strong causal link between Armstrong's refusal to give Landis as spot on the RadioShack team and his downfall. That simple act of charity, something alleged to have been suggested to Armstrong by a few different people, would have reinvigorated Landis' career and life. Could Armstrong have found room in his heart to mend a fence with Landis, there would never have been that legendary tete-a-tete with USADA. And had Landis never met with Jeff Novitzky and Travis Tygart, Tyler Hamilton would never have been deposed. Hamilton was as crucial a witness as USADA ever found. It's safe to say that if Armstrong hadn't dropped a dime on him (this is a charge alleged by Landis that I believe to be true), Hamilton's career would have run its course, with him winning some more big races before sailing off into retirement with us none the wiser.
A portion of Armstrong's downfall must be attributed to his Machiavellian ruthlessness. Ironic, eh?
In interviews with the media, many witnesses in the USADA investigation made a similar, if crucial, statement: They didn't want to be talking to investigators, they didn't want to be on the stand. Some of the riders snared in the investigation have been slagged doing what seemed obvious: telling the truth. Despite what some think, the testimony they gave wasn't obvious or easy, and while some cycling fans still wonder just how much of what they told was the truth, there are a few details worth noting. First, the riders did have options. They could easily have lied. McIlvain certainly did, despite contradictory eyewitness testimony. Second, they could have remained silent per the Fifth Amendment. While we don't know for sure, it seems likely that George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer, Christian Vande Velde and the others were given immunity in exchange for their testimony. Any indication that they had lied to investigators would have nullified the agreement and opened them up to prosecution. Given the sheer number of witnesses, lying to investigators would have been a pretty significant risk, for a rider who lied would be facing charges for both doping and perjury.
A recent piece published by The New York Times pointed to Kayle Leogrande as the catalyst that set the investigation in motion that led to Armstrong's downfall. The Times rarely ever gets the story wrong, but this is one of those occasions when they did. In calling him "pivotal" to the investigation, Ian Lovett missed the event that deserves remembering.
Lance Armstrong would still be (as he's been called, occasionally ironically) "the cancer Jesus," were it not for the efforts of Suzanne Sonye. Sonye is a former professional rider for the Saturn team who worked as a soigneur for Michael Ball's Rock Racing squad. It was Sonye Leogrande confided in when he feared he was going to test positive following a urine test. Sonye then did the unheard-of: She reported Leogrande's doping of her own volition.
In a recent phone interview Sonye said, "When he told me [that he might test positive] it was number one, 'Oh my God! He's dirty!' and number two, 'He can't race.' I knew he was going to race the national championships and this was something that was definitely going to affect his performance.
"I couldn't live with myself if I let this go. It made me sick to my stomach. It was wrong on so many levels I couldn't let it go."
Sonye reported him to team management, including Ball.
"When I realized Michael Ball wasn't going to do anything, I knew I needed to call USADA. I had to call USADA twice. The first time they didn't respond. The second time I said I had first-hand information about a doping violation. I thought Michael Ball would do the right thing; so did Frankie [Andreu, then the team director], but he didn't. To his credit, Travis Tygart called me back right away.
"At first I couldn't decide if I would do it anonymously … it was hard to do because I liked Kayle, but I couldn't not do it.
What makes Sonye unique among everyone in the Armstrong debacle is that she took action for no other reason than it was the right thing to do. She wasn't compelled by a subpoena or enticed by an outside entity (such as a newspaper or magazine). She had nothing to gain; self-interest was a motivation that would have steered her away from reporting Leogrande.
For Sonye, the choice was as simple as it was unavoidable.
"I was on the number-one cycling team in the world and I didn't choose to put a needle in my arm."
Leogrande would go on to sue Sonye for defamation, and while he lost the suit (and wound up having to pay her legal bills because the lawsuit was deemed a SLAPP), the stress it put her through upended her life.
"I'd been on antidepressants and they were awful for me. I had a nervous breakdown. I went to the hospital for five days. My doctor took me off everything, then I was switched to a really low dose of a mood stabilizer for four or five months. When I came out, I was beaten. I thought, 'I can't beat this.' Eventually I realized, 'Fuck that, this guy is going down.' It took two years.
"The mental stress I went through I can never get back. The drain on me, what it took from my life, was enormous."
The debt cycling owes Sonye for being honest, for acting on her conscience, can never be repaid; there's no way to make that suffering go away. The least we can do is recognize her for being the person without which Lance Armstrong would be competing as a professional triathlete.
Image: Danny Munson, Cycling Illustrated
Tuesdays with Wilcockson: Doping on my mind, Part V
October 9, 2012 by John Wilcockson
Filed under Body
Last week, in different cities hundreds of miles apart, I saw, quite by chance, two cyclists who personify the quandary posed to cycling by celebrity racers who some see as heroes, others as cheats. Each of those cyclists sported a natty pirate's goatee and bandana above a uniform that resembled the Mercatone Uno team kit of the late Marco Pantani. One of my sightings was in Philadelphia, the other in Boulder, and because I was driving a car in traffic I couldn't stop to ask those riders what they thought about Pantani.
This past weekend, a famous pro cyclist who was thrown out of the 2007 Tour de France for blood doping, retired from cycling in glorious style. The principality of Monaco honored one of its residents, 2012 Olympic gold medalist Alexander Vinokourov, with the final race of his career on a circuit along Monte Carlo's waterfront, next to the luxury yachts of billionaires. Among those who came to the party was the sport's greatest racer, Eddy Merckx, along with men who admitted doping, including Jan Ullrich and Richard Virenque.
Regarding the two Pantani look-alikes, the chances are they regard the 1998 Tour de France and Giro d'Italia champ as one of the greatest climbers the sport has ever produced, and not as the rider who lost a Giro he was winning because his blood tested above the 50-percent-hematocrit level, or the sad drug addict who died at age 34 from a cocaine overdose.
At the farewell race in Monaco on Sunday were several current pros regarded as leaders in the anti-doping movement: world champion Philippe Gilbert of BMC Racing, Chris Froome of Team Sky and Vincenzo Nibali of Liquigas-Cannondale. On Monday, Gilbert tweeted a photo of himself standing next to the man of the day and one of his sons, with the caption, "The last race of Vino yesterday! Great champion!"
In Italy, Pantani is revered as one of his country's greatest riders, despite the suspicions that he used EPO to notch his grand tour victories and break course records on climbs such as L'Alpe d'Huez. His name is still etched in stone as the winner of the Giro and Tour; a major Italian pro race is named after him; Pantani memorials dot the countryside; and the Giro organizers regularly honor him with special awards on famous climbs such as the Mortirolo. But on this side of the Atlantic, Pantani is mostly regarded as a cheat.
In Kazakhstan, despite that 2007 blood-doping positive, Vinokourov is revered as a national hero, the country's only Olympic gold medalist in a mainstream sport. On multi-story buildings in the capital city, Astana, giant murals of Vino adorn the walls, and he'll remain popular as he converts from rider to manager of Team Astana. Clearly, no one in Kazakhstan, and, it seems, quite a few pro racers, consider Vino's racing legacy a tainted one.
Even though it seems the Europeans have their heads in the sand when it comes to doping, that's not the case in the U.S. Neither Vino nor Pantani is considered a hero here (except perhaps by those Il Pirata fanatics!), but we have to wait and see how the public eventually views the generation of American riders who raced alongside Pantani and Vinokourov in the 1990s and 2000s.
Some of them have already said they used banned drugs or blood-doped (including Frankie Andreu, Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis and Jonathan Vaughters), others have been outed by a former teammate (including Tom Danielson, Christian Vande Velde and Dave Zabriskie), USADA has suspended Lance Armstrong for life and nullified all his Tour victories (though the Texan continues to deny ever using performance-enhancing drugs), while others are likely to be prominent as involved witnesses (including George Hincapie, Levi Leipheimer and Kevin Livingston) in USADA's upcoming report into the alleged doping conspiracy at the former U.S. Postal Service team.
USADA says the revelations in its report will be devastating, and will knock American cycling sideways. But in essence it's very little different, or even similar, to what has happened in other countries. Over the past 20 years, most cycling nations have had to cope with doping scandals that involved their leading teams or star riders.
Chronologically, the Dutch had to cope with their all-star PDM team getting sick (with later evidence of EPO being used) and dropping out of a Tour de France it was hoping to win; the French were demoralized by the organized doping uncovered in two of their top teams, first Festina and then Cofidis; the Spanish were hit by blood-doping revelations at their favorite squads, Kelme and Liberty Seguros (formerly ONCE), at the time of the Operación Puerto police bust; the Danes were shocked by the Puerto shockwaves that hit their Team CSC; the Germans were even more scandalized by the admissions of doping from most of their Deutsche Telekom stars; and the Swiss had to witness the dissolution of their all-conquering Team Phonak because of repeated doping positives.
I haven't yet mentioned the Belgians and Italians in this brief overview because countless riders and teams from those countries have either been the subject of police drug investigations or connected with alleged doping doctors. It's well know that the Italians were the first to experiment with EPO, as early as the late-1980s, but cycling fans (including the stalwart Pantani supporters) are as enthusiastic about cycling as they have ever been, while doping offenders such as Ivan Basso remain as popular now as they were before being suspended. And the crowds in Belgium at the spring classics are just as thick now as they were before their (still) icons Johan Museeuw and Frank Vandenbroucke were busted for doping.
Common features in revealing the organized doping in those eight European countries were initial police involvement (Festina Affair, Operación Puerto, Italy and Belgium investigations), and tell-all books by team personnel (Willy Voet of Festina, Jef d'Hondt of Telekom). Only after those developments did the media pick up on the stories and get athletes to talk—as with the series of articles in Germany's Der Spiegel that resulted in Telekom team members Rolf Aldag, Bert Dietz, Christian Henn, Brian Holm, Bjarne Riis and Erik Zabel all admitting to EPO use.
Other common features of those European doping affairs were the lack of in-depth investigations into those teams by anti-doping agencies, no retroactive suspensions (most of the above names are still working in cycling), and virtually no stigma attached to their doping offenses. That's in contrast to what has happened, or appears to be happening, in the U.S.
Yes, there are similarities with Europe, with frequent media allegations of doping against Armstrong and his Postal squad (many of the pieces based on the extensive investigative reporting work of Irish journalists David Walsh and Paul Kimmage), admissions of doping by certain riders, and more extensive confessions from Hamilton and Landis (but only after they'd spent fortunes on failed appeals against their doping suspensions in 2004 and 2006 respectively). But what's different has been the repeated legal cases that have revolved around the alleged doping by Armstrong and Team Postal.
In 2004, there was the arbitration hearing demanded by Armstrong's lawyers after SCA Promotions failed to pay a $5 million bonus predicated on his winning a sixth consecutive Tour. That case was eventually settled out of court, with SCA paying the bonus plus $2.5 million in interest, costs and attorney fees. Then came the two-year federal fraud investigation into the Postal team, led by the FDA lawyer Jeff Novitzky, that was suddenly abandoned this past February. The USADA investigation, which took up the threads of the FDA work, is different because, as far as I can recall, a national anti-doping agency has never done anything on a similar scale—perhaps because most such agencies don't have the funding or resources to contemplate such work.
The details of the USADA report are likely to start being known after it's sent to the World Anti-Doping Agency and the UCI by next week, but for now most of the subjects in that investigation continue their cycling careers (as riders, coaches, team officials or race organizers), while Armstrong continues to deny doping despite the verdict handed down by USADA.
One question remaining is whether American fans will react to the eventual "devastating" details in the USADA report in the same way the Europeans have reacted to the doping sins of their (remaining) heroes. If the British are as close as we can expect to get as an example, then the negative reactions to any more doping revelations could be limited. I was watching the recent Tour of Britain on line when the highly respected British commentator David Harmon of Eurosport said: "Good to see Ivan Basso here—one of the really big superstars."
If he were still alive and racing, Pantani would likely have elicited the same designation.
Follow me on Twitter: @johnwilcockson
Image: John Pierce, Photosport International
The Unexpected
If you'd asked me before the Tour started to list ten things that might happen during this year's race, I don't think the list would have included Alberto Contador losing time on multiple stages. I wouldn't have suggested Andy Schleck would pull up timid on a rainy Alpine descent and brake his way out of contention. And I certainly wouldn't have listed an assertive ride by a yellow-jersey-wearing Thomas Voeckler as perhaps the best single piece of evidence that the peloton is cleaner than it once was. God knows I wouldn't have envisioned Thor Hushovd winning two mountain stages.
Nope, I wouldn't have considered any of those as even remotely possible. But every one has come to pass.
With his ride in stage 16 Contador has proven that to count him out is to define foolhardy. I'm doubtful of his chances to win, but one can afford to be nonchalant in his presence the way one can be nonchalant around a cobra. Even if he can manage 15 or 20 seconds on all his rivals over the three remaining mountain stages and the time trial, that won't be enough to boost him onto the podium.
One wonders whose ambition it was to even dream Contador could sweep all three Grand Tours this year. Was it Contador himself or was it Bjarne Riis? And if it was Riis, what will the repercussions be should Pistolero not pull a rabbit out of his hat before Paris? If Contador can't pull off this victory, the age of the Giro-Tour double will truly have passed.
With the piece of descending we saw Schleck exhibit on the drop into Gap, the timidity that resulted in him losing 1:09 to Cadel Evans and 1:06 to Contador probably dashed his hopes to win this Tour. Frankly, his riding was so un-PRO that he doesn't deserve the podium.
Darwin wrote that the story of the world was one of adaptation, descent with modification. Faced with obsolescence at the legs of Mark Cavendish, Hushovd has reinvented himself more thoroughly than any rider since Laurent Jalabert's phoenix act in the 1990s. I consider him one of the three smartest riders in the race. He is the embodiment of the adage, "le tete et le jambs."
As to Voeckler, he was already on what is arguably the best season he has ever enjoyed even before arriving at the Tour. So we must grant that he's a better rider than he was in 2004, the first time he took the yellow jersey at the Tour. That said, in the era of Armstrong et al, sheer combativeness and tenacity weren't enough to hold on to yellow. To suggest that will alone is enough is to believe that you really can stop a bullet by putting your finger in the barrel of a gun.
French cycling has been very nearly the laughingstock of the peloton since the Festina Affair. I've wondered if French athletes didn't take some lesson from the incident to heart. Following the confessions that came as a result of the Festina Affair only six French athletes have tested positive (many countries have had two dozen or more), and the only one of them who was a notable GC rider was Pascal Hervé (yes, he of the Festina Affair), and that was in 2001.
I've often thought the fact that there has been only one prominent French GC rider (Christophe Moreau) in the last 10 years and the fact that French cycling has been curiously devoid of doping scandals weren't just coincidences. I see it as cause and effect.
There's an arc to this story. French riders were late to the EPO wagon; the Netherlands and Italy led the way, but they caught up, and in a big way, which is why Richard Virenque was one of the most feared climbers in the peloton during that time. And then we get Willy Voet's ill-fated border crossing and Virenque's teary confession in front of a judge.
To me, that past, those details and now Voeckler's performance en jaune are of a piece. If you're at your limit because the peloton rides at two speeds, then there's no way for you to respond to an acceleration by a certified contender like Ivan Basso. That is, not unless everyone's on the same program.
This is guesswork on my part; educated, but still guesswork. Still, it leads me to say that I find it easier to believe that Basso and Contador are clean than Voeckler is dirty. If we can have guilt by association, then maybe we can have innocence by association, too.
After all the scandals, the mudslinging, the unsubstantiated accusations and crazy revelations, the best possible thing that could happen for cycling right now is for Thomas Voeckler to arrive in Paris, clad in yellow. I'm not willing to put five bucks on that happening just yet, but it's an outcome I'd cheer for, just the way I cheered in 1999.
Image, John Pierce, Photosport International
Ritchey Logic WCS Carbon Curve
I wish wrapping handlebars was easier or that I was less lazy. There. It's out. Now I can begin recovery. I'm such a nerd for ergonomics and comfort that if adjusting handlebar and lever position was anywhere near as simple as say, adjusting saddle position, I could spend whole weekends playing with lever and bar position.
In truth, while I do a very pro job of wrapping a bar, once I have taped the cables in place, I really don't want to make any further adjustments. Like I said, I'm lazy and it's too much work.
I'll mount a bar, position the levers where I think they need to be and then go ride around my neighborhood for a minute with the cable housing flapping in the wind. When I roll back to the garage I might adjust the roll of the bar or the height of the levers, but once I tape down the cable housing, those levers aren't moving another millimeter.
I love to look at how the pros set up their bars; I've seen some pretty surprising stuff. It used to be that the bottom edge of a lever was in plane with the bottom of a bar. Always. And the bottom of the bar was parallel to the ground. When I first learned to ride and work on bikes, I saw countless bikes set up just like Richard Virenque's is above. It would be more than 20 years before I considered that other positions might increase my comfort. Eventually, you started seeing guys like Lance Armstrong roll the traditional bend bar up just a bit.
In the mid-1990s I saw Sean Yates' bar rolled down. It seemed physically impossible for him to put his hands on the levers the way they were positioned. Later, in 2002, Johan Musseuw's bar was positioned crazy low and the levers were rolled up so high they seemed just as impossible to put your hands on the hoods. Then I noticed how when he did place his hands on the hoods, there was no bend at the wrist. The combination of how bar and relatively short reach made the lever position workable.
The new Ritchey Logic WCS Carbon Curve bar gave me a chance to experiment with just what works best for me with a compact bar. The short/shallow bar is to the 2010s what the anatomic bar was to the 1990s. I haven't been super-sold on the new shape for a few reasons.
My first reservation is the mindset that led to the bar's design. It came about from riders getting rid of all the spacers between the headset and the stem and then realizing that riding in the drops wasn't too comfortable. The solution? Give the bar less drop.
Many years ago some very experienced riders taught me that if you run a deep-drop bar fairly high you can maintain a flat back when in the drops and still enjoy a rather upright position for maximum climbing power when on the bar top. It's one of the reasons I like the FSA K-Wing bar so much. But enough of that.
Little known fact: The compact bars on the market almost all feature a 128mm drop. Traditional bend bars, which to me are as comfortable as trying to wear a child's shoes, are still surprisingly prevalent in the pro peloton and feature a 130mm drop—just 2mm difference. Reach on traditional bend bars is usually in the 87-88mm range, about 3mm more than most compact bars. So, on paper they don't seem to different, but in practice, the difference in curve makes the difference in fit and comfort dramatic.
The Ritchey Logic WCS Carbon Curve bar I reviewed had a 31.8mm clamping diameter and a 42cm (c-c) width. Advertised weight is 206g and my bar weighed in at 208g. Pretty stinkin' close.
To try to squeeze a little extra reach out of compact bars and to position my hand in the flattest portion of the drop, I roll them out until the reach is parallel to the ground. This seems to be a fairly common way to position based on what I've seen in the pro peloton.
Little known fact #2: Fabian Cancellara rode a compact bar on his bike in both Flanders and Roubaix. Go figure. Had I not seen it, I'd have assumed he would ride a deep drop bar, in part just because he's so flexible.
For those of you who are still riding aluminum bars I can't stress just how much a carbon fiber bar increases comfort for the hands by damping vibration that would otherwise travel through an aluminum bar. I really don't ever want to have to ride an aluminum bar ever again. Which means I need to do something about the bar on my 'cross bike.
In reviewing this Ritchey bar I realized that I've ridden at least four different compact bars and while I thought that the shape of the drop was virtually identical from manufacturer to manufacturer (at least, it was really close on the first three), the decreasing radius bend (the bend gets tighter the closer you get to the levers) of the bar is more comfortable to my hand than any of the others I've tried. The lesson: Not all compact bars are created equal.
The stunning spread of carbon fiber to nearly every component on the bike and its accordant inflation of the cost of every single bike component in which it is used is nothing to cheer about. It's how we went from $5000 bikes to $10,000 bikes in 10 years. So while I'm not wild about spending $284.95 for a bar, the Carbon Curve is lighter, stiffer, stronger and more comfortable than an aluminum bar. It is an F1 car competing against a Jeep Cherokee.
Virenque image: John Pierce, Photosport International
Friday Group Ride #21
So this week the well-respected journal the Annals of Internal Medicine published a study that human growth hormone (HGH) does, in fact, improves athletic performance by helping to build fast-twitch muscle fiber. Specifically, the study found that in men HGH would improve performance by 3.9 percent—shaving .4 of a second from a 10-second sprint time in the 100-meter dash. And while sprinting performance was dramatically improved, HGH did nothing for endurance (unsurprising) or overall strength (somewhat surprising).
In cycling, an improvement of 3.9 percent isn't the difference between steps on the podium, it is the difference between pack fodder and crushing the competition. Whether you look at the results from a Grand Tour or from one of the Monuments, a single percent range in performance can include the top-20 finishers.
Some of the men in the study also received injections of testosterone. For those men, the performance increase was a whopping 8 percent. Imagine for a second being an 8-percent-improved rider. That's going from a 1-hour 40k time trial to a 55:12 40k time. Eight percent could turn you from a climber into a time trialist or a nobody into a god.
The study begs several questions. First, is anyone really surprised by this? There has been strong anecdotal evidence that HGH produced results for anyone looking for an illegal edge.
A bigger question is, what is the dosage size that athletes taking HGH normally use? Dr. Ken Ho, who ran the study, gave his subjects modest doses for only eight weeks, as compared to what guys like Mark McGwire were taking, which is alleged to be a much higher dosage for extended periods of time. Obviously, the gains could be more than 4 percent. Much more, perhaps.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) helped fund the study. One wonders why they wanted the results printed in a peer-reviewed journal. This would seem to be information that they wouldn't want athletes willing to dope (or their doctors or coaches) to find out. One can safely assume that some aspect of this study will aid those who are trying to evade detection of their drug use.
The amateur athletes who participated in the study reported several side effects. The HGH caused fluid retention that resulted in some swelling as well as joint pain. One man reported that his breasts grew.
Maybe drug testing in the future should include looking for pros who are wearing jog bras.
More seriously, the media has reported the publication of this paper with a certain amount of surprise. As I read about it, I'll admit my jaw went slack, but my expression was more "duh" that "holy cow."
There have been whispers about who in the peloton has been using HGH, but so far, the most substantive accusation was that the entire T-Mobile team was using the stuff along with EPO. And of course, boatloads of the stuff was in Willy Voet's Festina team car when he arrived at his fateful border stop in 1998.
I don't want to accuse you readers of being a cynical bunch, but are any of you surprised by the results of this study, either in general or the more specific aspect of just how much performance can be improved by either HGH alone or in combination with testosterone?
And in other news … there's this little cycling tour that's going to take in some great sights in Italy. Disingenuousness aside, most of the cycling media outlets are saying this is the most wide-open Giro in years. That may be right. With no Menchov, no Killer, no Pellizotti and no Contador, Evans would seem to be the heir apparent; he seems to have developed a taste for actually winning instead of just showing.
Does anyone think Garzelli has something like a chance to win? Even Simoni seems to have conceded that he is over the hill and will hope for a stage win in this, his final Grand Tour.
So two questions to you all: Who will take the maglia rosa in the prologue? We've got stickers for the first correct answer on that. Also, who do you think will get to go home with the pink jersey once the last kilometer is ridden? Stickers to the first correct prognosticator.
I've got my money on Evans.
The Taint of Suspicion
Alexander Vinkourov's victory at Liege-Bastogne-Liege was met with boos and questions. It comes less than a year following his return to cycling after a two-year suspension for doping during which time the rider shed no light on his past. Vinokourov has voiced his displeasure with the reaction to his success, and released a letter voicing his views, which you can read here.
Robot has also written a post concerning the convicted doper's win at one of the five Monuments.
Linger. Fester. Spread. Grow.
When you think about the words that are used in conjunction with the noun suspicion they are words used to apply action to sores, smells and cancers. And like a cancer, suspicion can spread in directions surprising and predictable at equal rates.
Alexander Vinokourov's win at Liege-Bastogne-Liege gave us examples of both. That suspicions linger about what sort of rider he is—that is, how he achieves his success—should surprise no one. What may have surprised you was to hear boos from the crowd as he crossed the line. No matter who's feed you watched, the crowd's disapproval was audible.
Was Vinokourov naive to be shocked? No. It was a crowd display that is unprecedented and stands in direct opposition to Richard Virenque's win in Paris-Tours just months after his return to competition following his suspension for doping. The two situations couldn't be more similar and yet, the crowd reactions couldn't have been more dissimilar.
Virenque was hailed by the crowd as if he was a returning war hero. He was lionized in the (French) press as a true champion. He was still and again Richard the Lionhearted, the darling of France.
Vino? Not so much.
To be booed must have hurt. How could it not? That's got to be defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. And then to be questioned by the press as much about his past vis-a-vis doping as the circumstances that led to his win was obviously infuriating, so much so that he took the unusual step of writing an open letter to the cycling world. You've probably seen it, but if not, you can read it here.
Vinokourov asks a fair question: Why can he line up for a race, but not win it? Indeed, the boos took the sweetness of victory from him more certainly than the UCI ever could. Why roll across the line first if you won't be granted the crowd's adulation?
Many writers have contrasted Vinokourov with David Millar and wondered why we accept the Scot, but not the Kazakh. It's a fair comparison and could serve as a very teachable moment for Vinokourov.
So Millar's apartment in Biarritz is raided by police and they find a syringe with traces of EPO. Millar responds by confessing. He told us not only that he had used EPO, he told authorities exactly how long he had used the drug and how using it weighed on him.
As doping confessions in cycling go, it's the single best example out there.
Richard Virenque denied, denied, denied and then confessed—tearily—in court at the sharp end of a prosecutor. It worked for the French but anyone without a Gallic soul was left adrift by it.
Bernard Kohl conducted interviews on a monthly basis with German media, teasing out details of his past and his knowledge of doping in what seemed to be a calculated effort to keep his name in the headlines. In the end, it seemed self-serving.
Kayle Leogrande confessed in confidence to soigneur Susanne Sonye and after she testified about what he told her he sued her. That suit was ruled a SLAP and tossed out of court, but not until another cyclist, lawyer Tom Fitzgibbon, came to her rescue. Leogrande? Persona non grata to the cycling world.
Four confessions. Four very different results.
Vinkourov has confessed virtually nothing. We remain suspicious. We suspect much about his past. And because he has done things recently—such as train in Tenerife (the current haunt of doping docs Michele Ferrari and Eufemiano Fuentes), a place nearly as out-of-the-way as Mexico when considered from the Continent—that smack of present doping practices, we suspect there is more to the story.
In his letter he refers to "the dark years of my career."
Years. Plural.
Imagine that on the evening Vinokourov was ejected from the Tour in 2007 he had given a press conference. And suppose that during the press conference he had said, "Yes, I used a clinic in (insert name of German town here) to conduct blood doping. Earlier, when I was at T-Mobile, we used EPO and our system was organized by (insert name of dirtbag here). My first drug use was in 199x and that season I won X, Y and Z with its help.
We wouldn't like the news, but at least we'd know. His suspension, in the wake of a confession could serve as a sort of penance for all of his past doping.
Vinokourov was suspended for a single infraction—not years of drug use—and to this day has confessed nothing directly. He says, "I don't think cycling needs to reconsider all these dirty stories to move forward."
Wrong. Worse yet, he adds, "I have nothing to hide."
Again, he has confessed nothing, though he has referred obliquely to years of drug use, so it is impossible for this one suspension to serve as penance for years of standard practice. He is still hiding much.
Let's consider how the courts would view this. For pleading guilty and confessing the full extent of the crime(s), a person is almost always rewarded with a reduced sentence. And then there's the plea bargain, in which the criminal signs a full and complete confession and in exchange is charged with a lesser crime. Very often, it's a trade to avoid being convicted of a felony. In the United States, the punishment for a felony conviction lasts long after any prison time has been served and any fine paid. The felon cannot vote and will forever have 'splaining to do in job interviews.
It would seem that Vinokourov is suffering the sort of moral equivalent to a felony conviction. He won the race, but not in the hearts of many present.
In closing his letter he writes, "I can't do more than what the sport regulations ask me, to prove my honesty. Today, I only wish to be respected as I respect everyone, my colleagues in the peloton as the journalists. I don't want to be the only and too easy target for all the ills of cycling."
In this, he misses the point entirely. He has never proven his honesty. Sure, he's testing clean now, and while we should applaud him for that much, because we don't know the full extent of his past, we struggle to trust him in the present.
And is he the "only and too easy target"? Not by a long shot. Now would be exactly the wrong moment for him to play the persecution card.
Vino, you have nothing in common with Job.
Let us hear him say, "I did X. I was wrong. I am sorry," and that, sports fans, truly is a game changer.
Were Vinokourov to hold a press conference on the eve of the Giro d'Italia and finally confess everything he did and knew, I truly believe he could win the prologue the next day and be applauded.
His career is a matter of reputation, something only he can restore.
Image: John Pierce, Photosport International
Reclaiming Our Past
There have been entirely too many doping storylines in cycling lately. We've had the Alejandro Valverde problem, the Danilo DiLuca suspension and Ricardo Ricco's imminent return to the sport. His girlfriend, Vania Rossi, tested positive for the same drug—CERA—for which he was suspended, and he subsequently dumped her, months after she gave birth to their child. Bernard Kohl has opened a bike shop and seemingly ended his monthly interviews that teased out details of his doping regimen like bread crumbs for birds. Stefan Schumacher continues to fight his suspension.
And today we mark six years since the lonely death of Marco Pantani. Like Pantani, Jose Maria Jimenez was a once-talented climber who, according to circumstantial evidence, became addicted to cocaine and ultimately overdosed on the drug, cutting short a life that should have been full of promise, even after ending his career as a racer. It's little wonder that so many cyclists reacted with horror at the news of Tom Boonen's flirtations with the nose candy.
The constant parade of doping stories has made many cyclists weary of ProTour racing, but worse, it has changed our understanding and perception of racing in the past. We now accept Fausto Coppi's statement about always doping when he raced, rather than discount it, which is certainly what I did when I first read the statement in the 1980s.
And while many of us took Eddy Merckx at his word when he insisted he had used nothing out of the ordinary when he was ejected from the 1969 Giro d'Italia, we have come to see that event was but one of three positive tests he gave in his career. Certainly questions abound to this day about that Giro test, such as no counter-analysis and questionable chain of custody, it's easy to see the positive as a not uncommon occurrence in an era ripe with amphetamine usage. Why should Merckx be any different; after all, he ranks as the most successful cyclist of all time. Are we to think he was the only clean champion of his generation?
Looking back on riders I have admired—Greg LeMond, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Fausto Coppi, Miguel Indurain, Lance Armstrong, Andy Hampsten, Richard Virenque, Marco Pantani, Johan Museeuw, Moreno Argentin, Frank Vandenbroucke, Jan Ullrich, Tyler Hamilton, Floyd Landis, Alejandro Valverde, Danilo DiLuca and plenty more, what strikes me is that only two of these names have never been broadly accused or convicted of doping—LeMond and Hampsten. Were we to take every doping allegation out there as fact (save anything Armstrong has said to or about LeMond), we might be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that Hampsten's win in the Giro was the last by a clean rider, as was LeMond's last win at the Tour.
I admit, every time a new rider comes thundering onto the scene, I have moments (roughly one for every win) when I wonder, "Is this guy clean?" Even without a single positive test to implicate the rider, I can't help but wonder if some new phenom is our next Riccardo Ricco or Bernard Kohl. To wonder such a thing is reputation assassination, even if I don't share it with anyone else.
But this youngest generation of riders, riders who came onto the scene after the EPO problem had been identified, after the test had been devised, those are the guys who scare and upset me. It's little wonder to me that any rider still in the game now who was there for the rise of EPO and the team podium sweeps of the '94 Fleche Wallonne (Gewiss-Ballan) and the '96 Paris-Roubaix (Mapie-GB) might still not be conforming to the memo. But what really troubles me are the new riders who still pursue EPO and its newer variant, CERA. Just as we think we're making progress in doping thanks to programs such as those run by Bjarne Riis and Jonathan Vaughters, some new rider gets suspended for a drug that we have come to believe is easy to catch.
As a result, many of us have turned our backs on past performances that gave us chills, left us cheering at the TV and maybe even caused us to put up a poster of the rider in our dorm room or garage. Those were the days.
Museeuw's win at Roubaix in '96 came at the end of arguably the most dominant ride by any team in the history of the Hell of the North. Now we know that it was EPO that gave their performance the appearance of a Ferrari racing a Yugo.
In comments here at RKP, we've seen how many of your have turned against not just Lance Armstrong, but other riders we know to have doped: Marco Pantani, Frank Vandebroucke, Tyler Hamilton and more.
I realized not too long ago that if I disavow every performance that involved doping, I'd be stripped of almost every race that I ever cared about. I'd even be stripped of LeMond's last-minute win at the 1990 Tour de France because the guy he beat—Claudio Chiappucci—was on EPO. Without him and that drug, LeMond's win would have been much more dominant. And don't get me started about 1991.
Despite the lies, the doping, the inability to know who was truly the best on the day, I don't want to lose the wonder and awe I felt when I saw those performances. If I turn my back on every one of those performances in bitterness, it's tantamount to saying of your ex, "I never really liked her."
Those experiences, the wonder I felt at watching Richard Virenque or Floyd Landis winning in Morzine in 2003, the jubilation I felt at Tyler Hamilton's win in Liege-Bastogne-Liege, my astonishment at Armstrong's win at the Tour in '99 or my awe at any of Johan Museeuw's wins at Paris-Roubaix were experiences of genuine and honest emotion on my part. While I have a different understanding of those performances today, and my feelings for those racers may have changed somewhat, I've decided I won't let anyone, any new revelations, change how I remember those performances.
I can't tell anyone else how to feel about those performances. The bitterness some of you feel at the betrayal of learning some win was doped is as valid an emotional experience as any jubilation I've felt for the same performance.
But for those of you who have felt frustration and confusion with each new revelation, I offer my perspective as a different way to process your feelings. I'm not suggesting we capitulate and just give in to enjoying doped riding; like each of you, I want a clean sport, full stop.
Society changes and what we tolerate changes as well. Thomas Jefferson had slaves. I can't endorse his ownership of a person, but that act shouldn't erase the work he did in establishing the United States' democracy.
I truly believe cycling is changing for the better and that doping is on the decline. It is a scourge, though, that we should not fool ourselves into thinking will ever be eradicated. We should not accept the doped performances of the past out of inevitability and resignation, but rather because they inspired us in our own riding. And if we rode with honesty and conviction, then some good came from those tarnished wins.
Image: John Pierce, Photosport International
The Jump
You are Marco Pantani. It is 1999, and you are winning the Giro d'Italia, the race you dreamed of winning as a teenager flogging a borrowed bike around the countryside outside Cesenatico. You've won four stages. You're way ahead on GC, and you're holed up in the team hotel, tired, mentally drained, but, on some level, deeply satisfied with the legacy you're creating for yourself in the sport you love.
Then you're out the side door into the bright sunlight, mobbed by press, hounded for an explanation for the impossibly high hematocrit level your tests show. You're disqualified. You're shamed. You are no longer a legend, but a pariah.
This is what professionals might call a "precipitating event." In your life it might be a divorce, the loss of a job, the death of a child. In pro cycling, a doping positive can be the death of your career, the event that pushes you over the edge.
Charlie, the addictions counselor I see every Friday morning, tells me that he sees what's called "dual diagnosis," i.e. clinical depression AND addiction, so much that he's not convinced the two can be separated. Depression can lead to addiction. Addiction can lead to depression. They are the chicken and egg, egg and chicken.
The vast majority of those reading these words will know how Marco Pantani's life turned out. After his expulsion from the Giro he made a few faltering attempts at comeback, but eventually succumbed to cocaine addiction, dying alone in a hotel room in 2004.
Addiction is a disease, progressive and fatal if untreated.
Last week, in a piece entitled "Love for the Doper," I connected the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) with the addiction to illicit drugs, the descent into a mental state that convinces you that you need the drugs to go on. At the time, Padraig (our host and proprietor here at RKP) asked me how I would explain the jump that many athletes who use PEDs make to abusing illicit drugs. The recent death of Frank Vandenbroucke, as well as the passing of Marco Pantani, are but two examples of this jump.
And I would say that the answer lies somewhere at the nexus of humiliation, shame, loneliness and the tendency toward extreme behaviors, all of these factors combined with a precipitating event. To use Pantani as an example, though Vandenbroucke's particulars are fairly similar, you have a unique character type, a self-described loner, a guy who nearly everyone who knew him would call "socially awkward, who also happens to be an elite athlete, an occupation more or less defined by the extremity of the behavior necessary to achieve success. You take this awkward, lonely and very probably depressed guy, who is already completely inured to suffering, and you heap on top a generous serving of humiliation.
Now, that humiliation validates an underlying shame that the guy feels, because he's doping. He becomes even more depressed. Up to that point he was able to offset the shame and depression with the thrill of victory and adulation. Later, Pantani and Vandenbroucke made an effort to find some equilibrium by turning to the one thing that made them feel better, the one thing that delivered the thrill and muted the shame, illicit drugs.
What was once just a party drug, readily available to them as wealthy celebrities, takes on a new role (Are you listening Tom Boonen?). It moves itself front and center. Forced to abandon the PEDs, the rider sticks with the illicit drugs, substituting the mental effects of one for the mental effects of the other. The central conceit of the addict's mindset is that he can't do without the drugs that are actually tearing him apart. Compounding the problem is that the rider believes he can't make a living without riding and can't ride without drugs of one sort or the other. It's a Catch-22 that turned Pantani and Vandenbroucke into corpses in hotel rooms, the saddest possible ending for an athlete in our sport.
To be sure, not every rider involved with PEDs will make the jump to illicit drugs, but a very real link exists between the use of PEDs and depression, and then between depression and the use of illicit drugs. Think not only of Pantani and Vandenbroucke, but also of Richard Virenque, if Willy Voet is to be believed, and Jan Ulrich.
Every time I hear the name of another convicted doper I try to stifle my instinct to judge. Riders don't make bad decisions maliciously. They slip a little, and then a little more, and day after day, week after week, year after year, they become something they never meant to be. They can make deals with the devil that take them to the very top of the sport, and then one event, one vial of blood spun down in a centrifuge, one tainted jar of piss, pushes them off the edge.
Some don't make it back.
Image: John Pierce, Photosport International


text:
October 12, 2012 at 9:48AM Apple agrees to license for Swiss railway clock in iOS 6, knows what time it is
October 1, 2012 at 3:27PM Early iOS 6 adopters report problems getting Exchange push email: are you affected?
September 22, 2012 at 1:55PM AmEx, Starbucks announce plans for Passbook integration: both live by end of the month
September 21, 2012 at 9:02AM Nokia stacks up its maps next to Apple's and Google's, politely suggests it comes out on top (update: more detail)
September 19, 2012 at 6:43PM Apple updates nearly every app for iOS 6, sneaks in key GarageBand, iPhoto and Podcasts updates
September 19, 2012 at 12:50PM iOS 6 now available to download for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch (update: full changelog)
September 5, 2012 at 2:03PM Apple denies giving FBI any iOS device UDIDs, raises questions over AntiSec claims
August 7, 2012 at 7:29PM Facebook SDK 3.0 for iOS arrives in finished form, mobile ads tag along in beta
August 7, 2012 at 12:46PM Apple lands patent for NFC-ready shopping app, could make impulse spending an iPhone tap away
July 17, 2012 at 5:29PM Apple gives iPhone 3GS owners some love, lets them taste Shared Photo Streams and VIP Mail in iOS 6
July 12, 2012 at 11:38AM New 2012 iPhone body reportedly leaks, gives the glass front its time to shine
July 10, 2012 at 11:28AM Apple nabs patent for NFC-based travel check-in, doesn't quell NFC iPhone rumors just yet
July 9, 2012 at 9:49AM Apple reportedly shutting down unauthorized third-party beta sales, restricts iOS 6 to licensed devs
June 12, 2012 at 7:30PM PSA: Which iOS 6 features can my device run? (update: more iPhone 3GS support)
June 11, 2012 at 5:01PM Apple's WWDC keynote video is up, play along at home (update 2: video for everybody)
June 1, 2012 at 12:02PM Google to hold Maps event ahead of WWDC, hopes to make Apple sorry for dropping it


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KNOXVILLE (WATE) - University of Tennessee officials said Thursday afternoon that they plan to restore power to a dorm on campus by late evening.
According to a university news release, the North Carrick and South Carrick residence halls were without power since early Wednesday.
Students in the halls have the option of returning Thursday evening or spending another night in alternative accommodations.
School officials said they plan to restore power to the building at 10 p.m.
The building remains heated and all emergency lobby and security lighting and other systems are still operating. Lighting and outlet power, however, are not working.
Approximately 436 men and 88 women live in the residence halls.


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Green Amber Celtic Earrings
Add the earthly beauty of green amber to your ensemble with a pair of Celtic-inspired earrings straight from the land of Faerie. The natural stone can vary in depth of color like the budding leaves of a tree, from light green with yellow undertones to dark, hunter green.
Made in Poland from 100% Baltic amber mined in Russia or Lithuania, widely held to be the best in the world. Amber's ability to hold static energy has contributed to its magical reputation for attracting good fortune, healing, and luck.
- Baltic amber & sterling silver
- French hook
- 1" L x 0.3" diameter (2.5 x 0.8 cm)
- Made in Poland
For bulk pricing on these and other items, please contact our Customer Service department at firstname.lastname@example.com.
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Nice rolling acreage in permanent pastures. Lots of nice oak trees. 36 x 84 Pole barn would make a 14 stall center aisle barn. Well & electric on property. Presently being rented for cattle grazing.
Get a detailed community profile report via email. Click here to get your copy right away.
Data Provided by Ocala Marion MLS


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Risk Reduction in Coronary Heart Disease (SPREK!)
This study is currently recruiting participants.
Verified July 2013 by Sorlandet Hospital HF
Sorlandet Hospital HF
Oslo University Hospital
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Sissel Ledang, Sorlandet Hospital HF
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: July 5, 2007
Last updated: July 2, 2013
Last verified: July 2013
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Study hypothesis: Multifactorial risk reduction in coronary heart disease can reduce the risk of new coronary heart disease and death
Condition | Intervention |
Coronary Heart Disease |
Behavioral: smoking cessation Drug: betablocker, diuretics, ACEI, ARB, Drug: statins, ezetimibe Behavioral: training Biological: influenza vaccine Drug: metformin, glimepiride, insulin Behavioral: weight reduction |
Study Type: | Interventional |
Study Design: | Allocation: Randomized Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment Masking: Open Label Primary Purpose: Prevention |
Official Title: | Risk Reduction in Coronary Heart Disease - a Prospective Randomized Study |
Resource links provided by NLM:
MedlinePlus related topics:
Coronary Artery Disease
Diabetes Medicines
Heart Diseases
Quitting Smoking
Drug Information available for:
Metformin hydrochloride
Insulin human
Influenza Vaccines
U.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Sorlandet Hospital HF:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- New cardiovascular events (MACE) [ Time Frame: 3 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
Estimated Enrollment: | 2000 |
Study Start Date: | September 2007 |
Estimated Study Completion Date: | December 2019 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date: | December 2016 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) |
Arms | Assigned Interventions |
Active Comparator: Multifactorial intervention
Smoking cessation betablocker, diuretics, ACEI, ARB, statins, ezetimibe training influenza vaccine weight reduction metformin, glimepiride, insulin
Behavioral: smoking cessation
NRT and varenicline
Drug: betablocker, diuretics, ACEI, ARB,
blood pressure control according to ESC guidelines
Drug: statins, ezetimibe
Cholesterol reduction according to ESC guidelines
Behavioral: training
daily walking
Biological: influenza vaccine
vaccine (FLuarix, Influvac etc)
Drug: metformin, glimepiride, insulin
s.glucose control according to ESC guidelines
Behavioral: weight reduction
diet tips
No Intervention: Controll
no intervention
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years to 79 Years |
Genders Eligible for Study: | Both |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- acute myocardial infarction, CABG or PCI
Exclusion Criteria:
- Age < 18 and age > 80
- pregnant
- critical illness
- drug abuse
Contacts and Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00679237
Contact: Jarle Jortveit, MD | 004737014000 | firstname.lastname@example.com |
Norway | |
Sorlandet Hospital | Recruiting |
Arendal, Norway | |
Contact: Jarle Jortveit, MD 00473714000 email@example.com |
Sponsors and Collaborators
Sorlandet Hospital HF
Oslo University Hospital
Study Chair: | Serena Tonstad, dr.med. | Ullevaal University Hospital |
More Information
No publications provided
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on March 12, 2014
No publications provided
Responsible Party: | Sissel Ledang, Sorlandet Hospital HF |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00679237 History of Changes |
Other Study ID Numbers: | S-07041a (REK) |
Study First Received: | July 5, 2007 |
Last Updated: | July 2, 2013 |
Health Authority: | Norway:National Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics Norway: Norwegian Social Science Data Services |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Coronary Artery Disease Myocardial Ischemia Coronary Disease Heart Diseases Cardiovascular Diseases Arteriosclerosis Arterial Occlusive Diseases Vascular Diseases Adrenergic beta-Antagonists Diuretics Glimepiride Insulin Metformin Ezetimibe Adrenergic Antagonists |
Adrenergic Agents Neurotransmitter Agents Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Pharmacologic Actions Physiological Effects of Drugs Natriuretic Agents Hypoglycemic Agents Immunosuppressive Agents Immunologic Factors Anti-Arrhythmia Agents Cardiovascular Agents Therapeutic Uses Anticholesteremic Agents Hypolipidemic Agents Antimetabolites |
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on March 12, 2014


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You can now filter search results with text. Example: "person: john" will search only person pages for "john".
You're never going to be bored in Hope's Peak Academy's wild world of murder, despair, and bears, but you might occasionally wonder why it's a game.
Read on to see what we think about Titanfall so far, but we're refraining from posting a score until we can see how it operates in a retail environment.
The Stick of Truth is one of the rare instances of a licensed game done exactly right.
Game » consists of 1 releases. Released on 1995
More than just something to hold up your pants. Belts in games range from magical objects that make you stronger faster and better looking, to giant displays of sports prowess.
Some games have readable books. Come and quench your thirst for knowledge.
A hat of shame and humiliation
A magic staff is a large, thick stick or stick-shaped object usually with a medallion or amulet connected to the top. It is mostly used for its magical capabilities, but can also be wielded as a light melee weapon.
The manliest type of facial hair.
A loose, fitting dress, typically worn by wizards or monks. Also regarded and used as a religious garment.
A length of exceptionally sharp metal with a handle, used for centuries as the go-to killing device for the human race. It's dead simple: you stick the pointy end in the thing you want to die. Or you could always slash them with the equally sharp sides. That works too.
A tooth is a hard object in the mouth for chewing. For some reason, tooth fairies find them of value.
A box containing treasure usually in the form of gold, valuable items, or sometimes traps and enemies.
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STD Screening & Treatment Sites
NMHIVGuide.org is a community based website offering resources and information about services related to STDs. Our searchable guide will help you find the best and most appropriate services in your area.
You can also find a New Mexico Public Health Offices near you that provides screening and treatments services such as:
- Free, confidential examination and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STD)*
- Confidential counseling and treatment of contacts (partners) to persons with STDs
- Free, anonymous testing and counseling for HIV
- Syringe exchange program for injection drug users
- Confidential counseling, teaching and prescribing for birth control and emergency contraception (Plan B)
- Minors do not need parental consent to receive services in the clinic
Download the Stanford Public Health Office Services Brochure
Infectious Diseases»
- Infectious Disease Programs
- Harm Reduction Program
- HIV Prevention Program
- HIV/AIDS Treatment & Services
- Hepatitis Prevention Program
- Perinatal Hepatitis B Prevention
- Immunization Program
- STD Prevention Program
- Tuberculosis Program
- Refugee Health Program
- EPT STD Practice Guidelines
- NMSTD Screening and Testing Sites
- STD Prevention Program
- STD Epidemiology Health Data
- CDC STD Program
STD Surveillance Coordinator
Lewis Smith
(505) 476-3636
STD Surveillance Coordinator
Margo Yee
(505) 476-3611


text:
Once again, a close game didn't fall the Wildcats' way.
Villanova's rally falls short as they drop to 1-2 on the season.
Men's Lacrosse Saturday, March 1, 2014 When: 3:00 pm Eastern Villanova Wildcats (1-1) vs. Delaware Blue Hens (2-2) Delaware Stadium Newark, DE Online Stream Radio: None ...
Freshman goalie Dan Willis made a perfect save that lead to a transition opportunity for the Wildcats. As freshman Austin Frederick circled the crease around Drexel Dragons' goalie Will Gabrielsen,...
The Wildcats will look to bounce back on Tuesday after suffering a heartbreaking triple-overtime loss against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, 7-6.
As recently reported by SB Nation's college lacrosse website, ESPN lax announcer Eamon McAnaney recently groused: We're wasting time here with the sport as far as growing it. These games are...
Georgia Men's Club Lacrosse Team Changes Coaches After Successful Season
It's all about the Benjamins: the case for LAX at UGA
Josh Acut of LaxAllStars.com dove headfirst this week into the question of gay athletes in lacrosse. He related an eye-opening story about talking to a group of college students about lacrosse's...
The former Major League Lacrosse goalie says coming out simply isn't enough anymore
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Home / Home and Workshop Products / Security Safes / DM23-WHM 23 Cu. Ft. Deluxe Safe DM23-WHM 23 Cubic Ft. Deluxe SafeFeatures & Specs
DM23-WHM 23 Cubic Ft. Deluxe SafeThe DM23-WHM 23 Cubic Ft. Deluxe Safe has a three-point handle and lock plated in black chrome and is 80,000 BTU rated.
CONTACT A DEALER FOR SUPPORTOftentimes your local John Deere certified dealer can handle your personal product support needs. Find a DealerSECURITY SAFES WARRANTYLifetime repair or replacement warranty against break-in, attempted break-in, and fire damage. SAFETYWe strive to ensure that John Deere products are of exceptional quality. Safety is our top priority. View Safety InformationYou may also be interested in...*Manufacturer's suggested price. Taxes, freight, setup, and delivery not included. Equipment, models and prices may vary by dealer. Offers valid in the United States. Prices in U.S. dollars. |


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We're looking for fishing jokes. Got any favorites? Submit them here, and see other members' best jokes. We're going to assemble an "Inside Line e-newsletter" with the best jokes out there. Let's start a thread here with fishing jokes. Here's a couple to get you started:
Q. Why do rock bass have red eyes?
A. They're up all night at the sand bar.
Q. What did the catfish say when he smacked his head against a concrete wall?
A. "Dam." Q. What are fish so smart? A. They swim in schools.
Q. How can you tell that fish are weight conscious? A. They don't go anywhere without their scales. (Hey, we're writers and editors. We never claimed to be comedians.)
Q: Why did the fly fisherman go to area 51?
A: He wanted some extra terrestrial flies
Q:What do you call a fish with no eyes?
A: Fsh
Q: What's the definition of a fishermans thumb?
A: A temporary hook holder
Q: Why are fisherman and fish so much alike?
A: They both get into trouble when they open their mouth
I tried LOL
Q: What fish can perform operations like a doctor?
A: A Sturgeon
Q: Are shellfish warm to the touch?
A: NO! their just clammy
Q: Which day of the week do fish hate the most?
A: Fry-day
As an old timer is walking to his truck from fishing he comes across a warden. They talk for a few minutes and the wardne asks can I look in your bucket there? The old timer say sure can. So the warden looks in the bucket and says wow you got some beauties in there. The old time says thank ya. The warden asks can I see your fishing permit? Permit the old times chims back, I don't have one. The warden says well I am going to have to give you a ticket. The old timer says for what? Fishing with out a permit. The old timers tells the warden fishing, these fish are from my aquaium. I come here once a day and turn them loose in the lake to get some exercise. After 30 minutes I call them back put them in the bucket and take them back to my aquarium. The warden goes come on. Really says the old timer. The warden says I have to see this. So the two walk back to the lake. The old timer goes ok watch and he pours the bucket of fish into the lake. After 10 minutes the warden says ok call the fish back. The old timer says "what fish?"


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You May Also Like
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back to topProduct Description
Protect your cables and hoses with this easy to remove rigging sleeve. Made of rugged Sunbrella fabric, this sleeve will withstand the elements and resist fading. Easily zips on and off for easy access to cables of hoses when needed. Ends are secured with cable ties sewn into pockets. 48" in length.


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389 views
Is your life stuck in a rut? Does your life seem to have no purpose? Do you feel like you're just spinning your wheels? Listen to this song, it may turn your life around. If you are willing to surrender your humdrum life to God he can turn:Hopeless into hopefulDarkness into lightLost into foundPurposeless into purposefulDespair into fulfillmentFear into peaceBurdens into freedomNo, your problems won't magically disappear. He doesn't promise that. In fact, if you read John 16:33 He promises just the opposite ("in this world you will have trouble"). But read the rest of that verse (I'll leave that as an exercise to the reader) for the good news.Think about it and then act. Tomorrow could be "the day when life begins" for you.Oh, yes, sonically the song itself is smashing. Driving, upbeat, encouraging, in typical Phil Wickham style. From his wonderful album "Response".
Please add a name and description in order to save your playlist to your user profile.


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Eventually, we all have to get our heads out of the clouds and hike back down the mountain to civilization. That's why we love Sherpani, a brand of handbags, backpacks and luggage that incorporates the beauty of nature and feminine empowerment in every piece, so you can carry the spirit of adventure with you wherever you go.
Fantastic! Share your favorites and earn zulily credit. see detailsconnect


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clubber's Mom Answers Activity
clubber is a star in these topics:
Toddler > Feeding & Nutrition
(11 helpful answers)
How can I get my toddler to give up the bottle?
Most recent answer
My 23 month old will not drink from a cup. I have soft straws and hard straws and clear cups and colorful cups. He will try it once and...
posted by


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1,062 views
A man has accepted an invitation from his friend, Bob, to attend church. It is Sunday morning and as he waits to be picked up by Bob he reflects on his apprehensions about attending church after all these years. A high resolution version is available at www.mastersimage.com (See also There Goes Bob and There Goes Bob Part 2) Performed by actor Chuck Neighbors.
Please add a name and description in order to save your playlist to your user profile.


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Clinical history: The dog is presented for icterus and not eating. The dog has a history of diabetes mellitus, hyperadrenocorticism, heart failure, gallstones, renoliths and cataracts. Therapy has included intravenous fluids, Baytril, amoxicillin, insulin, Denosyl SD4, Lotensin, Lysodren and eye medications.
Physical examination: The findings include rectal temperature 101.4° F, heart rate 118/min, icteric mucous membranes, and normal capillary refill time. There is a grade 5/6 systolic heart murmur and normal lung sounds heard. The abdomen is nonpainful.
Radiograph examination: The abdominal radiographs were performed.
My comments: The abdominal radiographs show a calculus in the area of the gall bladder.
Ultrasound examination: Thorough abdominal ultrasonography was performed.
The gall bladder does contain some moderate size calculi and there is blockage of the common bile duct with a calculus. The spleen shows a uniform echogenicity in its parenchyma - no masses noted. The left and right kidneys are similar in size, shape and echotexture. No masses or calculi were noted in either kidney. The urinary bladder is distended with urine and contains some urine sediment material - no masses or calculi noted. The stomach, small intestine and pancreatic region are normal.
Case management: In this case, choleliths in the gall bladder and common bile duct and obstruction of the common bile duct from a lodged cholelith along with the many other medical problems is the clinical diagnosis. Surgical removal of the gall bladder is recommended.
Gall bladder disease Because of routine abdominal ultrasonography, more dogs are now being diagnosed with acute and chronic gallbladder diseases (see Table 2). Cholecystitis often leads to vague signs of vomiting, fever and abdominal pain. The usual cause of cholecystitis is thought to be a bacterial infection from ascending bacteria from gastrointestinal tract or from hematogenous bacteria.


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Swap: Boomerang
Creator: Kayla Tyng, Oklahoma
Description: Boomerang cut from fun foam and decorated with puff paint. Thanks, Kayla!
Web Space provided by Scoutmom.net © Scout Mom 2002-present Web Design and Graphics are courtesy of Scout Mom's Scribbles
This website, its creators, hosts or contributors are not associated with GSUSA No part of this website maybe downloaded, stored or archived by any individual or organization You may link to any page on this website


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ASH Guides is a software application that allows users to download the Society's clinical quick reference guides to their smartphones and tablet computers. The ASH Guides application currently features the Society's quick reference guides for Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT), Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP), and von Willebrand Disease (VWD).
In 2013, ASH will continue to add the Society's Quick Reference Guides to this app including Anticoagulant Dosing and Management of Anticoagulant-Associated Bleeding Complications in Adults.
ASH Guides is currently available for iOS devices, Android, and Blackberry.
ASH Guides was recently updated to include the Society's quick reference guide for VWD. If you already have ASH Guides installed on your device, tap the refresh icon within the app to ensure you have the latest updates. If you encounter errors or have difficulty using ASH Guides, please contact ASH customer service at 1-866-828-1231. International callers dial 001 202-776-0544.
For iPhone & iPad
Download & Install the App from iTunes
For Android Devices
Download & Install the App from Google Play
For Blackberry
Download & Install from Blackberry App World
back to top
A tool to help hematologists participate in the CMS Physician Quality Reporting System.
The ASH Academy provides hematologists with knowledge testing and practice improvement modules.
Find a job that you want in the ASH Job Center.


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Summary of The Heart's Victory
Summary of The Heart's Victory
Reviews for The Heart's Victory
An Excerpt from The Heart's Victory
#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts presents a story of love in the fast lane. AVAILABLE DIGITALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME Cynthia "Foxy" Fox made a play for racecar driver Lance Matthews as a teenager, but Lance just saw her as his friend's kid sister. Now, Foxy has gotten over her broken heart and become a professional photographer. But when she's assigned to cover the racing season, Lance jumps at the chance of convincing the one woman he can't forget that he's worth a second lap. The Heart's Victory includes a preview of J.D. Robb's Calculated in Death. |
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text: Hi, been trying without success to set my Safari Browser on my Pad to search yahoo UK... Looked in settings and tried all sorts, but unlike my desktop computer that i can alter to search UK, i cant find how to set it on the Pad. Have got the Yahoo app so I can go to the app and search but why not in Safari? Thanks