A BICYCLE BUILT FOR TWO? NOT EXACTLY...

I won't go as far as to say that it's due to some kind of cosmic convergence that I'm kicking off a blog about individual performance just as this year's Tour de France is getting up to full speed. Neither is it a result of my acute planning (thanks for the nudge of inspiration, Beth). But it has definitely helped me get over those "first post" jitters.

Ahh...the passion to achieve greatness.
Ahh...the teamwork required to just win a stage.
Ahh...the theatrics of a world-class media event.
Ahh...the years of thankless (and, often penniless) training just to compete.
Ahh...the extra-human endurance, cutting edge science and luck required to really have a shot at winning the whole thing.

Ahhhhhhhh...the broken promises, cheating, blaming, disgrace, recriminations.... Is this cycling, or business?! The answer, of course, is "Yes! Both!!"

At last count, three of this year's Tour riders have been kicked out of the race for either taking performance enhancing substances or other acts deemed unethical by Tour officals, including one cyclist who had already won two very difficult stage wins in France's famed Pyernees Mountains. This was supposed to be the "new era" of competitive cycling. Doping was supposed to be behind us!! Well, for avid cyclists like myself, the Tour will continue to enthrall but for many, it's the "same ol' same ol'".

One takeaway - outlandish performances, whether on the road or in the sales office, may be thrilling to witness but may not be sustainable without some type of inappropriate help.

A better takeaway - it's a brand new day for the clean riders who were being left in the dirt by a cheater. Same is true for those of us who only ride for exercise but compete in our chosen vocations every working day of our lives.