Thisis a mail i got from Raoul Hello all. is it just me or are we all just a little fed up with having the greatest show on earth, our Tour de France, thwarted with scandal, lies and athletes who just don't get it. I say our Tour because the tour belongs to the people and the athletes. without people and spectators, the Tour is just another race. but it is watched and scrutinized over my millions of people live, as it unfolds, everyday, every year. its one of the few events of the year that people who don't know anything about cycling watch. its right up there with Wimbledon on this list. all the athletes signed a code do conduct before the start of the Tour. but really, did we think this was good enough? people lie all the time, in business, in love, in friendship. so why not lie about something which you might be able to avoid anyway. today we sit with Vino - blood doping. Rasmussen - lies about his whereabouts have cost him a yellow in Paris. Moreni - Testosterone. the list goes on. Don't athletes know about responsibility. but the definition of responsibility goes beyond that. its based on a set of ethics, and those who don't have it base their lives on rules. and I guess alot of pro cyclists are just trying to bend the rules, instead of living their lives on the basis of ethics. I know alot of you are feeling down about our sport, such a beautiful sport. I was explaining to my girlfriend yesterday (im guiding her through her first watching of my favorite reality show on TV I.e. le Tour) how pure cycling is. man on man, no hiding, no excuses. there is no TRY in cycling, there is DO and DON'T. full stop. and today I almost feel sad because I was saying Rasmussen deserved the Tour, he deserved yellow in Paris. but this is a man who lied to the UCI, his team manager and his team mates. this is not the kind of guy I want wearing the yellow jersey in Paris. but I still believe our sport is pure. the cream on the trifle is off, but there are so many layers to cycling. next time you are out riding with mates, go sit at the back of the group and just watch your mates. they are breathing hard, pushing themselves up the hills, telling each other stories, enjoying being out in the freezing cold at times because its still a pure thing cycling. there is something about coming around the last corner on Chappies into Noordhoek, when you catch that beach on a sunny day, the sea is blue... it always takes my breath away. never does it in a car, but when im coming down there at 60km/h on my bicycle, its priceless. until those moments disappear the dream and ideas we all have about riding will continue. we will still push each other up the climbs, still share jokes and conjure up strategies for taking over the world, well, maybe our own worlds, and continue to push the dream that riding your bike is the best thing out there, no matter how many of our heroes crumble, how many guys test positive, or how many lies there are. there are around 220 guys who ride the Tour. there are alot more of us and we wont let them spoil our fun. lets live the ethics of cycling, put the rules away, and go enjoy what is still the most pure thing most of us have in our lives. thanks for listening. Raoul de Jongh
