Today Phonak announced that following the conclusion of this year’s pro-tour it would fold the Phonak team. This announcement came in light of the Landis doping scandal and the fact that their title sponsor for next year pulled out.
The comment from the article in VeloNews that stunned me the most is from the team owner, Andy Rihs. He states that, “As a passionate cycling fan, I am bitterly disappointed that the sport of cycling has apparently become a synonym for doping.” The fact that this statement came from the owner of a pro-team is disheartning. If even the people who struggle to make a team successful are convinenced that cycling is all about doping what will be of this sport in a few years.Equally important to consider is that if cycling is all about doping why are some many people getting into cycling for the first time? There is a crazy right now about cycling – and it is a good thing. Everyone says “this is bad for American cycling,” and I agree with that, but bicycle sales are skyrocketting and it seems there are more people riding past our house everyday.I guess I’m not really sure what my point is except the scandals suck, but I’m glad other poeple think riding their bikes is as fun as I do. I just wish I had time to ride mine more…
