DISABILITY IS NOT A CRIME

Wheel less in Sestriere i arrived at the Lago L Hotel last saturday and saw in the foyer a sign for the 2011 para event in Sestriere with this message !

Over the years i have passed this "Bon Mot" to many people :

  Disability is not a Word , It is not a sentence , IT IS A CHALLENGING WAY OF LIFE !

 Sometimes i add "Don't join by accident "!

 

  January past brought many Para Athletes to the Ski Championships in Sestriere . The Hotel was specifically built incorporating all the facilities required by "wheelchair bound" and other "disabled people". Should you be aware of others please advise because it is time more facilities are "Disabled User Friendly" !

 

 

RIPPED OFF

Nobody likes being ripped off , but it happens! After visiting Bruno , my mate in Cloz on the way home from the Giro Trentino i noticed my Car's temperature was moving up so stopped , and saw the Oil Dipstick was a little low , so stopped at the Repsol Filling station to buy a Litre of Oil !

"Basket "charged me Euro15 for the litre and E10 for the petrol , i got a receipt and said nothing since i would find out from Bruno if he knew this guy . Today Bruno told me the history of this Wanker . Seems the Grandfather immigrated to the USA but at 20yo the son returned to Italy and now his son runs this Repsol Service Station .

Bruno was of course furious as 2 litres of Oil costs Euro 8 at the Supermarket !  I suggested that he tell the guy that on giving The "Italian Disabled Ski Team" a donation of Euro25 i will take down this post . To make sure everything was correct i called in at the Service station and found that the guy has a computer and showed him this Blog . Told him to refresh the page at 1800hrs today to see this report !

OK i am running a little late , BUT here is the thing that counts , he told me that he can charge what he likes AND if I and Bruno don't like this , to BUY ELSEWHERE !  Bruno has no computer but another customer who is an Organic Farmer does , and speaks English as he has clients from All Over the world and so acted as an interpreter . SO the service station operator has no excuses for any "misunderstandings"!

Give the "Italian Disabled Ski Team" Euro25 and i will remove the post BUT refuse and YOUR neighbours and all the world will KNOW how they are being OVERCHARGED for their Engine Oil ! You confirmed to Luis ( organic farmer ) that the Oil Container came from you and that YOU CHARGE 15 euros for a litre of car oil , SO NO EXCUSES !  This report is also going on the "Friends of Italian Disabled Skiers" Facebook site !

 

 

WHEEL Less in Sestriere

Murphy has been busy today !

Arrived in Pinerolo to ride the last part of the day's etappe to find the front wheel is still outside the appartment in Torino . Asked Ricardo if he had a lock for his new bike as thieves will be about today and advised him to always keep the bike in front of him for safety and I go and leave the front wheel on the street , long gone by now even if someone could have found it two minutes after our departure .

Since Ricardo was with friends i have left them to continue the day and hitched with two rides into Sestriere where i hope to connect with someone able to lend ua wheel of any sort until tomorrow in Milan .

SIDI shoes are so comfortable i hardly know they are there , thanks to my friends at SIDI even if i spend the day afoot i will be OK .

Spotted Jack the Aussie with the black Volvo estate parked up in ther last two km so may go chat with him to pass the time . The climb to Sestriere i did on the Wednesday before the start of the Giro but have also done it many times whilst at the 2006 Olympic & Paralympic to stay fit as Skiing for me is so easy and provides such little exercise .

Amused to bump into that Tour Operator that i found watching TV last saturday , seems they stayed in the luxury hotel here , must have made a killing to be able to pay the freight . Wanted to know why i was only carrying one wheel but i guess they read the blog and don't carry wheels for their guests .

Lousy timing really as i sent the spare wheels home tuesday since i have had no punctures with the Conti tyres and thought they would be redundant for this week as there is more than enough thread left to see out the Giro . Great tyres , great wear and little maintainance required .

Why was i in Torino you may ask ? Fact is since meeting Ricardo in 2005 on the ride from Sestriere to Torino , we have had little chance to ride together even though he has given me accomodation on so many occasions . Thought this was a great day to catch up . but as i said Murphy's law applies .

Using the Sports shop computer since they only use mountain bikes here . Thanks guys !

Serendipidy or What

D.G. of Giro provided my lunch today ! Passing me a km earler on the Passo Tonale his car pulled over for their picnic lunch , only thing missing was the wine . Tuesday night the Major of Belluno told me that i was "not riding the route of the Giro " according to the RCS sources ! Riding the Tonale today demonstrated to the contrary . Reminded me of that prat of a press officer with the TDS who said i spent all my time eating in the Press room at the Giro and then refused me accreditation at the TDS and spent a good hour on the Saturday sitting in his merc as i pedalledc up the HC climb that day ! Ok i am not riding as fast as i would like since i am on the Meds from the Feb reoccurence of the Embulisms BUT i am riding and not sitting in a car like others that i come across ! Heardf that the Bloke with the tin can on wheels with the dutch plate has been poising the well . Seems he can turn a pedal for a few metres , pity he hasn't the guts to put his mouth on the line . More follows including Visconti getting disqualified !

Belluno ! Rest day?

Posted today's action and rendevous's on the ITT !

Slogging begins !

ins Flat stages are done and the sprinters are going home ! Cav 's 2 victories are enough for him . Petacci has the sprinter's shirt so will he stick around ?

For me this season will be approached more cautiously as i have good feeling in the legs on the flat hitting over 45kph presents little difficulty but going up hill will b a question of how high i raise the heart rate !

With 2 bouts of embolisms behind me i think bein a hero is not on the cards so those who wish to race me FORGET IT ! My tempo will be a steady pace that does not requre heavy breathing or perspiration so you can wait for me at the top to see if you can escend at my pace .

Listed below are the contents of the curt blogs :

Tourdafarce.blogspot     :  Doping in Sport

Skippyblogging.blogspot :  Giro reading

Skippi-cyclist.blogspot    :  SIDI shoes 

Tourdafrance.blogspot    :   Wouter

SkippyAus.blogspot       :   Giro 2011 musings

Parrabuddy.blogspot      :    Handbike Giro d'Italia

Mountains are notoriously short on facilities so i hope these items  keep you engrossed whilst i seek access to add more colour  to h Giro in the next stages .

 

 

 

 

Giro Reading

World full of conspiracies whilst i ride the routes of the Giro ! Checkout some of the following for yourself :

Micheal Moore has a whole set of books i have enjoyed reading and this blog item on his latest thoughts has provoked more comments

Cyclocosm has just posted an item to which i have commented .

CyclingNews Forum has a new thread going to which i have contributed a comment .

Intrepid Report has a whole load of news stories some of which i have read

Of course i have been also been reading the blog posts from my Reading lists that you find on "About me" including "Dug" which is full of toilet jokes/humour that i cannot find the blogger trigger to "delete" from the list . Anyone with the knowhow please advise .

Another favourite occupation is participating in the feeding at the various Depart villages enroute on the Giro as demonstrated by the photo :

DOPING IN SPORT

Bonds, Ramirez, Armstrong, Clemens Just Tip of Sports Drugs Iceberg  was an itemi found whilst Trawling the Internet the link to the article is <a href="http://m.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bonds-ramirez-armstrong-clemens-just-tip-of-sports-drugs-iceberg-says-ex-white-house-drug-spokesman-robert-weiner-120568759.html">here</a> !

The full lecture material <a href="http://www.weinerpublic.com/20110421.doc">link is here </a>.

Points that i took away from the brief appraisal are :

"Olympic surveys taken at the 2000 and 2004 Games show that a majority of athletes would rather get an Olympic Gold medal than be alive in five years, according to Runners World. 

"The $200 to $400 a test are pennies to the billions-of dollars Olympics, major professional sports, and even major college sports.  Cost aside, there is NO practical test yet for HGH, even though the labs are close.  Under Olympic rules, samples can be saved for two Olympiads (8 years)—largely thanks to former U.S. Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey's insistence on retroactivity.  This allows punishment for past cheating if the science improves.  But why not save samples for as long as the substance holds, given how law enforcement now uses DNA from decades ago in solving crimes?

"Drug busts do not mean the Olympics are dirty — they mean the Games are being kept clean. Frank Shorter, the Olympic Marathon Champion who headed up the US Anti-Doping Agency, told me that the big three drugs that athletes need to be tested for are steroids, EPO, and HGH.  The Olympics also say 'or related substances' -- a catch-all that makes busted athletes unhappy who want to say their drug 'wasn't on the list'. 

 "However, because of HGH, TUE's, new designer steroids, masking agents, and especially because of the still remaining culture of protection, we have a lot of work to do, in the Olympics and professional sports, to make sports clean and keep our youth safe."

Then i happened on a CNF thread that relates to lowr levels of competition :

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=13273

Windless Breeze has disclosed few details of his persona so one wonders what interest he has in raising tis troubling subject .

One thing is clear to me andthat s that once an aspirig athlete reaches a certain level of competition their National Authority should do a comprehenive health benchmark test on them so that there are criteria to refer back to as they pogress in their career . Will this solve the "Doping Problem " i doubt it but it may deter if not delay consideration of drug assisted compeition

Giro d'Italia 2011

Giro d'Italia has brought me to Torino ! Follow my stories the next weeks on  www.tourdafrance.blogspot.com . Starting with an interview with Sergio the Major of Torino there could be an entertaining time as i ride my 13th Giro .