Camp One

Sunday's Training Ride

Lance and the FDA

As I write this, I know that the government is exploring the possibility of legal action, of some sort, against, possibly, Lance Armstrong.  It is bizarre to me that the agency that might pursue this action is the Food and Drug Administration.   In principal, I get it.   In modern times, cheating often means ingesting drugs that enhance performance. 

In cycling, blood is a big deal.  If I could manipulate my otherwise pathetic blood so that my hematocrit jumped to, say, 49, the UCI limit, it would make a difference.  I would be like Thor, god of Thunder.  I would have “wind”, as they say.  I could actually win a race, methinks.

Lance Armstrong is accused of this.  To date, the government has not bothered to make public any of its intentions.  Troubling- the delicate balance between the necessity of confidentiality and the demand of public disclosure.  After all, the Food and Drug Administration is a public agency.  I always thought they tried their best to make our food safe.  Yet, people become sick and even die from contaminated food every year.  To my knowledge, the FDA does not plan to accuse Lance Armstrong of killing anyone.  Yet, without public disclosure of the government’s case, at this time, how do we know what the government is investigating or why?

Mind you, I am a lawyer.  I take sides.  I started to ride a bike because of Lance Armstrong.  Naturally, I am disinclined to be enthusiastic about the government’s case.  I used to be a government lawyer myself.  A U.S. Army reservist, I transferred from the infantry to the Judge Advocate’s General Corps when I was admitted to the bar.  I understand the ethics.  The government lawyer has a duty to the public.

Yet, Lance Armstrong is most likely being accused of sports fraud in France.  He was investigated for sports fraud in France by French prosecutors and the investigation dismissed for lack of credible evidence.   What is the proper venue to allege that an American committed a crime in a different country? 

To me, there is a question of standing.  Does the FDA have standing to charge Lance Armstrong with a crime?  In order for the FDA to move forward, it would seem that they would have to prove that Lance Armstrong committed a crime in the United States.  What is a crime exactly?  In this case, it is assumed that the FDA is looking at whether public funds were used to purchase performance enhancing drugs in a different country in order to improve performance for a race in a different country.  This seems weird to me.  The gist of the FDA’s case, then, must be that public funds were used to buy drugs. Yet, is it within the FDAs mandate to investigate the misuse of public funds? I thought the FDA had something to do with food or drugs. 

The connection that the FDA is trying to make has to do with the United States Postal Service. While Lance Armstrong dominated races in a completely different country, his team was sponsored by the United States Postal Service, a quasi-government agency. 

Benjamin Franklin, no less, established the first version of the U.S. Mail in 1775 and it is the only government agency mentioned in the US Constitution.  However, in 1971, it evolved into an independent agency under the Postal Reorganization Act.   As such, it is an independent establishment of the executive branch.  During the time Lance Armstrong raced his bike in a completely different country, the Postal Service did not directly receive any taxpayer dollars and had not since the early 1980s.

This begs two questions: (1) if the FDA has to prove public funds were used to buy drugs, does the FDA have a case when no taxpayer dollars were used to sponsor Lance Armstrong’s team?  (2) Even if there are complicated rules and monetary structures that satisfies the Judge on the first question, why the FDA?  Put differently, why does the FDA have a dog in this fight?  Shouldn’t it be the U.S.Postal Service that investigates and charges Lance Armstrong for defrauding the postal service?  The postal service has one of the oldest law enforcement agencies and has huge power to investigate fraud related to not only the delivery of mail but to its own operations.  If the postal service does not case, why does the FDA of all agencies?

Having been a government lawyer for a brief time, I can say that “politics” plays a bigger role in the public sector.  If the postal service does not think there is a case, why does the FDA? Ambition? 

What is ATP?

I read this today:  "[t]he ability to maintain prolonged exercise is dependent on the ability to match the rate of ATP supply to the rate of ATP utilisation. If this cannot be achieved then the rate of ATP use must fall and power output will decline."

I used to know what ATP was.  Not really.  But, it sounds familiar.  

Apparently, ATP is required for the biochemical reactions involved in any muscle contraction. As the work of the muscle increases, more and more ATP gets consumed and must be replaced in order for the muscle to keep moving. ATP is complex chemical compound that is formed with the energy released from food and is then stored in all cells, particularly muscles. Only from the energy released by the breakdown of this compound can the cells perform work.

Thus, without ATP, the muscles will not work.  There, direct and to the point.  

I then read that "training" increases the "availability of carbohydrate and lipid as substrate to meet cellular needs for ATP resynthesis."  (Why can't these guys speak English?)  I think this means that training leads to physiological adaptations that "make ATP last longer." I put that in quotes because it is my term of of art and should be in quotes.  

But, here is my question:  what adaptations?  What kind of training "makes ATP last longer?"  This time of year, I always ask:  does riding for hours and hours at zone 2 really maximize the type of adaptations that lead to efficient ATP synthesis? 

Meet The Team

Today was our annual Meet the Team ride.  It is a chance for local riders to ride with us and learn more about road racing.  Visit our team's website to learn more about our team and how to join. http://narrowsvelo.org/


The weather fooled us. I expected rain and we were met instead with glorious sunshine.  We all started out with arm warmers, full fingered gloves and vests.  That all stripped away as we rode.  


Out of Gig Harbor, we started the rollers, regrouping as we went along.  Easy pace that picked up to faux threshold pacelines on occasion. It is nice to ride for a change without feeling like you need to throw down.  I truly love September - rain or shine.  


Here are a few pictures.  

John Rodgers, our Prez addressing Congress

The Roll Out

The road, riding near Ollala.  Glorious!

Bellwether

The term "bellwether" comes from middle english.  Apparently the Middle Englanders placed a bell around the neck of a castrated Ram.  A castrated Ram is a "wether." The flock of sheep would follow the bell toting eunech by listening to the bell ring.  In modern usage, bellwether is any presage of a future event. 


I read today that the French Anti-doping Agency will cooperate with the USDA's investigation of the former U.S. Postal Cycling Team and Lance Armstrong by providing, if asked, Lance's 1999 blood samples.  I think I hear a bell ringing.  

When a Rider Runs

I am training for the Portland Marathon to be held on October 10th.  Why couldn't Phidippides have passed out and died after 18 miles?!  26.2 is a long, long way on foot.  The amazing thing is that the real Phidippides only died after 26.2 miles because he had run to Sparta and back (from Athens) just before his historic run from Marathon battlefield to Athens.  The distance to Sparta is 140 miles!  Think about that.  The dude runs 280 miles, then 26.2.  Thank god they DO NOT have running races called "Spartas".  No doubt there are people who would run it. 


As for me, I am up to 15 miles but strained my hamstring.  I heard that 25% of people who sign up for Marathons do not show up for race day due to injuries related to training. I believe that!  I might be one of the 25%. 


I am offended by the price tag.  Bike races are cheap.  $25.00 bucks lets you suffer in a pack of animals.  The Portland marathon is $130.00 dollars.  Of course, they actually hand out water and gatorade.  There are also people taking pictures of you on the course and there are medical tents and massages available after the race. At bike races, the rednecks just throw beer cans at us.  You get what you pay for.