So, for any of you tempted to sign onto the “grassroots” LetLeviRide.com petition, I’ll point out that the domain is owned by Trek Bicycles, Inc. You “sign” the petition with only your e-mail address. Of course, nothing on the site indicates that Trek owns it or states what will be done with your email address. But I would be shocked – shocked, I tell you – if it resulted in the biggest email marketing list that Trek has ever compiled.
Nice stealth marketing move, Trek.
(For my non-pro-cycling-interested readers. I first tried to write up a bit of background on this, so it would make some sense. Given that the controversy itself makes no sense, however, I’ll just leave it at offering up this link, which should take you down the rabbit hole that pro cycling has become.)
Beth
Yikes. I never sign email petitions (and I kind of hate Leipheimer) but thanks for the heads up anyway.
Jeremy and I were lamenting the really terrible weather in the Tour of California this year, but also noting that if the European race organizers continue to make the whole sport stupid year after year, maybe the Tour of California could be moved to the summer. Then they could ride the Sierras (who needs the Alpe d’Huez if you can ride the old Donner Pass?) and Yosemite and all the places that are likely to be snowbound in February. It would be a phenomenal tour if they could only take advantage of all of California’s landscape rather than just the coast and Central Valley.
MB
I think that would, indeed, be a great race. But I don’t, for better or worse, think the US will be displacing the TdF or the Vuelta any time soon.
That said, I’d love to see the ToC muscle its way into the premiere early season slot, perhaps pushing off a few of the classics a couple/few weeks. I’d be quite happy to see it replace the Het Volk as the start of the real season.
NoTourForLevi@mailinator.com
I hat Levi too. I’d rather see Rock Racing up in therr. Anywho – for you chucklebutts you could always sign in the email as [anything you want]@mailinator.com. Mailinator.com is a temp email site that lets you make up anything you want as an email…then go there and type that in and receive your email. Say you want to open a youtube account so you can talk shit in the comment section, but you gotta register, so you buzz through it with fake shit that don’t matter, that you don’t need to remember, then they try to trap you with the email line where they send an email to your inbox, that you must go to to confirm and activate account. Welp, there’s where you type NoTourForLevi@mailinator.com…don’tbelieve me try it for yourself.
NoTourForLevi@mailinator.com
oops –
NoTourForLevi@mailinator.com
Let ’em know how you really feel.