Let Levi Cry
I have just officially visited every blog on the internet. About two months ago, I was asked to be a speaker in church this upcoming Sunday. I set aside tonight to prepare some thoughts to share, and hence, the reason why I just spent the evening link hopping to just about every blog on the inter
net instead. I am very far from being enlightened on any spiritual matters, but I have formed a new VERY IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVE on the ordeal with Levi Lepheimer and team Astana being banned from the 2008 Tour de France.
I signed the Let Levi Ride petition just a couple of weeks ago. But now that I have wasted away my evening visiting pointless websites, I've found that my thinking actually falls more in the Let Levi Cry camp. Not that I'm not a fan of Levi. I was stoked for his 2nd win of the Tour of California. And not that the decision to keep Astana and Levi 
out of the Tour wasn't perhaps arbitrary (at best), or unfair and biased. But seriously, people need to get over themselves. This victim mentality just rots people away. Last year it was the Floyd Fairness Fund, now it's the Let Levi Ride campaign. Was Floyd Landis any better off after spending all that time in court, making a big ruckus and campaign, and writing a book and holding fund-raiser events about how he was wronged? What if everyone created a global campaign every time they were somehow treated unfairly? Is this really helping to advance any systems of justice, or just more people whining and wallowing in their victimhood? I'm curious what other cycling fans think.
I sort of see it both ways.
Versii's Campaign
11 months ago
Interesting. If you were on the Astana team, what would you do?
Well, I just read that supposedly it is Trek behind the Let Levi Ride campaign. So I guess if it is actually some corporate sponsor that is doing all the leg work, and I was that rider, why not let them. But I still think whoever thought of the Let Levi Cry website is hilarious and also makes a valid point. If I wasn't invited to a party (hard to imagine, but try) I would find something else to do - not cry myself into an invitation. And that's what it is. The race organizers can invite whomever they please - however biased they want to be. I guess the hope of this campaign is to make them run things more fairly and effectively...but that's a pretty tall order with this organization.
I actually agree with ASO banning Astana. Well, not actually agree but more like understand. What kills me is that they are not applying their rules consistently, ie inviting teams like Cofidis, High Road, and Rabbobank that marred the good name of the Tour just as much as Astana last year. I won't elaborate here but if you want to hear my reasoning, I'll explain next time I see you.
So is this post about Levi's riding up people's cracks or something? There's a website about how people are upset about the "murf"? Hmmm. I'd like to sign that petition.
Aside from the immediate issue, I think it is a hopeful sign that people are passionate enough about an issue to raise a stink. Sometimes I feel like the westernized world is getting too complacent. Maybe this sentiment will transfer to issues that really matter.
Roid Flandis sends his regrets to the entire Astana team.