Speed at the Beach (Photoblog Post #3)

The longest running bicycle race in southern California is the Manhattan Beach Gran Prix. Warm sunshine and cool ocean breezes make this one of the best attended races (racers and spectators) in the United States.

This year the racers behaved themselves better as the grinding of metal, carbon fiber, and bodies on asphalt was kept to a minimum. No one was able to break away in any of the races so the lycra-clad gladiators (and gladiatresses?) jockeyed for position in the last 300 meters between turn 4 and the finish line.

The big race of the day, the professional men, came down to who could lay down the most wattage after 1-1/2 hours at 30 MPH. Toyota United ruled the day.

I Don't Want to Believe This

Something is just plain wrong and I'm not sure which side of the story is fallible. Is it Floyd Landis, the modest, boy-next-door (assuming you are a Mennonite) who somehow suffered a personal failing by doing something unnatural and illegal to raise his testosterone level?

Or is it the drug testers who failed in their ability to design or perform tests that really root out the dopers?

Like Sports Illustrated writer, Austin Murphy, I want to believe that Floyd did not cheat. If he did, then I believe he should have his Tour de France victory taken away.

However, what irritates me the most is the rush to judgment by those who know little about sports, medicine, or science that Floyd is guilty based on the results of his A-sample urine test. What if the B-sample is negative? Will they eat their words (or the electrons that form their cyber-sentences)?

A couple of good articles have come out on some of the science behind Floyd's test result. First cyclingnews.com has an article, Floyd Landis positive: Was it the beer?

The other is Testosterone 101 on velonews.com:

Andrew Pipe, a physician and medical and scientific adviser to the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports in Ottawa, says that synthetic testosterone is normally injected, but taking it in the middle of an athletic competition would have little effect in boosting performance.

"Anabolic steroids, of which testosterone is the granddaddy, can have a central nervous system effect," he said. "But anabolic steroids largely work by increasing the capacity for training and increasing the bulk and tolerance of muscles. That isn't going to happen in a few hours.

"The effect of the testosterone is not going to be experienced unless there's a very significant training endeavor associated with it as well."

I been actively involved in this sport as an amateur bicycle racer for over 30 years. I am not naive enough to think that Floyd wouldn't possibly use drugs, but this scenario does not make sense. Let's see what the B-sample shows.

Last, as in a previous entry, we need to do something to reduce the incentives to dope rather than increase the disincentives. Another velonews.com article, Developing the picture: A suggested mechanism for dealing with doping in sport, has some interesting thoughts on this topic.

Toyota sales shake up Big Three

The "big three" auto manufacturers have been studying Toyota and the Toyota Production System since the early 1990s. They have had 15 years to either do as well as Toyota or to figure out how to do better than Toyota and, unfortunately, neither has happened.

Once again the "experts" who get quoted in the media (money.cnn.com, May 3, 2006) think that Toyota has some kind of secret weapon or crystal ball:

"I don't think it's temporary," said Dave Lucas, vice president at the auto sales tracking firm Autodata. "Toyota at this point just has the product lineup and continues to pump out the volume."

Part of Toyota's strength, according to Lucas, is having a line of vehicles that boast fuel efficiency, such as the Toyota Camry and the hybrid Prius, at a time when gasoline prices are flirting with record levels.

"Toyota seems to have the product available when people want them," said Lucas.

American business leaders, automotive and other industries, need to wake up and start thinking systemically. They need to start understanding why the corporate culture of Toyota is the true competitive advantage that will make Toyota a leader in whatever industry they choose.

The Smell of Burning Hydrocarbons (Photoblog Post #2)

One of my vices is my passion for motorsports. It's a passion that I largely satisfy in front of the tube, satiated only by the exhaust cacophony emanating from my surround-sound system. However, my inability to frequent the race track only heightens my experience during my rare visits. My body vibrates and the part of my brain connected to my olfactory nerves relishes in the fumes of dead dinosaurs.

I found a solitary spot on the circuit (that was flooded with humanity) where one could see the cars above the protective fencing. Clear shots of the cars as they enter the turn, braking hard, then, under full throttle, accelerating down the long back straight. Fun at the Long Beach Grand Prix.