Just when you thought you had heard it all when it comes to drug and cycling, somebody throws in a new twist. And when the person is Missy "the Missle" Giove you have to expect that the new twist is not just a somersault; it is probably something on the order of a triple flip. You might remember that Missy was a huge force on the women's MTB downhill circuit in the 1990's winning the World Championships in 1994.

She's not in the news because of a comeback. She's not in the news because she tested positive for performance enhancing drugs(PED's). She is in the news because she was busted after hauling about 400 pounds of marijuana from the west coast to the east coast. It was not clear if the marijuana was for medical reasons or personal use.

Giove was reportedly to be paid $30,000 for transporting the marijuana cross country, but ran afoul of the law in New York and was arrested. If convicted she could face up to 40 years in jail which is significantly more serious than a two year suspension from competition.

Giove was a huge draw at MTB races, one of the first female superstars of the sport. During her halcyon days as a professional downhill racer, Giove was reportedly making upwards of $300,000/year. She still holds the record for most NORBA downhill wins by a female.

First Tiger Woods. Now Missy Giove. Parents, please be the role models for your kids. Don't make them rely on athletes for that purpose.

Bruce

I did a quick assessment and it looks like Santa knows that I have been "nice", as opposed to "naughty" so there is a real possibility that I might get a present or two under my tree come this Friday. Here are some of the items on my list.

-car drivers and cyclists find a way to get along. Things seem to be going downhill in the relationship between four wheel and two wheel drivers. I am hoping for some understanding on both sides of this issue. Car drivers need to show more tolerance for the slower, law-abiding cyclists and cyclists need to obey traffic laws. It is a two-way street.

-UCI adopts a rule that takes the time of a stage during a multi-day race with 1 kilometer to go. This will allow the GC contenders to be able to relax and not have to mix it up with field sprinters. This should lead to fewer crashes.

-if the UCI won't adopt my 1km rule, then at least stop taking time gaps at the finish of stages where the whole peloton crosses the 1km to go barrier intact. Again, the GC contenders shouldn't have to mix it up with the field sprinters in those hectic finishes as they do now.

-keep Lance healthy and fast for at least two more years. Yes, he gets a lot of press and attention, but that's exactly why we need to keep him in the sport and riding well. No single cyclists in the history of the sport in America has even come close to raising public awareness of our sport. Lance may not be your favorite rider, but a rising tide floats all boats and Lance is just about as strong as the moon when it comes to our seas in cycling.

-more mountain-top finishes in the Tour of California. Please don't let this race come down to the time trial as it has for the past four years. Let's force the strong teams to work and work hard to win this race. The fans deserve it.

-bike manufacturers need to find a way to make carbon fiber frames which will accept a full-size frame pump. Using CO2 cartridges is about as "un-green" as you can get and those silly little mini-pumps are really silly.

-have the folks who make the Bike Friday include a clown suit, free of charge, with every bike purchase. You might as well dress for the part. BTW, there are several good Real(TM) bike options (S&S and Ritchey BreakAway). No one should be forced to endure 20" wheels and more extensions than Brittany's hair just to ride a bike.

-have all the people who wear MP3 players when they ride turn down the volume enough so that they can actually communicate with their fellow cyclists when a greeting occurs on the road.

-a real playoff in college football. Think all cyclists have tunnel vision? Think again.

Bruce

Here are some more photos from the Team Radio Shack pre-season camp.

The boys coming back from their 100km training ride. Lance is leading the team with Levi to his left and Haimar Zubeldia on his right.

Chris Horner had a very up-and-down season in 2009. He showed signs of brilliance in the mountains during the Giro, but it seemed like everytime he was just about to hit his stride he went down in a crash. Here's hoping that he has much better luck in 2010 including a ride in the Tour de France.

The Trek-Livestrong U23 team was also training in Tucson at the same time as their professional big brothers. Taylor Phinney is the team leader of the squad. He won the U23 Paris-Roubaix and the World Championship in the 4000m pursuit in 2009 while he was still a teenager!

Jani Brajkovic is undoubtedly Slovenia's most talented cyclist. He had a breakthrough year in 2009, his best racing came at the Giro where he was very strong in the second and third weeks.

South African Daryl Impey is probably best know for being taken down in a sprint finish in the Tour of Turkey by Theo Bos. He is recovered and motivated to ride well.

Bruce

I have been ragging a bit as of late on Fixie Fever. To be honest, as long as you have a working front brake on your fixie and use it, I guess I can't get too negative. Riding a bike of any variety is way better than trying to wipe out your enemy on Halo 3.

This past weekend I did observe one notable benefit to Fixie Fever. It occurred on a bike ride in the San Francisco Bay Area. Compared to the rest of the country we have really mild weather in Northern California. You can pretty much cycle here year round which is why a lot of pros live and train here. But, every once and a while the weather does turn cold. Those of you living in the northeast, don't get out your violins just yet, if the weather is in the 40'sF we consider it downright frigid.

So, my friend Lindsay and I were headed out for a longer ride (90 miles for me) on Saturday when we hooked up with three-time Olympian and current Bissell Professional Cycling Team director Eric Wohlberg. Our mutual friend Yukie tagged along as well. The fifth member of our group was Vincent Juarez, who is a senior at Piedmont Hills High School.

Vincent is finishing up his first year as a bike racer. He won a bronze medal at the US National Track Championships and was top three in a number of road races in the always competitive NorCal cycling scene. Vince will the the first to tell you that he is not considered a climber. Well, not yet. His best performances this year were in flatter races and he really enjoys riding on the track.

Vince hung tough on a cold, NorCal day that included a lot of ups and downs for a total of 6000' of elevation gain. I never once heard him complain even though he was clearly out of his element. And better yet, he seemed really excited to be racing his bike. That's a very encouraging sign.

So, what does this all have to do with Fixie Fever. Well, it appears that Vincent was first attracted to riding a bicycle by getting a fixie to knock around the neighborhood. The fixie riding on the road led to riding a fixed gear bike on the track and ultimately to riding a geared bike on the road. Hopefully, this is a path that more young male and female riders will follow in the future. I was going to say every cloud has a silver lining, but I didn't.

Bruce

I wrote about this last year at this time, but this is a safety issue and definitely bears repeating. It is that time of year again when people are rushing all over town trying to max out their credit cards buying things they think their friends and loved ones want for Christmas. That means that our normally barely-safe roads are becoming much less safe and are bordering on downright dangerous.

That doesn't mean that we should all stop riding and let all the turkey and stuffing take over our bodies. What it does mean is that it is super-important that we all be extra careful and ride more defensively when cycling in heavily-populated areas especially around shopping malls.

One of the biggest problems I see this time of year are drivers who are in a huge hurry to get wherever they are going. This means that they fail to use their turn signals and often make right or left turns without really checking. Their quick glance might warn them of an approaching car, but cyclists may not be detected which means we could easily get hit.

Again, the key to surviving the holiday, besides laying off the eggnog, is to ride defensively. It is a good idea to just assume that car drivers can't see you. Heck, when the 30% off sale is looming large at Macy's the drivers are on a mission and that doesn't include looking out for cyclists.

So, you have been warned. Hopefully, you don't meet a car, up close and personal, these holidays. Unlike the car drivers, give yourself some extra time on your rides and be prepared to be a bit slower when you hit the urban areas on your route. It just makes good sense.

Bruce