People are entitled to launch their own new conception of the sport. The only crime is acting like it's going to work.

Hunter Thompson, who was a great writer in his lucid years (1972-sometime later in 1972), wrote a great essay about his effort to draft some local freak into running for mayor of Aspen. While they were serious, he compared his campaign to a few others which were really just symbolic campaigns meant to give the candidate a microphone to lash out at society in horrible ways. This he calls the Magic Christian strategy, based on a completely bizarre book by Terry Southern, a completely bizarre person (if his writing is any hint). The strategy involves drawing people's attention by doing something that outwardly looks familiar and conventional... running for office, or forming a new bike team. Once you've got their attention, you unleash a systematic and rude assault on the nervous system of whoever is paying attention... somehow that accomplishes a goal of some sort, presumably an experiment on the public (a verbal c&^k-punching?), or catharsis for the actor. The most famous example is Norman Mailer's run for mayor of New York, though Thompson listed some other now-obscure examples.

The point is, maybe this is a Magic Christian gambit, meant to unnerve people in the sport more than, say, winning bike races. If it is, well, I know I should say something responsible about not messing with the sport, but frankly there are too many people who deserve to be messed with.

if you actually shell out $300.00 for a pair of jeans.

As far a a team goes, just because the owner has a big mouth, why hate on the team and the riders.

If he rails against the UCI and WADA, so be it. After the Ivan Mayo imbroglio, it really shows that they will go to great lengths to ensure their positives remain positive.

If Rock Racing intent is to go to the Tour someday, that means biological passports will have to be issued to his riders.

What more can one do?

his preaching can get a bit heavy.

But remember he didn't confess until the French cops found ampules in his house.

Up until then, what was it he termed his accusers? Nutters?

Buck 'em.  

My only "exposure" to RR was at the Hanes Park Crit in WS this summer and the vibe I got from them was decidedly creepy.  Possibly just because their kit is really ugly.

When I heard they were picking up Tyler, well the smell got stronger.  This thread came along and I decided to go check out their web site to see what they had to say for themselves. http://www.rockracing.com/api/Index.cfm/cms.page/i/396/site/cycling/t/Cycling-Race-Team/

I am not impressed by what I found.  To wit: "Michael Ball, CEO and Head Designer of Rock & Republic, channels his energy and passion for racing, fashion and living on the edge by creating  new ideas."  Ok, we're suppose to now equate over prices jeans with the passion of bike racing.  Jeans!!!?  Give me a break.  Smells like cheap marketing and it gets better.

"The sponsorship integrates the Rock & Republic aesthetic into cycling; creating stylized uniforms for various races and bringing high-end fashion with an adventurous flair to the cycling tour."  Huh?  If I get this right, THEY are helping us out by bringing these gaudy kits around.  I would point out the "high-end fashion" is not a real thing... not like "high-end bikes" or "high-end technology".  It's just "fashion" with a stupid adverb in front of it.  Fashion is a process, a way, not a "thing" in itself.  It's just BS.

From there they go onto spew about their Caddy Escalades, blah, blah, blah... Sounds to me like they are trying to attracts gang-bangers of all stripes.

In the end, I'm reminded of Bill Moyers recent rip on the similarities between the MLB scandals and the recent economic malfeasances of our Country/Culture.  http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/12/22/bill-moyers-journal-america-on-steroids/

It's simply another attempt to elevate style over substance... Sound familiar?

I saw more Toyota-United hotties with cowbells. I don't think I saw any from RR.

Although the nice team-lady gave me two bottles when I asked for one!

I like skulls and skeletons. I like their kits, but then I also like Astana's blue kit and Slipstream's white and Argyle.