Why do you hate America?

Good for Matt!

Tyler is a super cool guy and knows his shit. Matt is smart to take him on as a coach.

See you at KK's!

We have to wait till Sept 6th??? That is almost 1/2 a year away.
You do know it is for the Olympic distance and not the Sprint right?

I assume it is a pancake flat course since it is downtown Austin


http://www.theaustintriathlon.com/

wow you guys are quick... been waiting for you guys on the forum to grab this.

Have I lost my mind???? let's see.... uhm no.

I have been running with runners the last 2 years and have seen a big jump in my running. I have been riding with cyclists for years and it seems to work. Kelly my coach and I have decided that Tyler's background in time trialing both 40km and 200km and his knowledge of crit racing is exactly the type of knowledge I need at this point in my career. Kelly is still my overall coach, and is writing the program with me. Tyler is assisting with cycling workouts. and I must say the last 4 weeks I have done some amazing workouts. Things that I have not done before. I am learning to use wattage more and more accurately. Tyler is a great benefit to me, to kelly and to my program. I greatly look forward to working with him for the next phase of my career.

I know the rumors. I know the stories- the faxes, the finger pointing, the twin lines, and the tugboat stories. I know it all. I also know that I have been friends with tyler for a long time and ridden with him in many phases of both our careers. I know that I am responsible for every action I make. I am not bullied around. (well except by my wife a bit, but hey we all do it :-) ) I am in control of my own career, and my job as a professional triathlete. I am a smart man and make decisions for myself. So dont worry slow twitch forum... all is good. really good and really fit and really fast.

This should give you guys something to gossip about and lay down the "i am not american" or "i cant run with the runners" threads. :-)

BIG MATTY REED, who is sitting in his normatec boots cause his legs are chilling from some good riding- OUT

Sergio,

His second doping suspension was for a non-performance enhancing anti-depressant type drug...which considering the miserable situation TH has lived in for years is hardly something worthy of an 8 year ban. WADA is a very vindictive organisation it seems. Just my thoughts...

I also think his final suspension a few years back was in the 'watch what you put in your body category' with
some health supplements and never seemed to be part of a PED program . Tyler owned up to it and that was that.

Matty, If you are doing this because he is your friend that speaks well of you as a person, but I am very surprised you hired him.

The problem with Tyler are not the rumors, nor the stories, nor the faxes nor the finger pointing, nor the twin lines, nor the tugboat stories, the problem is that the World Anti-Doping Agency imposed an eight-year suspension on him as punishment for second doping positive offense.

I guess most of us respect your decision, but be aware that hiring a doper is not good for your image. It is obvious that he needs help, and all that consider him a friend should help him, but there are other ways to help him without making him part of your sporting career.

I can imagine what some people at the WADA are thinking.

Sergio

I have two possible run coaches for you - OJ Simpson or Ben Johnson.

Riis is DS for a
Pro Tour team...

...more power to him.

I don't care that Tiger cheats on his wife. I don't care who's gay.

I could go to GNC right now and buy DHEA if I felt like it.

They couldn't tell you why you why 5x10min @ threshold and 3x15 min @ threshold are different workouts and why or why not you might do one.

Mattbone, ha ha! on the position. yes i am working on that position thing. you know me though. I will get to a position i can ride 180km in and still run fast off the bike. I am also taking the D6 to the wind tunnel later this year.

BIG MATTY REED- who is not going down the wrong path or anything.

I don't condone it either, but where do you draw the line? David Millar, Ivan Basso, Valverde, Flandis, Rasmussen, even Nina Kraft, all served bans & are now more or less accepted back in their sports... Bjarne Riis admitted it and he runs CSC, Eric Zabel admitted it and he's a major part of tutoring Cav at Columbia HTC. David Millar was even applauded when he didn't argue his suspension and now he's spoken of in reverence by the cycling media! After he got caught with the bottles in his possession!

So while i certainly don't think doping is good/right/moral, in my opinion I dont think anyone should knock Matt Reed for getting advice from someone who is a darn good cyclist, who got busted on his second offense for using anti-depressants if i remember correctly. WADA didn't ban Tyler from coaching anyone, as far as i know.

I don't think it's particularly good that either of those people are back in their sports again. In the case of pro cycling I think it should be up to the sponsors etc to put pressure on the teams to not hire people with that background. If you screw up that much in a lot of real jobs out there you're f****d in that line of work in the future and have to find something else to do. I don't know why it should be different in sports but I guess it has mostly to do with the culture in this industry which seems more forgiving than some others. Anyway, making a living of sports should be more of a privilege than a right imo.

Regarding Matt I'm very sure he's doing things rightly no matter who he works with, but like with Lance using dr Ferrari as a trainer I just don't personally see the gain in an association like that which potentially could create some bad pr. I hardly think there are any magic workouts that they have that you can't get with someone else with better reputation. So I guess I just don't understand why not work with someone less controversial and project a better image towards the public and sponsors.

Yes indeed: http://www.rev3tri.com/...s/cedarPoint2010.htm

Matty,

What does Tyler have, that all of the other established, qualified, coaches in your area do not?

For one, I know that Frank Overton is in Boulder, has forgotten more about training with power/wattage/wko+ etc. than most people will ever know, has trained top time trialists and criterium riders, and is one of the more esteemed, established coaches in the U.S.

There's also Neal Henderson, he seems to be doing ok coaching cyclists as well (Taylor Phinney).

Why not work with someone reputable, accomplished, and established at meeting your needs? Cheating issues aside, I think it's fairly hard to argue that Tyler will necessarily know more about COACHING than the options that surround you by living in boulder.

You can insist you are clean from now until forever. Aligning yourself with a cheat who's been caught multiple times will cast a shadow of doubt for many of us, regardless of your reassurance.

I was never at a level of anything to where taking a PED made any sense because "the risk" wouldn't have gained me any significant "rewards."

Bjorn won't be racing because I plan on organizing a poker game the night before the race and will likely win his bike. :)
you in Jordan?

why do I want to try to win Bjorn's bike? I have a bike... ;)

why do I want to try to win Bjorn's bike? I have a bike... ;)

Maybe you want something faster? :-p

Matty, if your PR advisors have analyzed this professional move and figured that on the balance it's a good choice that makes your "product better and revenue potential even better" then you certainly have to go with that.

I obviously wish you well from a racing and revenue maximization perspective. I would have personally advised to steer clear if I was on that PR team, but that's just peanut gallery commentary from this side and as a fan of Matty Reed, I hope I am 100% wrong despite some of the harsh views on this thread (as a market sampling).

Just a thought here but I'm a recovering alchoholic and addict with 7 years clean and sober.

We should have a cold one over this.

I'd have a cold "lemonade" with you to debate.

Is a doped cyclist banned from coaching a triathlete?

Is a doped cyclist banned from coaching a triathlete?

If not, I'm not sure how this really is compareable to a Dr. being banned for malpractice (if that is the laws regarding being booted from the dr. profession) because it's not really comparable due to the rules.

Now you may not like that TH is coaching anyone, or that Matty Reed is taking on TH, but unless Matt Reed is breaking some governing body law by taking on TH as a coach, there really isnt anything wrong with this other than people just not liking it or now haivng a negative thougths toward Matt because of this association.

It has nothing to do with being banned. Heres how the conversation is going to go between some people.

Some one will get wind of it and tell their friends that are triathletes and they will go oh who's tyler hamilton. The person will explain it to them. THen those people who don't know the whole situation will go tell other triathletes you know Reed is being coached by a former drug user on the tour blah blah blah. It will spread around probably sounding worse than it really is because thats how people talk about things.

So no it has nothing to do with tyler not being allowed to coach him, it has everything to do with how people will react to and construe the story. It will get to a point in peoples conversations where the only person people think is coaching him is Tyler and that could have a negative affect on his brand.

Purely because its not what is actually happening its what people perceive is happening.

4 X 100 yds ?

Styrrell

Tyler is a great guy, and I consider him a personal friend. I hope he continues to add to his roster of clients. He has a lot to offer at all levels.

My best to him

Matty, if your PR advisors have analyzed this professional move and figured that on the balance it's a good choice that makes your "product better and revenue potential even better" then you certainly have to go with that.

I obviously wish you well from a racing and revenue maximization perspective. I would have personally advised to steer clear if I was on that PR team, but that's just peanut gallery commentary from this side and as a fan of Matty Reed, I hope I am 100% wrong despite some of the harsh views on this thread (as a market sampling).

Here as fans of triathlon we have a unique perspective. We are not only able to make commentary on the sports superstars, but also have them respond to our thought, so for that I think we are all super lucky.

I think one of the issues that I think is being show is that Matt Reed doesnt believe this to be that big of a deal.

That's my issue with this too. Not only does he not think it's a big deal, his Twitter posts seem to indicate he thought this was something people would be impressed by. He is a professsional athlete with a public profile, I just can't believe how badly he misjudged this. Had he come out and said, "Tyler is a friend of mine, I know his sporting career was surrounded by controversy, but now he is working with me in a new stage of his life. I respect the idea that some might not like this, but I feel comfortable working with Tyler at this time."

But no, he seemed completely ignorant to the fact that people might be upset by this, and is basically telling those who find a problem with this to "get over it" and "move on".

I do not look forward to the conversation when they ask me why Matty hired a guys found guilty of using PEDS. And at 6 & 9, they do know who Matty, Andy and Jordan are and think more of them than they do of Jeter, Tiger, Big Ben or A-rod FWIW.

In most companies, we look at how to make better products and we also look at how to market and sell products.

I believe hiring Tyler for his cycling expertise helps Team Reed build a better/faster product that can perform better.

I'm not so sure that the association with Tyler is a great marketing move. The question is whether the "better product" is so much better that it outweighs the marketing perception disadvantage. This is not even a question that Matty Reed can answer. This is only a question that the market will answer in time.

For the moment, if you sample this thread, the respones fall into one camp or the other. Some posters think that Tyler makes Matty a better performing product. Others see the association as being negative in the perception/PR/marketing side.

I tend to fall in the latter camp. From a technical perspective, no doubt, Tyler can impart a lot of technical knowledge (just pure cycling, not doping) and perhaps make Matty a better racer. But I'd say the negative association is a bad marketing move for the overall "business". I really hope I am wrong as I am a fan of Matty and love the way he races and puts it "all out there".

First off, i can not believe the amount of response this has generated. i guess i should feel blessed that this many people have concern over me and over our sport.

i am a bit overwhelmed by the questions/insults/disappointment/kuddos/etc. and i am going to just have to ramble on a bit i think to get all i want/need to say out. I hope it comes across the way i mean it to.

I do not condone doping. If you know me at all, you know a forum poster saying i do support cheating of any kind is so not true. this last statement, as well as many others, has caused me the need to write in again. I have not switched programs. i have not jumped ship and am now sailing on another boat. I guess that is why i said in a previous post that I didnt see this as a big deal and that i felt it was being overanalyzed. I work with many coaches and many advisors. i pick the brains of every endurance specialist i can. as does kelly. at the end of the day, kelly coaches me and i have my long time advisor Brett Sutton.

I guess maybe it- twitter post and such- all came across too "formal" for some and too brash. I understand that. I guess I should not twittered a short statement like that. and should have written more. it is twitter though -140 characters. I know there is controversay around tyler. I have lived in the same town as him for 8 years so i know. I also know that i will be judged a bit by talking with tyler about riding on two wheels. But as a person and a professional athlete, I know that it is okay to talk to be people who have been where i am and learn from them. from their good ideas and from their mistakes.

i really think if you lived in my shoes, you would have seen and validated my comment of this was being way over analzyed. Maybe i did not give you guys info or maybe some of it came across incorrectly or maybe some of you have strong judgements or feelings. I guess i share a bit of myself with the world, and i enjoy doing it, but this time, i feel some are over thinking what i am doing. if some of you feel that strongly against what i am doing by talking to tyler for some training as he is starting a new chapter in his life, i am sorry you feel that way. if i came across in my earlier post as "get over it" or "move on" i am sorry. it is your right to have your opinion and i respect that. I do want you to see my thoughts too though.

over the last few years i have worked with and picked the brains of nearly every running coach, athlete and protegee i could find. i listened to what people said, i did some workouts they suggested and at the end of the day kelly and i found a method that worked for me from all those people's workouts, training etc.
i wanted to do the same thing this year with cycling. i wanted to talk to the people i knew, the cycling boys that live in boulder and the coaches that live here. i guess i felt i wanted to see what some of the experienced cycling minds thought on bringing cycling specific stuff into my coach and my yearly plan and routine. that is what i am doing and what i will continue to do. i do not see how you guys can be so harsh to me about throwing away my marketability when it is my job to race fast and race clean. i have always done that and will continue to do so. I rack the brain weekly of neal henderson. he knows his stuff. the guy is downright brillant when it comes to periodization and cycling. neal and boulder center for sports med is a vital tool to me and i use it regularly. i will continue to work with neal and BCSM for everything they offer and use that with my and kelly laid out program.

Tyler lives in boulder, as do many cyclists and former cyclists. I talked to will friskhorn a bit. I talk to Allen McCormick all the time about cycling stuff. I wanted to rack some brains about some cycling workouts as i felt kelly and i wanted so more ideas as i move around distances racing so much. Tyler knows the roads in town, he knows the climbs and he knows how to motorpace someone. He knows good workouts. he knows where i push the group ride and where i fall off. He gave me some workout ideas and offered to motorpace me when kelly and i wanted it in my schedule. I accepted his offer to listen to his ideas and do some motorpacing. He is available when i need him. So i guess you have to understand, i did not, nor do i think, that i am doing something horrible.

So that is where we are at. I am listening to some of his workout ideas with kelly and doing some motorpacing. nothing else. I even had a call yesterday with another cycling coach about crank length. so I will get all the information i can and then i process it for me.



I guess I maybe should have said nothing, and let some triathlete see him out there motorpacing with tyler or doing an oxygen session with him on the computrainer, or getting coffee and hear a word or two and then you guys could have jumped to thousands of conclusions. Instead i twittered something and maybe i used the coaching word too strongly, or incorrectly, and then.... conclusions where jumped to. so when i go to coffee this morning with another cycling advisor here in town, i too dont see that picking someone's brain to make me a better athlete is wrong. I am an individual triathlete. I am not switching teams or joining someone's program or group. i am team reed. that is it. always will be that way.

Again, i am blessed to see this much concern over this. But really, understand that I am doing what i feel is one of my strengths and that is listening to workout ideas from all the sources I can. Again, I am a smart man and I will listen also to your thoughts as well. Know that although this forum slams me at times (many), i am proud to be a part of this forum.

to the comment about the guy with two kids- i have two kids. they see everything i do. they are a part of my every step. they are asleep in bed with me now as i type this.

I would never, for any race, for any $, or for anything, portray to my loves, that cheating is sport- of any kind- from cutting a course, to doping, to lying- be okay.

BIG MATTY REED- off to spin and make coach kelly pack my bags! ha!

Can your Fuji even handle all the watts that you put to the road, or will the bottom bracket explode?

Doesn't change my position as a fan of the guy,

Thanks to all the c*cksuckers.

This is NOT about Matt being a cheater or being immoral. This is about PR. It's about supporting someone who has cheated and lied many, many times and not moved an inch since. Hamilton has done NOTHING to try to revise what he has done.

Again, _personally_, FWIW, I think it's a bad move from a PR perspective but Matt has run it past his PR crew and they decided otherwise.

"Worry about your character and not your reputation, because your character is who you are, and your reputation is just what people think about you"

It not Hamilton that has to do SOMETHING, it is you my friend.

I'm not a fan of anyone but I like him. Hence, that move is something I'd rather see being done by a few guys out there who I do not respect. I just don't get it.

I think that when some of your income is derived from your reputation, to not worry about it is naive. Just ask Tiger Woods or Toyota. If Matt has a PR crew (i.e., his wife, family, or paid PR folks) then obvioulsy he cares about his reputation and what people think about him. Who among us do not care about what people think of us on some level? ... so get off of your high horse :)

You like it black an white, aye?

I really applaud you for reminding some at times that they do have an obligation to those sponsors....it's not just take.

The market regulates nicely. Funny thing is that you often hear various A-level pros whining that B-level Pro XY and YZ have better sponsors because "they talk themselves up".

Some get it. Some don't.

[Note, as this is the MR thread: he seems to get it.]

Well said, Dan. Wow, this ST thing works pretty damn well. I really applaud you for reminding some at times that they do have an obligation to those sponsors....it's not just take.

If Mark McGuire can be accepted as the hitting coach for the Cardinals, I see no problem with Tyler coaching athletes in his field of expertise.

It is a meaningless rite

Putting aside any issues regarding guilt/innocence regarding his or anyone else's past, I always find it funny that people somehow think it matters that someone comes clean and or shows remorse for their past actions.

Bingo.

It's also an absurdity of the legal system... defendant shows remorse for unlawful actions so judge knocks time off his sentence. Good actors do less time. WTF?

Feeling or showing remorse for PAST actions is irrelevant. How someone acts NOW is what matters.

"First off, i can not believe the amount of response this has generated."

i think you're learning a lesson here, and it's a lesson a lot of pros in every sport should learn.

you can decide that you're a private person, that this stuff (even though it absolutely DOES reflect on your business as a professional athlete) is nobody's business but yours. but the pros who think this way need to drop all sponsors, or, get dropped by their sponsors. this, because the whole point of the sponsorship thing is that what you do is public, you do represent them, and, your professional associations, your training, your racing, all that is rolled up into you as a provider of professional services to those who pay you.

alternatively, you can be glad that who you choose as your coach, your nutritionist, your mechanic, your choice of bike to ride, your choice of races to race, and so on, are of keen interest. because of this, you get to charge more when your sponsor associations come up for renewal.

in this case, then, your associations are, and should be, talked about. it's absolutely game-on in the blogosphere when you choose a coach.

this isn't to suggest i think you should or shouldn't adopt tyler hamilton as your bike coach, or a bike coach, or a guy to whom you occasionally listen. you believe he's innocent, therefore, you don't see any moral problem here. in fact, if you do believe he's innocent, the moral problem is in choosing NOT to associate with him. nobody should be banned from his chosen sport or vocation because he's wrongly accused and condemned.

my point is this, to you and every pro: sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. you either want your professional life to be paid attention to; or you want everyone to not pay attention to you. you don't get to cherry pick. your fans and your detractors are going to judge the entire package.

what i sense from this thread is that you've come to acknowledge and accept this. i salute you for that. you're going to lose some fans over this. i don't blame those fans for writing you off. nevertheless, you might gain some for standing strong, standing by a friend, standing for what you believe.

i don't believe tyler is innocent, but, i leave open the possibility that he is. what matter is that you accept the public's right to opine on this, be willing to lose some fans, and, stand for what you believe.

Pro athletes do not have an obligation merely to their sponsors but they also have an obligation to their sport as a whole. This is because some actions taken by very visible athletes who are seen by the public as representatives of their sport can have very really effects on the image and thus financial health of the entire sport. For example, the doping cases of Floyd Landis and Tyler Hamilton had a tangible detrimental effect on the sport of Pro Cycling. Tyler's blood doping positive while riding for Phonak and then Landis' Testosterone postive also while riding for Phonak caused the entire team to fold, the title sponsors Phonak and Barclay's iShares left the sport for good, all riders and team employees of this team lost their jobs, and large amounts of bad PR were generated for the sport as a whole through the actions of these athletes thus decreasing likely future sponsorship opportunities for other teams and athletes.

Dude, I am expressing sincere and sophisticated thoughts with beautiful words. My literary stylings are poignant, poetic and profound.