michi weiss just won ironman cozumel this past weekend, in pretty convincing style, against a field containing someone who i consider a top-5 worldwide ironman racer in eneko llanos.
he asked me if i thought he would be welcome answering questions on the slowtwitch forum. "why wouldn't he be?" you might ask, because it's always welcome when a top pro, most obviously jordan rapp, shares his "secrets" as well as just his recounting of his race experience with forum members. the reason is because this is michi's first race in a couple of years. you can read the slowtwitch coverage of his 2yr ban. if you follow the links on the "related stories" at the bottom of that article you'll find references to the excellent and tough reporting of our editor in chief, herbert krabel, on the austrian doping scandal/ring/connection that included pro and AG triathletes and cyclists.
michi is probably one of the top-3, top-4, cyclists in triathlon right now. i think kienle, starykowicz, weiss might be the top-3, i like to think our man jordan compares favorably. that's the cream. because michi's also big, he's got some big, gaudy power numbers when he rides. maybe he'll share his power file. he's been an SRM athlete for many years.
you can ask him whatever you want. if you're critical of him because of his connection to doping, you're right to be. i'm not going to shield him from any questions. i do not know the details of his doping case, but i'm not going to pretend whatever it was he did was an accident or just in keeping with the zeitgeist at that time or any of that, and you should not think that either.
i would only ask you all this one favor. i do not remember anyone, ever, coming on here after a doping conviction and freely offering to field any and all questions. that takes some courage, and it's why you don't see it happening in running, in cycling or in triathlon. george hincapie is not coming on slowtwitch offering to field any questions. nor is levi or zabriskie or anyone else. nor do i know of that happening on any cycling forum (maybe it did, but i don't know of it). maybe someday lance will come on slowtwitch and answer your questions. michi is offering to do that. this does not absolve him of past wrongdoing, it does not balance the scales, it does not offset anything.
what i can say is that he is a legitimately nice guy. he's polite, he respects THIS sport, meaning triathlon, and in the time i have known him i do believe that means he respects it enough to train and race clean. i'm just asking that if he comes on here and answers your questions that you do not treat him shabbily. that does not mean i'm censoring our any themes you want to explore in your questions. it just means that whatever it is you ask, you ask it in a civil manner. in other words, the way i mandate that you treat and talk to each other is the way i would like you to treat and talk to him.
i'm sure michi will want all of your questions to be about his training, his nutrition, his power, his equipment choices (when you're on suspension you're not fielding offers from sponsors, which has one benefit of being able to race exactly what you want), tactics, and so forth. but he's prepared to read any of your questions. i don't know what he'll answer, how he'll answer, and he may even just decide to give this experiment a pass. that said, fire away with any questions you have and we'll see what happens.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
he asked me if i thought he would be welcome answering questions on the slowtwitch forum. "why wouldn't he be?" you might ask, because it's always welcome when a top pro, most obviously jordan rapp, shares his "secrets" as well as just his recounting of his race experience with forum members. the reason is because this is michi's first race in a couple of years. you can read the slowtwitch coverage of his 2yr ban. if you follow the links on the "related stories" at the bottom of that article you'll find references to the excellent and tough reporting of our editor in chief, herbert krabel, on the austrian doping scandal/ring/connection that included pro and AG triathletes and cyclists.
michi is probably one of the top-3, top-4, cyclists in triathlon right now. i think kienle, starykowicz, weiss might be the top-3, i like to think our man jordan compares favorably. that's the cream. because michi's also big, he's got some big, gaudy power numbers when he rides. maybe he'll share his power file. he's been an SRM athlete for many years.
you can ask him whatever you want. if you're critical of him because of his connection to doping, you're right to be. i'm not going to shield him from any questions. i do not know the details of his doping case, but i'm not going to pretend whatever it was he did was an accident or just in keeping with the zeitgeist at that time or any of that, and you should not think that either.
i would only ask you all this one favor. i do not remember anyone, ever, coming on here after a doping conviction and freely offering to field any and all questions. that takes some courage, and it's why you don't see it happening in running, in cycling or in triathlon. george hincapie is not coming on slowtwitch offering to field any questions. nor is levi or zabriskie or anyone else. nor do i know of that happening on any cycling forum (maybe it did, but i don't know of it). maybe someday lance will come on slowtwitch and answer your questions. michi is offering to do that. this does not absolve him of past wrongdoing, it does not balance the scales, it does not offset anything.
what i can say is that he is a legitimately nice guy. he's polite, he respects THIS sport, meaning triathlon, and in the time i have known him i do believe that means he respects it enough to train and race clean. i'm just asking that if he comes on here and answers your questions that you do not treat him shabbily. that does not mean i'm censoring our any themes you want to explore in your questions. it just means that whatever it is you ask, you ask it in a civil manner. in other words, the way i mandate that you treat and talk to each other is the way i would like you to treat and talk to him.
i'm sure michi will want all of your questions to be about his training, his nutrition, his power, his equipment choices (when you're on suspension you're not fielding offers from sponsors, which has one benefit of being able to race exactly what you want), tactics, and so forth. but he's prepared to read any of your questions. i don't know what he'll answer, how he'll answer, and he may even just decide to give this experiment a pass. that said, fire away with any questions you have and we'll see what happens.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman