So I have thought a lot about the following post. I lay in bed contemplating whether I should go forward, but I think the subject means enough to me and sums up a lot of what I believe in when it comes to my career as a professional athlete.

Let me start by saying that every time I hear a person on tv say, “I don’t mean to offend anyone….”, they end up offending someone. It just goes like that. I just returned home from my Mt Hood trip and my trusty Outside Magazine was waiting for me. This is the one mag that I subscribe to and I have read the mag for years. As I flipped through, I came across the article featuring Joe Papp. If you don’t know who Joe Papp is maybe you should just read that article at this point.

With this all being laid out, I will make this clear; Joe Papp, I am going to offend you. I am going to deeply offend you. I am going to offend you so bad that the state of Pennsylvania and most of the Eastern Seaboard are going to feel it.

As I read Papp’s Interview, I was reminded that he is a LIAR. He conned Outside into believing his lies about his importance in American, and even World, cycling. Even the article has some parts where the author seems to feel this way.  It hurts because I would believe that such a respected mag would do some background checking on the subject of a major article. What I love is how Papp crys about how his “fellow Pros” won’t acknowledge his existence, how he is broke living with his mom and how he almost killed himself by using banned substances. The reason no Pros acknowledge the guy is because he was never a real pro.  Professionals generally don’t acknowledge a guy who lied about being a pro. My definition of a professional is a person who gets a monthly paycheck from a company to race and train. As far as I know, no major Pro team ever paid Joe Papp a dime. No Pro team paid Papp a dime because he was never good enough to justify it. The reason Papp is broke is because he never got paid by a team to race and train which by definition does not make him a pro. Secondly, he cheated.  A lot.  When I really sat down and thought about it, in 13 years of team meetings, I never remember one of my teammates or directors saying “we needed to watch Joe Papp in a race”. Usually, what followed the words Joe Papp was “is a loser” or “is a cheater”. It makes me sick that he claims he was some kind of major player on the world cycling scene or even the domestic cycling scene. What Papp needs to realize is that he was a joke in cycling, that he is a LIAR and that he needs to just go away. I am sick of hearing your name. I am sick of your lies. You lied your way onto NPR, into Outside and got over by convincing USADA that you were actually somebody they needed to pay attention to. You sucked then and you still suck now and the only reason you were a blip is because you cheated and lied. You are continuing to insult every Pro in America with your lies about you being an equal. Enjoy your crappy life. I hope it only goes downhill from here.  You seemed to spend a lot of time in Cuba so maybe you should go there.  Sorry Cuba, but you let him marry one of your citizens.

Now that I have had my say let me clarify that I don’t think I am that special of a person or bike racer. I consider myself a rider with average talent and blue collar work ethic. I try really hard and I take my profession very seriously. I have been blessed with a long career with great teams. I get down on my knees and thank cycling everyday that it has allowed me make a good living for myself and my family. Even though I don’t get along with every guy I race against, in my mind I thank every guy everyday for playing a part in making my life as good as it has been. I absolutly don’t take cycling for granted and I try to respect it as much as I can. I am really greatfull that so many sponsors have made my caeer possible. Joe Papp does none of this. He disrespected and continues to disrespect every rider, sponsor and race. Without cycling, I am not the person I am. Papp is, and always will be, a liar. He continues to lie which means he would lie regardless of his position in life. The only thing he has brought to cycling is helping the general public equate cycling with dopers and cheaters. Thanks Papp. Just take, take, take. That is what guys like you do becasue you don’t respect any part of the sport. You never brought anything to this sport but trouble, so please for the love of God, just go away. Stop talking. I know that 5 minuets after I retire the cycling world will forget about me. That is part of it, and unlike Papp, I accept that fact. Cycling is so bloody hard and unforgiving. It is a fickle b****, but it is cool, and I really love it and I love what it has done for me. Outside, please do some background on guys like this. You are a respected peridoicle and you need to have a higher standard than what this article showed.  Please stop using ink and paper on this guy.

My goal for a while is to not hear the name Joe Papp.