DieselDan

Copied and pasted this from cyclingnew.com:

Aljazeera sponsors team

Arab news network Aljazeera will sponsor Qatar's first professional cycling team, debuting in the Tour of Qatar at the end of January. The sponsorship will come from the network's sports channel, and the team will be known as Aljazeera Sport Channel. The squad will number nine riders with Ahmed Al Humaidi as team as team director and manager.

Team roster: Ahmed Abduljaleel (Irq), Rdhwan Al-Moraqab (Qat), Khaleel Bduljanan (Qat), Tareq Esmaeili (Qat), Farkad Mohammed (Irq), Mihsien Reauf (Irq), Mohcena Rhiele (Mar), Ibrahim Said Khan (Qat), Faisal Thabet Shaif (Qat).

This should make things interesting. I wonder if they plan to ride Tour de Georgia.

slvoid

Being serious, from my experiences, I hope they use helmets instead of turbans like I've seen a lot of muslim riders wear in the large group rides that I've been on.
Anyway, sport's a sport, a goal's a goal, good luck to them.

baxtefer

turbans make excellent helmets. apart from being super heavy they offer great protection.

[anecdotal evidence]
I remember a story from the last year or so: An elderly man was struck by a car while out walking at night. The 70-ish year old Sikh man ended up stuck head-first through the windshield of the car. he survival without massive head trauma was attributed to his turban.
[/anecdotal evidence]

slvoid

Uh....

baxtefer

sorry, it was the first thing that came to mind

but it'ls true.

Chucklehead

maybe FOX news will start a team one of these days...

jfmckenna

LOL

They almost certainly have to now.

Maybe there is a helmet under the turban?

I think thats great news...

karesz3

Being born behind the “Iron Curtain”, I realize that sports provide a great opportunity to bring different nations and cultures together. I think it is a positive event, but it also raises some concerns. We are not dealing with traditional circumstances, and we must not forget that some religious nut-cases may use any opportunity to harm Western societies in any way they can. I’m of course not talking about the athletes, but the logistics of moving and supporting a team may open doors for some undesirable elements. I wish I could keep this on a lighter note, but I have my reservations about this particular “news” organization.

Cheers

2Rodies

LMAO!!!!

I can see it now...Bill O'Rielly will be the Director Sportife (sp) and in one of his drunken tirades beats the crap out of Lance Armstong after Lance wins the Tours prolog and team leader Brit Hume finishes last!

MacMan

FOX Rules:
1. NO foreign riders
2. Pledge of Allegiance to be recited 5 times a day - facing Washington D.C.
3. All riders will employ the Goose-step cadence technique

karesz3

I don't think that Bill O'Rielly would take that job. It would conflict with the "No Spin Zone" slogan.


Cheers

2Rodies

Sure he would....he would make all of his riders mash the pedals...53-11 only....cadence not to exceed 50rpm!

JoeOxfordCT

....on a somewhat more serious note....I always worried about LA being a target post 9/11 because of the lack of security in the TDF. How tough would it be for some nutjob to pull the pin on a hand grenade and tackle LA on a climb ??? Don't want to bring the forum crashing down but it's crossed my mind more than once.....

meb

After the Olympic marathon, one has to wonder if merely Cornelius Horan will show up at some TDF stage.

JoeOxfordCT

Didn't know who Horan was...just Googled him...exactly what I mean but someone not so harmless...

brent_dube

('muslim') extremists love France. They wouldn't do such a thing.

JoeOxfordCT

....well pardon me for not being so convinced....

Chucklehead

someone could knock lance off his bike and club him like a baby seal. you just can't worry about stuff like that. it's one of those things that no one can do anything about until it actually happens.
i've always wondered what would happen if some radical schmuck decided to blow himself up along a race route somewhere, but there's no point to even wondering about it. you couldn't stop someone from doing it.

JoeOxfordCT

Well the baby seal approach wouldn't last long because people would intervene quickly....it's the hand grenade approach that bothers me.....I realize like you said you can't let it run your life but.....

Another question....I started following cycling during the Lemond years...yeah I fell off a little during the Indurain rein...and then picked up with LA. However, is it me or are the crowds a little crazier now than they were some years ago ??? Or is it just my gringo paranoia....

Chucklehead

i'm the same. the lemond years were when i started, too. i think fans in general -- in any sport -- are crazier these days. golf is an example, aleit on a much lower level. the golf clap isn't what it used to be.

MacMan

You might want to review your Franco-Algerian history ...

JoeOxfordCT

Please give me the Cliff Notes refresher course.....

2Rodies

Exactly...and people wonder why France wasn't eager to invade Iraq? They've had their share of occuping muslim countries. For that matter we could have learned a lot from their time in Viet Nam but of course we didn't!

MacMan

Tsk Tsk Tsk ... you won't learn that way! Seriously ... doesn't anyone do history anymore? The Alerigan War of Independence (1954-62) left a huge legacy of bitterness between France and Algeria that persists to this day. Libraries are great ... and free. Lesson ends.

Grasschopper

Yea but they know all they have to do now is go in there and the French will surrender like they have for a century. Plus all that money that they were getting from the food for oil deal must have bought someone something in France. LOL Is this a cycling forum?