The Mail Bag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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Olympics coverage much worse than Tour TV
Editor:
Having read your mailbag and other cycling forums with all the whining about Al, Bob, Phil and Paul during the coverage of the 2004 Tour de France, I found the comments quite comical after hearing some of the butchered commentary during network coverage of the Olympic road race and time trial.

Our four OLN Amigos should get a medal compared to some of these guys. I was rolling on the floor during the ITT after hearing one of the co-commentators (the name I can't recall; don't care to recall) say something to the effect of having this little guy on your shoulder banging out your pace rhythm. Too much.

John Jones
Lufkin, Texas

Bobke could enliven Olympics coverage
Editor:
Listening to Al Trautwig cover the gymnastic events on NBC, I get the sense that something's missing. Every time they go to Al, I keep yelling at my wife, "Where’s Bob Roll?"

Sorry, I think the insights of Bobke would bring a new, "scintillating" perspective to an otherwise-ordinary broadcast. C'mon, can't you see it? I'd love to hear some of the viewer comments on that one!

Scott Fahy
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

Kudos to Muenzer from a fellow Canadian
Editor:
In what has been a well-below-par (to put it kindly) Summer Olympics for Canada, it was very uplifting to see Lori-Ann Muenzer win the gold, despite her age, previous injuries, and the fact that she was Canada's only track cyclist at these Games.

And as a side benefit, I've found that I am suddenly no longer the social outcast due to my obsession with cycling. People are actually talking to me about cycling! I'm sure it won't last long.

Thanks, Lori-Ann, for putting Canada in the spotlight, and for increasing public awareness of track cycling, however brief it may be.

Chris Teichreb
Red Deer, Alberta

O’Grady blocked Brits in Madison
Editor:
In your report on the Madison you state that the “Swiss and Brits were tied at 10 when the bell rang for the final lap, but Franco Marvulli had the most left in his tank, giving the Swiss their third straight sprint win and the silver medal.” This is not strictly true. The British pair was well placed to win the final sprint, but Stuart O'Grady decided to block them, ensuring that the Swiss won silver. Why O'Grady should have done this when he'd already won gold is a mystery.

Stephen Burke
Canterbury, Great Britain

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The Mail Bag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.