The Mailbag 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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OLN can blame itself for small cycling audience
Editor:
Quote from letters:"OLN is under no obligation to cover cycling at all. None of the other networks cover cycling because it is a money-losing proposition. If more people watched, things would be different."

That argument is a load of crap. The effort of cyclists calling their local cable company helped get OLN broader distribution. Now that they got what they want, they are pandering to the advertiser that pays the most.

It's a two way street. OLN itself directly contributes to declining ratings - by running cycling programs that are lower in quality and fewer in number. If VeloNews started covering bull riding I'm sure cyclists would stop buying your product, too!

Dave Carr
Napa, California

One viewer mulls dropping his premium package
Editor:
It's very disappointing to watch limited cycling coverage on OLN and even worse, no coverage at all by the Discovery Channel, which sponsors a pro cycling team. I'm currently paying a higher rate for the single purpose of receiving cycling events on OLN, but with the published, limited coverage, I may drop the package altogether.

Vasco Montez
Yonkers, New York

Go international and extraterrestrial with satellite dish
Editor:
To all the folks who are unhappy that OLN is not offering live coverage of the Giro and Vuelta, I have a suggestion: Switch from cable to satellite and order international channels for the duration of the races.

I'm a Dish network subscriber and subscribe to TV Española International during the Vuelta and to RAI during the Giro. A month of TVEI costs about $25 and a month of RAI costs about $13. Now, $38 may seem like a lot for live coverage of these two tours, especially when you won't be listening to them in English, but the moment you realize you don't have to listen to Bob Roll's inane commentary, it'll occur to you that it'd be a deal at twice the price.

Greg Olmstead
San Diego, California

Losing OLN would be sad, but losing VN.com . . .
Editor:
I agree with the writer who pointed out OLN is a business intended to make money. Until we can get more Americans to be cycling fans instead of fashionistas wearing yellow bracelets (sorry, they're just dorky) just because they're all twitterpated about Lance and Sheryl, we real cycling fans are doomed.

My greatest nightmare isn't losing OLN coverage, though I will gnash my teeth and rend my garment when they stop covering the TdF. My greatest horror would be if VeloNews.com deep-sixes its live Internet play-by-play of the great races. Then I'd truly know I'm in cycling-fan hell.

Katie Sanborn
El Granada, California

Thanks, Mom. The check is in the mail. – Editor

Keep the cycling history coming
Editor:
I want to thank you for running John Wilcockson's and Bruce Epperson's historical pieces on cycling. They are fantastic, and a great supplement to racing coverage, etc. I hope Mr. Wilcockson and VeloPress are considering a book based on these pieces.

After reading today's article on Seamus "Shay" Elliott, though, it struck me that cycling seems to have had more than its fair share of suicides and/or suicide-like (e.g., Tom Simpson) deaths. Hmm, maybe I should give rhythmic gymnastics a try.

Kevin Kinnear
Boulder, Colorado

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The Mailbag 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.