Mountain Bike Crimes
[Guest post by DRJ]
Two Colorado mountain bikers face criminal charges for perpetrating a fraud to win the Leadville Trail 100 bike race. Later they admitted what they did, but the authorities said it was too late:
“”But the situation cannot be rectified,” Chlouber said. “You can’t go back in time and give those ladies who should have podiumed their time in the sun. That’s gone.”
I wonder if there’s also a tort claim for lost podium time?
— DRJ
MORE: Ex-Pat Ex-Lawyer Laura Victoria posted much more on this story at her blog. Check out her post and look around.
Why is this a crime, much less a felony? It’s a minor private bike race with a $250.00 entry fee. The article is not clear about what monetary value might be attached to prize-winning.
These women were naughty, but the nanny state has no business labeling them felons.
Banzel (a992de) — 5/8/2010 @ 2:52 pmThe officials have charged them with criminal impersonation. There was a complaint, probably because it was so blatant.
DRJ (d43dcd) — 5/8/2010 @ 3:34 pm“I wonder if there’s also a tort claim for lost podium time?”
Danged sure ought to be. The time and effort one puts in training, equipment, diet, etc., for a sport one loves only to be robbed of what you expended all that effort for in the first place…
GM Roper (6afe02) — 5/8/2010 @ 4:49 pmSince the new winners are going to be honored at a ceremony at this years, perhaps the cheaters should also be given some podium time then and there, even if they don’t want to appear. Organic fruits only, please.
htom (412a17) — 5/8/2010 @ 5:06 pmRemember the Little League team that had a pitcher who was older than he said ? That was a few years ago and there was a big problem because the kid was from a country with poor birth records. I don’t know about a felony but a lifetime ban should certainly be a penalty.
Mike K (2cf494) — 5/8/2010 @ 5:07 pmWay too gay a story. Heh!
nk (db4a41) — 5/8/2010 @ 5:26 pmI guess this problem has really escalated since that woman pulled this in the (what?) Boston Marathon, or was it the NY Marathon (whatever).
AD - RtR/OS! (31bef0) — 5/8/2010 @ 6:11 pmI don’t know anything about women’s 40+ mountain biking in Colorado or elsewhere. Is there a financial reason to do this?
DRJ (d43dcd) — 5/8/2010 @ 6:18 pmThere is a more contemporary (European?) mode that people seem to apply today in competition: “if you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’!”
This is so disturbing. Why not enter the Special Olympics? What about that 22 year-old high school basketball player in Texas? Doping in the Olympics? (amateurs, heh).
This attitude has slipped over into politics, financial dealings, scholastic test scores, racial and minority set-asides, etc. Is everything just a joke where rules and standards don’t matter? If it truly doesn’t matter, then Wendy Lyall (what an ironic name!) shouldn’t mind being pointed out as a fraud claiming glory and victory against competitors at a disadvantage.
TimesDisliker (eaeab5) — 5/8/2010 @ 6:33 pmI blog on this DA all the time, as he is running for state Senate in Colorado. Hurlbert is the DA who fumbled the Kobe Bryant case. I blogged today on this in detail, and contrasted this ludicrous prosecution with the light deals he’s handed out in violent crime cases.
http://wp.me/pzqev-jC
Sports have generally dealt with cheating within the sport and its governing body. The two women did receive lifetime suspensions from this event, and the women who should have placed last year, will get their podium time this year. They will also get all the prizes. This DA justs wants the publicity a pathbreaking case of this nature provides him.
What’s next, criminally prosecuting people at the local golf club championships if they win by taking an improper drop or bettering their lie?
I’d love for you to comment on my post and learn a little more about what we’ve had to put up with in the Colorado from this guy.
Laura Victoria (039920) — 5/8/2010 @ 8:13 pmWe just passed the 30th Anniversary of the Rosie Ruiz hoax in the 1980 Boston Marathon. Ruiz, now 53 years old, has still not admitted that she did not run the entire race before crossing the finish line before any other female (Canadian Jacqueline Gareau was eventually awarded the victory).
As for the Little League situation: that was Dominican-born Danny Almonte, who was sold as being 12 when he was actually 14 when he pitched a perfect game for a Bronx, NY team in the 2001 Little League World Series. His fastball was clocked at the equivalent of 92 MPH, but he couldn’t maintain that heat as he grew older. He was undrafted as a high schooler, and then went to an Oklahoma JC powerhouse to play. He was chosen as a 2nd-team All-American, but after finishing with college ball at the age of 22, he was still undrafted. First, he was too old and too good for Little League; then he was too old and not good enough for the Major Leagues.
The most recent report (April 17, 2010) has Almonte coaching his HS alma mater’s ballplayers. He also married a 30-year-old woman at the age of 19, but returned to New York from Oklahoma alone.
L.N. Smithee (7b28f1) — 5/8/2010 @ 8:36 pmLN,
Great comment, plus you seem interested in many subjects.
DRJ (d43dcd) — 5/8/2010 @ 9:07 pmLaura Victoria,
Thanks for the invitation. I’ll link your post in mine.
DRJ (d43dcd) — 5/8/2010 @ 9:10 pmI fixed the link to Laura Victoria’s post.
DRJ (d43dcd) — 5/8/2010 @ 10:01 pmLooks like most commenters have the common sense to not want their tax dollars used this way. Is DA Hurlbert going off on another one of his tangents? Punishment for this sort of thing should be from within the sport, not wasting taxpayer funds. Too bad DA Hurlbert didn’t spend the time he’s wasting here on convicting Dustin Meadows of the felony he deserved and the victim wanted. What could Hurlbert be thinking? What’s his connection with Ken Chlouber? Why doesn’t Hurlbert explain to the public why he increased his budgets and his pay increased almost 40% while he decreased prosecutions? How much more can this term limited DA mess with people’s lives and ruin them? The people of 5th Judicial deserve better.
Miffed (7d704d) — 5/9/2010 @ 12:58 amWhether is was right or wrong – or prosecuted or not – its not good for the sport
JImN (214c5c) — 5/9/2010 @ 5:02 amDRJ, based on your suggestion, I took a look at Laura Victoria’s blog. Seems like it’s almost solely dedicated to bashing this District Attorney Hurlbert, which struck me as just a little off. There’s also several “comments” by a supposed “follower” who sounds suspiciously like the author herself. Then coming back here, I notice that “Miffed’s” comments are almost verbatim from that same blog. Just an FYI because I’ve been a loyal reader specifically because you present unbiased coverage on a wide range of topics and I’d hate to see that change.
RTW (a5a732) — 5/11/2010 @ 12:35 pm