Honor, Integrity and Moral Character

I posted this the the ACA web site but altered it a bit so I didn't seem confrontational or threatening. On my blog I will paste it un edited! Definitions first: Honor - the quality of being honorable and having a good name. Integrity - Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code. Moral character - The inherent complex of attributes that determines a person’s moral and ethical actions and reactions. Sunday during the Leanin’ Tree Criterium two things happened that I would like to share. First of all on the very first lap a rider slammed on his brakes in the middle of a corner. This caused me to crash. Expensive for me but all in all not a big deal honestly. I look at it this way. I was in the back of the group and wanted to practice moving through. That is the risk I took to practice in a race and most of all sitting on the back. Again, crashing in the race is not a big deal to me. The problem I have is the guy that caused the wreck looked at me and watched me crash. I saw him as he stood up to sprint back to the group. Not even once after the race did he even attempt to ask me if I was ok, instead he left right away. If I would have caused this accident I would have talked to the rider after at the least to see if he was physically ok. This was the second time this year I was taken down. Once by a lapped rider and then this guy that decided locking up his brakes in the middle of a corner was a good thing. In both cases the riders that caused the accident never even asked if I was ok! The second thing was this; I won the second sprint prime undoubtedly. The closest wheel to me was about 10 – 15 meters and completely uncontestable. I waited for the results to be posted. I saw on the list they had the wrong rider winning the second prime. I protested and to the credit of the officials got it straightened out quickly. Partially this is my fault because I had my number to high and toward the middle of my kit. I apologized to the judge and told him I would move it more outside in the next race. I went to get my prime and the guy they mistakenly listed already picked it up. I was shocked. All I could say to the lady was, “you’re kidding me!” She said that the rider was there when she announced it over the PA, took the prime and was long gone. The promoter was awesome and gave me another prime but still this baffles me! Didn’t the guy realize I know I won that prime and I was going to protest it? How can a person cheat and steal an award that they clearly didn’t win and then leave so it can not be straightened out? I asked several of my friends what would they have done in this situation. Everyone I asked said they would have said, “I didn’t win that prime”. Integrity and moral character is worth more a prime award. To the guy that stole the prime. I think it was a $10 Le Peep gift certificate. You sold your honor, integrity and moral character for $10 gift certificate. I know your name and I for one will never trust you or any of your results. I correlate you to a doper and everything that is wrong in cycling. People like you need to get out of this sport because you are killing it. You race quite a bit so I will not buy the “I didn’t know” bull crap! You know it is a sprint prime and you didn’t win it. You and dopers are a like. You can’t do it naturally. You have to cheat and steal. What are you going to say to your kids? “Hey look daddy can’t win things on his own so he has to steal them”? Anyone who asks me I will tell them your name and the team you ride for. I know if I did this and my team found out they would never trust me again. Just so you know I got the better prime and I earned it!