  I try hard to be objective. I try to keep my personal bias tucked away -- at least, I like to think I do. And then I find myself getting all worked up about one of my favorites (Sylvain Chavanel and his potential transfer to QSD, Phonak or Discovery) and wonder whatever happened to my desire to be unbiased. I get into an argument with a friend over why Sylvain shouldn't go to Discovery and then I start to wonder. Am I really thinking about why Sylvain shouldn't go or my own desire for him not to go? It's a distinction that I find hard to make sometimes. I have always, and will always, have favorites. Cyclists (golfers, tennis players, baseball players, football players -- American) that I like more than the rest.
To me, they deserve better. They should win more races/stages; their teams should work for them and not the other way around. I don't necessarily realize that I'm feeling instead of actually coming up with anything intelligent to say. Probably the biggest example (aside from the Sylvain situation) relates to T-Mobile, back when they were Telekom. Quite soon after the '03 tour, Jan Ullrich announced he was going back to Telekom. I was incensed. How dare he invade Vino's team, take the captain duties from Zabel, and so on. It was only later that I formed other opinions, based on facts and not on emotions. I was pissed off because I like Alexandre Vinokourov and Erik Zabel, I didn’t want Ullrich ruining their tour chances. About a year later, I still believe that Ullrich shouldn't have returned to T-Mobile, but my reasons are different. He left his former team, Bianchi, in ruins. A lot of money was spent on Ullrich, yet he didn't give T-Mobile what they wanted -- a tour win or a second place on the podium. The team, as I'd predicted, was top heavy. Of course, neither Vino nor Zabel were the cause. The point, though, is that I am prone to think with my heart.
I always look to see where my boys are placed and only after, who won the race. I'm trying to change, but it's harder than I expected. Why? Because I care. Not that other people who write about cycling don't care, it's just that the way I care is so much deeper than just a superficial love. There are some sports where it's okay for me to care deeply, because I have no need to be objective. Golf is probably the most obvious example. I adore certain golfers (Freddy Jacobson, Aaron Baddeley, and Bill Haas for example) and when they don't do well, I don't necessarily pay close attention to the rest of the tournaments. But with cycling, I cannot afford that luxury. If I want to write about cycling, I need to be objective. I need to see beyond my favorites. I need to be able to separate myself from the people and concentrate on the sport.
Unless someone knows how I can incorporate my bias into my writing and make it work for me. Until then, I'll fume to myself about my specific trade rumors and transfers. There are, after all, other riders besides Sylvain Chavanel. Music: Niklas Harding pres. NH Sessions Live (Trancesphere Radio) 
