Earlier this afternoon WTOP broke a story that should be an interest to all of us. Titled “Fenty Uses Police Escort, Clogs Traffic on Bike Rides,” the piece, penned by an otherwise excellent reporter (Mark Segraves is a personal favorite for his ability to sniff out government misdeeds), breathlessly follows D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and his D.C. Velo teammates on weekday rides. The story and the included video footage show the mayor and his fellow riders apparently running red lights and slowing down traffic with the aid of his security detail.

Since this is a story that involves cyclists, a local cycling team and the mayor of the District, I’ve got a few thoughts:

- A number of other local cyclists pointed out an angle I didn’t originally consider — the medium. WTOP is running the story. WTOP is a radio station dedicated almost exclusively to commuters. That’s not to say that they don’t produce good news, but that their product is geared towards people who sit in their cars for extended periods of time. This pro-car bias is somewhat implicit throughout the story, if not explicitly stated in the title. (It goes without saying that they quote someone from AAA, an automotive lobby, but not a local cycling enthusiast.)

- It’s not one story as much as it two. One is cyclists allegedly breaking the law, the other is the mayor’s use of his security detail during a recreational activity. Wrap the two of ‘em together and you’ve got something for everyone — drivers will be pissed at cyclists because they’ll have the evidence they need to call us all irresponsible scofflaws, and good-government advocates will be annoyed at what they see as a waste of public funds.

- On the cycling angle, well, this isn’t really news at all. We all know that we ride the same roads that the mayor does, and we all know that now and then we bend traffic rules so as to not interrupt the flow of a group ride. There usually exists an unwritten detente between cyclists and drivers, especially on weekends and especially on the roads that we tend to ride on.  We understand that we’re often riding two across on single-lane roads, so we try and accommodate drivers by letting them pass and signaling when it’s safe for them to do so. At the same time, drivers try and understand that we’re out on the roads trying to have a good time and get some exercise, so they can bear to be a few minutes late to wherever they’re going. Of course, this detente is easily and often broken, both by us and by them.  But it’s rare amongst those of us that ride and those of them that drive to see the mutual — if tense — peace broken on purpose and with absolute disregard for safety. Sure, we may roll through intersections, but we’re not going to blindly blow through a red light, if only because we know what the consequences are. And most drivers aren’t gonna risk passing a group of 70 cyclists on a blind turn on a single-lane road. None of us are perfect, neither are they. But we make due. And the debate between who’s at fault — us or them — could go on for the rest of our lives.

- On Fenty and his security detail, well, it’s a tough one. The man is the mayor, so he needs security. But he’s also human, and I don’t think the punishment for getting elected to high public office should be having to sit on your trainer for four years. I like that Fenty rides, because he brings high-profile legitimacy to something we do and love. Should he have security along for the ride? Probably. Should they serve as a rolling enclosure and stop traffic as the mayor and his fellow riders fly through intersections? Probably not. Why? Well, it’s not necessary. The mayor’s out in the open as he rides, and it’s not like he’s that much more likely to get shot by a would-be assassin if he stops at a red light. But more importantly, the mayor’s the MAYOR, and it’s on him to set an example. If he wants to go out and ride, I applaud him. But he should respect all local laws while he does so, and his security detail shouldn’t be used as an easy way to break rules that the rest of us would usually heed.

All told, the story isn’t that big a deal. We’ve all known Fenty rides during the week, and we all probably assumed that he had security along with him. That there’s now video of his escorted ride doing things on the road that we’ve all done at some point doesn’t really do much other than enrage people who were already predisposed to be pissed off at cyclists. And therein lies the danger. Stuff like this has the potential of turning an annoyed driver into an angry one, and we’ve all seen or heard of the scary results of that. Let’s hope that that never comes to pass.

As for Fenty and D.C. Velo, well, I’m sure they’ll be a little more careful from this point on. I think Fenty should stay on the bike, if only because I’d like to come out some day and actually drop him. (I mean that in cycling terms, people.) But maybe his security detail should merely hang back, and maybe the group should be as careful as possible about the rules of the road. This is the mayor, after all, and they should have known that eventually someone would see the guy and say, “Hey, isn’t that Mayor Fenty riding his bike down Clara Barton? I should call the media on him.”

Which they did. And look where it got us.

And yes, we are looking to see if “Vino 4ever” will sponsor us next year. Who wouldn’t want to sport that jersey?

First off, I have to say the Tour was incredible. Whether Fabian Cancellara in yellow for five stages or the lead-out brilliance exhibited by HTC Columbia, there wasn’t a day of the Tour that I feel didn’t accurately make the case for why professional cycling can be so exciting to follow. There were dramatic highs (Nikki Sorensen’s solo Stage 12 victory), crushing lows (Jens Voigt hitting the deck at 50 mph) and the usual coming-apart of otherwise solid riders (Carlos Sastre, Cadel Evans).

All of that aside, for better or for worse the Tour ended up being about Lance and Alberto. Who was the team leader? Who was working for who? Did Contador attack Lance in the Pyrenees to make a point? Did Lance jump into that breakaway group in an early stage to gain valuable seconds over his teammate and apparent rival? Did Lance hold back on some of the climbs, or did he just not have the goods to match Alberto’s accelerations?

Sure, the tension of their partnership and rivalry made for excellent commentary and likely attracted new viewers, but it also distracted from what was otherwise a fantastic — and to date, clean — contest. Andy Schleck didn’t get his fair shake, much less did the monumental efforts of his team. Bradley Wiggins wasn’t celebrated the way he should have been. Heck, the man never climbed well before in his life and now he’s suddenly placing fourth? And while Versus gave plenty of love to Cavendish, few other media outlets focused on what may well have been the most perfectly executed lead-outs in cycling history.

I don’t blame Alberto or Lance as much as I do Johann Bruyneel. It was a folly of the highest order to put both these guys — one a Tour de France legend, the other a legend-in-the-making — on the same team and act like there wouldn’t be tension. Sure, Johann will again be praised as one of the best managers in cycling, but I bet that an inside look into the Astana bus during the Tour would prove that he barely managed to hold things together.

And while I’m more sympathetic to Lance than I am Alberto — Contador just isn’t a very likeable guy, after all — I understand why the Spaniard felt the need to attack his own team on not one, but two stages. If you look at Astana’s Tour domestiques, it’s hard to believe that they weren’t stacked in favor of Armstrong. Levi? Please — he’s a Lance devotee. So are Popo and Kloden, and even Zubeldia. Contador probably didn’t think he would have much support if he faced any trouble on the climbs.

Given that Lance and Contador won’t ever ride together again, the 2010 Tour de France is shaping up to be even better than this year’s. This is what I’d like to see happen:

• Lance leads up Team RadioShack as their Tour contender. (They better not use race radios from RadioShack, though. Those things suck.)
• On a related note, Tour organizers place a limit on how many custom Madone’s Lance can race during the 21-day contest. Trek production facilities must be working double-overtime just trying to pump out his latest two-wheeled fantasies in time for the next day’s stage.
• George Hincapie comes back for one last year, but not with Lance — with Columbia. Let’s get that man one more stage win before he retires or dies trying to win Paris-Roubaix for the 1,256th time.
• Contador makes his way to a well-established team that doesn’t have a real Grand Tour racer in the ranks. Garmin Slipstream has been thrown out there. Not a bad idea.
• Kloden finally realizes that he doesn’t have to play super domestique anymore. I’ve seen him soft-pedal his team’s leader up pretty much every mountain in France too many times. Free Andres Kloden!
• Saxo Bank does exactly what they did this year. More Jens and Fabian, please.
• Cadel actually gets on a team that has the capacity to work for him.
• Denis Menchov stays upright.
• For the love of God, let a Frenchman get to the podium.
• Someone from Euskaltel Euskadi wins a sprint.
• Andy Schleck takes the win.
• No more Craig Hummer. No more Robbie Ventura. And new theme music for the Versus coverage. It’s sad that I can hum the annoying intro music for their Tour showings, but I can’t remember my Mom’s birthday.
• And finally, yellow bike highlights for the maillot jaune are fine. Polka-dot highlights for the King of the Mountains leader, especially on their bike? Never again.

Since cyclists aren’t ever short on opinions, feel free to agree or disagree. Alberto and Lance — best or worst thing to happen to the 2009 Tour? What do you want to see next year?

Yes, sprinter-extraordinaire Tom Boonen got busted for using cocaine for a second time, again threatening his chances to compete in the Tour de France and potentially putting his whole storied career at risk. The international cycling federation, UCI, is threatening him with a suspension, while he may face criminal charges in Belgium and possible sanctions from his team.

Of course, the Belgian Cycling Federation is crying foul, arguing that since cocaine isn’t a performance-enhancing drug, any suspension from competition would be bogus. The UCI has fired back, as quoted in a VeloNews article, by saying that Boonen’s second slip-up is “considered unacceptable (Art.1.2.079) and liable to harm the image, reputation or interests of cycling or the UCI.”

I can see this both ways. On the one hand, kids and families look up to Boonen, especially in Belgium. That the man is doing illegal drugs may well send the wrong message, especially for a sport that is always struggling with allegations of doping against top riders. On the other hand, Boonen hasn’t done anything that would improve his performance. Neither did Michael Phelps when he got caught smoking weed. Boonen is young and he’s still human — at some point, he’s bound to make a mistake. But unless that mistake would unfairly advantage him in competition, who is the UCI to sanction him?

The man will face the consequences of his actions, at least legally. The best the UCI could do at this point is make him publicly apologize, seek counseling and tape some anti-drug PSAs. (I can see it now. “Cavendish beats me all the time because I’m on drugs, and he’s not.”) I feel that it’s a good thing to see our athletic idols as mere mortals that make the same lugheaded mistakes that the rest of us do. For all the kids that see Boonen as their hero, now’s a good chance to explain to them that drugs and alcohol are struggles that plenty of people face, even those that are constantly under the intense spotlight of fame and fortune. (In fact, they probably face those struggles more than most of us.)

It’s also foolish that this is a big deal because it’s cocaine, an “illegal” drug. (And in Europe? C’mon. They’ve decriminalized or legalized plenty of hard drugs.) Had Boonen drank himself 48 Amstel Lights and been found passed out in a ditch, UCI probably wouldn’t have a thing to say about it. But at its core, doing cocaine and drinking a lot are roughly the same thing. The only difference is technical — one of the two depressants is legal, the other not.  Boonen is getting punished because he chose the wrong one.

Of course, I might be missing something here. And this is just my opinion — I don’t expect that all of teammates or sponsors would agree with me. But that’s why moments like these are good for more than just cycling. They make us reflect on how we perceive professional athletes, the standards we hold them to, and how we react when they make mistakes. (OK, fine. Twice.) Boonen might be a moron, but his slip-up should be seen more as an opportunity than as a moment to make an example of him.

Update, 1:30 p.m.: Props to Bert for pointing out that cocaine is not a depressant, but in fact a stimulant and appetite supressant (thanks, Wikipedia!). My mistake. What with my extensive history of cocaine use you would think I would know this. I kid, I kid. Seriously, UCI and family and bosses, I’M JOKING.

Update, Part Deux, 5:00 p.m.: Maybe UCI should be checking in on Spanish riders, because there’s apparently cocaine in the air in Madrid and Barcelona. Hat tip to Grayson for finding this article.