Why now?

Judging by the chatter on cycling Twitter, that was the most common reaction to ESPN鈥檚 announcement earlier this month that it would be premiering , a new big-budget, two-part 30 for 30听documentary on the rise and fall of the world鈥檚 most infamous bike racer, on May 24.

It鈥檚 a fair question. After all, we鈥檙e now seven years removed from Lance Armstrong giving his first . That same year saw the release of The Armstrong Lie, a full-length documentary by an Oscar-winning director that, just like this one, includes Armstrong鈥檚 lengthy admissions of guilt and claims of sincere remorse. Since then his reputation has suffered death by a thousand memoirs, with nearly anyone with the slightest connection to the cyclist publishing their own tell-all, while Armstrong himself has launched multiple apology tours to demonstrate his contrition and control the damage. Whatever hunger there once was to reexamine this saga would seem to have been sated. The carcass has been picked clean. So why now?听

The most cynical answer, of course, is ratings. We鈥檝e all endured two months without the distraction of live sports, a cruel fact that has left the world鈥檚 biggest sports network with gobs of airtime to fill and nothing new to discuss. Aside from the NFL draft, the network鈥檚 lone bright spot has been , the ten-part Michael Jordan documentary that has garnered . The docuseries gave ESPN some elusive momentum, but the final episode aired on May 17, and Lance wasn鈥檛 originally scheduled to premiere until the fall. If you want to best understand why it rushed the broadcast debut to this weekend, picture a bunch of executives in Bristol, Connecticut, turning their baseball caps inside out and trying to keep a rally going.听

https://youtube.com/watch?v=YUsakV8RzZo

For a more philosophical explanation as to why Lance exists, we can turn to director Marina Zenovich, who spent 18 months on the project. Zenovich is a big deal in the documentary world, having spent her career churning out portraits of complicated men, including , , and the . One could argue that her skills as a filmmaker are enough on their own to justify the project鈥攆ew people challenge the Coen Brothers鈥� 鈥攂ut she鈥檚 hardly been immune from the same line of questioning. Back in January, when Lance premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, Zenovich . First question: Why now?

鈥淎 lot of time has passed,鈥� she answered. 鈥淎nd I think he was willing to come forward and tell his story. I think. I mean, I tried.鈥� She laughed at that point, realizing that any discussion of Lance telling the truth was fraught. A few minutes later she zeroed in on what is perhaps the whole point of this project. 鈥淲hat I found really interesting is that Lance has processed a lot of what he鈥檚 gone through,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd has come out the other side鈥攆or himself. Other people haven鈥檛. And then you get into scorekeeping鈥擶ell, has he processed enough?鈥�

And there you have it, the question we鈥攁nd Lance鈥攃an鈥檛 stop wrestling with. We all know he cheated, got caught, and said he was sorry. But how do we break down his sorry into discrete units that can be measured on a public-forgiveness scale? Is he sorry enough that we should reevaluate his seven Tour de France victories, stop overlooking his inspiring work as an advocate for cancer patients, and let him back into our lives? Those questions are at the heart of Lance and perhaps provide the only sound rationale for tuning in. If there鈥檚 truly been a battle raging these last seven years between Old Lance (defiant, petty, destructive, lying) and New Lance (woke, introspective, apologetic, transparent), let鈥檚 check in and see if we can figure out who鈥檚 winning.听

Part one of Lance sets the table for this analysis. During a very entertaining hour and a half, Zenovich retells the story of Armstrong鈥檚 meandering ascent up Alpe d鈥橣ame. We examine his humble beginnings as the son of a teen mom in Plano, Texas; witness the discovery of his prodigious talent when he was introduced to swimming and triathlon as a teenager; and watch him eventually commit to cycling and use his raw abilities to become an unexpected world champion in 1993.

Early on in the episode, Armstrong promises Zenovich, 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to lie to you, Marina. I鈥檓 going tell you my truth,鈥� but thankfully, his recollections of this era aren鈥檛 the only ones we have to rely on. Zenovich seems to have tracked down everybody for this project鈥攃oaches, teammates, friends, enemies. The list of surprising talking heads includes Armstrong鈥檚 estranged stepfather, who at one point tries to justify his tough love and physical punishment by arguing that teenage Lance wouldn鈥檛 have become such a fierce competitor without him. (Let鈥檚 just say that adult Lance doesn鈥檛 agree.)听

Most viewers will be familiar with this material, but the pacing is stellar. And if nothing else, it鈥檚 still interesting to reexamine his rise, this time with none of the players weighed down by the pretense that Armstong was doing it all without performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Equally fascinating are all the old interview clips researchers dug up. Some of the Armstrong interview footage will be new to anyone who, like me, didn鈥檛 follow cycling between the era of Greg LeMond (who won the Tour de France ) and Armstrong鈥檚 first Tour victory in 1999. Watching a twentysomething Armstrong present himself to the world back then is cringeworthy. I don鈥檛 want to spoil anything, but boy, was he a dick.听

Whatever you think of the man now, however, the cancer part of his backstory is still moving. We see Armstrong close to death, robbed of all his physical gifts, and humiliated as he tries to find a new team willing to invest in his comeback once he鈥檚 in remission. Part one ends with Armstrong鈥檚 first Tour win, reminding us why we were all so captivated by his story in the first place. We鈥檙e also reminded of how quickly he had to transition, literally overnight, from being virtually unknown to Wheaties-box famous. Consider that in July of 1999, Armstrong鈥檚 public profile largely consisted of a modest website for his recently created cancer foundation, housed on a few rickety servers in a friend鈥檚 garage. The day he stood atop the podium in Paris, all those servers crashed.

Things get a lot more interesting in part two, which airs May 31, beginning with Zenovich casually lobbing the following from behind the camera: 鈥淒o you feel like you want to be relevant again?鈥� All we see is Armstrong, who seems to flinch for a second from the audacity of such a question. 鈥淭his is gonna sound terrible,鈥� he answers, 鈥渂ut I am relevant. I am.鈥� The exchange may explain Armstrong鈥檚 participation in this project and why he鈥檇 willingly submit to hours of rigorous on-camera interrogation: He knows his previous efforts have failed. He鈥檚 done his time and doesn鈥檛 want to be an outcast anymore.听

From there we return to the backstory, but the narrative gets bogged down. There are simply too many feuds and scandals to catalog and too little time to assess their impact on either Lance or his many adversaries, beyond listing the surface-level details of his transgressions. Fortunately, Zenovich鈥檚 interviews with Armstrong in part two contain enough drama to keep you watching. As anyone who covered him in his prime will tell you, his ability to intimidate journalists and don his 鈥渃ancer shield鈥� to diffuse tough questions made deep probing of the athlete鈥檚 psyche all but impossible at the time. In Zenovich, Armstrong has met his match. She seems unfazed by his legendary staredown and expertly sits through awkward pauses to force him into filling dead air. And on three occasions, she gets the goods.听

The first happens after a scene filmed at Rice University, where Armstrong鈥檚 oldest son, Luke, plays Division I football. After we see Lance give a pep talk to the team, it cuts to him during one of his many sit-downs with Zenovich. She asks what he would tell Luke if he ever wanted to try PEDs himself. 鈥淚 would say, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 a bad idea. You鈥檙e a freshman in college, that鈥檚… it might be a different conversation if you were in the NFL, but at this point in your career, not worth it.鈥欌�� So, no to doping now, son, but if you make it to the pros, all bets are off? Fumble!

A few minutes later, the topic turns to Floyd Landis, a former teammate who became the key witness in the government鈥檚 whistleblower case, which initially aimed to claw back some $100 million including sponsorship money that the U.S Postal Service hemorrhaged after the widespread news of Armstrong鈥檚 doping. This lawsuit once threatened to erase Armstrong鈥檚 fortune, but it was settled for $5 million in 2018. One understands why Armstrong and Landis will never be best buds after all that, but the film does a nice job of explaining how Armstrong put Landis in the position of ratting him out in the first place. Still, even though Lance has apologized and tried to make good with many of his other adversaries, it seems that well has run dry. After the film recounts all the money Armstrong lost in canceled endorsement contracts and lawsuits, it cuts to another sit-down.

Armstrong, gesturing to his palatial home in Aspen, Colorado: It could be worse. I could be Floyd Landis.

Zenovich: What, living in Leadville?

Armstrong: Waking up a piece of shit every day.听

Zenovich: Is that what you think?

Armstrong: Yeah. That鈥檚 what I know.

Sorry, not sorry!

And then there鈥檚 the film鈥檚 penultimate exchange, the one certain to supply life-giving fodder to all of the sports-starved hosts working in ESPN鈥檚 hot-take industrial complex. The scene comes nearly four hours into this saga and clocks in at only four minutes, but it somehow salvages the entire project. It would be criminal to spoil it here. What I can say is that New Lance gets choked up, seemingly out of nowhere, and for 30 agonizing seconds tries to fight back sobs. Then he composes himself, a switch is flipped, and Old Lance is back. At that point, he delivers an extended, defiant monologue that adds up to his most compelling case yet for our collective forgiveness.听

Should we buy it? I鈥檝e watched the scene four times, and I honestly have no idea.听

The post Lance Armstrong Gets Brutally Honest in ESPN’s New Film appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Josh Harrod听pedals through听his hometown at a child鈥檚 pace, savoring the autumn emptiness and crisp air at 8,200 feet. It鈥檚听early October in Nederland, a last bastion of Front Range freedom located 13 miles west of Boulder, which might as well be New York City as far as local听Nedheads听like Harrod are concerned. Theirs is a place where residents go door to door asking if anyone needs firewood, and where locals fought the idea of putting sidewalks on their dirt roads. There鈥檚 a co-op grocery and funky boutiques听and the only chain is Ace Hardware. About 1,500 people live in the city limits, but the broader population extends five miles in any direction and totals around 7,500. 鈥淭he reason I moved up here 20 years ago is because it wasn鈥檛 Boulder,鈥� Harrod says. 鈥淵ou could go out and get lost in the woods.鈥�

Harrod, 47, has graying stubble and is wearing a plaid, collared shirt for our mellow weekday jaunt. We听met that morning at , a local shop where he works as a bike and ski tech. Tin Shed also serves as听unofficial headquarters of the , an advocacy group that Harrod cofounded. The organization has no paid membership but counts about 200 people on its e-mail list听as well as $2,000 in donations in the bank听and $1,000 in tools that Harrod, NATO鈥檚 president, stores in his garage.

Five minutes into our ride, Harrod turns onto a trail called Sugar Magnolia. Known as Sugar Mag, or High Fructose Mag to locals, the boulder-strewn singletrack used to be a steep, ripping connector from downtown Nederland to West Magnolia鈥檚 broader trail network on the southwest side of town. One day in the spring of 2011, Harrod was riding home from work when he found the trail flagged for a reroute. Two days later, a new trail had been cut adjacent to the original. Some of it had been machine graded into a four-foot-wide path with none of the technical challenge that defined the prior route. Locals soon learned that the work had been completed by, among others,听the听听(BMA), an advocacy organization that made its name fighting for trails around its home city.听This struck them as strange and more than mildly infuriating. Why听would a group headquartered a half-hour east and 3,000 feet lower be messing with their backyard?

The answer was complicated. Despite the seemingly sudden intrusion,听BMA had been working on trails in West Magnolia since 2004, soon after the U.S. Forest Service published a travel management plan that indicated Sugar Mag crossed private property and was too steep in places. Rerouting听Sugar Mag听had been on the docket for years, but almost nobody in Nederland knew about it, which is where the strife began. The 2011 work served as an appetizer of sorts for a broader undertaking that became known as the , a Forest Service鈥揳pproved overhaul of the entire network.

Turning Social Trails into Legal Ones

Until recently, the Nederland system included more than 60 miles of singletrack, mostly听trails that locals had built ad hoc听over a period of decades. Only about 16 miles were听considered legal by the Forest Service, which is where things got sticky. BMA drafted a master plan in 2014 that inventoried all the听unofficial听trails,听many of which were subsequently marked for obliteration, including some that locals had been riding for years. BMA claims its goal is听to expand the network鈥攂ringing it up to 44 miles of system听trails鈥攁nd generally make it more rideable, smoothing out technical features and widening听certain sections of singletrack close to town, for example. Nedheads contend that the organization is overstepping its bounds and should focus on its own backyard. But since the trails are all on federal听land and part of Boulder County, they fall under BMA鈥檚 purview.

The genesis of the conflict can be traced back a decade, when forest transients were Nederland鈥檚 ; they often set up camp in the middle of trails or used the singletrack as their bathroom. There were knife fights, rampant drug use and methamphetamine production and听discarded needles, unattended campfires, burning diapers, and massive amounts of trash and human waste. Regular law-enforcement patrols helped clean that up, as did a proliferation of bike trails, which brought a lot more people than had ridden there before.

Despite their positive impacts, the increase in singletrack and crowds also created problems. Eventually, it boiled into the rarest kind of mountain-bike-access dispute, wherein two groups of riders (as opposed to, say, cyclists clashing with hikers) battled for control of the same trails. The situation included threats of physical harm and cloak-and-dagger tactics to undermine each other鈥檚 efforts.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if people are missing this or just听don鈥檛 want to see it,鈥� says Corey Keizer, 41, a member of BMA and NATO听who lives in Boulder and is close friends with a lot of riders in Ned. 鈥淏ut the crux of the issue is that people in Boulder feel like Nederland is theirs. And it鈥檚 not.鈥�

鈥淚f I moved to Nederland tomorrow, would my opinion suddenly be more valuable?鈥� counters Jason Vogel, a longtime BMA board member and its former president. 鈥淓very time I hear someone from Nederland say, 鈥楾hese are our trails, it鈥檚 our backyard, so we should have more of a say than you do in what goes on here,鈥� it just rubs me the wrong way.鈥�

Mountain Bikers Want Somewhere to Ride

There probably wouldn鈥檛 be a problem if Boulder didn鈥檛 have some of the worst mountain-bike access for a supposed outdoor mecca in America. It was the first U.S. city to , in 1983,听and any local will tell you the allotment of bike-legal trails remains laughably small. BMA was founded in 1991 as the Boulder Offroad Alliance to combat the closure of Boulder鈥檚 trails to bikes. It now has听more than 1,000 members, which is still a fraction of the nearly 40,000 mountain bikers around Boulder who want听somewhere to ride.

Despite BMA鈥檚 influence as the most powerful fat-tire advocate in the region, it still doesn鈥檛 trump the established guard in Boulder, which is decidedly hiker first. Time and again through the years, local mountain bikers have encountered a wall of resistance when they鈥檝e tried to expand access anywhere close to their homes.

Nederland, meanwhile, has听long held tight to a ripping trail system accessible from town, primarily in West Magnolia, a.k.a. West Mag. Locals started building singletrack in the late 1980s, and听they added to it in the early and mid-1990s, often duct-taping rakes to their chainstays and dragging trails into shape. Maintenance happened organically; everyone pitched in. But problems arose when word began to trickle downhill.

An hourly bus between Nederland and Boulder served as a pipeline of sorts for new riders to discover the bounty of singletrack around town. It wasn鈥檛 uncommon for Nederland locals听who worked in Boulder to ride two hours of trail to work then take the bus home, as current Nederland mayor Kris Larsen, a research scientist at the University of Colorado, often does. Harrod did that too for a spell听before taking a job at Tin Shed when it opened in 2012. 鈥淭he trails,鈥� Harrod says, 鈥渁re the reason this shop happened.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 a ruggedness to them, a backcountry feel close to good restaurants and bars,鈥� adds Keizer. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 been intentional.鈥�

But as anyone with a secret stash knows, once the door opens, it can be hard to close. Awareness of the network spread as Boulder grew. 国产吃瓜黑料rs poked around West Mag and got to know its nooks and crannies. This included Vogel, a 40-year-old Austin, Texas, transplant who might be public enemy number one听to Nederland riders鈥攁 distinction he doesn鈥檛 exactly run from. 鈥淭he only reason why BMA knows about social trails听is because I like to explore in the woods, and I happen to be BMA鈥檚 main advocacy guy,鈥� Vogel told me the first time we spoke.

Vogel, who鈥檚 been riding West Mag for more than a decade and built the kiosk at the trailhead, also started a bike patrol to crack down on the transients who were shouting at cyclists. He believes that Ned locals鈥� claims are outdated and driven by NIMBYism. 鈥淭he West Mag area is discovered. Like, these aren鈥檛 your hidden trails anymore,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey haven鈥檛 been hidden since the Forest Service did their first travel-management plan in 2003. That put them on the map.听Latitude 40 had them on their map, all the map companies have these trails on their maps.鈥�

Longtime local John Colton, who has been riding Nederland鈥檚 trails since the mid-eighties, has heard that stance before. 鈥淧lease look at it from our point of view,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a problem.听You coming up and building a system is creating a problem for us.鈥�听

Locals Are Not Happy

The Magnolia Non-Motorized Trails Project overcame numerous hurdles on its way to approval. They included a massive 2013 flood and 2014 wildfire, to say nothing of the social dynamics simmering under the surface.

One might think that a forest in distress would coalesce two groups of like-minded recreationists. Instead, with few exceptions, BMA and NATO got along like battering rams. There鈥檚 a saying in access disputes: if you鈥檙e not at the table, you鈥檙e on the menu. And as Nederland residents continued to find trails that had been flagged for reroutes without their input, they wondered what was going on behind the scenes. So in 2013, they filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Forest Service and learned that then BMA president Vogel had been sending condescending e-mails about NATO to the grand overseer鈥擝oulder鈥檚 district ranger, Sylvia Clark. In one, Vogel wrote: 鈥淲ill NATO be an effective partner in managing the forest? Once I鈥檝e had a chance to feel them out, I will report back and let you know how I personally see the situation evolving.鈥� He asked Clark to keep their exchanges confidential, but the FOIA request resulted in NATO seeing everything he鈥檇 written.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 mean it to be some underhanded maneuver to discredit them,鈥� Vogel says now, 鈥渂ut I can totally see how they would be like, That asshole was talking behind our backs the whole time.鈥�

A furious Nederland local sent a threatening Facebook message to BMA鈥檚 executive director at the time, Steve Watts. 鈥淵ou fucking losers stay away from the Nederland woods and trails or you are going to have some bigger problems on your back.鈥� Watts reported it to the police. The local apologized two hours later for his 鈥渋dle threat.鈥�

Still, the bad blood festered. A garage band in Ned wrote a song called 鈥淭rail Vultures,鈥� in reference to BMA. Tin Shed installed a large map outside its entry showing 鈥渢rails to be obliterated鈥� and refuting BMA鈥檚 claim that it is helping to build a new 44-mile network.

The Forest Service is stuck playing referee, but the agency doesn鈥檛 seem to mind. 鈥淲e think projects like this benefit from having different opinions,鈥� Boulder Ranger District spokesperson Reid Armstrong says.

Implementation of the Magnolia project听began in the summer of 2017. That September听a beloved ribbon of singletrack called Aspen Alley and replaced with a much wider, more basic听trail. Harrod calls that loss 鈥渢he biggest blow.鈥� Ironically, BMA had included footage of people charging down the old Aspen Alley in a fundraising video鈥攚hich ultimately helped to pay for the trail鈥檚 destruction.

NATO members believe BMA鈥檚 machine-built trails are incompatible with the area鈥檚 rugged character. 鈥淧eople come to Nederland because it鈥檚 different,鈥� Harrod says. 鈥淭his has made stuff far easier.鈥� BMA leaders point out that the trails closest to trailheads are designed to be more attainable听and that many of the 鈥渕ore desirable鈥� trails in West Mag won鈥檛 be completed for a decade.

鈥淟ook, we need to be able to take people up to the forest, because we have such capacity issues in Boulder. And we need for them to not get in over their heads,鈥� says BMA President听Marcus Popetz. 鈥淚n a perfect world, if there was a trail that could be built three minutes away from Boulder, yeah, I鈥檇 do that, because then I wouldn鈥檛 have to drive my car. But since there鈥檚 not, your emotional attachment to these trails doesn鈥檛 trump the fact that I have tens of thousands of mountain bikers who would like to use a resource that they own.鈥�

Keeping the Secret Trails Secret

We reach the top of High Fructose Mag, and Harrod turns onto Superv眉, a newly built, NATO-named trail with a stunning panorama. We snake down the new Aspen Alley鈥攎uch wider than the original, with whoop-de-do jumps鈥攁nd make our way over to Hobbit Two and Three, where BMA鈥檚 machines are working to expand and smooth the trail. Harrod harrumphs and decides to turn around before encountering any workers. 鈥淚 see West Mag as our sacrifice area,鈥� he sighs, adding that he doesn鈥檛 tell anyone about his secret trails now.

So far only five miles of trail has been eliminated, with the same amount added or rebuilt. But everyone knows more is coming. People are dealing with that in different ways.

鈥淥n one side, I鈥檓 trying to tell my guys in Ned, Change is going to happen, so you can sit here and put a stake in the ground and听try to fight it for as long as you can, but eventually that stake is going to come up and get moved,鈥� Corey听Keizer, BMA and NATO member,听says. 鈥淥r you can be the force that steers that change.鈥�

Not everyone in Nederland is against BMA. Mayor Larsen, 43, who was born and raised in Boulder, believes it听is 鈥渄oing really good work鈥� and that denying the inevitability of change is 鈥渘ot realistic鈥� due to the Front Range鈥檚 growth.

Despite their disagreement over whether an opinion should count more if someone lives three or 30 minutes away, leaders of BMA and NATO听meet and discuss plans now, a prospect that would鈥檝e been laughable two years ago. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not great,鈥� Popetz says, 鈥渂ut we do meet.鈥�

鈥淪hared leadership is the wave of the future, as far as designing and implementing projects like this across our public lands,鈥� says the Forest Service鈥檚 Armstrong. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not how we handled these projects historically. We would just make decisions.鈥�

Harrod and I continue to Hobbit One, then Re-Root, a popular legacy trail near West Magnolia Road. For all that has happened since he stumbled upon the Sugar Mag pin flags eight years ago, Harrod seems to have found a balance, albeit uncomfortable, between begrudging and accepting the changes.

That doesn鈥檛 mean he forgives the principle, however. We hop onto a newly built section that he calls Bathroom View听only half-jokingly. The trail initially was routed within 10 yards of a local residence, allowing riders a clear sight line into the house as they pedaled past. The owner begged the Forest Service and BMA to move it farther away, which they did. But听Harrod still wonders why it was placed so close to a local’s home to听begin with, given the less intrusive options nearby. He shakes his head.

鈥淛ust because you can,鈥� he says, 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 mean you should.鈥�

The post The Battle to Ride Mountain Bikes in Nederland, Colorado appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump 听(R) to serve as secretary for the Department of the Interior, a position that manages natural and cultural resources. If Zinke accepts the job, he would oversee about 20 percent of the country鈥檚 public land, some 70,000 employees, and agencies like the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.听

In short, Zinke, 55, would become the most powerful arbiter of outdoor recreation and land-use policies in the country. Given Trump鈥檚 other cabinet picks, the second-term Montanan congressman is a better option than many expected. Crucially, he鈥檚 voiced support for federal management of public land and renewable energy. But he鈥檚 also called climate change an 鈥溾�� and wants to open federal land to more energy extraction. So it could be worse, but he鈥檚 certainly not an environmentalist鈥檚 ally.听

Here鈥檚 how the outdoor industry has responded to Zinke, through blog posts and press releases:

Outdoor Industry Association

鈥淥utdoor Industry Association (OIA) and OIAPAC endorsed Zinke in the 2016 election, citing his understanding of the outdoor recreation economy and his support for investment in and the protection of America鈥檚 public lands and waters… Specifically, Zinke was a co-sponsor of the Outdoor REC Act听in the House of Representatives, supports reauthorization and full funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and co-sponsored the (WDFA)…听Zinke also voted for the and has taken a vote against the state takeover of public lands鈥� He shares the industry鈥檚 values specific to the importance of access to and funding for America鈥檚 public lands and waters and the important role they play as the foundation and infrastructure of the $646 billion outdoor recreation economy. We look forward to a collaborative relationship and constructive dialogue with him, but we will also be ready to defend the protection of our shared lands and waters鈥攐ur American heritage鈥攕hould they be threatened.鈥�

.

Outdoor Alliance

鈥淲e have worked with Zinke on public lands and outdoor issues over the last several years. During his time in Congress, Zinke has become more outspoken about the importance of fighting the public land heist and working to keep public lands public. He has also been a vocal advocate for conservation programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Zinke has at times been willing to take positions unpopular with his party to defend public lands…Although his overall voting record on this issue has been mixed, he also deserves credit for taking some tough committee votes in support of keeping public lands public. Earlier this summer, Zinke broke party lines to vote against one of two measures that pave the way for privatizing National Forests. Zinke has been a strong supporter of fossil fuel development on public lands, including coal mining. In addition, he has been inconsistent on the settled science of climate change…To his credit, Zinke has been responsive to the outcry of his constituents in Montana about the importance of public lands.鈥�

.听

The Wilderness Society

鈥淲e have serious concerns about the nomination of Congressman Zinke, whose repeated support for logging, drilling and mining on cherished public lands is out of step with most Americans. While he has steered clear of efforts to sell off public lands and supported the Land and Water Conservation Fund, far more often Zinke has advanced policies that favor special interests. His overall record and the backdrop of cabinet nominations with close ties to the fossil fuel industry cause us grave concern. Zinke has refused to acknowledge that climate change is caused by fossil fuel emissions, while vocally opposing the Obama administration鈥檚 efforts to reduce harmful methane emissions. In addition, he has fought efforts to reform coal and voted to scrap environmental safeguards related to logging efforts on national forests.鈥�

.听

National Parks Conservation Association

鈥淚t is up to all of us to protect our national parks, including the President-elect and his new Interior Secretary. Mr. Zinke has expressed support for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, opposes the sale of public lands and has expressed concern over proposed mine development adjacent to Yellowstone. In contrast, Mr. Zinke has advocated for state control of energy development on federal lands, a move that threatens our national parks. Mr. Zinke has also repeatedly voted to block efforts to designate new national parks that would diversify the National Park System.鈥�

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Backcountry Hunters and Anglers

鈥淐ongressman Zinke understands the importance of public lands and balancing management of these important resources with energy development and other uses. As Montana鈥檚 lone representative in the House of Representatives, Mr. Zinke has showed himself to be receptive to the interests of a wide range of constituents and a potential ally of sportsmen and other outdoor recreationists… We appreciate his efforts to keep public lands public and to strongly fund cornerstone natural resources programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund; at the same time, we are committed to ensuring that fish and wildlife and their habitats are considered priorities with competing uses of our public lands. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Mr. Zinke as Interior secretary.鈥�

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Center for Biological Diversity

鈥淩yan Zinke has a dismal 3 percent lifetime environmental voting record. His brief political career has been substantially devoted to attacking endangered species and the Endangered Species Act. He led efforts to strip federal protections for endangered wolves, lynx, and sage grouse;听voted to exempt massive agribusiness and water developers from Endangered Species Act limitations;听and opposed efforts to crack down on the international black market ivory trade. Zinke consistently votes for the interests of oil and gas companies, which is not surprising since Oasis Petroleum is his largest campaign contributor and the oil and gas industry is his third-largest sector contributor. He has also voted against and attacked the establishment of protective national monuments on public lands. On the bright side, Zinke has spoken and voted against the outright transfer of federal public lands to states and corporations. This is in keeping with positions taken by Donald Trump and his son Donald, Jr. Unfortunately Zinke has championed the same result鈥攇reatly increased logging, mining and oil drilling, greatly reduced environmental protections, elimination of federal control, and weakening of environmental standards鈥攂y turning over public land management to industry-dominated panels appointed by state governors… During confirmation hearings, the Senate needs to grill Zinke on this contradiction and ensure he truly supports keeping public lands in public hands.”

鈥擪ier谩n Suckling, executive director of the CBD

Trust for Public Lands

鈥淧resident Theodore Roosevelt rightly recognized that saving our outdoor heritage for future generations was important, and if President-elect Trump intends to follow in Roosevelt鈥檚 footsteps, he will make sure these special places are protected forever, not sold to the highest bidder. As a member of Congress, Zinke was a strong supporter of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and worked with us to support community-based land conservation in Montana. We hope that as Secretary of the Interior, he will staunchly defend our public lands from harmful attacks, oppose the proposed sale and transfer of those lands and work to ensure permanent access to the outdoors for all Americans.鈥�

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Center for American Progress

鈥淐ongressman Zinke is a coal executive鈥檚 dream nominee. Congressman Zinke has been on a one-man crusade to preserve a massive loophole that allowed coal companies to dodge royalty payments to Montana communities and U.S. taxpayers…The coal and oil industry鈥檚 contributions to Congressman Zinke also seem to have transformed him into a denier of basic climate science. His flip-flop on the science of climate change will raise questions about which of his other positions鈥攕uch as his promise not to sell off parks and public lands鈥攃an be sold to the highest bidder…In 2010, then-state senator Zinke signed a letter of 1,200 state legislators calling on President Obama and the Congress to pass legislation on clean energy and climate change. Running for Congress in 2014, Congressman Zinke flipped his position, challenging the scientific consensus behind climate change. Since 2014, Zinke has taken at least $345,000 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry.鈥�

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Current Secretary of the Interior Salley Jewell

Last month, 国产吃瓜黑料听editor-in-chief Chris Keyes听chatted with Jewell about her potential replacement. When asked about what she thought about a climate change denier filling the role, she said: 鈥淵ou cannot be the Secretary of the Interior and deal with the wildfires and the droughts and the invasive species and coastal erosion without recognizing that climate change is real鈥�.No matter what beliefs a person comes into this position with, the job has a way of showing you what鈥檚 really going on.鈥�

Hear the full interview.听

The post What’s the Outdoor Industry Saying About Trump’s Interior Secretary Pick? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

About 12 hours after ultrarunner Karl Meltzer summited Springer Mountain on September 18, smashing the record for the Appalachian Trail鈥檚 Fastest Known Time (FKT), a 31-year-old 听named听Kaiha Bertollini arrived at that same terminus. She didn鈥檛 come with a crew, and there were no reporters or fans waiting for her. The only other person around was a fellow thru-hiker and friend. He snapped a 鈥攐ne of her signature moves for photo ops on the trail鈥攁nd raising her arms in victory. A day later, she made an : Bertollini, who goes by the trail name Wild Card Ninja, claimed she had completed the trail in 45 days, 6 hours, 28 minutes and 16 seconds鈥�16 hours faster than Meltzer.

Trail forums and social media erupted in a firestorm of : Bertollini鈥檚 claim was impossible, hikers said, particularly given that she didn鈥檛 have a support crew. (The standing self-supported hiking record鈥�54 days and some change鈥攚as set by Heather Anderson last year.)听Critics on web forums听and , pointed out Bertollini鈥檚 lack of battle scars, the cellulite on her thighs, the fact that she drank and smoked cigarettes on the trail. All evidence, they argued, indicated听that Wild Card Ninja is a fraud. 鈥淵our story doesn鈥檛 ring true,鈥� wrote one of the more polite detractors. 鈥淐laim whatever you want, but know that most people won鈥檛 believe it as credible unless you can prove and document each day.鈥�

In the days following, Bertollini, who lives in Atlanta, has remained steadfast鈥揹efiant, even. She鈥檚 been inundated by messages and emails suggesting that she admit the hike was a hoax, that she should retract the claim and try again next year. 鈥淚 kind of want to say, 'Go fuck yourselves,鈥� Bertollini told me on a video call Thursday. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e trying to get me to admit I lied, to something I didn鈥檛 do. Where鈥檚 the integrity in that?鈥�

Bertollini has听challenged doubters to complete a 50-mile day with her as proof. She鈥檚 said she鈥檒l do the whole trail again if need be. Still, few in the hiking world believe her. Their brazen skepticism raises some important questions about how and why FKTs are established or proven in the first place.

No governing body or oversight committee sanctions Fastest Known Time records.听 Historically, announcing that you broke one was proof enough. That鈥檚 what David Horton did in 1991, when he completed the first fully-supported competitive hike of the Appalachian Trail (he finished in 52 days and some change). The same was true more recently, when Andrew Thompson set the supported record in 2005, and again when Liz Thomas set the unsupported record in 2011. In both cases, the hikers sent their times to Peter Bakwin, a well-known figure in the world of FKTs and the creator of . Bakwin added their names to the growing narrative of record holders, and their accomplishments became as official among the trail community as unofficial records can be.

This kind of laissez faire approach used to work, says Bakwin, because听few people even听attempted FKTs. Warren Doyle announced the first Appalachian Trail FKT in 1973 and, for the most part, the same handful of hikers鈥攚ho all knew each other鈥攎ade attempts on the nation鈥檚 long trails, until the past seven or so years. Recent high-profile attempts like Meltzer鈥檚 and ultrarunner Scott Jurek鈥檚, last year鈥攚hich have shaved the margins down to hours and minutes鈥攈ave necessitated more precise tools of measurement. And the increased number of attempts听has made听the honor-system approach seem antiquated.

鈥淣ow we have these instances where someone unknown pops up,鈥� Bakwin听says. 鈥淲ithout any sort of background in racing ultras or hiking long trails, that person has no established credibility. That means we have to put more emphasis on details,鈥� like daily mileage counts, resupply logs, and detailed sleep schedules.

The problem first came to a head in 2009, when Brett Maune鈥揳nother unknown in the world of speed hiking鈥揳nnounced he had broken the FKT on the 210-mile John Muir Trail through California's Sierra Nevada range. The hiking community responded in much the same way it has to Bertollini, calling Maune a cheat and a liar. Bakwin was one of those skeptics. He refused to post Maune鈥檚 record without a detailed narrative of the attempt, complete with date-stamped evidence. Maune sent a flashdrive containing both, along with videos corroborating his story.

鈥淭urned out, Maune wasn鈥檛 a fraud,鈥� says Bakwin. 鈥淗e was just too busy getting a Ph.D. in physics to hang out with the FKT crowd.鈥� Still, says Bakwin, it wasn鈥檛 until two years later, when Maune won the 100-mile Barkley Marathons in Tennessee鈥揳rguably the most punishing race on the continent鈥搕hat naysayers quieted down about his Muir trail record.

A similar situation occurred this summer, when Belgian dentist Karel Sabbe claimed he had set the FKT on the Pacific Crest Trail. In that case, it was David Horton who adjudicated the claim: when criticism over Sabbe鈥檚 route erupted, the ultrarunner agreed to send all of his Strava data to Horton. In the end, the latter decided Sabbe鈥檚 record was probably legit. Horton neither represents nor reports to any organization. Instead, he and Warren Doyle have what Horton calls a 鈥済entlemen鈥檚 agreement鈥� that they will serve as the unofficial record keepers of FKTs.

The two juries鈥揇oyle and Horton, and Bakwin鈥揳lso have no articulated relationship with one another, but both acknowledge the records the other has authenticated. And they鈥檙e both equally skeptical of Bertollini. She didn鈥檛 adhere to best practices that have become commonplace among people making FKT attempts, they say. That begins with an announcement that such an attempt is underway. The three men say that someone making a legitimate FKT attempt听will invite people to come out and participate or observe, and that the person鈥檚 journey will include some kind of publicly accessible trail journal or photo diary.

Here鈥檚 the rub: Bertollini more or less did all that.听She announced her attempt on听; she with location stamps; she invited people to join her on the trail.听So听what鈥檚 the problem?

For starters, Wild Card Ninja is about as much of an outsider in the hiking community as Maune was in 2009. She did her first section hike鈥攁 500-mile stretch from Virginia to Springer Mountain鈥攖he beginning of this year, then decided to thru-hike the whole trail shortly thereafter. She鈥檚 brash and emotional. She doesn鈥檛 look the part鈥攕he wears eyeliner and short-shorts on the trail. It鈥檚 been easy for hardcore hikers to dismiss her.

But Bertollini also served in the Army for nearly four years, and there鈥檚 something to that kind of training.

鈥淭hey basically taught us how to go for a 15-mile run after you鈥檝e eaten a burger and smoked a couple of cigarettes. And then they made us do it all over again,鈥� Bertollini says. She also says she was honorably discharged only after she was the victim of a听brutal sexual assault perpetrated (and videotaped) by men in her unit.

Of course, this background doesn鈥檛 prove her FKT claim. For that kind of confirmation, Bakwin says he鈥檇 need to see the detailed log of her days as well as date-stamped photos. (Bertollini says she鈥檚 willing to compile both as soon as her waterlogged phone is repaired.) For his part, Horton wants definitive GPS data. Even then, he says, he鈥檒l remain skeptical. He says he鈥檒l want evidence of the physical effects of the hike, too.

鈥淭hat kind of thing eats you alive,鈥� says Horton. 鈥淪he looked like the same person before and after. The average hiker loses 20 or 30 pounds. That may not be a valid tool, but it鈥檚 as valid as anything else.鈥�

Former record holder Liz Thomas disagrees. She says she lost just four pounds during her FKT, and听that such an attempt is nowhere near as punishing on the body as a typical thru-hike. She鈥檚 also uncomfortable with the idea of having to use technology to document every step鈥攕omething that wasn鈥檛 required of her when she claimed and was awarded the FKT. Her reputation, admits Bakwin, was all the confirmation he needed before adding her to the board. That was true of other FKT holders, including Jennifer Pharr Davis, who set the supported record in 2011.听Heather Anderson carried a SPOT GPS tracker last year, but Bakwin didn鈥檛 ask for the data when verifying her record.

However, times have changed, Bakwin says. Today, if you want a place on his website, you听should consider听providing听him with data from a SPOT or other live-time tracker鈥攍ike听the ones听Jurek and听Meltzer听live-streamed on their websites.听Without that, Bakwin听says, there's a whole lot of data crunching that's going to need to happen.

Since Bertollini made her claim, a video has emerged showing her hitching a ride to a Virginia hostel during the period she says she was working on her record attempt. That evidence certainly doesn鈥檛 help her case, but it doesn鈥檛 entirely discredit it, either. A 鈥渟elf-supported鈥� attempt is simply defined as one that doesn鈥檛 include a dedicated, pre-arranged crew. In other words, you can get off the trail and resupply whenever and however you need to, so long as you hike every step of the trail. During her attempt last year, Heather Anderson decided not to accept rides into resupply stops, but that was because of rules she set for herself, not because of any clear external stipulation.

For Bertollini鈥檚 FKT claim to be taken seriously, she鈥檚 going to have to prove she returned to the exact spot where she hitched that ride, among several other hurdles: Horton wants her to demonstrate that she hiked every other inch of the trail. It鈥檚 a stringent standard鈥攓uite possibly the strictest one any hiker has been held to in FKT history. In fact, it might be impossible for any hiker, even with all the available technology.

No doubt, the case of Kaiha Bertollini, however it shakes out, is going to change the way hikers are awarded FKTs. Increased scrutiny of devices and reporting will almost certainly follow. But even the most precise GPS trackers can never guarantee that every single inch of the trail was covered in record time. Until the technology advances, these records come down to the assessment of three men and the general good will of the hiking community.

鈥淲e鈥檙e never going to verify every step any person has taken,鈥� says Horton. 鈥淚n the end, it really just comes down to what seems possible.鈥�

If there's one thing we've seen in recent years, the record of what's possible will continue听to be broken.

The post The Problem with Claiming a Fastest Known Time in the 21st Century appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.