Add Frankie Andreu to the list

When I first posted the news about Christian Vande Velde signing up to race the Chequamegon Fat Tire 40, I listed him as one of three riders with Tour de France credentials to tackle the mountain bike spectacle in Hayward.

I was wrong.

Emails setting me straight have been popping in all week. The first noted that I left Jeff Bradley off the list. The Iowa native raced on the original 7-Eleven team, the first U.S. squad to compete in the tour, and has been a regular in the Fat Tire field.

Next was Bob Roll. Bobke is more familiar to cycling fans as the colorful commentator on the Tour coverage, but he did race the main event three times and took second place in the 1996 CFTF.

And this morning, a Fat Tire veteran sent an email sharing his experience riding with Frankie Andreu in the 2004 race to Telemark. As a member of the U.S. Postal Service team, Andreau was one of Lance Armstrong's domestiques during his run to seven wins in the Tour de France. He then became a key figure in the lingering doping allegations.

A couple years into his retirement from pro cycling, Andreu didn't race to win the Fat Tire.

That's it as far as I can glean. If anybody dropped Eddy Merckx, or even saw him on the Fire Tower climb, give me a ring.