PCM.Daily NFL Fantasy Football Champion: 2012 PCM.Daily NHL Prediction Game Champion: 2013 PCM.Daily NFL Prediction Game Champion: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021
Entry #28 | April 27, 2018: Snapshots with CFO Mikayla Leene
Note: A true testament of heart and stupidity.
People like to laugh at Monkey Town being the name of a cycling team. It sounds funny, I get it. The struggle for us is turning that mocking into awareness.
For those that don't know, Monkey Town is an indoor playground for kids.
Sponsoring a cycling team is... Well, stressful. You can't predict sports. As much as we would like to see our jersey win every race and be in every breakaway. That's far from realistic, especially with a small team.
Instead, we have to take everything in stride. Last week, we got an increase in visitors. Ironically enough, the same week Alex Vogel won.
This week, this happened.
Stage 1 of the Tour de Bretagne Cyclist ends in a massive pile up. In total, nearly half the peloton goes down in the crash, including (yes, you guess it) Alex Vogel.
The star of the team was torn apart by the asphalt and by getting run over.
It looked awful, but...
Alex got up and rode out the final 4kms to finish the stage. We all thought that was the end of his tour. It should have been, but we were wrong.
Paul let Alex race the next day, even after the team doctor warned against it.
At first, everything was fine. Alex rode around in the peloton. A true showing of grit and unwillingness to give up. Then, it happened again.
A tangle of wheels and Alex went down. He wasn't getting up this time.
We still haven't gotten word from the team about Alex's condition. He was rushed off to the hospital. Hopefully nothing season ending.
Meanwhile, media outlets have been playing the gruesome crash on repeat.
Not the kind of attention we wanted. But, any publicity is good publicity?
PCM.Daily NFL Fantasy Football Champion: 2012 PCM.Daily NHL Prediction Game Champion: 2013 PCM.Daily NFL Prediction Game Champion: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021
UPDATE: Real-life work has picked up and I haven't had the energy to crank out more reports for this yet. We are understaffed at the newspaper I work at which means even more work for me... I'll try to crank out some reports on my days off on Friday and Saturday.
From here on out, the Monday - Wednesday - Friday posting schedule is put on the backburner. I'll be posting updates whenever I have time.
Entry #29 | June 27, 2018: Feature with Journalist Marijn de Vries
Note: If this is the end, it comes way too soon.
Making Invisible History Dutch Ex-cyclist Alex Vogel Reveals Secret
HELMOND -- Pedaling the streets of Helmond, Alex Vogel is just another face in the crowd. No one questions why Vogel is here.
Doing my best to keep up, we explored Vogel's hometown. From the castles to the canal, Vogel had crafted quite the scenic training route.
After an hour or so of riding we stopped at a small coffee shop. I was exhausted, and Vogel hadn't even broke a sweat. Between my gasps for air, I finally popped the question that had been running through my mind the whole ride.
"Why did you decide to walk away from the sport?"
Vogel, who was last seen racing for the Monkey Town cycling team two months ago, looked directly at me and said, "I couldn't keep living a lie."
False Assumptions
Cycling was an afterthought for Vogel. It was more of a hobby and relieved stress from the real world. Something that brought joy to a rather painful upbringing.
The death of Vogel's father left a noticeable scar. Vogel still doesn't like to talk about it, yet the world still does. The former Formula One driver, Michael Vogel, lost his life during a practice session gone horribly wrong.
A blown tire sent him flipping through the grass. The resemblances to the gruesome crash and fall Vogel took in the Tour de Bretagne Cyclist is unsettling. Alex Vogel, thankfully, only suffered a few bruised ribs.
"I got lucky," Vogel said. "But, crashing is a part of the sport. I never want anybody's sympathy. That's certainly not why I decided to walk away."
So, in that sense, the mainstream media were very wrong. Much like it was the day Vogel's father died, reporting he wasn't in critical condition to offer false hope.
I'll admit, I watched Alex Vogel's crash on repeat trying to make sense of it. Tangled in bicycle scrap, I could only come up with the same conclusion that this was the reason Vogel hadn't returned to the sport.
Now watching Vogel pedal away from me again, I knew that wasn't the case.
Building the Facade
"Covering up the truth is... Exhausting," Vogel said. "This isn't what I wanted. To be honest, I should have listened to Sabrina."
Childhood friend Sabrina Stultiens, now a cyclist on the women's team WM3 Energie, was Vogel's motivation for getting into cycling. The duo was inseparable growing up, but then went their separate ways.
They eventually reconnected in 2014. Browsing through Twitter, Vogel interest in cycling sparked again after seeing a photo of Stultiens standing on top of the podium of the U23 European RR Championships.
After months of back and forth, Stultiens finally convinced Vogel to help volunteer with the now-folded Rabobank program. That lasted around a year and Vogel even got promoted to a part-time job as the public relations assistant.
Then, Stultiens signed a better contract with a new team and left Vogel behind.
"I was angry and confused at first. But, she got offered a great opportunity," Vogel said. "And I wasn't going to stop her from chasing her dreams. Oddly enough, her leaving did open a door for me.
"I remember her telling me to believe in myself and know my limits."
New Kid on the Block
Vogel wasn't exactly gifted a roster on Rabobank to start the 2015 season.
"Alex wasn't ready, or so we thought," Rabobank manager Arthur van Dongen said. "Raw talent, yes. But, you can't just throw somebody on the team without truly knowing their talent. A few amateur races and we knew what we had."
Vogel didn't just express, but won all three amateur races in dominating fashion.
"I wanted to make a good first impression," Vogel said with a smirk.
Vogel went from an unknown to dominating the circuit in six short weeks.
"I haven't seen anything like it," Dongen said. "Alex couldn't lose, just miles better than everybody else. Yet, nobody seemed to care. There was no media attention or buzz. Nothing. I couldn't believe it. What more did the kid have to do?"
A change of identity was needed. And instead of seeking the public's attention, Vogel now tried to avoid it at all costs.
An Open Secret
"A lot of people in the cycling world knew what I was trying to hide and a lot of people obviously had to know for me to get as far as I did," Vogel said. "Teammates, coaches, other cyclists. Heck, I even remember getting mail from spectators. I remember this one guy, Ian Butler was his name, he was the first to expose my secret to the public. It was the beginning of the end really."
Vogel reached a confidentially agreement with Ian Butler to keep quiet, but the damage had already been done. Rumors started to spread like a wildfire.
"It was going to come out eventually," Vogel said. "I don't blame Ian, just wish I could have stayed undercover a little bit longer."
Undercover from me. The media. The watchdogs. The tattletales.
We wouldn't allow somebody to break the rules and change the status quo.
The End?
After two hours of biking through the city and the countryside, we stopped where we started at Vogel's apartment. I gathered my things and packed up my car.
It was going to be a long drive back to the office. But, it was enough time to comprehend the magnitude of the story I was about to write.
Before parting ways, Vogel and I exchanged a cordial goodbye.
"That was fun, we should do this again some time," Vogel said.
"For sure," I responded, not knowing if we would ever see each other again.
"And don't hold anything back next time... Give me everything you got girl."
Shame it came so soon if it is the end, but what an ending it is! Very well-written and love the twist - was one of my theories but was never sure with your great writing. Congrats to Ian for "winning"
24/02/21 - kandesbunzler said “I don't drink famous people."
15/08/22 - SotD said "Your [jandal's] humour is overrated"
11/06/24 - knockout said "Winning is fine I guess. Truth be told this felt completely unimportant." [ICL] Santos-Euskadi | [PT] Xero Racing
I'm putting this in a spolier tag, as i don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read the latest update yet
Spoiler
Alex is a girl, that's the only thing that make sense, but it also doesn't make a lot of sense...
"Change of identidy" (without changing his name), "We wouldn't allow somebody to break the rules and change the status quo". There is a phrase that definitely made me realise about it, but i rather not put it here, so i don't spoil it to others
Ok, her father died is a horrible racing crash, but if he has the same name, how is Alex expected to go unnoticed in cycling, even if someone cares about it? By not showing the face in public?
Which makes go to the next point. Why would Alex compete with mens instead of womens? Something that i don't understand
Entry #30 | December 21, 2019: Epilogue by Alex Vogel
Note: It's time. I want to continue my story, with you.
Hi again, my name is Alex Vogel. Do you remember me?
I've laid low the last year and a half, unsure if I would ever return.
I needed time to heal and figure out who I really am and want to be.
My secret defined me for far too long. I'm not scared anymore.
Say what you want. You're entitled to your opinions.
But I'm here to stay this time and finish what I started.
Winning pennies on the women's circuit doesn't interest me.
Making invisible history wasn't good enough. I'm ready to be seen.
Yes, I'm a female. Yes, I'm racing with the boys. Why? Because I can.
The Union Cycliste Internationale might have wiped my previous accolades.
But, this time, they aren't erasing me and my team of lawyers — thanks stepdad.
I'm paving the way for the next generation of girls who want to race the TDF.
My journey is too important to let others tell my story.
Then, you walked in. Confused. Intrigued. Inviting yourself into my life.
"Hi, are you the new team nurse?" I laughed and said: "Try teammate."
A reasonable misunderstanding has blossomed into something special.
While finding my own Vantage Point, I discovered Diamond.
And, for better or worse, his story became our story.
A new adventure awaits and I can't wait. Join us!
, now we will go and pester Ian for answers 
