Bjarne Riis Looking Toward A Clean Future

From the very beginning, Riis wanted CSC to be something different. He didn't want egotistic athletes filling their pockets with money and shelves with palmares any way possible. His focus was to build a core philosophy of "team", where the riders put each other first. If they could give their all for the team, respect the team, never embarrass the team, and show the rest of the cycling world what character really is, the awards and money would come to them secondary. So it was no surprise to see how disappointed Bjarne was to hear that his protege, Ivan Basso, had been linked to the Puerto investigation. But that is a tough spot, either Riis knew what was going on and did nothing until Basso was caught (which I do not think is the case), or Riis had no idea what was taking place on his team, and to his fault, really should have been more aware.
So on a matter of principal Riis and the rest of Team CSC removed Basso from the roster, only to watch him never get a formal confirmation of his doping, and then get snatched by a rival squad. Bjarne's firm principles led to his mismanagement of the situation and caused him to act too quickly in letting Basso go. But no one will ever mistake Riis as a man of character, and with that, he is moving on.
Riis and Team CSC announced a new anti-doping program which will set the standard for cycling and professional sports teams around the world. This unprecedented plan will have CSC riders complying to close to 800 drug control test starting in December and continuing through the '07 season. Coincidentally, or not, most of these tests will occur Out of Competition, when riders are on break or in training sessions, and away from the watchful eye of their DS. On team-csc.com Riis announced, "Our ambition is to be pioneers in the work against doping" and "I have no qualms about submitting our riders to the most rigorous tests out there, because we want cycling to be a clean sport. I have faith in the fact that our riders have the right attitude and I would like for them to be able to show this to the world."
The power of this initiative comes from the fact that CSC is not a scrappy little amateur or Continental Team. This is CSC! CSC that has had riders dominating in all types of races during the whole season and who has been unmatched in team competitions. For a team like this to make a move like this, I hope it does place pressure on the other squads. Realistically though, this will only happen if they can find a way to continue their great success with out a powerful rider like Basso. Discovery didn't do well when their leader was removed, it remains to be seen how CSC will adjust. For the effort though, I tip my hat to Riis for initiating the move.