The Storm is Approaching

Well, if it is a surprise to anyone by now that the UCI and the grand tour organizers don't exactly see eye to eye on certain matters, they probably are the same people who were caught off guard by the sun rising this morning. There has been a long, heated debate going on to try and wrangle the power from each other, that for the most part has been nothing more than a stalemate. This time it seems to have come to a head.
While the teams and riders enjoy the gleeful distance that the Tour of California can provide from the quagmire of European racing, the muck is getting deeper. The UCI sent a letter on Wednesday to all of the Pro Tour teams that for the sake of Unibet.com no one will be competing in Paris-Nice. The "Race To The Sun" has for many been the unofficial start to the new season, but it seems likely that this year will pass by without it unless something drastic changes soon.
This will be a true test to the UCI teams, challenging the strength of their union. Will the French teams whose sponsors rely on these races stay out, can the major squads like CSC, QuickStep-Innergetic, Discovery who look to post big results in big races let one go, are the teams willing to pass on all the races organized by the ASO, RCS, and Unipublic just to stand up for Unibet.com of all teams? Can anyone even name two or three riders from Unibet.com? Because it seems that the organizers certainly have a strong union, and if the trend holds, and the sides don't agree, then what? Is the season opener, The Tour of Flanders? Certainly the Belgian Classics are a mainstay in the cycling world, but will anyone argue that Gent - Wevelgem is worth more than Milan-San Remo?
Well, we will enjoy the rest of the week in California with our heads blissfully in the sand. March will come soon enough.

God Speed Félix Lévitan

Sunday, February 18th, Lévitan passed away in Cannes, the same place he was born, 95 years ago.
Lévitan, who directed the Tour from 1962-1987, got his start as a sports journalist before working his way up to head of the sports section of the Parisien Libéré newspaper in the 60s.

A New Season of Racing

Sunday came with a breeze of anticipation, revealing speed, controversy, teams in search of sponsorship, with newfish and vets looking to test themselves in a new season of competition. Of course, I'm speaking of the Amgen Tour of California. I don't know, someone else said there was some other race on Sunday, but apparently their marketing plan must of fell below the radar.
For The Carbon Post anyway, the TOC, marks the beginning of a new season and it couldn't have come too soon. With the lose ends of the Puerto Investigation and the Landis-Tour controversy not being resolved before the end of the off season, the cycling world is ready for some highlights.
But in fairness to all, we will reluctantly start with updates on those two lingering subjects. First is Puerto, which really ended up doing little more than smear athletes’ names and create a massive dark cloud over the sport. What we needed was closure. Sure we know that there are some who will cheat and they should be held accountable, but the manner in which this investigation was held is truly criminal. And after almost all the tarnished riders have found their way back to the peleton (keep your chin up Ulle, you'll make it), the National Institute of Toxicology in Madrid, which analyzed the blood, found the "existing amounts (of EPO) in the bags would not be sufficient to cause detrimental effects and the doses used in patients who need it therapeutically are much greater." So it would seem that there won't even be evidence to convict the charged of the general accusation of "Crimes against public health."
Secondly, the Floyd vs. Pereiro vs. the Tour de France. Understanding how serious it is for the athletes to be able to have a legitimate and legally binding way to protect their rights, reputations, and livelihood against the circumstances of a false positive, I must say that I find the title 'Floyd Fairness Fund' just laughable. Are we really that childish? Well, looking at the name calling and bickering between Landis and McQuaid, I guess I am expecting too much. At least the arbitrators have been finally named for his hearing against the US Anti-Doping Agency. If July roles around this year still with no decision, you might as well close the show. What satisfaction is there in taking a victory from fools who can't be held to a responsible level of accountability? Meanwhile, poor little Pereiro, is being the patient and good sport about this whole issue by taking the high road and staying out of things. February 18th, hundreds of protestors came out into the streets of Vigo, Galicia in Spain to pressure the UCI to name Oscar Pereiro the winner of the 2006 Tour de France. Everyone showed up wearing a yellow jersey to surround Oscar and show support. Again, being the consummate good sportsman that he is, respecting the scoreboard, Pereiro did not wear yellow. After leading the mob on bicycles through the streets of town, they will be launching a massive petition to the UCI governing body. Now there is a man who could teach us all about how to lose gracefully.
And finally we are brought back to the start of this year at the start of the TOC. What a race this has become in only its second year. The level of competition is superb and the involvement of the sponsors has been great. Amgen, a producer of the banned substance EPO, remained the sponsor for the second year, though I wonder who they are marketing to, the athletes or the fans. Oh, but the organizers can say they did run a perfectly clean race last year, with no positive test for any banned substances. But then again, there is one little thing that ought to be pointed out, you see, coincidentally they never did include a screen for EPO in the athletes drug test. Excuse me while I have flashbacks of Thank You For Smoking. We certainly wouldn't want any bad press for the race or the sponsor in the inaugural race that was touted to become the new "Tour de France" for the cycling world.
Well, this year things should be better. We can put all that behind us and look forward to a clean slate with teams leading the fight for clean sport, like CSC and Slipstream. Congrat's to Discovery's Leipheimer for taking the prologue. Equal props to the young upstart, Neo-Pro Jason Donald of Slipstream, for his finish of second place on the tough course by one second. Now we sit back and watch eagerly to see history be made this year. Enjoy!