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.

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!

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.

Basso the Disco

The inevitable has come to pass.
The Discovery Channel has announced that they have signed Ivan Basso to a two year contract reportedly earning between $1.5 and $2 million USD a year. DSC has not hidden their interest in Basso since his days at Fassa Bortolo, while Basso, who had entertained offers from non-Pro Tour teams, could not refuse the money or the potential to make his run at the Giro-Tour double.
This gives the blue train a definitive leader as it takes the line for the 2007 season. This should come as a relief to the team whose 2006 season was only slightly less as embarrassing as the LAPD's portfolio of celebrity mug shots. One of the most excited people over the signing of the Italian had to be DS Bruyneel, who watched his genius status drop to clueless as grand tour strategist during the 2006 Tour. It is amazing how having a (potential) winner can change that.
The most interesting thing to come out of this deal is Disco's complete disregard for the October 25th unanimous decision by AIGCP teams to refrain from signing riders implicated in doping investigations, even before the full results are known. With this being a US based squad, maybe they are relying on the fact that the general US population will not get hung up on drug allegations or be aware of these gentlemen's agreements. This move however, stunned CSC, T-mobile, and Gerolsteiner. Web site www.express.de quoted T-Mobile Sports Director Rolf Aldag as saying, "I find it inconceivable that Basso will sign with Discovery Channel," adding, "Basso and Jan Ullrich, too, should prove their innocence, only then will they be interesting again." Bjarne Riis admitted to cyclingnews.com that "the interests of individuals prevail while the initiatives go disregarded." Perhaps DSC's decision to have a DNA sample given to the UCI as the final portion of the contract was intended to be a thoughtful, "get well soon" card after stabbing all these other teams in the back.
In the end, it's all about "Score board." Basso was never confirmed to have doped and now he joins a team with a seasoned legal squad well equipped with the expertise to fight drug allegations. Teams had better watch out next summer, because Disco is back.