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.

Tour de Georgia Posts Route

Organizers of the Tour de Georgia have announced the route and host cities for the 2007 ride to begin April 16th. In an effort to continue to build the T de G as the premier American professional racing event and the great American warm up for the European Grand Tours, they have added a mountain top time-trial at Lookout Mountain to the venerable climbing stage to the top of Brasstown Bald. The tour also grows by a day to begin on Monday and run for seven days now.
One point to note is the change in sponsorship again this year. With difficult times falling on American automakers and cycling still holding just a niche market in the sports landscape, the tour has lost the original sponsor Dodge as well as last year's sponsor Ford. Now, owned and sponsored by the state of Georgia, we hope for a more a little more consistency.
Other than that, teams and riders will be announced around January to join Discovery Channel and Predictor-Lotto who have already given their intention to ride.

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.