Tuesday Roundup

News
AP/SportingNews says the candidates for election to the CAS Presidency on April 3rd are the expected Mr. Pound, Robert Briner, Mino Auletta, and Gunnar Werner. The election is in Monaco, so maybe the voters will show up instead of phoning it in-- this is the gravy at the Olympic lunch buffet. (tip from CalfeeGirl)

The latest Editon of the CyclingNews cites a piece in Sportwereld (Google translation from Dutch here) which quotes Floyd Landis as saying his situation is "hopeless" It goes on to state he has gained 22 pounds, and is advising Rock Racing's younger riders.

Floyd Landis has put on ten kilograms, or about 22 pounds, and is not training. "Why should I?", he told Sportwereld.be. "But I still put in some time each week on my bike. And I advise the youngsters at Rock Racing.

In the meantime, Landis is waiting for his March 19 hearing before the Court of Appeal for Sports. "My lawyers told me that Lausanne has set five days to hear all the parties. I hope that I won't have to wait an additional five months to hear the results, as I did last year after my hearing in California. It is all hopeless."

We suspect more than a little has been lost in the translation. The last time we saw Landis, he'd looked to be in fighting shape. He had put on weight last year at this time, but it is gone now. This is also the first we've seen he was in Pasadena for the end of the ToC.

In more CyclingNews apparently the escalating battle between the UCI and the ASO will only get uglier with the proclamation by the UCI that far reaching consequences will be faced by the ASO due to its actions concerning the exclusion of Astana from all events this year and the ASO's request that Paris-Nice be run as a "National calendar event":

Describing ASO's actions as "utterly irregular", the UCI has threatened to have no involvement with the first major European race of 2008. It said that no international or national commissaries would be authorized to work at the event as it will not be governed by the UCI rules if ASO continues to organize the race as a national calendar event.

The VeloNews updtaes the UCI/ASO battle with teams now being forced into making hard decisions, and the ASO digging in its heals. To paraphrase Margo Channing, fasten your seat belts it's going to be a bumpy ride.

AP says the ASO is telling the UCI to bring it on, with the ASO more than happy to go it alone.

The NY Times reports that the congressional committee which heard Roger Clemens' testimony earlier this month, may be making the symbolic gesture of sending a letter to the Justice Department about Clemens. Reports persist that Clemens' accuser, Brian MacNamee, will not be named in the letter. This would be the first step taken in any action contemplated against Clemens, but does not necessarily indicate any forthcoming legal proceedings.

Blogs
Rant notes the call for a pro teams boycott of Paris-Nice to protest of Asatana's exclusion from ASO events. The action, by the UCI's Pat McQuaid, may be just a power grab being taken by an organization which sees the ASO as usurping its authority. Rant goes on to talk about yesterday's revelations by soigneur Suzanne Sonye that Kayle Leogrande of Rock Racing confessed that he did indeed dope.

Racejunkie picks up on the Leogrande vs. soigneur story and is incredulous that Kayle missed the lesson stating one should never confess nothin' to a soigneur. "Moronity" seems, at times, to rule cycling and this goes for those who would jail Patrik Sinkewitz for not singing like a bird. RJ also comments on the ASO's treachery and subsequent call to action by the UCI. The allegedly recent photo of Pat McQuaid and Dick Pound looking for cycling roadkill is just a bonus.

Unless it's Funny Dept

I don't get a laugh like this very often.
" Instant Karma's gonna get you, gonna knock you right off your feet..."
(found by RaceJunkie).