Friday, March 14, 2008

Friday Roundup

News
The CyclingNews notes that the French Sports Secretary is now proclaiming his interest in mediating the ASO/UCI dustup, with promises to protect French riders IF the UCI follows through on threatened sanctions against them. Meanwhile Pat McQuaid says that the riders are "victims" in the war between the UCI and ASO. McQuaid was in Spain to discuss the reopening of OP and these are his first public comments since the beginning of Paris-Nice:

McQuaid, who prior to Paris-Nice had sent letters and made statements threatening riders with fines and suspensions if they participated in the event outside the UCI's rules backed off from that firm stance a bit this week. "I said what I had to say. The race is taking place outside of the rules of the UCI," he said. "When it finishes we will sit down and look at all the circumstances and consider the data that we have. The riders have asked for a meeting. They are victims and have been forced to take a stand, they are employees of teams that cannot be denied participation because it is their livelihood. The UCI will take this into account in determining sanctions."

The VeloNews reports Pat McQuaid as saying he has Alberto Contador's back should Contador decide to take legal action over his team's exclusion from this year's Tour de France:
"If Contador decides to take legal action in Spain or internationally myself and the UCI will give evidence in his favor and I will be a witness," McQuaid told the daily El Mundo.

"I know Contador and the people around him and I know that he is a clean and honest rider," added McQuaid of the rider who has had to fend off questions regarding his alleged links to Spanish blood-doping probe Operation Puerto.

The VeloNews also reports that former poster child for UCI/ASO dysfunction Unibet is back with a new name, Cycle Collstrop.

ESPN writes Australia's anti-doping agency feels perfectly within its rights to be secretly checking athletes private medical records for evidence of PED use:

John Mendoza, former ASADA boss and now a professor of health science at the University of the Sunshine Coast, said he is concerned the investigation may be too invasive.

"It's certainly a bold move and I am not aware of any other jurisdiction in the world that's taken this move," Mendoza told ABC. "It's potentially a dangerous move because it's casting a question mark against all athletes."

AskMen.com posts the top ten "steroid excuses", Floyd Landis' comes in at number eight. Just two more scandals and he'll drop out of sight.

Blogs
Racejunkie spends a lot of time this morning discussing the ins and outs of various Italian doping scandals, with Patrik Sinkewitz thrown in for good measure.

Dugard responds to criticism of his grenade of yesterday in his blog, and yes,
It was to be a story about me, not Floyd,



We are reminded:



If that doesn't play, try THIS. It's been said of Disney's Beauty and the Beast that we've all known a Gaston. It's also true we've all known an Anita.

7 comments:

Larry said...

No, this is TOO funny.

McQuaid is offering to support Contador in legal action to get into the Tour de France. McQuaid can offer Contador this support, being as Contador is one of the handful of pro cyclists that McQuaid is NOT threatening to suspend from the UCI.

Then if the legal action is successful and Contador actually RACES in the Tour de France, then McQuaid will toss Contador out of the UCI for riding in a race not sanctioned by the UCI.

Stuff this good, you just can't make up.

DBrower said...

It's a "where to begin?" story. I was choking up over the statement,

"I know Contador and the people around him and I know that he is a clean and honest rider"

Not that Contador isn't, but how McQuaid could know that given the many things floating around stretches credulity. I can't wait for Ludwig and Jean C to have a go at this.

TBV

whareagle said...

Good Lord.

Floyd, when you win this damned thing once and for all, I hope to G-D you sue the bejeebers out of these morons and run them all in to bankruptcy. Then, hopefully, like ashes from the Phoenix (yes, I meant that), maybe someone will step up to create a corporation-style league with a smart union, competent owners, and better control and organization. There's a reason why other sports are more successful. Cycling, however, continues to destroy the entertainment it should provide.

Unknown said...

All my life I've wanted to be quasi-something. Now I am a quasi-cycling fan. Now I know that my following of this story is simply because Floyd is American. I knew it was all nationalistic jingoism on my part. I just didn't know it.

After all this time rooting for Italians at certain races, Belgians at others and, yes Americans, it's nice to know I only qualify as a "quasi" fan. I was rooting for a Columbian at the Tour last year, but clearly it's just an extension of my North American heritage. And watching the results of Omloop Het Volk, Tirreno Adriatico and others has just been a passing fancy because, dammit, not enough Americans have been in contention all these years.

It's nice to know I'm a quasi-fan. Especially today, as I hold the receipt for the American-made bike I just dropped a couple grand on less than an hour ago. The American made bike that no American on the Pro Tour peloton rides. I guess when I go on my next quasi-ride I'll only be putting in quasi-miles.

daniel m (a/k/a Rant) said...

Gary,

Does that mean that you're a "quasi-cyclist" who has s new "quasi-bike," since you're now a "quasi-fan" going for "quasi-rides" over "quasi-miles"?

;-)

Unknown said...

Rant:
You're quasi-right.

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