Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Wednesday Roundup

Quote of the Day, pragmatic guidance dept:

Beer: Forest Service does not want to see cans or bottles of beer in plain view.

Cohutta Race information, emphasis added.
(Be sure to bring your brown paper bags.)

News
The VeloNews
flashes that Danilo DiLuca has been cleared of doping charges by The Italian Olympic Committee’s court of last resort:


Earlier this month, the court delayed its decision to allow three scientists to further evaluate the sample. On Wednesday, the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove a violation.

The charge against Di Luca represented something of a departure from traditional laboratory analysis, in that the rider was charged on the basis of abnormal readings rather than on the presence of a banned substance or its metabolites.

The World Anti-Doping Agency and the UCI have the option of appealing the decision to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Monterey Herald talks about the history of the Sea Otter, referring to Landis as a Tour de France winner who competed there. (Landis' 2003 appearance there wasn't exactly a happy one.)

CounterPunch says ASO's treatment of Astana is a collective punishment that is mis-aimed:

The ASO's use of collective punishment will soon erode the trust between teammates as pressures to snitch on teammates suspected of doping will increase. Collective punishment not only punishes innocent team members who have done nothing wrong, but it rots the team camaraderie needed for bicycle teams to compete.

This new level of collective punishment moves the responsibility for individual doping from the individuals to team names. The consequences of individual doping are now apparently to be shared by all -- even to be shared by those who weren't even on the team when violations occurred. Imagine if the baseball commissioner decided that he was cracking down on steroids by declaring that any team on which José Canseco played would be banned from league play for a year. Or imagine the commissioner declaring that the Yankees were banned from league play for a year because Roger Clemens' prominence in the Mitchell Report.



Blogs

Mark D previews this Saturday's NUE Cohutta 100 in which Floyd Landis will take part.

6 comments:

bobble said...

Wow I guess we can thank CONI for having a rash of common sense and a stick in the eye of the UCI.

Unfortunately I doubt if that will stop the UCI from pursuing other athletes for the UCI THINKS they MIGHT have done.

Anyone want to bet a buck they pursue it to the CAS just to be vindictive even thought here's no *actual* evidence?

Anonymous said...

Now if the Forest Service ran the drug testing...

whareagle said...

... There wouldn't be any Forest Service!;)

Unknown said...

So, if he's officially been cleared now we get to play "How to Bar Di Luca From Events Bingo." Because, you know, just because you've been cleared and/or served a suspension doesn't mean you actually get to compete.

Unknown said...

Maybe this gives Floyd's CAS panel something solid to stand on if they actually decide the evidence isn't strong enough to convict.

Of course, at this point, it's moot because Floyd has already served his suspension.

I hope he kicks ass this weekend.

Mike

bobble said...

I was thinking along the same lines as Michael, the UCI could keep up the process and stretch it out nearly enough to equal a normal suspension.

That way they get to be punitive without any actual evidence or adverse findings.

UCI/WADA wouldn't do that would they?