Cycling News of the Weird

It's official, no Astana invite for le Tour. Christian Prudhomme and Patrice Clerc of ASO have snubbed the petitioners of let Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer ride with an extended hand with upraised middle finger. All those hard core cycling fans, not the "quasi" fans like Martin Dugard who don't understand racing tactics or care who wins, are pissed off, naturally. Christian Prudhomme says the twenty best teams were invited, sans Astana. Prudhomme is starting to sound like former WADA president Dick Pound, living in a bubble somewhere over the rainbow. Let's say nineteen of best teams were invited to le Tour and leave it at that. Astana on paper probably is the best le Tour team, the defending le Tour champion Alberto Contador has a jersey marked Astana, so does Levi Leipheimer, Andreas Kloden, and Chris Horner. Johan Bruyneel drives an Astana team car and is director sportif. But to Prudhomme these factors were not considered in the Astana team non-invite, nothing personal Alberto, ASO has nothing against you, but your jersey does say Astana. Maybe next year after Astana folds up and quits, maybe we will re-consider.

ASO would be rid of a thorn in the paw if it could be rid of Astana. Alberto Contador, Levi Leipheimer, and Andreas Kloden would be on different teams! Better yet Contador, Leipheimer and Kloden might retire from cycling! Even better ASO may get rid of Johan Bruyneel! Bruyneel would have difficultly in obtaining a job for another team if Astana quits as a sponsor. ASO has made it clear by now that if you hire certain people or have certain riders on your team you will be subjected to blackmail. ASO may bleat about lack of "respect" for le Tour, but in truth all they want to do is intimidate cycling teams, riders, and sponsors by threats of exclusion. Nobody wants to take a "risk" and hire a person who has been black listed by the mad men of ASO.

Well, team Slipstream did get an invite and we are supposed to feel better because the team is American. No General Classification contenders to worry about though. Jonathan Vaughters says "If we get the leaders jersey for a stage that would be incredible. I don't think we'll have a General Classification rider honestly." Ah, I appreciate an honest man who concedes the race in advance. Encouraging news for American cycling fans. Slipstream does have first rate time trialists. Former UCI World Time Trial Champion and confessed EPO user David Millar. Millar did wear yellow long ago. Millars' time trial performance has declined in recent years so he probably should not be considered much of a threat. David Zabriskie also managed to best Lance Armstrong to wear yellow in le Tour. However, Zabriskie has suffered physical problems from injuries he sustained when he tangled with a Suburu in Millcreek Canyon outside of Salt Lake City. Zabriskie's time trial performances have also declined. Vaughters probably thinks that Millar or Zabriskie could win the prologue time trial and keep yellow through some of the flat stages. ASO are counting on mediocre performances of teams like Slipstream, no General Classification riders to challenge the podium. How exciting.

Team High Road formerly Team Telekom (T-Mobile) has George Hincapie who won one le Tour stage in his career, and could possibly be considered a weak threat for General Classification if he can find his legs.

Anyway the 2008 le Tour will not be the cliff hanger of 2007 with the closest podium finish in history. With two of the three podium finishers not racing many hard core cycling fans complain that le Tour will be boring. Le Tour pre-race favorite Cadel Evans will attack during the mountain stages adding on time and probably win le Tour by six to ten minutes. Bored fans will fight off tedium. ASO can add an asterisk to the ceramic jug given to the "winner." And historians will argue forever as to what would have happened if Alberto Contador and Levi Leipheimer would have been allowed to race.

Australian fans take heart. If Cadel Evans wins le Tour and Robbie McEwin takes the points jersey; even with an asterisk; you can rejoice in your accomplishments. Cyclingnews will never forget to remind us of Australian cycling superiority.


In Other Cycling News of the Weird


ASO and the UCI are fighting over Astana and the UCI has threatened to not sanction le Tour. More nonsense to contend with from ego maniacal idiots. FFC may sanction the event on a French national calendar, and Chatenay-Malabry will do the doping tests. AFLD will handle the discipline. Hopefully nobody will test positive or real legal issues will emerge.

Floyd Landis CAS appeal is underway. No press releases from either side. The experiment in transparency that Landis insisted upon in the AAA hearing has been abandoned for secrecy. We are all waiting for a press release from the CAS. The decision has to be written within four months from the day the CAS hearing ends according to CAS rules. More waiting and waiting to know the final outcome of this "trial de novo."

Hein Verbruggen has sued former WADA president Dick Pound for slander and libel and for making statements that mis-represent the UCI commitment to anti-doping. Surreal.

Turns out that American taxpayers may not be paying for USADA legal expenses in the Floyd Landis CAS appeal after all. In case the anti-doping process is new to you, athletes pay their own legal expenses. WADA may be paying most of the USADA legal tab. I have always maintained that Travis T. Tygart and USADA were nothing more than WADA lap dogs, useful only in licking the jack boots of WADA presidents. So much for USADA independence from WADA. Follow the money.

As a footnote one has to ask: who paid the legal expenses for AFLD in the Landis French version of an arbitration decision. WADA? NB: In France there is no need for a hearing. The French can't be bothered with examining evidence or considering departures by Chatenay-Malabry that may have "caused" the Adverse Analytical Finding. No. The decision reads like it was dictated out of the office of WADA president John Fahey. AFLD probably has as much independence in anti-doping decisions as USADA. None, nada, zilch.

Finally. The Martin Dugard revelation that Floyd Landis told him that Lance Armstrong used PEDs over salsa and chips is a great invention by a deranged person. It is impossible for me to believe that Floyd Landis would turn down the offer of USADA and Travis T. Tygart of the "shortest suspension in history," if he would aid USADA and Tygart in exposing the alleged U.S. Postal Pro Cycling Team/Discovery Channel doping tactics during le Tour. Landis refused Tygart's offer. Instead Floyd Landis spent two million dollars on his hopeless defense, maintained his innocence in the face of character assassinations for eighteen months. But according to Dugard the stress became so great that Floyd Landis broke down and told Dugard that Lance doped. Fantastic fairy tales.

In the current cycling climate with the war raging between the ASO and the UCI more weird news is on the way.