Astana, Tailwind Sport, Discovery Channel, Rest in Peace

This time Pat McQuaid is right to stand up to the ASO.
Every time the UCI backs down Grand Tour organizers
fancy they can make new demands. McQuaid gave the
Grand Tours a waiver from the Pro Tour. Then the UCI
backed down when Unibet was excluded from 2007
Paris-Nice.

Then Astana was forced to abandon the 2007 Tour de
France at ASO insistence after Alexander Vinokurov
tested "positive" for homologous blood doping. As a
result of this doping "violation" and withdrawal
Unipublic denied Astana an invite for the 2007 Vuelta.
In every instance McQuaid and the UCI did nothing to
intervene even though Astana was an official UCI Pro
Tour Team. After all Astana deserved to be punished
for doping offenses and nobody was ready to rush to
the defense of dopers.

Even when Angelo Zomegnan of RCS excluded Astana from
the 2008 Giro d' Italia citing Astana's "disrespect"
did McQuaid and the UCI remain mute.

Nothing would have compelled the UCI to act if ASO
would have let Alberto Contador defend his Tour de
France and Paris-Nice titles. But Christian Pruhomme
and Patrice Clerc went too far when they announced
that Astana was to be excluded from the Tour de France
and other ASO organized events.

Finally Pat McQuaid realized the danger.

How Did We Get Here?

The original problem was the number of Pro Tour teams.
The UCI started the Pro Tour with twenty teams. The
Grand Tours objected saying the rider field of 200
riders was too large. Quick Step manager Patrick
Lefevere agreed as spokesman for the International
Professional Cycling Teams (IPCT) with this
concern. The Grand Tours also wanted room to invite
non Pro Tour wild card teams.

When the reduction of the number of the Pro Tour teams
was discussed cycling fans were skeptical of
Lefevere's motives. At the time the Tour de France
was dominated by Lance Armstrong and US Postal, soon
to be Lance Armstrong and Discovery Channel.

I had a suspicion that Lefevere was hoping that the
reduction in Pro Tour teams would be aimed straight at
Lance Armstrong and Tailwind Sport. It is common
knowledge that the Europeans hated Armstrong's
domination of the Tour. It is also common knowledge
that the Europeans hated an American team winning the
Tour year after year. When Alberto Contador won the
bizarre 2007 Tour de France for Discovery Channel by default;
under the tutelage of Johan Bruyneel and Levi
Leipheimer placed third on the podium; the European
cycling powers must have decided that a new course of
action was needed.

Much to the relief of European cycling Discovery
Channel changed management and decided to end their
cycling sponsorship. Unless Lance Armstrong could
secure a new sponsor Tailwind Sport was out as a
cycling competitor. It soon became apparent to
everyone that Tailwind Sport and Lance Armstrong were
not going to find a new sponsor. It was later
reported that Armstrong warned off potential
replacements for Discovery Channel probably sensing
another senseless onslaught by the European cycling
power structure.

Enter Astana As A Replacement Sponsor For Discovery

When Discovery Channel left the fold a void was
created. The defending Tour de France champion
Alberto Contador and third place finisher Levi
Leipheimer were left without a team to race for.
Director Sportif Johan Bruyneel was also left without
a team to direct.

Team Astana saved the situation by signing Contador,
Leipheimer, and Bruyneel to racing and managing
contracts for 2008. In addition, Astana signed
Andreas Kloden after T-Mobile ended their sponsorship
in 2007.

Oh No Here We Go Again.

Just when everybody was savoring the demise of Lance
Armstrong and Discovery Channel, Astana comes along
and assembles an even stronger team with many of the
same cast that has dominated the Tour de France for
eight of the past nine years.

Panic! Get Out The Cannons!

The non-invite by Angelo Zomegnan and RCS to the 2008
Giro d' Italia was no accident. What Patrick Lefevere
and the IPCT could not do by design (probably to
protect the economic interests of Quick Step in
forcing out Tailwind and Armstrong) Zomegnan did by
ruse to punish Astana for the Alexander
Vinokurov/Andrey Kashekin homologous blood doping
"positives." Ignored was the re-organization of the
Astana team and the implementation of a new internal
team anti-doping program run by Dr. Damsgaard.
Ignored was the 400,000 euro team commitment to the
UCI biological passport by Astana. Zomegnan also based
his exclusion of Astana on a flimsy excuse that
Leipheimer only wanted to race the Giro as a
conditioning exercise. Andreas Kloden's racing goals
were completely ignored, of course.

ASO Goes Too Far

Christian Prudhomme announces that Astana, including
defending Tour de France champion Alberto Contador,
and past podium finishers Levi Leipheimer and Andreas
Kloden are to be excluded from the Tour de France.
ASO also announces that team Astana and defending
Paris-Nice champion Alberto Contador will be excluded
from Paris-Nice.

McQuaid Awakens

Suddenly, the UCI awakens. McQuaid declares that ASO
is trying to undermine the UCI's authority. McQuaid
declares that ASO is trying to dominate the racing
structure in Europe. McQuaid demands a rider and team
boycott of Paris-Nice. McQuaid threatens sanctions of
riders and expulsions of teams from the UCI Pro Tour
who participate in Paris-Nice.

Fall Out

It is almost laughable that when this planned and
approved destruction of Astana as a Pro Tour team came
to fruition the fatalities may be the entire UCI Pro
Tour organization. And the UCI as a regulatory body.

Don't Think Twice -Bob Dylan

Please don't consider loss of sponsorship, loss of fans,
loss of respectability, loss of revenue, and general
disdain for the Grand Tour organizers and their races.
Please don't think of the riders careers which are in
jeopardy. Think only of yourselves, ASO, UCI, RCS,
Unipublic, IPCT, as the selfish power hungry
narcissists you truly are. Go on with your power wars
and see how many causalities you have next year in
team sponsorships and revenues. See how long you can
offend us the fans before we turn our televisions and
radios off!

ASO and France might finally get racing parity and
even a French Tour de France winner some day if the
UCI Pro Tour goes with the wind. Even if people laugh
at the poor quality of the riders and teams in the
"new" Tour de France.

A warning to cycling teams everywhere: don't dominate
the Tour. People will think of any reason to be rid of
you. Your team and riders will be victimized next.
Your sport might not survive next time.

To Astana. If ASO takes over you are done. All that
will be left is to stick in the fork. You will never
get an invite to the Tour de France again. The
destruction of U.S. Postal, Discovery Channel,
Tailwind Sport, and Lance Armstrong will be complete.

Congratulations!