UCI: Run the Gauntlet

Spring!  Nature's regeneration after the long, abysmal winter, the first flowers of the season are emerging from long hibernation.  It is time for the spring classic races, the era of stagnation is over, the sweetheart suspensions are over, it's time to get back on the bike and do some racing!

However, being the eternal pessimist, being deprived from the endless Lance Armstrong spectacle that was supposed to result in cauterizing the metastasizing cancer that infected cycling, and deprived of the happiness of seeing the UCI publicly humiliated with a total confession of complicity in crime, cover up, and hypocritical dissimulation of self righteous rhetoric that was enough to make you puke; deprived of the extermination of bad influences and a total revamping of the system, well who would not feel disappointed?

A good public whipping or hanging sets a deterrent example for others and these forms of barbarity have been in existence since Cain murdered his brother Able.  Oui?  So what deters the UCI executive committee from using similar methods to purge their ranks of undesirables?  There is no use in pretending that these untoward brigands will ever repent or cease, given the opportunity, to resist temptation.  Graft and corruption is wrong, accepting bribes is wrong, moral turpitude is wrong, and invites bad behavior from others similarly inclined.

So why not force these undesirable scoundrels to run the gauntlet?  We could follow the Tsar Russian military example, issue birch switches to the riders, then run the scoundrels through the ranks.  But these tactics though acceptable in an autocratic state are certainly unacceptable in civilized society and would amount to murder, would it not?  But something has to happen because the infection has to be cauterized before the parasite proliferates leaving a wake of corpses.  To do nothing is a positive hazard to public decency.

A good woman who I spoke to was positively offended with the treatment that Lance Armstrong was receiving from USADA and the press.  "They have taken everything from that man already, so why don't they just leave him alone?"  She tried to counter my argument that people love nothing more than a good spectacle of public brutality, with an irrational argument that equated goodness to people.  This is a fallacy, goodness is not an inherent trait in people.  People are inherently evil and they will take advantage of any opportunity of avarice for money or advancement, even if the collateral damage leaves a wake of corpses.  People are callous and jaded, they do not have empathy or compassion toward the welfare of others, or their families.

That is why USADA could not simply leave Lance Armstrong alone, ambition trumped.  The sadistic nature of our natures demands that ritualistic sacrifice prevail over common sense and good taste. Absolute power without restraint gives reign to undignified barbaric rituals like running men through gauntlets.  There is a public appetite for these spectacles, people derive an internal satisfaction at the misfortunes of others, and of inflicting pain on others, especially when there is no fear of adverse consequences to themselves.

These arguments are self-evident, so in conclusion I ask: When will the UCI inflict a flogging and clean house?

Pat McQuaid; Assume Some Responsibility

The 2009 Tour de France has had some unexpected turns but nothing seemed more fitting than watching Tom Boonen hit the deck after touching wheels on wet pavement during Stage 6. Boonen was probably thinking of free basing another huge rock of crack cocaine and firing up the pipe, not about racing his bike. Indeed. Tom Boonen, got an unexpected reprieve from the Court of Arbitration of Sport after testing positive for recreational cocaine use. Apparently there is no prohibition of cocaine use by riders out-of-competition. Therefore neither the ASO or the UCI has any legal basis to exclude this miscreant from the Tour de France. This is very good news for people who make a profession out of stealing bicycles to sell to a Mexican drug cartels for crack cocaine. Once your bicycle is traded for cocaine, the group sets are stripped and sold on Craigs' list or E-Bay and the frames are chopped into bits and sold as scrap metal. Tom Boonen is probably the cycling hero of these thieves. Some fans of Tom Boonen probably think there is nothing better in life than depriving people who rely upon cycling as their primary form of transportation and recreation, people who don't own cars, of their bicycles, for drugs.

The UCI and Results Management

This raises issues that should have been resolved long ago about the results management of rider behavior and who should be responsible for punishment of offenses. In my opinion the UCI has abdicated this responsibility in favor of WADA and the Court of Arbitration of Sport.

When a rider submits a sample for testing, once the urine or blood is collected it becomes the property of the UCI. Therefore, the management of the sample becomes the responsibility of the UCI, not WADA or the AFLD. In theory, the UCI could refuse to allow any WADA accredited lab to do any testing on a UCI licensed rider.

The UCI could refuse to accept any extra legal judgements of UCI licensed riders as was done to Floyd Landis. Floyd Landis was licensed in the United States and was suspended by USA cycling upon the decision of the Court of Arbitration of Sport. The AFLD also forced Floyd Landis to sign an agreement to suspend racing in France for two years. The AFLD action probably had no legal basis for this suspension.

In theory, the UCI could exclude the Court of Arbitration of Sport and any or all related International Olympic Committee entities from participating in UCI licensed rider results management. The basis for this exclusion would be related to the property issue. The UCI could argue that since they are the legal owners of the samples that arbitration of rider results could occur outside of IOC jurisdiction.

Pierre Bordry Shoots His Mouth

The USA Today reported that Pierre Bordry has accused the UCI of lax testing for the 2009 Tour de France. Apparently Pierre Bordry thinks that when the AFLD was responsible for the testing during the 2008 Tour de France that rider testing was more thorough. Pat McQuaid denied Bordry's accusations as unfounded.

Quaint. In my opinion Pat Mcquaid should have been more forceful in his statement. First, the UCI has responsibility for the results management of the 2009 Tour de France. Second, the laboratory samples of Lance Armstrong are being tested 24/7 for all known substances and deviations in biological parameters. Lance Armstrong has provided the largest quantity of longitudinal biological passport data ever collected on one man in the history of the world. So, it is logical to conclude that if some variation exists that suggests performance enhancing drug use we will find it. Third, we are relying upon a WADA accredited laboratory at Chatenay-Malabry, known as one of the most unreliable and lax testing intuitions in the world. Perhaps it would be more prudent if Mr. Pierre Bordry would spend his time and money on monitoring the accreditation audits and reviewing the training and competence of the laboratory personnel of LNDD rather than accusing the UCI of lax testing schedules for UCI licensed riders. Fourth, providing that there is any urine and blood left after the rigorous testing of Lance Armstrong during and presumably after the Tour de France, there is still a matter of retroactive testing to be done after developing future tests to detect experimental drug combinations or to refine testing procedures of performance enhancing compounds that currently have no tests; before the statute of limitations run out. Eight years is plenty of time.

Watch the Tour

Pat McQuaid should give this advice to Pierre Bordry. Shut up and watch the Tour de France! Mark Cavendish and Thor Hushvold are in a battle royal for the sprint jersey. Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong are fighting each other for the race lead. This race may not be decided until Mont Ventoux! Wonderful!

Like the Giro d' Italia there may be no Tour de France PED positive tests, perish the thought.

Enjoy the Tour everyone!

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!