[BHV] how the grinch stole cycling

[Bob Nunnink]

 I think I said a while back that Floyd would probaply have to give up his
fight because of money.  Didn't think it would be this soon.  The Discovery
Basson situation is just a mess.

Dec 11, 2006 (13 hours ago)
How The Grinch Stole
Cycling<http://velochimp.com/2006/12/11/how-the-grinch-stole-cycling/>
from
Velochimp: Astrochimp on
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by
Velochimp

[image: grinchchristmas.gif]

The Holiday cheer is missing in the cycling world. The Grinch has stolen all
of the good cheer from anyone related to pro cycling. Sure Discovery
Channel, CSC and Tinkoff among many others have already met for their first
training camps for the 2007 season. Discovery Channel played paint ball in
Texas while CSC was training to go to fight in Iraq in South Africa. Lampre
can be happy that they locked up the services of Il Princippe (Damiano
Cunego) until 2009.

A cold wind started blowing way back in the spring time when Spanish Guardia
Civil started leaking info on a new investigation that was to bust open the
world of doping in cycling. 200 or 59 or 8 cyclist in all were implicated in
the press. Now we approach the end of 2006 and no one rider is implicated
and pretty much anyone whose name has been associated with Operation Puerto
has been cleared.

Their names were cleared in the courts,but not in the world of public
opinion which is why the group of ProTour teams minus Frances des Jeux (for
whatever reason) decided to put up a no-Discovery Channel Team club sign in
front of their tree house. Whether this decision has any bearing at all on
the actual ProTour no one knows. But the team directors have spoken. Their
code of ethics has been violated because you cannot sign a rider who was
implicated in the press and then cleared in the courts. Even though there is
no active investigation and no solid evidence against a particular rider, if
there was something written about them in the press then they are forever to
be known as a doper and should never race again. The teams have decided to
take a stance against riders involved in doping and are getting serious.

Meanwhile Paolo Bettini declares that he would rather retire than submit to
a DNA test. This is a valid point. To what degree do pro cyclist now have to
be automatically treated like criminals? Riders would then be assumed to be
guilty even before they enter a race or join a team. Their DNA samples are
taken to be on file in case a bag of blood appears in someones office
somewhere where it should not be. That bag of blood will be compared to
hundreds of DNA samples already on file to catch the culprit. Sounds
convenient doesn't it? Maybe a bit to convenient for most when French
laboratories cannot keep their labels straight, and investigations a marked
more for their sensational press leaks than by their actual evidence.

Meanwhile Floyd Landis is starting to feel the financial burden and is
pondering life without cycling. The disgraced Tour winner (yeah I wrote Tour
winner) is getting desperate in the dark days of winter. The legal costs are
adding up and Landis may just be thinking of what his next career move
should be that will probably not involve wearing cycling shorts to the
office.

The UCI under Pat McQuaid has dared to mess with on of the Grand Tours by
suggesting that that Tour of Spain be cut down to two weeks. The third Grand
Tour would be reduced to the likes of a longer Dauphine Libere to make room
for the Tour of Germany and Tour of Poland. You're a mean one Mr. McQuaid.

[image: grinch_18.jpg] But just as the Whos of Whoville gathered around the
town center and sang songs on Christmas Day without their presents, cycling
will do the same. The bad news of cutting down the Vuelta means that they
have to do it to make room for more races. The Tour of California and Tour
de Georgia are looking good for 2007. The Giro looks like it will be a close
race to the end next year. Saul Raisin is making an awesome recovery and may
even race next year.

Despite all of the doping stories cycling is as popular as ever. It sucks
that all of the doping stories are like a body blow to the beautiful sport.
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