Basso to leave CSC for Discovery and ride the Vuelta.... - Gazzetta

[whiteboytrash]

According to Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, the relationship between CSC team boss Bjarne Riis and team leader Ivan Basso have reached crisis point since the Italian was ejected from the Tour more than two weeks ago. Gazzetta reports that there is a good chance of Basso leaving CSC, with Discovery Channel his most likely destination. Riis has denied this is going to happen, telling the press at the Tour: “His departure to Discovery Channel is no more than a rumour circulating at the race. I don’t have Basso on the end of the line all day every day, but we are regularly in contact.”

In the meantime, Basso’s situation with regard to the Operacion Puerto case in which he is implicated remains unclear. The Italian Olympic committee are still waiting to receive the full 500-page Puerto dossier from the International Cycling Union, and there is still no word from either Riis or Basso’s lawyer as to whether the Italian will submit to DNA testing in an attempt to clear himself of alleged blood doping. Basso is now training for the Vuelta, with Riis saying he’s happy with the Italian targeting that race.

 

[Orla_24]

According to Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, the relationship between CSC team boss Bjarne Riis and team leader Ivan Basso have reached crisis point since the Italian was ejected from the Tour more than two weeks ago. Gazzetta reports that there is a good chance of Basso leaving CSC, with Discovery Channel his most likely destination. Riis has denied this is going to happen, telling the press at the Tour: “His departure to Discovery Channel is no more than a rumour circulating at the race. I don’t have Basso on the end of the line all day every day, but we are regularly in contact.”

In the meantime, Basso’s situation with regard to the Operacion Puerto case in which he is implicated remains unclear. The Italian Olympic committee are still waiting to receive the full 500-page Puerto dossier from the International Cycling Union, and there is still no word from either Riis or Basso’s lawyer as to whether the Italian will submit to DNA testing in an attempt to clear himself of alleged blood doping. Basso is now training for the Vuelta, with Riis saying he’s happy with the Italian targeting that race.

I think maybe it's a bad idea for Disco to do it, unless Basso would be cleared completely.

It would make the entire team look suspect, even more than they were in LA time.

 

[JensCph]

Riis said a little more. He said that Basso had actually called him to tell him what the Italian press had written. This implies a somewhat stronger denial of the story.

 

[discobean7]

According to Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, the relationship between CSC team boss Bjarne Riis and team leader Ivan Basso have reached crisis point since the Italian was ejected from the Tour more than two weeks ago. Gazzetta reports that there is a good chance of Basso leaving CSC, with Discovery Channel his most likely destination. Riis has denied this is going to happen, telling the press at the Tour: “His departure to Discovery Channel is no more than a rumour circulating at the race. I don’t have Basso on the end of the line all day every day, but we are regularly in contact.”

In the meantime, Basso’s situation with regard to the Operacion Puerto case in which he is implicated remains unclear. The Italian Olympic committee are still waiting to receive the full 500-page Puerto dossier from the International Cycling Union, and there is still no word from either Riis or Basso’s lawyer as to whether the Italian will submit to DNA testing in an attempt to clear himself of alleged blood doping. Basso is now training for the Vuelta, with Riis saying he’s happy with the Italian targeting that race.

If Basso goes to DC to ride the Vuelta, who will be team leader? What about Tommy D? Sorry I had to throw that out there. Flame on!

 

[musette]

Basso is contractually bound to stay at CSC. Also, Riis will not let him leave if he is cleared, and DC would not want him until he is cleared.

 

[Powerful Pete]

Interesting though that the rumours keep surfacing. Where there is smoke...

 

[discobean7]

Interesting though that the rumours keep surfacing. Where there is smoke...

...there's a journalist puffing on a cigar and laughing all the way to the bank.

 

[meb]

According to Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport, the relationship between CSC team boss Bjarne Riis and team leader Ivan Basso have reached crisis point since the Italian was ejected from the Tour more than two weeks ago. Gazzetta reports that there is a good chance of Basso leaving CSC, with Discovery Channel his most likely destination. Riis has denied this is going to happen, telling the press at the Tour: “His departure to Discovery Channel is no more than a rumour circulating at the race. I don’t have Basso on the end of the line all day every day, but we are regularly in contact.”

In the meantime, Basso’s situation with regard to the Operacion Puerto case in which he is implicated remains unclear. The Italian Olympic committee are still waiting to receive the full 500-page Puerto dossier from the International Cycling Union, and there is still no word from either Riis or Basso’s lawyer as to whether the Italian will submit to DNA testing in an attempt to clear himself of alleged blood doping. Basso is now training for the Vuelta, with Riis saying he’s happy with the Italian targeting that race.

Could you elaborate on why the Italian Olympic committee would be involved in this?

 

[helmutRoole2]

...there's a journalist puffing on a cigar and laughing all the way to the bank.

You don't really believe that, do you? I mean, really? To think editors and reporters sit around thinking of ways to get Lance and profit from it? Or, for that matter, get anybody and profit from it.

But maybe you're right. Maybe they do. However, my 17+ years of journalism, I never saw anything like that. But, maybe it does happen. Maybe there's an special room I never got to see where all that dark scheming took place.

More likely, though, since I'm a journalist myself, I'm just lying -- because that's what I do -- and I'm telling you that that backroom stuff doesn't happen when it really does. Or maybe now I'm lying about lying.

Oh boy, it's so complex. It's easier to just say there's a (check one: liberal or conservative) media bias than to think issues through and examine the facts objectively. The media bias theory is a much simpler explanation.

Here's another thread examining the same issue: http://cyclingforums.com/t-352318-15-7.html

 

[moviekindoflife]

if the situation is cleared up the vuelta could be very interesting this year, pitting basso against valverde and i have heard rumors about Vinokourov riding as well. if Operacion Puerto clears basso's name, CSC will let him ride. no other team will take him unless his name has been cleared. and if his name is cleared, then he wouldn't have too much reason to leave, except that CSC didn't stand by him during this whole thing

 

[bobke]

If Basso goes to DC to ride the Vuelta, who will be team leader? What about Tommy D? Sorry I had to throw that out there. Flame on!

No pressure there, eh Tommy?!?!

He is so f#cked.
Valverde, Basso, and Jan show up for Tommy to do well in his first tour as team leader.
Valverde for sure we know!!!

 

[Capt.Injury]

if the situation is cleared up the vuelta could be very interesting this year, pitting basso against valverde and i have heard rumors about Vinokourov riding as well. if Operacion Puerto clears basso's name, CSC will let him ride. no other team will take him unless his name has been cleared. and if his name is cleared, then he wouldn't have too much reason to leave, except that CSC didn't stand by him during this whole thing

This could be the shot in the arm that the Vuelta needs, since it is always seen as the little sister to the Giro and Tour. Very rarely the big riders come to the Vuelta that are non-Spanish.

If Basso rides the Vuelta for CSC though, then would he be team leader, or would it be Sastre who finished 2nd in the VUelta last year.

 

[moviekindoflife]

This could be the shot in the arm that the Vuelta needs, since it is always seen as the little sister to the Giro and Tour. Very rarely the big riders come to the Vuelta that are non-Spanish.

If Basso rides the Vuelta for CSC though, then would he be team leader, or would it be Sastre who finished 2nd in the VUelta last year.

sastre is probably going all out for the tour because he is CSC's last hope, even if he wasn't planning on peaking this early.

i'm not so sure Jan will be there, i think basso's situation is looking a little better though.

 

[JRMDC]

No pressure there, eh Tommy?!?!

He is so f#cked.
Valverde, Basso, and Jan show up for Tommy to do well in his first tour as team leader.
Valverde for sure we know!!!

Was he co-leader last year? Anyway, 7th was pretty good, but yes, that would be a tough crowd for the second time around. We'll see how he goes in the Tour of Germany; I think that is next for him.

 

[discobean7]

You don't really believe that, do you? I mean, really? To think editors and reporters sit around thinking of ways to get Lance and profit from it? Or, for that matter, get anybody and profit from it.

No, I don't think journalists are conspiring to destroy specific cyclists or the sport of cycling in general. It is a business though and they do need to sell magazines and/or newspapers. That's why there is the rush to publish the latest celebrity gossip, baby pictures, or in this case the latest Basso rumor. It's not lying, it's just people trying to get what they perceive to be the truth into print before their competitors do. As for the LA/doping saga, I wouldn't characterize the way he has been treated as a witch-hunt, but I would say he has been targeted by the media/WADA, etc. I personally feel that the entire peloton is doping, including LA. I'm guessing that the people who have targeted him feel the same way as I do. The problem with targeting LA is even if you are proven correct, you still have done nothing to clean up the sport or expose it's dark underbelly. The best case scenario would have been to catch LA doping during the 2005 TdF. Let's say this happened with absolutely irrefutable evidence, no question that he did it. Everyone will say "well of course he was doping, he's the best and has won the last 6 tours". Then the UCI could go on pretending that the rest of the peloton is clean. To clean up the sport you need to prove that the last place guy was doped to his gills, so was the guy in 50th, 2nd place and the winner. Until we do that it will just be the unfortunate few who are busted and vilified and the rest of the peloton will go on pretending to be clean. Except for Mayo because there's no way that guy is doping. That's just my opinion based on my middle-class, suburban American upbringing.

 

[tcklyde]

Hopefully, since it appears extremely likely that he is a cheater, Basso will, like the other cyclists connected to Dr. Fuentes, be banned and not be riding any races anytime soon.

 

[helmutRoole2]

It is a business though and they do need to sell magazines and/or newspapers. That's why there is the rush to publish the latest celebrity gossip, baby pictures, or in this case the latest Basso rumor. It's not lying, it's just people trying to get what they perceive to be the truth into print before their competitors do.

I don't want to refute just to refute, but journalists don't sell newspapers. It doesn't enter the editorial process. Journalist want to beat their competitors to the story, but that urgency is tempered with the desire to provide accurate information, and, in the case that it turns out inaccurate, running a retraction.

I know some people might point to Dan Rather as a prime example of a journalist jumping the gun, but Dan wasn't/isn't a journalist. He's a TV personality. His producers didn't jump the gun so much as they didn't disclose that something like eight out of 10 of their own experts thought the docs at the center of their investigation were forged. No one refuted/refutes that Bush wasn't much of a fighter pilot or reserve officer.

I personally feel that the entire peloton is doping, including LA.

Word.

I'm guessing that the people who have targeted him feel the same way as I do. The problem with targeting LA is even if you are proven correct, you still have done nothing to clean up the sport or expose it's dark underbelly.

I don't know. I think if he ever gets busted, he'll talk. But it's beside the point. If one declares himself not a doper then he opens himself up to the scrutiny of the press.

It's like meehs (http://cyclingforums.com/member.php?userid=26035) stated. It's a catch 22. The press keeps asking the same question, Lance denies it, they come back with more information that Lance denies. The more he denies, the harder they look. It's part of being a celebrity.

…Until we do that it will just be the unfortunate few who are busted and vilified and the rest of the peloton will go on pretending to be clean.

I'm with you, but I'm to the point now where, if the investigations are working better than the "controls" then the UCI should sponsor more investigations. I mean, when was the last time a drug test netted, what was it, 59 guys? Well, that's assuming they're all guilty. I think they should attach a UCI official with every Pro Tour team and grant them unlimited access to the athletes, their bags, their handlers' bags, anything in the hotel room, the bus, team financial records… everything. Right now I don't think the UCI is all that serious about cleaning up the sport.

 

[dexjava]

I think they should attach a UCI official with every Pro Tour team and grant them unlimited access to the athletes, their bags, their handlers' bags, anything in the hotel room, the bus, team financial records… everything. Right now I don't think the UCI is all that serious about cleaning up the sport.

I'm with you, great idea! But we're going to also need a body of people to watch over these UCI officials to make sure they're not extorting/blackmailing. Also, we're going to need to appoint another body of people to make sure that the officials who are watching the UCI officials which are watching the riders, are doing their jobs and not getting in on the action.

 

[moviekindoflife]

I'm with you, great idea! But we're going to also need a body of people to watch over these UCI officials to make sure they're not extorting/blackmailing. Also, we're going to need to appoint another body of people to make sure that the officials who are watching the UCI officials which are watching the riders, are doing their jobs and not getting in on the action.

this is exactly why i am frustrated with politics. There are so many safeguards and protections that it gets to the point where no one is trusted or can be trusted because they will always have some alterior motive. I'm not sure if its like this elsewhere in the world, but in the U.S. its gotten to the point where you can't really trust anyone because they portray this fake version of themselves. I hate to say it, but cycling is going down the exact same path. Riders lie and cheat to protect their own interests and you can't really believe anyone. Just like politics it comes down to the fans. As a fan, the only team i really want to support anymore is T-Mobile because they seem to be taking a proactive approach to fighting doping in cycling, despite the setbacks it has caused them.