"Those riders named...will not be allowed to start"

Check out the last lines in the first article...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/jun06/jun30news

If that's true, this could cripple our beloved sport more than the Festina fiasco...

Mark

 

In addition to this being a tragedy for the sport, it's really mucking up my planning of my TdF fantasy team.

Looks like Levi Leipheimer might actually win the Tour.

 

yea i only picked sprinters on my fantasy team because none of them seem to be involved in this stuff.

 

Allan Davies from Liberty is mentioned in the records...

 

crap there goes my chance to win a free bike!

 

noooooooooooooo

Bloody queenslanders! pfftt.

 

Without a doubt! Festina was one team, this is the entire bloody peleton!

You heard it here first, the tour will not be won this year. Riders will protest in support of those amongst them that have been implicated and banned but not proven guilty.

Worst case scenario but I can certainly see it happening!

 

The sponsors would not stand for it. A boycott would smash whatever is left of the sport.

Thge UCI under control of Verbruggen fiddled and now Rome has burned to the ground.

 

In apportioning blame - Verbruggen did not do what was necessary in July 1998.

I know I keep harping on this but that is the fact of the matter.

No reputable sponsor will want to have anything to do with a cycling team from now on.

I am told that TMO (the Corporate entity) are absolutely livid at having their name connected with this controversy.

 

I can easily see a third of the major ProTour sponsors walking away at the end of this season. There have to be clauses in the sponsorship contract that would allow severence of their obligations for situations that damage their brand.

 

Agreed.

I find it hard to see how the sport can recover from this to be honest.

 

Cycling needs a sweep here and soon, but honestly i dont like to see (example) a heavy GH and epo user (since he was 17, he rides for Caffita, i dont name names....) to win this tour only because he's lucky enough to not be on the spanish list...
If tours organizer want to ban riders from suspected list, gosh, none will ride the event!

 

Have the UCI made any comment this morning at all ? Very quite again.... appears ASO is doing all the hard work..... again.

 

UCI have told each sporting federation of each country to impose sanctions against the involved riders. That's rich coming from them!

 

I heard Verbruggen and McQuaid were spotted at an airport this morning buying tickets to Katmandu.

 

Well I was thinking Le Tour was going to struggle for good coverage in the first week because of the world cup but I sure didnt want to see headlines like this gracing the front page of every sports website.

 

It's a pathetic response from the UCI.

 

Agreed they always rely on someone else to do the dirty work... shameless.

Anyway I'm going to lunch... and I haven't done a scrap of work today.... need a break from all this.... its all a bit too much....

 

I have this image in my mind of Verbruggen and McQuaid, holed up in a bunker right now, desperately brainstorming ways to salvage what is left of their repuations.

I eagerly await their statement. It should make very fine comedy.

 

Very true. There are certainly many more dopers in the peleton that are not on the spanish list. And since doping obviously improves performance, it is probable that the tour winner this year will be a doper. Since so many top riders have been caught recently, one has to wonder what percentage of the peleton is free of blood doping and GH. Also, who should have the pink jersey at the giro d'italia? Perhaps Simoni!!!!!!!!!!!. I don't know. Maybe he was cleanest. One thing is for sure, this sport has become much less of a true sport. And I would say all sport is losing credibility.

QUOTE=Rob81]Cycling needs a sweep here and soon, but honestly i dont like to see (example) a heavy GH and epo user (since he was 17, he rides for Caffita, i dont name names....) to win this tour only because he's lucky enough to not be on the spanish list...

If tours organizer want to ban riders from suspected list, gosh, none will ride the event![/QUOTE]