Sunday Wheelings and Dealings

As I follow the first stage of the Vuelta a Espana on VeloNews' live race blog, let me share some thoughts on the prologue and a couple other stories that have passed this way.
Assuming that at least some cyclists like Carlos Sastre rides clean, I shared in Team CSC's satisfaction with his crossing the finishing line first in the unusual team-time trail prologue Saturday in Malaga on Spain's Costa del Sol (just the names make you wish you were there!).

This is Sastre's third major tour of the year. Sastre's unselfish work in the mountains helped the currently disgraced Ivan Basso win the Giro de Italia in the Spring. A poor time trail, however, cost Sastre a shot at the podium (he finished fourth) in the Tour de France last month.

It is unusual to ride (and perform well) in all three major tours, but there was Sastre again. According to the VeloNews, "Team CSC had already decided it was going to put Sastre first across the line and roared over the flat 7.3km course."

Said Team CSC sport director Bjarne Riis (photo by Graham Watson): "We made the decision to let Carlos finish first. If anyone deserves it, it's him. He works harder than anyone and he makes more sacrifices. We won't defend the jersey now, but I believe Carlos can win this Vuelta."

A nice story.

In some other stories:
-- If you're following the Vuelta on the VeloNews blog, you picked up this little nugget:
"Jan Ullrich has apparently accepted his dismissal by T-Mobile following doping accusations prior to this year's Tour de France and will not seek financial compensation from the German team, according to a report in Der Spiegel magazine."

-- Interesting commentary in the Times of London by Matt Cooper about the ballyhoo in advance of special events (like the upcoming Ryder Cup in Ireland, the start of the '98 Tour de France in Ireland and, no doubt, the start of the '07 Tour in London) instead of directing resources in more lasting sports infrastructure. Cooper writes:

"Yet our complaints [about the Tour] were well founded. Those with only a passing interest in the sport probably had some inkling that illegal drug use had pushed the performances of some cyclists beyond credible limits in the preceding years. We felt this was a corrupt sport, with widespread cheating; one that should be condemned and discarded, not feted."
Obviously, the fallout from continued drug scandals in cycling continues. And rightly so.

-- The Tour of Britain sets off from Glasgow on Tuesday. Despite overlapping the Vuelta, it features some outstanding riders: Tom Boonen, Andreas Kloden and Michael Rogers. But no cycling event takes place now without the spectre of doping and implied guilt by association.

"It pisses you off more than anything else," says 25-year-old Evan Oliphant. "People think all cyclists are on it, so it doesn't do any of us any good. But you just have to get on with it; it's not really something you think about while you're racing. I reckon [doping] will always be a problem -- you won't be able to stop it completely -- but I definitely think there should be life bans. Even for first offences - a life ban."

Won't be able to stop cheating completely? I guess that would be naive. But that is cycling's challenge. So far, sadly, it has not been up to it.

-- If you really want to watch the Tour of Britain, there will be daily highlights on Cycling.tv starting Tuesday. A viewer has been inserted on the Tour of Britain website. There will be highlights of the start and finish of every stage, and interviews with the daily stage winner and race leader shortly after each stage.

-- Testosterone is good. Cycling is bad. Find out why in this Boston Globe story.
-- And it appears that Paolo Bettini has won a sprint finish in Cardoba to take the first stage of the Veulta. The new overall leader: Thor Hushovd.