OBL Plays The Basso Drum

The Discovery Channel team -- George, Ivan, Levi and the boys -- have been in Austin this week training for the 2007 season. And yes, Our Boy Lance has been going along for the ride(s).

So, here's OBL on Ivan Basso:
"I know that he [Basso] wants to win the Tour. I will make available my time and passion. He is very concentrated in this new challenge; I am not only speaking of the sporting aspects. The personality of Ivan will be able to add a lot to this group. We are all with him."

Signing Basso was the culmination of a long process for Lance and the team:
"It is not a secret that we have tried over the years to sign him. We have come close [to signing Basso] at least on three or four occasions. To have him in the team has been a dream for a long time; now it is a reality. ... I became aware of him in the 2002 Tour, when he won the white jersey for best young rider. I got to know him better in 2003, at the century edition of the Tour, and the idea to have him [in the team] was already there."

Why did Discovery sign Basso, despite his guilt by association with the Spanish doping probe?
"Cycling has always been a sport with lots of integral conflicts. Everyone believes they have a reason to talk bad about the others. The truth is that all of the big teams wanted Basso. Ivan was acquitted by CONI [Italian Olympic Committee] and his federation, and for us this was the green light. "The case is closed, it is missing the other elements. Basso is clean. There is a telephone call that was linked to him, but nothing concrete. And then he gave his availability to DNA testing. What more can he do?"

And OBL asks my question:
"The real questions is why was this boy was not allowed to race the [2006] Tour?"