Julich In Arlington For The CSC Invitational

Here are the members of Team CSC who will participate in the 9th annual 2006 CSC Invitational in Arlington, Va., on Saturday:

Bobby Julich, USA; Lars Michaelsen (the 2004 winner), Denmark; Matti Breschel, Denmark; Kasper Klostergaard, Denmark; Martin Pedersen; Denmark; Luke Roberts, Australia; and Andrea Peron, Italy.

Every major men’s Pro Cycling Team in North America has confirmed participation in the 100km crit.

The Shame of WADA

Do you get the impression that the World Anti-Doping Agency, the French and Europeans in general just don't want to believe that Our Boy Lance could win their precious Tour de France (OK, so it's OUR precious, too) seven times in row without cheating?

Maybe that's because since Bernard Hinault, a Frenchman hasn't been able to win the race whether he cheated or not?

Give Samuel Abt's excellent story in the New York Times a read and form your own impression of the sour grapes that continue to emerge from the WADA people and others who refuse to believe that OBL didn't dope in 1999.

"It's clearly everything we feared," WADA president Dick Pound said of a report by a Dutch investigator appointed by the International Cycling Union that appears to clear OBL of doping during the 1999 Tour de France. The report also criticizes international anti-doping authorities.

EVERYTHING WE FEARED???!!!

Does that not sound like anything someone who might be predisposed to believe OBL would say?

Where is any semblance of the benefit of a doubt?

Of innocent until PROVEN guilty?

What is wrong with these people?

Where is their sense of fairness?

Even IF OBL was to ultimately prove guilty, this whole process has been a sham. And isn't it ironic that at a time cycling may have something to celebrate relative to doping, it faces what may turn out to be its biggest scandal since Festina in 1998? You remember 1998, don't you? OBL wasn't racing that year. He had other concerns. Concerns that he champions today: the war against cancer.

Shame, shame, shame on WADA and Dick Pound.

The King Is Cleared

(Graham Watson)


Dutch report clears Lance of doping in 1999

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - Dutch investigators cleared Lance Armstrong of doping in the 1999 Tour de France on Wednesday, and accused anti-doping authorities of misconduct in dealing with the American cyclist.
A 132-page report recommended convening a tribunal to discuss possible legal and ethical violations by the World Anti-Doping Agency and to consider "appropriate sanctions to remedy the violations."

The French sports daily L'Equipe reported in August that six of Armstrong's urine samples from 1999, when he won the first of his record seven-straight Tour titles, came back positive for the endurance-boosting hormone EPO when they were retested in 2004. Armstrong has repeatedly denied using banned substances.

The International Cycling Union appointed Dutch lawyer Emile Vrijman last October to investigate the handling of urine tests from the 1999 Tour by the French national anti-doping laboratory, known by its French acronym LNDD. Vrijman said Wednesday his report "exonerates Lance Armstrong completely with respect to alleged use of doping in the 1999 Tour de France." The report also said the UCI had not damaged Armstrong by releasing doping control forms to the French newspaper. The report said WADA and the LNDD may have "behaved in ways that are completely inconsistent with the rules and regulations of international anti-doping control testing," and may also have been against the law.

Vrijman, who headed the Dutch anti-doping agency for 10 years and later defended athletes accused of doping, worked on the report with Adriaan van der Veen, a scientist with the Dutch Metrology Laboratory. EPO, or erythropoietin, is a synthetic hormone that boosts the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Testing for EPO only began in 2001. Armstrong had challenged the validity of testing samples frozen six years ago, and how they were handled.

Vrijman said a further investigation was needed regarding the leaking of the results to the French paper. He said a tribunal should be created to "provide a fair hearing" to the people and organizations suspected of misconduct and to decide on sanctions if warranted. Vrijman's statement did not specify what the alleged violations were.

The UCI said it was upset with Vrijman for commenting on the report before all parties involved in the case were informed. "Upon reception of the document, the UCI will study in details the content before publishing it in its whole," the UCI said in a statement. WADA chief Dick Pound said he hadn't received the report yet but, based on what he had read in news accounts, was highly critical of Vrijman's findings.

"It's clearly everything we feared. There was no interest in determining whether the samples Armstrong provided were positive or not," he told The Associated Press by telephone from Montreal. "We were afraid of that from the very beginning." Pound reiterated his claim that the UCI had leaked the forms to a reporter from L'Equipe and was responsible for the doping samples being linked to Armstrong. "Whether the samples were positive or not, I don't know how a Dutch lawyer with no expertise came to a conclusion that one of the leading laboratories in the world messed up on the analysis. To say Armstrong is totally exonerated seems strange," Pound said.

In a separate statement, WADA expressed "grave concern and strong disappointment" over Vrijman's reported comments. "Elementary courtesy and professionalism would have dictated that WADA should have been provided with a copy of the report before interviews were given to the media," the statement said. "WADA continues to stress its concern that an investigation into the matter must consider all aspects - not limited to how the damaging information regarding athletes' urine samples became public, but also addressing the question of whether anti-doping rules were violated by athletes." The anti-doping lab at Chatenay-Malabry has been accused of violating confidentiality regulations.

Mario Zorzoli, the doctor who gave copies of Armstrong's doping control forms to L'Equipe, was suspended by the UCI for one month earlier this year. He has since been reinstated.
The full report was sent to the UCI, the LNDD, the French sports ministry, WADA and Armstrong's lawyer. The International Olympic Committee also had requested a copy.
The accusations against Armstrong raised questions about how frozen samples, routinely held for eight years, should be used.

A Local Treat In Arlington, Va.

Granny is probably much better versed on female sprinters than I am, but I should probably be excited about defending champion Laura Van Gilder leading a long list of the USA's strongest female sprinters at the 9th annual CSC Invitational Pro/Am bike race Saturday right here in Arlington.

Mike Armellino and I will probably bike over from Vienna to watch the races, which begin at 8 a.m. The men's 100-lap race over a tight 5-turn, 1km course begins at noon. I have yet to see the field -- especially the CSC team.

The women's race will cover 50 laps. Van Gilder of TEAm Lipton (that's really how they write it!) is a two-time winner in Arlington. Other top crit specialists include current U.S. National Criterium Champion Tina Pic (Colavita Cooking Lite), Laura Yoisten (Victory Brewing), Shannon Hutchison-Krupat (Aaron's Corporate Furnishings) and Charm Breon (Diet Cheerwine).

Charm?

All of these women have had consistent podium finishes at the top criteriums around the USA this year, and have also placed in the top three in Arlington in previous years. "I love this race!" said Van Gilder. "There is no doubt it may be the hardest crit on the calendar, but good team tactics will be rewarded. Both times I've won here my team controlled the field while I was able to stay away up front."

So, should I be excited, Granny?

On A Roll

Nice column on Bob Roll on Roanoke.com.

Uh, Gracious?

That Guy Jan on the Tour de France:
"[Ivan] Basso was excellent in the Giro but the competition will be fiercer in the Tour de France."

Especially if the T-Mobile rider doesn't quit, as he did on the final climb to the finish of the 19th stage of the Giro, complaining of back pain. The Giro is plenty tough, Jan, especially when you're not treating it like a training exercise.

Pricey -- But Maybe Worth It?

There's a nice story on the Spartanburg, S.C., newspaper's GoUpstate.com website (where my friend, Tom Priddy, does some terrific multimedia work) about six cyclists, three of them from the Spartanburg area, who forked over the $8,500 to ride with Our Boy Lance on an eight-day bike tour (Lance showed up for a ride and climb through the Apennine Mountains in Northern Italy) during the Giro d'Italia.

It's nice to know that Trek went through with the trip, even though it was supposed to max out at 20 riders. Ah, if only the Crankset had that kind of disposable income!

Photo is John Cash of Spartanburg with OBL.

No Scandal Here

Let me first pay proper respect to the men and women who've died for our right to freely publish blogs and live in this great country of ours. To them we owe a lifetime of gratitude and then some.

While we all enjoyed this marvelous weekend here and abroad, I'm happy to announce that there will be no EPO scandal emerging from the streets of Lancaster County, PA. At least not from my camp anyway. You see, EPO allegations usually come on the heels of 9+ min leads and sub human ascents over 15KM. Not here, not today. Why you may ask?

I suspect that while I did manage to work the front of Saturday's 4/5 race for nearly 2 laps and manage to put together a feeble break with my teammate, I did what every bike racer fears next to crashing...

I bonked and I bonked hard.

Yes, Granny give me all you got. After razzing you about proper fueling and calorie deficits, I hit the wall and kept going right through it. After working with a 15 yr old teammate that possibly will go pro (I'm not kidding here), I completely pulled my ripcord in lap 6. We're talking not turning the crank here. Meanwhile, this kid is 15 and working the front of 4/5 races 6 out of 7 laps. He's awesome and provided he's coached properly, we may be hearing about him on the domestic circuit.

Last race 6th, this race? You got it, dead last. I even started to pull over to quit the race but Lance's words clanged in my head: Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever. I kept going. With each painful stroked I was reminded of my new training lesson: Rest 3 days before a race. IT WORKS.

Either way, it looked to be a great cycling weekend for all! Well, except the entire pro peloton maybe.

Cheers.

A 'Must Read' In The Times of London

"Mired in depravity, riddled with deceit and seemingly oblivious to the consequences, cycling is at the brink of a precipice of its own making."

-- Matthew Syed in the Times of London

Chicago Four Years Ago

That actually IS me, in front of (obviously) Wrigley Field, four summers ago during my Chicagoland bike tour of the city. The bike is a Unavega hybrid I bought in 1993 -- the bike that got me back on two wheels. Wish I could have been out there with you, Granny (see item below), on Sunday, but you would have enjoyed my ride (see two items below) along the Potomac! And what was 53rd Tooth doing?

It's Not The Eiffel Tower, But...

Granny Capturing the Scene Before Throwing Down

One day out of the year, Mayor Richard M. Daley and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation close down the normally car laden Lake Shore Drive for 5 glorious hours (from 5am to 10am). Everyone and anyone on two wheels is invited (for a moderate fee) to participate in one of the nation’s biggest bicycle rides, and a morning of peaceful, car-free riding while taking in amazing views of Chicago's lakefront and skyline (like the one above).

Bike The Drive benefits the nonprofit Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's efforts to make communities better for bicycling and thereby improve the quality of life in the region.

The ride itself is a mixture of recreational riders, hardened touring veterans, and enthusiasts. With the expansive 4 lane (each way) drive, there is ample room for those who want to hammer to fly by on the left, while strollers can roll by and stop for the occassional (more like frequent) photo op. To follow a local colloquialism, it makes being "on LSD," an entirely different scenario.

Sunday Ride

OK, so that isn't me, but I was cycling along the Potomac River in Rosslyn and Alexandria Sunday, starting out in Vienna and cranking out about 50 miles in temperatures in the mid-80s. Took it nice and easy (you can't crank it up on the path because there's a lot of traffic); I got a good sweat and an even better workout.

The OLN Boys Don't Pussyfoot Around

Yours truly with Phil Liggett in Lourdes at the 2003 Tour de France

I was impressed as hell today when Phil Liggett began the "Cyclysm Sunday" recap and final-stage coverage of the Giro d'Italia by talking about the sport's latest doping scandal. Liggett called it a sad day for cycling and predicted that the story was only "in its infancy."

Bob Roll called it "a huge scandal" that, if the stories emerging proved to be true, would be of the proportion of the 1998 Festina doping scandal. And Paul Sherwin compared it with the San Francisco Balco steroids scandal. No shying away here.

Ivan Basso had to wait his turn, even though it was his day.

Danica's Ride

Maybe Danica Patrick should have ridden a Trek Sunday in the Indianpolis 500!

Zoom Zoom Zoom

He's running in the New York City Marathon, so why not drive in the Indianapolis 500 someday?

"It's just a question of time," Our Boy Lance said Sunday. "I've been invited to every race school, but I don't have the three or four days to go do that. But I will one of these days."
Golly. What next?

Pride And Shame In Cycling

On the day that a new king of cycling, Ivan Basso, is crowned in Milan, this should be a happy time.

It is not.

That is a shame for Basso, who's 9:18 margin of victory in the Giro d'Italia is the largest in 41 years.

Remarkable.

But there is a shadow hanging over cycling today. "Everybody is under suspicion," writes Samuel Abt in the International Herald Tribune. "Did a rider outdo himself, or did he find a better doctor? Who gets credit for an unexpected victory, a rider or his pharmacist? Who are the riders involved in the ongoing doping scandal in Spain?"

There is a list circulating inSpain with 200 names on it. Basso is not among them. Jan Ullrich's is.

Simoni causing trouble again
And Gilberto Simoni, just as he fanned the flames of controversy in 2004 when his then teammate, Damiano Cuenego, won the Giro, is breathing fire again.

After the finish Saturday, he Simoni accused Basso of asking him to slow down on the descent from the Mortirolo and not leave him behind, hinting that there would be a payback.
"Basso said to me, 'Don't drop me on the descent,' so I thought I had a chance to win today," Simoni said. "If I had thought Basso was going to do that in the finale, I would have played my cards differently."

It was then that Simoni heaped false praise on Basso:
"I've never seen anyone dominate like him, never seen anyone that strong. He seems like an extraterrestrial."

Abt, who knows cycling unlike few others, writes that "extraterrestrial" is a code word, first applied admiringly to Miguel Indurain a decade ago in the a Tour de France after a particularly impressive time trial. The word "extraterrestrial" has a different connotation now, Abt writes: that no rider can be so strong naturally.

Basso, of course, was upset.
"I don't like to be called an extraterrestrial or a phenomenon," he said. "In this Giro, I have always been honest and played fairly."

Said Simoni:
"It's a Giro I would rather forget. I don't want to make up with Basso, whom I no longer consider a friend. All I want to do now is look to the future. I'm hoping to compete in the Tour de France with David (Millar). After that I will ride for another year if (team manager) Mauro Gianetti agrees."

You have to wonder how many friends Simoni has left.

In praise of Basso
And you want to believe in Basso, who always has a smile on his face, even during the toughest stages.

You want to believe him, just as you want to believe Our Boy Lance, who was far away in Indianapolis driving the pace car to begin Sunday's face auto race, the Indianapolis 500.

So, what shall we believe?
Who shall we praise at this yet again precarious moment in cycling?

Basso, who is just 28 and in position to dominate the sport for years, won three of the 21 stages of the three-week race; his CSC team also won the team time trial. It was a show of strength that reminded many of Lance Armstrong.

Spain's Jose Gutierrez of the Phonak team finished, Simoni third at 11:59. "This was a very hard Giro and so it was important to ration your energy and know when and where to gain time. There were seven key stages and I think I rode well on all of them," Basso said.
"In the last two years I've finished on the Tour de France podium twice and even made Armstrong suffer. I've been the same Basso as always, but with a year's experience and improvement in my legs. "There were days when I suffered but I manage to hide my pain when I riding and so fortunately my rivals didn't take advantage."

Basso will now prepare for the Tour de France, which starts in Strasbourg on July 1. "I can't celebrate and rest too much because the Tour is not far away," he said. "This Giro has been hard but leading the race for 15 days has taught me a lot. "I know the pink jersey is not like the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, but now I feel ready to face the pressures of the Tour. I've never said I can win the Tour, but I'm going to try."

In praise of Team CSC
CSC, meanwhile, has emerged as the dominant team in cycling.

"This wonderful achievement in my own native country would have been impossible without the skilled support of my dedicated teammates," said Basso in a Team CSC press release. "They repeatedly sacrificed their chances for individual glory to help me keep the lead in ways that were vital to victory -- a victory shared by all nine of us. It is my hope that this win sets the stage for our performance at the Tour de France.

"Each stage of the race was its own little drama as members of my team chased down breakaways, rode tempo at the front of the main bunch and controlled the flow of the race. I was both humbled and energized by their support."

Said Bjarne Riis, manager of Team CSC:
"Basso's win proved he was the strongest rider in the race and that he had maximum support from the strongest team at the Giro. Teamwork is always at the core of our values, which we put into practice everyday, and look forward to applying at the Tour de France.
"Our German attacker Jens Voigt dominated the early stages of the Giro for the team and could have very well won a stage or two, as could have Carlos Sastre who was second in the 2005 Vuelta a Espana. Giovanni Lombardi was a key rider acting as Basso's 'bodyguard' throughout the race, helping to steer Ivan through the chaotic and sometimes dangerous bunch sprints at the finish. Ivan could often be found glued right on Lombardi's wheel in these situations, protected from other riders in the tightly grouped peloton or from the sometimes harsh elements."

And Bobby Julich, another teammate, praised Basso, too.
"Riding in support of a man like Ivan is rewarding. Not only because he achieves consistently strong results, like this Giro win, but he also has so much class. Our respect for Basso, and each other, is what drives this team and makes us push to be the best each day."

Team CSC in Arlington, Va.
Now, here's a treat for the Crankset:
Next Sunday, June 4, is the CSC Criterium in Arlington, Va. Who will Riis send? Julich has ridden the past two years.
Stay tuned (and there will be pictures!).

"Extraterrestrial"?

What's a major stage race without a little controversy?
There's absolutely no controversy about who's going to win the Giro d'Italia Sunday when the tour concludes Sunday in Milan. Ivan Basso won Saturday's difficult 20th grueling, 211km 20th stage up the Gavia, his third stage win of this Giro, to put the finishing touch on the most dominant Giro win in a generation, according to Andrew Hood of VeloNews. The difference of 9:18 to second-place José Enrique Gutiérrez is the widest margin since 1965, when Vitorrio Adorni won in 11:26.
An angry Gilberto Simoni called Basso an "extraterrestrial" for his crushing performance and accused him riding unfairly by asking him to ride easy on the perilous descent off the Mortirolo, only to leave him stranded on the final hump to Aprica.
Answered Basso:
"This is the most beautiful day of my career, let me enjoy it. What I did today was proper and I did my work in the stage, but I don't like it when someone calls me an extraterrestrial. People have to remember I was the only rider strong enough to follow (Lance) Armstrong at the Tour de France. I've worked hard for this moment."

OBL Doesn't Want To Hit The Wall

As you may recall, Our Boy Lance is driving the pace car Sunday to start the Indianapolis 500.

And while he rarely hit the wall as cyclist, there's a different kind of wall he wants to avoid at the Speedway.

Said OBL (during his Speedway press conference): Even as freaked out as I was today, it’s going to be a whole another level. Coming out of the last turn at 120 mph, that was tougher than I thought. And not really knowing where the wall is, they’re like, ‘Get up closer to the wall.’ I’m like: ‘No, I’m not getting closer to the wall. No, I’m going to stay away from the wall!’ It will be a whole another feeling, and when you put that many people in the place it narrows up real quick."

Lance Armstrong stands next to the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Pace Car and in front of the field for the 90th Indianapolis 500 and special Indy 500-edition Trek road bikes.

More Joy For Ivan Basso

Ivan Basso's second child, Santiago, was born before the 19th stage of the Giro d' Italia began on Friday. "In these situations, cycling comes second. My happiness was unbelievable this morning," he said.

Sportsmanship In Cycling

Here's why I love cycling.
Spaniard Juan Manuel Garate won the 19th stage of the Giro d'Italia Friday.
German Jens Voigt could have.
But Garate should have, and Voigt understood that.

Garate was part of a long breakaway and rode the final few kilometers with Giro GC leader Ivan Basso's CSC teammate Voigt. Garate is a better climber than Voigt and worked harder on the steep road to the finish. Voigt, a stronger sprinter, returned the favor by tapping Garate on the back a few hundred meters from the finish, indicating the Spaniard could have the victory.

"I didn't deserve the victory today. He worked for it," Voigt said.

Garate covered the grueling 221km (137-mile) stage from Pordenone to Passo Di San Pellegrino, which included four major climbs, in 7:13.36 for his fifth career win. "I didn't have the legs this year to be with the top riders and I really wanted to win a stage," said Garate, who rides for the Belgian Quick Step team.

Voigt finished four seconds behind.

Basso finished 2:15 behind in eighth, just behind Gilberto Simoni. Basso leads Jose Gutierrez Cataluna by 6:07, with Simoni third overall at 10:34.