Tondo rounds them up

It appears Xavier Tondo is behind Spain’s Operación Cursa, that a tip-off from the Movistar rider alerted police and resulted in the bust of small supply network. Sadly the reverse story is all too common, tales of riders being involved in selling on to their team mates, like Eddy Mazzoleni but there are plenty more. … Read more

UCI Rule 357: Contador’s escape hatch?

L’Equipe is reporting that Contador’s get out from sanction is due to a technicality, the same story has been put in English over at Velonation. In boils down to a right under the Spanish constitution to be informed of any accusation. A fundamental human right. In absence of official explanation from the Spanish authorities, I’m … Read more

What next for Contador?

Alberto Contador is set to be cleared by the Spanish cycling federation, the RFEC. His defence has rested on two factors: The quantity of Clenbuterol detected was too small to have a performance enhancement. The principle of “strict liability” in the anti-doping rules is unreasonable. Yet these rules have no minimum tolerance for Clenbuterol and … Read more

The politics behind the Contador verdict

The case of Alberto Contador’s positive test from the Tour de France is growing in to political debate with some potential long term consequences. It is expected that the “Competition Commission” of the RFEC, Spain’s cycling federation, will meet today to agree their ruling then they will inform Contador. Tomorrow the details will be made … Read more

Manolo Saiz, the revolutionary

News of Manolo Saiz’s comeback… isn’t that new, nor a surprise. Outside cycling Saiz owns a small palace where he offers a restaurant and wedding receptions. But he’s been talking to the media about new projects for some time, slowly raising his profile. For example he’s tweeting. Background Saiz is infamous as the manager of … Read more

Date Prisa! The rules behind the Contador case

Date Prisa is “hurry up” in Spanish. Whilst the investigation into Contador’s case requires detailed examination, there are rules to ensure this does not drag on for too long. These state that the Spanish Federation has to keep the UCI updated on what is happening and above all, that the case “must be completed within … Read more

Spanish Farmers Divided Over Contador

Whilst some farmers have been in uproar over the idea that their cattle are doped, it seems others are adopting a more generous stance towards Alberto Contador and his allegations. Andy Schleck preferred the lamb Cyclismactu.net reports that a letter has been sent directly to UCI President Pat McQuaid warning that some unscrupulous parts of … Read more

From Pinto to Panto

British and Australian readers will be familiar with pantomime, a form of theatre that is very popular at Christmas. It’s mainly for children, a staged version of fairly tales like Snow White or Jack and the Beanstalk. But it includes characteristic features like actors in drag and humour that works in different levels, children may … Read more

Should spectators be charged to watch a race?

News from Spain where struggling race organisers and local municipalities are struggling to make ends meet. Patxi Mutiloa, the sports boss within the Basque Government has compared cycling to other professional sports “where nobody disputes that you have to pay entry. If we want to see the best cyclists on our roads in certain areas, … Read more

The Pain in Spain

The Spanish economy is in deep trouble, suffering from the fallout of a burst housing bubble and chronic unemployment. There are worries for the country’s banks and also its regions. Economists fret the Kingdom could need financial assistance from its peers within the Euro-zone or indeed from the IMF. Whatever happens, money is tight. Note … Read more