Now that Alberto Contador’s career hangs in the balance of the Spanish Federation it is time to get a move on. The UCI rules stipulate a month, although Spanish cycling boss Juan Castaño has said it could take longer. 280. The proceedings before the hearing panel of the License-Holder’s National Federation must be completed within … Read more
There are reports now that the UCI is set to open a disciplinary procedure against Alberto Contador for a doping offence. This is not to say he is guilty yet, rather than the facts are now going to be reviewed in the context of a potential sanction. Nevertheless it is almost inconceivable that the UCI … Read more
Loaded, and taking aim at the UCI? It’s an idea relayed by the Carrément Vélo podcast where pundit Nicolas Perthuis mentions a conversation with FDJ team boss Marc Madiot. According to Madiot, the UCI is currently evaluating whether it can afford to prosecute Contador and if it can withstand any appeals made by the Spaniard’s … Read more
WADA is recommending anti-doping controls in the middle of the night. A knock on the hotel room door and the rider will have to present themselves. The idea is that this will be a real surprise, that it’ll prevent a sneaky rider and his entourage from consuming products to thwart the test. Right lads, Astana … Read more
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,Let him depart; his passport shall be madeAnd crowns for convoy put into his purse:We would not die in that man’s company So says Shakespeare’s King Henry V, a declaration that anyone not ready for battle should leave the scene because they are cowards. It’s the first … Read more
Alberto Contador has been provisionally suspended following his positive test for Clebuterol. Only there seems to be some confusion over his eligibility to race. “The UCI has not yet notified us that we need to suspend his license” says Juan Carlos Castaño, president of the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC). You can read a fuller report … Read more
In the last hour Franco Pellizotti has been cleared to ride by the Italian Olympic commission. It ruled that his bio passport presents insufficient information to secure a ban. The indication is that whilst the passport may suspicious variations in blood values, this is not conclusive proof of doping. The UCI thought they had him … Read more
UCI President Pat McQuaid dropped a small bombshell on the margins of the Tour de France presentation, saying he was in favour of four year bans for dopers, instead of the two year sanction. Is it right that a big idea like this was given in a briefing to a huddle of journalists? I suspect … Read more
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”Hamlet, Act III So wrote Shakespeare and today the phrase has entered common use as an example of someone over-compensating to make up for a mistake. Rid us of this troublesome prosecutor! A good example will be this Saturday when the riders on the start line of the Tour … Read more
I’ve sometimes wondered about Aldo Sassi. He’s an Italian sports scientist who today runs the Mapei Sport centre, a training service offered to pros and amateurs alike. He’s hung around with some suspicious types in the past but today he’s seen at the forefront of clean sport. He makes a virtue of coaching riders … Read more