Given the endemic spectre of doping across pro cycling for so many years some suggest the idea of a “truth and reconciliation commission”, a process of amnesty and dialogue where systemic wrongdoing is aired, analysed and ultimately forgiven.
The latest proponent is Dick Pound, the Canadian lawyer who run WADA for several years and made a name for himself as the scourge of the UCI.
It sounds great but I just can’t see it working in pro cycling. Here’s why in just 500 words…
A flat stage that twists and turns along the coast, this looks like a day for the sprinters but it could be hard to control. As well as the preview for toda, I’ll add some ideas about the race so far and what we can expect for the overall classification below too.
The news that USADA has sanctioned Lance Armstrong has generated plenty of comment, taking talk of pro cycling from the back pages of newspaper to the front page, to the opinion page and on to TV and beyond. The media, fans, bloggers… it seems everyone has an opinion.
There are strong arguments on both sides, for example those satisfied to see a cheat caught could express their relief, versus those concerned about USADA’s handling of the case raising procedural questions.
But one area of calm is the pro peloton as few riders have said anything in public. Should they?
There’s one remaining copy of David Millar’s autobiography “Racing Through the Dark” to give away. As a reminder the publisher’s offered me a review copy but I’d already reviewed the book when it came out in Europe so there was no point getting another review copy.
Instead they offered to send three copies to give away to readers of the blog. I’ve done this via a quiz. The trouble is finding an answer that people can’t get from an internet search in six seconds.
Quiz
Guess the word count of the story.
A downhill run to the fine city of Barcelona, today’s stage looks like a long freewheel from the Pyrenees to the Mediterrean. Only the finish includes the tricky climb of Montjuic followed by a descent and then an uphill sprint which should offer some excitement. Breakaway or bunch sprint?
The high mountains appear in the Vuelta. We’ve had several exciting climbs and summit finishes so far but things step up a level with the finish in Andorra today although the final climb is not the biggest in the Pyrenees.
Lance Armstrong has said he will not contest the charges brought by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and has issued a statement citing procedural matters and fatigue as the reason why he’s not going to challenge the agency.
Later today USADA is expected to announce a formal lifetime ban from all Olympic sports and to invalidate all his results obtained since 1998.
Here’s a look at the issues of the day, from Armstrong’s bold statement, to what will happen to the results and prizes, what happens next, whether for the others in the case like Radioshack-Nissan manager Johan Bruyneel or the options for the UCI.
Yes the show must go on and there’s a stage of the Vuelta on today. However it’s one of those stages that can’t compete with the summit finish excitement, in fact it finishes on a motor racing circuit that’s ideal for the sprinters but less so for TV viewers.
Away from the Vuelta and USA Pro Cycling Challenge there’s an event in France called La Haute Route, literally “the High Road”. It’s not a pro race, it’s part holiday tour, part cyclosport and goes across the French Alps. And it’s this that gives us interesting glimpse of the future because it combines several aspects of sport, business, tourism and more into a seemingly winning formula.
The race heads to the Pyrenees but there are no high mountains. Instead the stage finishes outside the Fuerte del Rapitán, the Rapitan Fort that sits high on a hill above the town of Jaca. The climb to the fort has not been used before but it has an irregular gradient and steep sections and 13 hairpin bends in the final 3km.