Cycling Commentary

Floyd Landis' Malais

Imagine the absolute high of winning the Tour de France. To train at extraordinary levels for years and to achieve the dream of standing atop the podium in Paris is as close to cycling nirvana as it comes.

And then, the fall from grace - Floyd Landis accused of being a doper just days after his extraordinary victory. The resulting trial by media is only trumped by the suicide of his father-in-law, a hip-replacement surgery, the disbanding of his Phonak team and the $500,000 legal defense Landis must mount to clear his name. The pain must be excruciating, the anxiety intolerable, the abyss deep.

Yesterday, the French Press Agency carried a story headlined that Landis was conceding his career might be over. "There's a minute chance of me racing again in 2007," the 31-year-old is reported as saying in Belgian dailies Het Laatste Nieuws and Het Gazet van Antwerpen. "Even if I'm not suspended, who will want to sign me?"

His reputation in taters and his financial situation likely worse, Landis is undoubtedly depressed beyond belief. He has reached a low point rivaled only by the high point he achieved in July in its extreme. Il Pirate, Marco Pantani, experienced a similar fall from grace - a cross too much to bear. Hopefully, Landis' upbringing and faith in his innocence will help him persevere these difficult times. If he is innocent, he will be vanquished. And he will ride again, just as Basso is now. If he is guilty, he deserves his fate.

Sour Grapes at Gerolsteiner

Gerolsteiner team manager, Hans-Michael Holczer, must still be smarting from the fact that he lost his star, Levi Leipheimer, to the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. Today, he piled on Saturday's IPTC announcement that Discovery had been excluded from this association of Pro Tour teams by calling upon race organizers to exclude Discovery from upcoming Pro Tour races.

'Speaking exclusively to Cyclingnews, Holczer said: "This is a clear signal that the most important representatives of cycling are absolutely serious about the fight to make our sport believable."'

In my view, this is a clear signal that Gerolsteiner and other Pro Tour teams are concerned about the phenomenal team that Discovery has assembled. Hincapie and Devolder for the Classics. Basso, Leipheimer, Popovych and Danielson for the Grand Tours. Upstarts like Brajkovic, Martinez and Gusev doing damage elsewhere. As the French say - 'formidable.'

No wonder all the other Pro Tour teams are calling for Discovery's exclusion. Can't beat 'em, exclude 'em. I call it sour grapes. Gerolsteiner should stick with sparkling water!

(BTW, Discovery team manager, Johan Bruyneel, denies that Discovery has been excluded from the IPCT. In a press release posted on thepaceline.com today, 'Bruyneel stated, “There was no vote on Friday and we have not been expelled from the IPCT. Talk of our removal from the IPCT obviously concerns me on a variety of levels, and we intend to enter into immediate discussions with team representatives about their concerns.”')

Discovery Ostracized by IPTC

The International Pro Tour Council (IPCT), a voluntary association of European Pro Tour teams, excluded Lance Armstrong's Discovery Channel from its ranks on Friday. The reason: Discovery violated its ethical rules by hiring Ivan Basso.

The specific ethical rule in question is that "a Pro Tour team should not sign a rider involved in the Puerto affair." This rule was created in the late summer of 2006 in response to the fallout from the Operacion Puerto Affair. Pro Tour teams adopted this rule as a means of protecting the sport from further damage associated with the use of PEDs and enhancing its image in the eyes of the public. Of course, given the intense media scrutiny, Pro Tour teams may have assumed that those named in the affair - Basso, Ullrich, Sevilla, Mancebo and Jasche among them - were guilty of the offenses for which they were accused.

Since that time, Spanish authorities have suspended action against any implicated riders. The Italian Olympic body has dropped charges against Basso, and the UCI has cleared Basso to race. Let's be clear, Basso has not been found guilty of any of the accusations against him. No charges are pending. He is approved to ride. What is the problem?

The problem is the ethical rule adopted by the IPTC. The tacit assumption is that if a rider was named as a suspect in the Puerto affair, he must be guilty of the offense. How fair is that to a rider like Basso who is only guilty by dint of association? Not only is the IPTC attaching guilt to Basso, but even after all charges have been dropped, Basso is also being ostracized by the IPTC.

The implications of this rule are sure to backfire or worse yet, be used strategically by competing teams to exclude the riders of other teams. Here's how it might go. Three weeks prior to the Tour of Flanders, a Pro Tour team provides circumstantial evidence to French newspaper L'Equipe that Tom Boonen is using a full regimen of PEDs. A major story is run. Boonen denies the story, but the pressure is such that the Belgian cycling federation opens an investigation. Boonen's out of Flanders under the rules of the IPTC. How fair is this? Had the same rule been in place in 2005, Lance Armstrong would not have been able to compete in the 2005 Tour, as he was under investigation for doping in France - a case that was dropped only recently.

In their zeal to "clean up the sport," the IPTC has adopted ethical rules that are unfair to riders, the teams and ultimately the fans that support them. Unless modified to a doctrine that riders are innocent until proven guilty, the rules will ultimately backfire on the Pro Tour teams that support them. The rule is bogus. It's got to go.

No Mountaintop Finish for Tour of California

Today, the race organizers for the Tour of California announced a longer (650 miles), tougher race parcours for the second annual Tour of California. The 8-stage race begins with a short, 1.9 mile TT in San Francisco and ends with a criterium in Long Beach. In between there are quite a number of mountains to be climbed including Patterson Pass and the Sierra Road climb in San Jose on stage 3, Big Sur on Stage 4 and four KOM climbs on Stage 6.

Race organizers created this year's race with one goal in mind: "to make the race more exciting." Sixteen Pro Tour teams have lined up for the event. That's exciting. But, the most exciting aspect of professional stage race is the uphill finish. We wait for days to watch them on OLN (now Versus) or even subscribe to cycling.tv so we can see them in the Giro and the Vuelta. And yet, Tour of California race organizers have again omitted an uphill finish to the race. Where is the Tour of California's Alpe D'Huez, Zoncolan or even Brass Town Bald (think Tour of Georgia)?

Race organizers seem to suggest that they have designed a race that fits with the current fitness levels of professional cyclists. "'We created a race that will complement where riders are in their season," said Birrell to Cyclingnews. He observed that while the race is tougher than last year, it is still appropriate for pros building up their race fitness in the early part of their season.' The likes of George Hincapie, Ivan Basso, Levi Leipheimer and Tom Danielson can handle an uphill finish during this time of their season. Their fans would love to see one.

All we can hope is that race organizers will see fit to add one for the 2008 edition.

Basso and Savoldelli Eye Giro Route

Ivan Basso and Paolo Savodelli, the 2006 and 2005 winners of the Giro d'Italia, had a chance to see the 2007 route during the unveiling in Milano this weekend. Their perspectives - or vantage points - are surely different this year, as Basso now rides for Discovery and Savodelli has confirmed with Astana.

As expected and written about in cyclingcommentary.com last week, Astana's bid for a Pro Tour license was rejected by the UCI. Manolo Saiz holds the license to which Astana is (rightfully) entitled. And after this weekend, it appears that Saiz's hold on his Pro Tour license may be in jeopardy as he may or may not have the financial backing he claims. Notwithstanding the melodrama and fallout from Operacion Puerto and the former Liberty Seguros team, Astana appears to have been invited to the Giro in 2007, and Savodelli will race. He seems to think the race suits him, though he has expressed concern with the uphill time trial. No mention from Savodelli about the Zoncolan, a 10K climb at an average grade of 11.9%! That's steep folks. Take it from a guy who has climbed the Mt. Washington Auto Road two years in a row. Washington is 12.25K at 11.5% average. I cannot imagine racing all day, then climbing the "beast" which is what the Giro racers will do. Unbelievable.

Johan Bruyneel introduced the 2006 winner of the Giro, Ivan Basso, to the press on Saturday in Milano. Sporting his new Discovery Channel colors and logo, Basso will have a chance to redeem himself and repeat his victory in 2007, barring any last minute nonsense from the UCI or Spanish authorities. This year's Giro pays tribute to the climbers and Basso is one hell of a climber. And while one racer Stefano Garzelli has characterized this year's Giro as "not very hard" and "open," Gilberto Simoni probably has it right: the Zoncolan and other mountainous stages will bring "tremendous suffering." No doubt about it.

Tour of Germany Disses Ullrich and Basso

Do the organizers of the Tour of Germany know something we do not? Both CN and VN reported this week that the Tour of Germany is expressly prohibiting both Ulrich and Basso from competing in their race - potential lawsuits notwithstanding. The Tour of Germany now joins the UCI and others in proclaiming cyclists guilty of PED use before a legal proceeding has been conducted, evidence has been presented and a guilty verdict rendered.

Guilty until proven innocent is the new mantra for European professional cycling.

What gives?