[DIRT BOY]

Ivan Basso and Francisco Mancebo joined Jan Ullrich on the sidelines of the Tour de France after organisers dumped two of the race's top riders. Ullrich had already been suspended by his T-Mobile team Friday morning when Tour director Christian Prudhomme announced the exclusion of Giro victor Basso.
"The enemy is not cycling, the enemy is doping," Prudhomme declared less than 24 hours before the start of the sport's greatest race.

Prudhomme praised T-Mobile's earlier decision to suspend Ullrich, sporting director Rudy Pevenage, and rider Oscar Sevilla, while at the same time promising fortitude on the part of the Tour's governing body.
"We have been in contact with T-Mobile since the start of the week, and since yesterday we've been waiting for the official document, finally we received it, from the Spanish Civil Guard and the Interior ministry."
Prudhomme said that after a unanimous decision by the association of sporting directors, the riders who have been banned will not be replaced.
"This morning there was a meeting of the AGCP and they decided to respect the ethical code 100 percent, so it means that the riders who will be asked to leave the Tour de France will not be replaced by other ones."
During a grim press conference Prudhomme sat alongside longtime Tour boss Jean Marie LeBlanc and AGCP chief and Quick Step sporting director Patrick Lefevere.
"I'm not very proud to be here today," Lefevere declared, adding that the decision not to replace the banned riders was a unanimous one taken "to send a strong signal."
"The sporting directors of each team are informing the riders concerned right now," Prudhomme said.
Basso, the Tour's runner-up in 2005 and this year's favourite, had already been warned by CSC sporting director Bjarne Riis the Frenchman added.
"I am cool, I am waiting for someone to bring me evidence of my guilt," Basso had said earlier on Friday when leaving his hotel for a training session.
Prudhomme said that Vincent Lavenu, the AG2R team boss, was also talking to Mancebo, who finished fourth overall in last year's Tour.
Astana up in the air
As far as Alexandre Vinokourov's Astana-Wurth team, which has been at the centre of the affair since majority owner Manalo Saiz's arrest, Prudhomme indicated the situation was still unresolved.
"For the team Astana-Wurth it's a bit more complex, because so many riders are on the official list that it seems to be a team doping system."
While Vino's name did not appaear on the list of riders implicated, nine of his team-mates did.

Before the Tour de France received the official report, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled on Thursday against the race organisers' request to exclude Astana-Wurth (formerly Liberty Seguros) from the Grande Boucle.
"I think this is normal. I think it is a brave move and a good example sent to the other sport directors. Today, we can do only one thing: be brave," Leblanc said in an interview with French daily Le Monde.
Both LeBlanc and Prudhomme said five or six riders would ultimately be suspended.
New favourite Valverde reacts
The suspensions now leave the race to start with no clear front-runner, though one of the top contenders who was not implicated, Alejandro Valverde, was upset by the news.

"It is a big blow for the race. You could see something like this might happen," Valverde told Spanish daily Marca's website on Friday.
"Oscar [Sevilla] is a great friend of mine and Ullrich is one of the favourites. I am calm about it all because I have nothing to fear from something which affects lots of other people.
"I just want the race to start as soon as possible and hope it is clean and that everything goes well."

Maybe a Frenchman can fianlly win the TDF . So sad for the sort of Cycling we all love!

I really thought Basso was clean. years rooting for this guy have just gone down the toilet? Or should we just shrug this off as another athlete trying to get an edge. I have said it for 10 yrs SPORTS on ALL LEVELS is drug ladden!

 

[Axis II]

WTF, what are these guys thinking! This was going to be Ulrich's race! Whatever. Why couldn't he just get Lance's doc on board?

 

[DIRT BOY]

well I guess it's time to burn my CSC and Fasso Bortolo jerseys as one of my favorite riders is doping.

Maybe I can keep my Fasso one, because as on now Pettachi is clean, for now.

I guess with these thoughts, I should sart burning my NFL jerseys too....

 

[blatido]

Pro Cycling (and any "pro" sport) sucks...

One thing for sure that everybody knows about but few admit as a fact is doping to achieve better performance in sports. Now the attention is on road cycling, but fact is, ANY sport is affected by that fact. MTB, soccer, basketball, all kind of olympic sports, american football, baseball, etc., etc., etc...

Fact is, along as the "pro" competitors receive big amounts of money for winning a race and even bigger amounts of money from sponsors, they will do ANYTHING to keep being at the podium and to keep sponsorship. Sport doping WILL NOT BE STOPPED by tests, and laws, and athletes suspensions. There is too much money and interests involved not to be tempted to take "something" that can give me that extra boost to win.

I think the solution is to allow doping. At least that way athletes would certainly know what they're taking, they personally would take responsability for what they're doing and risks would be reduced.

 

[ShortTravelMag]

Allowing doping would solve nothing. Everyone would take the allowable drugs, because they could, and the next guy is doing it...then it would start with a few big guys taking or doing something that isn't on the list of allowable drugs, because they still need that edge over the next guy...then someone drops dead...you just can't open the floodgates in my opinion. I'd rather see drastic events like this happen - the top names and teams go down in flames. Keep throwing these guys out, every year, let the clean ones rise to the top. Maybe some of the clean pros would be the top guys if they could race against other clean guys...give them their chance.

 

[bbarend]

Now Floyd and Levi will be even more motivated. Perhaps we will see two Americans on the podium.

 

[The SS Boz]

Why is this in save some weight forum??? Unless you are refering to the "weight" that was lost from the TDF???

-Boz

 

[artnshel]

I'm disapointed that Basso and Ullrich won't be in the race. I'm less excited to watch it now.

However It's interesting that their own teams and not the tour pulled them.

That Vino was on the same list but may get to race and possibly win is bogus.

Whoever wins the race will have a cloud over their status as leader.

 

[Warp]

This is so sad....

Man, I lost my interest on road riding after reading this.

And, of course, it takes my respect for champions of old like Lance, Indurain and others, to a new level.

 

[psinsyd]

As a fan of Basso's also, that's horrible news. It will be an interesting TdF to say the least!!

Ah well, let's just hope F1 can race a full field at Indianapolis on Sunday!:thumbsup:

 

[Ultra Magnus]

Thread derail, F1 in USA?

Back to the thread... Seams like since Lance is gone who was the #1 focus for doping allogations (I can say it but not sure how to spell it), it's an accusation feeding frenzy.

BM

 

[BipedZed]

This is so sad....

Man, I lost my interest on road riding after reading this.

And, of course, it takes my respect for champions of old like Lance, Indurain and others, to a new level.

Ummm...you honestly think World Cup MTB racing is clean?

 

[mtb_biker]

the only thing i question is their timing... how long have they known for? Anyone have details? I wonder if they waited until this time so that they could not compete.

 

[DIRT BOY]

Well first of this is a CYCYLING site.

1. This is a CYCYLING site
2. Lot's of roadies here too and people who care about cycling in general
3. I thought others who did not know would appricate this, as I vist this froum more than any other.
4. This is probaly the biggest news any of us have seen in cycling in our life time! The whole Operación Puerto thing.

Onl a lighetr note, with the doping is SPAIN, maybe this is the answwer to alot of Malol psots and thoughts.... :idea:ut: :crazy:

 

[psinsyd]

1. 
   Onl a lighetr note, with the doping is SPAIN, maybe this is the answwer to alot of Malol psots and thoughts.... :idea:ut: :crazy:

1. 
   
   LOL.....doh!!!!
   :skep:

 

[AZ-X]

It's a sad thing to see. They need to do some housecleaning on the VTT/MTB side as well, I'd wager. It would be nice to see a completely clean sport (or as clean as it can possibly be) emerge from all of this.

I hate seeing people robbing others of victory as riders like Filip Meirhaeghe and others have done in the past. The only thing that's going to stop it is ever increasing enforcement and vigilance. Punishments have to be elevated well above the occasional "slap on the wrist" stuff as well. I really think that an absolute Zero Tolerance policy really has to be instated at this point.

As far as I'm concerned, Filip shouldn't have been allowed back for at least 2 years, of which he should have had a steady barrage of tests during the entire period. That is more of a real probationary sentence. Other than just full banishment from the sport for life, I see no other way.

As for waiting this long to pull the riders...

I feel sorry for the event itself and for the towns and French (as well as other) people who are helping to host the event, but I sincerely hope that the shock value of this entire episode sinks in and helps to convince the sponsors, as well as the riders, to take all of this extremely seriously.

 

[Warp]

Ummm...you honestly think World Cup MTB racing is clean?

Philip Meirhaege proved that this would be utopic... but then, I don't follow the WC's either. Much less defend them.

At least they're not pulling out the top three contenders for the World Championship as they did in the TdF.

Maybe that's why I've only raced once and don't plan on racing either... nothing as riding for the pleasure of riding.

 

[eurorider]

Always good laughs here:thumbsup:

About the doping though, I don't know why people are surprised.

Anyways, go Rasmussen!:thumbsup:

 

[aussie_yeti]

Anyways, go Rasmussen!:thumbsup:

Or Cadel (Evans), a MTBer and Aussie on the podium of the Tour - now's as good a time as any.

Sad to see the big names go - the winners status will be marred by the fact that the field wasn't at it's strongest. But atleast a hard line stance is finally being taken. Hopefully they get to the bottom of it quickly and accurately, the cheats are booted and we can once again admire the champions for their natural talent and dedication to the sport.

 

[The SS Boz]

Why is there always one in every forum that asks this stupid question? I'd say the thread heading was pretty clear from the onset as to the subject of this post. If you aren't interested, don't read it. Instead one person always feels compelled to go in, read, and then post why is this subject being discussed here? Beavis and Butthead for sure.

Now that matter is dealt with, this news is very disappointing. It makes for a race with alot of what-if's...
Maybe next year the doping will be gone and people will race clean. Yeah right...

You read all the other posts and figured this was the best one to reply to?....flame it up bro........Geez...do you understand that wink icon at all???

-Boz