I’m torn by the following news … on the one hand, yes, it should be a pretty good way to help get rid of the cheaters once and for all; although, like McQuaid, life bans would be better.

On the other hand, as slipshod as many of the testing procedures and protocols have proven to be over the past several years, I would hate to see an innocent rider slapped with a 4-year ban, especially knowing the way that these things are handled in the United States by USADA.

UCI to introduce four-year ban in ‘09

Following the positive A sample tests for CERA by Tour de France stars Stefan Schumacher and podium-finisher Bernhard Kohl, UCI President Pat McQuaid has confirmed that the UCI will double its maximum sanction for doping cases next season.

A four-year suspension could effectively end the career of positive riders and should act as a strong deterrent. McQuaid told Cyclingnews on Tuesday that he’d personally opt for life bans if possible, but that WADA rules had to be followed.

“I have said before that I would like to see them out of the sport for good. That is purely on a personal level,” he stated. “However, we are obliged to follow the world anti-doping code, and that is what the UCI will do. Currently the world anti-doping code gives a maximum two-year sanction in the case of a positive test. From the first of January there is a bit more flexibility in it, and we can go up to a four year ban in the cases of something regarded as willful cheating.

“In these cases [Kohl and Schumacher], considering that these guys were given the product and then went and took it for the Tour de France, it would be very much classified as willful cheating. Next year a rider in that position would face a four year ban.

Okay, yeah sure, the four-year ban is for “willful cheating” … but knowing Travis Tygart and his USADA cronies, the mere presence of any anomalies would be considered willful cheating. Miss a test because of poor signage and lack of chaperones at the finish line of a major event (like what happened to Sager a few years back)? Obviously, you’re avoiding the test because you cheated. Smack. Four years. Good-bye!

Feh.

Once he dominated - now Lance could own the Tour - Sport - smh.com.au

Rupert Guinness

LANCE ARMSTRONG says the reason for his return to road cycling is to engage in a global war against cancer. He also says more details of his battle plans will be revealed on Wednesday, when he holds a press conference in New York while attending the Clinton Global Initiative.

Rumours are circulating that behind Armstrong’s decision, which will allow him to race in next year’s Tour de France, is an audacious plan that will change the face of cycling.

It may not be unveiled next week, but the word is that Armstrong is involved in a possible buyout of Tour organisers Amaury Sport Organisation from its parent company the Amaury Group.

Furthermore, Armstrong may saddle up in the deal with Hein Verbruggen - the former president and now vice-president of cycling’s world body, the Union Cycliste Internationale. Some say it may be an Armstrong-UCI deal.

Do the Aussie’s celebrate September the 20th Fools Day? Because this MUST be a joke.

Olympic girl seen but not heard - CNN.com

BEIJING, China (CNN) — A little girl and her song captivated millions of viewers during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. But what they saw was not what they heard.

Games organizers confirm that Lin Miaoke [above right], who performed “Ode to the Motherland” as China’s flag was paraded Friday into Beijing’s National Stadium, was not singing at all.

Lin was lip-syncing to the sound of another girl, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi [above left], who was heard but not seen, apparently because she was deemed not cute enough.

“The reason was for the national interest,” said Chen Qigang, the ceremony’s musical director, in a state radio interview. “The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feeling and expression. … Lin Miaoke is excellent in those aspects.”

From the Opening Ceremony, where one little girl was put on display, while another provided the voice behind the scenes, to the women’s gymnastics team, where the “16 year-old” gymnasts still have their baby teeth (despite what their passports indicate), the Chinese propaganda machine is out in full force.

But what do you expect when their stated purpose is to beat the American teams in the medal count. The Chinese are certainly outdistancing the United States in gold medals, but thus far, the overall medal count is fairly close.

Despite the lofty ideals, cheating always happens at the Olympics … but I would never have suspected it on such a grand scale … falsifying documents, lip-syncing … you have to wonder if there will be any doping controversies popping up for either the Chinese or for the Americans. If any Americans are busted for doping, you know that the American propaganda machine will also turn out to try to show that the American Olympians are somehow being framed by the Chinese.

Like many, I am an Olympics junkie … but I’m starting to get jaded by the politics. It’s almost as bad as cycling’s brouhaha between the UCI and Amaury Sports Organisation (the organizers of the Tour de France).

On Tuesday:

VeloNews | Rasmussen suspended.

Denmark’s Michael Rasmussen, who was thrown out while leading the 2007 Tour de France for lying about his whereabouts, has been banned for two years by the Monaco cycling federation, the sport’s world governing body UCI said on Tuesday.

In a case brought by the UCI in February, a three-member panel organized under the authority of the Monaco Cycling Federation, ruled that Rasmussen had intentionally misled doping authorities regarding his location in the lead-up to last year’s Tour.

A UCI spokesman said the UCI had received notification of the ban from the Monaco federation, with whom Rasmussen has a licence, during the day Tuesday. The ban will run from the date of his exclusion of last year’s Tour and hence will run till July 25 2009.

Followed by, on Wednesday:

VeloNews | Rasmussen scores a win in Dutch court.

A day after he received a suspension from Monaco’s Cycling Federation, former Rabobank star Michael Rasmussen earned something of a victory when a Dutch court ruled that his former team owed him more than $1 million.

Rasmussen, who lost his license for two years on Tuesday for lying about his whereabouts in the lead-up to the 2007 Tour de France, won a partial victory in a wrongful dismissal suit he filed against Rabobank for kicking him out of the race and firing him within days.

The 34-year-old Danish rider had instituted proceedings for unlawful dismissal against his former team sponsor, demanding damages of 5.5 million euros. On Wednesday, a judge in Utrecht ruled that while Rabobank had been entitled to dismiss Rasmussen from the team, it had failed to follow procedures in doing so.

The team, sponsored by Holland’s largest bank, opted to fire Rasmussen immediately, an option Dutch law says can only be used in extreme and urgent circumstances. The judge noted that there was ample evidence to suggest that the team knew of Rasmussen’s deception well in advance of the Tour de France and should have exercised the option of keeping him off of the team’s roster.

As a result, the court found that Rasmussen was entitled to two months of salary and the 400,000 euro bonus he would have received had he won the Tour, a total award of 665,000 euro ($1.1 million).

On Tuesday, cycling’s world governing body UCI announced Rasmussen had been banned for two years by the Monaco cycling federation (FMC), where he had been licensed as a professional.

So, can I get a job working for a company where when I get fired, I can still get paid for the remainder of the year?

Oh wait … I already do … but only the now-former execs at the top of the payscale get the “here’s a shitload of money, now get the fuck out” packages.

UCI fury as Tour put under French jurisdiction

PARIS (AFP) - The International Cycling Union (UCI) have threatened sanctions against riders and teams competing in this year’s Tour de France after organisers announced Tuesday that the race will take place under the jurisdiction of the French Cycling Federation (FFC).

The decision follows a long-running dispute between the two bodies which stems from whether race organisers including ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation), who organise the Tour de France, or the sport’s governing body, the UCI, have the final say over who rides in their races.

As with the Paris-Nice race earlier this year, the 2008 Tour will be organised under the authority of the FFC with the country’s anti-doping agency AFLD in charge of doping controls.

“We have asked the FFC that the Tour be organised under their authority. The AFLD will therefore be in charge of the doping tests before and during the race,” Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme said.

The UCI, meanwhile, slammed the move as “a bad decision for cycling” and judged it as “extremely regrettable for the sport and the unity of the cycling family”.

“It is not correct that ASO leaders, backed by the FFC, preferred to make the announcement during a press conference before warning the international federation beforehand,” the UCI said in a statement.

“It constitutes additional evidence of the ASO’s wish to no longer take into account the authority of the UCI concerning international cycling.”

And they warned that riders and teams could face sanctions for competing in a race being run outside the UCI authority.

“Riders and teams by competing will expose themselves to sanctions through the fault of ASO leaders,” the UCI said.

So, UCI … are you going to ban 200 professional cyclists from racing in events that ARE on the UCI calendar, thus depriving those races of the very cyclists that make them a success? Do you not realize that ASO actually has the power here?

If the UCI sanctions cyclists, more races will seek sanctioning from national federations, rather than from the UCI; because the races want riders.

The UCI is becoming increasingly irrelevant … and carrying through on a threat like this will do your cause more harm than good.

Unfortunately, until the riders get involved, there’s not going to be a resolution.

Here’s a scenario. All the teams that have been invited start the Tour. The UCI announces sanctions mid-way through the race.

What should the riders do? Do they strike against ASO, backing the UCI, and refusing to race? Or do they continue to ride, backing the organisers’ rights to invite whom they choose? Regardless, unless the teams act unanimously, the issue is not going to be resolved.

Multiple (and competing) governing bodies will emerge. Cycling will lose its status as an Olympic sport. More sponsorship dollars will flow away from the sport … and we can all get back to just riding our bikes.

Basso set for UCI drug role - Yahoo! Eurosport UK
Eurosport - Tue, 06 May 10:48:00 2008

Former Giro D’Italia winner Ivan Basso will become an anti-doping campaigner for governing body UCI.

Italian Basso is banned until October due to his involvement in the Operación Puerto doping scandal.

UCI president Pat McQuaid backed the news that Basso will come on board in the fight against drug cheats.

“He has made a mistake,” McQuaid said. “He has paid. I believe he will interpret this role to the best of his ability, for us and for the Italian cycling federation.”

Why do I find this difficult to believe? When David Millar got caught, he fessed up almost immediately, and was an outspoken critic of the doping lifestyle from the outset of his ban. Basso has been living the plush life, and has been nearly invisible … and he didn’t admit any wrongdoing for quite some time after he got busted.

Part of me thinks that Basso is just paying lip-service to the process in the hopes that he’ll get back on a ProTour squad sooner, rather than later.

And McQuaid is gonna help him do it.

Fucking hypocrites.

Blood tests show 23 “suspect” riders - Yahoo! Eurosport UK

A programme to create biological passports for professional cyclists, giving details of their blood analyses, has revealed 23 riders with suspect samples, the International Cycling Union said.

UCI Anti-Doping manager Anne Gripper said 1,500 blood samples on 854 riders had been analysed since January and that 23 riders had given samples “needing further examination.”

There will be no disciplinary proceedings as the tests are not recognised dope tests.

Separately from the passport programme, Gripper told a news conference that the UCI was pursuing five suspected doping cases following traditional anti-doping tests on riders, either during races or out-of-competition.

Significantly, the decision to test one of those riders had been prompted by his previous sample for the passport profile.

Another 11 riders are under investigation for a possible breach of anti-doping regulations after failing to give their whereabouts, Gripper said.

Almost 12,000 tests are scheduled for 2008 at an estimated cost of 5 million euros (£3.9 million).

I’m surprised … the doping stories don’t usually start rearing their ugly heads until the Giro d’Italia (with another ramp up in the weeks before the Tour de France). But we’re still 8 days away from the start of the Giro …

On the bright side, no names have been listed thus far … not even in light of this story:

Unnamed cyclist to face doping charge - Yahoo! Eurosport UK

At least one top cyclist is to face doping charges after thousands of blood samples were analysed as part of the International Cycling Union’s blood passport programme.

The UCI did not reveal the identity of the cyclist concerned, but said he is one of 23 riders who “warranted further scrutiny” following 2172 tests on blood samples as part of their far-reaching passport scheme.

Introduced as the UCI’s new weapon in the fight against doping, the aim of the scheme is to catch cheats, and ultimately deter doping by relying on previously recorded data from athletes’ blood samples.

The UCI believes that because of the comparative increase in the number of tests and the introduction of individually tailored, and more effective, profiles, most riders are now thinking twice about doping.

Proof of that may not be seen until the end of this year’s Tour de France, where the lure of international fame and glory has traditionally tempted many riders to cheat.

The UCI said Friday that of the 2172 tests carried out to April 30, only 23 had warranted further scutiny by anti-doping experts.

And it reassured organisers of the Giro d’Italia by adding that “all riders set to compete in the Giro have adhered to the blood passport scheme”.