First Edition Cycling News, Wednesday, October 6, 2010

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October 6, 2010, 02:00

• Europcar roster begins to take shape

  

  Article published:

  October 5, 2010, 12:04

  By:

  Barry Ryan

  Lefèvre, Bichot, Sprick and Le Floc'h released

  After confirming Europcar as a replacement sponsor for Bbox-Bouygues Telecom over the weekend, manager Jean-René Bernaudeau has set about finalising his line-up for 2011. The Frenchman e-mailed the team dossier to the UCI on Monday, including a list of the 19 riders so far confirmed to ride with the squad next season.

  Europcar will be led by French champion Thomas Voeckler, who pulled out of a potential move to Cofidis in order to ensure that the car-hire firm would come on board as team sponsor.

  “Without me, the sponsor wouldn’t have signed,” Voeckler told Ouest France. “[Europcar CEO] Philippe Guillemot told me so on the telephone. In giving my agreement, I saved the team and 50 people get to keep their jobs.”

  Another rider who will stay at the team is Pierre Rolland, and he may well be the first man to wear the new green and yellow kit, at the French cyclo-cross championships on January 9. Meanwhile the Professional Continental team will debut on the road at the Grand Prix Marseillaise on February 1.

  “After all these moments of doubt and uncertainty, it’s good to be able to plan for the future,” Rolland said to Ouest France. “We are all happy to be able to start again and defend the values of the team and of our cycling.

  “Beyond the leaders, like Thomas Voeckler and Anthony Charteau, there are young riders like Cyril Gautier and me. The team has lost Pierrick Fédrigo and we have to step up and find the means to compensate for that to ensure that the team shines in 2011.”

  Fédrigo left for FDJ along with William Bonnet and Steve Chainel, and Nicolas Vogondy (Cofidis), Johann Tschopp (BMC) and Yuriy Trofimov (Katusha) had also confirmed their departure in recent weeks as the team struggled to find a sponsor.

  Meanwhile, Freddy Bichot, Matthieu Sprick, Guillaume Le Floc'h and Laurent Lefèvre have not had their contracts with Bernaudeau’s squad renewed for 2011. The 34-year-old Lefèvre was one of the team's most experienced riders, having turned professional in 1997.

  “I’d like to ride another year,” Lefèvre told La Voix des Sports. “But at my age and at this stage in the year, it won’t be easy. I’ll give myself until the end of the week to find something.”

  Three neo-professionals will make the step up from the Vendée U amateur set-up, namely Kevin Rezza, Jérôme Cousin and Tony Hurel. It is also understood that one more rider may be added to the roster in the coming weeks.

  Europcar team for 2011:

  Yukiya Arashiro, Giovanni Bernaudeau, Franck Bouyer, Mathieu Claude, Anthony Charteau, Jérôme Cousin, Damien Gaudin, Cyril Gautier, Yohann Gene, Saïd Haddou, Tony Hurel, Vincent Jérôme, Christophe Kern, Alexandre Pichot, Perrig Quemeneur, Kévin Rezza, Pierre Rolland, Sébastien Turgot, Thomas Voeckler.

• Kohl: Not possible to win Tour de France without doping

  

  Article published:

  October 5, 2010, 14:35

  By:

  Cycling News

  Suspended Austrian speaks at USADA science symposium

  Bernhard Kohl has said that it is not possible to win the Tour de France without resorting to doping. The Austrian appeared at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's annual science symposium on Monday in Leesburg, Va.

  "People know in cycling that's it's not possible to win the Tour de France without it," Bernhard Kohl told the website FanHouse.com. "It's three weeks, 3,000 km and you climb (the equivalent of) Mount Everest four times. That's just not possible."

  Kohl speaks from a position of considerable experience, having doped his way to a third-place finish in the 2008 race. He was subsequently revealed to have tested positive for CERA during the Tour and handed a two-year suspension. He has since retired from the sport.

  While Kohl wouldn't directly speculate on whether Alberto Contador had used doping products or methods, he noted that the average speeds ridden at the Tour might cause one to think so.

  "Floyd Landis won the Tour de France and his average speed was 40 kph," Kohl said. "This year it was Contador and it was also about 40. It was nearly the same average speed. Landis was doped. Maybe in 10 or 15 years, you can win (without drugs) if we work with the anti-doping movement."

  Kohl described his personal doping schedule, and how it enabled him to pass multiple doping tests.

  “I was tested 200 times during my career, and 100 times I had drugs in my body,” he said, according to the New York Times. “I was caught, but 99 other times, I wasn’t. Riders think they can get away with doping because most of the time they do. Even if there is a new test for blood doping, I’m not even sure it will scare riders into stopping. The problem is just that bad.”

  Richard Budgett, chief medical officer of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympics, praised Kohl's disclosures. "I think it gives an insight into the attitude, focus and detail they have," he told FanHouse.com. "We see the level of sophistication and attention to detail we have to get into to actually protect the athletes who don't want to cheat."

  Budgett said that he could understand Kohl's comments about doping at the Tour. "There may be a little bit of truth there. If you are going to [race] for three weeks, it's very hard to compete with somebody who is doping. It's up to us to make sure there is enough of a deterrent. [Kohl] was under the impression he was never going to be caught and he was reassured by his people that he was never going to be caught."

• Van Poppel joins Vacansoleil as sports director

  

  Article published:

  October 5, 2010, 16:05

  By:

  Barry Ryan

  Dutchman joins after two years as DS with Cervélo

  Vacansoleil has announced that Jean-Paul Van Poppel will join the team as sports director for 2011. Van Poppel arrives at the Dutch squad after two years as sports director with Cervélo TestTeam, which will disband at the end of the season.

  “Jean-Paul has been working in cycling for years, he has experience in managing a cycling team both inside and outside the races and, as a rider, he was also in the absolute top ranks,” said Vacansoleil team manager Daan Luijkx.

  “With the signing of Van Poppel we take another step in the further professionalization of the team.”

  Van Poppel, winner of nine Tour de France stages as a rider in the 1980s and 90s, will serve as sports director alongside Hilaire Vanderschueren and Michel Cornelisse, and assist Luijkx in the day-to-day management of the team.

  Vacansoleil has applied for a ProTour licence for the 2011 season but its chances were dealt a blow by the events of last week, when new signing Ezequiel Mosquera was revealed to have tested positive for Hydroxyethyl starch at the Vuelta a España. Meanwhile, Riccardo Riccò, who arrived from Ceramica Flaminia in August, was linked by reports in the Italian media to two separate doping investigations taking place in the country.
   

• UCI publishes 20 teams seeking ProTeam licences in 2011

  

  Article published:

  October 5, 2010, 16:56

  By:

  Barry Ryan

  Europcar, Astana and Team Pegasus not on the list

  The UCI has published a list of twenty teams that have lodged their dossiers and sponsorship contracts with the governing body in order to apply for ProTeam licences in 2011. 24 teams had previously registered their interest in applying for ProTeam status but Europcar, Astana and the Australian Team Pegasus are not included on the UCI’s list published on Monday. The Milram teams had already disbanded and so did not follow up on its initial interest.

  Jean-René Bernaudeau received an extension while trying to secure a replacement sponsor for Bbox-Bouygues Telecom and it is understood that his Europcar squad will ride as a Pro-Continental team in 2011. It is as yet unclear as to the reasons for Astana and Team Pegasus’ absence from the list. The Australian team has yet to announce a title sponsor for 2011.

  Robbie McEwen assured Cyclingnews that the team did submit its application for a ProTour licence on time.

  “It must be a mistake because I know the team applied for a ProTour licence. Some one accompanied the whole application dossier from Brisbane to Switzerland last week,” he said.

  Ten teams are already assured of their ProTeam status for next season, while a further ten squads will compete for the remaining eight places. Provided that the UCI’s World Tour project does not draw opposition from race organisers, the 18 ProTeams will be guaranteed participation in all of the UCI World Tour events, including the three major tours.

  Teams were requested to lodge a dossier with the UCI on October 1st, incorporating sponsorship contracts, contracts with 12 riders, details of the team’s budget and a bank guarantee. New teams were also requited to submit a description of the team structure.

  Ten teams are already guaranteed ProTeam status in 2011, provided that no irregularities come to light before the end of the registration process on November 1 are: Ag2r, Katusha, Lampre ISD, Omega Pharma-Lotto, Quickstep, Rabobank, Saxo Bank, Sky, Garmin-Cervélo and RadioShack.

  Meanwhile, BMC, Cofidis, Euskaltel-Euskadi, FDJ, Geox-TMC, HTC-Highroad, Liquigas-Cannondale, Telefonica Movistar, Vacansoleil-DCM and the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project will do battle for the final eight licences, with their applications judged according to sporting, ethical, financial and administrative criteria.

  14 teams have applied for Pro Continental status: Andalucia Caja Granada, Androni Giocattoli, Caja Rural, CCC Polsat Polkowice, Colnago CSF, De Rosa-Ceramica Flaminia, Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli, Landbouwkrediet, Netapp, Saur-Sojasun, Skil-Shimano, Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator, United Healthcare presented by Maxxis and Verandas Willems.

  Europcar is understood to have lodged its dossier requesting Pro Continental status with the UCI on Tuesday.

• Spanish government hits back at McQuaid

  

  Article published:

  October 5, 2010, 20:55

  By:

  Pete Cossins

  CSD director rejects claim that doping is not being taken seriously

  One of Spain’s leading sports administrators has hit back at UCI president Pat McQuaid’s criticism of the Spanish government’s lack of action on doping, insisting that McQuaid “knows perfectly well that in Spain we’re not turning a blind eye to doping”.

  Albert Soler, director-general of sport at the CSD, Spain’s principal sporting body, said that he has spoken to the UCI boss. “I had a conversation with him during his stay in Melbourne and he told me that he hadn’t said exactly what he was reported to have said,” said Soler.

  Speaking at the Worlds in Melbourne, McQuaid was quoted as saying: “I don’t want to stigmatise Spain but what I do say is that I hope that the Spanish government, with the laws it has – which along with France and Italy, has the strictest law against doping but to my mind up until today hasn't been properly implemented, that they would take note and realise that something needs to be done.”

  McQuaid also said: “There is a problem in Spain because a high percentage of our doping cases come from there. Up to now, it doesn’t seem like there is the willingness to tackle this and it’s up to the government to do so.”

  Soler affirmed: “Our approach to this issue is categorical. If it wasn’t, the World Anti-Doping Agency wouldn’t have re-elected [Spain’s minister for sport] Jaime Lissavetzky as a member of its executive. McQuaid, who is also on the executive committee, knows that perfectly well.

  “He knows that our position is one of zero tolerance towards doping, and for that reason we don’t allow any leeway at all on this in any sport nor to any athlete.”

  Soler added that the Spanish government will not be able to take any action on the four cases of doping involving Spanish riders until the UCI has officially confirmed results of the tests being undertaken on their samples.

• Astana explains ProTeam omission

  

  Article published:

  October 5, 2010, 21:30

  By:

  Cycling News

  Bank guarantee the issue

  The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced today a list of 20 teams which successfully met the October 1 deadline for submitting an application for ProTeam status for the 2011 season. Astana, one of eight ProTour teams whose licence expires this season and is up for renewal, was one of the teams listed by the UCI in mid-August as having applied for ProTeam status, but it was not one of the 20 teams announced today by the UCI.

  The Kazakhstan-based ProTour team confirmed, however, that it submitted an application, but stated in a press release that it was "not on the list of teams selected to the ProTour only temporarily because of a too short period for submission of the bank guarantee which will be forwarded to the UCI headquarters in the coming hours".

  In order for a team's ProTeam application to be accepted, all of the following needed to be in order by the October 1 deadline: the budget, the sponsorship contracts duly signed with the main partners, the bank guarantee, and 12 contracts with riders duly signed by the two parties.

  Once the UCI receives the bank guarantee from Astana, the team's application will be examined, but in the meantime, per UCI regulations, Astana faces an automatic increase in the registration fee of CHF 1,000 per day plus any rider has the right to terminate his present contract, without notice or liability for damages, through October 31.

  Monetary problems have plagued Astana previously as the existence of the squad had been under serious threat in 2009 due to a series of late payments that season. The financial troubles led to extra demands from the UCI for the 2010 season, including a bank guarantee covering the year's budget.

• David Walsh weighs in on Contador case

  

  Article published:

  October 5, 2010, 23:30

  By:

  Daniel Benson

  Author questions Clenbuterol claims, assesses cycling's state

  David Walsh, author of From Lance to Landis and LA Confidentiel has given his reaction to the news that Alberto Contador has tested positive for Clenbuterol and may have used blood transfusions during this year Tour de France.

  While Contador had vehemently denied altering his blood Walsh has also given a brutal assessment on the sport's governing body, the fans and the bare facts that clean riders face in the modern peloton.

  Walsh, who is also the chief sports writer for the Sunday Times told Cyclingnews: "I'm not surprised by Contador. I'm always a bit surprised that they're caught but I'm never surprised that they might be doing it.

  "I thought the whole idea of a guy coming from Spain and bringing meat to the Tour de France, it just didn't convince me. Who supplied the meat? Well Contador didn't know that even though he had a month to find out. He was told about this on the 24th of August, we're now talking six weeks later.

  "Where did this beef come from? What's the name of the shop? That's important because we want to go back to the shop and ask who supplies the beef and does it have Clenbuterol in.

  "You've now got Contador and Mosquera both in trouble and you have to think that this sport is going nowhere."

  In a previous interview with Cyclingnews, Walsh raised doubts over the strength of the UCI's biological passport as a drug busting tool. The programme was introduced in order to monitor and detect unusual patterns in riders' blood, but Walsh believes that the cheats have stayed ahead of the curve, using the passport to monitor their doping.

  "I think the passport system has certainly had an effect. It's led to lower dosing and riders taking much better care of how much stuff they take at one time but it doesn't mean they're not doping. The ones that are doping have to be more vigilant using less doping products than it the past. It's a controlling operation rather than one that's completely stopped doping.

  "I don't think that the UCI set out to make it like this but I imagine they're well aware of the reality because the scientists aren't idiots. They can look at the biological markers and my feelings are that in some cases the readings are just too normal.

  "You expect them in certain bounds but not a straight line of normality and I know that that has been the case with some riders. Some of the profiles show too small a variation."

  Walsh wasn't surprised with the UCI reaction to the news that Contador tested positive for Clenbuterol either, arguing that their stance suggested that the governing body were reluctant react.

  "It's the usual UCI. They're totally uncomfortable with it and they want to believe that he didn't dope because it's damaging for the sport but that shouldn't be a factor. What they should be saying is if this guy has been cheating we really want to sanction him," Walsh said.

  What happens to Contador now is open to debate. While the rider himself has threatened to retire if a conclusion is not swiftly reached, an element of confusion reigns over the likely outcome of his case. While he could be banned for the levels of Clenbuterol found in his body, the levels of plastics possibly found within his blood could lead to a precedent as no verified test has been legalised.

  "It's almost there though," Walsh said. "And it's gone far enough so that the people conducting the disciplinary can assess the weight of evidence. So they could say we can't say it's a positive test but that there's a very high level of probability and this fits with our feeling of where the Clenbuterol may have come from."

  Walsh has commented on the biggest doping cases within the sport in the last 20 years but according to the Irishman the latest revelation is not the most damaging. He says fans of the sport have already taken their positions on doping and no matter how many riders are caught, will always hold the same beliefs.

  "The sport is already seriously damaged. Opinions are now so polarised that there are very few people who believe in this sport and who are capable of being turned off by the next big positive.

  "All those that were going to turn away have long since done so because there's just been so many doping cases in those post-Armstrong years. There was obviously loads of suspicion about Armstrong, and then there were the likes of Rasmussen and Vino.

  "People have been turning away for a long time and the people that support this sport have made a decision that they don't care how many positive tests there are they're going to continue to support this sport because they love it. Some of those people would say they hope it gets cleaner but if it's not cleaner that doesn't mean they'll turn away."

  However in the short term, regardless of Contador's guilt or innocence, the sport has taken a damaging blow.

  "Maybe Saxo Bank would look at it and walk away but someone else would take their place. Don't expect big business to take a moral stance on cycling. We all know what happened to Festina watches when it was found out that the team were systematically doping - sales jumped up.

  "To me this sport will go on, there's no doubt on that. The Tour de France is a fantastic and epic sporting event but does the sport have a good reputation? Not at all. Does people still enjoy it? Yes, of course they do. What percentage of those still supporting it believe it to be clean? I don't know but I'd imagine a small percentage.

  Walsh's sympathy lies with the sport's riders who compete and race clean.

  "It's terribly sad because there are some great riders out there that don't want to dope and who are not doping. They are getting screwed. Your heart goes out to young riders who you believe in but you also think that they face a really difficult challenge in terms of ever finding out how good they are because as they climb that ladder they will meet more people who are doping and the battle becomes an unfair one.

  "The one thing that really should bother right minding thinking people is that no one cares for honest men getting screwed. The journalists don't care, the race officials don't care, the sponsors don't care, and sadly you have to say that the public don't care. That's always been the issue for me."

• Pegasus in ProTour: Application encountered a glitch

  

  Article published:

  October 6, 2010, 00:35

  By:

  Les Clarke

  White hopes for speedy resolution to baffling situation

  Pegasus Racing CEO Chris White has explained that his team's absence on the UCI's list of 20 squads seeking a ProTour licence for 2011, announced yesterday, is due to a technical glitch of which he was only informed late last night.

  White told Cyclingnews, "I'm still in the dark about it. We submitted all details to the UCI - the requisite bank guarantees, business plans and rider roster - and I found out in the middle of the night that something had gone wrong."

  He explained that he tried to contact Ernst and Young Lausanne, which is handling the document compliance, organisation and submission in Switzerland, but its offices had closed for business by the time of his discovery that a problem existed.

  He gave assurances that a representative from the team was sent with the documentation to ensure its safe arrival ahead of the October 1 deadline, however.

  "We flew to the UCI Headquarters in Switzerland from Australia to lodge our application, confident of the integrity and robustness of our submission," White had earlier said in a press statement concerning the situation.

  "However, we were advised by the UCI yesterday that our application was non-compliant due to incomplete documentation. We immediately sought to clarify with the UCI and the process towards resolution is underway."

  White stated that the fact his team has yet to announce a headline sponsor for next year "was irrelevant" to the chances of the application being successful, citing the Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project as an example of a squad that has its financial security guaranteed despite not declaring which company will sponsor it in 2011.

  "I believe we submitted a complete and compliant application to the UCI," said White, adding that he's confident the glitch can be rectified swiftly.

  White also explained that he is still looking for four riders to fill the team's roster that includes Robbie McEwen (above right), with a 'marquee' general classification contender the main target of his search. He said that the squad's Classics stocks are strong but there's a requirement for a bigger tour rider in the ranks.

  "There are a lot of riders on the market at the moment and we're talking to some who are available and looking at the options," he said.