Second Edition Cycling News, Wednesday, February 16, 2011

• Previous Edition
• Next Edition

Date published:

February 16, 2011, 19:00

• Pressure on Greipel to bring in first Omega Pharma-Lotto win at Tour of Algarve

  

  Article published:

  February 16, 2011, 10:41

  By:

  Cycling News

  German sprinter shut out so far this season

  The pressure is on Andre Greipel at the Tour of the Algarve to bring in the first win of the season for both himself and his new team Omega Pharma-Lotto. Jurgen Roelandts said that once the first win is achieved, things will become easier for the team.

  The Belgian team has had to wait a long time for its first wins in the last two seasons. In 2009, Cadel Evans had the first win on March 28, a stage at the Settimana Coppi e Bartali. Last year's win was even later, when Philippe Gilbert won the Amstel Gold Race on April 18.

  Omega Pharma-Lotto must have thought its luck would change when it signed sprinter Greipel for this season. The German had won eight stages at the early-season Tour Down Under in the previous three years, as well as taking the overall title twice. This year he didn't have a single win, although he finished second twice. He was also shut out at the Mallorca Challenge.

  Gilbert is also in Portugal, and will be going for those stages too difficult for the sprinter. "On paper it can't go wrong with Gilbert and Greipel on the team,” Roelandts told Het Laatste Nieuws.

  "We have to put the pressure on to win at least one stage. Once the first victory has been won, we can go."

  Greipel's presence on the team reduces the pressure on Roelandts to win. "Preparing the sprint for someone like Andre is not easy. But the stress of winning is indeed on him and not me . That's a difference. “

• McQuaid criticises Spain after Contador decision

  

  Article published:

  February 16, 2011, 11:31

  By:

  Stephen Farrand

  UCI President rules out radio rethink

  Pat McQuaid has commented on the Spanish Cycling Federation’s decision to clear Alberto Contador of doping. The UCI president, who is currently attending the Tour of Oman, criticised the intervention of Spanish politicians in the affair.

  "I can't give a personal opinion until the whole affair is finished and it's not finished yet," McQuaid told media at the Tour of Oman.

  "We got 35 pages from the Spanish Federation yesterday, which has to be translated and studied, and then we'll discuss it with WADA. We'll wait for the full documentation from the Spanish Federation and then we've got 30 days to decide whether we appeal or not. It's a UCI decision."
  
  McQuaid hopes that any appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will be made before the Tour de France in July.

  "I would hope and be fairly confident that it could all be sorted out before the Tour de France, that we can go to CAS and that CAS will understand that we need this one relatively quickly, certainly before the Tour de France," he said.

  "If within the 30 days we decide to go to CAS, we'll ask to do it before the Tour de France."

  McQuaid accepted that Contador is free to ride Tour of the Algarve that begins today in Portugal. However, he acknowledged that the uncertainty was not good for the sport.

  "That's the rules. The rules allow him to race, so he races," he said.

  "The impact is there and there is nothing I can do about it. We have to move on and continue racing. There's a calendar of races that have to be fulfilled and there are clean riders that are racing. We have to let them race and they deserve the support of everybody."
  
  McQuaid was openly critical of the pressure Spanish politicians had put on the case. Spanish prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was among those to publicly comment in Contador's favour.

  "I wasn't surprised when you see it's Spain. Nothing surprises me that comes from Spain. But it's disappointing," he said.

  "It's up to sport to police itself. I don’t think it should be interfered with by politicians who don’t know the full facts of the cases and then make statements that are purely political statements.

  “I don’t think we can blame the Spanish federation. They've done a good job. I think it [political pressure] is unwarranted and doesn’t help. It doesn’t help the image of Spain either. It showed that they're biased in supporting their own regardless of what the facts of the case might be."
  
  McQuaid also confirmed that he, former UCI president Hein Verbruggen and the UCI have sent a solicitor’s letter to Floyd Landis in response to comments the American made to German television station ARD in November.

  He denied that he was in Oman to speak to the riders about race radio, insisting that a decision has been made. He blamed the sports directors of the teams for putting pressure on their riders to protest in favour of the use of radios.

  No rethink about race radio

  McQuaid made it clear that there will be no rethink or negotiation about the use of radio earpieces in races. He dismissed the significance of the votes carried out by riders and teams in favour of using the radios, insisting there was no need for further dialogue.

  "The decision has been taken by the UCI and there's no need to talk to anybody. The decision's taken and that's that," McQuaid said defiantly.

  "I'm happy to sit down and meet with people, I'm due to meet Bugno of the CPA soon, but it's not to change a decision that has already been made."

  "The (UCI) road commission has taken a decision and that has gone to the management committee and they've decided on it. That's it. There's been enough consulting done for this decision to be taken."

  McQuaid refuted that the teams and riders had no input on the decision to ban race radios.

  "All the different groups have representation. The fact that they don’t control is what they’re complaining about. The fact that they don't get their way is what they’re complaining about," he said.

  "The only people against this are the team directors who are now motivating riders to force themselves against it. The team directors want to control the racing, completely."

  "It should be the riders who decide. They have a voice and they're heard. But there are other forces at work here. I know that phone calls have been made to Philippe Gilbert, who has openly spoken against radios and has been pressurized to change his views."

  "It's right the team directors can coach and direct as they've done for years and years, but once the riders get on the road it's up to them, up to their own intelligence and own legs to race. I don’t believe the security argument. How did the sport do for 60, 70, 80 or 100 years?”

  McQuaid hinted that the introduction of a radio ban in Continental level races will be monitored, but left little room for a possible change in the UCI's decision.

  "We'll wait and see the decision through, and we'll wait and analyse as the weeks and months progress. We can revisit it but we’ve got to see what happens. If we find we have to change things, we'll change things.

  "But people need to understand that they have to respect the rules. The rules are there for everybody. But it's neither here nor there. The decision has been taken and that's that."

  
   

• Lance Armstrong retires from cycling

  

  Article published:

  February 16, 2011, 11:43

  By:

  Barry Ryan

  American calls time on controversial career

  Lance Armstrong (RadioShack) has announced his retirement from professional cycling, calling time on a career that had become increasingly mired in controversy. The RadioShack rider had been pencilled in to take part in a number of events on the US calendar in 2011, but it now appears that January’s Santos Tour Down Under was his final competitive race.

  Armstrong revealed his decision in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday in Austin, Texas. He insisted he had no regrets about his decision to return to the sport in late 2008, in spite of his failure to win an 8th Tour de France and the allegations of doping in his former US Postal Service team that surfaced in 2010.

  “I can’t say I have any regrets. It’s been an excellent ride. I really thought I was going to win another Tour,” Armstrong told AP. “Then I lined up like everybody else and wound up third.”

  Armstrong swapped Astana for the new RadioShack team ahead of the 2010 season but he endured a torrid time last July, ultimately finishing in 23rd place.

  “I have no regrets about last year, either,” he said. “The crashes, the problems with the bike - those were things that were beyond my control.”

  Armstrong’s final months in the peloton have been dominated by allegations of systematic doping in his former US Postal team. The matter is currently being investigated by FDA special agent Jeff Novitzky and fresh allegations of impropriety surfaced in Sports Illustrated in January.

  “I can’t control what goes on in regards to the investigation,” Armstrong said. “That’s why I hire people to help me with that. I try not to let it bother me and just keep rolling right along. I know what I know. I know what I do and I know what I did. That’s not going to change.”

  Armstrong leaves the sport a controversial and divisive figure. Although his seven Tour de France victories constitute a record, his career was consistently dogged by allegations of doping. He also clashed publicly with a number of his peers, including Christophe Bassons at the 1999 Tour and Filippo Simeoni in 2004.
  
  “A lot of that has been overanalyzed and inaccurately portrayed, but it’s part and parcel of cycling. It’s how cycling operates,” Armstrong said. “There’s too much infighting, jealousy and bitterness within the sport, so everybody tries to pick apart a person or a spectacular performance. And some of it, we bring on ourselves.”
  
  While Armstrong’s legacy to cycling is set to be forever problematic, he was keen to highlight the impact his recovery from testicular cancer in 1996 and his subsequent campaigning have had on raising awareness of the disease.

  “We knew we’d be able to have some impact, but we didn’t know we’d pick up so much momentum,” he said.

  In his retirement, Armstrong seems set to focus his energies on his Livestrong foundation and he appeared to distance himself from the possibility of entering into the world of politics.
  
  “I don’t think so,” he said, when asked if he had political aspirations. “I get asked that question a lot. It’s a job. It’s probably many times a thankless job. … If I were to run for any kind of office, it’s impossible or very difficult to run right down the middle.
  
  “I would have to immediately alienate half of our constituents: ‘Wait a minute, we thought this guy was a Republican. Wait a minute, we thought he was a Democrat.’ I think the effect there would be a negative effect for the foundation. For now, absolutely not on my radar.”

   

• Mosquera's Vuelta a Espana doping case still pending

  

  Article published:

  February 16, 2011, 13:36

  By:

  Susan Westemeyer

  UCI admits problems in the ongoing investigation

  There is still no progress in the doping investigation concerning Ezequiel Mosquera (Vacansoleil-DCM), with the International Cycling Union (UCI) admitting that “problems” have arisen. The Spaniard is free to ride, but his team has not yet selected him for any races.

  Mosquera finished second overall in the Vuelta a Espana last year and won the penultimate stage atop Bola del Mundo while riding for the now-defunct Xacobeo-Galicia team. Two weeks later it was announced that he and teammate David Garcia Da Pena had both tested positive for Hydroxyethyl starch, with Garcia also positive for EPO.

  Both riders have denied using any illegal product or method.

  HES is not a performance-enhancing product in itself, but may be used as a masking agent for EPO or blood doping. Although it is on the forbidden list, a rider who tested positive for it in his A sample cannot be suspended until the confirmation of the positive by the B sample, and a disciplinary proceeding by his national federation.

  It is understood that in Mosquera's case, the B sample has not yet been tested.

  "There are some problems, that's true, but that doesn't mean the case is stopped,” UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani told Cyclingnews.

  A rider must request that the B sample be opened and checked. Carpani would not go into specifics, but indicated that that was not the problem in Mosquera's case. When asked about a hypothetical case in which a rider simply refused to apply for analysis of the B sample, and whether that rider would face no penalties, Carpani said, “Obviously not. In such a case the UCI can ask the national federation of the rider to open a disciplinary proceeding based only on the A sample result."

  Neither Mosquera nor the team would comment on the situation. Vacansoleil spokesman Frank Kwanten told Cyclingnews, “Mosquera decided to respect the UCI and the investigation and to have no reaction at all. So neither he nor the team will have anything to say on the matter.”

  Kwanten also noted that the team has not yet used the 35-year-old in any races this season, saying, “Mosquera and the team are still talking about his programme.”

  Garcia was given a two-year ban for the HES and EPO positives, and has since announced his retirement.

  Oscar Sevilla also tested positive for HES at the Vuelta a Columbia last August, where he finished second. The Spanish cycling federation has opened disciplinary proceedings against him.

• Video: Vande Velde pleased with Garmin-Cervelo's fast start

  

  Article published:

  February 16, 2011, 14:50

  By:

  Cycling News

  American rider building form in Oman

  Christian Vande Velde is among the riders fine-tuning their form at the Tour of Oman, and the Garmin-Cervélo man told Cyclingnews that he is pleased with his revamped team’s early-season success.

  The squad added a clutch of stars from the defunct Cervélo TestTeam to its ranks ahead of the 2011 campaign, including world champion Thor Hushovd and Heinrich Haussler and after racking up wins in Australia, Qatar and Mallorca, Garmin-Cervélo has been the most successful team of the season’s opening weeks.

  Vande Velde explained that the team’s early victories have reduced the pressure on the riders but simultaneously upped the ante in terms of focus and intensity. The American is himself looking forward to being towards the head of affairs later in the week, when the Tour of Oman tackles the climb of Jabal al Akhdhar on stage four and a testing time trial around Al Jissah a day later.

• Video: Reaction from Oman to Contador verdict

  

  Article published:

  February 16, 2011, 16:23

  By:

  Cycling News

  Vinokourov, Pinotti and Rodriguez offer their thoughts

  Just hours after learning that the Spanish Cycling Federation had opted not to sanction him for his positive test for Clenbuterol, Alberto Contador returned to competitive action at the Tour of the Algarve. While the Spaniard was busy preparing for the race in Portugal, some of his peers were reacting to the news at the Tour of Oman.

  Contador’s former teammate Alexandre Vinokourov welcomed the news, telling Cyclingnews that he was pleased that the prize money accrued at the 2010 Tour de France would now stay with the Astana team. Marco Pinotti (HTC-Highroad) noted that the process is a long way from reaching its conclusion.

  Meanwhile, Spaniard Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) strongly expressed his support for Contador and said that his fellow countryman was striking a blow against what he claimed to be anomalies in testing. “Let’s hope…that the war Alberto started does not finish here,” Rodriguez said.

• Bos satisfied with 24 hours in the sprinting spotlight

  

  Article published:

  February 16, 2011, 17:29

  By:

  Stephen Farrand

  Dutchman convinced he is still improving as a road sprinter

  Theo Bos lost 10:34 and the red race leader's jersey on stage two of the Tour of Oman but he was still smiling at the finish after basking in the glory of his previous day’s sprint win and 24 hours in the spotlight. 

  Bos was dropped on the steep climb during the stage and despite a huge effort by his Rabobank teammates, he never saw the front group again.

  "We expected that some sprinters would survive and get over the climb and they pushed the tempo to get rid of the other sprinters. It was just too hard for me to follow," he told Cyclingnews.

  "I had some teammates with me and we tried to come back up. We made it to the Boonen group and we got close to the first group but they were pulling really hard and it was impossible to get them back."

  Despite losing time Bos was pleased with his performance.

  "It was good to see where I stand when there's a climb like that one. It wasn't easy and I think I can be better. I gave 100% but was just not good enough," he said.

  "I'm satisfied with how things have gone for me here in Oman. I won a stage and wore the jersey for a day. I'm pleased with that and there's still Thursday’s stage which could end in a sprint and then final stage to centre of Muscat that ends with a circuit. My Tour of Oman isn’t over yet.”

  Constant improvement

  Bos is still only 27 but was a five-time track sprint world champion. He is now in his third year on the road after riding for the Rabobank Continental team in 2009 and then Cervélo Test Team in 2010.

  He was banned for a month after causing Daryl Impey to crash in the 2009 Tour of Turkey, but showed some progression in 2010 when he won four minor races. He was also in the mix in several other sprints but perhaps lacked that bit of technique, end of race speed and courage to turn placings into victories.

  This year it is easy to see that Bos has more of a road racer’s physique. He has less upper body muscle and is generally leaner. He reveals that extra strength and experience has given him a vital edge in the sprints.

  "They say that your tactics and skills are as good as your legs let you be. A lot of riders understand when it is the right moment to sprint but if you don’t have the legs to do it, you don’t get a result," he explained.

  "I think I'm stronger than last year in lots of ways and so I think I've got more room to play with and so can make better tactical decisions in sprints. I'm more comfortable in the final kilometre and so can focus on the sprinting and holding the wheel of the rider in front of me. That's a big step for me and makes a big difference."

  Bos has no regrets about abandoning a high-profile and well-paid career on the track to test his ability on the road.

  "I'm more convinced than ever that I made the right decision to switch from the track to the road," he said. "It was an instinctive decision at the time and it wasn't only about what I could achieve on the road because above all, you have to enjoy what you do.

  "I've set some goals for myself and making progression and improvement is what is important to me. I don't focus only on my results but of course winning is always better than losing."
   

• WADA to work with border-control agencies ahead of London 2012 Olympics

  

  Article published:

  February 16, 2011, 18:04

  By:

  Barry Ryan

  Non-analytical controls crucial to fight against doping

  WADA has announced that it will work closely with Interpol and border-control agencies in the lead-in to the 2012 London Olympics in order to complement its own existing anti-doping controls.

  “That is without doubt, in my view, the future of the work that we do rather than saying we must do more tests," WADA president John Fahey told the Guardian in London. "It's far less expensive than taking blood and urine and going to laboratories."

  Fahey explained that non-analytical controls may well be the future of the fight against doping. Some of the biggest doping scandals to hit cycling have came about through police involvement rather than traditional anti-doping controls.

  The Festina affair of 1998 was triggered when team soigneur Willy Voet was apprehended crossing the Franco-Belgian border, while 13 riders were prevented from starting the 2006 Tour de France when they were implicated in the Operacion Puerto investigation, centred on the activities of Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes.

  A federal investigation into allegations of systematic doping at the US Postal Service team is currently ongoing in the United States.

  In Fahey’s home country of Australia, police assisted in the conviction of eight athletes for the possession of human growth hormone.

  "They are now able to say that 14% of their positive outcomes are non-analytical," he said. "They don't have to test them, it's an offence to be in possession of those substances: game, set and match."

  WADA director general David Howman echoed Fahey’s view, and pointed out that traditional testing alone was not sufficient to combat doping.

  "Look at the number of growth-hormone cases there has been through testing – very few," he said.

  As the trafficking of doping products is a criminal offence, Howman believes that it is logical that law-enforcement agencies become more closely involved in the fight against doping.

  "This is huge business for the criminal underworld, huge business,” he said. “They make more money in pushing steroids than they do in pushing other stuff. The same people are involved in illegal betting and corruption and bribery. We've got a lot of information in that regard.”

  UK Anti-Doping chief executive Andy Parkinson said that the notion that simply increasing the number of tests would lead to a more effective anti-doping programme was outdated, and he welcomed the increase in cooperation with the UK Border Agency ahead of the Olympics.

  "We're already working with the UK Border Agency and we expect to be having a formal agreement signed imminently,” Parkinson said. “We're working closely with our European colleagues, particularly starting to build up profiles before the 2012 Games because we recognise that there is a potential threat that could come through multiple routes into the UK."