And Hamilton, too

Former Phonak rider Tyler Hamilton is also anxiously awaiting a verdict on his US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) arbitration hearing, which was now heard over a month ago in Denver, Colorado, between February 27 and March 2 this year.

"We hope to have a verdict fairly soon in my case," wrote Hamilton on his website, www.tylerhamilton.com. "It's an odd feeling waiting for a group of people to decide your fate. But out of respect for the process we accept that these things can take time."

Besides waiting for an outcome, Hamilton said "life has been mostly about training over the last few weeks" - although he finds it odd to be home in the States, when, for the best part of a decade, he has been previously racing in Europe at this time of year. "I've been able to get out on the bike a lot. But I have to say that I'm pretty antsy to get racing again. It is tough to be at home when some of my favorite springtime races are going on," he wrote.