Astana Licence to be withdrawn?

[mrhender]

Re:

Cookson needs to remove or demote one team to get his 2017 pro tour quota of 16 "Group A" pro teams. No doubt predicting what will happen with sponsors in 2016 is a risky business, but having the option to upgrade a team (vs having to downgrade a team) may help him?

I was unaware of that quota... Thanks..

In any case this seems far from over, however not especially pretty..

And what's that with Aru now.. Licence commission wouldn't play ball so Cookson gets the lab boys working on profiles.. Would be interesting to know how solid the case against him is (if there is one of course)...

 

[luckyboy]

Re: Re:

Well if Aru's bubble is burst then it surely has to be goodbye Astana and Vino.

I wonder if the UCI already knew about a problem with Aru's bio-passport before the ruling. And they thought it was better and much more solid from a legal point of view to play it this way; give a final warning and then nail Astana when one of their star riders fails (if indeed he has tripped up the passport). Would be hard for Astana to challenge that given the pretty clear final warning, certainly harder than the original case.

If they did this then it would have been quite smart tactics, which doesn't strike me as the UCI's usual modus operandi.

Yeah this is what Shane Stokes predicted. Hopefully true.

Diego Rosa has been in the 'form' of his career this spring, was waiting for him to blaze it up at the Giro

 

[RobbieCanuck]

Re: Re:

And as promised:

http://www.uci.ch/pressreleases/decision-the-licence-commission-the-astana-pro-team-case/

Decision of the Licence Commission on the Astana Pro Team case
23 April 2015

...

The full *** decision will be published in due course.

Hmmm. That closing line clinches it. Surprised they would print that, but it makes it the Best Press Release ever.

Dave.

Great catch of a faux pas. But I wonder if the press release was issued in French where retarder means to delay in English and someone forgot (or purposely forgot) to make the translation in the English press release.

 

[TourOfTexas]

Re:

Astana slapped on the wrist and sent to the back of the room, with WT licence in back pocket.

A team wide doping program, no bans and the team keeps it's licence.

What does that say to someone who wants to ride clean?

It's a big middle finger.

 

[Pricey_sky]

Re: Re:

Well if Aru's bubble is burst then it surely has to be goodbye Astana and Vino.

I wonder if the UCI already knew about a problem with Aru's bio-passport before the ruling. And they thought it was better and much more solid from a legal point of view to play it this way; give a final warning and then nail Astana when one of their star riders fails (if indeed he has tripped up the passport). Would be hard for Astana to challenge that given the pretty clear final warning, certainly harder than the original case.

If they did this then it would have been quite smart tactics, which doesn't strike me as the UCI's usual modus operandi.

Yes I though the same, however as you say it all seems a bit too clever for what we've experienced from the UCI. If this was the plan then fair play to them, they could finally have Astana hook, line and sinker.

 

[mrhender]

Re: Re:

Hmmm. That closing line clinches it. Surprised they would print that, but it makes it the Best Press Release ever.

Dave.

Great catch of a faux pas. But I wonder if the press release was issued in French where retarder means to delay in English and someone forgot (or purposely forgot) to make the translation in the English press release.

It was not a faux pas..

Just me trying to invoke some humour to what arguably has become an absurd situation....

But good reasoning anyway

 

[whittashau]

I'm not sure what is less comforting. The fact that one of cycling's supposed new hopes might/is supposedly going to get busted, or the fact that he would have been killed by Richie Porte who will be seen as a beacon for clean cycling.

 

[mrhender]

I think this is one big mess...

UCI pulling positives out of their behinds last season..

Threatening this and that and it all has come to nothing..

And now there is alledged Aru ABP issues.. Again pulled out of the UCI's behind...

All this combined with the Cookson last chance saloon for Riss/Vino.. The former dissapeared under circumstances not yet revealed...

Then the Padua investigation which we are still awaiting details about..

I don't like this.. Too much politics and horsin about behind the scenes to get rid of individuals in my opinion...

I have no doubt Astana is dirty to the core..

But why this apparent fixation on Vino/Riis.. Did the CIRC and ADD report reveal more then we will ever know?

Then again.. I cannot imagine cycling being more then a few percentages cleaner without those two..

So what is the point.. Does Cookson just try to get a prize that will secure him in his stool forever..

Or is he forced to find ways to get rid of protagonists, before the whole house comes down...?

So many scenarios and so many strange and coincidental events and timelines...

I for one hoped for change with Cookson..

But i Can't decide if he's paralized and working under pressure from people with more influence or if the task is jsut too big for him..
third option of course is that he is no better than those before him...

 

[B_Ugli]

That must of been one enormous brown envelope that exchanged hands for this to all happen.

 

[9000ft]

Re:

Astana slapped on the wrist and sent to the back of the room, with WT licence in back pocket.

A team wide doping program, no bans and the team keeps it's licence.

What does that say to someone who wants to ride clean?

That it's good for the Kazakh mafia to have your back?

 

[Irondan]

Re:

I'm not sure what is less comforting. The fact that one of cycling's supposed new hopes might/is supposedly going to get busted, or the fact that he would have been killed by Richie Porte who will be seen as a beacon for clean cycling.

Richie Porte, a beacon for clean cycling!!! Ha Ha!!
Good one!!

 

[the sceptic]

thanks uncle Cookson!

 

[Opalius]

Ugh - three Astana riders on par with Contador and Ritchie - Aru fair enough, but Cataldo and Landa are suddenly absolute beasts.

 

[motty89]

who exactly is on the licence comission, and are they in any way independent or just a UCI puppet?

 

[pastronef]

Landa like Porte on Ax 3 Domaines in 2013

 

[mrhender]

Cookson yesterday:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cookson-defends-the-ucis-handling-of-the-astana-licence-case

"I don't regret what I said because I think that had an impact on the team and they realised how serious the situation was for them," Cookson told the Telegraph newspaper in London after attending the Telegraph Business of Sport conference.

"That caused a pretty major overhaul within Astana of their processes and procedures, and an acceptance that they needed to make that radical overhaul."

Some other teams might need a major radical overhaul

 

[Fearless Greg Lemond]

"That caused a pretty major overhaul within Astana of their processes and procedures, and an acceptance that they needed to make that radical overhaul."

Thanks to Cookson we can now withness the wonder of Astana. They just needed to be more professional.

 

[the sceptic]

Re:

Ugh - three Astana riders on par with Contador and Ritchie - Aru fair enough, but Cataldo and Landa are suddenly absolute beasts.

it's pretty funny isn't it? Astana learn how to ride clean and suddenly they are much better than when they were doping!

 

[SkyTears]

lol

theres no point in saying anything

Cataldo suddenly matching Contador, i live to see that too.

lol

 

[SkyTears]

Mihai Cazacu ‏@faustocoppi60 26m26 minutes ago

Frightening speed on Campitello Matese. Landa, one minute faster than Berzin '94! : http://www.climbing-records.com/2015/05/campitello-matese-landa-faster-than.html … #giro #Giro2015

i think Astana can make a russian roullete of who is the leader, doesn't have to be Aru, they can get all top 5 spots.

 

[LaFlorecita]

So funny but I think Cookson will not have this. One of them will test positive and Astana will be out for good.

 

[No_Balls]

Re:

Would be interesting to see Landas numbers. It looked absolutely surrealistic when he jumped.

1 minute to a Berzin with Pirata and Big Mig in the chase

 

[Escarabajo]

Astana LOL. Landa better than everybody. How did the other teams missed the next Contador.

 

[Escarabajo]

Send the vapires 24/7 after that team. I am sure they will catch someone!!!!

 

[Escarabajo]

Re:

lol

theres no point in saying anything

Cataldo suddenly matching Contador, i live to see that too.

lol

That's more believable than Landa. At least Cataldo is living to the expectations to when he was a younger talent.