General News Thread

[sportzchick]

I hope Francesco de Bonis and Toni Colom enjoy their two year vacations. And victory for UCI Biological Passport.

two years is that all - im sorry thats way to lenient in my book

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Well, they've already been off the road for a year.

And 2 years is the industry standard. It may be too lenient, but it would be unfair to punish them more than anybody else when de Bonis never even failed a test (even if he was so dodgy that Gerolsteiner took him off the road!)

 

[kjetilraknerud]

Two years is the standard suspension according to the anti doping rules, but there is the option of increasing the suspension to four years in "aggravating circumstances". Di Luca, for example, recieved a three year suspension as I can recall.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

But the provisions for that hadn't been adopted at the time that de Bonis and Colóm were taken off the road, so it may not have been possible to apply that clause in their cases.

 

[kjetilraknerud]

I don't know what principles are applied in doping cases, but in general law you get punished according to the laws that were valid at the time of your violation. I assume the same principle is being applied by UCI/WADA.

And Colom tested positive in April, whilst Di Luca tested positive in May, so that may be the case. I'm not sure when the aggravating circumstances article were adopted.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

This is why Valverde can only be banned for two years, even though his circumstances are about as aggravating as you can possibly get!

 

[theswordsman]

Why do cyclists feel the need to lie about or exaggerate their training and preparation? I just read an article about Bradley Wiggins in the Daily Mail Online with the title:

I've given up drink and I'm living like a monk... all to win the Tour de France, says Bradley Wiggins

He claims to have not had a drink for eight months. I used to follow him on twitter, so I knew that sounded wrong. I paged back a bit and came up with:

Finished 4th today??? more beer and less bike riding seems to be the new recipe for success! 12:46 AM Oct 12th, 2009 via mobile web

Braveheart doo done and dusted, great dinner and a great cause. Hungover like a MOFO 5:23 AM Nov 1st, 2009 via mobile web Brad Wiggins

Free beer tonight from the best Curry house in the North West, The Elephant in Euxton, cheers boys! 10/29 Brad Wiggins

On train with @cathwiggins heading to Braveheart doo tonight, Got a bag of Stella and a bottle of red, the day starts here! 10/31

My good mate Andy Hawes and I have got the pink elephants in!!!! 11:39 AM Nov 11th, 2009 via mobile web

So what's the point? If the interviewer got it right, then Wiggins is a liar, and not just a liar, but one that lies about something that doesn't really matter. I had no problem last year reading that he was drinking in the off season, knowing that chances were he wasn't drunk driving. But if a party boy claims to be living like a monk (as Lance used to), so that good possible results at the Tour de France can be explained, my training as a pro cycling fan / former Armstrong fanboy kicks in. He's got a reputation for being who he is, so why make up nonsense?

That type of tweet hasn't appeared in 2010 as a representative of Team Sky.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1282490/Ive-given-drink-Im-living-like-monk--win-Tour-France-says-Bradley-Wiggins.html

 

[Jamsque]

The mistake you have made there is believing anything that appears in the Daily Mail.

 

[trompe le monde]

Dauphiné Libéré news is slowly going to start trickling in.

Bbox's squad for le Dauphiné is:

Pierrick Fédrigo, Pierre Rolland, Cyril Gautier, Steve Chainel, Vincent Jerome, Laurent Lefèvre, Giovanni Bernaudeau, and Nicolas Vogondy.

It will be interesting to see if a good performance by Gautier will give him a spot for Le Tour. Also will be a good measure to see where Rolland's form, he is Bbox's GC hope for Le Tour, exactly is.

 

[theswordsman]

The mistake you have made there is believing anything that appears in the Daily Mail.

How about the Times from February 6? The non-drinking monk theme comes from Wiggins.

When, on occasions, he is seen with a pint glass, he says, “people find that strange, they’re perhaps not expecting that of a finely tuned athlete”. But no, he is not drinking now because, as he says: “I live pretty much like a monk until July.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/cycling/article7017123.ece

 

[skippy]

Controversy

CONGRATS TO ALL "AUSSIES" RACING IN GIRO & T o C , YOU DID US ALL PROUD!
TO THOSE WINNING "SHIRTS", BUILD NEW WARDROBES, you are going to need them!

Vaughters has set the "ball" rolling and i expect all teams to follow with their statement!

NEW BLOG ENTRY !! READ AND COMMENT TO @skippydetour ASAP !!

 

[theswordsman]

contests

I was just doing my daily news search and found a contest that might interest some of you. One is by David Arroyo and gives you a chance to win a Giro d'Italia pink jersey and a Caisse one. It was a really special year for the Giro, and Caisse is quitting their sponsorship, so both jerseys are probable a big deal.

http://www.biciciclismo.com/cas/site/noticias-ficha.asp?id=26931

This one isn't brand new, but you can go to the IAmSpecialized website, pick either Contador or Andy Schleck, and enter to have a chance to have your name painted on their bike for one stage of the Tour de France

 

[Anonymous]

Tour of Ireland Cancelled
http://tinyurl.com/26jgfbj

Very sad.. lovely race to watch and always great tv coverage. 1.5million euro needed from a sponsor.. doesnt sound much does it :/

 

[cyclopeon]

Tour of Ireland Cancelled
http://tinyurl.com/26jgfbj

Very sad.. lovely race to watch and always great tv coverage. 1.5million euro needed from a sponsor.. doesnt sound much does it :/

Yes, always sad to see a bike race cancelled, especially the national tour of a small country.

 

[CrueTrue]

Two stories that I haven't seen on CN yet:

1. Apparently, Bjarne Riis invited Bob Stapleton to a meeting regarding a possible merger of Team Saxo Bank and HTC - Columbia. Riis has confirmed that a meeting took place, but that nothing concrete came out of it.

2. Team Sungard is now almost reality. Looking up team-sungard.com shows that the domain was registered in May by the same company which originally registered team-saxobank.com. Riis says that he hopes to be able to announce the name of the new title sponsor before the beginning of the Tour.

 

[joy118118]

Two stories that I haven't seen on CN yet:

1. Apparently, Bjarne Riis invited Bob Stapleton to a meeting regarding a possible merger of Team Saxo Bank and HTC - Columbia. Riis has confirmed that a meeting took place, but that nothing concrete came out of it.

2. Team Sungard is now almost reality. Looking up team-sungard.com shows that the domain was registered in May by the same company which originally registered team-saxobank.com. Riis says that he hopes to be able to announce the name of the new title sponsor before the beginning of the Tour.

Saxo+HTC=Sungard?



Happy to see Riis find a sponsor.

 

[Jamsque]

Surely those two rumours are contradictory? If Riis has a new sponsor why would he want to merge the team?

 

[CrueTrue]

Surely those two rumours are contradictory? If Riis has a new sponsor why would he want to merge the team?

Perhaps he wanted to merger the teams when he had trouble finding a new sponsor.

Or maybe, Sungard's sponsorship just isn't enough to run the team at its current level.

 

[Kazistuta]

Surely those two rumours are contradictory? If Riis has a new sponsor why would he want to merge the team?

Well, the merger rumour is dated back to March, so Riis probably "just" had feelers out at HTC-Columbia...If the new "story" about the web page is true....well, then it seems like great news!

But let's wait and see, rumours also said that Sunguard would be announced as new main sponsor at Tour Of California....and that didn't exactly happen..

 

[tgsgirl]

It's a very bad day for pro cyclists versus cars.
Luis Leon Sanchez got hit but walks away without any injuries of note.
Seba Rosseler got hit and has a contused shoulder and broken hand.
Marina Romoli got hit and is in serious condition.

Bad, bad day.

Just weeks after the car crash with the British girls in Belgium, Marina Romoli has had a terrible accident with a car : (

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/romoli-seriously-injured-in-training-accident

"Just days shy of her 22nd birthday, Romoli was doing an interval ahead of her two training partners near Airuno in Lecco when a driver turned in front of her. The rider from Treviso crashed into the side window and suffered deep lacerations to her face and fractured vertebrae.

Romoli was unconscious when she was transported to the hospital in Lecco, and was then airlifted to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan where she was placed in an induced coma.

Doctors performed a nine-hour long operation this morning, using some 500 stitches to rebuild her face and were confident her life was no longer in danger. They were still concerned about the injury to her spine, but will decide if further surgery is warranted in the coming days."

She has been on a very good career trajectory so far. I hope she is OK, those details are horrible and very upsetting.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

It's terrible, it really is. Safi-Pasta Zara's roster is already depleted with injuries before this. I hope she can one day return to the bike, but from the details on the team's site it sounds like the kind of crash that ends careers, if not physically then definitely psychologically.

 

[craig1985]

As much as I feel sorry for Romoli and I hope she has a speedy recovery, but was she wearing a helmet, could see ahead that the car was turning (not that it came out of a blind corner and the driver didn't look)?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

From the team's statement it appears that we can't answer question 1 (though that the lacerations were to her face itself suggests that it may not have mattered that much). Question 2, it appears that the driver didn't see the cyclists (either for not looking or for view being obscured) and came charging out of the side road.

 

[theyoungest]

Rabobank for the Tour de France:

Denis Menchov, Robert Gesink, Oscar Freire, Lars Boom, Koos Moerenhout, Laurens ten Dam, Maarten Tjallingii, Juanma Garate, Grischa Niermann.

Reserves: Pieter Weening, Bram Tankink.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I understand why clement is going, but why no posthuma?
pretty much what I expected anyway (after friere dropped out of giro, thought he might ride at the tour)...