Mauro Finetto of the CSF Group - Navigare team won the sixth stage of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey today. A fantastic win for the young Italian. A career highlight being first home in a 4-hour stage infected with side winds.
The sad thing no one will ever know. Baring his family and a few locals, the cycling world is ignorant to his victory. It just so happens that Tyler chose this particular Friday to tell the world that, once a cheat always a cheat.
The whispers have been about for six weeks about Tyler’s positive test result for steroids. Tyler, the convicted doper, returned to cycling after a two-year ban and once again swooned the hearts of the American nation. At the Tour of California there was a small kid in a US champion’s jersey with Hamilton picture across the front .He was waving a flag in awe of the great race.
It took 6 weeks for Tyler to admit his positive test;
6 weeks of his team covering up for his lack of race starts with lies of flu;
6 weeks of the US anti doping agency knowing and saying nothing.
A further 6 weeks of that kid being proud of his hero and his shirt before another heartbreak
Mauro Finetto win will be lost in the back pages of cycling magazines. Hamilton’s positive test result was exposed to the world on the inside cover of the NY Times. More damaging coverage for cycling. Yet again the image of the sport lies in ruins due to the weak, selfish, cheating of a weak, selfish rider.
Nothing will give Mauro Finetto the publicity he deserves, Nothing will convince that kid that supporting a champion cyclist is a secure move.
All convicted dopers should be not only be banned for life from competition but also banned from working within cycling and polluting yet another generation. Tyler's Olympic medal should be returned. His US champion’s jersey should be handed to Garmin-Chipotle's Blake Caldwell who finished second to Hamilton last August and he should be forgotten. No talked about, dismissed lest the damage and media coverage be redirected against our sport more.
I long for the day when cycling results are on the inside cover of the NY times, doping test results are open and efficient and that kid will want to wear his favorite shirt to bed again.
Well done Mauro
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