Radioshack out of Tour rumours

[Barrus]

What I myself think is more striking about this all, is the fragility of pro-cycling in the US. Without a big star like Armstrong it seems to be destined to fail over there. If even the tour needs to be wary of its viewership, if Lance doesn't compete, how can smaller race even hope to overcome this economic downturn?

 

[hrotha]

ASO has no love for the Shack. Remember the Vuelta invites? I'm thinking if they got some new info, maybe by applying some pressure to the right people like they did with the Puerto file in 2006, they'd learn something new that would allow them to leave RS out.

But no, I still don't believe it.

 

[Barrus]

Anyone know what Ditrich (Didi) Thurau said today? Whatever it is, it's got Kloden p1ssed off:

That it won't be a clean tour, that at least 70% of the starters will be dopers, well perhaps not at least, he says round 70%

ow yeah: source:

http://www.focus.de/sport/mehrsport/radsport-tour-de-france-ex-radprofi-thurau-zweifelt-an-sauberer-tour_aid_525144.html

 

[Anonymous]

Who is Bill Strickland anyway?

He is the Editor at large for Bicycling magazine.

 

[Cobblestones]

Anyone know what Ditrich (Didi) Thurau said today? Whatever it is, it's got Kloden p1ssed off:

From bikeworldnews:

Former professional cyclist Dietrich “Didi” Thurau has expressed doubts for a “clean” Tour de France. “Around 70 percent” of the participants of the race were doping in his time, believes the 55-year-old. Thurau, who rode in the Tour in 1977 and spent a total of 15 days in the yellow jersey and helped bring a new popularity to cycling in Germany, was himself convicted of doping.

 

[Race Radio]

Who is Bill Strickland anyway?

He wrote the Hogs book and the latest groupie book

 

[issoisso]

Anyone know what Ditrich (Didi) Thurau said today? Whatever it is, it's got Kloden p1ssed off:

Apparently Andreas "I don't know anything about the doping drugs my girlfriend ordered online" Klöden is mad at Thurau for saying this won't be a clean Tour and that the pope is catholic.

The pope could not be reached for comment.

 

[131313]

He is the Editor at large for Bicycling magazine.

Yeah, he also wrote a book about Lance's comeback. If this rumor were tweeted from someone else, I'd dismiss it out of hand. Coming from Strickland, I believe it. It's popular to hate on Bicycling, but they're conservative to a fault. I don't see him tweeting about it unless he were pretty convinced in the reliability of his sources.

Who knows, maybe they finally got around to matching the DNA in those transfusion kits...

Either way, I'll be bummed. This would allow Big Tex to spin the narrative that he was going to crush the dirty Spaniard, but he was kept out of the game by the haters. And, more than being kept from racing, the biggest indignation for Big Tex would be the result of an unleashed Contador, IMO.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

He wrote the Hogs book and the latest groupie book

Ah, thanks.

 

[offbyone]

To be completely honest, I want him to retire and leave the entire cycling world, please go into politics or whatever, I do not care, but the sooner he and certain others leave the sport the happier I will be. But to be quite honest if I see him really competing with Contador, while Bertie does not have some sort of injury, it would be freaking hilarious.

Anyway, didn't hear this rumour yet from any other source and Strickland himself seems doubtful of the reliability, so I'm guessing this is once again false alarm

I am extremely excited to watch this year's tour because of all the great competition. Look at the GC line up: AC, Shleck bros, Armstrong, Basso, Evans, Sastre, Menchov, Wiggo and lesser GC options like cunego, levi, VdV, Martin, Gesink, Rogers, Voeckler , etc.

I can't conceive how the doping drama queens still want to focus on the scandals with this kind of racing going on. Especially, when we are talking about ancient history. We can get back to that in a month, for now I just want to see some great racing.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

He is the Editor at large for Bicycling magazine.

Oh, the cycling advertisement brochure masquerading as a bike magazine?
Hmm. That makes me doubt this guy even more.

That rag utterly reeks. The only time Bicycling magazine ever came in useful was when I was out of toilet paper and happened to have a copy in the bathroom.

 

[Barrus]

I am extremely excited to watch this year's tour because of all the great competition. Look at the GC line up: AC, Shleck bros, Armstrong, Basso, Evans, Sastre, Menchov, Wiggo and lesser GC options like cunego, levi, VdV, Martin, Gesink, Rogers, Voeckler , etc.

I can't conceive how the doping drama queens still want to focus on the scandals with this kind of racing going on. Especially, when we are talking about ancient history. We can get back to that in a month, for now I just want to see some great racing.

I do agree with you there. And really it is one of the main reasons I want him out of the sport. The problem is that the media focuses too much on him and every thing he does seems to become bigger than live in the media. He is a bad influence in the sport at large and especially in the US, for if he falls, it would take the US cycling years to recover from the damage, which really would be a shame

BTW, Gesink needs to be put at the main GC contenders

 

[BroDeal]

My first question would be why?

ASO has cozied up to UCI in the recent past. And as Strickland says, they'd lose a lot of US viewers. So RS won't be the collateral damage of some different fight.

The Landis stuff has been out there for a while now and the federal investigation is moving slowly, too slow in fact to yield anything before the end of the TdF.

So, the question becomes, why? And why now suddenly?

The only thing I could see is if the disinvite comes along with new revelations. But there hasn't been anything specific above the usual noise. The much anticipated WSJ article? Not forthcoming. Riders who corroborate Landis's story? Not publicly. Any other rumors? Nope.

I can't see it.

This.

The current ASO management is more focused on money than clean racing. It would take something huge for them to force RS out at the last minute. Everything that has come out so far can easily be brushed off as the past.

 

[oldschoolnik]

He wrote the Hogs book and the latest groupie book

The new book is the king of all groupie books and contains tons of misinformation about LA including many claims that have been long proven to be untrue (at least the review copy still contained these).

That said, he is very connected inside the LA camp due to his relationship with the Hog...

I feel like it can't be possibly be true but Strickland could just call the Hog's publicist and see how they respond.

 

[Publicus]

Apparently Andreas "I don't know anything about the doping drugs my girlfriend ordered online" Klöden is mad at Thurau for saying this won't be a clean Tour and that the pope is catholic.

The pope could not be reached for comment.

Wait, the Pope is Catholic????

 

[131313]

Oh, the cycling advertisement brochure masquerading as a bike magazine?
Hmm. That makes me doubt this guy even more.

That rag utterly reeks. The only time Bicycling magazine ever came in useful was when I was out of toilet paper and happened to have a copy in the bathroom.

As I said, it's popular to hate on Bicycling...

It's an entry-level magazine for people just getting into the sport. It's not Winning Magazine. It serves it's purpose. I have an uncle who just go into cycling, and he loves it!

Regardless of how you feel about articles like "10 Must Have Items for Your Saddle Bag", I don't think their editor in chief is prone to just making up things.

 

[offbyone]

I do agree with you there. And really it is one of the main reasons I want him out of the sport. The problem is that the media focuses too much on him and every thing he does seems to become bigger than live in the media. He is a bad influence in the sport at large and especially in the US, for if he falls, it would take the US cycling years to recover from the damage, which really would be a shame

BTW, Gesink needs to be put at the main GC contenders

He will be out of the sport in due time. Even if there was no new scandals he would be out in another year tops. I agree, the amount of attention he garners is annoying. But more than likely, the shortly after he leaves the lime light of the sport another rider will step into that position. It will probably be contador, who's performances garner just as many question marks. So what is the point?

I am also bracing for the blow this will have on US cycling. Nothing good about that, period.

BTW- I would have put Gesink up there if he wasn't riding in support of Menchov. We probably say this every year, but the GC competition this year seems to be the best I can remember. The racing is going to be sensational.

 

[Wallace]

Please, please, let this rumor be true.

 

[Colm.Murphy]

Consider the source, and the lashback for him stating something this scandalous if it were not new or precursor to something probable.

I think that the ASO has "asked nicely" for RS to consider withdrawing, so they would not have to give them the rude boot.

Back to the impending WSJ article and its relation to Strickland, this tweet tells me that there are folks who know far more about what will be revealed than are willing to say, or will say things sideways.

Why has it taken so long? To see who flinches the closer it gets.

 

[Barrus]

BTW- I would have put Gesink up there if he wasn't riding in support of Menchov. We probably say this every year, but the GC competition this year seems to be the best I can remember. The racing is going to be sensational.

He won't be riding in support of Menchov, the Rabo team would be lynched by the Dutch public if they would do that, he at the very least has a free role.


On-topic though, Lance "tweeted"(god I hate that word) that he just had a doping control in Rotterdam and that it must be time for the tour

 

[oldschoolnik]

Wait, the Pope is Catholic????

He's never tested positive for Catholic, and he's the most tested pope ever so unless you have some real evidence...

 

[BroDeal]

Please, please, let this rumor be true.

My cynicism keeps me from believing this--no matter how much I would like to see it happen.

 

[issoisso]

My cynicism keeps me from believing this--no matter how much I would like to see it happen.

I absolutely do not want this to happen. I will not be deprived of seeing Armstrong fail miserably this July

 

[patricknd]

He's never tested positive for Catholic, and he's the most tested pope ever so unless you have some real evidence...

classic!!!

 

[python]

lets get a reality check.

the shack can be thrown out for one of the following reasons

(i) oclaesp finally matched the dna from 2009
(ii) 1 or more ‘big’ shack riders tested positive in pre-tour controls
(iii) jb/la pulled the plug ‘voluntarily’ for some other reason

the first is the most probable but would be politically untenable.

if the rumour is true, i suspect aso told the shack to withdraw ‘voluntarily’ because of oclaesp investigation..because they could not throw them out overtly on legal grounds.