Cycling is ‘in the toilet’ after tour doping scandal
Tour de France pre-race favourites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso were withdrawn by their teams on Friday after they were implicated in a Spanish police investigation into a blood-doping operation in Madrid. Italian Basso and 1997 Tour de France winner Ullrich of Germany were joined by Spaniard Francisco Mancebo — the trio were second, third and fourth last year — along with six other riders.
None have been proven guilty, with their withdrawal in accordance with an agreement signed by teams on January 1 last year that they would not allow a rider to compete while under investigation in any doping affair.
Although cycling has attempted to clean up its act in recent times, Pound, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, feels this latest incident is further evidence that is far from the case.
Pound said: “The image of cycling, and right now its flagship event, is in the toilet. Something has to be done about it or the risk is the sport will be ignored by some, marginalised by others, and it won’t be a sport any more”.
He added: “It appears if you want to get to the top of the sport then you have to use all these drugs.
“I think cycling in general has been pretty close to being in clinical denial about the extent of the problem. Now this has been opened up for the entire world to see. If they resolve to do something about it then they have a chance to take some steps they haven’t been able to do in the past”.
On the road, The Discovery Channel team got back to business as usual when American George Hincapie took the Tour de France’s yellow jersey after yesterday’s first road stage.
The American surprised Norway’s Thor Hushovd to grab two decisive seconds in a bonus sprint and claim the jersey that eluded him by 0.73 seconds in Saturday’s prologue.
“I was very disappointed to lose yesterday,” Hincapie said.
“Today the goal was not to go for bonus sprints but when I saw I had a chance to win a couple of seconds I just took it. It’s a big accomplishment for me.
“I turned that disappointment around to a great day.”
Following Lance Armstrong’s retirement last year after his record seventh consecutive tour victory, the Discovery Channel arrived in Strasbourg feeling diminished. But on the tour’s second day, Johan Bruyneel’s team were back in control, though they accepted it would be hard to defend Armstrong’s former lieutenant’s position.
“I would love to keep it (the yellow jersey) as long as possible. It’s up to Johan and I don’t have much time,” said Hincapie, who leads Credit Agricole’s Hushovd by two seconds.
“Sprinting against Tom Boonen, Thor Hushovd and others is not my thing.
“But with a bit of luck, I’ll be able to keep it a couple of days,” he added.
The New Yorker denied he now had become the team’s leader, saying it was too soon to single out a rider.
“I did not train for sprints but much more for time trials. So if I show the team in the time trial that I am the guy, then things will change and I will be able to count on the team,” he said.
Hincapie, who was Armstrong’s launchpad in the French mountains and was the only rider to help the Texan in all his seven tour victories, added: “People want a replacement for Lance but there is no replacement for Lance.”
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