Incredulous revelations

Today the cycling world woke up to incredulous revelations. First, UCI will take Alberto Contador to TAS, the Sports Tribunal so they can get him suspended. "The credibility of the sport is at stake", says UCI president, Pat McQuaid. Tell that to Barry Bonds, whose perjury trial is currently underway in San Francisco. It must UCI the wrong way that Contador is not only back on the bike, but he is winning too.

The Belgians meanwhile, had to hear the organizers of Gent-Wevelgem complain that Tom Boonen is riding for points, not for the win in Sunday's race. Points Quick-Step needs to put their car in the pole position or at least a bit nearer to that position for the Ronde.

Boonen had originally said he would not ride Gent-Wevelgem because he did not like the race and in any case, he liked the E3 Prijs better. You may remember that the E3 Prijs put Boonen and Cancellara on their new poster after the bankers at KBC forced them to ditch Gaelle.

Later Tommeke said would ride both races, but then last night, Quick-Step pulled him out of the E3 Prijs so he could concentrate on getting the much needed points.

And Competitor magazine revealed that Lance Armstrong has retained none other than running legend Alberto Salazar as his coach to prepare for a comeback in the sport of triathlon. That despite very recent public denials.

There is however, some good news. Nick Nuyens won Dwars door Vlaanderen, giving the Belgian public a much needed victory in the Spring races. Something to sustain us in these troubled times.

Into thin air

The Volta ao Algarve aka the Tour of Algarve went to the mountains today and Alberto Contador showed his face. The Spaniard, who won the two previous editions, ended up in third for the stage and moved into second overall.  Stephen Cummings of Team Sky is in the lead. Americans may note that young Tejay van Garderen ended up in second place and is now fourth in the overall classification.

Meanwhile the drama engulfing the Arab countries continues unabated. Robert Gesink took today's stage and the overall jersey in the Tour of Oman. It is the third Rabobank victory in that race. Quickstep had to settle for third in Dries Devenyns, who thanked Tom Boonen for all his help. LAy-o-par Trek won the team classification.

The LAY-o-par Trek logo

Former Oman champ Fabian Cancellara, of the Trek LAY-o-par team, who is turning 30 this year, told La Gazzetta dello Sport he dreams of only four things. Two are classics, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Giro di Lombardia, while the other two are wearing pink in the Giro and setting a new world hour record.

Cancellara getting ready.

The miserable weather that brought an untimely end to our subtropical early year continues unabated. The storms are now engulfing all of the West or left coast, from Seattle down to Los Angeles and there is no end in sight. Whether this is due to the omnipotent weather gods, or as some crazy scientists maintain, greenhouse gases and human activity, it is for sure that this time around, the weather is lashing out at those who produce the most hot gases.

Sunday marks the official end to the cross season with the GvA cup race in Oostmalle. The world cup ended on January 23, while the Superprestige series had its final race on February 12. In what seems like ultimate fairness, the three top riders each won one trophy of note.

Niels Albert won the world cup, Sven Nys the Superprestige and Zdenek Stybar the world championship race. Nys leads the UCI points and if all goes well he will take the GvA cup too.

Famous Belgian cartoon character suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome

And in the latest health care news, it appears that exercise and psychotherapy is best for what became known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a controversial affliction that started in the mid-1980's at an upscale Nevada Resort Town. In other words, if you constantly feel tired, it is best to have someone whip your butt and get you exercising. The wonders of modern medicine!

Thunder and hail

Well, it is obvious that Pat McQuaid is not the only one who's upset with the Spanish Federation. No sooner had Alberto Contador set out in the Tour of Algarve or all hell broke loose in Northern California. A surprise hailstorm lashed the blossoming cherry and plum trees and covered the earth with ice for a brief moment. Clearly the weather gods are angry about what is happening to the purity of the sport and to show it they covered the earth with a dusting of pure white.

Hail, I'm sure the plum tree is not happy.

But like McQuaid, who said he may not appeal the Spanish verdict, the gods are confused and soon enough the sun broke through and added luster to the white landscape. The battle between storm clouds and sun is ongoing at this time, and I hope it gets resolved sooner than your average doping case.

Then the sun came out

One thing, McQuaid is not confused about is headphones. Despite protests he is insistent, headphones are out. He said as much in Oman earlier today. Following in the footsteps of the local leaders, McQuaid said, "The riders deserve a voice and we have heard that voice. We made a decision and we will execute that decision." Whether McQuaid will be more successful than said leaders in calming the popular revolt remains to be seen.

We do know that the riders and their teams are sensitive to the large amounts of cash being dispensed in the Gulf so they have agreed not to wreck the party and disappoint the non-existent supporters. But it is anyone's guess what could happen when they return to supporter-rich, but financially-strapped Europe later in the year.

The social media (read facebook and twitter) reactions to the Contador story have been varied. Most people, especially those who earlier expressed their disdain for the Spaniard, kept quiet. Others are furious that a doper is getting away with murder -figuratively that is, only football players get away with real murder in this country. 

But there were some voices of moderation. Some pointed out that cheating is human nature and that it happens in all sports. They stated that most people cheat when given the opportunity, and that Alberto very likely did not cheat any more than the others around him. Some compared doping in riders to tax evasion and politicians, or speeding in California (or red light running in New York). One guy pointed out that removing Alberto from competition would diminish the value of other people's victories in races such as the Tour.

Iljo Keisse said, "I wish Contador much success." Lance on the other hand just stated he was innocent of doping and that he once again decided to leave the cycling world, although he added, "Never say never," and then later "No, no, it is just a joke."

One thing is for sure. The system is badly broken and in need of overhaul. I think UCI should move away from forbidden substances altogether. The approach smacks of magical thinking. It invites workarounds and does not provide the right incentives.

But if they do insist on keeping a list they should at the very least establish a minimum value for each substance. We live in an era of science, not magic. Pharmaceuticals only work if given in adequate doses. It makes no sense to suspend people for ineffective or homeopathic doses, especially when a substance is a known food contaminant.

In the meantime I am happy to see that non other than Philippe Gilbert won the first stage of the Tour of Algarve. That is to say, he won for now. Because we really have to wait for the lab results to see if his victory will stand. As this could take a few years, let's just cherish the moment and call him the winner for now.

And finally, the results of yesterday's 20 minute power test. 325W for 20 minutes, body weight 77 kg, for a value of 4.2 W/kg.

4.2 W/kg, it's in the Cat 2 range

The sky's the limit

When it comes to dining, you can count on the Belgians to come up with creative solutions. One such solution, now in 32 countries including Las Vegas, is Dinner in the Sky. This is to be taken quite literally as you and your companions, together with a handful of waiters, go up some 50 m (165 ft) in the air to take in the views while eating. Although you are wearing a four point seatbelt -and going to the bathroom is out- you are reminded not to drop your fork or any other item that is particularly dear to you.

There they are suspended by a crane

Don't drop your fork, or your cellphone...

The Dining in the Sky business has since expanded its reach not just to other countries, but also to other events such as meeting in the sky, showbizz (sic) in the sky and of course marriage in the sky. I do note that mafioso events such as firing co-workers in the sky are out- at least as far as I can tell.

Firing in the sky (Scarface)

Speaking of executions, the Spanish Federation is letting Alberto walk. This move is sure to evoke wide-spread condemnations and appeals to the purity of the sport, and a setback in the fight against doping. Expect the UCI and WADA to appeal or to ignore the Spanish or if all else fails, to enforce a ban against him outside Spain. Regardless of what these organizations do, the organizers of the Tour will want to add their 2 cents too. Expect a ban to compete here. It will be Alberto's second ban after ASO snubbed Astana (with Contador) earlier on.

I can't believe it. This can't be happening!

The Contador saga is is a repeat -with two subtle twists- of the Iljo Keisse story that I covered earlier on. The twists being that Keisse was only temporarily rescued and he was rescued by a Belgian court whereas Alberto is declared innocent and that was done by the Spanish Cycling Federation.

Sporza immediately commented that Alberto's guilt remains unproven but so does his innocence. In many ways the verdict is not unexpected and we will probably see many repeats of such scenarios in the future. Now that we have a precedent, expect future accused and their lawyers to respond.

Regardless of how one feels about Alberto and doping, the right course of action is simple: if one cannot prove guilt, the suspect has to walk. Remember OJ? Deviating from this course will only cause more trouble for the sport and the sporting federations. Our entire legal system is based on people presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Although UCI and WADA have the freedom to set rules, they also need to show common sense. Clenbuterol is a known food contaminant. Maybe the doses were off, or maybe its presence here was indicative of a transfusion or other misdeed, but unless they can prove it, they need to stay silent. They also need to show flexibility with respect to "any level." This is simply not good science.

Proclaiming that riders are responsible for what goes into their bodies is no longer feasible in 2011, where extensively prepared food is the rule. Nobody knows what they put into their system and those who claim they do are just plain ignorant. All you need to do is look at the volume of recalls FDA handles. Furthermore you can rest assured that this is just the tip of the iceberg. FDA simply does not have the personnel to investigate all claims of contamination. Innocent people go to McDonalds and Burger King and end up dying of E.Coli. Do we blame them for what they put into their system?

Meanwhile the cycling world is turning its eyes to the Middle East, where more upsets are expected. Just today a Dutch rider, Theo Bos, bested Mark the missile man Cavendish in the first stage of the Tour of Oman. Long term ruler Tom Boonen was unable to sprint. Although he was in an ideal position, half a kilometer out, that changed as the final dash started. Tom also blamed his hip after a crash in Qatar.

Hallmark Holiday

Today marks the day known as Saint Valentine's day or Valentine's Day for short. Just exactly which Valentine is Saint-Valentine is a matter of debate, because apparently there were many Valentines in the early days of Christendom.  Be that as it may, the well-known and respected Pope Gelasius who reigned as recently as 496 established the holiday, but then a more recent, lesser-known grinch Pope, Paul IV deleted it in the olden days of 1969.

Fortunately for all involved, the Hallmark Card company thought a holiday between Christmas/New Year's and Easter would be good for sales, so they revived the good saint(s) day and with it a $16 billion business of cards, flowers, and chocolates that is sure to help revive the US economy.

Speaking of chocolates, I recently discovered another Belgian treasure, known as NewTree. The company makes excellent chocolate with exotic flavors, and although I do not like their health-food slant advertising, I can vouch for the taste and that is ultimately what matters. But let's go back to Valentine for a moment.

The pre-printed (Hallmark) cards replace the handwritten notes -nobody knows how to write anymore- or Valentines that were commonly used in the Middle Ages. These cards invariably depict a symbol, known as a heart-shaped outline. The heart-shape of course does not look like a real heart and is only called heart-shaped to conceal its true -and very obvious- X rated meaning.

What shape is this really?

Hint: for those of you who are a little slow on the uptake it sometimes helps to turn things upside down. 

Or you could just invert the following sequence. Falling in love as we all know has been attributed to little creatures shooting arrows through the heart. I won't go into any more detail because that is obviously not safe for work either, but let's just say that real arrows through real hearts are rather deadly, so we have to assume that the arrows and hearts in question really refer to other parts of the human anatomy. If you are still in the dark now, better leave it as is.

Speaking of little creatures, this weekend saw another upset of epic proportions. Just ask any Justin Bieber fan. The insult bestowed upon these good people is worse than deleting Saint Valentine's day from the calendar. The shocking news overshadowed the outrage expressed at Riccardo Ricco's vile deed. Or indeed the opinion of the highest Spanish magistrate that Alberto Contador is innocent and should walk free.

Injustices like these evoke cosmic wrath and it is therefore not surprising that cold storms and wintery weather have returned to lash the Bay Area. The upcoming week-long mayhem is sure to throw a monkey wrench into the carefully designed training plans of many a Bay Area cyclist or triathlete.

It has certainly made me think twice about the upcoming Pony Express ultra endurance run. Ever since inclement weather ditched my first ultra running event , I have been looking for a suitable alternative. It now appears weather is once again attempting to dissuade me. This time around I am more likely to wimp out since I am ill prepared for this type of adventure. With all the great weather in January and early February I have been riding a lot more than I usually do this time of year. More riding also equals less running.

Speaking of riding, the Parlee Z4 is back. The good people at Parlee fixed the bike that Alistair crashed last Thanksgiving. The top tube has been repaired so well it looks like new. The bike has been rebuilt with SRAM force and a black Thomson seat post to replace the aluminum-colored one that was there before. Overall, the esthetics has improved a lot and the bike looks truly gorgeous. It was topped off with a two-color red-white handlebar tape that is sure to impress even the most cynical bicycle blogger.

We also decided to keep the Moots that AC built. Here is a picture of Alistair riding it in Marin. That picture also appeared on the Moots blog under the heading California Dreamin'. (That all happened before the weather turned nasty on us.)

Alistair on the Moots, climbing the Marshall wall

This week also marks the start of the Tour of Oman. The event is sure to turn the attention of the world back to the Arab nations, that are still reeling from the recent upset brought about by Mark Renshaw's shocking victory.

In re Contador

Yesterday the Spanish Federation announced its verdict in re Contador. Rather than provide closure the decision has already whipped up a storm of controversy in the community. So before I get into the heated discussions let me point you to a soothing Belgian treat that has no equal. Belgian Chocolate from Cachet. Take two squares of one of these and allow 20 minutes before reading on.

Cachet: excellent chocolate and exotic flavors

Yesterday I discovered an image that may shed light on the current status of professional cycling. This statue, appropriately displayed in front of the Kafka museum in Prague, summarizes the Kafka-esque nature of professional cycling. In it we see two figures, which we can think of as representing Schleck and Contador, performing the deciding act of cycle racing as we know it today.

The final sprint

I also want to show another image that represents the stance of many officials when it comes to dopers. These righteous individuals feel that we need to do everything in our power to save the poor cyclist's soul. Their mortal cycling bodies are corrupt and soaked in pharmaceuticals so forget about those and focus on what is truly important and pure. Not surprisingly this form of rescue originated in the Spanish enclave of Toledo.

Saving the soul

The Spanish Federation however, broke with history and tradition in more ways than one, and announced a novel, and some say too lenient sentence. That sentence is likely going to be appealed -possibly by both sides- so stay tuned. But for now it characterizes the ambivalent feeling that many have towards the discovery of minuscule amounts of a drug that is often found as contaminant in food. The Spanish Federation also announced it was suspending another, lesser known Spanish rider to a two year stint. This coincidentally simultaneous act underscores that they are serious and that -despite what some think- they take the Contador issue seriously.

In contrast to Spain's ambivalence, WADA's stance is that any amount of drug is doping. This stance, which in many ways predates the advent of modern pharmacology, where dose was found to be an important attribute for drugs, leaves no room for reasoning. It is clear and pure. Contador is guilty so he should burn.

Belgian cycling star Johan Museeuw, himself the recipient of a two year ban, feels that Contador should either get two years or nothing.  

Famed Belgian sports journalist Hans Vandeweghe disagrees. He thinks doping should not be treated differently from any other offense, thereby displaying some basic understanding of modern legislative thinking and at the same time proving that McQuaid was right when he said lawyers are sinking the sport. Further evidence of distorted thinking includes the statement Vandeweghe made, where he said he thinks Keisse should be free also.

But it is the following twisted statement that will be remembered for sure. Vandeweghe said: for example, if this were handled in a court of law, Lance Armstrong -you probably know that any mention of cycling needs to bring in Lance- would be found guilty on plenty of circumstantial and witness evidence, whereas Contador, based on weak and unconvincing evidence would walk. 

Those are fighting words, especially in the land of OJ Simpson and Barry Bonds and so it is no wonder that some American cyclists think that Belgium is just a wretched, country sized landfill. And if it weren't for cycling, it should just be burned to save everyone's soul. Bye chocolate and beer!

Belgium, as seen from Idaho

Either way, it now appears Shleck will join none other than Spanish star Oscar Pereiro in bringing home the victory in the lab. No word yet on whether the LAY-opar rider will dump his bike and pick up soccer. Presumably not before he takes the Tour de France victory that was just handed to him (and I am not talking 2010).

Contador on the other hand will join the ranks of defrocked winners such as evil Floyd and his current team boss Bjarne Riis.

Added later:
Contador will appeal the verdict. This was fully expected and I want to add that many in the sports community, including journalist Vandeweghe mentioned above believe that if Contador does not appeal, it means he has something to hide. 

Revelations

The cycling world woke up to two revelations today. The first, in re Contador, as the lawyers (who are out to destroy cycling) would say, is the report that a decision will be announced within 10 days. I say announced because, going by the earlier LAY-o-par Schleck report, it appears to have already been made. Watching these doping cases unfold is about as exciting and predictable as following a Chinese court case.

The new frontier

The second revelation is that Sports Illustrated, no doubt one of the best selling sports magazines out there, but one that does not cover real sports such as soccer or cycling, is printing a whole bunch of new allegations in re Armstrong. That case, as some of you may know is winding its way through the courts. It is something most people would rather forget about. Fortunately for them, it is also unlikely to go anywhere.

I have to say though that seeing these former friends and team mates so intimately united in separate newscasts that nonetheless deal with the same issue, it feels like the good old days.

Buddies in arms

And speaking of phony wars, yesterday Robert Sargent Shriver, founder of the Peace Corps, and father of the former California First Lady, died at 95. Mr Shriver was spearheading the war on poverty, an endeavor launched in the 60's that is about as successful as the war on drugs. Or the war on cancer for that matter. To say nothing about the war on terror.

I have no doubt that Mr. Shriver was well-meaning and honorable man who deserves every accolade he is given, but how he let himself be talked into a phony war is beyond me. But then again, according to some bankers at least, the poor are really better off today. There may be more of them now, but they all have a house, an SUV and a flat screen TV, so why worry?

Today is also the day the House will vote to repeal the HealthCare Reform law of 2010. Since that law has only been partly implemented and only for a few months -the main parts of it won't take effect until 2014- we are witnessing a historic event. Let nobody accuse Washington of being out of touch with the people. These law makers are on the ball, always ready to repeal things that don't work before it is too late.

Only one covered track in Flanders

Belgian riders meanwhile learned that there won't be second covered velodrome in Flanders any time soon. That is what the sports minister Phillippe Muyters said yesterday. There are currently seven open air velodromes and one covered track (Wielercentrum Eddy Merckx in Ghent) in an area half the size of Maryland. This obvious shortage has many people up in arms and calling for action. Het Wielercentrum  is now forced to limit the number of riders on the track to about 100 at any given time. That is about the entire northern California track population!

The Sunweb manager is clearly upset with van Kasteren's revelations

The cyclocross world is also reeling. This after Hans van Kasteren, leader of team Telenet-Fidea made some snide comments about Kevin Pauwels. That did not sit well with Jurgen Mettepenningen, manager of Sunweb-Revor and future boss of Pauwels. Next season Pauwels will transfer to Sunweb. Jurgen feels that Hans may be "a liar and a dishonest person," but "he should not trash the character of a rider in the press." There have to be limits somewhere.

It ain't over yet

This just in: At 11 AM PST Sporza reported that Keisse won't be allowed to start in Rotterdam after all.

Tomorrow evening is the start of a track event known as the Zesdaagse van Rotterdam. The organizers of the event invited Iljo Keisse, who would team up with Kenny De Ketele. Keisse who has been embroiled in a long fight with UCI and WADA regarding a doping charge that started in 2008 was recently allowed to race by the Belgian High Court. He promptly went on to win on his home turf in Gent.

The final sprint to find the real winner

Later he raced in Zuerich, Switzerland, the official base of UCI. But when he tried to start in Manchester England a few weeks later, he was denied and UCI issued a statement that said the Belgian court decision applied to Belgium only. Nevertheless that did not stop the Dutch organizers from inviting Keisse for Rotterdam.

Now, two days before the start of the event, UCI has sent a letter to Frank Boelé, urging him not to let Keisse in. According to the Belgian paper, Het Nieuwsblad, the letter does not explicitly forbid Keisse from starting, nor does it give a reason as to why he should not be allowed to take part. That has left Boelé in a bind. Rotterdam has a contract with Keisse and the organizers are not willing to break it without an explicit stop order from UCI. Once again the Keisse case is making headlines.

Former Belgian track star Patrick Sercu, who is responsible for selecting the teams in Rotterdam called it "an especially sad affair." He could not have picked better words in my opinion. The press recently called it the new vaudeville.

Patrick Sercu in the glory days

Sercu is also involved in the organization for the Bremen event that is coming up soon. He was quoted as saying,"We have not heard anything from UCI yet. It will come, I fear. I no longer understand it. Thursday we start and I am still unsure who will ride with De Ketele. It is ludicrous."

Clearly neither UCI nor WADA appears to be very concerned about what the military euphemistically calls "collateral damage." Much like Donald Rumsfeld they understand that "war is messy."

In other news, Spanish superstar Oscar Pereiro, who won the Tour de France, after Floyd Landis was defrocked, was just yesterday cleared of his own doping allegations. An Italian newspaper, no doubt upset that no Italian was available to take the Landis slot, had linked Pereiro to Operacion Puerto. They had even identified his codename. It does not get any better than this.

Rummy explaining the inexplicable

When it comes to doping, perhaps no other statement so beautifully captures what the dope hunters are trying to achieve as this Rummy quote regarding weapons of mass destruction.

He said, "There is another way to phrase that and that is that the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. It is basically saying the same thing in a different way. Simply because you do not have evidence that something does exist does not mean that you have evidence that it doesn't exist."

Oscar, who has since left cycling and is now a pro soccer player, found the whole affair rather silly and said with respect to his code name, "what a disappointment!"

And in other news, the Spanish Federation probably won't make a decision in the Contador affair until mid-February.  You may know that manager Riis selected Contador for the Tour of Murcia in March. No doubt the Spanish Federation, taking a clue from UCI,  wants to keep the suspense going until the last possible moment.

Meanwhile, as NPR reported a month or so ago, the new US drug Czar has quietly given up on "the war on drugs." "We no longer use the phrase," he said in a statement that is reminiscent of companies making deals with prosecutors without admitting any wrongdoing.

Wiggins wigs us out

A short interview with Bradley Wiggins regarding the US track team has the US cycling community up in arms. It is of course not the first time that the Brit or his companions have taken swipes at US cycling. Jonathan Vaughters recently ridiculed Armstrong's 2009 Tour de France performance. But the latter went largely unnoticed due to the outrage Americans felt at Contador's behavior. Hence the joy many felt when Contador was caught doping. It only reinforced what they already knew: that Contador was a bad apple who stole Lance's eight Tour. 

USA cycling representatives quickly pointed out their world record performances in women's cycling, and took offense at the notion of Taylor Phinney being labeled "pretty good." Never mind that "pretty good" in British English is roughly equivalent to "awesomely spectacular" in American English. For once, even those who know better choose to ignore their cultural awareness and take "pretty good" at face (that is American) value. Over here "pretty good" means "awfully bad."

In any case, let me just play the devil's advocate and be very blunt. Wiggins is not the only one who thinks American cycling is only so-so. It is an opinion that most European cycling fans share, but won't admit too. To say Europeans treat Americans in a circumspect way is an understatement. Ever since WWII, people in Western Europe do not want to say bad things about America or Americans.

Even when Europeans question the sanity of America, as they did with Reagan and his missiles, the charade known as the Monica Lewinsky affair, and the bible-toting, tough talking Bush Jr. and his Iraq debacle, Europeans are loath to criticize the new world.

It is perhaps fair to say that Europeans and the Brits still feel a certain kinship with their former expatriate and colonial brethren. In any case those left behind feel it more apparently than those who left the continent, or whose forefathers left the continent. They can't seem to ever get enough of showing old Europe how smart their decision to leave really was.

Another factor one should not underestimate is financial incentives. Europeans would love it if American cycling became successful. Not only would it greatly expand size of the market for cycling related items, it would add a rich market composed of big spenders. One thing Europeans particularly like about Americans is that Americans have money - and unlike some other rich countries- Americans love spending. That is why everyone is European cycling is prepared to give America a lot of leeway.

Cheating?

A few years ago there was a big uproar because studies had found that users of crack-cocaine faced much stiffer penalties than users of powder cocaine. The discrepancy was large and difficult to explain. It made little sense that one form of the drug resulted in life sentences, while another form most often led to probation or suspended sentencing. It made little sense until you looked at who used what. Then the reasons became very obvious indeed.

We should always wonder when large discrepancies exist that appear to make little or no sense. This is a sure indicator of ulterior motives. Motives that some would rather not reveal.

Take the following example. Drafting when riding a bike can conserve up to 25% of the energy that is normally required to propel a bicycle. The faster you ride the more you save. If you draft in an event where drafting is not allowed you are cheating in a serious way. You are gaining an unfair advantage that is real and immediate. There is no doubt about this whatsoever. You are cheating, big time!!

It is possible that you may gain some undefined advantage from taking a certain chemical. Much depends on the timing, the dose, what you ate with it, your metabolism and a host of other factors. For most chemicals the benefit is unproven and it is hard to estimate how much of an advantage, if any, you gain from taking a particular drug.

It is assumed that you could gain an advantage from certain types of drugs like beta2 adrenergics, and it may even seem logical that you would do so based on what is known about the mechanism of action of the drug. However, as any chemist or drug developer knows, lots of compounds look like they should provide a benefit under certain conditions based on their mechanism of action or what we know about the compound, but the overwhelming majority don't. Despite all the hoopla about toxicity, most compounds fail for lack of efficacy. And these are all compounds that should work based on numerous assays, animal studies, known mechanism of action, etc. etc.

Now ask yourself what is the penalty for cheating under these circumstances?

When you draft in an ironman triathlon, even in a key race such as the Hawaii or Clearwater world championships, you get a 2 minute penalty in that race. That is if you get caught.  Then you have to sit for 2 minutes in a tent and then you can continue. Many athletes have received this punishment and gone on to win the race. Many have been filmed drafting as the above clip explains with no punishment whatsoever.

Not only is the punishment aspect of a 2 minute stop dubious -some benefitted from taking a break-there are no repercussions beyond that. Neither do we have any if it was shown later on that you cheated! Nobody will come back three years later and strip you of your title.

Nobody will label you a cheater or thinks worse of you because of it.

But if you were to race the same race, and have a few picograms of clenbuterol in your blood, what would your punishment be? Never mind that a few picograms could not possibly do anything either beneficial or not. Yet we all know the outcome. We all know what awaits Alberto Contador.

You will be labeled a doper, you will be ostracized by the community, you will be suspended for two years depriving you of income, you will be harassed, and you will lose the support of your team. You may even face criminal penalties.

Does that seem appropriate to you? Do you smell something fishy?

A sorry state of affairs

Yesterday, UCI asked the Spanish Federation to start disciplinary action against Alberto Contador. That almost certainly means that Contador will lose his 2010 Tour de France title. Sporza went to Aruba to find Andy Schleck and hear his reaction. Schleck neatly hit the nail on the head when he responded to the suggestion that this event increases his chances of winning the 2010 Tour de France. He said: " I don't want that chance. For me, I lost the Tour on the road."


And that is ultimately what it is all about. Are we going to have winners decided on the road, during the race or are we going to hand that over to the guys in the lab who do the testing? It seems that the latter is the wave of the future. On Wednesday, Nov 3, infamous bike blogger BikesnobNYC summarized it this way: "Basically, pro cycling has evolved into a game of waiting for blood test results, and at this point you'd probably get more sporting enjoyment out of hanging around your local Quest Diagnostics lab and gambling on what kind of diseases people have."


No matter how you feel about doping or cheating -and the truth is most fans don't care unless someone beats their favorite rider, in which case the offender "must have cheated."- this is not good for the sport of cycling. Somewhat coincidentally the two recent high profile events have involved riders most American fans love to hate. Floyd Landis fell out of favor for attacking America's all time icon Lance Armstrong, while Contador is despised by many for supposedly taking away Lance's eight Tour de France victory. 


In another damaging but less high profile example, USA cycling recently awarded National titles for 2007. Once the again the reason was a disqualification of a rider for doping offenses. Awarding a title 3 years after the event, or knowing that your title may be taken away from you in the coming decade, clearly means something is not working. Many serious crimes have a statute of limitations. Apparently not so for the drug offenders. 


It is also interesting to note as an aside that the majority of the American prison population consists of minor drug offenders and that much of the prison burden and cost could be alleviated by ignoring minor drug offenses.


Now WADA wants UCI to do night time testing. Here is a case where the measurement itself can influence the results. The riders who are tested at night will pay a price in terms of sleep and recovery. Waking someone in the middle of the night will affect their rest and recovery.


Ironically enough a key driver behind the whole doping hoopla is sponsors. While the fans may not care, the sponsors and their marketing departments clearly do. They do not want to be associated with something that is perceived negatively. I should point out however that perceptions are susceptible to fashion and things that were once acceptable or even encouraged are now seen as cheating. Anquetil, the first five-time Tour de France winner and one who wore the jersey from day one to the finish, had no qualms about publicly admitting to doping.


While the IOC may invoke the "Olympic spirit of fair competition," the Ancient Greeks, inventors of all things Olympic, were ardent believers in special potions and no Greek competitor would have thought of entering the games without some pharmaceutical aid. To counter these facts, the argument is often made that this is immaterial because ancient concoctions did not work, but modern doping does. Laurent Fignon used the same argument recently to justify doping use in the 1980's and 90's.

From a purely pharmaceutical perspective neither argument holds. First, the ancients did discover potent pharmaceuticals and many drugs on the market today are based on such discoveries. Furthermore, there is little scientific evidence that doping works as intended and the issue has not been sufficiently studied. While it is true that steroids, EPO and rHGH have strong physiological effects, it is unclear how much of that translates to victories in competition and victories are what matter here. To give another example, many cancer drugs kill tumor cells, but very few have a life-expectancy benefit- the true measure of success.

Enhances Fitness!

Even more ironic is the fact that most sporting companies that sponsor competitions do claim an unfair advantage from using their products. In essence they are claiming that their products work like doping, i.e. that they will make you stronger, faster, more fatigue resistant, let you recover better, and what have you. If any of these claims really held water, their products would quickly end up on the list of banned products.


I suspect it is the withdrawal of sponsorship that really frightens UCI. Unlike other sports that are held in stadiums with spectators paying for seating, cycling is almost totally dependent on sponsorship and TV. That is one reason why doping is much less of an issue in baseball, football or hockey. The owners of stadiums know the fans care very little and they will keep coming no matter what. Tour de France organizers are much more worried about the media. When German TV stations threatened to pull the plug a couple of years ago because "they were not interested in seeing trials of pharmaceutical products," the Amaury Sports Organization quickly responded.




However the reasoning goes, one thing is for sure. Cycling is in a very sorry state of affairs. Someone better fix this sooner than later. Unfortunately I suspect this is one of those areas where technology will not provide a good solution. Let's hope we find out about that before it does irreparable damage to the sport.

Lake Placid

The ironman is coming up. Fundraising is not as easy as last time. Many are hurting because of the poor economy. I also suspect things will get worse before they get better. That does not bode well. I have received tons of messages citing the economy as a reason for not contributing.

My ironman training is going well, although I did not get in as much volume as I normally do. I am a bit worried about it, especially since Lake Placid is a pretty tough course. But what worries me even more is the poor weather (rain, cold, etc.) that has been battering the place. I do not care much for racing 10+ hours in freezing rain. I like sunshine.

No more time to add volume either. I am tapering now. If worse comes to worse Lake Placid will be a training session for Ironman Canada in August.

On Friday I rode 42 miles to Castro Valley and back. On Saturday I ran 8.5 miles along the backside trail and through Roberts park. On Sunday I swam for an hour, working on my technique a bit more, and on Monday I rode 31 miles with Alistair (to the top of Redwoood Rd.)

I have also been watching the tour. One thing I know for sure is that I would not want to be Alberto Contador! Talk about a no-win situation! It kind of reminds me of those early Indurain years, when Miguel had to forgo wins to help Pedro Delgado. But Alberto is in a much worse trap than Miguel was. How do you ever get out of the Lance shadow? He should have switched teams earlier in the year when he was offered a deal by Caisse d'Epargne.

I suspect all of Astana is a snake pit from top to bottom. The sponsors are unhappy, Bruyneel is trapped, the team has divided loyalties and everyone tries to keep up appearances and smile in the cameras. It is amazing how Disney it has become. The happiest team on Earth!