Posted on 07/25/2007 1:47:30 AM PDT by Aeronaut
Wednesday's 16th stage was delayed when the six French and two German teams competing in the race protested against doping.
The teams, Agritubel, AG2r, Francaise des Jeux, Bouygues Telecom, Cofidis, Credit Agricole, Gerolsteiner and T-Mobile, have formed a Movement for a Credible Cycling, asking for all teams to abide by their good behaviour charter of 2005.
Overall leader Michael Rasmussen was jeered at the sign-on following revelations that he has been warned for missing four random doping controls in the past two years.
(IOW, they think his non-compliance with testing requirements means he's not as serious as they are about un-doping the sport, so they booed him.)
Yes, but that was a rather hilly one as TT go - the next one will be flatter, and he will have a tougher time doing as well against some of the true time trialists
(from AP yesterday)
"Lance Armstrong said he had no sympathy for cyclists who fail to report their whereabouts for drug tests."
"It's 2007, everyone's accessible by cell phone, e-mail or Blackberry," Armstrong told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "I declared where I was 365 days a year. Everybody has to play by the same rules."
So it's pretty safe to say there's some resentment against Ras in the peloton.
try getting behind discovery - an American team, and its up and coming star Contador
If he pans out the way he looks this year, he may rival Lance in the future
IT is almost impossible to prove innocence once the accusation is made in cycling. The cards are stacked against the cyclist, the testing is only done at one lab (FRENCH lab to boot, as if they don’t have a dog to hunt in the results) and the international body has NEVER found for the cyclist in disputed cases. Guilty or not, I don’t blame Vino for his remarks.
I doubt Landis is guilty - taking testosterone the night before a big stage would do NOTHING for your performance in that stage. He had nothing to gain and everything to loose
I think the only way to go forward is to declare amnesty for all past incidents (since there is no way to prove one way or the other if doping was involved, the samples are destroyed or lost), start from now with a strict policy with testing in 3-4 independent labs in different countries.
That's the key if they want the public to regain some confidence and get everybody on the same page.
Levi has just attacked to put Ras in a “little spot of bother”!
Now that Astana’s gone,& Disco doesn’t have anybody to conspire with to defeat Rasmussen in the flat stage, what do you think they’ll do tomorrow?
It appears Levi cracked Contador on that on.
L’Equipe is reporting the positive test was
the Italian rider Cristian Moreni of Cofidis.
(I owe everybody a gerbil I guess!)
Yes, that was a surprise. But Contador's just a baby. He did phenomenally today considering - think how this guy will rule the tour when he's a little more seasoned.
Rasmussen takes Stage 16
By VeloNews.com
Rasmussen extends his lead with a stage win
Michael Rasmussen (Rabobank) won the 16th stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday, a 218.5 kilometres ride from Orthez to the Col de l’Aubisque.
Rasmussen also extended his lead in the overall standings - he leads Spanish rival Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) by 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Third-placed Australian Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) lost more time and is now 5:03 adrift.
The Dane, impervious seemingly to the furor over his racing here after receiving four warnings for missing out-of-competition doping ccontrols over the past two years, came home 24 seconds ahead of American Levi Leipheimer (Discovery Channel) while Contador took third at 35 seconds back.
Rasmussen said he had opted to use a different strategy than the one he had employed in Monday’s 15th stage, when Contador had given him endless problems by constantly attacking and trying to break his resistance.
Leipheimer takes second
photo: AFP
“On Monday I was finding it tough to follow him,” said Rasmussen. “So I decided to use a different strategy today (Wednesday) and go at my tempo.
“It worked perfectly because he blew up.”
Rasmussen added that he hoped now more Danes would believe he could see the task through and stand atop the podium in Paris on Sunday - a poll had suggested that a majority of those asked did not believe he would.
“Maybe some have changed their minds after this stage,” he said. “I have over a three minute lead over Contador and I would look to extend that in Saturday’s time trial.”
The stage had begun with a protest by eight teams, six French and two German, over the persistent doping scandals, which saw Alexander Vinokourov thrown out of the race on Tuesday after failing a test for blood doping. His team, Astana, withdrew after a request from the race organizers.
When racing finally got under way, Spaniard Carlos Sastre (CSC) had launched an attack from a long way out way out from the finish, along with compatriot Iban Mayo (Saunier Duval-Prodir) and king of the mountains leader Mauricio Soler (Barloworld).
They caught the early leaders, but Sastre, who was continually the more aggressive of that trio, was reeled in on the final climb by Rasmussen, Contador, Evans and Leipheimer.
Contador did try to attack on several occasions but never succeeded in distancing himself from either Rasmussen, while Leipheimer successfully came back to the other two 5km from the summit - however, neither he nor the Spaniard had any answer to Rasmussen’s final burst.
Stage 16
1. Michael Rasmussen (Dk), Rabobank, 6:23:21
2. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Discovery Channel, at 0:26
3. Alberto Contador (Sp), Discovery Channel, at 0:35
4. Cadel Evans (Aus), Predictor-Lotto, at 0:43
5. Juan Mauricio Soler (Sp), Barloworld, at 1:25
Overall
1. Michael Rasmussen (Dk), Rabobank, 76:15:15
2. Alberto Contador (Sp), Discovery, at 3:10
3. Cadel Evans (Aus), Predictor-Lotto, at 5:03
4. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Discovery, at 5:59
5. Carlos Sastre (Sp). CSC, at 9:12
http://www.velonews.com/tour2007/details/articles/12929.0.html
Can Levi get 0:56 back in the ITT Saturday for a podium shot at Paris?
Since Ras is safe from dopage control people, and barring a total crackup by him in the TT on Sat., I think we saw the podium in Paris finish today 1 -2 - 3 on your list.
What is the protocol if Levi gains something like 0:45 in the ITT, will the other riders let them match race it out for the podium on the Champs?
I don’t know.(I’m not a good person to ask because I’m really here mostly to watch scenery, lol!) But since I can remember, it seems like Lance or somebody already had it wrapped up by then, so it was a champagne-sipping kumbaya stroll down the Champs.But I think these guys would be almost as crazy as Vino is stupid not to fight to the end if Rasmussen chokes in the TT & gives them an opening!
Rasmussen made himself absent on four occasions when he was supposed to be available for drug tests. This is what has led to his suspension from the Danish Olympic team for Beijing next year.
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