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Perhaps it’s premature to look ahead to the afternoon of July 23, 2006, when a new champion of the Tour de France will be crowned on the Champs-Élysées. Perhaps it’s naïve to look past the latest doping scandal to bring professional cycling to its knees. But for the continued popularity of our sport — which has never been at a higher point in the United States — we have to move on. It takes months, sometimes years before the judiciary resolves complicated cases like Operación Puerto; for instance the Cofidis team scandal of January 2004 is only going to court a few weeks from now, 30 months

The T-Mobile team, with its captain Jan Ullrich, had just turned on to the driveway of the Golf Hotel Plobsheim, when team director Olaf Ludwig's cell phone rang. On the other end of the line was team spokesman Christian Frommert, calling from the veranda of the posh resort, where the German media had assembled to await the presentation of the team’s Tour squad. Ludwig was told in no uncertain terms to make the bus driver turn around and leave ... immediately. It was a symbolic drive for Ullrich, who so often in his career had come so close to his goals but failed to reach them. This

Riis walks to a press conference after reaching his decision...

... but didn't make it to the podium.

The Tour de France was thrown into its biggest crisis since the 1998 Festina scandal Friday following the suspensions of the men most favored to take the yellow jersey in this year’s edition. A day before the start of the race, the first since seven-time winner Lance Armstrong retired, organizers said even more riders could follow Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich and Oscar Sevilla in being suspended from the race by their teams. Earlier in the day, T-Mobile suspended 1997 winner Ullrich and his Spanish teammate Sevilla when fresh evidence from the ongoing Operación Puerto doping probe in Spain -

Looks like this cartoon won't be out of date for a while

"Sports could go down the road of the performance principle, where all that matters is success, by whatever means, at what cost. If we continue on that track, sports will become spectacle; and some people like that. But I think most of us who love sports will lose interest in it."— Thomas Murray, a bioethicist at the Hastings Center think tank and chairman of WADA's Ethical Issues Review Panel, in a story on ESPN.com Wave bye-bye, Thomas old boy. Sport — our sport, anyway — has already raced down that long and winding road, driven by a superhuman pair of legs powered by a godlike

State of shock: Ullrich was devastated by the news

On Thursday, before the Spanish authorities sent the black list of riders from Operación Puerto to the Tour de France organizers and the UCI, I started this column with the words, “Let the racing begin! Please.” Now that four top riders who appeared on that list — Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso, Francisco Mancebo and Oscar Sevilla — have been suspended by their teams and will not start the Tour, those words have taken on even more significance for everyone who loves cycling, and the Tour de France in particular. When La Grand Boucle’s 93rd edition finally gets under way Saturday, it will be with

Vinokourov won't get to start on Saturday

Francisco Mancebo has reportedly decided to retire from cycling following his exclusion from the Tour de France by his Ag2r team Friday. A day before the start of the 93rd edition the 30-year-old Spaniard was suspended by his French outfit after he was named on a list of riders suspected of being involved in a blood doping network in Spain. The Tour will also be missing Germany's 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich, his teammate at T-Mobile Oscar Sevilla, and recent Tour of Italy winner Ivan Basso, of CSC - all of whom are also implicated in what is being dubbed the biggest doping scandal to

Ullrich meets the press outside his hotel

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Embrace Tour, despite sport’s flawsEditor:The Tour de France is bigger than the riders who compete in it, but I'm concerned that the latest scandal will further tarnish an event that has struggled to come back from both the publicized scandals (such as Festina) and the persistent

Internet odds makers quickly reacted to Friday’s news that top riders Ivan Basso (CSC), Jan Ullrich (T-Mobile) and Francisco Mancebo (Ag2r) have been excluded from the Tour de France by their respective teams after being named as suspects in the ongoing Spanish doping investigation, known as Operación Puerto. Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner, Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d'Épargne-Illes Balears) and Astaná-Würth’s Alexandre Vinokourov emerged as the two favorites, given odds of seven-to-two to wear the yellow jersey into Paris on July 23, while Amercans Levi Leipheimer (Gerolsteiner) and

When a team packs its bags

When a team packs its bags

Rabobank

Rabobank

Britain's David Miller admitted he will be harboring feelings of shame when he saddles up as a favorite in what could be a spectacular return to the Tour de France here Saturday. Millar's two-year ban for admitting to using the banned endurance enhancer EPO (erythropoietin) ended last week, giving him a chance to bid for victory in the 7.1km prologue which would hand him the race's famous yellow jersey. And while primed for a battle with the CSC team's time trial specialist David Zabriskie, an emotional Millar said the buzz of excitement he will feel will be tempered by

Davitamon-Lotto

A cycling team at the Tour de France is a small autonomous universe thatserves as a lifeline to its nine riders. Its rigorous structure enablesthe riders to race worry-free. Each team’s amenities, however, dependson the budget. AG2R Prévoyance is a typical UCI ProTour team. Here,AG2R manager Vincent Lavenu lays out the organizational structure of hissquad’s operation.PERSONNELTour de France organizers handle hotel arrangements for 23 individualsper participating team. Other than that, each manager is free to put togethera staff that will ensure everything runs well for the team (for

Davitamon-Lotto

Team Manager: Theo de Rooy51. Denis Menchov (Rus)52. Michael Boogerd (Nl)53. Bram De Groot (Nl)54. Erik Dekker (Nl)55. Juan Antonio Flecha (Sp)56. Oscar Freire (Sp)57. Joost Posthuma (Nl)58. Mickael Rasmussen (Dk)59. Pieter Weening (Nl) Sponsor: Dutch bank2006 budget: $12.5 millionYear current sponsor started: 1996Former title sponsors: WordPerfect (1993-95), Buckler (1990-92),Super-Confex (1987-89), Kwantum (1984-86)Past Tours (as Rabobank): 11th participation, 14 stagewins, 1 King of the Mountains (Rasmussen, 2005)Trivia: Michael Rasmussen, last year’s King of the Mountains,finished

Phonak

Team Manager: Marc Sergeant61. Cadel Evans (Aus)062. Mario Aerts (B)063. Christophe Brandt (B)64. Christopher Horner (USA)65. Robbie Mc Ewen (Aus)66. Fred Rodriguez (USA)67. Gert Steegmans (B)68. Wim Vansevenant (B)69. Johan Vansummeren (B) Sponsors: Pharmaceutical group and Belgian national lottery2006 budget: $7.5 millionYear current sponsor started: 2005Former title sponsor: Lotto (1985-2004)Past Tours (as Davitamon-Lotto): Second participation,3 stage winsTrivia: Robbie McEwen leads the team with career victories,having topped the 90-win mark this year. But his veteran teammates areno

Phonak

Team Manager: John Lelangue71. Floyd Landis (USA)72. Bert Grabsch (G)73. Robert Hunter (RSA)74. Nicolas Jalabert (F)75. Martin Perdiguero M.angel (Sp)76. Axel Merckx (B)77. Koos Moerenhout (Nl)78. Alexandre Moos (Swi)79. Hugo Victor Hugo (Col) Sponsor: Hearing systems manufacturer2006 budget: $10 millionYear current sponsor started: 2000Former title sponsors: NonePast Tours: Third participation, 1 stage winTrivia: The Swiss team riders have scored six stages wins inpast Tours, three by Santiago Botero and two by Floyd Landis (both in teamtime trials), who finished ninth last

Zabriskie has to be among the favorites to win Saturday's prologue

Strasbourg, France (AFP) - Ag2r manager Vincent Lavenu said he will ban his team leader Francisco Mancebo from racing the Tour de France if the Spaniard's name appears on any official list of alleged blood dopers. The fallout from recent raids by Spanish police investigating a reported blood doping network led Thursday to publication in Madrid media of a 58-strong list which contains the names of some of cycling's biggest stars including Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso. All the riders on the list are alleged to be clients of Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who after the recent raids is being

One victory - Vinokourov meets the press

Strasbourg, France (AFP) - Ag2r manager Vincent Lavenu said he will ban his team leader Francisco Mancebo from racing the Tour de France if the Spaniard's name appears on any official list of alleged blood dopers. The fallout from recent raids by Spanish police investigating a reported blood doping network led Thursday to publication in Madrid media of a 58-strong list which contains the names of some of cycling's biggest stars including Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso. All the riders on the list are alleged to be clients of Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who after the recent raids is being

Strasbourg, France (AFP) - Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso have been named in Spain's judicial investigation into blood doping, Cadena Ser radio station reported on Thursday. Both T-Mobile rider Ullrich of Germany and Italian Basso of CSC are hot, pre-race favorites for the July 1 to 23 Tour de France. Other riders named include Spaniards Joseba Beloki, Roberto Heras, and Francisco Mancebo, American TylerHamilton and Colombian Santiago Botero, according to Cadena Ser. The news was revealed after the judge in charge of the investigation lifted reporting restrictions on Thursday at the

Let the racing begin! Please.Everyone who loves cycling, and the Tour de France in particular, is praying that La Grand Boucle’s 93rd edition can get under way Saturday with no more distractions. But even before the ghastly tentacles of Operación Puerto reached out from Madrid to create a doping frenzy in Strasbourg, the Tour’s usual composure was already compromised. The glitzy, eve-of-the-race presentation of the 21 teams was moved forward to Thursday night to avoid a television clash with Friday’s first two quarter-finals of soccer’s World Cup in nearby Germany. And the prologue itself,

The Spanish cycling team of Kazakh star Alexandre Vinokourov, Astaná-Würth, will be on the start line at the Tour de France after a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling on Thursday rejected an effort to ban the team from the race. The court decided to reject a request from the Tour's organizers to exclude Astaná-Würth from the race, which begins on July 1, after their former team manager Manolo Sáiz was linked with the Spanish blood-doping investigation currently engulfing the sport. CAS Judge Guido de Croock applauded the organizers’ commitment to ethics, but said there was no real

Click here to watch the video.

Millar says he will be 100 percent clean

Pre-race favorite Jan Ullrich got the green light to start the Tour de France because accusations linking him to a growing Spanish doping inquiry were deemed too weak to keep the 1997 champ out of the race, officials said. “For the Tour de France, for now, there is no problem with Ullrich,” Tour spokesman Philippe Sudres told The Associated Press, who added the Tour would reconsider if more evidence becomes available. “He has not been formally identified.” Tour officials notified T-Mobile representatives that allegations made against Ullrich and teammate Oscar Sevilla in a series of damning

He did it at Romandie. Can he do it in France?

Strasbourg, France, (AFP) - The Australian presence at this year's 93rd Tour de France could be almost halved in comparison to last year's record participation of 10 riders. And while the numbers are dwindling, so too are their roles. While Cadel Evans is to lead the Davitamon team's bid in the race's general classification, Michael Rogers will be helping T-Mobile's 1997 winner Jan Ullrich claim an elusive second yellow jersey after years of runner-up places. Other Aussies could also be playing support roles in the July 1-23 epic. Adelaider Stuart O'Grady, who spent

A View From the Bus: Michael Barry adds a chapter

Strasbourg, France, (AFP) - Australian Cadel Evans is being urgedby his growing band of fans to build on his impressive top-ten finish fromhis Tour de France debut when he saddles up for this year's race here Saturday. However the 29-year-old, who last year single-handedly revived Australianyellow jersey hopes after years of waiting for a new Phil Anderson, remainscautious over his chances. "I'd like to do better than my eighth place finish last year - thisyear with (Lance) Armstrong not racing it's going to be a bit different,"said Evans shortly after his recent victory in the

Vinokourov just wants to ride

Editor's Note: Michael Barry, pro cyclist with the DiscoveryChannel Cycling Team and author of Insidethe Postal Bus: My Ride with Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Postal CyclingTeam, analyzes the team’s chances for the 2006 Tour de Franceand how the Discovery Channel team dynamic has changed going into thisfirst Tour of the post-Lance era.In 2005, Lance Armstrong retired from the sport the moment he crossedthe finish line on the Champs-Elysées in yellow. It was his seventhconsecutive victory, a record that will likely not be broken for decades.He retired from our sport as the maître; with his

Vinokourov just wants to ride

Alexandre Vinokourov defied organizers of the Tour de France Wednesday by flying into Strasbourg with his Astaná-Würth team determined to start the race. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is slated to rule on Friday on whether the team can participate after Tour organizers demanded they withdraw because of former manager Manolo Saiz's implication in a Spanish blood-doping probe. "There is no evidence against our team," said Vinokourov, tipped as a potential winner of the 93rd Tour, which starts with a prologue in Strasbourg on Saturday. "The press just comes up with suspicions,

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Clean cyclists should condemn cheatersEditor:I have no qualms with Lance Armstrong being pissed about the documents alleging that he doped being leaked to L'Equipe. If Lance has indeed been "clean" throughout his career, then such a libel deserves correcting, perhaps even similar

Madrid, Spain (AP) -- The head of Spain's cycling federation said he had "suspicions" for years about the doctors and team officials caught up in a sweeping doping scandal that has rocked the sport ahead of the Tour de France. Fugencio Sanchez added that the allegations were one of the "greatest crises" in the country's sporting history. "We've had doubts. We had heard comments," Sanchez told The Associated Press. "I always thought that this day had to come in order to clear up those doubts." Manolo Saiz, the former Liberty Seguros team director, and four others were

Final Overall Standings - 2005 Tour de France1. Lance Armstrong (USA), Discovery Channel2. Ivan Basso (I), CSC, 04:403. Jan Ullrich (G), T-Mobile, 06:214. Francisco Mancebo (Sp), Illes Balears, 09:595. Alexandre Vinokourov (Kaz), T-Mobile, 11:016. Levi Leipheimer (USA), Gerolsteiner, 11:217. Mickael Rasmussen (Dk), Rabobank, 11:338. Cadel Evans (Aus), Davitamon-Lotto, 11:559. Floyd Landis (USA), Phonak, 12:4410. Oscar Pereiro Sio (Sp), Phonak, 16:04 11. Christophe Moreau (F), Credit Agricole, 16:2612. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr), Discovery Channel, 19:0213. Eddy Mazzoleni (I), Lampre, 21:0614.

Editor's Note: Michael Barry, pro cyclist with the DiscoveryChannel Cycling Team and author of Insidethe Postal Bus: My Ride with Lance Armstrong and the U.S. Postal CyclingTeam, analyzes the team’s chances for the 2006 Tour de Franceand how the Discovery Channel team dynamic has changed going into thisfirst Tour of the post-Lance era.In 2005, Lance Armstrong retired from the sport the moment he crossedthe finish line on the Champs-Elysées in yellow. It was his seventhconsecutive victory, a record that will likely not be broken for decades.He retired from our sport as the maître; with his

Alexandre Vinokourov defied organizers of the Tour de France Wednesday by flying into Strasbourg with his Astaná-Würth team determined to start the race. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is slated to rule on Friday on whether the team can participate after Tour organizers demanded they withdraw because of former manager Manolo Saiz's implication in a Spanish blood-doping probe. "There is no evidence against our team," said Vinokourov, tipped as a potential winner of the 93rd Tour, which starts with a prologue in Strasbourg on Saturday. "The press just comes up with suspicions,

Tour de France riders have been warned by cycling's world governing body that they will be thrown out of the race if they are involved in the Spanish doping scandal. Union Cycliste Internationale president Pat McQuaid has written to all ProTour teams suggesting they ask their riders competing in the Tour de France, which begins Saturday, to provide a written statement saying they are not involved in the affair, known as "Operación Puerto." "If a false statement is given,” McQuaid said, “they would immediately leave the team and pay a large fine and those riders who refuse to give a

Tour de France riders have been warned by cycling's world governing body that they will be thrown out of the race if they are involved in the Spanish doping scandal. Union Cycliste Internationale president Pat McQuaid has written to all ProTour teams suggesting they ask their riders competing in the Tour de France, which begins Saturday, to provide a written statement saying they are not involved in the affair, known as "Operación Puerto." "If a false statement is given,” McQuaid said, “they would immediately leave the team and pay a large fine and those riders who refuse to give a

Ullrich will be allowed to start the Tour

Wednesday's EuroFile: Ullrich gets green light; Astaná-Würth still red

Ullrich will be allowed to start the Tour. Will Vino be there?

Ullrich cleared to race; Astaná-Würth will try to ride

Discovery ChannelTeam Manager: Johann Bruyneel1. José Azevedo (P)2. Viatceslav Ekimov (Rus)3. George Hincapie (USA)4. Egoi Martinez (Sp)5. Benjamin Noval Gonzalez (Sp)6. Pavel Padrnos (Cz)7. Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr)8. Rubiera José Luis (Sp)9. Paolo Savoldelli (I) Sponsor: Owner/operator of multiple television channels2006 budget: $10 millionYear current sponsor started: 2005Former title sponsors: U.S. Postal Service (1996-2004), Montgomery-Bell (1995), Subaru-Montgomery (1991-94)Past Tours (as Discovery and Postal): 10th participation, 25 stage wins, 7 overall wins (Armstrong, 1999-2005), 1

Team Manager: Bjarne RiisTeam Manager: Bjarne RiisIvan Basso (I)11. Bobby Julich (USA)12. Giovanni Lombardi (I)13. Stuart O’Grady (Aus)14. Carlos Sastre (Sp)15. Frank Schleck (Lux)16. Christian Vande Velde (USA)17. Jens Voigt (G)18. David Zabriskie (USA) Sponsor: Computer services company2006 budget:$8.8 millionYear current sponsor started: 2001Former title sponsors: Memorycard (2000), Acceptcard (1998-99)Past Tours (as CSC ): Sixth participation, 7 stage wins,2 King of the Mountains (Jalabert, 2001-2002), 1 team classification (2003)Trivia: The team members have 11 stage wins, but that’s

Suspended Phonak rider Tyler Hamilton may to keep the gold medal he won in the individual time trial at the Athens Olympics after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed by the Russian Olympic Committee on behalf of silver medalist Viatcheslav Ekimov. Hamilton won the time-trial event in Athens but failed a blood-doping test. Hamilton’s B sample – needed to confirm the positive – was destroyed after laboratory staff froze it, making it impossible to test the red blood cells in the sample. That led the Russian Olympic Committee to appeal to the

Team Manager: Olaf LudwigJan Ullrich (G)21. Andréas Klöden (G)22. Giuseppe Guerini (I)23. Serhiy Honchar (Ukr)24. Matthias Kessler (G)25. Eddy Mazzoleni (I)26. Michael Rogers (Aus)27. Patrik Sinkewitz (G)Oscar Sevilla (Sp) Sponsor: Mobile phone division of telecommunications company2006 budget: $18.9 millionYear current sponsor started: 2004Former title sponsors: Deutsche Telekom (1991-2003), Stuttgart (1989-90) Past Tours (as T-Mobile and Telekom): 15th participation, 27 stage wins, 2 overall wins (Riis, 1996; Ullrich, 1997), 6 green jerseys (Zabel, 1996-2001), 3 white jerseys (Ullrich,

Team Manager: Vincent LavenuFrancisco Mancebo (Sp)31. Christophe Moreau (F)32. Luis Jose Luis (Sp)33. Mikel Astarloza (Sp)34. Sylvain Calzati (F)35. Cyril Dessel (F)36. Samuel Dumoulin (F)37. Simon Gerrans (Aus)38. Stephane Goubert (F) Sponsor: Mutual insurance company2006 budget: $9.2 millionYear current sponsor started: 2000Former title sponsors: Casino (1996-90), Chazal (1992-95)Past Tours (as AG 2R): Seventh participation, 5 stage winsTrivia: Chrisophe Moreau, with 20 career wins, is one of two riders to have won a stage. The other, Jean-Patrick Nazon, has two stage wins and 21 career

Team Manager: Hans Michael Holczer41. Levi Leipheimer (USA)042. Marcus Fothen (G)43. David Kopp (G)44. Sebastian Lang (G)45. Ronny Scholz (G)46. Georg Totschnig (A)47. Fabian Wegmann (G)48. Peter Wrolich (A)49. Beat Zberg (Swi) Sponsor: Mineral water bottler2006 budget: $8.7 millionYear current sponsor started: 1998Former title sponsors: NonePast Tours: Fourth participation, 1 stage winTrivia: René Haselbacher, at 190 pounds, is the heaviest UCI ProTour rider who might ride in the Tour. Georg Totschnig has scored the team’s only Tour stage win. Levi Leipheimer finished sixth last year, and

Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel

Team CSC

Team CSC

T-Mobile

T-Mobile

Ag2r

Ag2r

Gerolsteiner

Tour de France officials and representatives from Astaná-Würth are both taking their cases to the Court of Arbitration in Sport following Monday’s request by Tour organizer ASO to kick the scandal-stained Astaná-Würth out of Saturday’s start of the 2006 Tour. Tour officials sent faxes to Astaná-Würth as well as to the UCI and representatives of the professional teams association Monday after indicating the the Spanish team – formerly Liberty Seguros-Würth – was no longer welcome for the 93rd Tour, set to start Saturday with a prologue in Strasbourg. The decision was precipitated by a string

Gerolsteiner

The 93rd edition of the Tour de France begins Saturday July 1 in Strasbourg. Here is the list of the winners of the past 92 editions of what most say is the greatest bicycle race in the world. 1903 Maurice Garin (F) 1904 Henri Cornet (F) 1905 Louis Trousselier (F) 1906 René Pottier (F) 1907 Lucien Petit-Breton (F) 1908 Lucien Petit-Breton (F) 1909 Fran?ois Faber (Lux) 1910 Octave Lapize (F) 1911 Gustave Garrigou (F) 1912 Odile Defraye (B) 1913 Philippe Thys (B) 1914 Philippe Thys (B) 1919 Firmin Lambot (B) 1920 Philippe Thys (B) 1921 Léon Scieur (B) 1922 Firmin Lambot (B) 1923 Henri

The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.Frankie should write a bookEditor:Every time you turn on the news, another cyclist is getting caught for doping. Yet the only guy who can beat all of them is as pure as the snow atop Mt. Everest? As reported by Alan Abrahamson of the Los Angeles Times, Frankie and Betsy Andreu were

Just as he is nearing the end of a two-year suspension for blood-doping, American Tyler Hamilton is back in the news after a Spanish newspaper charged Monday that he had worked with Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes between 2002 and 2004. In Monday’s edition of El País, the paper cited secret police and court documents alleging that Hamilton not only engaged in banned blood transfusion practices, but also used EPO, anabolic steroids, human growth hormones and IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) during his collaboration with Fuentes. Fuentes was among five people detained on May 23 as part

Lance Armstrong denied Monday that he threatened three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond, calling the allegation "ridiculous." "Greg is just not in check with reality," Armstrong said Monday from New York City. "It's ridiculous. Greg is obsessed with foiling my career. I'm apoplectic when I read stuff like that." LeMond was the first American to win the Tour de France with victories in 1986 and 1989-90. Armstrong came back from life-threatening testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain to win seven in a row, from 1999 to 2005, before retiring last year. LeMond

El Pais says Ullrich may be linked to Spain's doping scandal

Hamilton, overcome by emotion at the 2004 Olympics, was found positive for blood-doping at the 2004 Vuelta.