Basso to Become Anti-Doping Ambassador for UCI

Basso volunteered just enough to get the heat off of him, and now looks poised to come full circle, even though he never really admitted to anything

What the hell is happening to cycling? As reported by Eurosport and other outlets, deposed Italian cyclist Ivan Basso has been brought on board by the UCI to become an anti-doing ambassador after his suspension ends. Shouldn't his official title instead be "Attempted Anti-Doping Ambassador?" Basso never admitted to doping, only "attempted" doping. If Basso only "attempted" to dope, then Bill Clinton never inhaled and didn't f*!# Monika Lewinsky.

Don't get me wrong here either, I'm all for second chances. I rode with Basso in 2005, and found him to be a pretty cool dude. But I have a huge problem with someone who is unable to out and out admit that they did something wrong. Basso doped. Period. He may not have ever tested positive, but Simoni was right to call him an "extra-terrestrial" as he was dominating the 2006 Giro, riding away from the world's best climbers with ease.

When he was finally nailed to the wall by CONI and the UCI, he still didn't admit what he did, but chose to take the coward's way out and admit only what he had to admit. Meanwhile, riders like Andre Kashekin, Roberto Heras, and Jorg Jaksche can't find a contract after having admitted that they actually doped. What gives here? Why are the honest athletes being blacklisted while the slimier ones (Basso, Hondo, VDB, Di Luca, Valverde) roam free? Is there no justice in the sport of cycling? Apparently not.

Increasingly, Basso is looking more like a politician and less like an athlete. And if he spoke English just a bit better, I would think he was an American. I'm sure he and Roger Clemens could spend a nice evening talking about the millions of dollars they have made over the years for their lies and deception. I hope Basso comes back, races clean, and wins. But I fail to understand why Jaksche and the other honest, transparent names above can't do the same. It is time for cycling to reward honesty, and punish deception, instead of the other way around.

UCI Reveals 'Top Rider' is Positive . . . But Who?

Science is finally starting to catch up with today's cheats as the war against doping continues

UCI head Pat McQuaid and colleague Anne Gripper announced yesterday in Switzerland that a 'top rider' has been found with abnormal blood values, and will face sanctioning for the positive test. With the lack of a positive ID, the speculation can begin for who the big name is that will face sanctioning. Although innocent until proven guilty, below are the most likely suspects.

Alejandro Valverde, Caisse d'Epargne

"The Green Bullet," or "valv.piti" according to the Operacio Puerto documents, has long been under suspicion for doping, even if he has never been convicted. A talented rider, Valverde was referenced numerous times in the Puerto documentation, and was saved by his country's governing body closing the case on Puerto, effectively ending any chance at disclosure, which was a shame for the sport of cycling. He had a very quiet early season until his win at Liege, which may point to the fact that he was lying low trying to avoid further suspicion. Should the Spaniard be 'the one', the LBL title would go to a much deserving Davide Rebellin.

Danilo Di Luca, LPR Brakes

Di Luca too has been suspected of foul play, and the 2007 Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner even served a three month sentence in the "Oil for Drugs" case from a few years ago. Always calm, the sauve Italian says he has nothing to worry about. He has logged very few results thus far in 2008, much like Valverde. With the Giro right around the corner, Di Luca must hope he'll not be kept from riding in defense of his 2007 title. A suspension at this point in his career would effectively end his tenure as a pro cyclist.

Andreas Kloden, Astana

Kloden has made strange choices recently that have drawn suspicion to the aging German stage racer. He decided to leave team High Road (then T-Mobile) just as they began their exhaustive anti-doping program, and then he was "sick" for the majority of the early season. Recently, German authorities have alleged that he was among the T-Mobile riders that blood doped in the 2006 Tour de France, but no charges have been formally filed. If Kloden is found guilty, the Astana team would fall even further out of grace with ASO and RCS Sport, the organizers of many of the important European races. Needless to say, Astana can't afford any more doping cases as they try to rebuild their credibility.

Allessandro Petacchi, Milram

"Ale-Jet," like all of the other riders on this list, has already been accused of doping, either frormally or informally. In fact, the Italian sprinting ace is waiting for judgement to be passed down for a non-negative test in last year's Giro. Also, like the others above, a two year sanction for Petacchi will no doubt spell the end to his career. Once one of the most feared sprinters in the peloton, Petacchi has not been able to harness his winning form since injuring his knee cap two seasons ago.

Whomever is named as the rider guilty of doping, it can't be good for cycling, and the bigger the name, the worse the sport will suffer. But it's like they say, "you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs." Hopefully the rider found guilty will serve as one more warning to riders thinking of doping. As time goes on, the biological passport system will make it more and more difficult to cheat, which is just how most fans and riders want it.

Slipstream Leads the Charge in the Fight Against Doping

Cozza and team Slipstream plan on racing, and winning, clean

It is well known in the cycling world that Jonathan Vaughters and the Slipstream team are at the forefront in the fight against doping. Steven Cozza, the 22 year old pro out of Petaluma, California, spoke with me about doping in cycling between training for the Tour of California earlier this week. An easy-going guy, Cozza explained the Slipstream anti-doping mantra over a burrito at Solo Pollo in Petaluma. “The team (Slipstream) is still dedicated to clean cycling, we are still tested by A.C.E. (The Agency for Cycling Ethics) and this year they’ll be doing quite a few tests throughout the year on us. Plus, other teams have adopted the same program, so we feel we have kind of started a movement in cycling.”

Cozza has only been with Slipstream for a short time, so he is still getting used to the whole process of medical testing. “It’s kind of a hassle for the athletes to be tested so much,” he says, “but we’re all starting to get used to it. I think it will feel normal after awhile.” Another benefit of frequent testing for Cozza is “then we don’t have to race against guys that are 100 times faster than us (laughs).” Benefit indeed.

So how does the whole process work? Cozza explained that more times than not, the testers typically arrive early in the morning. “They (the UCI medical control officers) usually visit me at around 7:00 in the morning, but on a race day they’ll sometimes wake you up at 5:00 to be tested. We call them the vampires.”

The UCI's commissioner of doping Anne Gripper typically dispatches her "vampires" early in the morning

However, he cautions that he is not necessarily in agreement with the “get to them early” mantra of the testers. “If they (the UCI) have the opportunity to test later or closer to the start of a race, I don’t see why they don’t, because when they do it at 6:00 in the morning, I could easily fill myself up with blood, take something . . . . if they test you right before the start, there’d be no time to do that. But I think testing is getting better, look at the Tour de France last year.”

When speaking about the past and riders that have betrayed the trust of teammates and fans, he says he doesn’t necessarily feel a sense of resentment to past riders that have doped. “I’ve only been riding as an elite pro for a few years so I don’t feel betrayed, but a guy like Danny Pate should be pissed. I mean, he’s had a great career, but doping in a sense has made it so that he’s not been able to get the results he may have liked over the years. He could have easily resorted to taking EPO if he wanted to, but he has integrity, unlike a lot of people who have tested positive, so I respect him for that. He could have been a multi-millionaire by now but has chosen not to go that route, so he has a lot of integrity. He’s definitely respected in cycling.”

Cozza sees Pate as a team director in the future, but for now he still has plenty of racing left in him

Danny Pate appears to be the teammate that Cozza most admires and longs to be like within the Slipstream team. He speaks highly of the five year veteran, and sees a very bright future for the former under 23 World Time Trial Champion. “There are certain riders on the team that are great to be on the team with because you can go to them for advice. Danny Pate is really a great resource for me. I could see him being a director in the future. He’s a natural at teaching things without coming across as arrogant. He’s super-relaxed and has a really good head on his shoulders. He’s respected.”

In regards to the sanctioning system in place for cheaters in cycling, Cozza would like to see it get even stricter than it is now. “I think if you are caught once you should get a four year ban instead of just two. And if you’re caught positive for EPO, I think you should be done for life. If you have EPO (in your system), you’ve cheated. There’s no way to mess that test up. Kick them out for good and you’d scare a lot of riders.”

Looking ahead to the future of cycling, Cozza is optimistic. “I’m glad for what the future holds. I have many more years left to race as long as I keep progressing. And I look forward to the future because it will only get cleaner, it will only improve. Cycling is going in a positive direction. I think for the most part the sport has hit rock bottom. I think the whole attitude within the peloton has changed for the better.” For the sake of cycling, let's hope he's right.

Hard work and determination are the only ingredients Cozza needs for success