Tour de France 2011

Hamilton's Athens gold upheld

BBC SPORT | Banned Hamilton keeps Athens gold

Tyler Hamilton can keep his 2004 Olympic gold medal, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled today that the Russian Olympic Committee and Viatcheslav Ekimov have “no standing to file an appeal with CAS” because Ekimov is not “the athlete who is the subject of the decision being appeled from” or the IOC, the UCI, or WADA.

Ekimov was 2nd in the Athens Olympic time trial.

Also:

Full ruling | CAS Press release

Hamilton loses appeal; suspension to run through September

ESPN.com | Cyclist Hamilton's two-year doping ban upheld

It's pretty anticlimactic, but Tyler Hamilton received word today that his 2-year suspension from racing has been upheld. Hamilton was the first rider implicated by a new blood-doping test, and he has fought the suspension and the test since his blood test results turned up positive in September 2004.

His original suspension date was in April 2005, but the CAS ruled that Hamilton voluntarily accepted a suspension when he withdrew from the Vuelta upon being notified of the positive blood test, so he can return to racing in late September of this year.

Still on the table is an appeal by the Russian cycling federation, which wants to see Hamilton stripped of his 2004 Olympic gold, and Viatcheslav Ekimov, currently the silver medalist, elevated to gold.

Some sources:
• The CAS summary
• The full CAS report (pdf)
• Tyler Hamilton's response
• Summary of the case by Hamilton's camp (Word file)
• Assael: Latest ruling shifts momentum for athletes: a good commentary by an ESPN writer
• VeloNews.com | CAS rejects Hamilton appeal

Ekimov crash ends '05 Tour hopes, threatens career

Ekimov's last stage? Eki @ TdG, Stage 6, 2005
Photo by Christy Steele - more TdFblog photos.

Eurosport.com | Ekimov out of Tour de France after crash

Discovery Channel's ageless wonder Viatcheslav Ekimov crashed while training with Lance Armstrong near Austin on Thursday. Ekimov suffered "several fractures in his chest and a broken vertebra" (Eurosport says 'a broken vertebrae', but 'vertebrae' is plural).

He remains in the hospital in Austin, but is expected to be flown to St. Petersburg, Russia, as soon as tomorrow for further treatment.

Eurosport quotes Discovery's Dirk Demol:

"In the best case scenario, he'd be back in August or September, but he won't ride the Tour, that's for certain."

Ekimov was expected to ride his 15th Tour de France in July, closing in on all-time leader Joop Zoetemelk, who won the Tour in 1980 at 33, and raced 16 Tours without ever abandoning. At 39, Ekimov has three career Tour stage wins, and took silver at last year's Athens Olympics in the time trial.

Ekimov and Hincapie are Discovery's all-round strongmen. With Eki out, Discovery will have to at least consider bringing Tom Danielson to the Tour. Post your Disco Tour lineup ... I'm thinking:

Armstrong
Hincapie
Azevedo
Rubiera
Beltran
Noval
Padrnos
Savoldelli
Joachim/Popovych/Danielson

Seven returnees, minus Landis and now Ekimov, so at least 2 spots to fill from {Danielson/Joachim/Popovych/Savoldelli}. Longshots: Barry or Hammond. Joachim hasn't made the Tour squad since 2002, but he's a similar rider to Ekimov. It feels like Savoldelli is 100 percent focused on the Giro, but he might be able to contribute in July. If they're worried about Danielson being too young for the Tour, then what about Popovych, who's only 25?

Also:

ThePaceline.com (free reg. req.) | Eki Hurt in Training Crash (older info than Eurosport, details crash)

Tyler Hamilton doping case gets weirder and weirder

latimes.com | Hamilton Presses His Case (free reg. required)

So the LA Times has gotten its hands on some of the documents from Tyler Hamilton's case before the US Anti-Doping Agency.

For those joining us late, Tyler Hamilton won the 2004 time trial gold medal, but his blood sample there, and at the Vuelta a España, tested positive for “mixed populations,” or the presence of someone else's red blood cells. His Phonak team dropped him, but he was allowed to keep his gold medal because his "B" sample couldn't be verified. His teammate Santiago Perez was caught by the same test, at the same race, and has been suspended for two years. Hamilton faces the same suspension.

Here's a few of the details that come out in the LA Times story:

Part of Hamilton's defense is that he had a “vanishing twin.” Somewhere around 8 percent of pregnancies start out as multiples, but in many cases, one or more fetuses will be reabsorbed by the mother and the other fetus or fetuses. Hamilton witness David Housman, an MIT professor, pointed out that “cells can pass from one twin to another during the time that they shared a womb together,” and that the vanishing twin might be the source for the other genetic signature found in Hamilton's blood:

“The truth of the matter is they can get there certainly from a fraternal twin who has a different genetic identity and bone marrow stem cells can persist for life. So that's the deal.”

Hamilton's test scores were suspicious. On April 24th, at Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Hamilton's “off score”, a formula based on hemoglobin and reticulocytes (immature red blood cells), was 123.8 (The UCI medical director says its riders average about 90). Then at the Tour de Romandie, only five days later, Hamilton's score had jumped to 132.9, doubly suspicious since the limit is 133. Above that, riders aren't allowed to start a race. His hematocrit was just about pegged, as well: 49.7, where 50.0 is an automatic disqualification, although no presumption of doping is attached to either limit.

UCI officials pointed out that the two numbers are incompatible: The low number of reticulocytes at LBL means that Hamilton was not producing that many new red blood cells, yet five days later, he had a significantly higher red blood cell count.

These results got Hamilton put on the watch list of riders that the UCI monitors more closely. It's worth noting, too, that the UCI didn't perform the test in question on these samples: The homologous blood doping test premiered during the 2004 Tour in July. I would love to know if Hamilton's blood was tested for doping before he dropped out during Stage 13, or if the Olympics were his first test.

USADA witness Ross Brown, who co-developed the doping test, said a transfusion or transfusions were the "only reasonable explanation" for Hamilton's test results, and suggested that he had one around the beginning of 2004, another sometime around midyear, and then might have topped up throughout the year.

Hamilton's legal attack on the doping test's validity rested on two points: 1) There's no threshold in the test: it only shows the presence, not the amount, of someone else's blood cells, and 2) That it proves only the presence of someone else's blood cells, not of a transfusion, and may be subject to false positives, as the “vanishing twin” argument suggests.

The Tugboat defense reappeared, as Haven Hamilton points out to the LA Times reporter that Tyler would never have risked a transfusion after Tugboat's death, which immediately followed a transfusion.

Occam's Razor doesn't look to be cutting Tyler's way here.

Update: Tyler addresses many of the issues of his case in his latest (April 18, 2005) diary entry.

Julich signs two-year extension with CSC

Eurosport.com | Julich extends with CSC

Bobby Julich, who turns 34 this week, signed a 2-year extension with Bjarne Riis' CSC squad, which rejuvenated the American's career in 2004. Julich's high point was a bronze medal in the ITT at the Athens Olympics.

Julich said he hopes to finish his career with CSC.

"Now that I've regained confidence, I want to be steady for the entire season," he told French newspaper L'Equipe. "I'll help Ivan Basso on the Tour de France, but in other races like Paris-Nice I could play my own hand."

In other CSC news, Australia's Scott Sunderland (who rode for Alessio through 2004) joins the team, taking over from Sean Yates, who left CSC for the Discovery Channel team as assistant sporting director.

The Times on Tyler

nytimes.com | In Trying to Save Medal and Tour de France Hopes, Hamilton Faces Uphill Course

The New York Times offers an even-handed look at the Tyler Hamilton case.

This has been a tough one for me -- I really want to Believe Tyler, but it's awfully suspicious that, in a few hundred test results, there have been exactly three positives: Hamilton twice, and Santiago Perez, who just happen to be on the same team.

Whatever the case, Hamilton says he won't go down without a fight:

"After the Olympics, my life was really secure, my career was really on track because the gold medal can bring you a lot, you know?" Hamilton says. "Now my life is on hold."

Hamilton, a sliver of a man at 5 feet 8 inches and 130 pounds, makes eye contact as he says: "I would be happier without everything I have, with nothing, if I could just clear my name. If I had to, I'd give up everything, down to my last penny, to have my name back."

The Times talks to Michael Ashenden, head of the team who created the test, and to officials in anti-doping agencies.

The real hammer for the story are some quotes from Bobby Julich:

One American cyclist at the show, Bobby Julich, had other questions. Julich had roomed with Hamilton in Athens and won the bronze medal in the time trial. He said the suspicions about Hamilton "go against everything I've ever known from the guy." But, he added: "The rest of us at the Olympics passed the test. Why didn't he?"

Julich took a deep breath.

"I'm sick of people who cheat, sick of cleaning up their mess and trying to explain it," he said.

Then, a pause.

"There is heavy evidence against him," he said. "With that much evidence, I don't know how he's going to get out of it."

Hamilton says he's not leaving the sport, even if he gets a two-year suspension; that he'll come back at 35 and "show those people who doubted me that they were wrong":

"I would come back and win the Tour de France, for my sport, for me, for everyone who has believed in me."

Not exactly a ringing exoneration

Yahoo! Sport | Olympic champion Hamilton in the clear

Tyler Hamilton will hold on to his individual time trial gold medal. The IOC apparently damaged his 'B' sample and could neither confirm nor deny the presence of foreign red blood cells in Hamilton's blood, as suggested by an initial test in mid-August.

the result of the B, or second, test was "non-conclusive" because the sample had been destroyed by being deep-frozen.

"The disciplinary procedure has had to be stopped because of the non-conclusive result," the statement said.

"The IOC will not be pursuing sanctions regarding this matter."

Apparently, Hamilton wasn't quite so lucky with the UCI's sample from the Vuelta a España, leading Phonak to call for a panel of scientists to reexamine the new blood doping tests.

I fear it, but I must watch

I don't want to post any spoilers today about the time trials, but if you're a regular reader hereabouts, you probably don't want to miss the coverage (abysmal as it's likely to be) tonight on NBC.

Atlanta Olympics TT photo gallery - Women's

Again, in recognition of today's Olympic time trials for men and women, I dug out some photos from the 1996 Olympics, here in Atlanta.

Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli won a gold and a silver at the Atlanta Olympics, gold in the road race and silver in the Time Trial. Canada's Clara Hughes also won two medals, bronze medals in both road race and TT. Italy's Imelda Chiappa won the road race silver, while Zulfiya Zabirova won the gold for the time trial.

I may follow up with some road race pictures, or a few from the inaugural Olympic mountain bike race, but here are some shots from the Women's Time Trial:

Here's gold medalist Zabirova:

Here's Jeannie Longo-Ciprelli:

And Canada's Clara Hughes:

Atlanta Olympics TT photo gallery - Men's

In celebration of the Athens Olympic Time Trials later today, here are some photos from the Atlanta TTs in 1996. The time trial is great for spectators: All the riders pass by multiple times, the crowds are smaller than for the road race, and the follow cars make it very easy to ID the riders.

The Atlanta Olympics marked a watershed in cycling, as Miguel Indurain won his last major race during the time trial. He had just lost the 1996 Tour de France to Bjarne Riis, and his countryman Abraham Olano took silver. Great Britain's Chris Boardman was the bronze medalist. Spain's terrific showing led to about a 45 minute delay in the medal ceremony, since IOC czar Juan-Antonio Samaranch had decreed that he would personally award any gold medals won by Spaniards.

Here's Indurain:

Olano:

And bronze medalist Chris Boardman:

Competing for the US were Steve Hegg, then of Chevy-LA Sherriffs, and Lance Armstrong, just a few months from discovering his testicular cancer (Armstrong is warming up):

   

Here's Bjarne Riis, the Great Dane, riding in the invisible yellow jersey the reigning Tour champ radiates:

Here's France's Laurent Jalabert, but what's with the face?

And I wonder what ever became of this guy?

Voeckler to ride for France at Athens Olympics

procycling | Olympic reward for Voeckler

Yellow jersey Thomas Voeckler's performance in the French national championships and in the 2004 Tour de France have earned him a place on France's squad for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Also on the squad will be Laurent Brochard, Sylvain Chavanel, Christophe Moreau, and Richard Virenque.

French technical director Patrick Cluzaud recognized Jérôme Pineau as the last man out in the selection process, edged by Chavanel, and named David Moncoutié and Sandy Casar as two others who "are going well."

Moreau and Brochard will race the time trial for France.

Bettini: Tour "stepping stone to a gold medal"

ESPN.com | Bettini eyes gold in Athens, not Tour glory

"I'm not here to win the Tour but to work hard to peak at 110 percent in mid-August," he told Reuters.

"The Tour is the biggest race in cycling but August will be the most important month of my season. Hopefully July and the Tour will be a stepping stone to a gold medal."

Bettini, 3rd in the UCI rankings, has been riding strongly in support of Richard Virenque's quest for a 7th King of the Mountains title.

Leipheimer gets Armstrong's Olympic slot

USA Cycling chooses Leipheimer to replace Armstrong

USA Cycling will send Levi Leipheimer to next month's Athens Olympics, replacing Lance Armstrong, who last week said he would skip the Olympics to spend time with his family.

"Levi's addition to the team is an obvious testament to the depth of American cycling talent," USA Cycling CEO Gerard Bisceglia said. "Lance's departure is understandable and we certainly respect his decision to withdraw himself from the Olympics. Having the luxury to replace him with someone of Levi's caliber allows us to maintain a powerful team with a proven veteran."

Floyd Landis was next in line in the selection process, and Fred Rodriguez is the USPRO champion, but the unusual circumstances left the selection to the team's coaching staff. Leipheimer, 30, is riding for Rabobank in the Tour de France.

The full squad will be Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie, Bobby Julich, Jason McCartney, and Leipheimer.

Interview with US Olympian Kristin Armstrong

The Idaho Statesman | Kristin on Lance, phones and Diet Coke

Boise's Idaho Statesman chats with hometown Olympic cyclist Kristin "No Relation" Armstrong, who has to be getting tired of hearing that she has the same name as a certain 5-time Tour winner's ex-wife.

Kristin Armstrong came to the sport through triathlon, just like Lance, but Kristin rides for T-Mobile, the dominant US women's team. She had to give up running because of osteoarthritis and her talent and tri experience took her from regional cycling to an Olympic berth in only 2 years:

I realize I haven't competed as a pure cyclist for long but you can't discount the experience I have had as a triathlete competing at a world-class level. When you reach the top and are racing amongst the best it is more than fitness that gets you the win. The psychological aspect is great.

Armstrong used Boise's HP Women's Challenge, the biggest race in the US for women, as a springboard to a pro contract.

She's another iPod-using Armstrong, but she's got the mini.

Who will take Armstrong's slot in Athens?

sfgate.com | U.S. Olympic cycling roster still undecided

On Monday, Lance Armstrong officially notified USA Cycling that he won't compete in the Athens Olympics next month.

USA Cycling says they will make a selection by Thursday.

Likely candidates to replace Armstrong include Levi Leipheimer, Floyd Landis and Fred Rodriguez.

Floyd Landis was actually 6th in line by qualifying criteria, Rodriguez (in my opinion, the most likely to medal) is the USPRO champion, and Leipheimer is riding the Tour.

Petacchi may miss Athens Olympics

VeloNews | Injuries may keep Petacchi from Games

Alessandro Petacchi has a cracked rib and a badly bruised shoulder, suffered last Thursday on Stage 5.

Doctors estimate 30 days for complete healing, which makes Petacchi doubtful for the Olympic road race, scheduled for August 14.

Armstrong will skip Athens Olympics

BBC SPORT | Armstrong rules out Athens

Lance Armstrong announced he'll be skipping the Olympics in Athens in August.

According to ThePaceline.com, Armstrong's online fan club:

He will return to the United States after the Tour to spend time with his children. Lance said, “Spending this much time away from the kids is too hard.”

I'm not sure if the USA Cycling is required to abide by its selection rules now that the team has been named, but if it is, look for Floyd Landis to take Armstrong's place, since he was 6th in the 5-man selection process.

If the coaches get to choose, they ought to take Freddy Rodriguez, the US pro champion, and probably the best American sprinter.

Update: Looks like USA Cycling was caught by surprise here. Their response to the announcement mentions that a replacement would be chosen by coaches discretionary nomination, approved by the U.S. Olympic Committee.

Athens 2004 US cycling squad named

PRESS RELEASE - USA Cycling names 'strongest-ever' Olympic road team

USA Cycling officially named its men's and women's road cycling squads today. There's no drama, since all got in as compulsory selections:

Men's:
Lance Armstrong
Tyler Hamilton
George Hincapie
Bobby Julich
Jason McCartney

Women's:
Kristin "No Relation" Armstrong
Dede Barry
Christine Thorburn

Two men and two women from these lists will race the Athens time trial; no announcement yet.

U.S. mountain bike Olympians will be named July 13th.

Millar out of Olympics

SBS | No Olympics for Millar

David Millar has withdrawn from the Athens Olympics, according to a statement quoted by Sportal of Australia and posted on Millar's website:

"He has been suspended from British cycling pending a judicial hearing and voluntarily removes himself from the British Olympic Team."

Millar is still on the Cofidis team, but it doesn't look like that can last:

"David has not been axed by the team," Cofidis communications director Alexandre Michaud said.

"We will meet up with him during the Tour and if he says to us what he said to the judge - that he took EPO - his contract will be terminated."

Millar unlikely to ride Olympics

The Herald | Millar career in ruins as judge orders investigation

The story in the Scottish Herald newspaper goes into a little more detail on Millar's Thursday hearing.

Of the EPO syringes found at Millar's home in Biarritz, his attorney says Millar "was keeping them as souvenirs."

Looks like David Millar will be dropped by Cofidis, which continues to repeat that they "will adopt a zero-tolerance policy on doping."

Millar has been suspended by the British Cycling Federation, which may influence the British Olympic Association on Athens selections:

The BOA, though, were sticking by their wait-and-see policy. "We have 192 athletes selected for the Games and we are not aware of any of these athletes having committed a doping offence," said the spokesman, Philip Pope.

However, it seems inconceivable that Millar can possibly travel to Greece as a self-confessed drug user.

Other Armstrong wins women's Olympic qualifier

Elite Nationals: Armstrong, McCartney headed to Athens

It was a humdinger in Redlands, California on Saturday as the men's and women's Olympic qualifying road races were decided.

Kristin (no relation) Armstrong took the women's road race, and will have to deal with dozens of questions about whether she's THAT Kristin Armstrong. She's not. Here are photos to help keep them straight:

At left, Kristin Armstrong, separated from the 5-time Tour winner. At right, Kristin Armstrong, the triathlete headed to Athens:

Jason McCartney of HealthNet-Maxxis outsmarted a premium field to take the last spot on the US Olympic road squad. He'll join Lance Armstrong, Tyler Hamilton, Bobby Julich, and George Hincapie, assuming that everyone invited accepts.

UCI finally to sign WADA code, AFTER the Tour

Yahoo! Sport | UCI set date to finally sign WADA anti-doping code

According to Dick Pound, the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the international governing body of cycling, the UCI, will get around to signing the WADA's anti-doping code later this month, immediately after the Tour de France.

"It is quite late but it is nevertheless ahead of the Athens Olympics," added Pound, who said the essential thing was that the UCI has always accepted the code in principle and had contributed signifincantly to its development.

The UCI becomes the last international sport federation to sign on to the code, which requires 2-year bans for positive drug tests (UCI has typically given nothing longer than 18 months).

Rodriguez in or out for Athens?

cyclingnews.com | After Giro win, Fast Freddy dreams of Olympic gold

cyclingnews.com has a go at handicapping the selection process for the US Olympic road race team (PDF), focusing on whether twice-US PRO champion (and recent Giro stage winner) Fred Rodriguez is likely to make the 5-man team.

Rodriguez, probably the best US sprinter, and therefore one of the best US chances on the sprinter-friendly Athens route, could easily be left on the sidelines. There are already 5 riders with automatic qualifiers, and there's very likely to be a 6th after the USA Cycling USA Cycling Olympic Trials race in Redlands, CA June 19th.

The winner of the Trials in June has highest priority to make the team. Next are Lance Armstrong and Tyler Hamilton, who finished in the Top 5 in a grand tour over the last year. Then comes Bobby Julich, based on his top-five at Paris-Nice, then George Hincapie, for being ranked in the UCI World Cup Top 25 (he's 15th), and finally Floyd Landis, for being in the top 50 of the UCI road rankings.

Cyclingnews suggests that Rodriguez still can get in as a discretionary selection, but rule I(d)(4) looks clear:

Discretionary Nomination Criteria If positions remain open after the automatic nominations are exhausted, additional athletes may be nominated to the team based on USA Cycling Principles of Discretion.

As I read it, it looks like not only Rodriguez but Floyd Landis might be out if they don't win the Olympic trials race. Of course, there's a chance that some of the higher-priority riders might choose not to race.