The Cycliste Moderne, February 11, 2006

The Man has been keeping me fairly busy, however, as one of my associates points out, now that I am a partner, I guess I am now the Man, so that means I am keeping my self busy. January represents the calm before the storm as the peleton ramps up for the new season. So you really had not missed anything until today.

Hamilton Suspension Upheld

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Saturday on Tyler Hamilton’s appeal of the suspension he received from the United States Anti-Doping Authority (“USADA”). For you legally inclined folks, here is the link to the decision for you to read for yourselves.

Hamilton had been reported to have failed a new test designed to catch athletes who had been using transfusions of other people’s blood that was initiated at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Hamilton won the Olympic Individual Time Trial and later won an individual time trial during the 2004 Vuelta a Espana.

Reports had surfaced of “anomalies” in Hamilton’s blood tests throughout 2004. Hamilton was reported to have failed a similar test after his gold medal victory in Athens but due to the initial determination that his test was negative and the subsequent mishandling of his samples, he was not charged with any doping violation at that time. Upon the announcement in September 2004 of the positive tests at the Olympics and the Vuelta, Hamilton’s Phonak Team fired him and Hamilton voluntarily quit racing while he appealed the failed test and suspension.

Hamilton vigorously fought his suspension. Although the American arbitration panel that heard his initial appeal was split 2-1 in reaching its decision with one of the panelists questioning the methodology and verification of the blood doping test, the CAS did not have any concerns with the test but was somewhat critical of USADA’s scorched earth approach to the hearing and punishment. The CAS did question the credibility of some of the USADA’s witnesses but did not over turn the original two year ban.

The only positive outcome from the CAS ruling for Hamilton was the board’s decision that his suspension should run from the date he was fired by Phonak in September 2004 and not the date of the American arbitration panel’s decision in April 2005 upholding the USADA’s penalty. As such, Hamilton will be able to return to racing this fall and may be able to re-sign with a ProTour team. ProTour regulations double the length of any doping suspension by prohibiting ProTour teams from signing riders who have been suspended for an additional two year period. Because Hamilton’s suspension is deemed to have begun in September 2004, prior to the formation of the ProTour, Hamilton may be able to return to top level racing like fellow suspended rider David Millar will do this summer as his two year suspension concludes. If Hamilton’s suspension not been considered to begin until April 2005 when his initial appeal was rejected as USADA had requested, then he would have absolutely faced a 4 year ProTour ban likely precluding him from ever racing in a Grand Tour again. It is likely that the UCI will attempt to bar Hamilton from signing with a ProTour team, however, if Millar is eligible to sign with a ProTour team because his suspension started prior to the formation of the ProTour then Hamilton may be able to avoid a career ending suspension.

Still pending before the CAS is the Russian appeal of his gold medal performance in Athens. Former teammate at US Postal Service, Slava Ekimov, finished second in the Olympic time trial and the Russians have appealed Hamilton’s retention of the gold medal based upon a claim that even though Hamilton was not suspended or punished for his “positive” test at the Olympics because of the destruction of Hamilton’s “B” sample, that he should be stripped of his gold medal.

This has been a very long and very sad story. I honestly do not believe that Hamilton doped by the use of someone else’s blood. Unlike many professional cyclists, Hamilton was college educated and came to cycling later in his career after a skiing injury ended his skiing career at the University of Colorado. He had always shown incredible determination and grit, racing and winning with broken bones and sheer determination.

Now, we have to decide if our youngest son keeps his middle name given him for Hamilton's gritty performance during the 2003 Tour de France when he raced to a stage win with a broken collar bone.

Lance and Cheryl are Done

Lance and Sheryl broke up that is all everyone has asked me about over the last week since it was announced. That will eliminate a huge percentage of cycling “fans” in the US now that People Magazine will no longer have cycling coverage. But I kind of had to wonder about what his ex-wife thought about his moving “tribute” to Cheryl on his satellite radio show. And he says they remain best friends. Right.

Dopes on Doping

Bode Miller, having outraged the world by his admission that he has skied with a hangover and having opined that performance enhancing drugs should be legalized, turned his attention to commentary on doping in cycling. In a wide ranging interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Miller responded to questions about doping in sports opined that both Barry Bonds and Lance Armstrong were dopers who hide behind their lack of “knowingly” doping by consciously refusing to recognize what they are doing. It is tough to take a guy seriously on doping in sport who says that doping is not a big deal and that skiing drunk is ok and who refuses to show up for mandatory equipment tests and then who it is disclosed has used a “doctor” in Mexico who lacks medical credentials in the US for an untested medical procedure involving the injection of sugar solution into his knees.

Things are starting to warm up

The Jacob’s Creek Tour Down Under finished last weekend in South Australia, the Tour of Qatar was this last week as was the GP d'Ouverture La Marseillaise in France. The important early season warm up races then move to Thailand for the Tour de Langkawi, the early French stage races, Etoile de Bessèges and Tour Méditerranéen, Portugal for the Volta do Algarve, and then California for the first ever Amgen Tour of California. The real start of the season is still two months away with the first classic of the year Milan-San Remo in mid March.

The Blues are Here

Although I had thought about waiting to do my fashion evaluations later on during the season, I have to follow up on my comment from my last blog regarding the spread of blue team kits in the peleton. With the Discovery Channel team launch there are too many teams in blue, light blue that is.

Milram, Discovery Channel, Quick.Step, AG2R, and Gerolsteiner, all have jerseys which are light blue. If you thought last year’s Paris-Roubaix was tough to follow with the last three riders all having blue and silver jerseys, then I cannot wait until Milan-San Remo until all the light blues go up against each other for the first time.