I am all about seeing Alberto and Levi in the Tour. But I would like to see a site (that I would back all the way) that says "Let Astana Ride". Remember this is a team race!!!
I said this in the Let Levi Ride post. But I will say it again. I will not watch TdF this year if Astana is not invited. It will be hard but it's the only thing I can do and I hope others will do the same. I think other Pro teams should boycott... what comes around goes around. One day they may find themselves unfairly not invited to the TdF. Plus how can you not invite back last years winner?
This is crazy. Tell me how can you could punish a champion, by not letting him ride in the sports biggest race, for somthing he didn't do. If he and Levi can't ride that would be a huge mistake, and the sport would never recover.
Why on earth would they not let the defending champion ride on a completely new and clean team. If they cared about their sport and had any sense, they would recognize they are on the verge of losing many of their fan base. Without the riders they are banning, I certainly have no interest. One positive, it will make the other tours that much more significant!
Letting Levi ride-I get. But Contador? Maybe if ALberto is cleared of involvement in Puerto. But I think he is dirty. By the way, where has that guy been hiding?
---Chris, Alberto has been cleared by the UCI and the Spanish Federation of any involvment with OP. Scott Daubert, Trek Road Bikes Brand Manager.---
I think the whole thing is ridiculous. What's wrong with the teams & players? They'd form an extremely strong alliance against the UCI *and* ASO! I think they should form together and say they are uniting and tell the UCI and ASO to submit what rides they'd like to invite the teams/riders to. It wouldn't take many cancelled races before the UCI and ASO realize they need pro-level riders to hold their events.
I understand all the angst and frustration and I have it too but I also can see it from the ASO's point of view since Astana was supposed to be a new team last year or something like that but look at the cases they had. Also, the Liberty S (not sure of the spelling) team was essentially kinda dirty too back then and it changed into Astana without any form of a clean slate so to speak.
So, yes, Astana has changed but perhaps the ASO wants to really take a huge step and ban them this year and if they are proven to be clean all year long and deliver good results, they would be back next season.
Although, I do feel it could also be a biased point of view that the ASO has and it's taking it out on Astana when other teams should also be punished.
Wow, is the Tour this stupid? Do they really think banning innocent riders from riding in the tour will prevent future doping? They should be promoting the clean riders not banning them. Let'em ride!!!!!!!
This morning I read a great article about Christiane Prudhomme's very noble and just arguments to rid cycling of doping. For the past twenty-plus years I have enjoyed watching the Tour de France. His efforts and the work of others who work to rid the sport of drugs, have kept my faith in cycling and fair-minded play.
The article quoted him as saying, “... many people are fighting against this culture of doping—especially cyclists themselves,” Prudhomme said. “Change cannot be achieved just like that. But there is a great awareness of the problem.”
The article went on to say, "Prudhomme urged fans of cycling and the sports media not to focus on the past but to support those working to clean up the sport and to create a future for cycling free of drugs."
I certainly am one of those fans that support him.
However, he should head his own words and reverse the decision to ban Team Astana from the Tour and other cycling events this year. I believe the Astana collective has shown how serious they are about supporting a dope-free cycling world by completely changing the composition of their team top to bottom. They are just as serious as Prudhomme. Team Astana is a great example to all, young and old, that doping cannot be permitted in sport.
I hope ASO comes to agree with what I and many of my cycling circle believe: Team Astana can only aid anti-doping efforts, not hinder them. It'll be a shame if this year turns out to be the first in 25 that I don't follow the Tour.
I did try to watch the Paris to Nice Tour/Race but I did not find that I had much interest in doing so, the Race lacked the primary Cyclists in not having the New Team Astana there. I will probably not watch any future Tours put on by the ASO due to the fact that they have chosen to exclude the Cyclists on Team Astana simply to punish the Sponser of that team without considering the changes the Team has made in the off season and now having the #1 and #3 riders from last years TdF. I can to some degree agree with Christiane Prudhome's point in trying to make the sport a clean sport but in so doing by forbidding a sponser that has changed their entire team members and put in place it's own drug testing program I don't think he is looking at what has changed with many teams in reformulating this year to clean up the sport in their own way. I think he should take into consideration what has changed within the Teams makeup especially with Team Astana. I would like to see many of the other Teams boycott the Tours put on by the ASO to show unity among the pro cyclists but I really do not see anyone doing that.
David martin
let them ride!!!
February 27, 2008 at 05:23 PM
Matthew Oddy
I am all about seeing Alberto and Levi in the Tour. But I would like to see a site (that I would back all the way) that says "Let Astana Ride". Remember this is a team race!!!
February 27, 2008 at 08:32 PM
Joel Price
I said this in the Let Levi Ride post. But I will say it again. I will not watch TdF this year if Astana is not invited. It will be hard but it's the only thing I can do and I hope others will do the same. I think other Pro teams should boycott... what comes around goes around. One day they may find themselves unfairly not invited to the TdF. Plus how can you not invite back last years winner?
February 28, 2008 at 12:47 AM
Don
This is crazy. Tell me how can you could punish a champion, by not letting him ride in the sports biggest race, for somthing he didn't do. If he and Levi can't ride that would be a huge mistake, and the sport would never recover.
February 28, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Matt Snell
Why on earth would they not let the defending champion ride on a completely new and clean team. If they cared about their sport and had any sense, they would recognize they are on the verge of losing many of their fan base. Without the riders they are banning, I certainly have no interest. One positive, it will make the other tours that much more significant!
February 28, 2008 at 06:58 PM
Chris
Letting Levi ride-I get. But Contador? Maybe if ALberto is cleared of involvement in Puerto. But I think he is dirty. By the way, where has that guy been hiding?
---Chris, Alberto has been cleared by the UCI and the Spanish Federation of any involvment with OP. Scott Daubert, Trek Road Bikes Brand Manager.---
February 29, 2008 at 12:32 AM
Brian Brader
Let the Astana team ride. Do not punish innocent riders or innocent fans.
February 29, 2008 at 08:21 AM
MarvinK
I think the whole thing is ridiculous. What's wrong with the teams & players? They'd form an extremely strong alliance against the UCI *and* ASO! I think they should form together and say they are uniting and tell the UCI and ASO to submit what rides they'd like to invite the teams/riders to. It wouldn't take many cancelled races before the UCI and ASO realize they need pro-level riders to hold their events.
Just my 2 cents...
March 02, 2008 at 03:03 PM
MarvinK
btw.. has Trek ever considered an idea website--like Dell's IdeaStorm? It seems like something worthwhile.
March 02, 2008 at 03:12 PM
Uzair
I understand all the angst and frustration and I have it too but I also can see it from the ASO's point of view since Astana was supposed to be a new team last year or something like that but look at the cases they had. Also, the Liberty S (not sure of the spelling) team was essentially kinda dirty too back then and it changed into Astana without any form of a clean slate so to speak.
So, yes, Astana has changed but perhaps the ASO wants to really take a huge step and ban them this year and if they are proven to be clean all year long and deliver good results, they would be back next season.
Although, I do feel it could also be a biased point of view that the ASO has and it's taking it out on Astana when other teams should also be punished.
March 03, 2008 at 11:24 AM
Kelley
Wow, is the Tour this stupid? Do they really think banning innocent riders from riding in the tour will prevent future doping? They should be promoting the clean riders not banning them. Let'em ride!!!!!!!
March 06, 2008 at 04:05 PM
Dave Donoghue
It will be very hard not to follow any of the Grand Tours. But I will not watch any of them until they let both Levi and Contador ride.
March 06, 2008 at 05:13 PM
John Bullard
This morning I read a great article about Christiane Prudhomme's very noble and just arguments to rid cycling of doping. For the past twenty-plus years I have enjoyed watching the Tour de France. His efforts and the work of others who work to rid the sport of drugs, have kept my faith in cycling and fair-minded play.
The article quoted him as saying, “... many people are fighting against this culture of doping—especially cyclists themselves,” Prudhomme said. “Change cannot be achieved just like that. But there is a great awareness of the problem.”
The article went on to say, "Prudhomme urged fans of cycling and the sports media not to focus on the past but to support those working to clean up the sport and to create a future for cycling free of drugs."
I certainly am one of those fans that support him.
However, he should head his own words and reverse the decision to ban Team Astana from the Tour and other cycling events this year. I believe the Astana collective has shown how serious they are about supporting a dope-free cycling world by completely changing the composition of their team top to bottom. They are just as serious as Prudhomme. Team Astana is a great example to all, young and old, that doping cannot be permitted in sport.
I hope ASO comes to agree with what I and many of my cycling circle believe: Team Astana can only aid anti-doping efforts, not hinder them. It'll be a shame if this year turns out to be the first in 25 that I don't follow the Tour.
March 07, 2008 at 09:34 AM
sygyzy
Sorry but I could not find contact information. Has anyone else noticed that the RSS feed for this site - http://trekroad.typepad.com/trekroad/index.rdf
actually feeds you celebrity gossip from http://trekroad.typepad.com/trekroad/index.rdf?
March 07, 2008 at 01:37 PM
Jim
I Think the ASO and UCI are getting to power hungry idiots.Let them ride!!!
March 12, 2008 at 04:35 PM
Gary Mickel
I did try to watch the Paris to Nice Tour/Race but I did not find that I had much interest in doing so, the Race lacked the primary Cyclists in not having the New Team Astana there. I will probably not watch any future Tours put on by the ASO due to the fact that they have chosen to exclude the Cyclists on Team Astana simply to punish the Sponser of that team without considering the changes the Team has made in the off season and now having the #1 and #3 riders from last years TdF. I can to some degree agree with Christiane Prudhome's point in trying to make the sport a clean sport but in so doing by forbidding a sponser that has changed their entire team members and put in place it's own drug testing program I don't think he is looking at what has changed with many teams in reformulating this year to clean up the sport in their own way. I think he should take into consideration what has changed within the Teams makeup especially with Team Astana. I would like to see many of the other Teams boycott the Tours put on by the ASO to show unity among the pro cyclists but I really do not see anyone doing that.
March 18, 2008 at 12:37 PM