06.07.2007 - Since taking over as T-Mobile Team general manager Bob Stapleton
(49) has confronted cycling's doping problem head-on. The American quickly went
about setting up a cycling programme with a commitment to clean and fair sport,
while simultaneously pushing for a level playing field for all. In an interview
with t-mobile-team.com editor Gerard Lyne, Stapleton discusses the team's
ambitions at this year's Tour and his views on the direction in which the sport
of cycling is heading.

Bob, this is your first Tour de France as the T-Mobile Team's general manager,
what are your expectations for the team once the race gets underway on Saturday?

Bob Stapleton: We believe we are sending a very balanced team. Our ambitions
remain high, but the focus of the team is much broader now than in previous
years. We have guys who are strong in the mountains and overall GC riders
circled around Michael Rogers - that's Patrik Sinkewitz, Linus Gerdeman and Axel
Merckx. We have breakaway specialists and we have sprinters, so we can
participate in the entire race. Unlike in the past when the team had to make the
race, now we're going to stay very flexible and be ready to take advantage of
how the race develops tactically. Those are different ambitions than in previous
years. It is not all for one. It is everything for the team.

T-Mobile is starting with a fresh and youthful looking roster.

Stapleton: Yes, we have three rookies getting their first taste of the Tour. The
bulk of the team is 27 years or younger, there are a couple of veterans, in
Merckx and Bert Grabsch, but overall it is quite a young team. We are giving
these guys a chance to gain some experience and see what it's really like at the
world's biggest race, so they are better prepared for next season.



Bob StapletonA few months ago British sprinter Mark Cavendish seemed a long-shot
for a Tour start, but through his performances he has forced his way into the
selection.

Stapleton: Mark is an absolute fighter, he passionately wants to go to the Tour.
But what we have to do is set realistic expectations. He'll go in there and
fight and if it doesn't work he'll go in there and fight again the next day. The
team believes in him and he believes in himself, and the first several stages
suit his style of racing. It's not like he is completely unproven - he's
produced good results at good races. However, the Tour takes all that up another
notch though - the speed and the intensity at the finish is going to be
something he hasn't experienced yet. But if we can give him a learning
experience that doesn't damage him, that is a good thing.

In Bernhard Eisel he appears to have the ideal sprint partner.

Stapleton: Cavendish and Eisel are good at riding for each other - they will
work together and decide who has the best chances and who feels the best. They
did that successfully at recent races in the US and in Holland. But they are not
alone - besides the GC guys, the balance of the team is there to work on the
flat stages, get away in breakaways or position our sprinters for a good run at
the finish, be that Cavendish or Eisel. All the riders are willing to sacrifice
for the team. You may see someone like Marcus Burghardt working for the
sprinters in the first week and then going for breakaways in later stages.

The team has been winning races consistently this season. How do you rate the
season so far from a sporting level?

Stapleton: The season to-date has been quite good. We got off to a slow start,
as we had so many guys who had just never raced together, we were really and
truly a new start-up team. Then the team really hit stride around Gent-Wevelgem
and since then we've been winning races every ten days or so. The team has been
very consistent and competitive. Our sprinters have got things sorted out, we
now know how to work together in races, so on the sporting side I very pleased,
we have exceeded my expectations in terms of actual victories. And don't forget
there's also been a lot of podium places. What I am most proud of is how these
wins have come on two different dimensions; youth and teamwork. All our wins
have come from guys 27 years or younger; Gerald Ciolek, Cavendish and Burghardt
- a really good sign. The teamwork behind these wins has also been superb; I
mean Roger Hammond's great work at Gent-Wevelgem, you could say he won that race
every bit as much as Burghardt - and that was true of these sprints wins as
well.

The team also enjoyed success at the Giro.

Stapleton: Yes, we pulled off a good Giro with Marco Pinotti grabbing the
leader's jersey, riding the way we wanted him to ride. He was also very
outspoken in terms of anti-doping, that was a great success for the team. But
the Grand Tours are an area where our team is most vulnerable, because in terms
of the riders we hired we have focused mostly on one-day races and shorter stage
races. After all, there's really only a handful of riders out there who are real
GC candidates at Grand Tours. And we know that it's at Grand Tours that you get
the biggest benefit from doping and blood manipulation. So we focussed away from
there, because we weren't confident that there were riders sharing our
commitment to clean and fair sport who were available and competitive. Over time
we intend to build our ability to compete in Grand Tours.

Who is providing medical support for the riders since the team ended its
relationship with the University Clinic Freiburg in May?

Stapleton: Two independent doctors are supporting us at the Tour and they have
supported us since our relationship with Freiburg ended. We are also in the
process of adding two more doctors, and those will get us through to the end of
the season. We have also put in place some interim clinic support - for medical
support, basic testing and athlete evaluation. So we are close to being set for
the rest of this year. Post-Tour we will go out to a number of clinics that have
expressed interest in supporting us long-term and make a decision in September
or October for next year.

You have actively pushed for more stringent anti-doping action in cycling since
you took over as general manager. Is the sport heading in the right direction?



Bob Stapleton (l.), Michael RogersStapleton: There have been some very positive
steps. The UCI's '100%-Against-Doping' programme took too long to get the
support of all teams - which has just happened. Nevertheless, the UCI did go out
on their own and do far more extensive testing; blood testing,
out-of-competition testing and also targeted testing. They have a list that they
are focussing on and I think that is a very intelligent move. UCI went forward
with the spirit of '100%-Against-Doping' and started the work already - that is
very encouraging.

Will the rider declaration help to focus the minds of the riders on getting
doping out of the sport?

Stapleton: The rider declaration is a good step, but not the perfect step. It is
what the UCI felt they could do and obviously we are supporting it 100%. We were
the first team to submit the signatures of all our riders and sporting managers
to the UCI. Regarding other teams, I think all the riders are going to have to
sign the declaration. It shows that many riders show commitment and almost all
recognize a need for change.

Do you have the feeling that more teams are gradually coming on board as
bed-fellows in the fight against doping?

Stapleton: There has been progress because economic realities have set in and
given more unity of purpose. There's a growing realisation that there's no
alternative but to take serious and dramatic action against doping. You have
seen the list of sponsors leaving the sport; Credit Agricole who have been
mainstay in the peloton for so many years, have announced they are leaving,
Cofidis are leaving, others look vulnerable. There is a deep fear that
sponsorships will be lost or not renewed, plus, races have been cancelled. So,
overall people have finally realised that the sport is struggling to continue
and they are coming together for a more wholehearted and tangible commitment to
get doping out of sport.

The year's Grand Depart takes place in the unfamiliar surroundings of London.

Stapleton: I am really looking forward to the Tour start in London - it should
be a great show. I was there a few weeks ago and the enthusiasm was immense. I
have a lot of respect for British cycling - they have been very open about
developing cycling in their country, they've had one of the best anti-doping
programmes and now they are getting recognition and benefit from it - not least
in terms of the many British riders starting the Tour, including Cavendish!

Going forward, will the T-Mobile Team continue its strong focus on developing
talented young riders?

Stapleton: Yes, we already have a number of riders signed for next season, and
they tend to be from a younger group. We are becoming a magnet for young talent!
We have already announced the Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen, and there will be
more. So, next year we will focus on bringing on the riders we already have, as
well as developing this new talent. Right now there is a lot of interest in the
team from the rider community. Last year we were a brand new team, with a new
management, and riders didn't know about us. Plus, the team didn't have a great
history in terms of riders coming in from outside and doing well. Now there's
remarkable interest in coming to T-Mobile, and that is a reflection that the
team is doing well, and the people believe in what the team is doing in terms of
clean and fair sport. That's very encouraging for the future.



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