TAILWIND SPORTS TO END CYCLING TEAM SPONSOR SEARCH


Team to cease operation effective the end of 2007 season


(Austin, TX) - Tailwind Sports, owner and operator of the current Discovery
Channel Pro Cycling Team, announced today that it will cease operations at the
conclusion of the 2007 cycling season. The Team, with roots back to 1989, has
operated under the Tailwind umbrella and seen tremendous success over its tenure
including eight Tour de France titles, a Tour of Italy and a Tour of Spain
title, and numerous national championships.

"Tailwind has had an amazing ten years of success with U.S. Postal and more
recently Discovery Channel as its title sponsor. This is arguably the most
successful sports franchise in the history of sport," stated General Manage Bill
Stapleton. "This was a difficult decision, not made any easier by our recent
Tour de France success. We were in talks with a number of companies about the
opportunity and were confident a new sponsor was imminent. We have chosen,
however, to end those discussions."

Sports Director Johan Bruyneel has been the driving force behind the Team's
success since his arrival to the team in 1999. In only nine years, Bruyneel has
created a legacy that will live on in cycling history, and his departure from
the sport was not an easy choice.

"When I came to direct this team in 1999 I never would have imagined that we
could achieve this level of success. It was an amazing time in my life and the
lives of all the staff and riders associated with this team," commented Sports
Director Johan Bruyneel.

"What I will miss are the staff, riders and the excitement of the races, but not
all the in fighting between the teams. This team has become my family and I am
very sad to think that we will not be together next season. 2007 has been our
most successful season ever and I expect the remainder of the season to continue
on that same path."

Lance Armstrong has been intricately involved in the team both as a rider and as
an owner.

"I do not think you have seen the last of this organization in the sport but
clearly things need to improve on many levels, with a more unified front, before
you would see us venture back into cycling," added Armstrong, co-owner and
seven-time Tour de France champion.

The Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team will continue to race its full calendar
of Pro Tour races including the final grand tour of the season, the Tour of
Spain, as well as the upcoming Tour of Missouri.


###


TAILWIND SPORTS

Tailwind Sports owns and operates the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team.
Founded in 1989, the team has established itself as one of the best in the world
and is the only American team to have won each of the sports' premier events:
the Tour de France, Tour of Spain and Tour of Italy, including Lance Armstrong's
historic seven consecutive victories at the Tour de France.

Tailwind has partnered with Capital Sports & Entertainment (CSE), an
experiential event and sports marketing firm based in Austin, Texas to manage
the sponsorship and operations of the team. Tailwind supports both USA Cycling
and the USA Cycling Development Foundation to help identify and develop future
American cyclists. Find out more about the Team and CSE at: www.thepaceline.com
http://www.thepaceline.com and www.planetcse.com


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Associated Press - August 10, 2007 9:55 AM ET

PARIS (AP) - Lance Armstrong's old team is disbanding.

Tailwind Sports announced today that its Discovery Channel team will cease
operations at the end of this season.

The statement also suggests that Armstrong's mentor, Johan (yoh-HAHN') Bruyneel
(brih-NEEL'), will retire. Bruyneel coached the Austin cycling great through his
record seven Tour de France wins.

Alberto Contador of Spain won this year's Tour de France for Discovery Channel.
On Friday, he denied any involvement in doping following allegations that he was
linked to the Operation Puerto drug investigation.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The incident happened in the Criterium International, not the Tour de France, in
1997 in the south west of France near Toulouse. The horse left the field only
20km from the finish of the race. Thankfully nothing serious happened to any of
the riders. The stage was won by an Once rider

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-xR1HErmH8

Sorry not the TDF but still cute....
Sue

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dunno if this is authentic or not.... but it's cute...  supposedly happened
during the TDf (probably not this year... it's dated 2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-xR1HErmH8

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

cheers for that sue.  Saves me sitting thru watching it! I COULD say
that Id rather spend an hour watching some clean riders RACE on tv
rather than sit defending themselves. But lately, can we tell who IS
or isnt clean?




--- In roadracingukandireland@yahoogroups.com, "SueW" <gswidemark@...>
wrote:
>
> RE: Landis
>
> I felt that he was doping right after the 17th stage and told my
hubby that. Because no one could crash the way HE did (AND have a
broken necrotic hip joint) and FINISH let alone WIN without help.
That's just logic. Just like it was obvious Tyler Hamilton was doping
also because how else can a person ride an entire tour with a broken
collar bone.
>
> Here is an interview a Q & A session he did for Google employees
which is up on YOU TUBE.  It's 56 minutes long and worth listening to
the whole thing.
>
> In the interview , I felt that he did NOT really prove any innocence
and a lot of what he said suggested he DID dope.
>
> He did inject steroids into his hip (cortisone) which I know is
questionable in cycling.  He pointed out "where do you draw the line?"
  A good point. And said that they were talking about banning altitude
tents which was how Lance Armstrong increased HIS red blood cells.
>
> He was asked how does a cyclist "revive" himself after a difficult
stage and he pretty much evaded that question.  First joked "did you
ever hear of alcohol?" a joke he made a couple of times.  And then
said he was pretty flexible about food which was good because they
stayed in all kinds of places with all kinds of food. That was about
all he said.
>
> He said the problem was the UCI and group HAD NO SET RULES.  Just a
vague rule about "anything performance enhancing" (which would include
cortisone also by the way).  They should, like the Olympics, have a
list of banned drugs.  Good point.
>
> He said that last year his necrotic hip was not bad for racing -
just an ache that kept him awake at night.  Bad enough to kept him
awake at night after a grueling day of cycling, seems pretty bad to me.
>
> His comments about Lance Armstrong were interesting.  First comment
"well I hear this is going to be on 'youtube' so I'd better tone it
down!"  (audience laughed).  Then he described Lance as obsessive and
perfectionist having a firm idea of what he wanted from each person on
his team. He said he didn't have any trouble with him, but he added
"let's put it this way - Lance doesn't have many friends!"
>
> The folks at Google were subtle about asking him the BIG QUESTION
and but they asked some questions which had Landis answered, might
have said more about HIS case - like they asked how could a guy like
Ras who was strictly a climber become an all around good biker - good
on time trials also.
>
> Landis TOTALLY EVADED this question and said that guys like McEwen
would never be climbers.  His evasion was rather obvious on this one. :)
>
> Landis may not have a boisterous loud demeanor but I would not call
him self deprecating either.  He was pretty arrogant in some of his
answers - about Lance etc.
>
> He also lied obviously about some answers. When asked about the
behavior in the peloton, he said they all respected each other and if
there was an accident, it was ALWAYS an accident.  First of all, folks
like McEwen have been caught doing things um... to make others faulter
and secondly it's common knowledge that there is plenty of body
language stuff to make others crash. I cannot believe he doesn't know
about that.
>
> He did say something interesting - he said they just tested the
leader of the teams and the stage winner.  In the 21 days of the TDF,
he only got 8 drug tests.
>
> About his positive results he didn't talk much but said maybe it
wasn't HIS urine and also he finds fault with the way the lab works
and accused them of changing numbers when they wanted.
>
> About doping in the peloton - he pretty much evaded that question,
saying only that he couldn't speak for anyone else and he knew it was
happening but thought it was much less than the news would like us to
believe.
>
> A person can be extremely charming and not be honest - we know that
from Bill Clinton... sometimes folks mix up charm with moral tenor...
>
> Here is the direct link to the video ---
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qem7taX7nPQ
>
> It's interesting to note that Landis sat leaned over to favor his
good hip. So he's apparently uncomfortable sitting for longer periods.
>
> I do not fault him for doping because I would bet all the top
contender were doing that but I do feel he's being dishonest to not
come clean and try to cheat his way out of just admitting it like all
the other cyclists did.  That is unfair to his fans and the American
people and seems he's raised quite a bit of bucks doing this. His book
is a best seller and he raised over 2 million from a website and fund
raisers.
>
> What I have reported is a fraction of what you will hear on the
video. As I said, it's worth taking the time to view.
>
> Sue
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Ryan Cox, one of South Africa's top cyclists, died in Johannesburg early on
Wednesday three weeks after receiving an operation in Europe, his club Team
Barloworld has announced.

South African Press Association (SAPA) reported that Cox, 28, died in the
Kempton Park hospital around 5 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Wednesday. He underwent a
vascular lesion operation in France three weeks ago.

Cox returned to South Africa to recuperate, but his condition deteriorated on
Monday, and he was rushed to hospital after the main artery in his left leg
burst on Tuesday.

Clint Curtis, who coached the Barloworld rider when he was a junior, said on
Tuesday Cox had been having problems with his left leg for some time.

"He sometimes lost the feeling in the leg after cycling and had little power in
the leg towards the end of some races.

"Ryan then went to see one of the leading doctors in France. It was found that
the artery had, as a consequence of all the cycling, become knotted as sometimes
happens to a garden hose," Curtis was quoted as saying by SAPA.

Curtis said the problem often happens to cyclists because they spend so many
hours on the bicycles, with their legs bent while pedalling.

"The doctor in France has performed surgery of this type on about 600 cyclists,
among them Stuart O'Leary, who has worn the yellow jersey in the Tour de
France," he said.

Barloworld on Wednesday cancelled a press conference which was arranged to
welcome Robert Hunter, Cox's teammate, back after a very successful Tour de
France.

Hunter won a sprinting stage, the first ever stage win by an African rider in
the Tour, while Mauricio Soler, a member of the South African sponsored
Barloworld team, won the King of the Mountains category.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

RE: Landis

I felt that he was doping right after the 17th stage and told my hubby that.
Because no one could crash the way HE did (AND have a broken necrotic hip joint)
and FINISH let alone WIN without help.  That's just logic. Just like it was
obvious Tyler Hamilton was doping also because how else can a person ride an
entire tour with a broken collar bone.

Here is an interview a Q & A session he did for Google employees which is up on
YOU TUBE.  It's 56 minutes long and worth listening to the whole thing.

In the interview , I felt that he did NOT really prove any innocence and a lot
of what he said suggested he DID dope.

He did inject steroids into his hip (cortisone) which I know is questionable in
cycling.  He pointed out "where do you draw the line?"  A good point. And said
that they were talking about banning altitude tents which was how Lance
Armstrong increased HIS red blood cells.

He was asked how does a cyclist "revive" himself after a difficult stage and he
pretty much evaded that question.  First joked "did you ever hear of alcohol?" a
joke he made a couple of times.  And then said he was pretty flexible about food
which was good because they stayed in all kinds of places with all kinds of
food. That was about all he said.

He said the problem was the UCI and group HAD NO SET RULES.  Just a vague rule
about "anything performance enhancing" (which would include cortisone also by
the way).  They should, like the Olympics, have a list of banned drugs.  Good
point.

He said that last year his necrotic hip was not bad for racing - just an ache
that kept him awake at night.  Bad enough to kept him awake at night after a
grueling day of cycling, seems pretty bad to me.

His comments about Lance Armstrong were interesting.  First comment "well I hear
this is going to be on 'youtube' so I'd better tone it down!"  (audience
laughed).  Then he described Lance as obsessive and perfectionist having a firm
idea of what he wanted from each person on his team. He said he didn't have any
trouble with him, but he added "let's put it this way - Lance doesn't have many
friends!"

The folks at Google were subtle about asking him the BIG QUESTION and but they
asked some questions which had Landis answered, might have said more about HIS
case - like they asked how could a guy like Ras who was strictly a climber
become an all around good biker - good on time trials also.

Landis TOTALLY EVADED this question and said that guys like McEwen would never
be climbers.  His evasion was rather obvious on this one. :)

Landis may not have a boisterous loud demeanor but I would not call him self
deprecating either.  He was pretty arrogant in some of his answers - about Lance
etc.

He also lied obviously about some answers. When asked about the behavior in the
peloton, he said they all respected each other and if there was an accident, it
was ALWAYS an accident.  First of all, folks like McEwen have been caught doing
things um... to make others faulter and secondly it's common knowledge that
there is plenty of body language stuff to make others crash. I cannot believe he
doesn't know about that.

He did say something interesting - he said they just tested the leader of the
teams and the stage winner.  In the 21 days of the TDF, he only got 8 drug
tests.

About his positive results he didn't talk much but said maybe it wasn't HIS
urine and also he finds fault with the way the lab works and accused them of
changing numbers when they wanted.

About doping in the peloton - he pretty much evaded that question, saying only
that he couldn't speak for anyone else and he knew it was happening but thought
it was much less than the news would like us to believe.

A person can be extremely charming and not be honest - we know that from Bill
Clinton... sometimes folks mix up charm with moral tenor...

Here is the direct link to the video ---

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qem7taX7nPQ

It's interesting to note that Landis sat leaned over to favor his good hip. So
he's apparently uncomfortable sitting for longer periods.

I do not fault him for doping because I would bet all the top contender were
doing that but I do feel he's being dishonest to not come clean and try to cheat
his way out of just admitting it like all the other cyclists did.  That is
unfair to his fans and the American people and seems he's raised quite a bit of
bucks doing this. His book is a best seller and he raised over 2 million from a
website and fund raisers.

What I have reported is a fraction of what you will hear on the video. As I
said, it's worth taking the time to view.

Sue

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

So now that he's a household word (almost), there are some folks who feel that
Levi should get um.... the lack of hair fixed.  Hence here is how Levi looks
with hair:

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t243/chaoscycling/Levi.jpg

(artists rendition - no Levi did NOT visit the firms advertising on TV)

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

yep, and now I hear Iban Mayo has been caught. Maybe we should just ban
any pro rider over 28 who is not Jens Voigt. You know.. just in case...

  --- In roadracingukandireland@yahoogroups.com, mickymallen
<no_reply@...> wrote:
>
> Ive been in Austria on hols the last 2 weeks and tho Ive caught up
> with highlights in german on eurosport, ive been a bit cut off from
> the news etc
>
> I turned it on on thurs and watched the whole stage...how did millar
> fluff a good chance there!??
> and at the end, contador was give the yellow jersey!!
>
> what the hell!!!  I reads on the web thru my mobile about rasmussen,
> vino etc etc
>
> this is just absolute crap, it really is!
>

really nice photos of the Tour de France by pro photographer - worth a look!

http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/road_test/tour_de_france.do



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ive been in Austria on hols the last 2 weeks and tho Ive caught up
with highlights in german on eurosport, ive been a bit cut off from
the news etc

I turned it on on thurs and watched the whole stage...how did millar
fluff a good chance there!??
and at the end, contador was give the yellow jersey!!

what the hell!!!  I reads on the web thru my mobile about rasmussen,
vino etc etc

this is just absolute crap, it really is!

Said I wasn't going to watch the race this am.

Didn't make it... I watched.  Darned me.  I think I'm addicted.

Contador looked sad when he put on the yellow jersey at the end of today's
stage.  As the blabographers were crowing about how this is his "special day" he
didn't LOOK like he FELT it was his special day. No one wants to win by default.
No one.

I remember one time when I played pool with our son, a pool champion (8 ball)
who regularly "skunked me" (sank all the shots before I had a turn). This time,
he sank the 8 ball too early and lost the game. I felt no victory even though I
won by default.

No one wants to win by default.  I feel bad for everyone....

Sue

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

>>>>Now what ...

<<<<

Rasmussen fired just as he was about to win the tour. I watched him attacked by
two Discovery riders and he managed to fight off the attacks and even win the
stage.  After the race, Leipheimer said that unless Rasmussen really messed up
the time trial on Saturday, he was going to win the TdF.

Next thing we knew, Rasmussen had been fired for not being available for those
drug tests in May and June. Well, ok they knew about that BEFORE he started the
tour and still let him rip up his body keeping the yellow jersey for 9 days and
winning the stage today which was not easy.

And that's just really lucky for Disc which doesn't have a sponsor but if they
win, of course, they MIGHT get a sponsor.  Contador is 2 min 38 seconds behind
Rasmussen and now as leader, 1 min and change separates him and Cadel Evans and
that's about it... the others have too much time to make up.  So Contador will
win. By Default.

I'm so disgusted I'm not bothering to watch it anymore.

Sue

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/25072007/58/tour-de-france-rasmussen-tour-rabobank\
-wield-axe.html

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi All,

Sorry to post this but...

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/25072007/58/tour-de-france-cofidis-withdraw-moreni\
-positive.html

Kristian.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/25072007/58/tour-de-france-failed-drugs-test-tour.\
html

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I think the sport is effectively dead, certainly irrelevant.
I think I would cancel the Tour for the next five years, allow time for the
current peloton to  grow too old to participate. I'd use the five years to groom
the younger riders in a culture of fair racing.

Kristian Burton <kristian@...> wrote:
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/24072007/58/tour-de-france-cycling-rocked-new-drug\
s-shame.html

  Now what ...

  Kristian.

  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






---------------------------------
Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on Yahoo! TV.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/24072007/58/tour-de-france-cycling-rocked-new-drug\
s-shame.html

Now what ...

Kristian.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Interesting stuff but Jerry Brewer obviously never came across
Richard Virenque. He wrote the book on protesting innocence with all
sincerity until prove guilty. though lacking Virenques matinee idol
looks, and flamboyance Landis is going down a similar road with his
PR, maybe with a touch of Hamilton thrown in.

I suspect Landis has few options other than to keep protesting his
innocence. No rider has ever faced a fall from such a great height,
and having set out his stall of denial there is no road back. --- In
roadracingukandireland@yahoogroups.com, "SueW" <gswidemark@...> wrote:
>
> Jerry Brewer
> Tireless Landis won't quit pursuit of innocence
>
> By Jerry Brewer
> Times staff Columnist
>
> I will not believe Floyd Landis. I will not believe Floyd Landis. I
will not believe Floyd Landis.
>
> I. Will. Not. Believe. Floyd. Landis.
>
> He cannot be trusted, cannot be admired. He duped us, he doped, and
that's that. Back to bashing Barry Bonds.
>
> Landis visited Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park last Thursday,
trying to promote his new book, "Positively False: The Real Story of
How I Won the Tour de France." What a nightmare that was. A pro-
Landis crowd of about 500 - "Our biggest crowd yet," publicist Brooke
Emerson gushed - came to hear Landis speak, take 25 minutes' worth of
questions and sign books.
>
> Landis did not leave until every question was answered, every book
signed. He seemed like he was having fun.
>
> I thought cheaters ducked and dodged.
>
> "He's just a normal guy," marveled a gray-haired man standing next
to me while Landis spoke. "He has such a nice smile."
>
> Normal? As opposed to diabolical?
>
> A nice smile? As opposed to a sneer?
>
> I will not believe Floyd Landis. I will not believe Floyd Landis. I
will not believe Floyd Landis.
>
> Landis does not come across as a con man who stole the 2006 Tour de
France. He is charming, but not in a syrupy way. If you put him in a
room with 7-year-olds, he would still seem innocent.
>
> In this era of doping, no other busted athlete has proclaimed
purity as long and loud as Landis. No other busted athlete has
written a book. No other busted athlete has cared so much about
changing public perception, even though several have fought similar
legal battles.
>
> Bonds does not care what we think. Neither does Marion Jones. Jason
Giambi lied, later said he was sorry in a non-incriminating manner,
and now he pokes out his lower lip to try to illicit sympathy.
>
> Some stars accused without evidence will not even show their faces
(Mark McGwire) or speak English when the topic is performance-
enhancing drugs (Sammy Sosa).
>
> Yet here is Landis, admittedly in the lower-profile sport of
cycling, fighting.
>
> "Look, that's what WADA [the World Anti-Doping Agency] hopes for,"
Landis said in an interview before his appearance. "They want
athletes to go into hiding, to decide it's not worth fighting for.
They're afraid of having an unfair system exposed for what it is.
They go into these things under the assumption that anybody who wins
any sporting event is guilty of some kind of doping.
>
> "So the means justify the end to them. You can completely fabricate
a result just to say someone's guilty, and to them, that's enough."
>
> Landis alternates between cute stories about his childhood in
Lancaster, Pa., and attacks on The System. It makes him more human,
less of a salesman. His words do not sound rehearsed, although he has
said similar things before. He speaks in a bundle of joy and disgust,
reacts with laughter and rage.
>
> I will not believe Floyd Landis. I will not believe Floyd Landis.
>
> A year ago, life was so different. Landis was in the yellow jersey.
He was eight days from winning his first Tour, succeeding Lance
Armstrong and giving America another overcoming-the-odds tale.
>
> Then we learned he had failed a drug test. The science behind it
all confuses the layman. First Landis tested positive for "an
excessive ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone." After that,
there were more tests. Some "B" samples of Landis' urine revealed
synthetic testosterone.
>
> Now he is suspended from his cycling team and trying to reclaim his
reputation. He says he has spent $2 million defending himself. In
May, he attended a bizarre arbitration hearing with the United States
Anti-Doping Agency to attempt to clear his name.
>
> A decision is pending, but that hearing will be remembered for
three-time Tour champion Greg LeMond's shocking claim that Landis'
business manager, Will Geoghegan, threatened to expose details of
LeMond's childhood sexual abuse if he gave bad testimony. Landis has
since fired Geoghegan.
>
> There is a soap opera to everything about Landis' story. In his
book, Landis does a nice job of casting reasonable doubt about his
guilt, especially with claims of shoddy lab work.
>
> "If I did my job the way they did theirs, you never would've heard
of me," Landis said.
>
> Landis knows he cannot win over everyone. Many people are too
cynical. But he also knows that cynicism can work both ways. Many
people love their conspiracy theories.
>
> "Honestly, I hope people don't just believe what I say," Landis
said. "I hope they listen and then look at the facts. They wouldn't
have a case if this were an innocent-until-proven-guilty system.
>
> "I know that I won the Tour. I know I worked hard for 15 years. I
would not have wished this humiliation on anyone, but I know who I
am."
>
> I will not believe Floyd Landis.
>
> He is a cheater; no, he is a victim. He is a sweet talker; no, he
is a sweet man. He is feasting on his infamy; no, he is eager to
claim his innocence.
>
> Thing is, no matter what you think of him, Landis has a point. And
he will not stop making it.
>
> "Americans don't put up with this [expletive]," Landis declared to
the crowd.
>
> That's right!
>
> Right on!
>
> Right?
>
> Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@...
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Jerry Brewer
Tireless Landis won't quit pursuit of innocence

By Jerry Brewer
Times staff Columnist

I will not believe Floyd Landis. I will not believe Floyd Landis. I will not
believe Floyd Landis.

I. Will. Not. Believe. Floyd. Landis.

He cannot be trusted, cannot be admired. He duped us, he doped, and that's that.
Back to bashing Barry Bonds.

Landis visited Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park last Thursday, trying to
promote his new book, "Positively False: The Real Story of How I Won the Tour de
France." What a nightmare that was. A pro-Landis crowd of about 500 - "Our
biggest crowd yet," publicist Brooke Emerson gushed - came to hear Landis speak,
take 25 minutes' worth of questions and sign books.

Landis did not leave until every question was answered, every book signed. He
seemed like he was having fun.

I thought cheaters ducked and dodged.

"He's just a normal guy," marveled a gray-haired man standing next to me while
Landis spoke. "He has such a nice smile."

Normal? As opposed to diabolical?

A nice smile? As opposed to a sneer?

I will not believe Floyd Landis. I will not believe Floyd Landis. I will not
believe Floyd Landis.

Landis does not come across as a con man who stole the 2006 Tour de France. He
is charming, but not in a syrupy way. If you put him in a room with 7-year-olds,
he would still seem innocent.

In this era of doping, no other busted athlete has proclaimed purity as long and
loud as Landis. No other busted athlete has written a book. No other busted
athlete has cared so much about changing public perception, even though several
have fought similar legal battles.

Bonds does not care what we think. Neither does Marion Jones. Jason Giambi lied,
later said he was sorry in a non-incriminating manner, and now he pokes out his
lower lip to try to illicit sympathy.

Some stars accused without evidence will not even show their faces (Mark
McGwire) or speak English when the topic is performance-enhancing drugs (Sammy
Sosa).

Yet here is Landis, admittedly in the lower-profile sport of cycling, fighting.

"Look, that's what WADA [the World Anti-Doping Agency] hopes for," Landis said
in an interview before his appearance. "They want athletes to go into hiding, to
decide it's not worth fighting for. They're afraid of having an unfair system
exposed for what it is. They go into these things under the assumption that
anybody who wins any sporting event is guilty of some kind of doping.

"So the means justify the end to them. You can completely fabricate a result
just to say someone's guilty, and to them, that's enough."

Landis alternates between cute stories about his childhood in Lancaster, Pa.,
and attacks on The System. It makes him more human, less of a salesman. His
words do not sound rehearsed, although he has said similar things before. He
speaks in a bundle of joy and disgust, reacts with laughter and rage.

I will not believe Floyd Landis. I will not believe Floyd Landis.

A year ago, life was so different. Landis was in the yellow jersey. He was eight
days from winning his first Tour, succeeding Lance Armstrong and giving America
another overcoming-the-odds tale.

Then we learned he had failed a drug test. The science behind it all confuses
the layman. First Landis tested positive for "an excessive ratio of testosterone
to epitestosterone." After that, there were more tests. Some "B" samples of
Landis' urine revealed synthetic testosterone.

Now he is suspended from his cycling team and trying to reclaim his reputation.
He says he has spent $2 million defending himself. In May, he attended a bizarre
arbitration hearing with the United States Anti-Doping Agency to attempt to
clear his name.

A decision is pending, but that hearing will be remembered for three-time Tour
champion Greg LeMond's shocking claim that Landis' business manager, Will
Geoghegan, threatened to expose details of LeMond's childhood sexual abuse if he
gave bad testimony. Landis has since fired Geoghegan.

There is a soap opera to everything about Landis' story. In his book, Landis
does a nice job of casting reasonable doubt about his guilt, especially with
claims of shoddy lab work.

"If I did my job the way they did theirs, you never would've heard of me,"
Landis said.

Landis knows he cannot win over everyone. Many people are too cynical. But he
also knows that cynicism can work both ways. Many people love their conspiracy
theories.

"Honestly, I hope people don't just believe what I say," Landis said. "I hope
they listen and then look at the facts. They wouldn't have a case if this were
an innocent-until-proven-guilty system.

"I know that I won the Tour. I know I worked hard for 15 years. I would not have
wished this humiliation on anyone, but I know who I am."

I will not believe Floyd Landis.

He is a cheater; no, he is a victim. He is a sweet talker; no, he is a sweet
man. He is feasting on his infamy; no, he is eager to claim his innocence.

Thing is, no matter what you think of him, Landis has a point. And he will not
stop making it.

"Americans don't put up with this [expletive]," Landis declared to the crowd.

That's right!

Right on!

Right?

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@....


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19808514/



Alexandre Vinokourov breaks down in tears after his struggles on the ninth stage
of the Tour de France on Tuesday.

BRIANCON, France - A favorite to win the Tour de France, Alexandre Vinokourov's
title hopes are fading fast.

The injured cyclist fell more than eight minutes behind leader Michael Rasmussen
in Tuesday's ninth stage, the last of three stages in the Alps.

Juan Mauricio Soler became the latest Colombian to show climbing prowess at the
Tour, attacking in the last of three major ascents and holding off a pack of
chasers to win the stage.

Soler, a 24-year-old Colombian competing in his first Tour for the newcomer
Barloworld team, finished the 99.1-mile ride from Val d'Isere to Briancon in 4
hours, 14 minutes, 24 seconds.

"I'm really happy ... Winning a stage is a dream," Soler said.

Rasmussen, a Dane who took home the polka-dot jersey of the Tour's best climber
the last two years, leads a thinning pack of hopefuls after the Alps proved too
much for some.

His ambitions are growing to hold on to the leader's yellow jersey, which he
took in the second Alpine stage Sunday. His main rivals did little during
Tuesday's climbs.

Only a few managed to make up some ground. Alejandro Valverde of Spain, who
placed second after Soler, gained 16 seconds against Rasmussen and is second
overall - 2 minutes, 35 seconds back.

Valverde, who crashed out of last year's Tour with a broken collarbone, leads a
strong Caisse d'Epargne team and is shaping up as perhaps the biggest threat to
the 33-year-old Dane's ambitions.

Iban Mayo, a strong Spanish climber, was third overall and is 2:39 behind,
crossing the finish line along with Rasmussen.


Vinokourov is aching in both knees after a crash on Thursday. The Astana team
leader briefly dropped back to get an anti-inflammatory pill from the race
doctor during Tuesday's stage.

"I did what I could. The team worked well again ... and tried to reduce the
gap," Vinokourov said on France-2 television.

"It was another horrible day for me," he said before breaking into tears.

Vinokourov, who was third in the 2003 Tour and won last year's Tour of Spain,
lost another 2:42 to Rasmussen and now trails by 8:05 overall in 21st place.

Riders face two time trials - frequently where fortunes change and Vinokourov is
strong - and three grueling days in the Pyrenees early next week that could
shape the outcome.

Other title aspirants also lost ground. Russia's Denis Menchov lost 2:49 to
Rasmussen and is now 7:10 back, and 2006 runner-up Oscar Pereiro was 2:42
behind, and trails by 6:36 overall.

Among the expected contenders within striking distance, Cadel Evans of Australia
is fourth, 2:41 back; Frenchman Christophe Moreau sits sixth, 3:18 behind;
Carlos Sastre of Spain trails by 3:39 in seventh, and American Levi Leipheimer
is ninth, 3:53 off the leader's pace.

Astana's biggest hope may now be Andreas Kloeden of Germany, one of the world's
best long time trial specialists who was runner-up to Lance Armstrong in 2004.
He kept close to Rasmussen, and is eighth overall - 3:50 back.

"For the team, the most important thing was not to loose contact with the yellow
jersey group," Astana sporting manager Mario Kummer said. "The Tour isn't over
yet."

Rasmussen will be in yellow again Wednesday for a mostly flat Stage 10, a
142.6-mile trek from Tallard to the Mediterranean city of Marseille. It is the
second-longest stage this year.

Rasmussen's Rabobank team was one of three - along with Italy's Lampre-Fondital
and Dutch squad Rabobank - that experienced unannounced blood tests by the
International Cycling Union early Tuesday before the stage. None of the 25
riders tested were ruled unfit to continue.

Riders trudged up the Iseran and Galibier passes Tuesday, ascents among the
toughest in cycling. The stage ended with a long descent into Briancon, but a
slight uphill patch at the end.

There were more spills. Marcus Burghardt of Germany struck a spectator's dog
that ambled onto the road. His front wheel buckled and he was thrown off his
bicycle. He finished the stage. The dog also seemed OK.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy came out to support the competitors Tuesday,
riding along with Tour director Christian Prudhomme in a car that followed
Soler's breakaway performance.

"I had to buckle up in the back seat, he was going downhill at 49 mph," Sarkozy
told France-2.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This is what one blog says:

http://caliradocyclist.blogspot.com/2007/07/chicken-and-fat-man.html



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Do we have an active owner on this group?  If so and he/she doesn't have time to
remove the spammers, I would like to volunteer to be a moderator... we can set
the membership to approve new members - that actually does not deter legitimate
joiners but stops the spammers - some of them do leave notes but it's kind of
easy to tell like they will like "I like your group and want to join" or
something like that... I can also de-spammerize the group for you... (get rid of
the members who send spam ads).  Let me know...

Sue

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi Everyone

It's a while since I posted here,  so I hope you're all well.  I hope
also you're all enjoying the tour so far.

We went to Tunbridge Wells, in Kent, on Sunday and saw the Tour pass
through.  We left home at 7.30, and got there quite quickly - in just
over an hour.   Because we were early,  on our approach to Tunbridge
Wells, we were able to drive down a few miles of the actual Tour de
France route before the roads were closed.

When we got there, we found somewhere to park really easily, and then
went and had a look around, including a stop off at Costa's to have a
coffee and something to eat.  We then found somewhere to base
ourselves, which ended up with us having a really good view. The
crowds around were amazing. There was a Jazz band playing on the
steps of the Town Hall, which we were near, and there was a real
carnival atmosphere with everyone having a good time. When the
Cavalcade arrived, it was great fun and everyone cheered. Even the
Gendarmere got a cheer as they passed through. - Yes,  Gendarmere in
Kent.  When the Tour is outside France,  they work in conjunction
with the local Police.

The biggest cheer of the day was of course reserved for the riders.
Firstly, came the leading bunch, which included Britain's David
Millar. The main pelaton came about five minutes later.

The Tour de France stage was eventually won in Canterbury of course
by Australia's Robbie McEwen, with the Maillot Jaune remaining with
Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara, which he got from the previous day's
Prologue in London 0 and still has this evening after a great stage
win today.

Before we left on Sunday morning, I set the video to record the
coverage off Eurosport. When the Tour past through where we were, it
was an aerial shot, so we could see everything from high up.

We watched "BBC South East Today" yesterday evening (which we can do
thanks to Sky Digital)- to see what it said about about Sunday. On
it, a French TV presenter said that it was the best starts he had
known in 25 years of reporting on it. "Everything had been perfect"
he said. It said that throughout Kent, 2 million people (including us
of course - and half a million more than actually live in Kent
itself), lined the route, and it was watched by 1 billion people
worldwide.

For us, it was a really enjoyable day and one we will certainly
remember. I have now added my photos to my on-line album,
http://sports.webshots.com/album/559800311HmKnzz
I will also be able to to download some photos direct off my
Camcorder shots,  but it will probably be the weekend before I can do
that.

Anyway,  I'll finish there.  Please take care and look after
yourselves.

Best wishes for now
Dave

July 6, 2007 - This year's Tour de France is going to be different.
At least, that's the line professional cycling is pushing. Two weeks
ago, the International Cycling Union (UCI) asked riders to sign an
antidoping charter before the start of this year's three-week stage
race, which begins Saturday. If found guilty of doping, riders agree
to pay the ICU the equivalent of a year's salary in addition to
serving the standard two-year suspension from cycling. Tour
organizers insist that any rider who does not sign cannot start the
race.

You can almost hear cycling fans the world over breathing a
resounding sigh of "So what?" Doping has long been as inextricable a
part of the culture as shaven legs and skinny tires. But Lance
Armstrong's domination of the Tour attracted a worldwide audience,
and with that audience came more money—and increased scrutiny. Now,
with sponsors threatening to defect to less volatile (if less
dramatic) sports, cycling's governing bodies have been forced to
react publicly. And even the most abiding fans have to be asking
themselves how much more they can take.

To better understand the fans' exasperation, simply compare two new
books: one from Floyd Landis, "Positively False: the Real Story of
How I Won the Tour de France," and one from sports journalist David
Walsh, "From Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy
at the Tour de France." The books couldn't present more opposite
views. Landis, whose book is bound in sunny yellow cloth, pretends
doping doesn't exist. Walsh, whose book is bound in Darth Vader
black, casts a cold eye across the peloton and sees an epidemic of
doping.

Not long ago, pro cycling merely had an image problem. Three days
before the 1998 Tour de France, French customs officials found more
than 400 vials of performance-enhancing drugs in a support car
belonging to Festina, the Spanish team that was then No. 1 in the
world. Festina was expelled, and five other Spanish teams quit the
race—the official reason was to protest riders' treatment by the
French police, who had been invited by Tour organizers to search
hotels and support vehicles for drugs, but cynics (or realists,
depending on whom you talk to) said the teams chose to leave before
their stashes, too, were discovered by gendarmes. Armin Meier, one of
the Festina riders who confessed to doping, lamented, "It is like
being on a motorway and everyone is doing 100 kilometers an hour when
the speed limit is 90 kilometers per hour, but only the Festina
riders have been punished."


Last summer, eight years after what has been dubbed the Tour du
Dopage, cycling's image problem became critical. "Floyd Landis was
the tipping point," says Frankie Andreu, a former rider  for the U.S.
Postal team and now a commentator for Versus television, who admits
to having doped. "It caused chaos throughout the cycling industry and
the sporting world, and it hurt the Tour economically." If Tour
winner Landis's positive test for synthetic testosterone was the
tipping point, Operation Puerto had already given the sport a shove.
The Spanish doping inquiry named 58 cyclists allegedly involved with
sports doctor Eufemanio Fuentes, who was accused of providing drugs,
transfusions and overseeing the riders' doping schedules. Thirteen
riders were barred from starting the 2006 Tour de France, including
favorites Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich. Basso has since been handed a
two-year suspension for "attempted doping," and Ullrich chose to
retire rather than submit to a DNA test that could have cleared his
name.

Landis, who has maintained his innocence since testing positive for
synthetic testosterone use during his victorious Tour last year, is
awaiting the decision of a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)
arbitration panel. If the panel rules that his tests are flawed,
he'll retain his yellow jersey and will avoid a two-year suspension.
If he loses, he could appeal, but he's said that the legal fight has
left him financially drained, so the panel's decision could be final.
As Landis's legal team has pointed out on numerous occasions, doping
tests are not the same as pregnancy tests—they are procedurally
complex, and require interpretation by scientists. But that doesn't
leaven the public perception that pro cyclists live in a bizarre
parallel universe where scientific results are no more trustworthy
than gossip on a bathroom wall.

In "Positively False," Landis admits as much, but adds that because a
rider is "assumed to be guilty from the very beginning," the accused
has no choice but to proclaim his innocence—even in the face of a
positive test. To say anything less would amount to admitting guilt.
He mounts his defense by first presenting his rise to Tour champion
from humble Mennonite roots in Pennsylvania. The tone is upbeat, and
Landis comes across as a focused, if rebellious, cyclist with
tremendous talent. For the first 10 chapters, there's almost no
mention of drug use in cycling, except to make the point that he
followed the UCI's and the World Anti-Doping Agency's rules to the
letter. The way to win the Tour, according to Landis, is simple:
train harder and longer than everyone else. Drugs don't enter the
equation. The last five chapters, which Landis's lawyers admit
violates a gag order issued by the USADA, focus on his pending case
and amount to an indictment of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the UCI,
the USADA and the French lab that conducted his doping tests—
organizations, Landis says, that attack innocent athletes while
letting the real cheaters slip away.

The key to winning the Tour, according to David Walsh's "From Lance
to Landis," is to dope harder than everyone else. Walsh has done his
research, and he presents pages of interviews with former U.S. Postal
riders and staffers, including Andreu. But in his quest to take down
Lance Armstrong, Walsh fails to find hard evidence. It's clear that
Armstrong was riding among dopers, but even if he contributed to the
culture by encouraging a pro-doping atmosphere at U.S. Postal, that
doesn't make Armstrong a doper. Smart enough to see the holes in his
own argument, Walsh relies heavily on scientific data to plug them.
He compares watts (the standard measure of a rider's power), VO2 max
(a measure of endurance) and hematocrit levels (the percentage of
oxygen-shuttling red cells in a rider's blood) and implies that if
one racer's numbers are better than another, the only way the lesser
rider can win is to use performance-enhancing drugs. In a laboratory
setting, he's probably right. But the Tour doesn't take place in a
lab.

The truth probably lies somewhere between Landis's and Walsh's books.
Cycling isn't innocent, but it's not rotten to the core, either, and
neither view is going to help clean up the sport. And though it's
been a painful bloodletting, there are signs of genuine change. Both
the CSC team, the 1996 Tour winner managed by Bjarne Riis,  who has
admitted to doping, and T-Mobile, Jan Ullrich's former team, have
instituted internal drug tests that exceed WADA and UCI standards.
U.S. team Slipstream/Chipotle has hired an outside organization to
conduct regular testing of its riders to the tune of about $400,000 a
year. And while Slipstream/Chipotle won't be competing this time
around, "This year we'll get a Tour de France with a very different
attitude from riders and directors," according to Frankie Andreu. For
the fans' sake, let's hope so.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19621101/site/newsweek/?>

Neither Lance Armstrong nor the No. 1 jersey traditionally worn by the defending
champion will be seen at this year's Tour de France. Those two things aren't
linked, but the absence of both hint at just how tough a hill cycling must climb
in a bid to restore its credibility.

Two years after Armstrong's retirement, the sport has yet to find someone who
even looks capable of replacing the popular and controversial seven-time
champion. More troubling, the 2,200-mile, 23-day race launches Saturday in
London without 2006 winner Floyd Landis. His nearly yearlong fight to retain
that title in the wake of doping charges has been the most visible but hardly
cycling's only scandal.

And talk about bad timing: There's a very good chance Landis' appeal will be
decided by an arbitration panel in plenty of time to steal some thunder from the
race.

"I'm not making a statement, not by any means. I have sponsor and charity
commitments, and I've got kids. There's nothing more to it," Armstrong said
about his planned absence during an interview Thursday with The Associated
Press.

The Discovery team he once commanded and still owns a piece of will be led this
time around by Levi Leipheimer, a 33-year-old regarded as America's best hope.
Asked to pick a favorite, Armstrong named Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan and
Andreas Kloeden of Germany, both members of the Astana team.

Armstrong, though, said he wouldn't offer any help or so much as meddle in
Discovery director Johan Bruyneel's business. He warned against reading anything
into that, either.

"I'm not one of those guys who say the sport has no credibility, that it's like
pro wrestling ... or any of that garbage. I don't believe the 'organizers' are
truly organized," he said. "But the Tour is not a farce, and it's not a gimmick.
It's hard. I believe it's still a great event, and I'll watch every day. I still
love what it represents."

Yet Armstrong knows the number of sponsors and fans who share that view is
falling precipitously. Too many see cycling's showcase event, and the sport
itself, as riddled from top to bottom with performance-enhancing cheats.

Armstrong was hounded by doping allegations throughout his reign. Only two weeks
ago, he defended himself yet again against a new book that he said contained "a
demonstrably false string of sensational, untrue and fabricated allegations"
recycled to cash in on cycling's tumultuous state and timed in conjunction with
the Tour's start.

No other prominent cyclist has matched Armstrong's unbeaten streak in real
courts and the court of public opinion, and a few haven't bothered to try.
Landis' defense against a positive test for synthetic testosterone stumbled
coming out of the gate - when he alternately suggested thyroid medication,
cortisone shots and-or Jack Daniels was responsible - and has taken several
strange detours since.

Over roughly the same span, 1996 Tour winner Bjarne Riis and a half-dozen riders
from a German team acknowledged using the blood-booster erythropoietin, or EPO;
1997 winner Jan Ullrich, who maintains his innocence, retired under a cloud of
suspicion after being banned from last year's Tour; and Ivan Basso, once
Armstrong's most promising rival and the 2005 runner-up, was slapped with a
two-year ban after being linked to the same Spanish doping investigation that
implicated Ullrich.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme told the AP recently that, "Cycling must not
only get its credibility back, but even more its dignity." Toward that end, 189
riders submitted to blood tests early Thursday morning, and none came back
positive. Even if those results remain the same over the course of the 2007 race
and its aftermath, cycling is hardly guaranteed to regain its dignity.

"On the heels of what happened just over the last 12 months in cycling, people
will have questions no matter what," Armstrong said. "If you get a guy who's
considered dirty, everybody will say, 'We told you so.' And what happens if a
guy who's considered clean, comes along and races as fast as anybody ever has?

"Well," he said, not waiting for an answer, "then he's got to be dirty, too. ...
(Doping) goes on in all of world sport; ours just polices itself better than any
other. But getting people to believe that is a lot easier said than done."


Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him
at jlitke@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

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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The T-Mobile Team has selected its nine-man roster for the Tour de France - with
the team's GC ambitions centred around Michael Rogers. Joining him in London on
July 7th will be Marcus Burghardt, Mark Cavendish, Bernhard Eisel, Linus
Gerdemann, Kim Kirchen, Axel Merckx and Patrik Sinkewitz....

Bert Grabsch slots into the T-Mobile Team's Tour de France roster as a late
replacement for fitness worry Guerini Guerini. Named as first replacement in
last week's Tour roster, the 32-year old German will make his fourth Tour start
and first for T-Mobile when the race kicks-off in London on Saturday.

"Bert has been performing very solidly in the past weeks," said head of sports
management Rolf Aldag. "He brings a lot of experience and is definitely a strong
replacement for Giuseppe."

Grabsch has been in fine form in recent weeks - at the Tour of Bavaria in early
June he landed second place in the key time trial on his way to an impressive
second overall. He followed that up last week in Rostock by capturing the German
TT title for the first time.

After pulling on the German champions jersey he quipped: "I hope that winning
this title boosts my chances of a Tour de France start place. I really hope that
I can make the cut for the Tour squad, even if there won't be a team time trial
in France this year."

Guerini hampered by stomach problems
Though Giuseppe Guerini was named to T-Mobile's original nine, the two-time Tour
stage winner has been hampered by stomach problems since the recent Tour de
Suisse and a question mark hung over the Italian's current fitness.

"Giuseppe hasn't properly recovered from his stomach problems," said Aldag.
"Therefore, we had to make this decision because we weren't sure he had the form
and fitness to perform his team duties at a three-week Tour."

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Apparently Ekimov, now retired from cycling is helping Bruneel in the team car
as "team director".  Levi Leipheimer will be the GC contender on the Discovery
Team and Vinokourov, now riding for a team called "Astana"  is going in as the
favorite to win the TDF...  Lance seems kind of out of the picture....  The
Prologue is Saturday, starting from London - the review show never mentioned
Floyd Landis except to say he was still in court, trying to prove "his
innocence". Basso confessed and got the two years off.  Jon Uhrich previously,
announced his retirement.... This is a part of a press conference given by
Bruneel and Leipheimer

  - by Chris Brewer
Yesterday an international group of journalists got the opportunity to not only
be among the first to learn who would be racing on the the Discovery Channel Pro
Cycling Team 2007 Tour de France squad, but then a long opportunity to pepper
Sports Manager Johan Bruyneel and team leader Levi Leipheimer with questions
about almost anything on their mind. We sat in and here's a recap of what went
down.

Team communications director PJ Rabice started things off by announcing that the
team will commence with a major "green" program starting July 5th but backdating
to January 1st 2007 to make the Discovery Channel team carbon neutral. "Our main
goal is a long-term commitment to offset carbon emissions from the race caravan
vehicles, and for the team to take a leadership role in this issue," he said.
When the boys take to the line in London you'll see significant green accents on
their shorts, jersey, and team car decals. PJ gave kudos to the American Kodak
Gallery cycling team who also has a big stake in this effort, and noted that the
team, and in particular ThePaceline, will be letting the fans and general public
know what they can do to help. Watch for lots more on this important topic and
how (and why) the team's "going green," one week from now in these pages.

Continuing in this vein, PJ noted the significant amount of work that the team's
title sponsor, Discovery Channel, has contributed to this program. Discovery
Channel will soon launch a 24 hour network dedicated to environmental issues and
is very committed to this cause. He also noted the efforts of all the team's
sponsors, in particular Trek and Shimano, for their green team efforts. One
solid example of what the "boys in green" are doing is a tree planting program
in the Mendocino National Forest, a program that will not only offset the carbon
emissions of the team's vehicles but will also provide a habitat for several
endangered species. Lots more to come on this program for sure.

And with that it was time for Johan to announce the 2007 squad: Alberto Contador
| Vladimir Gusev | George Hincapie | Levi Leipheimer | Sergio Paulinho | Egoi
Martinez |Benjamin Noval| Yaroslav Popovych | Tomas Vaitkus, and then to let the
journo's have their say.


Johan and Levi before the Tour of California Solvang TT

Johan was first asked if the performance at the Tour de France had a direct
relationship to acquiring a new team title sponsor. He noted that while the Tour
de France is very important, sponsorship is not purely Tour oriented. He said
that he was very proud in that the team has built a solid business and racing
program that spans the entire season, and so while the Tour is the Tour, it is
not the sole focus.

What about the make up of the team - how is that different than in years past?
Johan said he had a combination of experience and stage hunters. The old mission
was to focus on Lance everywhere - and it worked. But with Levi not going in as
the #1 favorite that affords the team the opportunity to also include riders
with personal ambitions as well. The team certainly has the riders who can
support Levi when then time comes, but expect to see guys like Contador,
Hincapie, Popo, and Gusev being set free to get stages, and Contador in
particular is very interested in winning the Best Young Rider white jersey
competition.

Next up was a question about DC's Tom Danielson, and why wasn't he on the Tour
de France squad? Johan noted that Tom has had physical problems with his stomach
starting before the Tour of Catalunya, and that in the pre-season talks Tom knew
that his chances at making the Tour team depended on strong personal showings
not only at Catalunya but at the Dauphine Libere as well (where you'll recall he
had to drop out again due to stomach issues). He noted that Tom is a great
teammate but he needed to see those personal performances, and without them it
would not have been fair to the other riders who had demonstrated their
abilities, nor would it help the security and experience levels of the riders
selected.

Looking towards the team selected, Johan was then asked where he thought Levi
could end up overall. Johan listed a long laundry list of Levi's
accomplishments, including three times in the Top 10 at the Tour, and now thinks
he is ready to take another step up and finish in the Top 3 on the podium in
Paris. What does this leadership role mean to Levi? He went back to his early
days with Team USPS, and said that where he is now is literally a dream come
true, to be going for the General Classification at the Tour de France on the
team where he truly wants to be. Where is Levi physically? He said that he's not
as strong at this point in time as he was in the past two years, and that is by
design. He is still growing into form and wants to be in top form in four weeks
as the Tour hits the all-important second half.

Concerning Levi's rivals, all eyes are firmly on Team Astana's Alexandre
Vinokourov as the #1 favorite - but based on past performances, is he still an
"X factor" that no one knows what to expect? Johan agreed with the assumption
that "Vino" is the favorite going in and that his style in the past has been to
be very aggressive and attack when no one expected. However, he noted that
usually this was when he wasn't the designated leader and that he expected at
the Tour to see a more conservative ride by him and that he would attack in the
more logical critical places on the route. Johan also noted that Team Astana
would come into the race with the initial burden of controlling the race just
like in the USPS / Discovery Channel days during the Lance era. All the other
teams will be looking to them and trying to take advantage of the situation as
they see it. Who are the other riders Johan expects to be going for the overall
win? In addition to Levi and Vino, he looks to Kloden, Sastre, Evans, Karpets,
and Menchov.



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Hi
I cant say Ive even seen them on ebay.... good luck wi that one!

micky


--- In roadracingukandireland@yahoogroups.com, "Kristian Burton"
<kristian@...> wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> The latest issue of Cycle Sport arrived this morning and amongst
other things, there is a very good article on the ANC Halfords team
of the late 80s.
> The question is, does anyone know if the ANC Halfords jersey is
available to buy ? I had a quick search online but nothing came up.
>
> All the best,
>
> Kristian.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>