SB Nation User Blog: gavia

The Wednesday Session

gavia — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:24:54 -0000

So at last the Bradley Wiggins to Team Sky transfer is a done deal. Now, we can all get on with our lives. Plainly, the separation between Garmin-Transitions and Wiggins was not especially amicable, and Vaughters told the press he conceded the day to avoid a lengthy legal battle over whether British labour law made it possible for Wiggins to break his contract at will. Joe Lindsey at the Boulder Report has a good explanation of the whole fandango. My fave quote from Vaughters: "The legal resources Sky has at its disposal are quite large." Understatement much? Lindsey also had a candid chat with David Millar, who called the whole thing "unfortunate." I would rate the polemica possibility somewhere in the neighborhood of Gilberto "he’s an extraterrestrial" Simoni and Ivan Basso at Sesterière, but maybe a few bastardos! short of Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador during the Tour de France.

Vaughters, meanwhile, told Shane Stokes at Cyclingnews that he hopes to work with the UCI to hammer out a more formal transfer procedure for cycling that would prevent a repeat of the pressure tactics used by Team Sky against Garmin-Transitions. One thing seems clear: Astana must have offered Alberto Contador a very very very large bag of euros, if Wiggins so easily slipped the leash to Team Sky.

At last the Zombie story has died, the wood stake of an on-the-record press conference stuck through its heart. Or, maybe that’s vampires that one slays with the wood stake. How do you kill a Zombie anyway? Clearly, I need to research these stories more carefully. Either way, fade to black, roll credits. All this legal talk is making me very sleepy.

Sex is always more interesting than lawyers. And where better to look for it than Playboy magazine? Filippo Pozzato did an interview - right, because we only read it for the articles - with the mag for this month’s edition. He also dressed up for some photos, which is a little odd, because my understanding, limited though it may be, was that one undressed for Playboy magazine. He also brought a bike, though what he is planning to do with a bike while wearing a tux, I shy away from imagining. Also, I thought there was supposed to be a bunny suit. Instead, all we got was a stupid white turtleneck. Really, this is quite disappointing, or even unfortunate. I will simply have to use my imagination. Oh the interview? "Cycling is my passion, my work, my love." Also, he likes the beautiful bikes. You don’t actually expect to read all of it, do you?

Alberto Contador apparently does not heart Italy. The Spanish Tour champion will not race the Giro d’Italia, or indeed, any Italian races next season. According to an interview in the Spanish paper Marca, Contador will begin his season in February with the Portuguese Volta ao Algarve. Then, he’ll head to Paris-Nice with ambitions to win, and follow the early season French race with two Spanish stage races, Volta a Catalunya and Vuelta a País Vasco. After the Tour, he may or may not race the Vuelta a España. Eat your heart out Italia.

On the subject of Italia, the Giro start in Washington DC for 2012 has moved from the press statement stage to the photo op. stage. Zomes paid a trip to the United States, and posed for a photo with the Mayor of DC, Adrian Fenty. Zomes and his sidekick wore suit and tie. Fenty wore a replica Maglia Rosa with Mayor stenciled across the chest. Tacky, maybe a little. But the resident arbiters of fashion will be happy to note that Fenty did wear black shorts. The threesome posed in front of the Capitol Dome. Or, maybe they photoshopped that part, who am I to judge? Me, I still consider this idea beyond stupid, with the sheer absurdity of a trans-atlantic transfer and a six hour time difference. But nobody asked me.

On the subject of stupid ideas, in the name of gender equity, the International Olympic suit people have eliminated three track events, including the Individual Pursuit, the Madison, and the Points Race. Now both genders will race five total events, including the individual sprint, team sprint, kierin, team pursuit, and the omnium. The Ominium scores each athlete in five separate events. And you thought stage racing was hard to explain to your non-cycling friends. I’m all for gender equity, but taking events away is a stupid way to achieve it. Stupid. Not to mention, the three events they, in their infinite wisdom, have removed are three of the most interesting of the track events. Who doesn’t like watching the Madison? Whether we can tell who’s winning is another question entirely, but I highly doubt that we’ll have much more luck with the Ommmmmnnneeeuuuummm. I think I’m feeling sleepy again.

Michele Farrari, the former spokesman for Orange Juice and consultant to the stars, has confirmed that he continues to work with "about a dozen" cyclists. He declined to name the riders on the grounds that he did not want to breach their privacy. Asked about his relationship with Lance Armstrong, Dr. Ferrari replied that they were just friends. Ferrari was convicted of breaking Italy’s doping laws, but he won his case on appeal. In his decision, the judge confirmed that the evidence was correct and Ferrari had broken the law, but upheld his appeal on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired. All the same, Ferrari claims that he supports anti-doping efforts, talks about doping with his athletes only to warn them of the dangers, and thinks that no one can escape the controls. In other news, the moon is made of green cheese.

Ah, but I have left out so many stories. But I must go, my friends. There is a bottle of wine and it calls to me. Gav, you must come. You must stop writing now.

So I stop.

Twit Du Jour

gavia — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:41:10 -0000

Apparently, Lance Armstrong and the Shackers held a press conference this morning in Arizona. Bonnie Ford, among other journalists, attended and learned such things as The Shack is not all about Lance Armstrong, and it will be the best team in the world. A few less routine questions slipped through the usual press conference ritual.

Bonnie Ford reports:

Armstrong press conference was straightforward, no surprises, though those of us who were actually working did not appreciate the amateur ?s

For example?

like, "if you were a bike component, which one would you be?'' which thankfully went unanswered.

Kids, these days.

Fashion Alert! New Kit for Cervélo TestTeam

gavia — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:46:13 -0000

Black is the new black! Cervélo TestTeam has a new kit for the coming year. It will be black. With black. Gerard Vroomen explained that the black kits make the team easy to spot in the bunch. Unlike the hordes of blue kitted teams which all look the same. Bah! Cervélo has retained the Giant é symbol as the team's logo, and in fact, the é appears to have grown larger. Castelli will supply the kits for the 2010 season. Yay for black shorts!

Source is Carlossastre.com. I snarfed the photo from Sastre, too.

Adiós Periero?

gavia — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:38:17 -0000

Oscar Pereiro confided to the press this week that his contract dispute with Astana may mean the end of his cycling career. The dispute arose when the team tried to change the terms of his contract, a change which meant lowering the Spanish Tour winner's salary by a third. Pereiro said he had signed a contract, and at the time, he believed he would take Haimar Zubeldia's roster spot and ride in support of Alberto Contador's Tour ambitions. The team's efforts to change the terms of his contract came as a surprise to Pereiro, and he has said that he will not ride for the lower salary. he has set his lawyers to work on the case.

If he can end his contract with Astana, Pereiro said he would try to sign with a new team. But the Astana contract goes into force on 1 January, which does not leave much time for the lawyering required to end it. Pereiro noted in his press statement that he could not sign for another team while he still had a contract with Astana. He said that the situation likely meant his "adiós" from cycling, but that he was not "overly sad." I "must be realistic," he concluded.

Pereiro is best known for his 2006 Tour de France victory in which a lucky escape into a long breakaway set up his general classification campaign. Though he stood on the second step in Paris, Pereiro received credit for the victory after Floyd Landis lost the title to a failed doping control. The following year, Pereiro finished tenth in the Tour after riding in support of Caisse d'Epargne team-mate Alejandro Valverde.

Pereiro never really returned to his best form after he crashed badly during stage 15 of the 2008 Tour de France. Pereiro went over the guardrail on the wet descent off the Col Agnel, falling to the switchbacked road below. The crash required a lenghty recovery period and resulted in a slow return to racing this season. His contract with Caisse d'Epargne ended this season, and rumor connected Pereiro with several teams this Fall, before he signed with Astana. In particular, he had an agreement to sign with Quick Step, if Astana did not receive its Pro Tour license. He may now be wishing he had signed on with Lefevre, rather than dealing with the Kazakhs, who seem to have a knack for complicating the most basic team management tasks. Perhaps the Spanish rider's lawyers will yet find a way to win his freedom. But for now, it looks as though his career may come to an end.

Adiós y buena suerta, Oscar.

Source, AS.

Photo Credit: Ezra Shaw, Getty Images Sport.

Skyter Withdraws Sponsorship from Women's Team

gavia — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:48:00 -0000

According to Rad-net.de, Skyter has withdrawn its sponsorship support from the Equipe Nürnberger, whose roster includes Nicole Cooke, Tixi Worrack, and Amber Neben. The website received an advance copy of a press release, which will become public on Saturday. The withdrawal is effective immediately, and leaves the team, which is the top women's team in Germany, without a title sponsor. The statement from Skyter cites problems with the team's financial situation, specifically a lack of reliable information about its actual financial requirements. (The German is: Grund seien "weiterhin fehlende belastbare Angaben zum tatsächlichen Finanzbedarf der Equipe Nürnberger GmbH". Thanks to Tedvdw for the assist.) In short, the team has not clearly spelled out the financial demands for the coming season to the satisfaction of the sponsor. It's unclear exactly what is missing from the team's statement, but the news clearly has come as a surprise to the team management.

The team had already begun to prepare for the coming season and has contracts with 14 riders. Team manager Jochen Dornbusch called the situation a "catastrophe" in a brief statement to Rad-net.de. Dornbusch said that a few of the riders, stars like Nicole Cooke, Trixi Worrack, and Amber Neben, could find new teams, but the others would be hard-pressed to find positions at this late date. Dornbusch was also not optimistic about the chances of securing a new sponsor, despite the team's talented roster. Asked for comment, Trixi Worrack replied with a question: "What should I say, that we are happy?" Well no, Trixi, we can't imagine that you are. Even the team kits for the coming year are already made. Too bad no one will get to wear them.

Sponsorship for womens teams is always difficult to secure, especially so long as the media coverage remains so sparse. There can be few substitutes for video coverage of the races, which nearly all of the elite mens races take for granted, but few, if any, of the womens races receive. Hopefully, the team will find a sponsor, since they have assembled a very strong roster which looked likely to set up a some serious competition for last year's dominant teams Cervélo TestTeam and Columbia-HTC. For now, though, their future remains uncertain.

Read more about the team in Exploring the Womens Peloton.

— Sources, Rad-net.de and Radsport-news.com.

Photo, Bryn Lennon, Getty Images Sport.

The Wednesday Session

gavia — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:41:56 -0000

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Wednesday Session. Now, with pictures! We have reached the deep abyss of winter, when the news slows to a trickle. It’s remarkably difficult to be funny when there’s nothing much going on.

But fear not, my friends, for it is now December which makes the early season that much closer. Better still, bike racers all about the world have begun training and teams have begun those all-important pre-season meetings, where everyone is assigned a nickname and they work out secret hand signals for when the UCI bans radios. Could actual bike racing be far behind? Training, meetings, if enough bike racers come out of winter hibernation, we’re bound to have gossip. And gossip is good. In the meantime, there’s pictures.

Like say, this one of Leenoos. Captions, anyone?

Photo by Jasper Juinen, Getty Images Sport.

And how about an open letter? Because we do heart those things here at the Cafe.

Dear Belgian Media,

I know you’re bored. We’re bored too. There’s no cobbles, no bike racing, no podium flowers, and a shocking lack of polemica. It is December after all. Still, that is no excuse for making up fake transfer stories to pass the time. Did you honestly expect us to believe that Roman Kreuziger would transfer from Liquigas-Doimo to Lotto? Because we didn’t. Not even for one Brussels minute, which may or may not be longer than a New York minute. Even Marc Sargeant is denying the story now, which really means it was never much of a story at all, though VeloNews appears to still believe it. Maybe the internet doesn’t reach all the way to Boulder. Anyway, please Belgian press, find something else to do with your time. I’ll even lend you my crayons if you think that would help. You could watch some cyclocross, too. Or, draw with crayons about cyclocross. All that mud, that’s a whole lot of brown crayon right there. Anyway, we’re so over the transfer rumors. Please don’t bother us any further with them, especially if Bradley Wiggins is involved.

Love always,
Gav.

Undisturbed by these rumors, Liquigas is in Spain having a little get together and training session. Yes, the calender has turned past 1 December, and all throughout the land of cycling, bike racers must begin again to train. These meet-ups also spawn an endless succession of press releases explaining in painful detail everyone’s objectives for the coming season. Really? Ivan Basso wants to win the Giro? I honestly would never have guessed. Of course, Basso’s team-mate Franco Pellizotti also wants to win the Giro, so this story may prove more entertaining than it appears. In the meantime, the Green Team is training.

Since I can’t think of anything remotely funny to say about this, how about a picture?

Photo courtesy Albertina, Podium Cafe Photo Collection.

So much more interesting these stories become if we add a side order of eye candy. Quinziato, by the way, reports that he is pleased with the weather in Spain and is currently reading The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

In other Italian news, Lampre-Vini Farnese still sits in license limbo after the UCI referred their pro tour license application to the License Commission, which sounds like something out of Monty Python. Hopefully, there will not be projectile vomiting. No word yet on what license the team will receive for next season, though Giuseppe Saronni said he would get right on it. In the meantime, Lampre-Vini Farnese has headed off for a little early season training in Castenadolo. No doubt fun is being had by all, what with the bike fitting and admiring next year’s kit, which probably looks pretty much exactly like last year’s kit.

On the subject of plans for next season, Euskaltel-Euskadi will skip the Giro d’Italia next season and focus their efforts on the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia. This decision opens up space for an additional wild card invite to the Giro. No rumors yet on who might get the nod, but you can be sure that you will be the first to know.

Meanwhile in Spain, the Vuelta a España is planning to open with a prologue in Seville. This plan sounds routine until a look at the fine print reveals that the prologue will be a team time trial at night. Does Nightrider make a carbon fiber model? Does Transitions make night-vision goggles? These are the burning questions of the hour. Prediction: Someone will crash. Watch out for those potholes, kids.

The ProConti team Contentpolis-Ampo, who rode the Vuelta a España last season, will not continue next year. The team proved unable to convince the local government in Murcia to continue their 700,00 euro commitment to the team’s budget. Ampo looks likely to sign on as a co-sponsor to Footon-Servetto, a deal which would bring Aitor Peréz and Mikel Gatzañaga to the team. The deal is not yet confirmed, though, and far be it for me to spread unfounded transfer rumors. No sirree.

In other ProConti team news, the UCI released the list of teams granted Pro Continental licenses for next season. Androni Giocattoli did not receive a license and Gianni Savio is shocked and dismayed. Apparently, there is a problem with the bank draft, but Savio expected to have the situation sorted out pronto. Bbox Bouygues Télécom and Cofidis, meanwhile, join the ProConti ranks from the Pro Tour. I think I need another picture.

Look, there’s Barbie! Cervélo TestTeam returns next year with a Pro Continental license.
Photo, Bryn Lennon, Getty Images Sport.

WADA announced today that they are frustrated by the Alejandro Valverde case. Thank you for sharing.

More contract woes for Astana. This time, it’s Oscar Pereiro who may or may not be riding for the team. Apparently, Pereiro signed a contract, but never received confirmation from the team. Yo Astana, you gots to sign the contract too. Then, you haz to send it back to Oscar. See, this is how contracts work. Perhaps the office dog ate it. Anyway, Pereiro had said he would transfer to Quick Step if Astana did not receive a Pro Tour license. For now, he does not yet have a valid contract with Astana. In the meantime, the UCI has yet to confirm that Astana actually delivered the ginormous bank guarantee to confirm their Pro Tour license. I’m going to pass on the obvious punchline there. No doubt you can fill in the blank. Go ahead, I’ll even leave you some space.

_____________________________

This writing thing is easy. Everyone can do it.

One last tidbit of Astana news, the team will not change names next season, contrary to previous reports. Also, the jersey will look exactly the same. Plainly, Astana knows nothing of about fashion. You have to change the jersey each year. Make it the must-have item of the season. No true fashionista wants to be caught in last year's jersey. The horror! So much these Astanas need to learn.

Alrighty, that's all for this week's edition of the Wednesday Session. More fun on the way in the coming days. Because really, we have to get through this off-season thing somehow. I'm thinking silly is the way to go.

XOXO,
Gav.

Kreuziger Photo, Jasper Juinen, Getty Images Sport.
Cunego Photo, Bryn Lennon, Getty Images Sport.
Pereiro Photo, Ezra Shaw, Getty Images Sport.

Doping Digest: Di Luca and Sporting Fraud?

gavia — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:15:19 -0000

The local newspaper in Padova reported last week that the procura in Padova has opened a preliminary investigation into the possibility that Danilo Di Luca committed sporting fraud during the 2009 Giro d'Italia. Di Luca, who finished second overall, tested positive for the banned substance CERA on two occasions during the race. After deciding Di Luca's sanction, the Italian anti-doping authorities passed the information from his case to the district attorney in Roma, who has jurisdiction over sporting fraud cases. The case then passed to Padova, where the prosecutor Benedetto Roberti is in the midst of investigating a widespread doping case that has already involved Davide Rebellin and Riccardo Riccó. Roberti believes that the Rebellin, Riccó, and Di Luca all received their CERA from the same source, the former U23 national team coach of Serbia, Aleksandar Nikacevic. Nikacevic was arrested last July in connection with the investigation.

According to Di Luca's lawyer Flavia Tortorella, who gave an interview to Paolo Smoglica of Il Centro, Di Luca has nothing to do with the investigation in Padova and has never met the alleged dealer Nikacevic. Tortorella asserted that Di Luca's situation was far different from that of Riccó or Sella, because Di Luca continued to claim his innocence. The other two riders confessed to using CERA and provided information to investigators about their suppliers. Di Luca has challenged the allegations and continues to claim that he did not use the banned drug. According to his legal team, the testing process that found CERA in Di Luca's samples was flawed and they maintain that the rider never used the banned substance. Consequently, any investigation of sporting fraud on Di Luca's part is premature, they argue.

The Di Luca case promises to be a lengthy one. Like Landis, Di Luca is arguing that the testing process is fundamentally flawed and the Italian appears committed to exhausting all avenues of appeal. No doubt the opening of a sporting fraud investigation is intended to pressure Di Luca either with the goal of ending the appeal process or acquiring information to help close the wider investigation of the doping ring centered in Padova. Both Riccó and Di Luca have been connected with Dr. Santuccione, but did they use the same dealer? The authorities believe so, though it's far from clear that they have the evidence to prove it. Caught up in the same investigation in Padova, Rebellin meanwhile has returned his Olympic medal and paid back 75,000 euros of his prize money, though he continues to maintain his innocence. Like Di Luca, Rebellin continues his legal battle. At least, the lawyers are smiling.

— Sources, Di Luca indagato and Di Luca non c'entra con l'inchiesta

Turkey Day Transfer Tidbit

gavia — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:44:17 -0000

Alexandr Kolobnev will leave Saxo Bank for an as-yet undisclosed Pro Tour team. Saxo Bank announced the news today on the team's official website. Though Kolobnev had one year remaining on his contract, the Danish team released him. The Russian will take on a leadership role at his new team. In a brief press statement Kolobnev said, "I have been very happy to be a part of Team Saxo Bank and the time on the team has developed my talent to a higher level. I am grateful that Bjarne gives me the opportunity to accept an offer from a team where I will have a leading role." In return, Riis wished the Russian luck for the future. All so friendly.

In the meantime, Saxo Bank has signed Sebastian Haedo, who took an early exit from his contract with Colavita. Haedo joins his brother J.J. Haedo at Saxo Bank. Sebastian Haedo finished second in the U.S. national rankings this year. He will ride for Saxo Bank for two years. Jaroslaw Marycz, a 22 year old Polish rider, will also join Saxo Bank for two years. Marxcz finished second at the U23 European championships this year and has twice won the U23 Polish national time trial championship. Otherwise, I don't pretend to know anything about him.

Twit du Jour

gavia — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:59:47 -0000

Today's Twitter amusement comes from Manuel Quinziato. Quinziato apparently had a photo shoot today. His comment:

Twitpic - Fi'zi:k asked me to look like a Bull... I'm not so sure about the risult!

The Wednesday Session

gavia — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:18:49 -0000

This week, more news, less ‘tude. We got Pro Tour licenses, some doping, some more doping, Pink Day, and a birthday.

Let’s begin with some Pro Tour licenses, shall we? Rejoicing all around at Team Sky today as they received one of the coveted licenses. Currently at their first team get-together in Manchester, the new British team will hold a Pro Tour license until 2013, which should give them enough time finally to sign Bradley Wiggins. Though L’Equipe reported last week that the Wiggins to Sky transfer was a sure-thing, Jonathan Vaughters rained on that parade and denied the story. According to Evil Vaughters, Wiggins is staying right where he is deep in the den of Garmin Evilness. Why he would want to go to the team of ants and chimps I have no idea. Zoo, bike racing team, they’re all the same, right?

Astana, meanwhile, sorta kinda has a Pro Tour license. The UCI granted the team a license, but has required the Kazakh team to deposit a bank deposit of unusual size. The requirement comes as a consequence of reports last season that Astana may not have paid their riders, though when questioned by journalists, several team riders confirmed that they had received their salaries. A confusing business, to be sure. To confuse matters further, the Astana management has not yet delivered the $22 million guarantee, which is equal to the entire annual budget for the team. No doubt the check’s in the mail, but the continued uncertainty over the true status of Astana means that Contador remains in play. He will leave the team if the UCI does not grant the Pro Tour license and we will get to play the Contador Transfer Game all over again. Oh boy! In other Astana-related news, Oscar Pereiro will ride for Astana for one season, assuming the team receives its Pro Tour license. If not, Pereiro will go to Quick Step.

It’s not entirely clear why the UCI decided to diss Lampre-Vini Farnese. The Italian team did not receive its Pro Tour license just yet. Instead, the team’s file has gone to the License Commission, where everyone wears funny hats. Okay, I made up the part about the funny hats. It’s not entirely clear why the UCI has sent Lampre-Vini Farnese to purgatorio. The usual reason for Pro Tour rejection is money, and it’s possible that the team has not provided enough financial information to keep its Pro Tour status. In a brief comment to the press, Lampre manager Giuseppe Saronni expressed surprise at the decision, and said he was waiting to hear from the UCI what exactly was missing from the team’s dossier. Saronni confirmed that he would provide whatever information was necessary to secure Lampre’s position among cycling’s elite.

The UCI has now confirmed seventeen teams as carrying the Pro Tour license with Team Sky and Armstrong’s new The Shack Team the two new-comers to the elite group. Like Team Sky, the Shack has secured a Pro Tour license through the year 2013. French team Bbox Bouygues Télécom has departed the Pro Tour, leaving Français des Jeux and AG2R-La Mondiale as the only two French teams. The remainder of the list looks much the same. Clicky for the list of Pro Tour teams.

In Italy, meanwhile, they are changing the finish to Milano-Sanremo yet again. The new finish shortens the distance between the Poggio and the finish. Philippe Gilbert, take note. After previewing the new finish, Alessandro Petacchi called it a "complicated sprint." The finish comes closer to the descent from the Poggio, which will give the sprinters less time to organize their lead-outs. The finishing roads are also considerably more narrow than the traditional finish on the Via Roma. The race will finish in the piazza Colombo, which is surfaced with smooth cobbles, and it will bypass the lungomare Italo Calvino, where Fabian Cancellara put in his big attack two years ago. Petacchi commented, "the attackers are the favorites, and it will be important to climb the Poggio at the front." The Italian, who transferred to Lampre-Vini Farnese from LPR, won Milano-Sanremo in 2005. He joined Lampre-Vini Farnese in the hope of riding the Pro Tour races, including the three grand tours, though the news that the UCI has denied the team a Pro Tour license may lead to a change of plans.

The Sports Arbitration Court set an important precedent this week by upholding the suspension of Claudia Pechstein, a German speed skater. Pechstein, who is a five-time Olympic speed-skating champion, received a two year suspension from the International Skating Union. Based upon information drawn from her blood profile, the ISU concluded that Pechstein had used blood doping. The German news magazine Bild published a graphic of her profiles, and anti-doping experts pointed to the rapid rise and fall of the reticulocyte numbers as cause for suspicion. Rasmus Damsgaard was one of the few to question the conclusion on the grounds that the numbers might instead reflect illness rather than artificial manipulation. Pechstein and the German Skating Union filed an appeal with the Arbitration Court, in which she argued that her high reticulocyte value resulted from a blood disease and contested the upper limit set at 2.4% by the ISU. The Pechstein legal team also challenged the testing procedure, especially the calibration of the testing machines.

The court has now issued its decision which upholds the ISU sanction. The decision is important, because its sets a precedent for sanctioning athletes on the basis of abnormal blood values. Here is the key passage of the decision:

... the CAS Panel found that the percentage of reticulocytes values shown by the athlete in Hamar on 6 and 7 February 2009 constituted abnormal values in comparison with both the general population in Europe and other elite speed skaters, as well as in comparison with her own usual values. The Panel also found that the variations in the athlete's percentage of reticulocytes from 1.74 on 8 January 2009 to 3.49 on 6 February 2009 and then down again to 1.37 on 18 February 2009 was abnormal. ... The Panel finds that they must, therefore, derive from the Athlete’s illicit manipulation of her own blood, which remains the only reasonable alternative source of such abnormal values.

Back to cycling, the UCI has five cases based upon abnormal blood values found with the bio-passport program. The five riders - Igor Astarloa, Pietro Cauchioli, Francesco De Bonis, Ruben Lobato, and Ricardo Serrano - have sat in limbo, but the decision from Lausanne should strengthen the hand of the UCI to act on the basis of abnormal bio-passport information. De Bonis also returned a positive doping control for CERA, so no need to look too far for the reasons behind his abnormalities.

In other doping news, the Guardia Civile in Spain has uncovered a doping ring operated by former Kelme doctor and Fuentes bro Dr. Walter Viru. Viru, a hematologist, allegedly prescribed doping products to athletes for which he received 70,000 euros over the past two years. The information comes thanks to raids carried out by the Guardia Civile in a collabo with French authorities. According to reports at El País, Operación Grial has resulted in the arrest of 11 people so far. At the time of Operación Puerto, Spain had no laws prohibiting doping, which has created an endless succession of headaches. Subsequent to Puerto, the Spanish national government passed criminal laws against doping, which will likely apply in this new case and may mean a heapload of trouble for Viru and others named in the case.

For his part, Viru has a long history in the sport, and was named back in 2007 by Jesús Manzano. Among other things, Viru along with Del Moral, who then worked for U.S. Postal, received advance warning of UCI doping controls, which allowed them to protect their riders from suspicion. For a stroll down Memory Lane, roll on over to NY Velocity for Manzano’s description of Viru. So far, Operación Grial has named Spanish runner Francisco Javier Paquillo Fernández and cyclists Pedro Vera, José Ortega, and Christina Navarro. The three riders have been arrested on charges of dealing. The Guardia Civile also reportedly found EPO in a search of Paquillo Fernández’s home. No "bigs" from cycling have yet been mentioned in connection with the case. Read more at El País.

Phew... Enough doping, eh? How about some women’s news? Lithuanian rider Diana Ziliute has announced her retirement from cycling after a lengthy and successful career. Ziliute has ridden much of her career in Italy, most recently with Safi-Pasta Zara. She will turn sports director with the team next season. In the meantime, Ziliute with participate in "Pink Day" a celebration of women’s cycling at the Madonna del Ghisallo. Noemi Cantele will also join in the fun.

Happy Birthday to Ivan Basso, who turned 32 this week. Basso heads to the Passo San Pelligrino for a winter retreat with Liquigas-Doimo. Basso hopes to ride the Giro and Tour next season, though he will have to fight through a deep roster at Liquigas-Doimo to do it. Vincenzo Nibali, Franco Pellizotti, and Roman Kreuziger all have grand tour ambitions, and Liquigas-Doimo promises to be one of the more entertaining stories of next season as these four talented riders chase results. Watch out for that stiletto. Daniele Bennati, meanwhile, is hoping for a better season next year, starting with a win at Milano-Sanremo and maybe a stage or two at Tirreno-Adriatico. Bennati also has his eye on the Worlds race in Australia, which is reportedly sprinter-friendly. I will leave it to the Benna tifosi to illustrate this post appropriately.

That’s all the Wednesday Session for you, this week. Next week, more ‘tude, less news. For all the United Statesians - not to be confused with the Anglo-Sachians - enjoy the Thanksgiving hijinx tomorrow. I will be stopping by here at the Cafe to see what’s up, because really, I couldn’t possibly go a whole day without you people, could I? No, don’t answer that.

XOXO,
~Gav.