Cycling continued

[Theatregirl1122]

I feel like Tyler has been excessively accident prone the last two years. It seems like he's had so many injuries.

[Garden Kitty]

Omega Pharma Quick Step won the team time trial at Worlds. It's a new event but it seems odd to me to have trade teams competing at worlds,

[Theatregirl1122]

I was totally confused by that. If there was going to be a TTT, shouldn't it have been by country?

[Garden Kitty]

I was totally confused by that. If there was going to be a TTT, shouldn't it have been by country?

That's what I thought, but it is hard because many countries get only 1 or 3 entries so they couldn't even do a team. So as much as I love a TTT and the drama that ensues, it seemed like a pretty silly race to me.

Funny exchange between Levi Leipheimer and Fat Cyclist on twitter, and a challenge for a combined bike race/donut eating challenge.

[Garden Kitty]

Congrats to Tony Martin on defending his time trial world championships, and to Taylor Phinney for getting the silver.

But in sad news, Euskatel Euskadi rider Victor Cabedo was killed after being hit by a car while out training. Terribly sad.

[Theatregirl1122]

I'm for Tony to defend his Rainbow Jersey. He's had a very rough year so I'm glad it ended so well for him!

I'm also totally excited for Taylor. Not 4th! I'm so torn between him and Tony these days. I kept flipping back and forth on who I wanted to win. It's a bad plan to have two of your favorite riders be ITTers.



I didn't hear about Victor Cabedo. How awful!

[Garden Kitty]

Yay, Didi is back and at Worlds

And one of my favorite names in cycling, Liquigas is leaving the peloton. Liquigas Cannondale will now be just Cannondale.

[emason]

Or as Phil Liggett used to pronounce it: Leakygas.

[Garden Kitty]

Well that's one way for Gilbert to turn his rather lackluster season around. And he seems to have a message on twitter for all the people who were questioning his results this season:

Wat a f***ing nice day! Thanks to the Belgian team and my real fans. Thanks@BMCProTeam

[Theatregirl1122]

I'm sad Cav's year in rainbow is over. Now can we get him a team that will ride for him? I found the Team Sky experiment exhausting.

Good for Gilbert! Apparently he was just... saving all his winning for the end of the season! He was concentrating his winning. It's funny because, last year on a course like this, everyone would have predicted Gilbert to win without having to think about it. It really is his kind of course.

[DaiKozOda]

I'm very happy for Valverde. He did great in the World Champs.
Also thrilled for Gilbert.

[Garden Kitty]

Fatty and the Great Donut Race - silly fun at Levi's Grand Fondo

Ryder at the Giro presentation

Taylor Phinney at the presentation (he caught a ride on Cavendish's chartered plane)

Bert can give these other guys a few tips on dressing for an event

[Garden Kitty]

More details on the case against Lance, and Hincapie issues a statement confirming he doped and that he testified to the UCI about it.

“Because of my love for the sport, the contributions I feel I have made to it, and the amount the sport of cycling has given to me over the years, it is extremely difficult today to acknowledge that during a part of my career I used banned substances. Early in my professional career, it became clear to me that, given the widespread use of performance enhancing drugs by cyclists at the top of the profession, it was not possible to compete at the highest level without them. I deeply regret that choice and sincerely apologize to my family, teammates and fans,” Hincapie wrote in the statement. “Two years ago, I was approached by U.S. federal investigators, and more recently by USADA, and asked to tell of my personal experience in these matters. I would have been much more comfortable talking only about myself, but understood that I was obligated to tell the truth about everything I knew. So that is what I did.”

[Theatregirl1122]

It was always a stretch to believe that Lance Armstrong won a 7 TDF titles in an era where everyone was doping without doing it himself. But that isn't evidence in a court and Hamilton and Landis were hardly credible witnesses. But George has nothing to gain here and only his own records to lose. So, if there was anyone still doubting Armstrong's guilt, I think that is over now.

[Garden Kitty]

6 riders given 6 month bans by USADA (which effectively amounts to the fact they can't race in the off season), including Hinacpie, Danielson, Zabriskie, Vande Velde, Barry and Leipheimer.

Here is the USADA report of the "reasoned decision".

[kwanfan1818]

Jeez, by the time they get through with this, the only person left standing is going to be the third domestique who was too low on the food chain to be let in on the doping.

[Garden Kitty]

USADA site with the supporting documents including rider affidavits. (click on the third tab at the top of the page for the affidavits)

[deltask8er]

USADA site with the supporting documents including rider affidavits. (click on the third tab at the top of the page for the affidavits)

Wall Street Journal has a direct link to 91 pages of affidavits

online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444799904578048941010314364.html

[Garden Kitty]

In a move that surprises nobody, Bruyneel is out at Radio Shack after the release of the investigation info.

[Aussie Willy]

Last night on Australian TV there was a investigative journalist program about the whole Lance Armstrong drug situation. It certainly is not looking good for Armstrong. They went into the details of the samples from as far back as 1999 which have since been retested and proven positive. Plus interviewed those who have also testified under oath to evidence that Armstrong did in fact use drugs.

At the end of the day someone is going to be proven to lying under oath which then raises another kettle of fish.