Inane Asylum

Well, unless you’ve been under a rock the last few days, you’ve heard by now that the Spanish Cycling Federation has changed their minds and decided to let Alberto Contador ride again, clearing him of doping charges (meaning he is still the winner of the 2010 TDF…for now anyway). The UCI and WADA have 30 days to file an appeal with the Court for Arbitration in Sport (CAS), otherwise the decision is final. IF either file an appeal, then the CAS will have the final say. They can leave the decision as is, or change it up to a full 2 year ban including the loss of his TDF title from 2010. And if they REALLY want to play nasty hard-ball, they could possibly begin his 2 year sanction now rather than last July, being as he raced professionally just yesterday.

I won’t go into any great detail here on the complexities of this decision and it’s ramifications…if you are really interested go on over to Rants. He has some awesomely smart folk commenting (excluding myself) who have been dissecting this and citing code and such. It’s really interesting to hear some of the details that are left out of the mainstream articles that are my usual source of information. It’s like I’m reading Mad Magazine and they are reading Scientific American. That’s how they make me feel sometimes. But that’s cool…I like Mad Magazine! (who doesn’t love Spy vs Spy?)

I have to admit that I’m surprised by the Spanish Fed’s reversal. I totally expected the 1 year ban as it showed that they believed he did nothing wrong, but also were realistic enough to believe there was no way the UCI/WADA would go along with it….and if they (UCI/WADA) do appeal the decision then his penalty can be much worse, and it’s also completely out of their hands. So this reversal of their earlier decision means one thing to me: they believe they somehow have a good enough case that the CAS will NOT overturn their decision. What is that case though? It’s like they have a hidden card in their sleeve and have let the UCI/WADA know which card it is ahead of time.

Rant has talked about the possibility that a ‘technicality’ might be that ace in the hole. Something about how he (AC) wasn’t notified correctly (you’d have to read all of his last posting and comments to get the full dirty details on this). However in their decision they specifically mentioned the rule they are using to justify their decision, and it’s based on the athlete having proved his case that the banned substance found in his system got there inadvertently. Unless this is what they decided to go public with, and are keeping the ‘technicality’ card in their sleeve only to use it if they have to. I don’t know that the CAS would be required to abide by that though (the technicality aspect, if it does exist)…and I haven’t yet posted that question at Rants. But it’s still quite interesting to speculate on though.

For one, I hope and pray that the decision is based completely on their utter belief that he did not dope. One of the things discussed over at Rants is the fact that anyone who spends any amount of time in China (eating their food) WILL come back with Clenbuterol in their system. Apparently it’s all over the place there..food, water, who knows where else. There has been an actual study and proven this is the case, and the anti-doping authorities have to deal with this ‘inadvertent’ exposure to banned substances by setting a threshold level. This level would be above what you could get eating reasonable foods/quantities, but low enough to catch athletes even doing ‘micro doses’. And it’s not only China apparently…Mexico and other countries have recently come under the gun for having Clen showing up in their food supply. They (the UCI/WADA) can and will hold you accountable for using ‘supplements’, no matter if something is in there that shouldn’t be. But they can NOT hold you liable for eating food. And they can’t have differing standards based on where you live (or travel). 

One of the good things coming out of this (besides Alberto being able to race again) is that IF the UCI/WADA decide to go along with the ruling and not appeal, then this will be a very public precedent set for going back and exonerating others (ie: less noteworthy athletes) who have been snared in this ‘any amount whatsoever is a violation’ net. The rule is completely unfair and needs to be changed, and this ruling will be the stepping stone used to git’ er’ dun’. At least I hope so.

Today’s post wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t mention Lance’s official retirement (again). Whatever your thoughts on his storied and recently embattled career, if you go back and review his past you can’t help but be impressed. Here is a link to an article on Velo News which does just that. All the way back to when he was 13 years old.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/02/news/inside-cycling-with-john-wilcockson-armstrong%e2%80%99s-25-year-journey-is-over_160347

All I can say after reading it is GO LANCE you STALLION! I have NO IDEA if he really won all those TDF’s clean or not. But I have to say this: NO amount of doping will turn a plow-horse into a Secretariat…and he was a thoroughbred of thoroughbreds to be sure. And early in his career when he was already winning (even as a teenager against adults in triathlons), I just can’t force myself to believe he was already doping (if indeed he ever was). So there is no denying whatsoever that he was a world-class athlete even as a young whipper-snapper. So following this logic, I would believe that surely early in his career he was winning clean (he flat out couldn’t afford to dope). Later on, maybe, maybe not. But I do believe that IF he was doping in his later years, then surely so was everybody else who wanted a chance to beat him. But it’s all of no matter to me at this point. I hope and pray this stupid McCarthy’esque witch-hunt folds at some point in the near future, and they leave him alone to run his foundation and be a family man.

Obviously he will ALWAYS be a star of stars, and his voice will continue to carry clout with heads of state the world over. The cancer fight is far from over, and he is the engine behind the success of his organization. I must admit I wanted to see him ONE MORE TIME in this years Tour of California…mostly because I knew it was the end. He may still show up here, as it’s a big race and he’s as big of star as there is in cycling. But it won’t be the same. He won’t be on the bike. It’s the end of an era for sure.

And so, if the Spanish Federation decision stands, we WILL be treated to the Andy/Alberto shootout this July. I will keep my fingers crossed, and my rose-colored-glasses set on HIGH. There’s one thing I CAN say about the Spanish Federation though: they’ve got guts and they don’t immediately fling their guy under the bus (unlike OTHER federations who are QUICK to name the man in question as a cheat right from the start, BEFORE their case has seen even a smidgen of due process). You can call it being soft on doping, or simply standing by their man…. you know: innocent until proven guilty. I sure hope it’s for the second reason. If so, then the REST of the world (including, and ESPECIALLY the media) needs to take a deep breath of that statement and finally start to live it. Quit condemning people before they’ve had their day in court.

Happy Friday…I need to go clean the turtles house. Every THREE days. I wonder how long their water would stay livable in a swimming pool, not that we have one.

Yet.