Caretaker

Following its review of the audit produced by the Institute of Sports Science of the University of Lausanne the UCI has called on the Licence Commission to revoke Team Astana's licence.

This could be a real test of the 'new era in cycling'.

jyl

High time. Hope it sticks. Bummer for Nibali and bigger bummer for the innocent riders and staffers on the team, but it has to be done.

Leinster

Nibali made his bed. I'll be interested to hear his reaction, he had a very grouchy response last year when the Iglinskys got caught.

As for the other riders, I'm sure there are a couple of 24 year olds in the organisation who were in it for the right reasons, but someone like Lars Boom who's been around long enough, surely knows the team and management's reputation, and still signed for them for this year, well, it's hard to have sympathy now.

hueyhoolihan

a falling tide lowers all boats.

cafzali

To me, the delay by the UCI was due in part to the fact that they almost started the year one behind the maximum of 18 WorldTour teams. The whole WorldTour concept was started as a sort of "elite field," but increasing troubles for the business model of cycling, coupled with ongoing doping issues, has really sort of put a blemish on the whole concept.

Personally, I think it would be just as compelling, if not more so, to let more second division Pro Continental teams have a chance at competing in the top races. Now more than ever, it's really getting hard to argue that those teams don't have the talent.

txags92

I don't necessarily feel sorry for Nibali in all of this. I am not intimately familiar with all of the evidence involved, but what I have seen and heard suggests that UCI believes this is a problem with the team, and not simply a few rogue riders who managed to get by with doping due to inadequate supervision by the team. After Lance and all that has happened since then to expose how widespread doping was and how involved the teams and management were, I simply don't believe you could have this many positives on one team and not have some team involvement and knowledge by the other riders. Whether Nibali is or was doping himself remains to be seen, but I refuse to give anybody the benefit of the doubt anymore when it comes to whether they should have known that the riders around them were doping. He made his bed by sticking with the team, and I hope they get their due by having their license revoked. Then his problem will serve as a lesson for riders who stick with teams where they know doping is occurring. If the clean riders start fleeing like rats from a sinking ship every time doping becomes known on a team, soon teams won't have any choice but to make absolutely certain that all of their riders and management staff are doing things right.

79pmooney

+1 And I like that UCI is doing this. It sets a tone. Riders know that bad stuff on their team, even if they are squeaky clean, hurts them and that for their career hopes, they need to speak up. Also that being oblivious will not protect them.

Clean cycling will happen when the riders get that it is in their best interests AND pocketbook to ride clean and see to it that those around them do too. After all, it is all about the green.

Ben

Jed19

Nibali went after the big payday, and now he has to live with that decision. My late mother always warned her children about getting into any kind of business or partnership with unscrupulous people, and Vinokourov certainly qualifies as an unscrupulous person.

It's a shame, as I really like Nibali.

And kudos to the UCI for their recommendation, as the sport does not stand a snowball chance in hell of being clean as long as people like Vinokourov are still running teams.

Leinster

Incidentally, my thoughts on the innocent riders and staffers on the team, they're like contractors on the 2nd Death Star.
https://youtu.be/iQdDRrcAOjA?t=40s

jyl

The inside stories about Astana and Vino will start coming out.

Kessiakoff says Astana mistreatment cut career short - VeloNews.com

MinnMan

As far as I understand, there isn't any direct suspicion about Nibali thus far, but it's hard to see how this story ends well for him. the taint is a little too close now.

cafzali

With the WorldTour system, people will be eager to sign Nibali for his point potential, especially since he personally hasn't ever tested positive. Who knows what he's actually done, but if ou want to ask that question, there are a ton of people who are just as suspicious as he is.

Leinster

There were suggestions back in November that Nibali had a get-out clause if Astana didn't have a WT licence for the year, but he said he wasn't going to exercise it.

Nibali dismisses the idea of leaving Astana due to doping cases | Cyclingnews.com

I've seen suggestions (complete guesses, it must be said) that if Astana are out for the year, Specialized may step in and ensure Nibbles rides Le Tour for one of their other teams, presumably Quick Step. Who, on current classics form, would presumably get him into a break in the Pyrenees with Kwiatkowski, Uran and Tony Martin and still somehow lose the stage to Contador.

It does just look bad, though, to claim you're completely anti-doping, but at the same time be riding for Team Vino.

Marcus_Ti

The "business model" of men's ProTour cycling is in large part cycling's own fault. Doping aside, 95% of the time 99% of the field sandbags each entire stage and then only decides to actually race and compete the last 20-30km of a 150-200km+ stage....that simply does not draw anyone but the most ardent fans into bothering watching either live or on TV/streaming, nevermind build a following or an audience. Sure one can say it is "good tactics" to "save" the legs of the team for the end of the day-but in a sponsored sport it doesn't get viewers excited about watching a sport where everyone is sandbagging all day and everyone knows it....and unexcited viewers means guess what? Fewer and fewer sponsors...which means fewer teams...which means fewer viewers.

The peloton needs to look in the mirror sometime soon and realise the declining fan base and lack of sponsors is their own damned fault. Doping or no.

hueyhoolihan

i agree.

the classic one day races are often of more interest throughout the race in that there is less strategic advantage to "save it" for the next day or the even, in some cases, the next week or two.

jyl

But the TV only shows the last 60 km or so anyway, so most of the sandbagging happens before the viewing starts.

hueyhoolihan

true enough!

but they only televise the last 60cm or so because they are sandbagging for the previous 140kms.

i've got plenty of time on my hands, so i want to watch four hours of non-sandbagging racing. is that too much to ask?

txags92

Getting rid of the race radios would cure some of that. Would make riders have to pay more attention and ride harder early in the race just in case somebody decided to put the hammer down in a breakaway.

kzin

I disagree. Its only the 'sandbagging' that creates any possibility of a break escaping the aerodynamic inevitability of the peloton taking the sprinters to every flat finish or the best climbers to an even start at the bottom of every hilltop finish.

Hard racing from the start by everybody would drastically reduce the number of possible outcomes.

hueyhoolihan

absolutely right on target!

those races without radios are always more interesting to watch. i am particularly fond of the ones where the peloton fails to sweep up all the breakaway guys and accidentally leaves one out front until it's almost too late. they all go ballistic trying to make the catch. great fun.

jyl

I wonder if ASO would invite Astana to races, eg the Tour, if they are stripped of their WT license. Wouldn't look good, why would ASO want their marquee race further tainted, and for doping questions to again dominate all media coverage? And what a disaster if Nibali won, or if another Astana rider got popped, either at the Tour or after.

Nibali is defending the team and accusing the UCI of playing politics. If the UCI turns out to have no good grounds for its request, this could help him. If the UCI prevails, it will taint him. Maybe he is convinced he can't get a rich contract anywhere else. Maybe he is worried that Astana has or could claim to have information on him.

Leinster

Astana off scott free with nary a slap on the wrist.

UCI confirms Astana to keep licence with strict monitoring | Cyclingnews.com

jyl

Ugh.

Well, looking on the bright side, I'm happy to see nibali defend at the TdF and 60 people won't lose their jobs.

But I still wish vino was gone.

Leinster

Yeah, it's really hard to find a "bright side" to "hey, y'know how we're the sport with the worst rep for doping? Well we've found a team that had 5 positive tests in a year and as punishment we're telling them to not do it again!"

jyl

I'd like to see the decision when it is published. My main question will be, if a team does all the "right" things (meets all the criteria for good anti doping practices), then can it have unlimited doping positives without consequence?. Doping cases damage the sport of cycling, and at some point, isn't the team responsible for the results?.

Suppose another Astana rider gets popped this year. Suppose two more. What happens?

This isn't a normal team, where the sponsors will pull the plug if the UCI doesn't.

I feel rather badly for Cookson. Seems he really did his best to get Astana out.