nrspeed

Please consider taking the time to send an email to Christian Prudhomme and the ASO regarding the decision to leave ASTANA out of ASO events for 2008.

Christian Prudhomme
A.S.O
2 rue Rouget de Lisle
92137 Issy-les-Moulineaux Cedex
Tel. : 01 41 33 15 07
Fax : 01.41.33.15.09
E-mail: cprudhomme@aso.fr

asopresse@aso.fr


Laurent Bezault, Assistant Competition Director
A.S.O
2 rue Rouget de Lisle
92137 Issy-les-Moulineaux Cedex
Tel. : 01 41 33 15 43
Fax : 01.41.33.15.49
E-mail: lbezault@aso.fr

bdcheung

Oh please. Your energy would be better spent writing a letter to your congressman about Hot Topic Issue X.

WheresWaldo

Did Roger Clemons take PEDS?

How is that for the Hot Topic Issue X?

subframe

or there's always "Is torture illegal in the US?"

WheresWaldo

Would the answer to both of those be....

YES

cuski

Why?

wfrogge

no

Namenda

Unless you happen to be a sponsor, chances are that Prudhomme and his crew don't give a rat's ass what you think.

kwrides

They don't need to hear me say I'm happy a few more cheaters are out for the season, they agree already.

Donegal

Pis# on ASO, Pis% on the Tour de France. B.S. Politics, Anti UCI, Self-serving Newspaper stories on doping. I, for one, will not be watching their sh%& this year. This is fast becoming French Big Time Wrestling, the players will be hand picked. All we need is some smoke, loud music, a disco ball. The Tour de France is one of the most negative forces in cycling. No other sport spends so much time persecuting it's participants. Why waste my time.

vic32amg

it will be the best tour ever!!!

seppomadness

ahhhh to be a seppo. What does it feel like? LSD?

seppomadness

To Christen,

Ru related to Jesus? He is our saviar. I like bikes and have a red one. Mine goes fast. why is youse so mean to Team America. I know we spelt it all wrongs on the jerseys. Its really Team America - we tricked you HAHA frenchie.

cun yo let us rides in da tour like? we rock. stop being yo *****en whorrrrrrie. tight.

i is written this formal letter and it has taken me ages and very long time to remember. You are not American so dont even try. We solved cancer. You think you rule bikes buten you dont. tight.

Word yo,

Phil Macracken,
Ohio

classic1

+1

Ben Dover
Bumfug, Alabama

prendrefeu

HAHAHAHAAHAA

yeah.

seppomadness

yo yo n^gga word! I was in Bumfag just last week. That Star Trek conversion was on. Be da sh^t! Tight.

classic1

I thunk I saw y'all there pardner

Geoff326

email him to congratulate him on a job well done?

prendrefeu

+1

No joke, I was actually considering this. May get to it this weekend, in fact. I'll write it in French, too.

HigherGround

Considering that Operación Puerto is going to be reopened, and that some question marks still linger over Contador, they may have made the right decision. Personally I'd prefer to see them wait and see if there is solid evidence against Contador, but I doubt they can afford to risk that happening after the Tour has started.

gpelpel

Well I think it's probably a great thing Astana is out of the TdF.
Let's remember Astana's history. It was born out of the Liberty-Seguros team which was heavily involved in the Operacion Puerto scandal. We all know how the team became even more famous for doping issues last year.
This year they have a new management with Johan Bruyneel as the Director. He is the same guy who didn't think twice before hiring Basso who was under the Puerto investigation and later convicted of doping. He admitted it as well. The team leader Contador has his name in the bag as well.
Bruyneel was also Lance Armstrong's director. LA has never been caught doping but many still have huge doubts about how clean he was.
I do believe he mostly was, I do also believe Leipheimer is clean. I used to believe Hamilton and Landis were clean as well, they used to ride for Bruyneel. Well may be I was too naive.
What I am now sure about is that doping was rampant and a needed part of all professional sports for the last decade or two. It started during the "cold war" as East and West were battling for sport aura.
What we don't know is how many kids died or are dying from the experiment. Sports is governed by money, period. Nothing else. Even the Olympics which were only opened to amateurs are now a showdown between professionals. Did the 'Dream Team' made the Olympics more exciting? It surely help sell more Wheatties boxes and McDonald burgers but did the Games really benefited?
As spectators we have to decide what and who we want to support. Do we want to support the effort, the courage, and the gifted, or do we want to support the cheaters and the sponsors?
The battle to clean up sport won't be easy and quick, there certainly will be some innocent casualties (Leipheimer may be one) but in the long term it's worth it.
How can a team under the Astana banner can have any type of credibility?

ronbridal

oh yeah, great idea. let them know if you have any suggestions about the TDF route also. they might listen to you since you are a member of BF