Though events have progressed somewhat from this morning, my Violation of Liberty Sense is still raging over this latest round of revelations in Operation Puerto. My earlier assertion, that the ASO had blocked accused riders from competing, was incorrect; their teams suspended them after a meeting (I’m guessing closed-door) of the directeurs sportif of all the teams at this year’s Tour. That is the only mistake I will concede in my earlier assessment of this affair.

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So, remember yesterday, when I pointed my finger at the CAS as something of a loose cannon, weilding unchecked power? Yeah…turns out I really wanted book ASO on that charge. Today, or last night (depends on where you live), they booted Jan Ullrich and some other people, then later put the sword to pretty much everyone else. Though I do feel better about some things, like my Valverde pick (and I guess also predicting this mess 11 months ago), I feel significantly less good because THE REIGN OF TERROR IS ON, BITCHES! SURRENDER YOUR WIFE AND CHILDREN TO THE ASO AND REPORT IMMEDIATELY TO THE VILLAGE DEPART FOR RE-EDUCATION! Seriously. They’re pulling people from the biggest race in the world based on unsubstantiated news coverage? Why can’t they show CAS, or the media, or freakin’ ANYONE (besides T-Mobile, in the first link on this page) the magical “documents” that justified booting these riders? Where is the oversight? The due process? The freedom of the press? The liberte, egalite and fraternite? Good luck watching le Tour this year, suckers; my guess is there isn’t going to be one. And remember, Jean-Marie is Watching You.

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I find it ironic that French hate Bush so much. And no, that’s not some bawdy dig inspired by the stereotypical French inattention to hygiene. Take a look at the ASO’s stance in this recent doping affair: according to their own rules, they can kick out anyone so much as suspected of being a doper. Now, you’d never find a clause like that in the Deutschland Tour bylaws; the Germans learned their lesson with such bureaucratic fudge factors back in 1933. But Americans, running now some 225 years on the same set of constitutional documents, have no memory to teach them any better. So if Bush thinks someone’s a terrorist, away they go. The similarity is striking, isn’t it?

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It’s a sad day for cycling. And this time, it’s not because of the drugs. Jaan Kirsipuu’s astounding streak of 13 consecutive Tour de France DNFs will be coming to an end this July (I put that one in DeepQuote to point out Eurosport’s outrageous copy error). What’s even more infuriating is that Kirsipuu’s likely replacement, Julian Dean, admits that in “earning” his Tour spot, he employed a good deal of motopacing. Jaan Kirsipuu would never motopace, mostly because at 180lbs, he’s larger than the majority of European cars. The bitter icing on this half-baked pastry is that Credit Agricole will most likely justify this blunder by saying they’re trying to “defend” the points title Thor Hushovd won last year; never mind that the Norwegian failed to win a single stage, and only took the maillot vert to Paris because Tom Boonen abandoned and headbutting is illegal.

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A lot of you are wondering why I haven’t posted in a while. There are a few reasons for this. The first is that I’ve been in something of a feud with Google over the (previous) contents of this page. Then there was a brief technical issue with TextDrive, my hosting company, that, though quickly resolved, took down the page for a bit. But primarily, what’s kept me quiet is the fact that there really isn’t anything worth posting about going on in the cycling world. No, seriously. The last bit of cycling news that gave me any pleasure was Oscar Freire bunny-hopping a median and busting away to win a stage at the Tour de Suisse (see it on Cycling.TV’s Premium service). Since then, it’s been all Operation Puerto, all the time.

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Jan Ullrich is a riddle inside a mystery wrapped (9 months out of the year) in thick coating of Rostockian lard. The man has superhuman talent that manifested itself at a very early age. A lot of people think this has lead him into some sort of Michael Jackson /Macauley Culkin early-fame flame out thing. But that’s BS. Certainly the picture Udo Bolts paints for a young Ullrich is that of a well-adjusted, enthusiastic rider. I might let Jan play the “Behind the Music” excuse on his seriously overweight days as “El Gordo”, and possibly even on the legal problems that surrounded him in 2002.

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Ok, so I know I haven’t posted in a week, and I shouldn’t have the chutzpah to criticize anyone, but come on - asking Tom Boonen “Are you the next George Hincapie?” I realize that’s not a direct quote, but the idiocy of sentiment remains. How can Boonen “follow in the footsteps” (that is a quote) of a guy who has always been and will continue to be miles behind him? Baby-face Tom made this perfectly clear on a fateful afternoon in 2002, and drove the point home with authority three years later. Hincapie’s tried to win Tour sprints, tried to snag a day in the maillot jaune, tried to win Flanders, and tried to win Roubaix. He has failed on every occasion. In only two years, Boonen’s triumphs in all but one of these areas have been manifold - and I wouldn’t bet against his chances of completing the set next month. Until last July, there simply was no comparison to be made between these two riders.

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Only minutes left to post on today’s news! Don’t worry; not much to report. Item #1 - Dauphine Stage 3. Name four American ex-Posties, each riding for a different team now (though one still rides for Tailwind). Now list them in reverse alphabetical order. Now swap names two and three. There’s your top 4. Click here if that’s too complicated for you. Zabriskie reinforces his claim on most areodynamic, but will it be good enough to put him on the CSC Tour Squad? Apparently, VeloNews knows, because they’ve already put out their 2006 Tour de France Guide. Little premature, huh guys?

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The fear of the End Times was palpable in the Dauphine Libere peloton today, though not inspired so much by the date (6/6/06, in case you have been on Mars for the last month, in a cave, with your eyes shut and your fingers in your ears) as by the apocalyptic visions of 21 switchbacks following hot on the heels of tomorrow’s not so flat time trial. At 44k in, Phillipe Gilbert and Sebastien Joly of FdJ, along with Cedric Vassuer of Quick-Step, teamed up to play wheat to the peleton’s chaff, braving much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the day’s only break. Vasseur was Left Behind some distance from the final ascent, and Joly was most certainly not (it’s a play on his last name - tee-hee!) to be condemned on the last trial of its 4th category slope. Despite attempts by several individuals to beef up the pace, Gilbert continued to extend his advantage until he commenced his victory salutes at roughly 5k to go.

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It’s June, that magical time of year where a one-week stage race comes to the fore in cycling, not because its victor will be showered in prestige and paychecks, but because it’s seen as an important warm-up for the Tour de France. And yet somehow, this event, where a win rates mere side-show status, maintains a position in the highest tier of road cycling events, while other races, which many of the world’s best cyclists fight tooth and nail to win, are excluded. I won’t state here whether I think this more reflective of the TdF’s influence or the UCI’s idiocy - just that if Pat McQuaid wants to loosen the Grand Tours’ grip on professional cycling, he might consider downgrading some of their tune-up races.

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