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.
I find it rather amuzing that, given the names of some of the excluded riders (Basso, Ullrich, etc), people are going to claim that the Tour has been cheapened and that whoever wins isn’t the ‘real’ winner. This could be true, but isn’t the real fact of the matter that everyone who wasn’t kicked out is just working with a doctor who didn’t get caught? Or maybe that’s just my cynical nature coming through.
Amen, man. I for one would have liked to see some proof brought out before they started booting the cream of the crop back to their homelands. I’m all for cleaning it up, and must admit I snickered at the apparent sour grapes of the French claim of the “two speed peloton”, but when a friend of mine woke me up last night to show me this stuff, I have to admit I wasn’t extremely surprised. I think it would be nice to point out that the ASO isn’t a legal authority, just a race organizer, and if they want to find out what powerlessness feels like, keep pushing proud and accomplished athletes around and see how that works out for them. Maybe france can have its own 500 meter race too.
I have to admit I wasn’t extremely surprised.