Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

The news has been everywhere and the writing was on the wall, but earlier this week Andy Rihs made it official, the Phonak Team is no more. The beleagured cycling team will close up shop at the end of the season after their marketing cache evaporated following several doping scandals. iShares did not want to take the reigns from Phonak and still suffer the constant doping headlines.

The news is bittersweet since it is always sad to see a sponsor leave the sport. But it is a sign that doping does have serious consequences. This is good news to some degree since it could help to shake up the practice of doping on the Pro peloton.

The downside of doping is now much higher than simply losing a race. Riders can lose their jobs and the jobs of those around them, which should make them be more careful whe deciding on performance enhancing options. Better to ride the few extra miles or motor pace a little more than go for the testosterone patch/cream or other “mother’s little helpers” that are available.

Phonak’s move to drop their sponsorship at this point is probably not the best move to make at this point. Their name will be associated with Landis’ positive dope test and running what is perceived to be a dirty team. Festina watches have their name associated with the 1998, but they continued to sponsor a team for years later. Today they are the timing sponsor of the Tour as they have their name plastered on cars and the time-trial start house. This presence helps to soften the blow of being associated with one of the biggest scandal in cycling up until this year.

Andy Rihs should probably stick around cycling for at least another year in some form so that Phonak is not known for the scandal in cycling circles.

The fact that Phonak has had so many positive dopers on the team brings up an interesting question. Is Phonak really the cleanest team in the peloton? This sounds counter intuitive but if you think about the process of doping it would make more sense. Doping, especially if it is done properly should never result in a positive test. Dopers are well aware of masking techniques and processes used to steer clear of positive test results. Those who do get caught are either sloppy, lazy or did not have all of the facts. The Tyler Hamilton/ Santi Perez positives for blood doping point to the athletes mixing up their blood bag and accidentally injected the wrong blood.

If you use the proper masking agents and monitor your levels there would be no reason to fail a test. If a guy like Floyd Landis was doping systematically then he would know the proper time to take testosterone so as not to get caught. If he is slapping on a patch on his scrotum out of sheer desparation without team support, then he would get caught because he would not be aware of the proper way of using the product.

Overall, I think Landis will walk from the positive test and he will be racing in 2007. If/When he does get cleared he will now have to look for a new team.