Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

(pic from flickr, UPDATE: Actually this is from Graham Watson)

Ivan Basso wasted no time climbing on a new Trek and donning the Discovery Channel kit after word of his signing was released to the world last week. To say that Ivan is motivated for 2007 is an understatement. Basso is already dressed in Discovery Channel blue and has the matching blue SiDis. This move must have been close for a while since the matching blue SiDis are not a standard color in their 2007 lineup. They need to be custom made and the turn-around time on those must be more than a few days.

Basso is probably counting down the days until the December 3rd Discovery Team training camp. No cold nights in the Norwegian tundra this year. Just some warmer nights getting to know a team that is probably just as eager to meet him.

Discovery Channel are taking a calculated risk signing Ivan Basso. None of the Pro Tour teams wanted to keep him since he was involved with the Operation Puerto affair. But, Operation Puerto is a dud, and the investigation is on hold until next summer. The evidence in the case has been flimsy at best and not enough to use in court. Basso has been cleared by the Italian Cycling Federation and is OK to race. The only violation is a gentleman’s agreement between ProTour teams to not sign riders involved in the OP affair. The Gentleman’s agreement is no legally binding, but it immediately set off a round of criticism from T-Mobile and a somber response from Riis who wished he never let Basso go.

T-Mobile is upset since they feel Discovery violated the Pro Tour ethics guidelines. This anger would be totally valid if Operation Puerto actually showed hard evidence against any cyclist. So far everyone no one has been convicted and all cases have been dropped. Even Manolo Saiz has had his license re-instated. With Saiz back in the Team Astana ring why should Basso be kept out of the Pro Tour? Saiz was actually caught with bags of blood and cash money in hand. This is much more incriminating that the innuendo that was used to associate Basso. Discovery Channel is completely justified in signing Basso, and no Pro Tour team should be restrained from signing Jan Ullrich or any other rider as a result.

Meanwhile Jan Ullrich is riding in an all black kit because he has no team and no license. He is waiting to get back into cycling and take out his anger on the roads of various races. Ullrich is going to have a hard time signing on with a ProTour team. Unlike Basso, Jan Ullrich has been run through the proverbial ringer in the Operation Puerto affair. No official charges have been levied against Der Kaiser. He is a hot potato as cycling federations from Germany to Switzerland to Austria are each trying to disassociate themselves from Ullrich.

Tyler Hamilton served his two year ban and is ready to get back to racing. After demolishing the competition at the Mt Washington Hill Climb the last two years, Tyler should be ready for some more challenging competition. The Pro Tour rules will not allow Hamilton to race with a top Pro Tout team, but that is no issue since many teams would probably not risk signing him anyway. Tinkoff Credit Systems is the team that seems likely to sign Hamilton.