The new team Murcia – 3 Molinos is heavily active in the rider market signing up several riders that were surprisingly still available. They are hoping for a wildcard bid to the 2006 Vuelta Espana. Their ultimate goal is to become a larger team with ProTour ambitions (whatever that may mean in the next few years) and eventually sign Alejandro Valverde who is from the Murcia region. Murcia – 3 Molinos is trying to follow the Euskatel Euskadi model of a team that is region centric.
The model has not been completely successful on the road, but does help to highlight an area for tourism and oher purposes. The riders already on staff include Santos Ganzalez, Jan Hruska and Toni Tauler. There is a good deal of talent already signed, but the team is waiting on some additional signups. These include Jorge Ferrio(Spiuk), Atienza (Cofidis), Lopez de Munain (Euskaltel) and Fuentes (Lampre).
Here is the the current rider list for Murcia – 3 Molinos :
* Banos (Esp – neo)
* Benito A (Esp)
* Buendio (Esp – neo)
* Box (Esp – neo)
* Castilla (Esp – neo)
* Cerrato (Esp – neo)
* Del Nero (Esp)
* Dominguez Sergio (Esp – Spiuk)
* Garcia Julio (Esp – Madeinox)
* Gonzalez Santos (Esp – Phonak)
* Hruska (Tch – Liberty Seguros)
* Rodriguez A. (Esp – Barbot)
* Tauler (Esp – Iles Balears)
Tuttobici Web
Not a huge story, but more news wires are picking up that Igor Astarloa signed for Liquigas for 2006. This is false as the Yahoo! News story below has a profile of Liquigas for 2006 and the roster does not include the former World Champ. I emailed Liquigas to see what the bottom line is, but no response yet. The Liquigas Team site does not have any news about signing Astarloa either.
Liquigas: Amadio `Un organico competitivo` – Yahoo! Sport – Yahoo! Sport
This came off of the news at TuttoBici this morning saying that reports saying that Igor Astarloa has signed for Liquigas are not true. Last heard around Velochimp offices was that Astarloa was mulling over a contract offer from Lampre, but that wasn’t sweet enough. Todociclismo has the story about Astarloa and buddy Peio Arreitunandia signing for Liquigas. TuttoBici says has a quote from Liquigas Team Manager Roberto Amadio saying:
We have had contact with Igor Astarloa, but there was no offer since we already have 28 riders which we feel is enough to tackle the intense new cycling season that awaits us.
Astarloa y Arreitunandia fichan por el Liquigas
Tuttobici Web
Roberto Heras’ second sample came up positive for EPO. Does this mean that the test is flawed? or that doping controls to catch cheats are working? Either way, we will not be seeing Roberto Heras racing next year as he will soon be fired by his team. Heras will appeal this finding, but as the Yahoo News report says, this will take at least 8 to 9 months. So here are some puzzling thoughts:
1) Why would Heras risk taking EPO when he knew he would be tested and it would probably show up in his test? Did he not have access to sophisticated masking methods or why did he not try a more advanced doping technic?
2) The downside of getting caught for doping seems much worse than simply coming in second, especially for Heras who was a three time winner already.
3) He already gets paid handsomely for his services to Liberty Seguros and seemed like a rider who wasn’t really pressured to get results.
4) If he is indeed doping, does this mean that he was getting lazy and sloppy in his methods? It seems that taking EPO would be a very dumb and desparate move since the testing methods are improving. Not being a Pro Cyclist myself, I do not see where a rider like Heras would be that desparate to resort to taking EPO at the time that he did.
5) This is the second former Postal Service Team member to be caught for a doping offence. Tyler Hamilton and Roberto Heras are two racers from Postal that decided to go on their own. Did they partake in doping methods while at Postal, or does the fact they they are caught show that they only tried doping after the fact?
It is easy to be cynical about Heras finally getting caught, but to me the facts just do not add up. Getting caught for EPO use seems like an odd result for an experienced rider such as Heras. If he has been doping all along then he should at least be on the “latest” doping methods that would allow him to avoid detection. Or he would at least timed his dosage to avoid detection. In the phase of the Vuelta where Heras was caught doping, he already had a sizable lead and winning seemed all but assured. It would be unnecessary for Heras to dope at that time. So, is the testing flawed where there are false positves? or are riders not as sophisticated as originally thought and still using EPO out of desparation for winning?
Heras shows doping methods work, says Vuelta director – Cycling – Yahoo! Sports
Velonews: Radio reports Heras’s B sample positive
Todociclismo – Ciclismo, ciclismo y sólo ciclismo
Igor Astarloa has more or less returned to a top level team by rejoining Lampre-Fondital for 2006. He is anxious to get back to winning big races after being with the smaller Barloworld Team last year. The best way to get back into racing Igor feels is to get a big win right away, and he is pointing to the first Classic on the calendar, Milan-San Remo.
If I want to return to the top level, I will need to get an important win. I have been thinking of Milan-San Remo as a goal. Being with a top team such as Lampre with the guarantee of racing the big races, will help me achieve this goal better.
Another goal for the seaon is a Grand Tour, but Astarloa is not yet sure which one he will aim to race.
Lampre: Astarloa `Ora punto alle classiche`- Yahoo! Sport
Igor Astarloa might be on his way back to Lampre after a few years in cycling’s neather region. Astarloa as you may remember was World Champ in 2003 (Velochimp was there in Hamilton to see him win). He quickly succumbed to the curse of the rainbow jersey when his Cofidis team had some serious doping related issues. This lead to the Cofidis management suspending their own team from competing during the spring classics which were Astarloa’s primary goal for the year. Cofidis were able to release Igor from his contract and allow him to transfer to another team. A quick move to Lampre was not done in time and the World Champ could not get many results in 2004. The next year Igor was left out of the contract shuffle, and he joined the smaller Barloworld Team. He has been riding for the tiny South-African-Italian team since which has kept him out of his beloved Belgian Classics. Now Lampre are ready to take him back. Astarloa is holding himeself back a bit trying not to completely jump on the offer and pretenting to “mull it over” for a few days. Igor, just sign already!
BiciRace.com :: News :: November 2005
A new Spanish Team is set to debut next season. The team will be known as la Murcia Resort 3 Molinos. The main objective will be to get a wildcard spot for the Vuelta a Espana. The long term goal will be to get a spot as Pro Tour Team. La Murcia is much like Euskatel-Euskadi which will try to feature riders from a particular geographic location. Alejandro Valverde is one Murcian resident that the team would like on its roster in the future. Valverde is enthusiastic about the new team and gave some nice words about joining someday…
Tuttobici Web
Roberto Heras has apparently tested positive for EPO usage in stage 20 of the Vuelta a Espana from Guadalajara and Alcala de Henares.
Liberty Seguros released the information because of press leaks about the positive test. The Team will not take action against Heras’ contract unless the ‘B’ sample comes back positive. Heras just won his fourth Vuelta this year while overcoming a bad crash. Liberty-Seguros is confident that Heras “would be able to prove his innocence”.
Cyclingnews.com
Eurosport
Daily Peloton – Pro Cycling News
