Rules, schmules

Kléber
Kléber Posts: 6,842
edited May 2009 in Pro race
The Tour of Catalonia started today and Hushovd won the prologue. But Valverde was second. Here are the UCI rules:
A rider against whom an investigation was opened in relation to a fact which may cause a breach of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, will not be eligible for the ProTour race or is not authorised to participate to the ProTour race until the end of the suspension or until his definitive aquittal. In the event of a positive A Sample, this clause applies starting from the notification of the abnormal analysis result to the rider.

Since CONI's investigation is "in relation to a fact which may cause a breach of UCI Anti-Doping Rules"... how does Valverde get to race?

What's the point of creating rules if they are not enforced? Or am I getting it wrong, is the UCI treating the CONI ruling as something to be ignored?

Comments

  • shinyhelmut
    shinyhelmut Posts: 1,364
    Kléber wrote:
    how does Valverde get to race?

    Maybe his mate Lance pulled a few strings for him :lol:
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    Has he been banned from the Tour yet? Thought not.

    His sponsor is very important to cycling and he has the whole Spanish Federation and most of the Spanish judiciary backing him up.

    It does stink a bit. But then again only a fool thinks that Di Luca is winning the Giro without being goofed up on transfused blood or EPO.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • markwalker
    markwalker Posts: 953
    Timoid. wrote:
    Has he been banned from the Tour yet? Thought not.

    His sponsor is very important to cycling and he has the whole Spanish Federation and most of the Spanish judiciary backing him up.

    It does stink a bit. But then again only a fool thinks that Di Luca is winning the Giro without being goofed up on transfused blood or EPO.

    Makes great television though!
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    Hmmm. Spanish rider, on Spanish registered squad, implicated in Spanish doping scandal (but thats ok 'cos the Spanish judicial system says the evidence is inadmissable) racing in Spain. Nope, not seeing any pattern here.

    I think that even if the UCI wanted to do something, they are going to struggle with jurisdiction.
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • dave_1
    dave_1 Posts: 9,512
    It's Lance's fault Valverde is in...infact, everything is Lance's fault :)
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    markwalker wrote:
    Timoid. wrote:
    Has he been banned from the Tour yet? Thought not.

    His sponsor is very important to cycling and he has the whole Spanish Federation and most of the Spanish judiciary backing him up.

    It does stink a bit. But then again only a fool thinks that Di Luca is winning the Giro without being goofed up on transfused blood or EPO.

    Makes great television though!

    Can't argue with that. People should be aware of what they're watching though.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • timoid.
    timoid. Posts: 3,133
    markwalker wrote:
    Timoid. wrote:
    Has he been banned from the Tour yet? Thought not.

    His sponsor is very important to cycling and he has the whole Spanish Federation and most of the Spanish judiciary backing him up.

    It does stink a bit. But then again only a fool thinks that Di Luca is winning the Giro without being goofed up on transfused blood or EPO.

    Makes great television though!

    Can't argue with that. People should be aware of what they're watching though.
    It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.
  • Bronzie
    Bronzie Posts: 4,927
    In the light of the continuing UCI intransigence concerning Valv.Piti, this quote from Alain Rumpf (UCI Protour Manager) relating to the Astana cashflow problem had me looking like this................ :?
    "We are concerned about the image of cycling and this issue of unpaid wages doesn't giving cycling a good image," said Rumpf

    Mr Rumpf, if you think riders not getting paid makes cycling look bad................
  • Arkibal
    Arkibal Posts: 850
    clearly the UCI is a joke.
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    On the subject of which.
    It's Monday late, in glorious Kazakhstan.
    Has the monies been paid to the Astana lads or no?
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    Dave_1 wrote:
    It's Lance's fault Valverde is in...infact, everything is Lance's fault :)


    Yep everything indeed Lance was last seen scattering tacks all over a remote Perthshire road !
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • leguape
    leguape Posts: 986
    Timoid. wrote:
    But then again only a fool thinks that Di Luca is winning the Giro without being goofed up on transfused blood or EPO.

    Looks like they're taking more blood out than in then. He don't half look drawn. And in other news

    http://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image ... &via=tfrog

    "And this is the man who introduced me to Dr Michele Ferrari"
  • GroupOfOne MkII
    GroupOfOne MkII Posts: 1,289
    Timoid. wrote:
    Has he been banned from the Tour yet? Thought not.

    Bearing in mind Stage 16 passes through Italy I don't think he'll be riding. Well, not all the way to Paris at least :lol:
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    Timoid. wrote:
    Has he been banned from the Tour yet? Thought not.

    Bearing in mind Stage 16 passes through Italy I don't think he'll be riding. Well, not all the way to Paris at least :lol:

    Not a problem.
    As it's Italy, they can easily get it neutralised, so he can catch them on the way back. :P
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    Moray Gub wrote:
    Dave_1 wrote:
    It's Lance's fault Valverde is in...infact, everything is Lance's fault :)


    Yep everything indeed Lance was last seen scattering tacks all over a remote Perthshire road !

    That's rubbish. At the time he was rushing from an Illuminati meeting to address the Bilderberg group...
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • markwalker
    markwalker Posts: 953
    leguape wrote:
    Timoid. wrote:
    But then again only a fool thinks that Di Luca is winning the Giro without being goofed up on transfused blood or EPO.

    Looks like they're taking more blood out than in then. He don't half look drawn. And in other news

    http://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image ... &via=tfrog

    "And this is the man who introduced me to Dr Michele Ferrari"

    Ha ha ha that picture makes it look like Lance is touching himself whilst sitting next to Mercx :)
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    Since the UCI allowed Liquigas to hire Basso without comment the ProTour Code of Conduct hasn't been worth the paper it's written on. If the UCI don't implement their own rules then why should anyone pay any attention to them?
  • alanmcn1
    alanmcn1 Posts: 531
    I've been fuming about this for a while. The minute there was the sniff of a link Ullrich, Basso et al were prevented from riding. How come the lying scumbag Valverde gets to ride scott free.............gotta love the Spanish approach to doping scandals
    Robert Millar for knighthood
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    andyp wrote:
    Since the UCI allowed Liquigas to hire Basso without comment the ProTour Code of Conduct hasn't been worth the paper it's written on. If the UCI don't implement their own rules then why should anyone pay any attention to them?

    Does the UCI have anythng to do with the code of conduct though? I thought it was something the teams did themselves?

    Under guidance from Mr Saiz...
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • micron
    micron Posts: 1,843
    Isn 't Mr Rumf the man who accepted the 500,000 'anti doping' donation? Fairly clear where his priorities lie I would think.