Addy291 wrote:
We'll be watching the Tour of Flanders though

ABridgeTooFar wrote:
OJ Simpson was hired as the spokesman for Rock Racing. Do people in Europe know who OJ is? If not Google him. I am really starting to hate Michael Ball and Rock Racing.

A mob hitman confessed to being hired to beat a cow to death in a rice field with only a pair of small porcelain figurines. The police admit it is the only known case of a knick-knack paddy whack.

ABridgeTooFar wrote:
OJ Simpson was hired as the spokesman for Rock Racing. Do people in Europe know who OJ is? If not Google him. I am really starting to hate Michael Ball and Rock Racing.

UCI imposes limit on team names

By Raol Awileus

The UCI announced this week that it would impose an immediate restriction on the length of team names in order to integrate its whereabouts system with other worldwide databases. In the midst of creating a global integrated website to pull together the massive amount of data created by its biological passport program, the sport's governing body ran into a major snag - long team names would not fit in the database.

"Unfortunately, every team seems to have its own system for tracking rider whereabouts," said a UCI spokesman. "It all comes down to the weakest link, and that was one system, which will remain nameless, which had a constraint on the team name field." The field length was set to 32 characters, far too small to allow the entire team name of squads such as the Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Giocattoli team, which clocks in at 47 characters, but it most certainly would not accomodate the An Post-M. Donnelly-Grant Thornton-Sean Kelly Team and its unwieldy 50 letters.

"The UCI understands that title sponsors want to be represented in all the results and press that the team earns, but it's getting out of hand! First we had US Postal presented by Berry Floor and now every team is presented or powered by a minor sponsor. 50 years ago, a team could fit its name on the front of one crudely stitched woolen jersey. We're recommending that teams pursue title sponsors with shorter names if they want to incorporate them all into its identity."

"Astana, Liquigas, Quick Step - they're all great teams and have names which are succinct and memorable. Do teams really think that including five different sponsors in the name is going to increase the impact for each company?

"We also suggest that the teams leave off 'pro cycling team' or 'cycling team' from the name for brevity's sake. If you're in a bike race, we all know you're a bike racing team, isn't it a bit redundant?"

None of the ProTour teams will be affected by the change, although the Cofidis, le Credit Par Telephone squad is right on the limit with 32 letters.

"We considered restricting the amount of capital letters in the name, too," the spokesman continued, "but we couldn't come up with a technical reason why it should be disallowed. However, we are looking into the concept for future seasons for purely aesthetic reasons."

ABridgeTooFar wrote:
OJ Simpson was hired as the spokesman for Rock Racing. Do people in Europe know who OJ is? If not Google him. I am really starting to hate Michael Ball and Rock Racing.

CSC team doctor sees less doping in cycling now

There is less doping usage in the peloton now, but the problem will never be eliminated, according to Joost De Maeseneer, team doctor with Team CSC. In an interview with the belga press agency, he noted that, "Doping will never go away entirely. First there were the amphetamines, then the anabolic steroids, followed by EPO and now blood doping. You can be certain that there will be something new; genetic doping, for example. I can only hope that it stays away a long time, so that we will be armed against it."

Increased out-of-competition controls have been successful, he said. "The chance of being caught is much larger, and as a result, the peloton has become cleaner. A few years ago, someone like Greg Avermaet would have had no chance as a 22 year-old in a race like the E3 Prijs." The doctor added, though, "I'm not saying that they have all become saints. We hope that those who aren't clean will be caught."

De Maessener said that uniform controls are needed. "Let's take Flanders as an example. The Vlaamse Gemeenschap, the courts, the Belgian federation, the UCI, the World Anti-doping agency: all of them can do doping controls."

The Belgian doctor would give some riders a second chance. "I would divide the 'doping sinners' into two groups. I don't find it possible that Basso, who personally betrayed me, should be suspended for life, when there are riders here in De Panne who have never been punished but have more to hide."

Some of the undeserving riders include Alexander Vinokourov and Andrey Kashechkin, retired and/or suspended. "With a smile," they signed the UCI's "Commitment to a new cycling", in which they pledged not to "commit any infringement to the UCI anti-doping rules". Both were later tested positive for blood-doping, Vinokourov during the Tour and Kashechkin shortly thereafter.

A man is still in critical condition after swallowing two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in large bills. No change is expected.