Summary of the Astana situation

Originally Posted by hawkeye87

Finally, I always wondered why they were granted a Pro Tour license for 2008. They should have had it revoked with the doping issues from 2007.

Originally Posted by Crankyfeet

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if Pro Tour licenses are revoked for a couple of positive tests, then cycling probably won't have any sponsors left in a couple of years. As much as Astana are probably culpable for a lot their rider's indiscretions, sponsors can't be held totally responsible for their rider's doping. It is just impossible for them to track their riders 24/7. Should Cofidis be responsible for Cristian Moreni testing positive? I'd rather that the DS is forced to be sacked after multiple indiscretions of riders on the team perhaps. At least he's going to take an interest in making sure his team is clean. Maybe sponsors should be fined when a rider tests positive. But remember that a rider testing positive is a huge publicity blow to a sponsor in any case.

The system needs rules, procedures and consistency. At the moment, everyone is clamoring to take their own subjective action for partly political reasons. For example, the ToC leaving out three Rock Racing riders who were cleared by the UCI. ASO"s and RCS's exclusion of Astana. All these decisions are arbitrary. And a sponsor and team at the start of the year has no idea which race organizer has a pet grudge against them or one of their riders, or wants to make headlines. Races that don't follow the sanctioned guidelines should be penalized or removed from the sanctioned list IMO.

Originally Posted by Crankyfeet

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if Pro Tour licenses are revoked for a couple of positive tests, then cycling probably won't have any sponsors left in a couple of years. As much as Astana are probably culpable for a lot their rider's indiscretions, sponsors can't be held totally responsible for their rider's doping. It is just impossible for them to track their riders 24/7. Should Cofidis be responsible for Cristian Moreni testing positive? I'd rather that the DS is forced to be sacked after multiple indiscretions of riders on the team perhaps. At least he's going to take an interest in making sure his team is clean. Maybe sponsors should be fined when a rider tests positive. But remember that a rider testing positive is a huge publicity blow to a sponsor in any case.

The system needs rules, procedures and consistency. At the moment, everyone is clamoring to take their own subjective action for partly political reasons. For example, the ToC leaving out three Rock Racing riders who were cleared by the UCI. ASO"s and RCS's exclusion of Astana. All these decisions are arbitrary. And a sponsor and team at the start of the year has no idea which race organizer has a pet grudge against them or one of their riders, or wants to make headlines. Races that don't follow the sanctioned guidelines should be penalized or removed from the sanctioned list IMO.

Originally Posted by Crankyfeet

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if Pro Tour licenses are revoked for a couple of positive tests, then cycling probably won't have any sponsors left in a couple of years. As much as Astana are probably culpable for a lot their rider's indiscretions, sponsors can't be held totally responsible for their rider's doping. It is just impossible for them to track their riders 24/7. Should Cofidis be responsible for Cristian Moreni testing positive? I'd rather that the DS is forced to be sacked after multiple indiscretions of riders on the team perhaps. At least he's going to take an interest in making sure his team is clean. Maybe sponsors should be fined when a rider tests positive. But remember that a rider testing positive is a huge publicity blow to a sponsor in any case.

The system needs rules, procedures and consistency. At the moment, everyone is clamoring to take their own subjective action for partly political reasons. For example, the ToC leaving out three Rock Racing riders who were cleared by the UCI. ASO"s and RCS's exclusion of Astana. All these decisions are arbitrary. And a sponsor and team at the start of the year has no idea which race organizer has a pet grudge against them or one of their riders, or wants to make headlines. Races that don't follow the sanctioned guidelines should be penalized or removed from the sanctioned list IMO.

Originally Posted by Bro Deal

The UCI letting Rasmussen start the Tour even though he had missed several OOC tests appears to be the last straw for the ASO. Whether the UCI did it on purpose or was simply incompetent, they did not shoot themselves in the foot. They blew their lower leg off.

Originally Posted by TheDarkLord

The decisions are arbitrary because of the way UCI handles the sport. But come on, Astana as a sponsor clearly supports doping in their team, and as such don't deserve a ProTour license. I agree that rules, procedures and consistency are required, but they should start with the UCI. If the body that oversees the sport itself doesn't follow its own rules consistently, how can you expect anything but chaos in the sport?

Originally Posted by Crankyfeet

Says who? Because their riders had a few positive tests? Because Kazakhstan has a lot of organized crime? Because they didn't get rid of the sponsor as well as just about the whole management team?

Originally Posted by Crankyfeet

I thought Rasmussen broke an ASO rule, not a UCI rule? It was up to the team (Rabo) to inform the ASO that their rider had breached the ASO rule. But it would have been nice if UCI had just passed along the message.
....

ASO will fark the sport like any promoter. Their interest is in the spectacle, they couldn't give a faecal sample about the effect doping has on the health of riders and juniors. They don't care IMO, so long as the French police don't catch anyone ala Festina.