Another suspension because of drugs...

Denis Galimzyanov returns positive test for EPO

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/denis-galimzyanov-returns-positive-test-for-epo)

Denis Galimzyanov (Katusha) has been provisionally suspended after returning an adverse analytical finding for EPO in an out-of-competition test taken on March 22.

The UCI announced the news in a communiqué on Monday afternoon. Galimzyanov has the right to request the analysis of his B sample, but remains suspended until a panel convened by the Russian Cycling Federation sits to hear his case.

Galimzyanov, who was aiming to be part of the Russian selection at the London 2012 Olympics, had a mixed start to the campaign. After going close to stage victory at the Tours of Qatar and Oman, he raced sparingly in March, citing illness. He was omitted from the Katusha team for Paris-Nice and also withdrew from the Three Days of West Flanders in March after the prologue.

The 25-year-old Galimzyanov then went on to take his first victory of the season on stage one of the Circuit de la Sarthe in April, less than two weeks after returning the positive test for EPO. He crashed out of the race the following day.

Hailing from Yekaterinburg in the Ural region of Russia, Galimzyanov raced for the Premier (later Katusha) continental team before stepping up to the ProTour ranks in 2009. He made his first major impact at the highest level last season, winning Paris-Brussels and the final stage of the Tour of Beijing.

Just when you thought the season was over...

...a new race has been added. This will be the 2nd race that China will host:

Season-ending Tour of Hangzhou added to WorldTour calendar

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/season-ending-tour-of-hangzhou-added-to-worldtour-calendar)

The UCI has opened the door for an additional Chinese stage race to the WorldTour calendar at a meeting of the Professional Cycling Council (PCC) in Geneva on Friday, after the Tour of Hanghzou was pencilled in to take place on October 17-21 of this year.

The new race would take place immediately after the Tour of Beijing, which is already fixed for October 10-14. It would thus become the final event on the WorldTour calendar, as the Tour of Lombardy has already been shifted from its traditional October date to September 29.

The Tour of Hanghzhou will be confirmed on the calendar once the Licence Commission approves its application for a UCI WorldTour licence. While that process should prove a formality, it remains to be seen how the 18 WorldTour teams and their riders will respond to the addition of another five days of racing in China at the tail end of the season.

“It is a natural step for cycling which is currently enjoying a period of huge growth worldwide,” UCI president Pat McQuaid said in a statement issued by the governing body late on Friday afternoon. “This will generate great visibility for teams and riders and can be expected to give a big boost to cycling. The injection of funding directly benefits the sport with financial returns from the new races re-invested into cycling and also profiting teams and other stakeholders down the line.

“It is no secret that success breeds success and the current boom in cycling is good news for cyclists and cycling lovers across the board. We are very pleased with today’s decision which comes as part of UCI’s ongoing sustainable development of the sport.”

The UCI did not name the race organiser in the press release, but its own organising entity GCP (Global Cycling Promotion) is already responsible for the Tour of Beijing.

The addition of the Tour of Hanghzou brings to 28 the number of events on the WorldTour calendar, and is the fifth to be held outside of Europe, alongside the Tour Down Under, GP de Montréal, GP de Québec and Tour of Beijing.

Saxo Bank to lose WorldTour slot?

During its two-day gathering in Geneva, the UCI also confirmed that it will ask the Licence Commission to rule on whether Saxo Bank should retain its place in the WorldTour following the suspension of Alberto Contador. “If the points obtained by Alberto Contador, representing approximately 68 percent of the Saxo Bank-Sungard team's total points, are disregarded, his team would no longer be considered to fulfil the sporting criterion required for the UCI WorldTour,” read the UCI statement.

Well, now things are moving along...

Not even a week after Contador's suspension, Ullrich has been sentenced:

Jan Ullrich given two-year ban from CAS

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/jan-ullrich-given-two-year-ban-from-cas)

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has issued a two-year ban for Jan Ullrich, to run from August 22, 2011. In addition, all his results from May 2005 until his retirement in February 2007 are annulled.

The CAS partially upheld the UCI's appeal to the Swiss Cycling Federation's decision to dismiss its doping investigation into Ullrich after his retirement, and ruled that he was guilty of a doping offence.

“Given the volume, consistency and probative value of the evidence presented by the UCI, and the failure of Jan Ullrich to raise any doubt about the veracity of reliability of such evidence, this Panel came to the conclusion that Jan Ullrich engaged at least in blood doping in violation of Article 15.2 of the UCI Anti-Doping rules,” the court said.

But there is still some questions on how CAS has handled the Contador case, so much so that some riders have begun to fear eating:

Cancellara: Big question marks hang over Contador case

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cancellara-big-question-marks-hang-over-contador-case)

Having had a couple of days to digest the two-year ban handed by CAS to Alberto Contador following his long drawn out, 18-month clenbuterol case, Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara has branded the process involved in ascertaining Contador’s culpability as “crazy”. 30-year-old Cancellara, who is at the 2012 Tour of Qatar in the colours of RadioShack-Nissan, told Cyclingnews that his faith in the decision makers, and that of some of his fellow riders, has been shaken. Contador, who may appeal against the decision, was sanctioned on Monday, stripped of the 2010 Tour de France title and could face a fine of 2.4m Euros.

“I am here racing and all I’ve had time to do is read some papers, look at the internet and try to digest the facts and the rumours,” Cancellara told Cyclingnews. “They said there is 4000 pages about Alberto’s case. The Fuentes case was 8000 pages. 4000 pages for one person and 8000 for maybe 20 guys? Already, that is something crazy.

“There are so many questions. The UCI and WADA agree together, then they disagree together then they think different things. Then you have the clenbuterol – it’s such a small amount. Is it from food? Now they are saying it’s from some sort of nutrition supplement contamination. All I can see is a big question mark.

“To improve, CAS just has to work harder and faster – they should not be on holidays, and not be distracted by other things. In sport across the board so far, from the CAS point of view, this is one of the biggest delays there has been. 556 days? Plus or minus? We were told August, then November, then January and we have to wait until February. This waiting has damaged our sport.”

Cancellara went on to state that trust in both the governing bodies and the prosecution and appeal processes has been compromised as a result of the case, and he accused CAS of victimising cycling.

“Of course, normally, we have to go with the decision of the court,” he said. “The court should be the highest jurisdiction in the world. But the big question now is whether we are able to believe in the court. Yes or no? Are we going to believe them in the cases of killers, drug dealers and paedophiles? This is the problem that Alberto’s case has thrown up for all of the riders. It makes you lose faith. I wouldn’t want to be in the skins of the three judges at CAS.

“When we look at how much cycling is filing cases for doping, then cycling should not get treated in this way. There are cases of people in other sports who have done much worse and they haven’t got banned as severely. Sometimes they do not get banned at all. It is always cyclists who are punished most.”

He then cited Contador’s attention to detail and the amount that he has stood to lose as an argument against the possibility that he risked everything on a contaminated supplement.

“Now they are saying that it wasn’t even the food, it was a supplement. It is hard to believe that Alberto would take a supplement without having it tested. You get offered them everywhere but you say ‘ok’ and send them to the lab. For a cyclist, this is your insurance.

“Alberto has so many people behind him: teammates, coaches, friends, family, sponsors and the money that comes with it all. To throw away all that in a split second on one pill seems crazy. I always think this way myself - about what I have to lose.

“Your whole life can fall apart after one test. This is the fear we have as an athlete and it’s real. I believe there is always a possibility that you can test positive for things that you don’t know about. You can go to China and eat some meat and then you come back and ‘boom’. It scares me, for sure. And it affects you. I remember back in 2008 when I was implicated in the case that had nothing to do with me. The press all around were talking about me. I lost my energy, I gained 10kg in fat and I couldn’t sleep. But a cyclist has to live with that. If you live with that you can go forward. If you don’t then you give up and go home. But it’s wrong.”

I still think he's innocent, not that it matters...

I still firmly believe that Contador is innocent and that it was in fact the meat that he ate. Unfortunately, the CAS feels different:

 CAS sanction Contador with two year ban in clenbuterol case

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cas-sanction-contador-with-two-year-ban-in-clenbuterol-case)

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has handed Alberto Contador a two year sanction for his positive test for clenbuterol at the 2010 Tour de France. After a long-running saga, CAS announced on Monday that it had upheld the UCI and WADA’s joint appeal against the Spanish Cycling Federation’s (RFEC) decision not to suspend Contador.

The ban means Contador will lose race results dating back to and including the 2010 Tour de France. Andy Schleck will become the Tour de France champion while Michele Scarponi is crowned winner of the Giro d'Italia.

Contador's ban ends on August 5th, meaning he can ride this year's Vuelta.

A long-running saga

Contador’s positive test dates from July 21, 2010, although the case was not made public until September 30 of that year. In February 2011, the RFEC officially cleared Contador, accepting his explanation that the traces of clenbuterol in his sample had been caused by consuming contaminated meat.

In March, both the UCI and WADA formally announced their decision to appeal the matter to CAS, who in turn announced that a ruling would be made ahead of the Tour de France.

That turned out to be a false dawn, however, and after a number of delays, the hearings were finally held in November 2011. In the intervening period, Contador had added to the Giro d’Italia to his palmares and finished fifth at the Tour de France.

The hearing itself was tinged with some degree of controversy, with AP reporting that WADA’s lawyers threatened a walk out when anti-doping expert Michael Asheden was not permitted to testify on the theory that Contador may have had a blood transfusion on July 20.

A verdict was initially due in mid-January, but was again delayed after Leopard Trek backer Flavio Becca questioned the integrity of CAS arbitration panel head Ephraim Barak. After confirming that none of the parties involved in the case wanted to change the make-up of the arbitration panel, CAS finally issued its verdict on Monday.

Contador still has the option of appealing the CAS ruling to the Swiss federal court within the next 30 days, although any such petition can only concern procedural matters.

Although, I do like Andy Schelck's response:

Andy Schleck reacts to Contador's doping ban

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/andy-schleck-reacts-to-contadors-doping-ban) 

Andy Schleck has reacted to the news that Alberto Contador has been handed a two year sanction by the CAS. Schleck finished second to Contador during the controversial Tour de France in 2010, in which traces of clenbuterol were found in one of Contador’s test samples.

"There is no reason to be happy now”, Schleck said in a RadioShack-Nissan press release

“First of all I feel sad for Alberto. I always believed in his innocence. This is just a very sad day for cycling. The only positive news is that there is a verdict after 566 days of uncertainty. We can finally move on.”

Contador faces all race results being stripped from him since and including the Tour title in 2010, meaning Schleck, who has never won a stage race, will become the official race winner.

“I trust that the CAS judges took all things into consideration after reading a 4,000 page file. If now I am declared overall winner of the 2010 Tour de France it will not make me happy. I battled with Contador in that race and I lost. My goal is to win the Tour de France in a sportive way, being the best of all competitors, not in court. If I succeed this year, I will consider it as my first Tour victory.”

No UCI points for Movistar from Valverde

Valverde's success will not benefit Movistar

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/valverdes-success-will-not-benefit-movistar)

Alejandro Valverde may have completed the sporting ban which was the consequence of a protracted Operacion Puerto case, but the Spaniard's punishment is not yet concluded: the UCI confirmed to Cyclingnews that none of his points will count toward his team's sporting criteria - the ranking which is used by the UCI in determining which teams will be in the following year's WorldTour. Indeed, none of his points will count for the next two seasons.

Valverde is currently sitting in second in the WorldTour rankings after coming in as the runner-up to GreenEdge's Simon Gerrans at the Tour Down Under, and while his results will add to the team's tally for the WorldTour rankings, it will not help his Movistar team when it comes time for the UCI to figure out who stays and who goes in the 2013 WorldTour. The UCI ranks the teams by rider points accumulated, team points and other criteria such as ethical and financial merits, with only the top 15 teams earning automatic consideration for the next WorldTour season.

The UCI took the decision to disqualify riders who are returning from bans from scoring points toward the team rankings for two years following their return from a anti-doping rule violation. The rule was ratified by the Pro Cycling Council in Copenhagen last autumn.

Earlier in 2011, the idea was presented to the PCC by former Credit Agricole manager Roger Legeay, and was accepted for consideration by the UCI's management committee. Teams association (AIGCP) president Jonathan Vaughters confirmed that he voted in favour of the rule on behalf of the teams in the Copenhagen meeting. "It was supported by the majority of the teams. Its a good rule, I think," Vaughters said.

Six months later, Soler's back in Columbia

Soler flown back to Colombia

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/soler-flown-back-to-colombia)

The Colombian Cycling Federation has revealed that Juan Mauricio Soler is flying back to his home country today (Tuesday), six months on from his life-threatening crash at the Tour of Switzerland. The Movistar rider is due to arrive in Bogotá this afternoon, when he will be transferred to the Clínica Teletón to continue the recuperation from head injuries suffered in that crash.

Informed of Soler’s return to Colombia by his wife, Patricia Flores, the Colombian Cycling Federation’s subsequent statement on the 28-year-old Colombian said: “Soler’s recuperation at his home in Pamplona, Spain, is ahead of expectations. This is great news for the cycling family as 2011 comes to a close.”

Soler, winner of the King of the Mountains title at the 2007 Tour de France, crashed on the sixth stage of Switzerland’s national tour in mid-June. He hit a curb and flew into a fence, suffering a severe head trauma and cerebral oedema, plus multiple fractures and bruising. He was placed in an induced coma to aid recovery. The following month he was flown to his Spanish base in Pamplona, where he spent four months in hospital before being allowed to return to his home there in October.

First sub-Saharan cycling team

Rwanda targets a Continental team in 2012

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rwanda-targets-a-continental-team-in-2012)

The Ferwacy, the Rwandan cycling federation, expects to launch a Continental team in 2012. "We have a meeting next month with the Minister for Sport and we will speak about the project," Aimable Bayingana, Ferwacy's president, told Cyclingnews on Saturday. "Ideally we would like to register our team for the 2012 season."

Cycling in Rwanda is becoming more and more successful through its national team, which has been managed by former US pro rider Jock Boyer since 2007, and the Tour of Rwanda, which moved up to 2.2 level on the UCI calendar in 2009. A new 2.2 event has also been created this year, the Kwita Izina Cycling Tour.

The country also has a number of competitive athletes, such as Adrian Niyunshuti, professional at MTN Qhubeka and a qualifier for the 2012 Olympics in mountain bike. Nathan Byukusenge was also part of the same team, while two young riders, Nicodem Habiyambere and Gasore Hategeka, trained at the UCI World Centre in Switzerland this season.

"A Continental team is an interesting project as we would be automatically invited by the UCI to African races and could, one day, compete in Europe," Bayingana explained.

Cyclingnews understands that half of the team’s roster would be made up of Rwandan riders and the other half would come from foreign countries, depending on their cycling federations' agreement. The Continental Rwandan squad might be particularly open to East African countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, where riders have shown solid abilities in the last three years, notably in the mountains.

The Rwandan technical director Boyer told Cyclingnews that their project could "help Rwanda to have a stronger squad and help the East African countries to develop in cycling." Team of Rwanda has a base in Ruhengeri town, where the athletes train under Boyer five days a week. Boyer’s only concern about the project’s success is its current lack of staff.

If successful, it would be the first Continental team based in a sub-Saharan country. Africa had four teams at this level in 2011: South African squads MTN-Qhubeka and Team Bonitas, and the Algerian Geofco-Ville d’Alger and GS Petrolier Algerie outfits.

2011 Trophée AIJC

Hushvod wins AIJC award for 2011

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hushvod-wins-aijc-award-for-2011)

Thor Hushovd is the 2011 recipient of the Trophée AIJC, the annual prize awarded by the Association of International Cycling Journalists to a rider or cycling personality deemed to be particularly open to the press. He was presented with the award at a luncheon in Erps-Kwerps, Belgium on Monday.

“Humanly speaking, this prize has a great value, I’m very proud of it,” Hushovd told dhnet.be.

Hushovd wore the rainbow jersey with distinction throughout the season, especially at the Tour de France, where he took two stage victories and enjoyed a week-long spell as overall leader. After riding for Garmin-Cervelo in 2011, Hushovd will join Cadel Evans and Philippe Gilbert at BMC next year.

The Norwegian secured 147 votes, just one more than second-placed Thomas Voeckler. The other nominees were Mark Cavendish, Alberto Contador, Tom Boonen, Bradley Wiggins and Fränk and Andy Schleck.

“We’re honouring a champion who, in spite of an extremely busy schedule and numerous obligations, honours his profession by being particularly accessible to journalists,” AIJC president Gilles Le Roc’h said.

The AIJC award was inaugurated in 2008, and a rider can only be honoured once during his career. Preceding Hushovd on the role of honour are Paolo Bettini (2008), Philippe Gilbert (2009) and Fabian Cancellara (2010).

Only 262 Days Left!!!

Anyone getting excited yet?

2012 Tour de France route revealed

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2012-tour-de-france-route-revealed)

In the early European afternoon on Monday, race owner Amaury Sports Organisation (ASO) mistakenly published the 2012 Tour de France route on its official Tour de France website, letour.fr. For only a few minutes, the link was activated, revealing the complete listing of next year's Tour stages that were supposed to be made official only on October 18.

The first website to catch the big fish was Velopeloton.com and the news spread quickly. Cyclingnews contacted officials at ASO, who would not deny nor confirm the authenticity of the information.

"I can't tell you anything about this. We are fixing it now internally. The only person who could comment on it would be (race director) Christian Prudhomme himself," Claude Rasch told Cyclingnews.

If the information is correct, then it would be the first time in many years that ASO has not been able to keep the secret over the race route until the official presentation. Unofficial leaks have always existed in the days prior to the event held in Paris' Palais des Congrès, but this sort of large-scale error has no precedent.

2012 Tour de France stages:
P Prologue Sat 30 June Liège > Liège 6.1 km
1 Road stage Sun 1 July Liège > Seraing 198 km
2 Road stage Mon 2 July Visé > Tournai 207 km
3 Road stage Tues 3 July Orchies > Boulogne-sur-Mer 197 km
4 Road stage Weds 4 July Abbeville > Rouen 214 km
5 Road stage Thurs 5 July Rouen > Saint-Quentin 197 km
6 Road stage Fri 6 July Épernay > Metz 210 km
7 Road stage Sat 7 July Tomblaine > La Planche des Belles Filles 199 km
8 Road stage Sun 8 July Belfort > Porrentruy 154 km
9 Time trial Mon 9 July Arc-et-Senans > Besançon 38 km
10 Road stage Weds 11 July Mâcon > Bellegarde-sur-Valserine 194 km
11 Mountains Thurs 12 July Albertville > La Toussuire - Les Sybelles 140 km
12 Mountains Fri 13 July Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne > Annonay 220 km
13 Road stage Sat 14 July Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Le Cap d’Agde 215 km
14 Road stage Sun 15 July Limoux > Foix 192 km
15 Road stage Mon 16 July Samatan > Pau 160 km
16 Mountains Weds 18 July Pau > Bagnères-de-Luchon 197 km
17 Mountains Thurs 19 July Bagnères-de-Luchon > Peyragudes 144 km
18 Road stage Fri 20 July Blagnac > Brive-la-Gaillarde 215 km
19 Time trial Sat 21 July Bonneval > Chartres 52 km
20 Road stage Sun 22 July Rambouillet > Paris Champs-Élysées 130 km

So where exactly were you?

Rasmussen admits his mistakes

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rasmussen-admits-his-mistakes)

Alex Rasmussen has claimed that the three warnings he received for problems regarding his whereabouts for out of competition doping controls were due to sloppiness on his part and had nothing to do with cheating or doping.

Rasmussen was temporarily suspended by the Danish Cycling Union and fired by his team HTC-HIghroad earlier this week after it was disclosed that he had commited three “whereabouts” violations. He now risks up to a two-year ban and has lost his place with Garmin for 2012.

The 27-year-old explained how the three violations occured to the Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet.

The first one came from Anti-Doping Denmark in February 2010, when he was not where he had stated he would be, but instead was competing at the Six Day race in Berlin.

“I had actually completed my whereabouts and had written the name of our hotel in Berlin. Unfortunately I forgot to press the 'Send' button on the computer and the update never reached doping authorities,” he said. Ironically, he underwent a UCI doping control at the Six Day race.

He then compounded his mistake by making an unfounded assumption. “I explained it to them afterwards and actually thought that the warning was cancelled. It was not.”

Eight months later he was warned again by Anti-Doping Denmark, for filing his whereabouts for the fourth quarter of 2010 too late. “There is not much to say about that. It cannot be explained away. I'm forgetful and just didn't get it done in time. I accepted the warning, but still believed that the first was annulled. At this time I had two warnings, but I thought I only had one. It was not super, but I was not worried. I knew I just had to be very careful.”

He was not careful enough, however. The third warning came from the UCI, for an event on April 28. He had said that he would be at his home in Girona, Spain, but had travel to Denmark for his sister's confirmation and not changed his whereabouts statement. Because he was gone, he missed the UCI testers who came to Spain to take an out-of-competition control.  A missed control is considered to be equal to a positive control.

“Just after the confirmation I was told that there was a failed doping test. I knew it was crazy, but I tried to explain to myself. It failed, and I knew I would get a warning. I still thought that it would be only the second warning. Only when I received a letter on the 18th August did it dawn on me that it was the third. It was a huge shock for me.”

Rasmussen hopes to convince a Danish disciplinary hearing that he did not puposely tried to avoid tests. He has received the support of several teammates and colleagues. Many confirmed his lack of organization skills, with Greg Henderson of Sky tweeting, “If u know him u will realise he couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery."

Alberto Contador and His CAS Hearing

As discussed before, Alberto Contador is supposed to go before the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a hearing about his positive test of Clenbuterol in the 2010 Tour de France. However, this hearing has been postponed again! For the third time. The article below says it's because they need more time "to complete their evidence and arguments relating to some specific scientific issues", which in English translates to me "we don't have enough evidence yet, but want to bust him anyway".

Contador CAS hearing postponed until November

(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/contador-cas-hearing-postponed-until-november)

Alberto Contador's hearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has been postponed again, until November. The exact hearing dates have not yet been set.

Both the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed the decision of the Spanish cycling federation (RFEC) to clear Contador of charges resulting from his positive doping control for Clenbuterol in the 2010 Tour de France.

The CAS said that it “has allowed a request for a second exchange of written submissions between the parties as well as for a new procedural calendar. Such request was formulated by WADA with the unanimous agreement of the three other parties.”

According to the CAS statement, issued Tuesday afternoon, "The second round of written submissions will allow the parties to complete their evidence and arguments relating to some specific scientific issues."

The RFEC issued its decision in February, and the UCI and WADA filed their appeals with the CAS in March. The CAS hearing was initially scheduled for early June but then postponed until August.

I just wish this nightmare for Contador was over. He had a rough Tour de France because all of the spectators were against him. He hasn't tested positive before or since that one time; I think it's okay to blame the meat he ate.

Good luck Alberto; my fingers are crossed for you!

What is "Flat"? The Huge Saddle Debate

Bike seat positions are important for two reasons: 1) To ensure comfort to the rider and 2) to give the rider an aerodynamic advantage. And yes, while the guidelines have always said that the saddle must be flat, as long as they were "flattish" no one seemed to care...until the Team Time Trial, in Stage 2 of this year's Tour de France. Two team managers got fined for their riders not having perfectly flat seats...some were as little as 2mm off! This became a controvery; as Cadel Evans points out below, its the same thing as speeding, some cops let you go 10mph over the posted limit, while some will bust you for 5mph over.

Blazing saddles: Row erupts over rider positions in TTT(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/blazing-saddles-row-erupts-over-rider-positions-in-ttt)

Johan Bruyneel (RadioShack) and Bradley McGee (Saxo Bank SunGard) drew the ire of race officials at the start line of the Tour de France's second stage, the team time trial around Les Essarts on Sunday.

Bruyneel and McGee were both on the end of fines for "improper conduct towards officials in the zone where the bikes were being checked," organisers said, and each hit with a penalty of 200 Swiss francs.

The UCI said that teams had been warned last month that saddles should be parallel to the ground for time trials (as per UCI rule 1.3.012). Tempers flared on Sunday given the belief that the rule that was not previously strictly enforced and UCI commissaires were 'suddenly' putting equipment under the microscope on race day. The idea being that with a slight tilt of the saddle nose of the saddle towards the ground, the rider is provided with better lumbar support while they can also push a bigger gear.

"Before it just had to be 'flattish', now it has to be perfectly flat to the ground," BMC Racing chief mechanic, Ian Sherburne told news agency Reuters. "They were insisting that the saddle be perfectly level which isn't how the rules had been interpreted. They're deciding to enforce the rule in a different way, right now."

BMC team leader, Cadel Evans described the situation as "nearly ridiculous".

"I suppose it compares with speeding motorists; on an Italian freeway the police tolerate 20-30km/h over the limit," the Australian said on his website. "In Australia they tolerate 2-3km/h over the limit. Today it was out with the spirit level to check that everyone seats were 'horizontal' as the rules state. Check any seat with a scoop or channel in the back and that rule has a wide grey area of interpretation, a lot more that can be measured with a spirit level anyway."

" I try to set up my bike as much as I can within the position rules without loosing [sic] too much of the very aerodynamic advantage that we work so hard to achieve, always in anticipation of how the rule maybe interpreted," Evans continued. "We only had to move the nose of my seat 2mm upward, just a little more unhealthy and uncomfortable."

Bruyneel was frustrated by the timing of the action from race officials, saying that the action: "led to an unprofessional spectacle in front of everyone to see - An embarrassment for our sport," on his personal blog.

"... riders have been using this exact same position throughout the year (most recently at the Dauphiné Liberé and Tour de Suisse TT). Now imagine yourself as a rider - you have been using this position in races and training (and previously/several times the position has been approved by UCI commissaires as suitable). You then show up to the biggest race in the world and are told that the same position you have been using is now illegal!!"

And of course, after the team managers had been fined, there was an outcry, so the UCI had to fire back:

UCI fire back on saddle issue(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-fire-back-on-saddle-issue)

The UCI has reacted angrily to criticism from riders and teams following yesterday's team time trial at the Tour de France.

Johan Bruyneel and Bradley McGee were both slapped with fines from the sport's governing body for "improper conduct towards officials in the zone where the bikes were being checked."

The dispute relates to UCI regulation 1.3.014 which dictates the position of saddles. A number of unsavoury scenes erupted before the time trial but according to a UCI spokesperson teams had been given a number of chances to make sure that their equipment met the needed standards.

"If there's an element of unprofessional behaviour it's not coming from the UCI but from the teams. Once again it's disappointing because it's a very simple rule that must be respected. There's no other function of the UCI rule book than to lay down the rules that must be respected," the UCI spokesperson told Cyclingnews.

"The UCI can't accept the behaviour of certain people like Mr Buyneel who have been fined for their behaviour.

"Before the Dauphine the teams were informed by the new rules. We had a member of the UCI at the Dauphine who was at their disposal if they wanted clarity over the rules. After the Dauphine he returned. No teams talked to him at the race so he sent them a letter saying that the rules would be enforced at the Tour. We then reminded the teams again at the teams' meeting before the Tour."

Bruyneel was frustrated by the timing of the action from race officials, saying that the action "led to an unprofessional spectacle in front of everyone to see – An embarrassment for our sport," on his personal blog.

And so, the Association International des Groupes Cyclistes Professionels (or AIGCP) got involved and pretty much said that the UCI was wrong because they should have been clearer with the rules prior to this specific race.
 

AIGCP weighs in on UCI saddle regulations(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/aigcp-weighs-in-on-uci-saddle-regulations)

The AIGCP (Association International des Groupes Cyclistes Professionels) has added their voice to the continued dispute over saddle regulations. The argument erupted during the team trial on stage 2 of the Tour de France. The UCI had deemed a number of saddle positions to be against their regulations and a number of fines were handed out after teams began to dispute the jury at the race.

In a statement released Saturday, the AICGP stated: “The continued goal of the AIGCP is to have productive relationship with the UCI. Our hope remains that the UCI will recognize our voice in matters such as the saddle inspection issue. With that said, the AIGCP members would like to make a few important points about saddle inspection.”

The body went on to make three points, arguing that the rules laid down by the UCI were not defined and the “measurements taken are not reliable or repeatable” with the instrument used to measure saddles not accurate. They also argue that trying to enforce riders to adhere to using flat saddles raises risks relating to prostate health and comfort, putting forward that a + or – 5 degree guideline could be a solution.

The final point raised was over the way in which the UCI have implemented the rule change. The governing body contacted Cyclingnews after the initial dispute, telling the website that teams had been notified of the rule change before the Dauphine in June and that they had been given the chance to meet with the UCI’s commissars at the race in order to avoid and clear up any confusion.

However the AIGCP countered this: “The UCI has had all year to make these inspections and did not do so. Waiting until the start of the Tour de France, when riders have been riding in the same position all year, was counterproductive. This should have and could have happened earlier in the season.  And, waiting until the biggest race in the world, on the world’s stage, does nothing to further the image of sport we all love.”

The UCI and AIGCP have clashed over a number of issues this year, most notably race radios and this is the latest episode to arise, stemming from a lack of both guidance and fair council within the sport.

  Funny, once this came out about the AIGCP essentially putting their foot down, we haven't heard about this issue anymore. Probably because UCI knew they were in the wrong. But of course, there will be another issue arising soon...