[OGRipper]

I have to say, I'm a little surprised, but happily so.
I agree about the DUI, it should be part of the "moral guide" that the Tour that the teams signed.

I guess I'm happy they are trying to be consistent (and I take back my smarmy comment above). I can't help but be at least a little troubled by the fact that it was an out-of-competition positive for a recreational drug. I guess zero tolerance is what it is, and the fact remains that well-paid pros should be held to a very high standard (heh, no pun intended), but still, with Astana being kept out for things done by other people, and now this, I dunno. Pretty soon the only people in the big races are going to be like upper-echelon politicians: Idealized robots that I can't relate to at all. I'm on the fence about a lot of this except there is one thing I know for sure: Right now the whole thing is a drag and makes it harder to be a fan.

 

[ire]

I don't think ASO is applying their logic in a fair manner; they excluded Astana becuase of drug problems on the team in the past, if you go by this logic then High Road and Cofidis shouldn't be allowed in the Tour either

 

[maddog17]

I don't think ASO is applying their logic in a fair manner; they excluded Astana becuase of drug problems on the team in the past, if you go by this logic then High Road and Cofidis shouldn't be allowed in the Tour either

ive been saying the same since this whole ban on Astana took place. ASO's got their head up their arses. what i think it is is that they got something against Bruyneel. he had LA win 7 times and now he's got Contador going (would have) for #2. there's really no logical answer for what ASO is doing. and we'll never know the truth.

 

[ire]

ive been saying the same since this whole ban on Astana took place. ASO's got their head up their arses. what i think it is is that they got something against Bruyneel. he had LA win 7 times and now he's got Contador going (would have) for #2. there's really no logical answer for what ASO is doing. and we'll never know the truth.

I buy that they have something against Bruyneel and Lance.....it seems like Le Equip (owned by ASO) tried really hard to dig something up on Lance. I think they suspected Lance was a doper, but could never prove it and they couldn't bar him because he was too popular

 

[sanjuro]

I guess I'm just jaded at this point, but I'm am not the least bit surprised that Quick Step has no plans to sanction - they barely give cursory lip service to riding clean. As for ASO being inconsistent - hmmm, not exactly big news.

Anyone else wonder how the Astana team is going to feel when Boonen gets more stages at the Tour?

Well, you won't have to worry about Boonen's victories at the Tour. http://velonews.com/article/77409/boonen-s-apology-over-cocaine-positive-won-t-get-him-into

Considering there are people dying every day from cocaine dealing, I have to take a dim view of its usage.

Frankly, if he got busted for pot, I wouldn't care very much, but coke is one of the worst drugs in terms of drug smuggling.

 

[sanjuro]

Good maneuver, Tom. Lie.

Boonen proclaims innocence, says he was trapped
Tom Boonen says somebody put something in his drink
Photo ©: Roberto Bettini (Click for larger image)

Tom Boonen claims that the cocaine for which he tested positive must have been put into a drink he had at a bar. Meanwhile, the Quick Step sprinter was questioned again Saturday morning by the Belgian federal judicial police.

In his original questioning by the police, according to the Gazet van Antwerpen, Boonen proclaimed his innocence and claimed that someone must have slipped something into his drink, in an attempt to trap him. However, his press conference the next day made investigators suspicious, when he apologised for his actions. Since this did not seem to match the story that the sprinter had previously told them, he was subsequently invited by the investigating judge for another session of questioning.

The 27 year-old met with the police Saturday morning in Turnhout. According to the Gazet van Antwerpen, he repeated his statement that had been tricked and gave more details. He said that he and his girlfriend Lore were at the bar "Que Pasa" in his hometown of Mol, where they had drinks outside on the terrace. Shortly thereafter, he felt ill and left the bar to go home.

He further told the police that the statement he read at his press conference had been written by his lawyer.

At his press conference last week, Boonen had said that he would take a short break from racing. He had been scheduled to ride the Tour de Suisse, which started Saturday, but was excluded by the race organisers. Now, however, he is scheduled on Tuesday to start the Ster Elektrotoer, which had said that he was welcome.

In further news, team manager Patrick Lefevere and sponsor Quick Step CEO Frans De Cock are meeting today with the Amaury Sports Organisation, which manages the Tour de France and has also excluded Boonen from its race. De Cock has said that the sponsor wants Boonen to appear in the race for financial reasons.(SW)

 

[ire]

why couldn't he admit he did coke off a hookers a**? It would have been much more classy

 

[DRB]

De Cock wants Boonen.

 

[DRB]

Do you think the new team High Road wants Boonen as well?

Seems logical....

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/jun08/jun16news2a

Team High Road will start the 2008 Tour de France as "Team Columbia"