Watching a Sport Die in Realtime
It is car-crash fascinating -- and very sad -- watching professional cycling die in realtime. The main cause remains blood doping, but the recent troubles are tied to a Spanish investigation last year that implicated many top riders -- some of whom continue to ride:Cycling's biggest doping probe is dividing the sport as teams hire riders linked to the investigation by Spanish police.[via Bloomberg] 1Some race organizers say riders like Ivan Basso and Tyler Hamilton should stay away until their cases are resolved. Basso now rides for Discovery Channel, part-owned by seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong. Olympic gold medalist Hamilton has signed with Tinkoff Credit Systems.
"Cycling is at a junction: we can either go the way of entertainment-style wrestling in the U.S. or the way of a credible sport,'' says Victor Cordero, general director of the Tour of Spain.
