As they say.
The RFEC, the spanish cycling federation (sorry to any Spaniards reading this, but I don't think they deserve the capital "s" just at the moment) were reported yesterday as saying that Contador would have his one year ban lifted...... ok, at this point, the sensible ones amongst us would immediately say:
a) he hasn't been banned yet, in fact he's still not officially suspended.
b) the one-year bit hasn't been confirmed yet. Could be two years. Or six months...
c) this came from "Spanish daily El Pais". Daily? Would that be, say, the equivalent to The Sun?
(Note for non-UK readers: The Sun is a cheaply-printed daily newspaper, consisting of very very simple reporting, lots of nice big print, tacky pun-type headlines and a large number of bare tatas on page three, leading to the job description "Page Three Girl". Not exactly renowned for it's in-depth, accurate reporting. Rather like the unlovely Privat magazine, who generated the headline "Hat Andy Schleck ein Alkoholproblem?" after the Vuelta incident. Yes, fellows, two beers really does indicate a problem, doesn't it? "Not." Being cheaply printed, the newsprint comes off on your hands, so I suppose once you've dirtied your hands, you might as well get your mind dirty as well.....)
We know that the Spanish Prime Minister has come out in support of Bertie, saying that there's no legal reason to punish him. Oh well, if the PM says so...
Any bets on how long before the UCI appeal? Presumably they can't lodge an appeal until this "news" becomes official.... but when they do...
That is a JOKE! A JOKE!! No-one really thinks that Pat McQuaid would shoot Blertie, not matter how much he might feel like doing it.....
So now we are waiting for an announcement that is due today, Tuesday, and the Spanish press seem to be quite convinced that Bertie will receive this news today, and start racing at the Algarve tomorrow. What, without a pre-race training schedule? That won't work, surely?
OK, we're all fed up with the saga, here's a slightly unusual picture of Our Glorious Leader to cheer us up:
And hey, if you move from side to side, the eyes just follow you round the room... Kara, stop doing that, I can see you.
Oh look, Hippi (who is still waiting to be sewn back onto his slipper and is therefore running around wildly) has sneaked into my blog and is giving Unndy a great big kiss!
Hippi, you little tinker, just wait until Auntie FeeDee catches you!
NB for non-UK residents, calling someone a "little tinker" is a way of saying that they are a bit mischievous, a little bit naughty, but so cute that they are going to be forgiven. A good example of a little tinker, apart from Hippi here, is Lovely Lovely Boyfriend who referred to Our Glorious Leader as "that Andy bloke that you keep going on about." He was only saying it to tease me.....
Sorry Marie, did you say something? "So much for Andyhab" was that? Noo, nooo, I can give it up any time I want to......
The RFEC, the spanish cycling federation (sorry to any Spaniards reading this, but I don't think they deserve the capital "s" just at the moment) were reported yesterday as saying that Contador would have his one year ban lifted...... ok, at this point, the sensible ones amongst us would immediately say:
a) he hasn't been banned yet, in fact he's still not officially suspended.
b) the one-year bit hasn't been confirmed yet. Could be two years. Or six months...
c) this came from "Spanish daily El Pais". Daily? Would that be, say, the equivalent to The Sun?
(Note for non-UK readers: The Sun is a cheaply-printed daily newspaper, consisting of very very simple reporting, lots of nice big print, tacky pun-type headlines and a large number of bare tatas on page three, leading to the job description "Page Three Girl". Not exactly renowned for it's in-depth, accurate reporting. Rather like the unlovely Privat magazine, who generated the headline "Hat Andy Schleck ein Alkoholproblem?" after the Vuelta incident. Yes, fellows, two beers really does indicate a problem, doesn't it? "Not." Being cheaply printed, the newsprint comes off on your hands, so I suppose once you've dirtied your hands, you might as well get your mind dirty as well.....)
We know that the Spanish Prime Minister has come out in support of Bertie, saying that there's no legal reason to punish him. Oh well, if the PM says so...
Any bets on how long before the UCI appeal? Presumably they can't lodge an appeal until this "news" becomes official.... but when they do...
 |
| Hooray for photoshop.... |
That is a JOKE! A JOKE!! No-one really thinks that Pat McQuaid would shoot Blertie, not matter how much he might feel like doing it.....
So now we are waiting for an announcement that is due today, Tuesday, and the Spanish press seem to be quite convinced that Bertie will receive this news today, and start racing at the Algarve tomorrow. What, without a pre-race training schedule? That won't work, surely?
OK, we're all fed up with the saga, here's a slightly unusual picture of Our Glorious Leader to cheer us up:
And hey, if you move from side to side, the eyes just follow you round the room... Kara, stop doing that, I can see you.
Oh look, Hippi (who is still waiting to be sewn back onto his slipper and is therefore running around wildly) has sneaked into my blog and is giving Unndy a great big kiss!
Hippi, you little tinker, just wait until Auntie FeeDee catches you!
NB for non-UK residents, calling someone a "little tinker" is a way of saying that they are a bit mischievous, a little bit naughty, but so cute that they are going to be forgiven. A good example of a little tinker, apart from Hippi here, is Lovely Lovely Boyfriend who referred to Our Glorious Leader as "that Andy bloke that you keep going on about." He was only saying it to tease me.....
Sorry Marie, did you say something? "So much for Andyhab" was that? Noo, nooo, I can give it up any time I want to......
Hahaha, suuuure CG, I believe you! But I have to say, I couldn't resist smiling at this beautiful pic of our Glorious Leader.
ReplyDeleteDo you know if Conti would lose his Tour de France title, even if he wasn't banned??
That was probably a very nice picture of Andy before it was so brutally manipulated :(
ReplyDeleteGlad you're back CG even if I was late to the party! x
Well, there's a question.
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it (bearing in mind that I've had my soul sucked out from reading the UCI rules) if he was banned for a year, he'd lose the title, have to pay back the money, and be fined a whopping amount.
If he's not banned, then he gets to keep the title, money, no fine etc.
If it's a 6 month ban - he would probably keep the TdF title and wouldn't have the huge fine. I think.
But if the Spanish do indeed go for a whitewash, then you can bet your boots that the UCI will appeal, and it could drag on for months and months. And no-one seems to be able to tell me if he would be allowed to race while "sort of" provisionally "under review" suspended.
Maddening, isn't it?
CG
Hey Kara, you are never too late to come to my parties!
ReplyDeleteOK so that photo was a bit manipulated, but not by me - honest!
Although that does give me an idea....
Coug
Hippi, little tinker! That's where you ended up! Aren't you ashamed of having entered a pic of Andy without asking the other readers and me for permission? You naughty pink creature!
ReplyDeleteOk, sorry for that.
On to the serious stuff: this Contador news has really let me down. I mean, UCI rules are clear: if a rider ingests a forbidden substance by mistake, he gets one year ban.
Unfortunately, guys at the spanish cycling federation seem to think that some of their riders are different from the other ones and deserve a special treatment :( This is so unjust!
Hippi has just confirmed that's not the real Andy but is in fact his waxwork soon to be on display at Madame Tussauds' Luxembourg branch.
ReplyDeleteI'm quite disgusted with this ruling and it's so unfair to lesser star athletes.
ReplyDeleteBUT...., I'm also a bit glad, because now Andy has the chance to win TdF with the Clentador person in it. The race will probably a lot more exciting and we will be able to watch how "friendships" evolve.
Clentador - I love it, Barbara!
ReplyDeleteI am quite baffled by this ruling, when other cyclists have been banned for the same thing. Is there one set of rules for Alberto and another for the rest?? Also, if he's racing in Algarve now, it shall be interesting to see how his presence is received by the rest of the peloton.
Leelu
I'm in a state of disbelief. I can't find a reasonable explanation for this decision, and can only expect UCI will appeal in order for cycling to redeem itself. I did read something out in the interwebs about this Clen test being new?? Which questions its validity??? Can't find the source... Anyway, he should not be allowed to race. But I agree Barbara, watching Andy race against Contador and hopefully (pleeeaase oh please oh please) beat him is the only good outcome. No pressure Andy! :p
ReplyDeleteLOL Hippi is the luckiest pink hippo in the whole wide world!
Well, (*sighs heavily*) we sort of knew that the Spanish Feds were going to let him off, didn't we?
ReplyDeleteCome on UCI, get that appeal going.
Or recompense Jessica Harding, whose clenbuterol ingestion was from medicine prescribed to her by her doctor, who (you would have thought) knew damn well that she was a professional athlete.
Some questions that arise at 7am: (ie before I've had all day to think about it)
How can you shove anyone into a race (Algarve) at one day's notice?
How is that fair on the Saxoblank rider who has been pushed off the team to make room?
What happened to "teams must submit their team rosters X weeks in advance to allow selection of the teams to be invited"?
How can someone who ran away from the training camp partway through be considered fit enough to ride a race?
etc
Coug ("kkkkkkkkkkkkk") (*grinding of teeth*)
I'm away for two days to visit my cousin and everything just blows up in our faces. I'm not happy. Not happy at all. And I just read that Barnaby Riis doesn't think the UCI will appeal. As if he knows all about that.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I suppose Bertie has been on their team roster, you know, just in case. Hopefully he's in lousy shape!
I'm glad you put in Andy and Hippi in the end to cheer us up. Oh, and the very well made picture of Bertie being shot :P
Mmm, I'm not happy either. Except for just one tiny ray of sunshine: if Conti really was telling the truth, then Unndy was right to stick by him.
ReplyDeleteAlthough he was also right to admit that the whole face-slap-arm-round-shoulders thing was a bit too much.
Let's all hope that Conti is in such bad shape that he falls off his bike, or comes last!
Coug
About something from a few months ago. I called that object that Andy was aiming a gun and than CG, you corrected me saying it was a pistol. Okay, but what about a rifle? I always thought a rifle to be "your" gun (geweer in Dutch) and that a gun and a pistol were more or less similar; both short.
ReplyDeleteHey Barbara, well remembered, take two SchleckPoints!
ReplyDeletePistol = handgun = little thing.
Proper Gun = shotgun: two barrels, big long thing.
Rifle = one barrel, usually with telescopic sights, deadly accuracy, should only ever be used by the military and by people in clubs under strictly controlled conditions.
"Gun" = Generic term for all of these plus machine-guns, muskets, carbines, etc etc etc.
I'm just picky about not calling a pistol a gun, sorry! Mind you, it's for your own good, I am here to entertain AND to educate, you know. (*smirks cheekily*)
Nice new picture of Unndy with a BIG gun coming shortly, just one more follower required!!!
Coug
Um, Big Gun...? OK, never mind!
ReplyDeleteThank you CG! You're a great teacher.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking at a picture of Andy with a big gun right now. It is a VERY big gun. Frank is in the photo too but he doesn't have a big gun.
ReplyDelete@Kara I would love to see the link. Pleeeeease...
ReplyDeleteIt's saved on my computer but I could try to find the original link again, though perhaps we should wait for CG because it's probably the same pic she's waiting to post when the next follower arrives...? Unless Andy has a big gun more often than we think?
ReplyDeleteBig hugs to Kara for holding back that photo - yup, it's the same one! I've published the report now, so Barbara, you can go and enjoy the sight of Andy holding a big gun.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Kara, I think that Andy possibly does have a big gun more often than we think, but I also think that you are a cheeky little tinker and should be sent to the Naughty Corner for a while.
Go on, off you go!
Coug
(I'm so strict...)
Drat, I thought I was actually being more restrained this time around!
ReplyDelete