Cycling News

In what will hopefully be a return to normalcy for the sport of cycling, the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) began yesterday. For those unfamiliar with the sport, the Vuelta is one of the three "grand tours" with the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) and the Tour de France and lasts three weeks. I love the grand tours as there are usually so many stories that unfold over the course of three weeks and there are a lot of moments where heroes are born and legends are solidified. Unfortunately, over the last twelve months, they have also been the places where cycling's darkest moments have occurred.

Obviously, there's the whole Floyd Landis, Tour de France mess which followed closely on the heels of a Spanish investigation that cast doubt as to the integrity of several top riders that led to the decision, by their teams, to remove them from the race before it ever started. But, lesser known to the general sports enthusiast, is the fact that last year's Vuelta champ, Roberto Heras, underwent a similar experience. After winning the Vuelta, it came to light that he tested positive for a banned substance during the race, went through the court process and had his victory stripped from him and given to Denis Menchov who had finished second. Add to that the fact that this year's Giro winner (Ivan Basso) was implicated in the Spanish investigation and the three most high profile events for cycling in the last year all had a doping scandal involving the winner of the race.

My hope is that the Vuelta this year will be the first step in a new era of cycling where riders clean up, as much for the good of the sport as for fear of getting caught. The sport is one of great beauty where the achievements of the riders are amazing feats to watch. Unfortunately, the thought of always having to wonder as to the authenticity of the performances turned in makes it hard to enjoy a race as it happens. It seems that you have to wait until about two weeks after the race before you can really enjoy the results.

I have been a fan of pro cycling for almost 20 years and hope to be able to be so for the rest of my life. Hopefully the riders will make it easy for me by securing a clean future for the sport.