d'Italia, the Spanish Vuelta will be without a defending champion at
Saturday's start line due to doping controversies.
Last year's winner Alexandre Vinokourov is absent after testing
positive for a blood transfusion during this year's Tour, handing a
tainted start to all three of cycling's most important races.
With 2006 Tour winner Floyd Landis still contesting his positive
testosterone sample and 2006 Giro winner Ivan Basso suspended for
"attempting doping," Vinokourov's absence at the 62nd edition of the
Spanish classic comes with little surprise.
"It's now been three years since we had a competition without any kind
of doping scandal, and for cycling it's very important to not have
another one if we can avoid it," UCI president Pat McQuaid said. "It's
very important that the Vuelta goes well without any doping
implications."
Two of the past three champions tested positive for doping, including
2005 winner Roberto Heras.
Of the 189 riders set to compete, last year's 1-2-3 are missing due to
doping scandals.
Runner-up Alejandro Valverde continues to be dogged by Operation
Puerto, a Spanish investigation that has implicated over 50 cyclists.
Vinokourov's Astana teammate, Andrej Kashechkin, also tested positive
for homologous blood doping in an unannounced control earlier this
month - a result that ultimately led to Astana being barred from the
competition.
Kashechkin's positive result was one of the more than 70 surprise
tests undertaken by organizers in August following a scandal-marred
Tour de France. Rasmussen was kicked out of this year's Tour while
leading the race by his Dutch team for allegedly lying about his
whereabouts to evade drug testers.
Vuelta organizers announced at least 80 surprise tests, with half of
those for the blood-booster EPO. Earlier Friday, all riders passed
routine drug tests.
"The controls are more than enough, they are even slightly excessive
which can be a shame for the riders, but with so much attention, it's
necessary," two-time Vuelta and 1988 Tour winner Pedro Delgado said.
Instead of opening with a time trial, Saturday's 153.4-kilometre first
stage around the Galician port city of Vigo sets up a tough first
week, with three of the first four stages ending with climbs.
It's been 24 years since riders were forced up the Lagos de Covadonga
- one of the event's toughest ascents, which ends the fourth stage.
The first of two individual time trials begins on Sept. 8 with a
lengthy 52.2-kilometre race against the clock, with riders then facing
two consecutive mountain finishes ending at the ski stations at Cerler
and Ordino-Arcalis before a first rest day on Sept. 11.
Former winner Dennis Menchov (2005), Cadel Evans, Damiano Cunego, and
Vladimir Karpets are some of the all-around climbers expected to be
among the leaders by then.
Fans will not get to see Tour de France winner Alberto Contador after
his Discovery Channel Team left the 24-year-old Spaniard off its
Vuelta roster to avoid exhaustion following his Tour win.
Instead, hopes for a 21st Spanish winner rest with 2006 Tour runner-up
Oscar Perreiro, Jose Angel Gomez Marchante and Carlos Sastre - who is
coming off back-to-back fourth place finishes at the Tour de France
and a runner-up place here in 2005.
Leading sprinters are also expected to compete for the yellow jersey
through the 21 stages, with Oscar Freire, Tom Boonen and Discovery
Channel's Janez Brajkovic and Allan Davis in the mix.
Alessandro Petacchi will also race after missing the Tour due to his
refusal to sign the UCI's anti-doping charter after the Italian
returned a "non-negative" test for an asthma drug at the Giro. His
case will be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The 3,291.3-kilometre race ends in Madrid on Sept. 23.
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