Contador did have a code name called AC. I am definetly sure. I understand that some of the sporting bodies cleared the ridres fue to lack of available evidenve. What i am saying tho is that these guys being back in the sport make thr sports image look bad as they have baggage. I acknowledge they have the right to be back in the sport. Contador has more than a question mark over his head and it's not just because he's a good rider. Because he's been cleared in a court room doesn't mean his clean either.

Sam I am the biggest realist I know. There is only rumour against the riders I named and nothing more. We all have to take the Spanish judge for his word. Puerto was unleashed in response to unsafe health practices and not sporting fraud. Thats partly why they never followed up on Valverde. Ullrich and Basso were busted because other nations governing bodies wanted to take further action. The Spanish sports minister wanted action but the judge was not able to endorse it because of the legalities. On this matter Valverde (he is likely dirty but still a great rider) has cause to be pissed. Legally CONI can't overturn a Spanish judges ruling, but they did. CAS and the UCI in turn may not extend his ban because of this. Besides I've never heard the bit about AC on Eufemanio Fuentes blacklist. The list is nothing but conjecture without the dna to match to bags. I'd personally like to know why tennis and soccer players weren't targetted. They'd make up a fair portion of the other 165 unnamed sports people. If the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority can clear Davis quickly then frankly its reasonable to assume Contador was cleared for similar reasons and not because he's Spanish and was on a bad team. Any rider as successful as Contador was going to have a question mark above their head and I can't seem to find the blacklist codenames to verify there even was an AC. I'll keep looking. JJ however was Jorge Jaschke.

Ben, be a realist. I know all the liberty seguros' boys were cleared. Their names were in the report because their was obviously suspicion around them. I understand they have the right to race again but what i'm saying is that them winning races, causes a lot of people to think that they are cheating again. It doesn't do any good for the sport. Many have been proved guilty so far. Same with Vino and Rasmussen, people are not going to trust them. The guys from Liberty Seguros did have a code name against them. Alberto Contador's was AC and Jorg Jachse's was JJ. Jorg Jachse admitted to being guilty. AC made a pretty lame excuse to say that he wasn't involved by saying that his name must have been talked about or 'mixed up' with Jorg's. Valverde and Basso were originally cleared due to lack of evidence at the time like the Libert Seguros boys but Basso has admitted to being involved and Valverde has alot shit against his name. These guys do desreve to comeback legally, but it doesn't do any good for the image of cycling.

Sam, if Basso (never liked his riding style) can ride in 2007 and 2008 while on a 2 year ban then its only fair Vino and Rasmussen are permitted to come back. Vino has kept his mouth shut and so has Rasmussen. Sam take a look at the Operation Puerto wikipedia file. There were 200 names on the blacklist supplied (35 cyclists) and the 5 ex-Liberty Seguros Wurth boys you referred to were all excluded by ASO to the 06 Tour based on rumours surfacing after Manolo Sainz, their team director was arrested in May that year. Contdaor has nothing to clear nor do the other 5 riders. There isn't evidence to suggest deceptive play on any level (unlike Lance and those 99 urine samples). The 5 riders; Joseba Beloki, Isidro Nozal, Sergio Paulinho, Allan Davis and Alberto Contador are all clean and did not have a reported nick-name on a blood bag, unlike Basso and Ullrich. Nor were they presumed to have had a blood-bag like the aptly named Valv-Piti CONI alleges matches Valverde. If Vino and Rasmussen are as entertaining as they previously were then let them race. But don't fret the ASO can always veto their participation in all French events.

I hope for your sake Brian you speak Spanish. Nice comparison of Contador with LeMond. Why though? There are no similarities between the two other than they rode bikes professionally and one wrote an article about the other a week ago. Lance is 38 in a month. Real bright future he has. If the general public you speak so highly of wanted the future they had it. First and second place. Oh, they're not american, sorry champ...have a cry. They beat Lance and deserved the credit and media time and when The Boss perceived he didn't get it (from either party) he whinged on twitter, the tool of the technologically impotent. He lost more fans than he gained with his behaviour. I could write an essay on how he's used twitter in a similar fashion to a pubescent cyber bully! The moronic statement regarding Contador having a lot to learn after Paris Nice...it was the first race he'd lost in 2 years. But we all know americans are reknowned for their intelligence. Lance bringing media attention is only good if it is quality, a quality that the press failed to respectfully share to those in the peleton who have been doing the rounds for the lat 3 years. The good in it is the nice line of credit from RadioShack Brian and the back slapping he's unduly been rewarded. For the record, gen x is over (which I suspect you are), time for gen y to kick arse. Lance should never have picked on Contador, he's going to be embarassed how average he'll look. Brian for the record (you can verify it via google), Contador had the ok from Kloden to attack and admitted he stopped when the Schleck's counter attack dropped Kloden. But you obviously noticed that didn't you while watching? Open your eyes and ears, use your brain and question Bruyneel comments afterwards and the subsequent vanity by Lance 2 days later in announcing a "surprise new team." The man was jealous and just had to get in the spotlight. But nobody says thats disrespectful. Contador holding back his opinion till after the Tour was more respectful than anything Lance has orchestrated this TDF.

Nick from Hobart, I have thought the same thing about an Aussie team. Who is there to get the show on the road.? A rider from some years back, who ran Coles Myer, and is a business asset would be the ex -Olympian Peter Bartels.If he is still involved in cycling, that is. but at this stage nobody has put their hand up. Would possibly be difficult to get an aussie sponsor, due to the training in Europe, making the sponsors name only being shown overseas. This is not the way an aussie sponsor would want their product advertised. the only time their name would be in lights is for the TDF, 3 weeks of the year. I guess it's only a huge swiss bank that can sponsor at present, due to the European exposure of elite riders.

Lance at this tour is now starting to taste like an after taste. want to get rid of it but can't. Same with riders coming back from doping suspicion or bans. Even though AC was cleared like LA, he still hasn't explained really how he and his 4 other team mates (including Alby Davis) got involved with OPeracion Puerto. Another Puerto Star, Paulinihio is also on the suspicous team.You can't say Lance is good for cycling when it is in a time of recovery from doping affairs when he brings a lot of baggage along with his comeback. We also don't need guys like Rasmussen and Vino back into the sport as if they get sucess everyone will shout out DOPERS. These guys may have the right to comeback but the stench they bring along is not good for the sport.

Yes, everyone is talking about getting an Australian team up and running, but who is actually doing somehting about it? It obviously needs to be someone high up in Australian cycling, with many strong contacts in the business world. And motivtaion.

Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, when I was younger I watched to see Lance and as I watched, Bob R and Phil L taught me through their commentary what the tour is about in its present form. I like it. But I still felt there was something missing and my views are purely my own and the way I was thinking would make it more interesting only to me. I bike for health and the tours with Lance in them made me watch more for many reasons and I got caught up in the Lance chase for the GC drama, but as I got older and listened to the media I began to realize that the insertion to team riding to help riders also needed a benefit to the viewers and then my previous comments are based on a wish to have teams mean more to all the podiums than just the GC category. As a recreational rider I realize how hard it is to do what any tour GC winner has done, but with the push for teams I feel the cycling world at least for the Tour de France needs to add a team category that is publicized and rewarded in a way that truely reflects what the tour de france is.... 21 individuals races that test all riders as they traverse routes through France and adjacent countries as they strive to reach paris with restricting time limits on each stage. But with the push of team formation and dynamics of the race measures, there needs to be a way for riders to be showcased for their talents. I know my opinions are not about bashing riders or teams. I am bashing MEDIA and Tour officials for not creating an experience that could push entrants of the race to 500 people or more. Dont make it exclusive, if you are going to talk about teams then let teams ride. If you are a team then make the step to be an aswesome team that produces the winner of all jerseys not just the GC winner or the Green Jersey winner. Give us a team that can take all the jerseys and make an open call for the world to produce teams that make runs to win a 'true' team winner. Why not have a team sprint jersey and mountain climber jersey and a young rider jersey. These suggestions are only for the TDF and I do not mean to pick on the TDF, but it is the most visual world wide of the cycling races. Hey maybe you will start a trend.