Time to start training again if I'm going to have any form for this weekend. Spinning tonight. Other than that, not much is happening.
News Item of the Day: LACHEN, Switzerland, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Olympic time trial champion Tyler Hamilton says he agreed to be sacked by Switzerland's only professional cycling team Phonak in a bid to help them get a licence for next year's Pro Tour.
Hamilton was sacked following his positive test in September for blood doping but the termination of his contract failed to impress the International Cycling Union (UCI), which earlier in the day confirmed its decision to withhold Phonak's licence.
Hamilton's lawyer read out a letter at a media conference near Zurich in which the cyclist wrote: "We concluded together that it would not be possible for the team to continue at the level we hoped with my name on the roster.
"Specifically, it would be impossible for Phonak to be accepted into the Pro Tour with one if its riders facing charges of using prohibited performance-enhancing methods."
In a written response to an appeal made by Phonak last week, the UCI's licence commission said on Tuesday that the sacking of Hamilton had come too late to have any bearing.
Hamilton was one of three Phonak riders to fail doping tests in 2004, but the commission said that "the attitude of the team's management" had aroused more serious reservations than the doping cases themselves.
It said its decision was also based on the team's failure to comply quickly enough to UCI regulations concerning image contracts.
VERY DISAPPOINTED
"We had hoped my facing the judicial process alone... would pave the way for Phonak being included in the Pro Tour," Hamilton's letter continued. "We were very disappointed to learn today that the team would not be included after all.
Hamilton insisted, though, that his departure from Phonak did not constitute an admission of guilt.
"I am very sad the challenges I face personally have had such a wide ranging impact on so many," he added. "On behalf of everyone involved, I am more committed than ever to getting to the bottom of all this.
Phonak owner Andy Rihs said he still believed in Hamilton's innocence despite having been forced to sack him.
Rihs added that Phonak would continue to support the scientific board which is examining Hamilton's doping case.
There was less certainty though when it came to the future of Phonak's racing team itself.
Rihs and team manager Urs Freuler said they had not yet decided whether to appeal to the international Court of Arbitration for Sport within the 15 day deadline.
Beyond that, Rihs said the team would have to see if it could exist by seeking wildcard entries into major events like the Tour de France.
Alternatively, the team could end the contracts of its top riders and spend next year contesting minor races.
Rihs conceded that, in the worst case scenario, Phonak -- a hearing aid manufacturer -- may simply be forced to withdraw from professional cycling.
"The question is still open," Rihs said. "We will just have to sit down with all the riders, and see how we can go forward."
Viewpoint: Not a surprising decision by the UCI.
News Item of the Day: LACHEN, Switzerland, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Olympic time trial champion Tyler Hamilton says he agreed to be sacked by Switzerland's only professional cycling team Phonak in a bid to help them get a licence for next year's Pro Tour.
Hamilton was sacked following his positive test in September for blood doping but the termination of his contract failed to impress the International Cycling Union (UCI), which earlier in the day confirmed its decision to withhold Phonak's licence.
Hamilton's lawyer read out a letter at a media conference near Zurich in which the cyclist wrote: "We concluded together that it would not be possible for the team to continue at the level we hoped with my name on the roster.
"Specifically, it would be impossible for Phonak to be accepted into the Pro Tour with one if its riders facing charges of using prohibited performance-enhancing methods."
In a written response to an appeal made by Phonak last week, the UCI's licence commission said on Tuesday that the sacking of Hamilton had come too late to have any bearing.
Hamilton was one of three Phonak riders to fail doping tests in 2004, but the commission said that "the attitude of the team's management" had aroused more serious reservations than the doping cases themselves.
It said its decision was also based on the team's failure to comply quickly enough to UCI regulations concerning image contracts.
VERY DISAPPOINTED
"We had hoped my facing the judicial process alone... would pave the way for Phonak being included in the Pro Tour," Hamilton's letter continued. "We were very disappointed to learn today that the team would not be included after all.
Hamilton insisted, though, that his departure from Phonak did not constitute an admission of guilt.
"I am very sad the challenges I face personally have had such a wide ranging impact on so many," he added. "On behalf of everyone involved, I am more committed than ever to getting to the bottom of all this.
Phonak owner Andy Rihs said he still believed in Hamilton's innocence despite having been forced to sack him.
Rihs added that Phonak would continue to support the scientific board which is examining Hamilton's doping case.
There was less certainty though when it came to the future of Phonak's racing team itself.
Rihs and team manager Urs Freuler said they had not yet decided whether to appeal to the international Court of Arbitration for Sport within the 15 day deadline.
Beyond that, Rihs said the team would have to see if it could exist by seeking wildcard entries into major events like the Tour de France.
Alternatively, the team could end the contracts of its top riders and spend next year contesting minor races.
Rihs conceded that, in the worst case scenario, Phonak -- a hearing aid manufacturer -- may simply be forced to withdraw from professional cycling.
"The question is still open," Rihs said. "We will just have to sit down with all the riders, and see how we can go forward."
Viewpoint: Not a surprising decision by the UCI.
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