Pereiro Ready to Wear Yellow

Oscar Pereiro says that he now feels comfortable putting on the yellow jersey as the winner of the 2006 Tour.  According to Velo News, the Caisse d'Epargne rider recently slipped on the maillot jaune for a photo shoot with a Spanish newspaper.  He says that since he received the fax fromt he UCI about their decision to officially strip Landis of the jersey and give it to him, he feels like it's the right time and he's not afraid to put it on. 

"They've proven he cheated," Pereiro apparently said of Landis. "It's not up to me to condemn Landis. I was only a secondary actor in all this circus."  Pererio went on to say that if it had been him, he would have admitted what he'd done, come clean and bow out gracefully.

We've had this discussion a few times here already and I really do go back and forth when it comes to my feelings about Oscar and his role in the whole situation with Floyd.  I feel like he's made some pretty harsh comments throughout this ordeal (but even there you have to be careful about jumping on him because a lot is often lost in the translation).  I think that it's easy to use him as sort of a living symbol of all of the injustice that we see Floyd having had to endure.  But that's not really fair.  No matter what we think about how the systems of drug testing or athlete appeals should be changed, the fact is that he came in second and the guy who came in first tested positive for drugs.  He deserves to wear the yellow jersey just as much as Contador does.

That being said, I flipped my Graham Watson calendar to the month of October this week and was greeted by a huge picture of Oscar wearing said yellow jersey on stage 17 of the 2006 Tour and I can tell you that I am looking forward to November.

The Tour de France organizers will unveil the 2008 route at a ceremony on October 25.  Unlike so many other cycling fans who claim that the 2007 Tour was the last straw for them, I'm actually really looking forward to next year's Tour.  I hope that Slipstream gets a Pro Tour license and we get to watch some of our favorite riders on a new team.  I am interested to see how this new Astana team shakes out, and I'm pulling for the baby T-Mobile riders.

Comments

[Paula Kirsch]

Sara, I do not go back and forth on this one mainly because Oscar would never have been second if Phonak hadn't had so little respect for him that they let him go. Floyd simply didn't want to defend the maillot jaune all the away to Paris. Oscar should savor this one, he'll never win anything like it again no matter what.

Paula (who apologizes to Pereiro fans for her bitter tone)

[Paula Kirsch]

Sara, I do not go back and forth on this one mainly because Oscar would never have been second if Phonak hadn't had so little respect for him that they let him go. Floyd simply didn't want to defend the maillot jaune all the away to Paris. Oscar should savor this one, he'll never win anything like it again no matter what.

Paula (who apologizes to Pereiro fans for her bitter tone)

[Paula Kirsch]

Sara, I do not go back and forth on this one mainly because Oscar would never have been second if Phonak hadn't had so little respect for him that they let him go. Floyd simply didn't want to defend the maillot jaune all the away to Paris. Oscar should savor this one, he'll never win anything like it again no matter what.

Paula (who apologizes to Pereiro fans for her bitter tone)

[Paula Kirsch]

Sorry sports fans, I hit "back" and reposted!! Duh

Paula

[Theresa]

Sara, I had a rather rude reaction to my calender too. The only thing, that made me feel better was the picture is from Stage 17!
Track is taking a lot of energy from Brad...10hr days, with no naps..he says Taylor Phinney wiped the floor with him in Indiviual Pursuit. Taylor is our next Superstar!!!

[CMehl]

This is too hilarious! I flipped open my calendar today TOO and said, "Oh my god, how did Graham KNOW?!!!" I was only putting up the calendar because it's my birthday month and when I bought the calendar at Interbike in 2006 Phil signed it on my birthday with kisses and hugs! But now I don't think I can endure OP all month, so I'm going to modify October and bring back up the picture of the blue train in full flight from the month of May.

And I agree that none of this was Oscar's doing. He reacted to the race itself, and yep, he is a not a true Tour contender but he still was second after all this shit went down, so now he's the winner. I don't agree with it, and I do think he's been kind of a jerk in the press if what we read is correct, AND the true winner will always be Floyd, but Oscar is the designated winner now.

All I can really say this morning is Hooray for Marion Jones! Take some of the pressure off cycling, you Olympic cheat!!

[Theresa]

Ooh, Cathy, what a good idea!
I'll look back on the months and find my favorite picture!
I also have the 2004 Blue Train picture from the 2005 calender, love that shot!!

maybe the closer we get to the Olympics, some of the focus will shift off of cycling, and on to the doping in the other sports!!

[woofdawg]

I'm with y'all vis-à-vis Señor Pereiro. The photo hurts my eyes, while the whole thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth, smells bad and I really just don't wanna hear about it. But, it is also true that it is what it is, and it ain't his fault. Shit happens, as they say, and that just about sums it up. Shit.

Sorry, no apologies to Oscar's legions of adoring fans.

In any case, onward. Time to lick the wounds and see the whole sordid affair from the perspective of the rear-view mirror.

Just got back from Italia. Happy Friday, youse all.

[susie b]

Just as I will NEVER refer to National Airport any other way & certainly not by THAT President's name, I will never acknowledge OP as the winner of the 2006 TDF. Paula, 3 times was NOT ENOUGH! :)

Hey Larry, a friend who occasionaly goes to the Active website just called me & it seems our WAGER is possibly back on. Well, well. The money has been waiting patiently as I was still debating what other charity would get the other half. Refresh my memory, what are you giving up when Lancebaby pounds Dugard into the dust, er, asphalt ... AGAIN? :)

I did go over to read it with my own eyes. The last couple sentences sent me into a coughing fit but I'm still ready to THROWDOWN my money. Run Lance Run. And let's just hope he dons shorter SHORTS this time. I swear those togs last year added 10 minutes to his time. Well, that & the shinsplints.

Oh, woofdawg, you ARE a stich. "Legions of adoring fans". ;) Please tell us all about Italy! I'm so jealous. I've saved for 3 years to go on a 3 week trip. Was supposed to go in 2005, then 2006, but things kept getting in the way. I've rescheduled for June 2009. What is a MUST & what should be avoided?

And as for Marion, I was convinced when I read the Balco book. I cried as I had been a huge admirer. And, uh, BARRY BONDS is a gdamn DRUG CHEAT but HE GETS THE FREAKIN KEY TO SAN FRANCISCO! Ok, need to calm down... I AM shocked that she has confessed. I wonder why now.

Back to Lance. I'm thinking he'll go under 2:40 this time. What do all you runners think?

[Kathleen]

Just opened your page...and there went my breakfast! I'm awake now thank you.

[Waddy]

If anyone is looking to Oscar for solidarity, they're not going to find it. After his little Salbutymol incident you would've have thought he'd be a bit more careful. But no, Oscar declares Floyd a cheat and is ready to pull on a winner's jersey. In truth, Oscar should be excited - he's never won anything more than a stage to a race. Look up his palmares and you'll see he's never won an event.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Pereiro#Major_results
He backed in to the victory in a big way. And I do think that because it's Floyd and he's American, that there is a certain attitude from the Europeans about whether or not he cheated. You don't hear many Spanish riders slamming Heras or even Vino or Basso. But I think Floyd's nationality and his ties to Lance make him a bit more villified in Europe. And I think Floyd is like Lance in another way. I think if Floyd does return to the peleton, he won't ever forget who his friends are and who his friends AREN'T. Remember how this Armstrong incident went down?
http://grahamwatson.com/gw/imagedocs.nsf/edae669c6e575eda86256caa0062fd89/3d6163920b07db9b86256eda00669c05?OpenDocument
I wouldn't be surpised to see Floyd put someone in their place if and when he ever gets the chance. Here's hoping he gets the chance.

There's a saying that football coaches try to get their players to heed, "When you get to the end zone, act like you've been there before." Oscar's never been there, which would explain his glee. He might have been smarter to act like he'd been there before. No one's going to throw him a parade, so what's the point. Champions have long memories. And where Floyd is concerned, as Mr. T used to say, "I pity the fool".

[CMehl]

I think we all forget one thing: these guys are all in the testing pool, so in theory Oscar has to believe in the results because his own piss is going to be subjected to the same labs. I've heard these comments from other cyclists too at press conference, basically saying they have to believe the process is fair because they will all be tested in the same way. If you take note, very few of the cyclists speak up or speak out for guys that are caught. I think this is why, along with fear of targeted testing.

[Kathleen]

Slipped on a banana peel more like... If it had been him he would have hung on fang and claw just like Landis. Well now he'll spend the next 2 years of sideways glances on the pavement proving he deserves it! He can wear the mantle. Let's see how he takes the heat that comes with it.

Cmehl, funny comment on MJ! Sara, ever the diplomat, I commend you. You all make me feel so fortunate that my calendar merely features brightly colored poisonous tree frogs! Physically deadly but spiritually benign.

Mais oui, onward and upward - where ever the hell it is that we're all headed!

[Waddy]

At least no one ever had to treat Oscar as the Patron of the Tour. He never deserved or earned the honor, and no one had to bow to him. Kathleen is right on - OP can puff his chest out to the press, but I doubt he'll be doing it on the road.

[Waddy]

And Cathy, do you think that other riders have taken note of what the arbs said in admonishing LNDD, but think it better to keep their mouths shut?

[janann]

I was wondering the same thing, Waddy. The riders always talk about being in the "race bubble" and not really seeing or caring about any real world information during the season. I've wondered often if any of them have followed the case and understand what it could mean to them.

Welcome back Woofdawg - I'm also very jealous and would love to hear about it.

Kathleen - you crack me up!

[jessica]

Sorry-going to take a sharp left off-subject, because on topic of the maillot jaune, i have nothing polite to say that won't just sound like a woosh of neophyte hot air. OP can say what he wants because the title will always have the astrick next to it.

But, happy belated susieb! My guys bday was the same day too but as that day included my back seizing up and a sudden car oil leak while we're in a small coastal town of Oregon, I forgot to post well wishes to you! Now go put on Maria Maria and dance your socks off. You too Gavin!

[Amy]

$#!% Susie, did we miss your birthday?! I sincerely hope it was better than mine :)

I'm positive that Lance can run a 2:40 with the proper training. His longest run before the marathon last year was 13 miles, and he had stress fractures in his shins! Who knows if his training was better this year? I haven't seen any pictures of him running with his BFF Matthew for awhile...

[CMehl]

THIS is an excellent letter I copied from TBV, think Paula said it came from cyclingnews mailbag. It is spot on and goes with Sara's posting and Waddy's questions.

"As a professional scientist who has been working in a strict Quality Assurance (QA) environment for the past 27 years, I am continually discouraged by the general public's overall lack of understanding of science and the scientific process. Lest anyone be confused, the Landis decision was not about proving that Floyd had taken exogenous testosterone. What the majority of the panel was concerned with was whether or not the lab had followed the procedures they had established to detect exogenous testosterone. They apparently considered the scientific validity of those procedures to be outside the scope of their investigation, and it was certainly outside their area of expertise.

The unrefuted testimony of Dr. Amory, the only real scientific expert on testosterone to testify, was that those procedures were not adequate to establish the presence of exogenous testosterone. You will note that the majority opinion does not refer to Dr. Amory's testimony - there is no way to reconcile it with the verdict they wanted to reach. So Floyd was found guilty on the basis of one WADA-accredited lab's flawed procedures, procedures that wouldn't even be accepted by other WADA-accredited labs. (For those who have been asleep through this farce, the French lab accepts the presence of elevated levels of a single exogenous testosterone metabolite as evidence of doping, while the US lab at UCLA requires the presence of three.) As Dr. Amory pointed out, exogenous testosterone metabolizes in a defined way, with the levels of metabolites rising and falling through time in a certain pattern. The analyses performed by the French lab of the entire set of Floyd's samples did not show the pattern that would be present if Floyd had, in fact, doped. Dr. Amory's opinion was that they made no sense at all.

Floyd was found guilty through a political process with no basis in science. WADA and the UCI are on a witch hunt, and Floyd was unfortunate enough to fall into their cross-hairs. I'm all for catching dopers and throwing them out of the peloton, but the tests must be scientifically valid and be performed by neutral, qualified analysts, not by a lab eager to break (or is that "make"?) the news for l'Equipe. Some form of equal protection under the law would be nice too, such as all WADA-accredited labs having the same criteria for what constitutes an adverse analytical finding. And since Floyd apparently passed all the same tests Oscar Pereiro and Andreas Klöden were subjected to, how about subjecting them to the same test Floyd supposedly failed before moving them up on the podium? Or doesn't fairness go that far?

All cyclists being coerced into signing that document promising to give up a year's salary if found guilty of doping should be afraid--the deck is stacked completely against them. Bravo to Bettini for refusing to sign.

Rick Beauheim
Carlsbad, NM, USA
Saturday, September 29, 2007"

[susie b]

I've been thinking more about Marion as I read on CNN/SI that the IOC is ready to strip her of her 2000 Olympic medals, like NOW. Where exactly is the cut-off for taking back medals? Seven years ok but 10 too much? Why IS there a cut-off at all? Was the cheating any different?

What about the 1976 East German Women's Olympic swim team which 'won' all but one of the gold medals & for which there is now documented evidence of "State Plan 14.25" which intentionally & by grand design detailed the administering of steroids to ALL athletes in that system, many without their knowledge. Many of the women have gone on record since about the ill-effects for not just themselves but their children. I believe many/most of their former coaches have admitted it. The paperwork of the 'Plan' surfaced after Reunification. So, this is FACT & not rumor. Well, I haven't heard of Shirley Babashoff getting the medals she was denied, or any of the other swimmers either...

I haven't decided entirely, but I'm leaning towards NO Statute of Limitations for sports doping offenses. At least for the Olympics. Mostly because it would be sooooo entertaining to watch the IOC try to keep up with the fluid, ever changing "Official Results". A team of IOC functionaries would be kept at a Swiss airport on standby, ever ready to fly off & perform a ReMedal ceremony. (Um, how DOES one go about copyrighting a phrase? Hmmmmm? ;). Complete with recorded Olympic & designated country anthems played on an outdated boombox carried by none other than Dick Pound. Ah, that Dick, finally found a job commensurate with his abilities.... Think of the impact of NEVER knowing who won, EVER! No more sad faces when your athlete doesn't win as "It's Never Too Late!" will have a whole new meaning! Jeopardy contestants won't stand a chance! The constant interviewing of new medalists may EVEN keep Britney Spears off the TV! (you're welcome ;) Sports Almanacs & other Olympic books will constantly need to be reprinted as one medalist after another is stripped & replaced. There will need to be 2nd shifts at the printing plants... It will be a boon to the world economy! And who said 'drugs were bad'? Just say YES!

[susie b]

Oh! Thanks Jessica & Amy! Yes, I think I'll go home & listen to 'Maria Maria' but, uh, it's not quite the same without either a fantastic dance partner or at least a guy you want to, er, get all hot & sweaty with... both on the dance floor & off. And I don't have either at the moment. :(

And Amy, even though mine wasn't great, I hope you don't mind if I wouldn't want to trade with you. :) Also, you're right - it wasn't just shinsplints that hobbled Lancebaby last year but stress fractures! And I think Lance will kick ass this year - probably saw/heard that media coverage that made it sound like he "failed" last time! Yep, probably put 'em all in his Blackberry for a little "Anger is a gift" training incentive. Pooooor Larry, even if Pushin' Guy had trained properly, there's no way he'd have beat Lance this year. :)

Oh, speaking of "push" - for the last 3 days I had a snippet of a song in my head that I KNOW but for some reason could not remember all of it or the title. It was driving me CRAZY! The 1st day, "ooooh, baby, baby!" played over & over in my feeble brain. Then, the instrumental start of the song started it's repeat play the next day, but I still couldn't think of the song name. I knew it was Salt-n-Pepa by this time, but didn't want to look it up (that's cheatin!). FINALLY, this afternoon I remembered the song is "Push It"! I've only worked out to the damn song for more than a decade. Yeah, this gettin' older is SO much fun.

[Theresa]

Ok, just heard on BBC America, that M.Jones may have to do jail time!! And a guy compared this to Lance getting caught positive...positively!

Well, I solved my problem with my calender! Sept had a great pic of DZ in the Daphne TT, so I just cut off the days of Sept and I have DZ to gaze at for Oct!!! A little tape, and you can't even tell someone's been removed!

Cathy, I'd really like to know how these scientist feel that had their work snubbed by the Arbs. Like the guy from Ireland, that kept wagging his finger at Mr Young, and cost Floyd an arm and leg to bring to the US.
Maybe they are waiting to see what he decides....
Paula, have you heard anything?

[Theresa]

Oh, just remembered what I was going to say earier....
Denis Menchov wasn't real thrilled with winning the Vuelta, by knocking Heras off the podium. So this year, he made sure he won straight up!

[Matt]

Wow...great post today Sara and awesome comments by all! (I REALLY look forward to coming here on these graveyard shifts and sifting thru the post...it's pretty much the highlight of a long night!) Cathy, your comment is pretty much spot-on to my feelings, and thanks for posting that letter...man is that awesome! Anyway, OP is the winner now..we all need to get over it (or not..personal choice I guess), as there's NOTHING that we can do about it (I recall some saying that worrying about things that are beyond your control are wasted energy. It's much better to focus your energies on things that ARE in your realm to affect change). I think Floyd is surely in that mindset (otherwise he'd have gone crazy by now!).

Woofdawg, welcome back to the fold! Kind of cool that we have this 'extended family' thing here...where we can live vicariously thru others good forturne and travels/adventures...so please do share when you get the time! (never been to Italy...just ANOTHER place on my LIST)...and it's a rather large list I might add. My goal is to "see everything, do everything, meet everybody"...I admit it's rather grandiose...but aim high I say!) Why, just today I just met a girl on horseback while on my Mt. bike ride...there you go...scratch one more name off that list! (I'm always very friendly to anybody on horseback...stop the bike, dismount and let them go by...ever since I seriously spooked a horse in Colorado a few years back..didn't have a trail dinger bell at that time (put one on right after this)...came up behind her, called out as soon as I saw her but was already on the brakes...and the rear disc squeals when I get on it hard...nearly threw the rider..boy did I feel BAD! She was very nice though...as I was 'trying' to NOT do what I did...very understanding. Ever since then I tread w/ kid gloves around horses when on the bike.

Anyway, I digress...was saddened by the news on CNN when I got home this morning about M.Jones...she has been a large figure in sports to me...(I'm with Susie...I LOVE the Olympics...I savor them just like the TDF...and live in P.O.T. (Post Olympic Trauma) for days when they are over. Not sure where this will lead, but it won't be pretty. One way or another, it seems that if D.Pound does nothing else in his tenure, he NEEDS to align all the WADA labs to the same playbook. How illogical to have different criteria for diff labs, all supposedly testing for the same substances. It's got to be killing Floyd to KNOW that his sample wouldn't have gone past the first round at the UCLA and Australian WADA labs, where it would have been ruled out as a positive...maybe getting THAT fixed is Floyds destiny. His public fight to clear his name has clearly shown the disparity, and MAYBE something 'positive' will happen from all that. But I'm very pessimistic when it comes to WADA and fairness...so we shall see how it plays out.

Susie, I can't recall which WWII books I liked best offhand...I kind of go all over the map in my reading...(don't burn out in any one genre..move around a lot). But I have to say that E.B.Sledge book is prob the best. It's just such a 'matter of fact' non-glorified account of his day to day life. It's truly hard to imagine living like that. How any of the soldiers came back with any wits about them is beyond me. And we have a new crop of screwed up soldiers happening now (not that the current situation is equal...surely it's bad and no fun, but at least today we value our soldiers lives...huge $ spent on training and outfitting them...vice the WWII soldiers...they had a helmet, rifle and uniform, canteen and knife...go kill somebody. If nothing else, his book shows how STUPID and WASTEFUL war is...throwing away lives for dirt. How many lives will this hill cost? Sounds good...send them. Crazy stuff. And the current book (Last stand of the Tin Can sailors) is really shaping up good too...details the happenings of "Taffy 3", part of the battle group assigned to protect MacArthur’s return to Leyte (Philippines). Being retired Navy and having spent 7 years of my life at sea, I can really relate to a lot of it (other than being SHOT at by ARTILLERY and Suicide Kamikaze planes and such). I think the most traumatic book I've ever read was the account of the battleship Indianapolis sinking. That one makes my skin crawl (most of the crew got off the ship alive, into nice toasty warm tropical water...meaning you live a LONG time...and with not nearly enough life rafts...each man took turns in the raft and in the water...and sharks, sharks, sharks...YIKES.

OK..went WAY too long on this one...(slow night tonight...HOORAY!) Have a great weekend everybody!

[Matt]

And hey...all Chicken Haters out there...found this over on "Rant Your Head off"...(check out the entire bit for context..it's down a ways in his post)..but here's the INTERESTING Part:

"It still doesn’t explain how the UCI mucked up Rasmussen’s out-of-competition test at the end of June.

[Didn’t hear about that? It turns out Rasmussen actually did send the UCI the right forms at the end of June, informing them he’d be training in the Pyrenees about 10 days before the start of the Tour. Just like they blew the OOC test for Valverde earlier in the month.]" Hmmmm...interesting....