He told the press via his statement that while he did not know the fine detail, "... it is incumbent on me as team director to assume responsibility for everything, including that which I neither saw nor knew about. It was no longer possible at this point to try to be clever when caught between a silence that didn't convince anyone any more and the insinuations and rumours that made everyone suspect. I am not in a situation that gives me the right to tell others what to do. But I would say, in view of what I am now experiencing and the criticism that has been directed at me, that we must have clear rules and that everyone at every level makes sure they are respected."
He even got philosophical when he asked whether "we have the right to demand athletes to give performances that go beyond the limits of a cyclist's capacities".
Meanwhile, the riders will be called to court next week to answer questions. It is expected that they will all deny any involvement or knowledge of the alleged doping in the team.
Bo really appreciates being on the team and the team appreciates him as their new captain, so next year the team will be build around the little Danish grimpeur, who will try to get a place on the Tour podium this year.
Meanwhile, the collaboration between TVM and Team home Jack and& Jones is off. The official explanation is, that the Danish team don't want to collaborate with TVM when they have a big question mark regarding EPO hanging over their heads...
Also Jesper Skibby said on Danish TV that he didn't make himself clear, when he last week said that he was on his way to TVM... I'm staying in Denmark and I have a contract for the next 1½ years with Team home Jack & Jones, with which I'm satisfied, he added.
During the 13th lap, Livingston made her move to bridge the gap and joined the break-away trio. The foursome worked together for another 11 laps when Demet, who had been pulling, started blocking during the final lap allowing Livingston to shoot off the front for the win. Second place was a close call for Gradley as she narrowly passed Demet at the finish.
"I liked the course, it has character and was long enough where I could do a lot of moves and Dede could put the hurt on so I could win," Livingston said.
The men’s race 100km Manitowoc Maritime Bay Criterium began with a few early break attempts that were quickly swallowed by the field. One-third through the race, Saturn made its move. Frank McCormack led the break with teammate Norm Alvis. Jans Koerts (Rabobank) and Rob Ventura (Navigators) chased in hot pursuit bridging the gap with 44 laps to go. Five laps later, Saturn’s Mark McCormack shot out of the field taking the lead while Frank blocked Shaklee's Olin Bakke.
With 14 laps to go five riders -- the McCormacks, Koerts, Juan Pineda (GS Mengoni) and Chad Gerlach (OilMe) gained a lap and "sat" in the field until the end when the five broke out for the final sprint. Mark McCormack (Saturn) took the blocking position while brother Frank shot to the finish winning the race.
"Mark-Frank, it's all the same, a one-two brother punch. No words are spoken, it must be telepathic," Frank McCormack said.
Manitowoc Maritime Bay Classic, July 19 Women, 50 kms: 1. Karen Bliss Livingston (Saturn), Gainesville, Fla.; 2. Barbara Gradley (Fat Dog Pro), Newport, R.I.; 3. Dede Demet (Saturn), Boulder, Colo.; 4. Bonnie Breeze (PowerBar), Hilliard, Ohio; 5. Brenda Brashears (PowerBar), Grants Pass, Ore.; 6. Jennifer Morris (North Jersey Bike Club), Indianapolis, Ind.; 7. Andrea Smessaert (Team Wisconsin Health and Fitness), Eagle, Wis.; 8. Andrea Ratkovic-Bowman (Pedalers Racing Team), Norman, Okla.; 9. Tiffany Pezzulo (SmartFuel), Boulder, Colo.; 10. Emily Gloeckner (Twin Peaks), Arvada, Colo. Men, 100km 1. Frank McCormack (Saturn), Leicester, Mass.; 2. Jans Koerts (Rabobank), Belgium; 3. Mark McCormack (Saturn), N. Easton, Mass.; 4. Chad Gerlach (OilMe), W. Sacramento, Calif.; 5. Juan Pineda (GS Mengoni), Bronx, N.Y.; 6. Pelle Kil (SmartTalk), Netherlands; 7. Ronny Assez (Home Market), Belgium; 8. Matt Koschara (Shaklee), Carrboro, N.C.. 9. Jon Wirsing (Snow Valley), Crofton, Md. 10. Chris Pic (Atlanta Cyclery), Athens, Ga. Saturn Sprint Series: 1. Steve Sevener (Wisconsin Ginseng), Athens, Ga., 35 pts; 2. Olin Bakke (Shaklee), Sierra Madre, Calif., 27; 3. Assez, 12 pts.
Today’s Road Race at Road America was the first of three road races during the International Cycling Classic. Again, it was the Saturn show.
The women’s race covered 13 laps on a 3.7-mile circuit, 48 miles in all. Saturn's Dede Demet forced a break at nine laps to go with New Zealand's Maria Hassan and Kerry Helmuth (Capitol Velo) leading the chase. Elizabeth Emery (Saturn) took the lead on her own on the next lap and kept it until four laps to go when Erin Veenstra (BMC-WalMart) caught her and stayed with her for the next two laps when the field came together again.
The Saturn attack continued as Emily Robbins shot ahead. In the final lap, Saturn sealed the deal as Demet and Emery joined Robbins at the front. Demet and Robbins led out Emery, who took the win.
"My eyeballs were burning from the heat today," Emery said. "I just had two weeks off -- I was really ready to win."
The men’s event was a similar story, contested over 108 miles of sweltering hot hills and turns, over 20 laps.
During the third lap, Frank McCormack (Saturn) -- winner of two stages thus far at the MICC -- was among the first break-away group of 10 riders while four chase groups formed. The chase eased in the fifth lap and the 10 man break-away group gained momentum giving them a three-minute lead.
At 11 laps to go Team Saturn made its first move, as Mark McCormack and Norm Alvis bridged up to the 10 man group and joined Frank McCormack. Jans Koerts(Rabobank), with two top-five finishes thus far on the week, dropped out at 13 laps to go when he learned the field was 3:15 behind. Frank McCormack and Alvis jumped ahead and sped up the pace at nine laps to go, leaving the field five minutes behind. Mark McCormack the lead pair and all three shot ahead on the 16th lap positioning themselves for Saturn takeover.
As a storm moved in on the course, the only question remaining was which Saturn rider would take the day. In the final sprint, it was Alvis who blasted ahead for the win with Frank second and Mark third.
Five different Saturn riders have accounted for the team’s six wins over the first four days of the Motorola International Cycling Classic, part of the U.S. National Racing Calendar. The NRC is the system used to rank elite professional and amateur cyclists in the United States.
Road America Road Race, July 20 Women, 80 kms: 1. Elizabeth Emery (Saturn), New York, N.Y.; 2. Emily Robbins (Saturn), Littleton, Colo.; 3. Dede Demet (Saturn), Boulder, Colo.; 4. Jennifer Morris (North Jersey Bike Club), Indianapolis, Ind.; 5. Susy Pryde (Saeco-Timex), Auckland, New Zealand; 6. Andrea Ratkovic-Bowman (Pedalers) Norman, Okla.; 7. Erin Veenstra (BMC WalMart), Racine, Wis.; 8. Kori Kelly (Island Park Cycles), Fargo, N.D.; 9. Emily Gloeckner (Twin Peaks Racing), Arvada, Colo.; 10. Bonnie Breeze (PowerBar) Hilliard, Ohio. Men, 170 kms: 1. Norm Alvis (Saturn), Colorado Springs, Colo.; 2. Frank McCormack (Saturn), Leicester, Mass.; 3. Mark McCormack (Saturn), N. Easton, Mass.