Tour de France News for May 2, 2003 Edited by Jeff Jones ONCE says it will do the Tour...with Igor The ONCE-Eroski team has responded to the six month suspension (in France only) of its rider Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano, who tested positive according to WADA rules and negative according to UCI rules for the asthma drug salbutamol during the Tour de France last year. The decision to sanction him was made by the Conseil de prévention et de lutte contre le dopage (CPLD), which is the national anti-doping body in France. If the suspension is effective, Gonzalez de Galdeano will not be allowed to race in the Tour this July. The team issued a statement outlining its position in the matter, pointing out that it still hasn't received any form of official communication about the matter, and neither have the Real Federación Española de Ciclismo (RFEC), Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD) or the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). "We regret that aspects dealing with the health of a rider can be divulged and handled by a French national organisation, putting under suspicion the professionalism and honesty of the rider, and the medical specialists of the team and the UCI," read the statement. ONCE added that it will be putting the case in the hands of its lawyers "to defend the interests of the rider and the team." Finally, "Before doubts arise in the media and among the fans of this sport, the ONCE-Eroski team declares its intention to be present at the start of the next edition of the Tour de Frande, with all its leaders." Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano has remained calm about the affair. "I believe I will be at the start [of the Tour]," he told AS. "I've been asthmatic since I was a child and I have all the documents that permit me to use Ventolin...It seems to me ridiculous that they think you can fly with that medication." "I don't understand how an agency such as this can be above the UCI and the IOC," he added, referring to the CPLD. "It's as if any national association wanted to have more power than the international law." No UCI help for Gonzalez de Galdeano The UCI says it has no power to intervene in the Igor Gonzalez de Galdeano case, which could mean that he misses out on this year's Tour after the French anti-doping council (CPLD) suspended him from racing on French soil because of a positive drug test during last year's Tour. Although the UCI ruled at the time that it wasn't a positive test, the CPLD adopted the more stringent World Anti-Doping Agency rules in its decision to sanction the ONCE rider. "Gonzalez de Galdeano was called up three times by the French council for a hearing where he could have defended himself," UCI president Hein Verbruggen told Algemeen Dagblad. "He did not show up three times. Then it's logical that he should be suspended. Furthermore, the UCI has no jurisdiction in the case, because the French anti-doping council is a ruling body. It can suspend anyone for French races. Nevertheless I find it unbelievable that ONCE team manager Saiz has let it get so far, and Gonzalez de Galdeano has not been to any hearings yet." Team Coast takes shape for the Tour Jan Ullrich will be taking a leaf out of a certain Lance Armstrong's book in his final preparations for the Tour de France, which begins on July 5 in Paris. In between his racing appointments in the next two months, Ullrich and the team will take time out to ride a few of the more important Tour stages, including the team time trial between Joinville and Saint-Dizier. The Team Coast captain will race in four more races before the Tour, including the Vuelta Asturias, Rund um Hainleite, Deutschland Tour and the Tour de Suisse, a much heavier schedule than Armstrong, who will do just the Dauphiné Libéré. Team Coast director Rudy Pevenage has already got an idea of who will ride in the Tour team, with Spaniards Angel Casero, David Plaza, Aitor Garmendia and Manuel Beltran, as well as Daniel Becke, Tobias Steinhauser, Thomas Liese and Jan Ullrich in the picture. The emphasis is obviously on strengthening the team for the general classification and the mountains, rather than winning stages with sprinters. Kroon out of Rabo Tour team The winner of last year's Tour de France stage in Plouay, Karsten Kroon, will not ride in the Rabobank squad in this year's Grand Boucle. According to De Telegraaf, team manager Ardi van Houwelingen has decided to leave him out of the 13 man pre-selection, on account of his poor early season form. Eight members of the team, including Thorwald Veneberg and Remmert Wielinga, will travel to the Alps and the Pyrenees between May 20-28 to ride some of the stages. (All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2003)

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