Discovery Channel and Basso confirm agreement for DNA testing

Discovery Channel and Ivan Basso confirmed today that under the terms of their contract, the Italian rider has agreed to provide a DNA sample if this is requested in a national judicial or disciplinary investigation.

“There has never been a DNA issue,” Johan Bruyneel said. “Ivan agreed through his lawyer even before we signed to give a sample. He just wanted to make sure that the guarantees provided by the law would be respected.”

Bruyneel said parts of the Code of Conduct hastily adopted by the teams should be reviewed.

“We believe that even an athlete is innocent until proven guilty. A French prosecutor announced an investigation of Lance Armstrong in January 2005. Just this month, 22 months later, he announced that he was dropping the case. Under the Code of Conduct, would we have had to sideline Lance from the 2005 Tour?” the Discovery Channel team director said.

The Code of Conduct provides among other things that teams will not allow any rider to compete if there is any disciplinary or criminal proceeding pending, even though no guilty verdict has been reached. The Code also requires any rider who is found guilty to be excluded from racing for four years after the guilty verdict, even if the official suspension is for shorter period.

“The Code of Conduct creates some issues that we will have to work together to resolve,” Bruyneel said.

Source: Discovery Channel

Does Fuerteventura-Canarias exist?

Spanish daily sports AS reported that the manager of the Fuerteventura-Canarias squad, Jorge Sastre is closely linked with Eufemiano Fuentes and his sister Yolanda Fuentes. Both were two of the major players in the Puerto scandal.

Furthermore AS reports that the financing of the new team, which is being adviced by former manager of the Valenciana team, Vincente Belda, has been covered by a group of local industrialists. One of the industrialists is Pedro de la Fuente, president of the soccer club UD Fuerteventura. AS indicates that € 1.2 million of the budget of € 2 million is paid by de la Fuente. AS added that, "perhaps Cicar Lanzarote (car rental company, Cyclingheroes) or Puertas Castalla will also take part as a sponsor."

According to AS, the regional governement of the Canary Islands denied it's participation in the project. Edilia Perez, sport advisor of the Canarian government, told AS:  "We have still not received any request of any cycling team."

The secretary of the Spanish cycling federation (RFEC), Eugenio Bermúdez told AS: "nobody knows anything about the existence of the Fuerteventura-Canarias team." The Spanish sports newspaper also reported that the RFEC has sent a letter to the UCI and the regional government of the Canary Islands in which it stated that the RFEC has not received any documentation from the team at this moment.

Fabrizio Guidi to Barloworld

After a long search Fabrizio Guidi has found a new team for the 2007 season. The former Phonak rider will ride in the colours of the pro continental Barloworld squad. Guidi will meet his former teammate at Phonak, Robert Hunter,  who signed with barloworld two weeks ago.

Klöden starts training

After Cyclingheroes reported in contrast to several reports in the German media that Jan Ullrich did not fly to South Africa, Andreas Klöden published a statement on his website andreas-kloeden.com today, that he (Andreas) is at home (Switzerland) and is not planning to fly to the south.

Klöden stated: "After i recuperated well, since early November I am training up to four till five days a week on my bike again additionally i work on my musculature in general."

After the last two years i want to prepare calmly and so I will probably not fly to the south, but rather stay home for a while. Possibly i will set up a training camp, which will not be to far away, later."

Andreas concluded the statement  thanking all people  who wrote him, supported him, who cheered him along the courses and always believed in him. "I am already looking forward to the next season!"