Michael Rich scout at Gerolsteiner
Michael Rich retired after the 2006 season but the 36 years old German will stay with Gerolsteiner as a scout.
Rich will observe young riders for the team and in addition to that Rich will also help by developing the time trial bikes
of the German Pro-Tour squad.
Ullrich not to Discovery Channel
Last week it was announced that Jan Ullrich was in the US for some "official meetings". Immediatly it was
speculated that Ullrich might sing with the Discovery Channel team. Discovery team manager Johan Bruyneel denied that the
US squad signed Ullrich. Johan Bruyneel said: "Ullrich with us?, no way." According to lequipe.fr the Tour of Germany
and the Tour de France don't want Ullrich in their races anymore.
Contador and Hernandez have to testify today
Alberto Contador and Jusus Hernandez will have to testify for the Mdrid court today. Contador and Hernandez
are the first riders who are called by judge Antonio Serrano to testify in the Fuentes affair. Both riders have to answer
three questions. The judge will ask them if they know any of the persons who are accused of endangering public health: Eufemiano
Fuentes, Jose Luis Merino, Manolo Sáiz, Ignacio Labarta and/or Vicente Belda. The second question is if they were forced to
take doping substances and the last question which Contador and Hernandez will have to answer is if they have suffered health
damages as a result of treatment by one of the accused.
Floyd Landis: "The sport doesn't want me to win and it's going to be very difficult to do so."
In an interview with British daily newspaper Daily Mail, Floyd Landis spoke about his case and the death of
his father in law. Three weeks after Landis was sacked by the Phonak team because of his positive test, his father-in-law,
David Witt shot himself in the head and although freinds and family insisted that the Landis doping case had nothing
to do with it, Landis cannot rid himself of guilt and the belief that he mayed have played a small part in his father in-law's
death. Landis told Daily Mail: "I don't know why he did it." Landis continued by saying: "But I'd be deluding myself
if I thought the dope case did not play a big part in his stress. He was a good friend long before he became my father-in-law.We
used to cycle together, we even came out here, to Borrego Springs, to train."
His father-in-law followe his career closely: "He was in the Champs-Elysees the day I won the Tour and he
was at the victory party. I didn't talk to him the week before he died. I feel really bad about that but I was completely
consumed by the accusations levelled against me. Maybe, if I had, he would have said something about how he felt. Now it"s
too late and we'll never know why. "
Landis had a hard time in the last couple of months: "It's been the toughest few months of my life. One moment
I've realised a lifelong dream in Paris, the next I've become one of the biggest doping stories of all time. But if it"s been
hard for me, it's been a great deal harder for my family."
Landis is still undergoing doping tests, he was tested three days after his father-in-law died: "My wife,
Amber, answered the door and almost had a total breakdown," Landis said. For his wife it was to much, Landis continued by
saying: "She started to scream and cry, telling them that they had ruined her life." Landis continued by saying: "I apologised
to the man because he was only carrying out his job. He told me that he'd been asked to do a random drug test on me the day
after David died and his death became national news. The man told me he refused to visit me then but had to come two days
later. I asked him to let my family have some dignity. We still had to go through with the funeral."
Landis always insited that he is innocent but understands that a lot of people are sceptical: "I don't fault
people for believing I must be guilty," Landis said. "If I were looking in from the outside, I'd be feeling exactly the
same way. But I'd like to be given a fair trial and the evidence to be considered with an open mind."
Even after the French anti-doping laboratory admitted that they made a mistake in recording the identification
number of Landis's B sample, writing the figure 995-474 as 994-474, Landis is not optimistic about the outcome of his
case: "The sport doesn't want me to win and it's going to be very difficult to do so," Landis said. "Even if I do, people
will believe I've got off on a technicality. I want people to understand the true, scientific reasons behind my innocence,
not a technicality. "
Landis continued by saying: "If I lost, I'm not sure I could carry on. I wasn't the highest-paid cyclist and
it's looking like this might cost me $500,000. I think the authorities know I'll run out of money. They've said they'll appeal
if they lose the hearing and that might take another year. "
Landis will retire from the sport if he loses his case: "If I'm banned for four years and stripped of my title
and prize-money, I'll never race again. My desire for it would have been obliterated."
Landis admits that Cycling is in deep trouble: "How can cycling win?" Landis said. "Either the winner
of its greatest race is a cheat or the credibility of the system is in tatters if I'm found innocent. Neither is a great result."
Landis is proud of his yellow jersey: "I may never get my prize money and I may lose my title as Tour
de France champion, but there's one thing they'll never get from me," he said." Landis concuded: "I have the yellow jersey
at home and that's where it's going to stay for the rest of my life."
