The 3rd annual Amgen Tour of California is in the books. The people from
Amgen were conspicuously absent from the race, but reports are that they are
happy and looking to continue sponsorship. Let's hope so. Here are some
random thoughts about the race.

Things I liked:

All the aggressive riding. It was full-on from day one first with the BMC Team
sending guys up the road on stages 1 and 2 and then with attacks by the likes
of George Hincapie, Robert Gesink, Dominique Rollin, that Hincapie guy again,
Michael Creed, Tom Zirbel, that Hincapie guy again, etc, etc.

The non-Pro Tour teams showing themselves in front of their bigger brothers.
These lesser weights (in UCI classification only?) didn't just hide out at the
back of the pack waiting for another beating, they raced side-by-side to the
finish.

Podium girls. Hats off to Michael Ball and Rock Racing for bringing some
much-needed feminine touches to the main stage.

Mount Hamilton. This bump helped create one of the most selective finishes
in the history of the AToC. When combined with Sierra Road this made for a
very exciting stage.

Mario Cipollini. Cipo is in his second career as a bike racer and has admitted
that he is playing with house money. But, ride he did and he was in there when
he needed to be. Bravo!

Levi's time trial ride. Guys like David Millar, Christian Vandevelde, Tom
Zirbel and Ben Jacques-Maynes rode extremely well in Solvang, but Leipheimer
delivered the knock-out punch to anyone else's hopes to win the AToC. Yeah,
he was expected to do well, but not that well. It was a drubbing.

Things I didn't like:

The AToC organizers bumping three riders from Rock Racing from starting. I
have still not seen the supposed letter from the UCI stating that there are
active doping investigations on Santiago, Oscar and Tyler. Anybody else seen
any news on the alleged open doping investigations?

Mother Nature. Maybe it was payback for kicking out the three Rock Racing
riders, but why penalize all the other racers and spectators with so much
rain? I was starting to gather a few animals, two-by-two.

Media parking. Hey, I am a journalist. I am doing a job at the AToC. Please
give me a place to park my car and don't trap me in some parking garage with
one attendant to take cash so I have to spend an hour waiting in line to leave
after the race.

Technical manual. Is it so hard to put a graphic showing the press room on
the map of the finish area?

Bruce

The storm surrounding the Rock Racing Team's roster for the Amgen Tour of
California(AToC) has subsided a bit with the announcement from team owner
Michael Ball that the squad will start only five riders on Sunday, leaving
Oscar Sevilla, Santiago Botero and Tyler Hamilton on the sidelines. The
team will be composed of Michael Creed, Doug Ollerenshaw, Victor Hugo Pena,
Freddie Rodriguez and Super Mario Cipollini. The entire team voted to start
with the shortened roster.

At issue here is whether the three Rock Racing riders are part of any active
doping investigations. At a press conference on Saturday, Michael Ball
provided documentation, a letter from the Federacion Ciclismo de Colombia
indicating that Botero is not under investigation, a letter from Real
Federacion Espanolo de Ciclismo indicating that Sevilla is not under
investigation and also a letter from UCI president Pat McQuaid indicating
that Oscar Sevilla is not currently under investigation. Ball maintains
that Tyler has never been informed that there is a pending anti-doping case.
Furthermore Ball contends that Hamilton cannot be sanctioned for anything
stemming from Operacion Puerto because according to the rules it would
'pre-date the case for which he has already served a suspension'.

Race organizers maintain that there is an open investigation involving the
named riders citing that the Operacion Puerto case was been re-opened on
February 14th. However, Sevilla, Botero and Hamilton have not been explicitly
named in the new investigation. Given that they were all named in the 2006
Operacion Puerto it can be assumed that they will be named and investigated,
but at this time it is only speculation what the prosecutors in Spain are
doing. Is that enough evidence to assert that the three riders are currently
under investigation?

Obviously, this is a very touchy situation for both sides. There is enough
gray area here to feel that both sides have made a case, however, since it
appears that the race organization's ousting is based on the re-opening of
the Operacion Puerto case, it would be prudent to verify that the case has
indeed been re-opened.

One thing that is interesting in this whole sordid affair is that the USADA
recently told AToC race organizers that it cannot comment if there are any
active investigations on riders. This is to protect a rider from being tainted
undeservedly or any unwarranted actions if the investigation finds no illegal
activity. So, how does the race organization know of any active investigations
if the national doping agencies will not comment? We are treading very closely
to stripping all rights riders have to fair and impartial treatment.

Bruce

I don't think anybody will ever consider me a walking fashion statement on
either side of the spectrum(maybe that's the silver lining!). In fact, my
fashion sense is somewhere between sweat pants and blue jeans, but hey, I
don't care. However, for those of you who religiously watch shows like "What
Not to Wear," "Project Runway" and "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style", here is a blog
just for you.

The third annual Amgen Tour of California kicks off in about a week and based
on my recent visits to some of the pro team camps, we just might have an
honest-to-god fashion emergency. I remember a few years back when powder blue
was the 'in' color so much so that a number of pro teams changed their jerseys
to include the azur shade. Well, it looks like black is the new blue. No less
than three pro teams, BMC, Rock Racing and High Road Sports are wearing
predominately black racing kit.

Call me a colorcist, but I am having a hard time distinguishing between the
three different squads. Add to the fact that the riders will be going upwards
of 30 mph as they rocket down the beautiful California coastline and any subtle
differences such as sponsors logos might just become a blur.

Rumour has it that High Road Sports may be rolling out a new team kit with
a predominately white theme. But, wait, it looks like the BMC boys are riding
white jerseys as well. Oh man, what is a cycling fan to do? Obviously, there
are subtleties between the jersey designs, but I am not a subtle guy.

OK. Maybe I am making a mountain out of a molehill, but I am always on the
verge of getting arrested by the Fashion Police so maybe this is my pitiful
attempt at obtaining a get-out-of-jail-free card. Regardless of what any of
the jerseys look like for the 17 teams participating in the AToC, I am certain
that the riders filling said jerseys are some of the best racers in the world. And,
c'mon that's what it is all about anyway, isn't it?

Bruce

After months of rumours and speculation, it appears that Italian sprinter
Mario Cipollini has signed onto the Rock Racing team as rider/manager for
2008. Whoa! What "Super Mario's" role will be with the team is yet
undetermined, but one thing is for sure, the US domestic professional racing
scene just got a whole lot more interesting.

The 2002 World Champion can certainly pedal a bike and even at the age of 40,
he will shortly turn 41, he will undoubtedly be capable of winning races in
America. But, more importantly, he is a showman. A rider of "rock star"
quality who brings charisma and presence just by showing up. From his
outrageous cycling attire to the time he left the Tour of Spain prematurely so
he could be a judge at the Miss Italy competition this guys makes headlines
both on and off the bike.

Does the US domestic scene need "il Leone" as Cipo is known to his Italian
tifosi? With all the doping scandals running rampant through the cycling
community Mario just could be the breath of fresh air to get people's minds
thinking the glass is half full and not half empty. We need to be reminded
of why cycling is such a great sport, not only in which to participate, but
also to watch.

Mario's wins in both the Giro, where he holds the all-time record for stage
victories, and the Tour de France are things of beauty, executed with style
and perfection. One question that still lingers is if the Rock Racing team
can assemble an effective leadout train with which to deliver the flamboyant
Italian to the line. My guess is with a marquee name like Cipollini on your
squad, you go get support for the kick to the finish.

Cipo's signing fills a couple of roles for Rock Racing. The team is in dire
need of a director sportif after the recent departure of Frankie Andreu. Also,
with the parity among the US domestic pro teams having a bunch sprinter is
almost mandatory if you want to win races. Unfortunately, Cipo's lack of
knowledge of the US race courses, the only race he has ridden in America is the
Tour of Georgia, may provide a steep learning curve if he is called on to lead
the squad from the team car. At 40, his best days are probably behind him
which means that he will most likely not be a candidate to ride the more
difficult stage races or hilly one-day events.

My guess is that we will see Cipo at the upcoming Tour of California behind the
wheel of a Rock Racing vehicle and not in the saddle. Given the rumours of how
he drives around Italy, even that scenario is sure to give race fans, and race
officials, something to talk about. Benvenuto in America Mario!

Bruce

ps - what do you all out there think about Mario coming to America?