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Ronan Pensec: A Busy Day On and Off the Course

Posted by ActiveTdF on Jul 20, 2007 12:03:00 PM

!http://www.active.com/images/newsletters/cyclist/TourdeFrance2007/images/Pensec4150x150.jpg|style=padding:10px;|align=left|src=http://www.active.com/images/newsletters/cyclist/TourdeFrance2007/images/Pensec4150x150.jpg!A classic day on the Tour if we just look at the stage, but what a busy day, actually, with the Rasmussen case!

 

On the road, we have seen a classic stage with an échappée and a peloton which came back strong to end up the stage in a massive sprint, and great work from the Quick Step team to boost Boonen to the finish line first!

 

The thing I've noticed is that Cancellara decided to step back and relax pretty much 25km before the finish line in order to prepare for his time trial tomorrow. This makes me think that Cancellara is no longer looking for the yellow jersey but simply for stage wins. Tomorrow's fight will surely be between Kloden and Cancellara, so keep an eye on these two fellows.

 

So, I was saying that it was actually a very busy day for cycling and not only the Tour.

 

One more time, and I insist, a federation has brought a declaration during the Tour for something that happened weeksif it's not monthsbefore the Tour. I'm talking about the Rasmussen case.

 

The Danish federation just showed up from nowhere to complain during the Tour about something that has nothing to do with it. It's like the Sinkewitz case. The German federation would have had a hundred times the time to bring the positive control to the press. Why did they wait so long when a test is made in one week and a "counter-test" takes only a week to be completed?

 

You may all know that these federations work under the ICU flag...And you may also know that the Tour de France is the ONLY international cycling race today that is not managed by the ICU, but a private company called ASO.

 

Then it all starts to make sense, and the ICU game is pretty clear and very unfair. The ICU has launched the Pro Tour as you also know and it's obvious that they would love to include the Tour de France in it. But if this happens, it will surely not be with cheap attempts like they are doing through the Danish and German federation. It is honestly ridiculous to act like this.

 

It's a pure waste of time for us, for cycling and for the riders. I think the event director did good by letting Rasmussen take the start. If federations really wanted to blame their riders, they should do it immediately and not later on unless the ICU is blocking them and forcing them to communicate during the Tour.

 

The Tour might be the only race that has so much exposure, so it's pretty much during this race that we should all work in the same direction to get a cleaner sport. However, the ICU doesn't think like that and I'm afraid that it looks like they have decided that the Tour will be their battlefield. You can bet on more scandals before the end of the Tour...

 

Finally, I love to answer your questions, as you know, but this time I would like to have your opinion on that. What do you think about the ICU strategy? How do you feel about all this?

Ronan

 

Ronan Pensec participated in 8 Tours, and wore the yellow jersey in the 1990. He now operates Ronan Pensec Events, an official Tour de France operator hosting VIP cycling tours for recreational cycling enthusiasts.

564 Views Tags: tour_de_france, 2007-tour-de-france, tour-de-france, ronan_pensec, ronan-pensec, 2007_tour_de_france


Comments (3)
Jul 20, 2007 3:46 PM Guest fleur  says:

Hi,

Yes, shame on the ICU-hitting us with this old news, right now. Deliberately done at Le Tour to make the maximum exposure and cause the greatest disruption. Saying that though, I thought Rasmussen responded very well as did Monsiuer Proudhomme, in his statement. After all, he was allowed a start, so this news for me, is no problem.
Jul 20, 2007 5:59 PM Guest ahoops  says:

Ronan

I think the ICU is only hurting the sport of cycling by bringing these results up during the Tour de France.  In the USA, this is really the only cycling coverage we get on TV.  I'd love to see some other races covered, like the Giro, Vuelta or the Paris- Roubiax, just to name a few, but that's not going to happen with the bad reputation cycling has, and bringing these results up now are only killing the sport.  It's true that these riders were doing things they shouldn't have.  Rassumssen knows he needs to inform the ICU where he is training, and he knew that he had missed controls, but he hasn't tested positive in any of the controls before the Tour and he knows that if he misses another, it will be considered a positive test.  Sinkowitz's test was more than a month before the Tour de France and the results should have been released before the 2nd week of the Tour.  Baseball has been harmed by all of the steroid stories, but it's not going anywhere, it's always going to be big in the States, but cycling doesn't need any bad publicity, or it will not survive.  To some spectators, every rider is doping, and as long as people believe that, the sport is not going to be covered on US television, and that's just a shame.
Jul 21, 2007 9:40 AM Guest cynical_yank  says:

Perhaps I'm just too cynical, but: It seems to me that this is the ONE year where the riders could be doping to beat the band and not have to worry about getting caught. ASO knows that if anyone pulls a Floyd this year, the Tour is done. Over. Toast. So why do I think that any doping tests being done this year are simply being flushed down the toilet? Even hardcore cyclist friends of mine say they're fed up with the sport and don't watch anymore...why should I, a casual rider and fan, believe that all the riders aren't hopped up on the dope du jour?

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