For those of you keeping score at home, here's the latest box scores on elite cyclists caught up in recent doping scandals:
Tyler Hamilton: The US cyclist's two-year suspension from pro cycling ended Sept. 22. He's mentioned daily as a possible member of the new Italian-Russian team sponsored by Tinkoff Credit Systems and managed by Omar Piscina. No official word yet, though.
Ivan Basso: The Italian cycling star is free to look for another team after quitting Team CSC. Implicated in the Spanish Operacion Puerto doping probe, Basso learned last week that the Italian Cycling Federation shelved its investigation of him. Mentioned as a possibility for the Discovery Channel or Milram teams, both teams previously said there's no chance of hiring him while the Operacion Puerto case hangs in limbo.
(All the Operacion Puerto cases look like they're in limbo right now. While there was a rush to ban all the implicated cyclists from the 2006 Tour de France, the Spanish judge in charge of the case against Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes recently prevented the use of court documents by the cycling federations until he can determine exactly what happened. Without those documents, the federations have no cases. As the Italians shelved the Basso investigation, the Spanish cycling federation on Saturday shelved cases against its 28 cyclists previously implicated.)
Jan Ullrich: The German cyclist caught up in the Spanish Operacion Puerto drug probe returned his Swiss cycling license (he actually lives in Switzerland) citing unfair treatment. Tinkoff is also interested in signing Der Kaiser, as the Russian company wants to expand its business into Germany, as well as the US.
Floyd Landis: After posting his part of his defense against doping charges on his website, the 2006 Tour de France winner (he still holds the title) went to Madison, Wisconsin, to attend a fund-raiser. While there, he told the Capital Times, “I'm going to do everything I can to bring down the UCI.” His spokesman explained that the cycling union hasn't protected Landis' rights and he sees deep problems in the institution.
Meanwhile, back at the hip, Landis' blog reports that he's off his crutches after surgery. He's been riding up to an hour a day on a trainer and is ready to begin riding on the road.
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