Free Lance Armstrong! That's the message from a majority of readers who responded to a poll: “Should the UCI waive its rules to allow Armstrong to race at the Tour Down Under?”
An overwhelming 69% chose “Yes — Let him ride;” while 23% picked “No — Stick to the rules.” Of the 26 who took the poll (thank you), 2 responded that they really didn't care one way or the other.
At issue is whether the UCI should enforce its rule that cyclists coming out of retirement give a 6-month notice to cycling's governing body before they start racing and make themselves available for drug-testing during that time.
Deadline
Armstrong missed that notification deadline by 10 days to compete in the Tour Down Under. He notified the US Anti-Doping Agency on Aug. 1, which makes him eligible to race on Feb. 1, 2009. The problem is that the Tour Down Under begins Jan. 20.
The 7-time Tour de France champion wants to launch the worldwide expansion of this anti-cancer campaign in Australia, and he says that doing it from the saddle of a bicycle would gain more attention for the effort.
A 10-day waiver of the notification rule is not without precedent. He said the rule wasn't applied when Italian sprinter Mario Cipollini returned to race for Rock Racing at this year's Tour of California.
Other Armstrong news
Cycling phenom Alberto Contador has said basically that Team Astana isn't big enough for the both of them, and he's hinted that he'll leave the team if Armstrong comes on board.
Team manager Johan Bruyneel said Contador can't leave; he's a valuable asset to the team and he has a contract.
Retired German cyclist Jan Ullrich, who shared the podium with Armstrong many times, said that he believes his former nemisis could win the Tour de France again. I love his quote:
“I think he could win the Tour again. He has a great life and great women, but that is not his calling. He has that in his sport. If he manages the challenge mentally, his body will also be up to it.”
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