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Does this count as a blemish against the event?
Paolo Bettini of Italy prevailed in Stuttgart, Germany, after a week of polemics that threatened his participation. The 33 year-old from Marina di Bibbona formed part of a five-man group with Frank Schleck (Luxembourg), Cadel Evans (Australia), Alexandr Kolobnev (Russia) and home rider Stefan Schumacher. It stayed clear following the advantage gained over the Birkenkopf at 9.2 kilometres remaining. Bettini passed Kolobnev as he led out the sprint, while Schumacher kept powering for third over Schleck and Evans.
“It was a difficult week. I was accused [of certain things],” said an emotional Bettini at the finish. “This is a present for all the people. It was not an easy victory. Grazie a tutti!”
Source: cyclingnews.com
Grazie a doper.
I had to read this one twice just to try and get it through my thick skull.
Defending world champion Paolo Bettini said Saturday that he intends to sue German television station ZDF for accusing him of providing former teammate Patrik Sinkewitz with doping products.
…Bettini had slammed what he termed “a campaign of denigration of which the town of Stuttgart, the organising committee and channel ZDF are responsible.”
Source: velonews.com
You following this so far? Good. Everyone’s out to get him. The TV station, the race organizers, the town. All of ’em.
What was he so bent out of shape about?
Providing a blood sample and giving up a years salary if he got caught cheating.
Organisers had insisted Bettini sign the full UCI anti-doping agreement which makes it compulsory for every rider to provide a blood sample before Sunday’s race. But Bettini had refused saying that demanding a sample was a breach of his human rights and because of a clause which demands the repayment of a year’s salary after a positive drugs test.
Source: velonews.com
And this is after Di Luca bounced. He should’ve stayed. He’d have gotten second for sure.
Italian ProTour leader Danilo Di Luca withdrew from the World Road Race Championships on Thursday, calling his treatment “a scandal”. The Italian bowed to pressure from the Stuttgart organisers who objected to the participation of the Giro d’Italia Champion who has been the subject of two separate doping investigations this year.
The organisers announced Thursday that they had taken out a court injunction against the participation of both Di Luca and the reigning World Champion, Paolo Bettini, the latter based on his non-willingness of signing the declaration that the organizers had drawn up. Bettini was also said to having supplied testosterone to T-Mobile’s’ Patrik Sinkewitz, who later tested positive. The rumour, broadcasted by German television station ZDF, was vigorously denied both Bettini’s and Sinkewitz’ lawyers.
Source: cyclingnews.com
What a fucking trainwreck.
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If only we could have a nice fat sample of his blood from right after he finished.
He was just beating on those other guys.
You gotta wonder what his HCT was?
49.6 percent, I’m sure.
Or he was using that Disco synthetic donkey epo that they still can’t detect in a blood test, so his hct was 42.
Fuck the Pro Tour, fuck the UCI, fuck the dopers, and fuck Bettini. I give up. They’ve done it.
From here on out, the only race I care about is the Saturday Morning Town Line World Sprint Championships.
Images and distorted facts. I couldn’t believe after all these years, you didn’t know him any better than that.
Give the guy a break. He hams naturally elevated hematocrit levels.