Schleck's Criterium win to be investigated
Frank Schleck's victory at last month's Criterium International is in jeopardy after the International Cycling Union said it was probing the use of a drinks pack on his chest during the final time trial.
Luxembourg's Schleck, the older brother of Tour de France runner-up Andy, wore a 'camelback' on his chest in Corsica and the sport's governing body is wondering whether it might have helped his aerodynamics and be illegal.
"We are investigating this, we want to get to the bottom of it," UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani said.
Schleck finished 12th in the final time trial over seven kilometres, to secure overall victory with a 13-second advantage over Belarus's Vasil Kiryienka.
"Even if the distance was short, he still needs to be hydrated," said his Leopard-Trek team spokesman Tim Vanderjeugd.
Cycling, which has long battled doping scandals, was hit by a fresh controversy last year.
Rumours swirled when a video posted on YouTube suggested Swiss Fabian Cancellara, a team mate of the Schleck brothers, had used an electric device on his bike to win the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
The rider has shrugged off the allegations.
Comment 37 - 56 of 56
Does all this mean that St. Bernards with drinks barrels round their necks can run faster than greyhounds? Dog-gone it!
I have the solution. From now on, all riders must be 5'10" exactly, weigh no more than 160lbs, arm length and diameter must be within 1/2" of each, legs must be no more than 24" in circumference, the total weight of rider and bike must be a minimum of 185lbs. That should do it.
How about if his -you know what- is measured? maybe it's giving him an aerodynamic advantage.
This is ridiculous, on both sides. The ICU allows solid lens wheels which help aerodynamics, teardrop helmets which help aerodynamics, TT suits which help aerodynamics but this drinks pack which helps aerodynamics is illegal? But agreed, he didn't need it as a drinks pack.
" It's shaping up to the point where every rider ....... body searched plus body size and weight checked before the race "
No different than they put greyhounds through before they race!
So, Thomas, was it one of your pansies who reported Frank?
It's shaping up to the point where every rider will have to be blood tested, body searched plus body size and weight checked before the race then eliminated, stripped of aids or handicapped (like jockeys)according to the findings, so that a fair result is achieved.
Alternatively, the UCI could introduce rider classes, like Doped, Aerodynamically assisted, Tall, Short, Light, Heavy, Motors in frames, Gold bearings, Ear pieces, etc, etc..... So then we could have a TDF winner in each class.
@#$% baffles brains!
"i used to ride 25 mile time trials with no water bottle"
And me. Hell, I did a TT up the Ventoux without water once.
That's the problem these days, they're a bunch of giant great pansies - boohoo, I saw a cobble, boohoo I can't have somebody talking in my ear telling me exactly what to do, boohoo, I can't manage seven whole kilometres without a camelback full of water..
It was filled with helium to make him lighter and more aerodynamic. His tires were filled with Helium as well. His frame was filled with Helium. His helmet was filled with Helium. His helmet was waxed with South American Beeswax which should be barred from the sport because it is an advantage. His fingernails were lacquered for less aerodynamic drag. The tread on his tires were shaved for weight. His frame was hand polished with Egyptian cotton rags using carnuba wax imported from Central America.
innovation is what pushes the sport forward,the UCI should be dismantled and a new forward thinking body should be put in its place,this would make the sport far more interesting for the spectator as well as the rider!!
Hydration for a mere 7 (SEVEN) kilometre time trial.... ???? i used to ride 25 mile time trials with no water bottle and i can only agree with the uci in that frank schlecks use of a camelback needs looking into
To drink in a 7km time trial is unheard of in cycling even if its 35c, he is cheating to gain an advantage.
"Even if the distance was short, he still needs to be hydrated" - Use a bottle.
The most influential factor in aerodynamic drag is frontal area. This is much greater for the rider than the bike. Hence the advantage of aero bars. The contour of the bike and the rider influence the coefficient of drag. Disc wheels and aero helmets are the best examples of this. The product of total frontal area and the coefficient of drag gives the total drag to be overcome. So a small rider has a great advantage over a big rider! The effect of the camel back would be less than that of rider size, especially over such a short distance. This really is a storm in a teacup! The UCI should carry out some wind tunnel tests to see how small the camel back effect is compared with rider size.
Ok...I do think its necessary for the governing body to keep on top of new technology in order that a level playing field is maintained. But personally, I cant see that this would be an issue. If they think it is, then the very most this should instigate is a warning to the rider and then a ruling on the equipment which establishes a criteria for the future. But to disqualify the guy In my opinion is harsh. I feel like Schleck didn't use it to gain advantage and believe that as he said they were trying it out.
First, there are evidently correspondents on this site who know little about cycling or who have never ridden a bike in "anger". If you need to hydrate BEFORE an event (which is normal) then it is perfectly reasonable to expect to have to hydrate during the event, even one as short as 7km. Using a "camelback" type of fluid storage may or may not provide an aerodynamic advantage - so what if it does?? It's a TT bike and aero is the name of the game. In reality, the only real advantage I can see is that with a camel back, you don't need to take your hands off the bars. That in itself would seem to be a fair advantage, but it is also safer and anyone who has ridden aero bars could testify to that, I'm sure. The UCI gets more and more ridiculous and paranoid as time goes on. I worry regarding the sanity of some of its management, especially as you go up through the hierarchy. If I wasn't so passionate about cycling as a sport, I think I would have given it up a long time ago simply because of its ruling body and taken up pub dominos or tiddlywinks.
harriott post 39- "make him ride without a saddle for 6 months"
'
Very funny and oh what a punishment! One time I was MTB'ing and 2 hrs away from the car. Hit a bump and the saddle slipped bolt upright and couldn't be fixed, so I took the whole seat post and saddle off and stored it in the Camelbak.
'
Well, riding back without a saddle was very uncomfortable- lactic in the legs, tendons strained, little-used muscle groups were crying in agony. Still, better than the carbon seatpost that shattered and slashed open a guy's testicles....
It's true Julich used camelbacks alot, but then the UCI decided it was "cheating" so they were banned a few years back, and this winter there is a big long list about things you can and can't use. However I'm not sure what aero advantage being on your chest has, being between the legs where lots of air turbulance is produces... Also why are they only looking as Frank? If the penalise him (and if they do do anything it should be just penalise him time, nothing more) why not Tony Martin aswell, in the Paris-Nice TT he had one on his chest too.
If he is found guilty, do not suspend him, make him ride without a saddle for 6 months
It's a shame that the start officials didn't check whether the bag contained air or water.
Please login to post a comment
Not already a Yahoo! user ? Sign up to get a free Yahoo! Account