I'm probably on the wrong side of this controversy because I'm about to do the most unAmerican thing possible...side with the French.
Never mind that without the French, we'd most likely still be singing, "God Save the Queen" It was the French after all who supported and sided with the rebels during the American revolution.Including that most famous of all rebels, George Washington.
So now almost thirty thousand people have signed an online petition at www.letleviride.com to allow team Astana to ride in the Tour de France this year.
You may recall that during last year's TDF team Astana's leader, Alexander Vinokourov, was caught cheating after he won the time trial and the entire team was forced to leave the tour in disgrace.
Feel free to read about it HERE.
Like almost every pro athlete who gets caught with his hand in the doping jar he denied he ever cheated, but eventual he was forced to retire and fade into the steroid using past.
As a product of the old Russian and East German cycling system it should have come as no surprise to anyone that he would be caught cheating.
So fast forward to today. The petition to let Astana back into the tour this year states:
"There can be no comparison between the Astana team of 2007 and the new Astana. The entire organizational structure has been rebuilt under the direction of the team’s new General Manager, Johan Bruyneel, who has thoroughly cleaned house. What’s more, Astana has adopted the rigorous doping controls developed by anti-doping expert Dr. Rasmus Damsgaard, and Astana now spends more money on anti-doping controls than any other team in the pro peloton."
In my opinion the controversy really comes down to the classic tension between what the pros(riders) want and what the sport needs.
And yes of course, the fans want to see a great American rider take on the world this summer.
But cycling, one of the most drug ridden (sorry about the bad pun) sports in all of history needs to make a clean break from its past if it is to remain a great sport.
A price has to be paid.
Lines have to be drawn.
Hard decisions need to be made, and most importantly promises need to be kept.
If team Astana is allowed to ride in the TDF it will loudly say to the world that the powers that be just gave a very stern slap on the wrist to the riders, and now we're back to business as usual.
Sorry Levi but I can't sign the petition. Out of all the bike teams you seemed to have signed on with the one wrong one.
Were you not aware of what happened to them last year?
Are you not aware of how little trust and credibility remains for your sport to spend?
In fact you seem to forget that you have used up all of your trust and credibility with this fan, as well as many other fans around the world.
Instead of spending time and money trying to get back into the TDF this year, why not take your lumps?
Don't just say you've cleaned up on a web site, but really prove it to us by racing and testing and staying clean for a year! And then come back in 2009 and win the tour as the clean team you claim to have created.
Now that would be something I would dearly love to support.
I don't think that's too much to ask, especially after decades of a sport that spent much of the fans goodwill cheating.
And worse yet when caught, lying to cover up the sports rampant drug abuse by its biggest stars.
For some that may be in the distant past, but for me that past was just a few short months ago.