One two, one two
Category: Cycling
Rumours tell that Ivan Basso may be on his way to Barloworld when his suspension ends. Basso who won the 2006 Giro d'Italia has been banned from racing for his involvement in Operación Puerto. The rider says he want to continue racing after his suspension ends on October 24, 2008 and now La Gazzetta dello Sport says that Barloworld's Team Manager Claudio Corti has been interested in Basso since, well, before the end of 2006 when Basso instead signed with Discovery Channel. According to the paper there is a verbal contract between the two. Because of his suspension Basso will not be able to find a contract in the ProTour, because he is prohibited by Ethical Codes to race in the ProTour for four years, but he can still race in a Professional Continental squad. You may notice that the cycling season has practically ended on October 24, 2008, so why are people talking about this subject now? It seems like he wouldn't be able to race. But then I ask you to look again. If Basso returns directly after his suspension he could still race in the Japan Cup on October 26, 2008. Plus the sponsor may have interest in letting Basso compete in end-of-season races in South Africa, where the sponsor has its base. It will be interesting to know what will happen... To be continued.
