Sometimes I think so hard I can't remember how your face looked
Category: Cycling
Tour of Qatar has, I think, continued today but no results have arrived yet, so I have decided to write about the news that the Dauphine Libéré stage race in Southern France (yesterday's news) might only invite ProTour teams to this year's edition of the race. If so then last year's winner, Christophe Moreau, will be unable to defend his title. The race organisers indicated, yesterday, due to finances, they may only be able to invite ProTour teams. And therefore Moreau, who this year races with the Professional Continental Team Agritubel, would be excluded from the important race Dauphiné Libéré, after all many riders use it as a preparation for the Tour de France.
Christophe Moreau says himself that he doesn't "care whether it's the 12th or 13th Dauphine of his career", but that it would be worse for younger talents like Romain Feillu, "who would miss out on a great race and will not be able to prepare the Tour de France in the best possible way."
Well, if you have economical problems then it is hard to do something about it. I personally think it is very important to have many doping tests, but of course it is sad that a French team he would care about the race may not be there. There is a couple of things about UCI ProTour, which is extremely annoying, and one how does is visible in a situation like this. Many team's will not care too much about winning or do good results, they just use it to become fit before the Tour de France. I think Agritubel would try to make a couple of results because it is home soil and most riders want to show themselves then. It is sad, but if they really can't find a solution then I think it is better than skipping the doping tests. In the same time, as Christophe Moreau said too
"If the problem is in fact a financial one and concerns [the fight against doping], it should be possible to find a solution."
And yes, hopefully a solution will come soon.
