After you with the sick bag.....

So I have a week away and whilst I'm gone the world of cycling goes, well, it goes on pretty much as before, ex dopers announce their return to the sport and GB win more World Championships.

The latest unrepentant to return is Alexandre Vinokourov, well according to some sources anyway, I guess this was inevitable wasn't it, I mean he must have been the only banned rider not planning a comeback and rather than be left out he saw the potential for another payday and jumped back on the bike. It really is depressing isn't it?

Meanwhile over at Mr 60% world (CSC) Frank Schleck has been suspended, apparently he paid £5k (I haven't got a Euro symbol, sorry) to Fuentes for coaching advice from an unnamed coach, yeah right. Me? I'm more than happy to give five grand to a known agent of doping for coaching advice from someone I don't know. I'm sorry, that is just pathetic, it really is. And what of the much heralded clean, clean, clean image of CSC / Saxo Bank / IT Dooh Darrr?
I know it would be too much for Mr 60% and Mr Andersen (2 failed drugs tests) to let their riders know that dealing with Dr Death would not go down well with their new image, but you'd have thought that Frankie boy would have at least one brain cell in his head. But apparently not, apparently all the fuss over Fuentes seems to have bypassed our Frank, pass the sick bag.

Meanwhile Lance says the 1999 sample can't be tested, apparently cos the lab that originally did the test is crap, as is Dick Pound and the French Ministry for stopping Lance (I'm sure that's their official title), anyway as Lance says 'it's time to move on'. But this is cycling, and if by 'moving on' we assume Lance means, move on from talking about doping than I'm afraid it ain't likely to happen is it? There are plenty of questions that we will never see the answers to, so I won't bother asking them, but to attempt to move on from talking about doping, is a little short sighted, non? With Vinokourov on the trail and Frankie banned by his team, doping remains a hot topic, Lance may well want to move on, but the big question ain't gonna let him, no matter how many press conferences he holds.
Three years ago Lance packed it all in and at the time doping was a taboo subject, partly in no small way due to the behavior of a certain Lance Armstrong and a Mr Filippo Simioni. But times have changed and ometra doesn't hold sway as much as it did. So Lance may well want to move on, but I don't think he's gonna be allowed to, at least not the way he'd like.
Lance must know that he will continue to be asked the question and will as always play the same game as he did before; look at the tests / the lab was to blame / it's time to move on. What the response of the cycling fans is remains to be seen. Although I doubt if Lance cares much what the average fan thinks, Lance as always has an agenda and I doubt if you or I (the fans that is) are on it. So in a way I wish him luck in his continued stance and I will be intrigued to see what the response on the road is.