Graham WatsonNovember 9, 2006 - The announcement that Ivan Basso has signed for the Discovery Channel team for 2007 is one of the most exciting developments to hit the headlines since many a year, and is perhaps the most positive news this sport could have hoped for in these troubled times. And not since Discovery Channel joined with professional cycling back in 2005, has American cycling been given such an almighty boost, for Basso is the one of the few great cyclists who can deliver a Tour de France victory for the American-sponsored team next July. Coming so soon after the nullification of Basso's alleged involvement in 'Operacion Puerto', the 'transfer' of Basso is certain to invite fierce debate and even criticism within the ranks of fans, cyclists, teams and the authorities. Yet it is a brilliantly calculated risk by Johan Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong that could yet prove to be a huge settling factor in the torrid affairs of Operacion Puerto that have threatened the very existence of professional cycle-racing this past summer.
Legally, Basso has been declared free from all accusations of his link with the blood-doping practices discovered last May in Spain, and it is unlikely that the Italian authorities will ever again re-open the dossier on Basso - that's how it usually works in Italy. Remember, Basso was declared free of
complicity even before the Spanish judge ordered that all cyclists under suspicion of blood-doping should be allowed to re-start their careers as soon as possible - another factor that helps smooth Basso's re-emergence in the blue, white and grey colours of Discovery. Still, this is a very provocative move by Discovery, albeit one that I am sure they have taken a lot of time thinking over before signing their 'star. On the one hand it appears to be flying in the face of the 'ethics' code agreed to by all ProTour teams - a code which was ratified just a few weeks ago in Paris. And on the other hand, it means the team is running the risk of offending the Union Cycliste International, the sport's governing body, with which the team has always enjoyed an excellent rapport.
So why take the risk then? Because Discovery Channel is not a team that likes coming anywhere lower than first place if it can possibly help it! Spoilt by the successes of Lance Armstrong, and by the victory of Paolo Savoldelli in the 2005 Giro d'Italia, the Disco' boys are making a whopping statement of intent to take this sport by the horns and lead it away from the shoddy state it is in right now. If Basso had gone to Barloworld instead, or to another non-ProTour team, the sense of limbo in which he
and so many others find themselves in would have continued indefinitely. At least for himself, by going to the biggest team in the business, Basso is accepting the responsibility of confronting his recent past in the very near future - and it is a future where Discovery can and will give Basso some much-needed credibility. Basso will be the most scrutinised cyclist in the peloton in 2007, tested for drugs by the UCI and WADA on an almost daily basis. He'll also be challenged throughout by a sceptical media, and by the ghost of Operacion Puerto that could re-appear at any time along the way.
Anticipating the negative reactions, Armstrong and Bruyneel will have done everything possible to investigate if the allegations against Basso have any legitimate basis at all before proceeding with the deal. Basso's agent is Giovanni Lombardi, an Italian ex-cyclist residing in Madrid for most of his long career. Lombardi retired from cycling this past July, actually as a member of the CSC squad racing the 2006 Tour without Basso. So committed to the defence of his friend - and so believing of his future as a top cyclist - Lombardi became Basso's manager, and would have used his considerable influence in Italy and Spain to ensure his new charge got the very best chance to race again. It is unclear who stands to gain the most - Basso or Discovery - for the deal seem so attractive for both parties. What I like the most about it is that it reeks of Armstrong's scent, the high-risk, take-no-prisoners, win-all attitude that so typified Lance's great career. All three men - Lance, Bruyneel and Basso - know they're going to upset an awful lot of people. But all three men have the character and courage to make this deal work. For me, July 2007 cannot come soon enough!
(photographe reporteur spécialiste cyclisme)
et encore sur l'equipe.fr
(Après avoir recruté Ivan Basso, le directeur sportif de Discovery Channel, le Belge Johan Bruyneel n’a pas caché sa satisfaction dans la presse belge. «Je ne vois pas sur quelle base on pouvait m’interdire de recruter le meilleur coureur du monde. Je le dis haut et clair: je suis très satisfait de ma décision», a déclaré Bruyneel.
«Une fois les poursuites contre Ivan abandonnées (...), on s’est entouré de quatre avocats, tous spécialisés. Ils ont épluché les règlements, la charte éthique et sont tous arrivés à la même conclusion: rien ne pouvait légalement nous interdire de conclure un contrat avec Basso», a-t-il ajouté alors que l’Italien serait désormais d’accord pour se soumettre à des tests ADN si cela était requis par une procédure judiciaire.
Par ailleurs, Bruyneel s’est exprimé sur le nouveau code éthique élaboré par les équipes du ProTour qu’il a refusé de signer. «J’ai des doutes sur certaines dispositions (du code éthique), notamment l’auto-suspension (d’une équipe) en cas de paramètres suspects. La base de réflexion est bonne mais les directeurs sportifs ne sont pas qualifiés dans tous les domaines. Nous ne sommes ni juges, ni médecins», a-t-il poursuivi.
«Plus que la tricherie, inévitable, ce sont les hésitations du cyclisme qui ternissent son attrait», a encore dit l’ancien mentor de l’Américain Lance Armstrong.)
Ca doit être sa punition!! 
