UCI Strongarm

A News Flash from Cyclingnews.com reports that every ProTour rider is being forced to sign an anti-doping agreement if they'd like to participate in the Tour dee France. The statement reads:

"I swear to my team, my colleagues, the UCI, the cycling world and the public that I have not cheated, have not been involved in the Fuentes case or in any other doping case. I declare myself ready to give a DNA sample to the Spanish judicial system so that it can be compared to the blood bags taken in the Operación Puerto."

In addition, the statement reads: "I accept that if I break the UCI's anti-doping regulations to pay in addition to the statutory sanctions a contribution equal to my salary for 2007"

And the big finale: the UCI is publishing a list on it's website of all riders who have and haven't signed the document.

This is a hardcore move on the part of the UCI which I'm sure violates certain liberties on the parts of the riders -- but pro riders lost those privileges a long time ago, and anyone whose clean should be proud to prove it.

And speaking of clean, it really sounds like T-Mobile is making a big change and earning the rep of a "clean team". Check out this recent interview (also on CyclingNews) with Greg Henderson. Some of the ABD guys can attest to just how wicked fast this guy is (ask Mumford, certainly no slouch, to tell his story of being in a two-man break with him at Bensenville) -- but now Henderson's just suffering to get through some of the ProTour races. Granted, some people just have the genetics to go real fast, but you still have to wonder about how titled the playing field might be when a guy like him is suffering as badly as he says.

[Sidenote: it was cool of Henderson to drop Pate and Candelario's names in an interview about riding clean.]

Stay tuned for team reactions. This could get interesting, especially on the heels of the recent news that Discovery has left the Association International Group of Cycling Professionals (AIGCP).