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Thursday's Eurofile: Giro dispute settled; Armstrong aids in anti-doping effort

Published: Apr. 21, 2005

The smooth running of this year's Giro d’Italia appeared further assured Thursday after an agreement between the race organizers and the 20 ProTour teams who had been threatening to boycott the season’s first grand tour.

Giro organizers had been under threat of a possible boycott of the race, which begins in three weeks time in Reggio de Calabria because of a dispute over appearance fees.

According to the professional cycling teams' union, represented by Liberty Seguros boss Manolo Saiz and Quick Step's Patrick Lefevere, agreement with Giro d'Italia director Angelo Zomegnan has been reached on a 50,000 euro fee per team for the May 7-29 race.

The meeting was held in Liège where the third of the Ardennes Classics - after last week's Amstel Gold Race and Wednesday's Fleche Wallonne - Liege-Bastogne-Liege will be held on Sunday. Liege-Bastogne-Liege is the 10th race of the 27-leg Pro Tour series.
– by Agence France Presse

Armstrong gave money for anti-doping fight
Six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong quietly gave money to the UCI to help in the fight against doping. According to a report by Eurosport, Armstrong gave the UCI a “fair amount of money” several years ago to help discover new anti-doping methods.

“This is not my position or my modus operandi to advertise what I do,” Armstrong told Eurosport. “So, if I've donated money to the UCI to combat doping, step up controls and to fund research, it is not my job to issue a press release. That's a secret thing, because it's the right thing to do.”

Armstrong wouldn’t disclose the amount of money or what it was specifically spent on. UCI president Hein Verbruggen told the European sports channel about the donation a few years back and Armstrong finally confirmed the reports to reporters.

“Doping has existed for ever. It did not start in 1998. It has existed since the first Olympics and probably even before. There was always a way to go faster. And doping will never go away. So this is an ongoing process and an ongoing fight. I think we all have to be involved, either trough our words or actions or funding,” he said.

Armstrong, of course, has fought doping allegations of his own throughout his six-year Tour reign despite never failing an anti-doping test.

“I am not the type of person that likes to get up and say in the newspaper: 'Our sport is dirty, everybody is cheating.' This is the sport that I love more than anything, the sport that feeds my children. Why would I stand up and say that?” Armstrong continued. “There are other avenues to combat doping, versus trashing the sport and its players, and sponsors and spectators. It's been the road that I chose. Maybe I'm right, Maybe I'm wrong. …”

’06 Giro start in Liege
Just as conflicts between the ProTour and the Giro d’Italia were cleared up, the race is already making plans for next year’s edition.

Organizers have confirmed that the 2006 Giro will start in Liège on May 5. The course will hit several cities, including Mons, Namur and Charleroi, before returning to Liège on May 8. Then it will enter Germany as it heads back toward Italy. Voigt came up just short
Jens Voigt nearly stole the show in Wednesday’s Flèche Wallone in a dramatic solo breakaway that fell just 4km short at the foot of the Mur de Huy. “I gave it everything I had in order to win the Flèche Wallonne. I truly believed that I could – even all the way up to the end. I knew that if I reached the bottom of the Huy climb 30 seconds before the others, then victory would be mine,” said Voigt. “I went for broke. That's just simply my way of doing things. If you don't try, you don't have a single chance at winning.”

Honchar wins in Trentino, Perez Cuapio still leads
Sergui Honchar (Domina Vacanze) won Thursday's third stage of the Giro del Trentino, finishing ahead of Janez Brajkovic (KRKA). The pair came through 25 seconds ahead of a lead chase group. Mexican climbing specialist Julio Perez Cuapio (Panaria) retained the overall lead. Cuapio, who won Wednesday's climbing stage, sits 34 seconds ahead of Evgeni Petrov (Lampre-Caffita).