To me, you're bandit-ing a race if you are trying to pull one over on the RD... race without paying or race under someone else's name. That's not what Levi (apparently) did.

Whether on not him participating was an issue. Meh.

The guy's a cheating douche and should never be allowed to race again. Just like all the others shouldn't be allowed.

---

------------------------------
"Unless you have a ... GF who might put out that night and that night only ... skip it and race." - AndyPants 3-15-2007

Levi did everything right in this case. He asked for permission and got it. I'd give him the thumbs up.

It's an unsanctioned race. I'm not sure what the big deal is. I'd have no problems with Lance racing an unsanctioned race either.

---

__________________________________________________________________________
My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."

+1

I don't see the problem here. Velo must be desperate for a headline.

If we did that there probably wouldn't be a Tour de France thus summer...or it would be really watered down. I think Levi did it the right way, of course we should expect that out of him since he is a native Montanan. ;)

---

Matt

He did what the right way, cheated?

I'm fine with a watered down TDF this year and next and however long it takes to clean up the sport. I say this as a longtime cycling and TDF fan (I came into it in the Hinault/Lemond era and never left.) who will be realizing a longtime dream of being there in person this summer for the first time. Maybe if it's watered down enough I'll have a chance to win the Alpe d'Huez stage.

---

------------------------------
"Unless you have a ... GF who might put out that night and that night only ... skip it and race." - AndyPants 3-15-2007

Take a deep breath young Jedi Master :)

I think what he meant was he did it the right way in context of the OP. That is, he did it the right way by asking the RD's permission to participate in the mountain biking event. There is no cheating going on with respect to the OP.

---

__________________________________________________________________________
My marathon PR is "under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something."

It is a group ride not a race. A bit more organized than most I have ridden on but no more than the 100 mile club or charity rides.

I would ask if he paid the $25 for support.

Levi is a tool and the race promoter is a Levi lover (true).
Neither one of them understand the point of a suspension.
You are supposed to be "deprived of" racing during that period of time.
You should have to sit on the side of the road and watch the peloton go by- wishing that you were racing and reflecting on your mis-deeds.
Not hopping in and riding along and getting in the scrum.
But this is no surprise- he used to also go out to local NorCal races and destroy the field (try really hard to win) while fully lubed up on a TDF medical program.
Levi cares about Levi, not about bike racing, fair play, etc.
Much like like Lance, not sorry that he doped- just sorry that he got caught.

Right on....should have a lifetime ban.

---

http://theworldthroumyeyes.tumblr.com/

I feel really sorry for all of you who are so bent out of shape about doping that you cannot see beyond it. I'm not talking about giving Levi (or Lance) a pass at all, but rather giving them a second chance once they've served their time. How can someone ever redeem themselves if they are never given that second chance, as so many on ST are unwilling to do. How would you react if you were in the position of having screwed up, and no one will ever forgive (I'm specifically saying "forgive", and not "forget") you? We will always remember their actions, and measure them against that. If they can prove that they have risen above their past transgressions, then they are good in my book. If they screw up again, then kick 'em to the curb.

It's a lot like the situation with NFL quarterback Michael Vick, and I would argue he did far worse in running a dog fighting operation and killing animals than any athlete has done by doping. He got that second chance, though many vehemently opposed it, and has not taken it for granted. He will always be remembered as an animal killer, but also as a man who has, at least so far, worked hard to atone for those actions. I say that everyone deserves a second chance, even you!

Flame away...

-David

When was the last time your career was ruined because you couldn't compete with the dopers? Lets say you were a top athlete and came third at the Olympic trials and did not get to compete. Five or six years later you learned that one of the two ahead of you doped their way onto the team, stealing away your chance to experience the world biggest sporting event and a chance at gold (not a personal experience, I made it).

There are any athletes in the same boat, their sporting career ruined by a doper like Levi and all he gets is six months! He and others made a conscious decision to cheat others. I believe they don't deserve a second chance because the people they cheated do not get one.....

---

http://theworldthroumyeyes.tumblr.com/

There would be a Tour de France. It would just be full of guys that got their on natural ability instead of chemically assisted.

---

Pete Githens
Reading, PA

I'm curious about one thing. I remember when Tyler Hamilton was suspended, there was a unsanctioned race that he was going to do, I think in Colorado. If my memory is correct, this race was a well known race with several pros usually in attendance. I think it was USA Cycling, or it may have been UCI, that warned that pros that they couldn't do an unsanctioned race or they risked suspension. Hamilton withdrew, and USA Cycling backed off on the warning to the other pros, letting them do the race. It doesn't appear that the same issue was enforced in this case.

Someone please correct me if I have my facts wrong.

+ 2 .. he asked to not publish results.. he wanted just to participate

Of course he did. But he's not allowed to. Because he cheated. And is currently being punished. By not being allowed to participate. "Sanctioning" has nothing to do with the principle of it. Your logic is like that of a kid who got grounded, but snuck out the window and went to the mall anyway, and then claimed it was OK because he didn't go to the mall with his hoodlum friends who he originally got in trouble with, he wanted "just to" go to the mall by himself. It doesn't work that way.

I've been as hard line on most of these guys as anyone here, and maybe more so. That said, I don't have an issue with what Levi did here. I would have an issue with anyone banditing any race at any time. Whether he paid or not, Levi was accounted for among the riders the RD had on the course, so I don't have an issue. If a rider is legitimately part of an unsanctioned ride or race, and when done has his results stricken, what's it hurt? He's there for a workout, he took nothing away from any of the other finishers. It's far different from having a rider involved in a race that went from sanctioned to unsanctioned as we have seen recently, I have a real problem with that. But Levi "left no trace" and I guess I dont have a problem with that. I'd like to see him doing a lot more on the anti-doping front instead of just taking his discounted sentence and disappearing for a while.

A better analogy would be the kid sneaking out the window with Dad's permission but not Mom's and the front door was left unlocked so he could sneak back in.

The race director is in charge of his own race if it isn't sanctioned. You may not like it but that is legal. You can choose not to race in that same race or any race that RD puts on.

It is only banditing if the RD doesn't give permission.

All the dopers got together and ruined the sport, IMO. They shouldn't be allowed to compete in any sanctioned event but if an RD wants to do what this one did, that's fine. Consumers need to vote with their dollars and if one of these doper-pros is racing, don't race.

---

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Unless it is a USA Cycling/UCI event, he can do whatever the hell he wants. I don't see the big deal.

Glad to know somebody understands me around here

I would love to see everyone race the TdF it based on natural ability. What I am saying, if you were somehow able to figure out everyone who had cheated in some way at some point in time during their cycling career, you would have a lot of un-experianced riders which would lead to a more watered down race. Not worse, just more watered down in terms of experience and talent. Also Alexander Vinokourov would not have won the gold medal in the RR in London. I would love to see cycling (and other sports) get clean, but I would also like world peace and a seven-figure salary. Unfortunately I am not sure any of the three will ever come to frutation.

---

Matt

More importantly is Conrad Stoltz on his high horse over this?

---

How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

or perhaps we will have tour without cheater or so called "now-clean raiders"...

---

The entire event (IM) is like "death by 1000 cuts" and the best race is minimizing all those cuts and losing less blood than the other guy. - Dev

I think your facts are pretty close. I'm not sure I'd characterize USAC as backing off, though, since Hamilton's withdrawal pretty much rendered the matter moot.

USAC has subsequently taken the position that riders with pro licenses cannot race events put on by other sanctioning bodies (ACA, OBRA), but that's more a power grab than anything.