The ICU caught wind of Tyler Hamilton participating 2 weeks ago in a local, non-sanctioned bike crit in Boulder and has now threatened if he does it again, all of the other pro riders who do the race could receive suspensions and fines if they race with him. The crits are run every Sunday for like 5 weeks (although yesterday’s was canceled due to weather) and get a pretty good field. Tyler finished 10th in the race he was in (I think), but he looked like he was just hanging back, enjoying the day. Full story: http://dailycamera.com/bdc/cycling/article/0,1713,BDC_2409_4555738,00.html.
Not sure I understand how, if it is “non-sanctioned”, the UCI can do anything to UCI cyclists that race it? It really is not any different than Tyler getting together with some buddies on a weekend and doing an impromptu time-trial. What’s next? They are going to say he can’t train on the same roads on Boulder as the local pros use? I get together with some buddies and do a time trial once a month - maybe the UCI will get in touch with me and tell me I can’t use my Softride anymore? 
I believe the rule from the UCI is that if any UCI pro races in a non-sanctioned race they can be fined a few hundred swiss francs (not a big deal) and suspended from racing for a month or more (bigger deal). I don’t necessaryily see how that would effect Hamilton unless they held that month suspension off until his drug suspension expires this September and then activated it.
Jack
It wouldn’t effect Tyler, it would effect the other pros. My understanding is that this is the UCI saying "Don’t run unsanctioned events so that riders on suspension can compete. If we wanted them to compete, we wouldn’t have suspended them in the first place.
The event was for a good cause, but agree with it or not, TH is a convicted doper who has had his “due process”.
It isn’t Tyler who will be affected. It will be the other Pro’s who race him. This has been an issue in the past for track & field. When Ben Johnson was suspended, he tried to do some non-sanctioned races, but couldn’t get people to race against (but he did find a stock car and a quarter horse) as they would risk being suspended for it.
So, they can’t stop Tyler from racing the non-sanctioned races, but they can stop the other riders from racing against him. The crit would be rather dull without anyone to race against.
In the us, there is a right to work law, they can not stop any buddy. I went through all that when i competed professional.
cowboy
Next…they will suspend anyone who trains with Tyler. After that…anyone who eats dinner with him…
Here’s another article with a little more detail on the race. FWIW, Mike Carter, who is about 45 years old, finished 5th. He was on the swim team with me at our swim club in Denver way, way back in the '60s.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/road.php?id=road/2006/mar06/staziocrit1_06
As far as I know there are no rules prohibiting people from trainnig or having dinner with a suspended rider.
To consider this series a “charity ride” is thumbing their nose at the UCI, this was clearly a race.
so he was a 8 year old (or younger) swimmer
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Yes–he was. He started swimming competitively at a very young age (~6?). We swam for the Terrace Club in Southwest Denver. I was about 5-6 years older than him (I’m now 51).
It’s completely silly…
It’s like the MLB saying Pete Rose can’t play in a softball beer league with Alfonso Soriano
Or, Ricky Williams can’t play flag football with Daunte Culpepper
Just because they were riding bikes, doesn’t mean it was the “same” type of event or infringed upon UCI’s vision
Did you read the names? This was hardly a beer can softball league or a flag football game, and from the description the riders were hardly riding around waving to the crowd.
Yep…still a beer league, non-sanctioned event. Just like the good-ole-boy network getting together for a training ride…or having contra-sex in their bedroom.
UCI should mind their own bidnez. This isn’t a situation where the UCI is protecting their riders (injury). It’s more about enforcement of punishment/sanctioning rendered. These guys are already riding with Tyler.
I understand UCI position, but feel it’s “wrong” for the sport. Everyone wants to see Tyler’s return…
I undersand that the accused and convicted doper should not be able to race against others, but fining the competitors if they compete against such a person is a bit far stretched. Could be a rule made up by the NCAA…
Why don’t they change the rule punishing the suspended doper, adding additional weeks to his suspension? Let’s say some UCI cyclists want to race a non UCI event. The suspended doper shows up and as a result they cannot race? That doesn’t make sense to me. Or did I not understand the rules?
These are not charity events. These are real races, just because they aren’t sanctioned by a larger governing body doesn’t change that. Have you ever seen or ridden in the Stazio series? Tell me what makes them a training race other than their place early in the calendar. I am a fan of Tyler’s. I have met him, ridden with him, and still have a great deal of respect for him for various reasons. But he got banned and, in their eyes, shouldn’t be racing. As the UCI has already banned him, they have no recourse to punish him for continuing to race, so they have to sanction the racers they have control over. And they have a rarely enforced rule in order to do this, they just threatened to enforce it.
Right.
But, explain the difference between a 90min crit and a 5 hour training ride…assuming the same riders.
The UCI hasn’t ever has a problem with UCI-sanctioned riders racing in non-UCI events. Hell, strip away Lance’s medals. WTF does it matter if a banned rider in there? I still don’t get it. I DO understand protection of their investment (risking injury), but I’m still struggling to understand the consistency of their position other than trying to flex muscle in a bidnez full of crisis.
There isn’t a link between the two.
IMO, the difference is that there were riders from 4 other pro teams (Health Net, United Pro, Colavita and TIAA CREF) in their full race gear and the event was highly publicized.
Okay…I understand that.
Let’s say the same guys go for a training ride the next day. Is that a problem?
No problem at all. They can have dinner after as well.