Monday, September 22, 2008

King Contador cruising. Why am I uneasy?

I have that queasy, uneasy feeling again. The Lance A. comeback. His protege Contador winning 2 Grand Tours in a year, 3 in under 2 years; one with little preparation, straight off the beach. And Astana, back in the thick of things, loaded with talent.

25-year-old Alberto Contador carved his name into the annals of cycling history by becoming the first Spaniard to win all three Grand Tours on Sunday in his home town of Madrid. The Astana star who had been denied his opportunity to defend his 2007 Tour de France title when the race organiser refused to invite his team had vowed to get revenge at his home Tour, and he succeeded.

If I trusted these guys - and I must admit it's a leap of faith to do so - would it be good or bad for the sport? Lots of publicity, sure, but have we really finished with the laundry here? Hopefully the blood passports are doing the job, because we need some indication of where fair is fair.

OTOH, was it ever thus? When has life been fair?