Riccardo Ricco, aka the Cobra, was finally removed from the ability to race bicycles yesterday, by receiving a 12 year ban from the sport for autologous blood transfusing, from the Italian Anti-Doping Tribunal. Essentially, that means Riccardo can’t race until he’s 40. The guy such a goof-ball that I’d wouldn’t bet against him doing just that.

I don’t understand the doping sanctions anymore. Ricco gets 12 years for his 2nd positive. (He only served 20 months for his first EPO positive, after winning two stages of the Tour de France.) What did Tyler Hamilton get, 8 years? And Dewey gets a lifetime ban? I don’t get it. And I don’t have enough energy to try to figure it out. It seems wrong and disjointed. But, such is the way with most sanctions in life.

Anyway, the system finally, sort of worked. I’ve said it here before and I’ll say it again-the whole doping control process needs to be completely revamped. From the testing to the method for sanctioning. And, of course, the sanctioning penalties of course. It is a broken system that is not doing much to deter the practice.

I'd bet it is not the last we see of Riccardo Ricco.

I’m going to race a couple criterium the next two days here in Dallas. It is called The Matrix Challenge p/b Richardson Bike Mart (told ya Jimmy Hoyt supported racing) and both the races are in downtown Dallas.

I’m pretty apprehensive about racing. The last two days I’ve had pretty much the worst rides I’ve done all year. I have no idea why. I haven’t done a bit of manual labor for 3 days now. I should be mostly recovered from that. Plus, I’ve been sleeping like crazy. Close to 9 hours a night, which is great of course, but very unlike me nowadays. It is probably just the Spring allergy stuff. There is a crazy high pollen alert here for trees and grasses. Whatever the reason, it is going to make for some painful bike racing.

These are the first two criteriums I’ve ridden this season. I haven’t done a lick of speed work either. Hopefully a bunch of guys show up and there are plenty of places to hid. It is kind of breezy today. That probably helps, but maybe not, depending on the course. This is the latest, by far, the furthest into the season I’ve gone in recent history without racing a criterium. But I was planning on hanging low most of March and April, so I’ve done a pretty good job in that respect. It is very unlike me.

Okay, I’ll give you the blow by blow later. Sometimes I surprise myself, but this time it will be a very big surprise.