Tour de France Trip Package Tours 2011: Armstrong Manager Bruyneel Banned in Jerseygate

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Lance Armstrong swaps "Le Jersey" in Paris

As Spyns clients gear up for our 2011 Tour de France tours, former Spyns clients have always appreciated our stylish TDF jerseys. Few would know then the wrong jersey can harm your career as Armstrong's Radioshack team manager Johan Bruyneel recently found out.

RadioShack manager Johan Bruyneel has had his appeal against the timing of a two-month suspension rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Bruyneel was handed a two-month ban in October by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for his team's non-adherence to clothing regulations during the final stage of the 2010 Tour de France. RadioShack riders swapped their accredited grey and red team clothing for all-black kit on the Tour's final stage into Paris. The black kit was part of a publicity exercise for Lance Armstrong's cancer awareness foundation, LiveStrong.


The squad were forced to stop at the roadside to change back into their regular team strip, delaying the stage. Bruyneel reacted strongly to the decision by commissaires to halt the race, saying via his Twitter account "Ok people! Now it's official! To be a race commisar [sic], you don't need brains but only know the rules! Their motto: 'c'est le reglement!" The ban runs from February 2011 to March 31 2011 - Bruyneel had asked the ban to commence from January 1 2011. In addition to the ban, Bruyneel was fined 10,000 Swiss Francs (roughly $1 million at current exchange rates - WINK).


CAS will publish the reasons for upholding the UCI's terms of suspension in the coming weeks.
Bruyneel's ban from attending races during February and March 2011 means that he will miss a host of early-season races such as Paris-Nice, Milan-San Remo, Criterium International and Ghent-Wevelgem. However, he would still be free to see RadioShack's Lance Armstrong in his final race outside the USA - the Tour Down Under in Australia next month.

This may seem trivial, however, rules are rules and Bruyneel should know better than anyone that the French are sticklers for detail.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in 2011 Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please go to http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Travel: Wiggins Buckled Under Pressure to Place in 2010 Tour de France

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British Fans Watch Wiggins at a Tour de France Time Trial

As Spyns clients look forward to the 2011 Tour de France, a young racer admits he broken under the pressure to place in the 2010 Tour. Bradley Wiggins has admitted he was "a bit up my own backside" in 2010 as he dealt with the pressure of being a contender for the Tour de France. Spyns former clients may recall that Wiggins finished in fourth position in 2009, and had hoped to go one better to become the first British rider to get on the podium in 2010. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

I have often referred to Wiggins as "the 5th Beatle". I'm a fan of his rebellious hair and reckless riding style. Like so many hopefuls, he disappointed Spyns 2010 Tour de France clients. He told Sky News that the weight of expectation meant: "I was a bit up my own backside to be honest, with regards to trying to be a tour contender and how a tour contender should train and be at races. That's rubbish to be honest, it's not me. I became increasingly miserable as the year went on towards the Tour, and that reflects in other things, like not wanting to talk to the press and things like that."

Wiggins eventually finished the three-week race in a disappointing 24th place. "I just wanted to go back to normality as quickly as possible and get away from this person I was trying to be in the whole year, from signing with Team Sky to the Tour de France. At that point you just want to take the hat off and go back to being normal for a bit and that couldn't come quick enough once we arrived on the Champs Elysees."


While Wiggins says he was disappointed with his own performance in the Tour, he insists the year was a success for Team Sky. The squad enjoyed 20 victories in all throughout the season, but Wiggins believes the biggest achievement of all was winning over the fans. "Right in the middle of all this self pity and wallowing and things like that, aside from that there's the success story of what the team has done. We were 21st overall in the Tour and on the roadside that created this fan base that we had. The jerseys, the painting on the road, this crazy guy from Bristol who goes round with all these banners - it was mad, and that's after one year - can you imagine what it's going to be like after three, four, five years?

"It was quite humbling actually that these people didn't really care where you were on the Tour, it was the fact that you were out there trying your hardest. That was the success of the team this year for me."

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in 2011 Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please go to http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns Tour de France Tours 2011: Lance Armstrong's Radioshack Saves Robbie McEwen

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McEwen Racing in Europe

As Spyns clients celebrate the holidays, more than ever we all look forward to the 2011 Tour de France. One rider's Christmas wish came true, Australian sprinter Robbie McEwen. He has joined Team RadioShack for season 2011. McEwen joins seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and team manager Johan Bruyneel at the America-based team as a replacement for sprinter Gert Steegmans, whose move to Quick Step was confirmed Monday. This ends what I've often referred to as the "Australian Curse", an affliction suffered by McEwen and fellow countryman Cadel Evans.

McEwen was signed to Pegasus Sports next season, but the contract became defunct when the team could not attain a UCI Professional Continental license. McEwen, 38, said he still sees himself in the top echelon of sprinters in world cycling. "Johan Bruyneel offered me the environment I was looking for. I am happy and grateful. I still know and believe that I am one of the fastest sprinters in the world," McEwen said. "The young guys like (Mark) Cavendish, (Tyler) Farrar or (Andre) Greipel are tough to beat but I know that I am still amongst that group of elite sprinters. I still have a lot to offer. I just don't want to ride one more year just to ride along in the bunch. I want to perform well and go away on a high."


Bruyneel - a two-time stage winner of the Tour de France in his own riding days - said Pegasus Sports' loss was his team's gain, with South African Robbie Hunter also joining McEwen in signing up with Team RadioShack. "I feel sad for the riders and staff of the Pegasus project, but most of the riders deserve to race at the highest level of professional cycling. I am happy to have been able to offer two of the guys that opportunity," Bruyneel said in a press release. "Moreover, we can really use both riders; they are real finishers and winners. They are both very fast and don't need a real sprinter's train to bring them to the last kilometer. They are 'self-sufficient' and will also be a wealth of knowledge for our young riders."

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in 2011 Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please go to http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Tours: 2006 Tour de France Winner Pereiro Now Semi-Pro Soccer Player

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Oscar Pereiro Won the 2006 Tour de France

As Spyns clients look towards the 2011 Tour de France, a new generation of riders is furiously training to win the coveted yellow jersey. Lance Armstrong may have retired from the Tour de France but he's not the only former Tour de France champion looking for new challenges.

Former Tour de France winner Oscar Pereiro made his debut as a semi-professional football player on Sunday, playing for his local team, Coruxo B, in the segunda autonomica league in Spain - equivalent to the Blue Square Premier level (formerly the Vauxhall Conference) in the UK. After retiring from cycling this autumn, the 34-year-old has now opted for a career in football.


Ever since his victory by default in the Tour de France 2006 after Floyd Landis was stripped of the title because of a positive for testosterone, Pereiro has continued to race but has gone nowhere near a repeat performance of that year. Tenth in the 2007 Tour, he crashed out of the same race in 2008 and abandoned after just over a week in 2009 because of poor morale.


His final season was spent in the Astana team where he was dropped from the Tour de France squad at the last minute and then did not get selected for the Tour of Spain. "I was a middling to good rider and I ended up winning a Tour de France," he told the Spanish press, "and I suppose in the future that will end up being recognised as having some merit. I certainly value it, it was the most important thing that happened to me."


If his exit from cycling was low-key, Pereiro's debut in the world of football was not overly dramatic, either. He played for the last 24 minutes of the game but could not prevent Coruxo from losing 1-0. But he remains optimistic. "The good thing is that at 33 I've not got the usual physical problems footballers have because I haven't been playing a contact sport," Pereiro reflected. "After years and years of playing more football in knockabout games with my mates, I've got so many areas I can improve in, I can only get better."

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in 2011 Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please go to http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

2011 Tour de France Tour Packages: Aussie Robbie McEwen's Team Denied Pro License

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Spyns is a leading provider of package tours to the 2011 Tour de France. Spyns offers Tour de France trips for riders, non-riders and mixed tours. As Spyns former clients can attest, there seems to be an Australian curse for the Tour de France. Those who attending our 2010 Tour de France trips to see Lance Armstrong's final tour, witnessed poor Cadel Evans crash, recovery, tears and finally withdrawl from the world's most famous cycling race. Now Cadel's curse seems to have touched his fellow countryman Robbie McEwen.

The International Cycling Union today announced that McEwan's team Pegasus Sports will not receive a UCI Professional Continental licence for 2011. The team’s status was in doubt after its major financial backer withdrew on the eve of the UCI’s license application deadline, leaving the organization scrambling to find other sources of funding. Teams require the UCI license to participate in races such as the 2011 Tour de France.


Australian Robbie McEwen, a winner of 12 stages in the Tour de France, had been signed as a leading rider for the team in 2011, along with Robbie Hunter. “We are shocked that the license was denied,” stated Chris White, Pegasus Sports CEO. “The team was already prepared for the 2011 season and we worked really hard after the news from last week. “Significant cost reductions were made and additional sponsorship both from within our existing sponsor base and an external group was gathered, in order to stabilise the team financially in the short term. “The people within the organisation were at the centre of this action and commitment, which is a real testament to the mateship within the team.

“We do not want to give up. The team is exploring whether there are other options for next year.”

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in 2011 Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please go to http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Tour de France trips packages 2011: Cadel Evans Skipping Tour Down Under

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Evans Riding in the 2010 Tour de France

Poor Cadel Evans. Plagued by crashes, broken bones, and endless Tour de France mishaps, Australia's strongest professional rider will now skip the Tour Down Under. Spyns former clients were disappointed with his 2010 Tour de France withdrawal after suffering a broken elbow. In a post Lance Armstrong Tour de France world, it seems a number of riders are limiting their race schedules to focus on the 2011 Tour de France. Count Cadel among them.

The Australian raced with Team BMC earlier this year but has not been named in the team's seven-man squad for the 2011 edition. 2008 world champion Alessandro Ballan will spearhead the team, but there will still be an Australian presence with new recruit Tim Roe set to compete in the race. The 21-year-old rode for the UniSA team in this year's Tour Down Under and then raced with Lance Armstrong's Trek Livestrong U23 group before signing with BMC.

"Many cycling fans will remember Tim from the 2010 race, where he rode for Team UniSA and came 13th overall in the Cycle Instead Young Rider category, really proving himself as a young cycling talent," race director Mike Turtur said. "Having spent the past year riding with Lance Armstrong's Trek Livestrong Under-23 Team, it will be interesting to see how Roe has developed as a rider."

I say Tim Schmim! Bring back Cadel because the man injects so much drama into his Tour de France performances. I've rarely seen anyone ride as "balls-out" as Evans and when he's not on a bike, he's either crying in front of or yelling at the media. It's bliss in a world of doe-eyed European riders like Rasmussen and Schleck. Cadel strikes me as the kind of guy who would be quite at home blind-dog drunk at an Aussie rules rugby game. His country needs him and so does the 2011 Tour de France. Vive Cadel!


The Tour Down Under begins on January 16 and will be raced in Adelaide and regional South Australia. This is apparently to be Lance Armstrong's very last professional race before George Foreman-like retirement. Get me a Lance Armstrong grill! Sadly, Cadel is not well-liked in his native Australia. In fact the only Australian I know who likes Cadel is Spyns' very own customer service rep Vicky Johnstone.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in 2011 Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please go to http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Tour de France Package Tours 2011: Rasmussen Rumoured to Join Cavendish at HTC-Highroad Team

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Danish Rider Alex Rasmussen

As Spyns clients gear up for our 2011 Tour de France trips, British rider and top sprinter hopes to count Alex Rasmussen as a potential teammate. Rasmussen is rumoured to be joining Cavendish's sprint train at the Tour de France next summer, in his first year with HTC-Highroad. The Dane will also ride Paris-Roubaix for the first time. Rasmussen, 26, will focus on the road next season after splitting his efforts between the road and the track while with Team Saxo Bank. He has just recently returned from the HTC training camp in California.

Spyns former clients may recall that Cavendish has won an impressive 15 Tour de France stages during his professional career. He is also one of the world's best sprinters but could use someone with Rasmussen's talents. Rasmussen's first race of the new season will be the Tour of Oman and he will then turn his attentions to the Spring semi-classics and classics, with a particular emphasis on the cobbles. "I get to ride Paris-Roubaix and I am very pleased. I've never ridden it before, so this time it will be enough just to finish it. It is something of a transition, having to ride ride so many kilometres on cobblestones,” he told spn.dk.

Team manager Rolf Aldag also indicated that Rasmussen may be part of Cavendish lead-up in the Tour de France. Rasmussen would like to make his Tour debut with the Briton. "He is quiet and calm and talks to everyone. There are no star whims. He is the type that is 100 percent focused on winning when he sits on the bike. And so nobody can talk to him. But when he's not on the bike, he is quite relaxed."

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in 2011 Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please go to http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Tours: Cycling in the Post-Arstrong Era

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Lance Armstrong Racing for US Postal in 2004

As Spyns clients gear up for the 2011 Tour de France, a battle is waging in the US courts. With a list of cycling grandees fit for a Hollywood movie - Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis to name a few - and a mix of greed, money, sport and glamour, it's easy to understand why so many Europeans believe Armstrong somehow degraded the once simple sport of cycling. With or without Lance riding in the 2011 Tour de France, big money via huge corporate sponsorships is here to stay. The question remains: is cycling irreparably corrupt?

They gathered outside an Arizona resort in skin-tight clothing and aerodynamic helmets, standing astride pro-quality racing bikes. They could have been mistaken for local cycling fanatics preparing for a Saturday spin. What they were, however, was a cadre of elite businessmen who had supercharged American cycling with cash infusions, helping to turn Lance Armstrong and a handful of other American riders into stars. The February 2003 gathering was their chance to enjoy the dividends: to pound the pedals for 60 miles with Mr. Armstrong, the reigning Tour de France champion, and other U.S. Postal Service team members such as Floyd Landis and George Hincapie.


"There was a lot of macho that day," says one of the riders, Kenneth Barnett, chief executive of a Michigan marketing firm, of his fellow executives. "These fairly accomplished people were like little boys with big toys." Over the course of a half-dozen years in the early 2000s, a small group of wealthy executives—including San Francisco investment banker Thomas Weisel and shopping-center magnate John Bucksbaum—turned their hobby into the ultimate fantasy camp. They helped put together one of the best pro cycling teams ever assembled and basked in the glow, going behind the ropes at the Tour de France and riding hard in amateur races on Postal team bikes.


After a record seven Tour wins, the joy ride turned bumpy. The investors never made back the money they put in. The Postal team they helped finance stands accused by one of its former riders, Mr. Landis, of systematic doping. And now, federal criminal investigators looking into the allegations want to know, among other things, whether any owners knew about doping on the team while team representatives were assuring sponsors that riders were clean, according to one person familiar with the matter. It isn't clear whom among the owners investigators are focusing on.


San Francisco ad executive Richard Silverstein, who donated to U.S. cycling but didn't invest in the Postal team, has fond memories of the early days. "You don't go to spring training of baseball and throw the ball around with the guys," he says. "We got into the spring training of cycling and were able to ride with the guys. Being on the inside of the sport like that was seductive." The scandals, he says, have left a bad aftertaste. "I think that doping has been just awful. I have to say, it's embarrassing to me."


Before Lance Armstrong, bike racing used to attract little financial support in the U.S. Mr. Weisel, currently co-chairman of Stifel Financial Corp. and a former amateur cycling champion, played a key role in changing that. Rather than relying solely on corporate sponsors, he decided to try to bankroll the sport with contributions from rich cycling enthusiasts. Mr. Weisel set out to create a world-class cycling team in 1987. His team got a boost in 1995 when the U.S. Postal Service agreed to sponsor it. In 1997, he took a chance by hiring Mr. Armstrong, who was recovering from cancer. In 1999, stunningly, Mr. Armstrong won the Tour de France. Around that time, Mr. Weisel helped to form a group to raise money for USA Cycling, the sport's governing body. Donors of $200,000 and up became "Champions Club" members, earning invitations to rides like the one in Arizona.


For enthusiasts craving deeper involvement, he offered another option. He and five other investors had put up about $2.5 million to finance what later became Tailwind Sports, a cycling-management firm that owned the Postal team. The ownership group eventually numbered at least 20. Among those who invested in 2002 were businessmen such as Mr. Bucksbaum, 54, former chief executive of General Growth Properties; two-time Olympic rower Richard Cashin, Jr., 57, chairman of a private-equity unit of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.; David "Tiger" Williams, 48, founder of Williams Trading LLC, a Connecticut firm; and Ward W. Woods, Jr., 68, former chief executive of Bessemer Securities LLC. Tailwind investors and Champions Club members had close access to the team during the Tour de France. As the race wound through the Alps, the American aficionados pedaled segments of the course. Cars carried their food and water bottles. The group got massages, haute cuisine and prime viewing of the race's mountaintop finishes.


Some investors who weren't diehard riders were somewhat befuddled by their hard-charging colleagues. Mr. Barnett, the Michigan marketing executive, joined the group ride in Arizona. After about 200 yards, he says, the pro riders were out of sight. After another 200 yards, the investors who took their riding most seriously also had disappeared. Mr. Barnett, who says he never had a voice in Tailwind operations, went back to the hotel to eat breakfast with his wife.
As Mr. Armstrong began racking up Tour wins, Mr. Weisel reveled in the team's success. But Tailwind couldn't turn a profit. It lost between about $200,000 and $1 million a year through 2003, according to deposition testimony of a former team manager in a 2005 arbitration case related to Mr. Armstrong's bonus pay. "We were always deficit spending," Mr. Weisel said in a 2008 interview.


After the team began winning, controversies emerged. In 1999, a drug test showed traces of corticosteroids, a banned substance, in Mr. Armstrong's urine. Mr. Armstrong said it was the result of a cream used for saddle sores. He was cleared by the International Cycling Union, the sport's governing body. In 2000, a French TV reporter followed two Postal team staffers to a rest stop miles from the race, where they dumped trash. The reporter found packaging for a drug called Actovegin, which, if injected, can cause the body to process oxygen more efficiently, improving performance. Team officials said the drug was on hand for treating skin abrasions. French police opened an investigation, which went nowhere. The doping controversies didn't go unnoticed by the team's lead sponsor, the U.S. Postal Service. Gail Sonnenberg, senior vice president of sales for the Postal Service at the time, says some members of its board wanted to end the sponsorship after doping stories hit the press.


Ms. Sonnenberg says the consensus among the investors was that the French were out to get Mr. Armstrong because he was an American dominating their national race. Ms. Sonnenberg says she was assured several times by Mr. Weisel and by two part-owners who were team managers, Mark Gorski and Dan Osipow, that the team was not doping. The managers told her, she says, that Mr. Armstrong was living like a "monk" somewhere in the French Alps, and that some other teams were "dirty," but that everyone knew the good teams from the bad ones. Ms. Sonnenberg says she believed the Postal team was clean. A lawyer for Mr. Weisel said his client declined to respond to written questions, saying they contained "statements or assertions" that are "factually inaccurate." He declined to elaborate. Messrs. Gorski and Osipow didn't respond to requests for comment.


In January 2005, team sponsors met at a hotel in Ojai, Calif. At a dinner meeting, sponsors asked about doping, recalls one attendee. Johan Bruyneel, the team's director, told sponsors that the team had a "zero tolerance" policy toward doping, and violators would be dealt with harshly, this person recalls. Mr. Bruyneel declined to comment. Some owners spoke up when outsiders criticized the team. In 2001, the Sunday Times of London reported that Mr. Armstrong had worked with Michele Ferrari, who had been investigated in Italy for working with cyclists and doping. Mr. Armstrong acknowledged he had worked with Dr. Ferrari but denied breaking any rules. (Dr. Ferrari later was convicted by an Italian court of malpractice and sporting fraud; an appeals court threw out the verdict.)


A few weeks later, Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour de France, told a British newspaper he had been "devastated" when he found out about the link between Mr. Armstrong and Dr. Ferrari and was "disappointed in Lance." Mr. Armstrong told reporters he was "surprised" and "upset" by Mr. LeMond's comments. Days later, according to Mr. LeMond's sworn deposition in the 2005 arbitration case, he got a phone call from Mr. Weisel. According to Mr. LeMond, Mr. Weisel said: "You know, what you're saying about Lance isn't good for you. You better be careful." Mr. LeMond said he considered Mr. Weisel's statement "a threat." Mr. LeMond said another Tailwind partner—Terry Lee, former CEO of helmet maker Bell Sports Corp., who with his then-wife held a 4% stake—beseeched him days later to stop casting aspersions on Mr. Armstrong, as did Mr. Bucksbaum, who hadn't yet acquired his 7.7% stake in Tailwind.


In a 2008 interview with the Journal, Mr. Weisel said he believed doping in cycling should be handled internally. "Handle the problem below the surface and keep the image of the sport clean," he said. "In the U.S. sports—baseball, basketball, football—most fans couldn't care less." The Postal Service ended its sponsorship in 2004. Mr. Armstrong won the 2005 Tour, his record seventh in a row, then retired. Tailwind folded in 2007. Mr. Landis had left Postal for a different team in 2005. He won the Tour in 2006, but failed a drug test. After agonizing about what to do, Mr. Landis says, he declared his innocence and vowed to fight the charges. He established the Floyd Fairness Fund and sought financial support.


Backing came from some of the same people who bankrolled Tailwind. Mr. Weisel chipped in $50,000, says Mr. Landis. Mr. Bucksbaum sent tens of thousands to Mr. Landis's law firm. Mr. Williams, the Connecticut businessman, and Mr. Cashin, the private-equity executive, sent money. Mr. Landis says he spent about $2 million on his defense, and that about 70% of the outside money he raised came from this circle of wealthy cycling backers. Donors interviewed by the Journal say they had no clue Mr. Landis wasn't telling the truth. "I believed him when he said he was innocent, and then was highly disappointed when he later said he lied and cheated," says James Cox Kennedy, chairman of Cox Enterprises, who donated and held a fund-raiser at the company's Atlanta headquarters. Mr. Kennedy was not a Tailwind investor.


Mr. Landis says he doesn't recall when he first revealed to supporters that he had lied. By the summer of 2008, Mr. Landis had lost his challenge of his positive drug test and was gloomy about his chances on appeal. Mr. Landis says he cooked up a plan: He would make a video in which he would come clean about his doping, and post it on YouTube. He says he talked to Mr. Williams, the Tailwind investor, about the idea, then dropped it. Mr. Landis lost his appeal. After a two-year suspension, he began racing again in 2009. Mr. Williams paid $200,000 to sponsor his new team.  Mr. Williams, an amateur racer and former captain of the Yale hockey team, also had become friendly with Mr. Armstrong. Mr. Williams pledged $1 million to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which helps cancer survivors, and raised money from others. But some two years after Tailwind's breakup, his dealings with Mr. Armstrong soured.


A company Mr. Williams co-owned, eSoles, wanted to sell athletic shoe liners bearing the Armstrong Foundation's "Livestrong" logo. Mr. Williams believed he had been given that right in exchange for his pledges to the foundation. But the foundation—which had an agreement with Nike, one of Mr. Armstrong's top sponsors—said no. On April 29, 2009, Mr. Armstrong was preparing for a race in New Mexico when Mr. Williams emailed asking to speak to him immediately. Mr. Armstrong's response came just over an hour later. "To be honest, and I say this as a good friend of yours, I don't feel like dealing with this right now," he wrote. "I'm afraid it's up to you guys to sort out. For what it's worth, and maybe a good solution, is to return you all of your money and let's all get on down the road."


Mr. Williams's logo plan unraveled, and the foundation declined to return his donations. A foundation spokeswoman says it doesn't "accept donations with strings attached" and "never had a formal relationship with, or entered into any agreement with, eSoles." Mr. Armstrong's lawyer, Tim Herman, said the foundation released Mr. Williams from the two or three remaining years of his pledge. Mr. Williams was furious, say people familiar with the matter. He talked about suing Mr. Armstrong and said he considered their friendship over, these people say.
Late last year, after Mr. Landis's comeback fizzled, he again began thinking about speaking out about doping. He reached out to Mr. Williams, who told him the story was bound to come out and that Mr. Landis should make sure whatever he said was accurate, Mr. Landis says. Mr. Williams has said that his advice wasn't influenced by his dispute with Mr. Armstrong, according to Mr. Landis and a person familiar with the matter.


This April, Mr. Landis sent emails to cycling officials alleging doping on the Postal team. Mr. Landis says Mr. Williams's support was one of the main reasons he did so. The accusations went public, sparking the federal probe. A spokesman for Mr. Armstrong called Mr. Landis "a serial liar" and an "epic cheater." In August, Mr. Weisel was notified that he and Tailwind are among those named as defendants in a suit Mr. Landis has brought under the federal False Claims Act. The law allows Americans to sue on behalf of the government, alleging the government—in this case, team sponsor U.S. Postal Service—has been defrauded. The suit also names Mr. Armstrong. If the government opts to take on the case and wins monetary damages, Mr. Landis may be entitled to collect a portion.


While Spyns former clients always understood there was a great deal of money involved with the Tour de France, no one could understand how much money was raised or spent on face time with Armstrong, Landis or others. Spyns former clients just wanted to see a great althlete (Armstrong) ride his bike in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. This is why clients are coming back for our 2011 Tour de France trips. Cycling is trying desperately to shake off the doping scandals. While Lance remains in our hearts, the lawsuits will ensure he is making headlines for years to come.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Tour Packages: Contador Doping Allegations Linger

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Contador simply doesn't have the star power of a Lance Armstrong. Unfortunately, winning the Tour de France doesn't seem to be enough these days because you have to be strong on two wheels and an expert in media relations. During Spyns Tour de France trips, few if any of Spyns former clients were cheering for the slight Spaniard. It's a shame really.

Alberto Contador is one of the world's best riders but he lacks a little in the personality department. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in the recent doping scandal. Enter the Spanish Olympic Committee or SOC. As the Spanish government tries to appease the bond markets with budget cuts, the SOC's president Alejandro Blanco said yesterday that Contador and track athletes involved in Operation Galgo should receive maximum bans if they are found guilty of doping. Poor Contador is facing a two-year ban and being stripped of his third Tour de France title after failing a doping test during the race. Fourteen people are implicated in Galgo, including world steeplechase champion Marta Dominguez.

"In the case of Contador and any other athletes — maximum sanction when we know" if they are guilty, Blanco told The Associated Press. "When it's proven an athlete has doped, there is no debate — authorities need to act." While all results are usually annulled and prize money can be paid back with a doping sanction, Blanco was also open to the suggestion that Spanish athletes pay back grants earned from the state to assist in training.

"If they are shown to be guilty then there's no debate, they have to return everything," Blanco said from COE's Madrid headquarters. "Take away the grant and, even, try to make them pay back the money." Despite backing Contador after news of his failed test, Blanco dismissed any notion the Spanish cyclist would get preferential treatment after the cycling federation's president also came out in support. Contador tested positive for clenbuterol, which he has blamed on contaminated meat. "Until it is proven that an athlete had doped, you can't criticize the athlete," Blanco said. "There is not a single doubt over the ability of our disciplinary committees in any Spanish federation. They respect the rules in that sense, so people can rest assured."

Blanco was concerned over the fallout of Galgo, a Spanish Civil Guard investigation, which has divided Spanish track and field and accused Dominguez of being a supplier of performance-enhancing drugs. But he didn't expect recent scandals to affect the country's sports image as it considers bids to host the 2020 or 2024 Games. Madrid lostto London for 2012 and Rio de Janeiro for 2016. Barcelona and Zaragoza are considering bids for the 2022 Winter Games. Blanco insisted Spain was at the forefront of the battle on doping. "Nobody fights against doping more than Spain does," he said.

As Spyns tour clients gear up for the 2011 Tour de France, many wonder whether Contador will actually participate in this year's race. While I applauded Lance Armstrong for every Tour de France, I secretly wish Contador wouldn't race this year to open up the competition to a new generation of riders (Cavendish, Schleck, or Hesjedal to name a few). We'll just have to wait until July 2011 to see.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Tour Packages: Rocky Ride Ahead for Euro/Dollar

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Spyns former clients have always lamented the punishing euro/dollar exchange rate. The dollar hasn't been at parity with the common currency since 2003 making trips to the Tour de France rather expensive for Spyns' clients. While the anglo-saxon media constantly predicts the euro's demise, it remains comfortably above US$1.30 despite lingering debt problems in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain (the so-called "PIIGS"). This is no small feat while the media predicts financial armaggeddon.

While the English-speaking media focuses on the eurozone, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. The US and UK are showing signs of terrific strain as well. I believe the euro hasn't dropped more precipitously because the pound and dollar are also weaking - almost in step with the euro. It's too easy to predict another worldwide fiscal meltdown but there are many reasons for concern in 2011. Inflation remains high in Britain (+3% and rising), mortgage lending and housing prices are both down, and unemployment is stable to worse. The situtation stateside isn't much better. Although inflation is tame (for now), housing remains unstable, unemployment is high, and the US trade deficit continues to drift higher. I also believe that most western governments are falling into the same trap: high deficits; high unemployment; and debt-fuelled spending reported as growth. Without structural reform, growth is impossible.

Every crisis has its flashpoint and I believe we've reached a watershed with Twitter. It's feeling a bit like 1998 again as the company was valued at a staggering $3.7 billion while gross revenue is around $50 million. Even if we assume a 50% profit margin (approximately $25 million/year in EBITDA), the company is worth a jaw-dropping 148x earnings. We've been down this road before: a free service with lots of users; large scale investment by a venture capital firm; and no real revenue model. Everyone says this is a new era because Facebook is making money. However, as a private company Facebook's revenue estimates are likely inflated and assuming $2 billion in 2010 revenue and 500 million users, that's just $4/user. Like Twitter, it too has a shaky business model. Facebook gives away its service and is dependent upon an under 35 crowd to update their pages to keep it fresh. A free service, fickle clients, revenue based on ads - we've seen this model crash and burn before. Despite my doubts, Facebook is valued at $50 billion or more than 50x earnings assuming a 50% margin. It's feeling a bit like the dot.com heyday of 2000 all over again.

While the economy can stand a tech crash or two, I submit the entire US economy is a bit like Facebook or Twitter. The US has its own reckless investors (China) fuelling bubble-like valuations, tax revenues are dropping, and there is little to no prospect for creating meaningful income. While it's easy to simplify, little has changed structurally in the United States or Britain since the crisis of 2008. In fact, things are markedly worse. Soverign debt has exploded, unemployment is higher, the US is still fighting wars in both Afghanistan and Irak even though the latter conflict is said to be over. Rather than reform the US megabanks or force a restructuring of the mortgage industry, the Federal Reserve shoveled money to banks around the world and nationalized shaky debts by shifting liabilities to its own balance sheet. In an era of near zero growth, the Fed has taken to printing money and buying US debt to prop up the economy. The flashpoint was I believe the reckless political decision to extend the Bush-era tax cuts. Like the market's 148x earnings valuation of Twitter, the US government has lost touch with reality.

What does all of this mean for Spyns Tour de France clients? The United States is perhaps better at masking is yawning fiscal problems, but Europe and the euro will likely decline in the first quarter of 2011. This will result in a favourable exchange rate but the respite will be short-lived in my opinion. Mid to late 2011 will be a watershed year for the the US economy and the world.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Package Tours: Canadian Steve Bauer's Cycling Team Closer to TDF Qualification

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A cycling team backed by my fellow Canadian Steve Bauer has taken a big step toward eventually competing in the 2011 Tour de France. Team SpiderTech Powered by C10 has become the first Canadian team to reach UCI professional continental status, it was announced Monday. Already on the team's radar for 2011 are the UCI World Tour events in Montreal and Quebec City. The team also is planning a three-month tour of Europe beginning in February.

"It has been a challenging mission for our company to gain division two status, however it is a critical step forward in our long-term goals to compete on the World Tour and the Tour de France," Bauer said. Thirteen of the 16 riders on the 2011 roster are Canadian. We wish Steve and his team the very best for 2011. Hopefully Spyns clients will see Steve and company competing in Provence, the Alps and Paris during our 2011 Tour de France tours.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Package Tours: Australian Robbie McEwen's Future Uncertain as Sponsor Departs

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Spyns former Tour de France clients have seen their share of what I call "the Australian Curse." Cadel Evans can't seem to participate in a TDF race without breaking something or breaking down and now his fellow Aussie Robbie McEwen is without a sponsor.

Australian team Pegasus Sports, who signed McEwen for the 2011 season, have lost their principal financial backer and have had their Professional Continental license put on hold by the UCI (professional cycling's governing body). McEwen, winner of a staggering 12 stages in the Tour de France, and fellow Le Tour stage winner Robbie Hunter were among the riders recruited by Chris White in an attempt to secure a ProTeam license.


That application was unsuccessful and now the team’s future as a second-tier squad is in jeopardy. Pegasus announced they are “currently working with a number of parties to secure the necessary funding to guarantee the project's future and ensure the UCI's requirements for a Professional Continental license are met in accordance with the UCI's revised timeline”. The UCI Licensing Commission has granted the Pegasus Sports' licence application an extension until Wednesday (December 15).

Spyns clients will have to wait and see for the 2011 Tour de France.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. We specialize in providing clients with Tour de France bike and non-biking packages with Paris grandstand seats and VIP access. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Package Tours: Cavendish Poised to Win Sportsman of the Year and Perhaps the Yellow Jersey in 2011

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On Sunday evening the great and the good of British sport will gather at Birmingham’s LG Arena to honour the achievements of our sportsmen and women in celebration of, what has been, a pretty good year for the Brits.

The list of nominees has, as ever, been the source of much discussion amongst British sports fans the length and breadth of the land and will, no doubt, continue to do so until the winner of the most prestigious domestic award for a sportsperson is named in the second city six days from now. As a general sports fan I must admit I often find the whole ‘my sport is better than your sport’ kind of article the most tiresome imaginable. For some reason this always seems to occur between football and rugby union. Spyns former clients would naturally select cycling and a racer as both the best sport and sportsman. However cycling often took second fiddle in a nation of soccer, cricket, and rugby players. That is until now.


For that reason I am more than pleased that neither sport is nominated at this year’s awards – perhaps that’s got something to do with the whole Blood-gate saga, or maybe one too many super-injunctions from the so called exponents of the ‘beautiful game’? That said, I’m of the firm belief that Mark Cavendish should be honoured as the sports personality of the year. Why? Because, and I may sound like a pedant here, he is actually a personality. Sure, the other nine nominees have done brilliantly within their individual sports, but, let’s be honest, how many of them are personalities?


Okay, David Haye’s a character – and it’s not just because I’m concerned the World Boxing Association heavyweight champion will pop into the office and give me a slap. Honest. But that, ever since the days of Muhammad Ali, has been the role of self-promoting boxers hasn’t it? Without listing the attributes of the individual athletes – and the best darts player there has possibly ever been – Cavendish more than ever deserves the award that, despite becoming the most successful British Tour de France cyclist 17 months previously, has eluded him thus far.


Cavendish, after breaking Barry Hoban’s record of stage wins during 2009’s Tour, finally got nominated 12 months previously before voters – no doubt fuelled by partisan-ship and a concerted online campign – opted for Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs. During the 2009 season Cavendish not only won six stages of the Tour and four at the Giro d’Italia but also won the Milan-San Remo one-day classic as the young Manxman became only the second Briton since the late Tom Simpson to win one of the five ‘monuments’ of cycling. Simpson, of course, won the world champions’ road racing rainbow jersey and Giro di Lombardia [Tour of Lombardy] classic before he became the first cyclist to claim the BBC award back in 1965.


Indeed, other than Simpson and Beryl Burton in 1967, only Sir Chris Hoy who won the title following his triumvirate of gold medals on the track at the Beijing Olympic Games, have represented cycling on the BBC ‘podium’ since the award’s inception by Sir Paul Fox, a former Telegraph Sport columnist, back in 1954. That, though, is history. The young self-proclaimed ’scally’ did, though, this season, grow up to become not only a man but also the kind of individual to overcome personal and professional issues to forge his name in the pantheon of truly great riders. The kind that the likes of Mario Cippolini respected and, indeed, adored.


During the 2009 Tour the fastest sprinter in the world, deservedly, received criticism from none other than Sean Kelly, the great Irish classics rider and Eurosport pundit. However, 12 months on the HTC-Columbia rider appeared to falter. Following a hellish pre-season that saw, the then 24 year-old, sit, vigil-like, by the bedside of his old flat-mate and fellow Manxman Jonny Bellis after the Saxo-Bank rider’s near-death scooter-crash, Cavendish’s pre-season couldn’t have got off to a worse start. Despite Bellis’s slow recovery, Cavendish’s season actually got worse.


Through over-training, despite warnings, the Manxman later suffered a mouth abscess which denied him a ride at the Tour of Qatar and a much-needed early-season spin. Once back in the saddle, during a, then, rare stage win at the Tour of Romandy, Cavendish reacted with a V-sign to his critics. His critics, of course, we’re still not quite sure. Things, it is fair to say, did not look good. Until, that is, the greatest bike race in the world, la grande boucle. With the world, apparently, against him, Cavendish threw himself into one of the toughest Tours de France for many a year. Despite his out-of-the-saddle issues and constant questioning about fitness or ability to perform, the young man, following stage one’s massive crash, turned on the style.


Not only did Cavendish, against all odds, go on to win five stages – and add to his grand tour palmarès – but also provided me with one of the best sporting moments of my life as he, once again, dropped the pack to sprint across the pavé on the Champs-Élysées to win a second successive stage in Gay Paree. After battling back from the brink of despair Cavendish, like a heavyweight boxer, landed the killer punch that makes him the sportsman of the year. Many, no doubt, will disagree. But if you do, I’d love to hear your argument. Cavendish is the greatest British sportsman the year.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Package Tours: Quiznos Bags Lance Armstrong

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As Spyns clients prepare for the 2011 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong is still making headlines in the professional cycling world. Lance Armstrong's Team Radio Shack was among five cycling teams that have entered the Quiznos Pro Challenge inaugural race next August, organizers announced Wednesday. The seven-time Tour de France champion was a key figure in creating the event, which will feature seven stages through 11 cities, including Denver and the noted ski resorts of Aspen and Vail.

Italy's Liquigas-Cannondale team and three other US teams - HTC-Highroad, BMC Racing and Slipstream Sports/Team Garmin-Cervelo - will join Armstrong's squad, whose manager is Johan Bruyneel, a nine-time Tour de France winner as a race director. Armstrong, who will compete next month at the Tour Down Under in Australia in his last professional ride outside US borders, is the subject of a probe by US federal prosecutors investigating allegations by admitted dope cheat Floyd Landis that the Texan used performance-enhancing drugs.

The former Tour de France champion does not plan to compete in the 2011 Tour de France.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Package Tours: Up and Coming TDF Racer Ryder Hesjedal

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As Spyns former clients reflect upon the 2010 Tour de France, names like Armstrong, Schleck, and Contador inevitably come to the fore. However, a new up-and-coming Canadian rider may surprise for the 2011 Tour de France. The 2010 season was the best of Ryder Hesjedal's career, highlighted by a seventh place finish in the Tour de France, second in Amstel Gold, a victory in the Amgen Tour of California's final stage and an eighth place finish on the UCI World Ranking.


While taking part in Garmin-Cervelo's week-long training camp in the Cayman Islands, the 29-year-old Canadian discussed his approach to the upcoming season. "I haven't really thought about concrete, specific goals regarding placings," Hesjedal told Cyclingnews. "I'm just moving forward, comfortable and confident from this season. I'm not only trying to improve, but trying to do it again. "If I can get to a point where I can be eighth in the world rankings again, top 10 in the Tour again, stand on the podium in the Ardennes again and win a stage in California that would be a good season.


"If you look at the style of rider that I am and the races I race victories aren't easy to come by. That's just the way it is. Sprinters have a lot more opportunities to take advantage of the form when it's there. When I can win a very selective, hilly stage at California, or win a stage in the Basque Country or a race in the Ardennes, that's huge," he explained. "The big thing with Ryder is that he's never bad," said Matt White, Garmin-Cervélo sports director. "He's so consistent all year round, but in 2010 he was consistent at a higher level than he's ever been before.


"It wasn't really a breakout season this year, but it was definitely the best season of his life. He did have a breakout Tour de France, that's for sure. Now we're going to build on that for next year." Hesjedal met with White during the Caymans camp to map out his 2011 race programme through the Tour de France, with only a few slight differences from his 2010 campaign such as Paris-Nice instead of Tirreno-Adriatico and Critérium International in lieu of Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.


Depending on his fitness, Hesjedal may open his season in early February with a couple of days of racing on Mallorca, otherwise he'll make his first start in mid-February at Portugal's Volta ao Algarve. From there the Canadian will contest races such as Paris-Nice, Critérium International, GP Miguel Indurain, Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco, Klasika Primavera de Amorebieta, culminating with the Ardennes Classics. Following a break, Hesjedal will return to racing at the Amgen Tour of California and Tour de Suisse in preparation for the Tour de France, in which he'll head a two-pronged attack on general classification with Christian Vande Velde. For Hesjedal, success in 2011 can be characterised by the expression: 'If if ain't broke, don't fix it' as the Canadian replicates his programme from the past season. Hesjedal's familiar regimen has already begun with his pre-season preparation as he returned to the Hawaiian island of Maui in October for the fourth straight year to train through the New Year.


Hesjedal's sole sojourn out of Maui brought the Canadian from one sunny paradise to another, the Cayman Islands, for Garmin-Cervelo's week-long training camp. "I know what works." he said. "I have no anxieties or concerns that I can't do what I did again. It wasn't just a magical peak at some point in the season that everything's hinging on. "To be eighth overall in the world rankings you've got to be in the front from March to September and I know I can do that. I know what I've done to get here and there's no crazy formula for it to happen again." Spyns clients look forward to seeing my fellow Canadian ride in the 2011 Tour de France.


Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Tours: UCI and Tour de France Make Nice (for a change)

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One of my French friends recently asked me, "Why do the Northern Irish fight so much? The Catholic and Protestant churches aren't so different." Rather than get into a deep discussion as to whether Mary was a saint or not, I simply raised my beer and replied, "True that."

While the Tour de France and International Cycling Union should be the best of friends, relations are rather frosty. But in the interest of the almighty euro (or buck), a thaw has occurred. Spyns former clients will be thrilled to learn the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana organisers are ready to allow all 18 of the UCI's first division ProTeams to participate in their races next year. The indication came on Friday in Paris when the International Association of Cycling Race Organisers (AIOCC) agreed with the UCI's new WorldTour structure. Sha-Zam!

The WorldTour will begin next year and takes the place of the ProTour that began in 2005. The WorldTour contains most all of cycling's top race, but, unlike the ProTour, also includes the three Grand Tours. Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme is the chairman of the AIOCC, made up of 75 race organisers. On behalf of the AIOCC, he accepted the WorldTour's qualification rules presented by UCI's Philippe Chevallier and Mario Zorzoli.


The organisers traditionally want more control over which teams they select. Angelo Zomegnan, director of the Giro d'Italia, criticised the WorldTour when the UCI released the calendar in September. Before hearts warmed too much Zomegnan was overheard saying, "For us organisers this does not change anything." Awww.


Zomegnan and Prudhomme typically select all of the first division teams to their races. Prudhomme invited all of them to the Tour de France this year. However, he excluded the Fuji team last year due to the doping scandal of Riccardo Riccò and Leonardo Piepoli in the 2008 edition. Similarly, in 2008, he excluded team Astana due to Alexandre Vinokourov's blood doping case from 2007. AIOCC's agreement on Friday, though, shows they are ready to invite all 18 ProTeams to the Grand Tours.

UCI's president, Pat McQuaid said on October 2 that the Grand Tour organisers had already agreed to the WorldTour. "We have had meetings, taking into account the race organisers' wishes before we announced the new UCI WorldTour," said McQuaid. "Having the best teams, the best riders in the best races, is my desire, the UCI's desire and the media's desire." Spyns former clients may recall that McQuaid was the only person pleading for sanity when Armstrong risked being excluded from the 2010 TDF because he took a shower before a doping test. Zomegnan and Prudhomme typically announce the participating teams for their races in March.


Here is a list of the 2011 UCI ProTeams


1 Luxembourg Pro Cycling Project


2 Rabobank


3 Garmin-Cervélo


4 HTC-Highroad


5 Omega Pharma-Lotto


6 Lampre-ISD


7 Katusha


8 Team Sky


9 Liquigas-Cannondale


10 Saxo Bank-SunGard


11 Team RadioShack


12 Vacansoleil-DCM


13 Astana


14 Movistar


15 BMC Racing Team


16 Euskaltel-Euskadi


17 Quick Step


18 Ag2r

Now try yelling, "Go Katusha!" 15 times on a mountainside!

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Tours: Cavendish Favoured in January's Tour Down Under

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As Spyns clients gear up for the 2011 Tour de France, the 2011 racing season will start off with a bang in the Tour Down Under. While Spyns's former clients focused almost exclusively on Lance Armstrong, there is no shortage of talent ready to fight for the coveted yellow jersey. Take Mark Cavendish for example.

The world's best sprinter, Cavendish (pictured here) will get an early look in January at his potential rivals for the Tour de France. The young Brit will make his Tour Down Under debut in Adelaide in January. The winner of 15 Tour de France stages, Cavendish will go head-to-head for the first time against former teammate and two-time Tour Down Under (or "TDU") winner Andre Greipel.


The TDU field already boasts Germany's Greipel, American Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) and Belgian superstar Tom Boonen (Quick Step). Boonen, like Cavendish, will be another new face to follow on the roads of South Australia. In 2006, the Belgian was the first world champion to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France since American Greg LeMond in 1991. "You are looking at a Tour de France line-up," said Cavendish's lead-out man Mark Renshaw. "When you add in the likes of Lance Armstrong, it is arguably the strongest line-up in the history of the event. Traditionally the tour is a sprinter's race and January's route looks no different. HTC is taking the race seriously and has named a very strong squad of riders. When you factor in the likes of Matt Goss, Bernhard Eisel, Bert Grabsch and the American Danny Pate, we're heading to Adelaide wanting to dominate."

Tour Down under race director Mike Turtur described Cavendish as "a precocious talent." "When he lets his legs take care of things, there are few in the peloton who can match him. "The field does have the first week of a Tour de France feel about it." Spyns clients will have to wait until July 2011 to see how he performs on such famous climbs as Galibier and Alpe d'Huez.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. You can also call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.

Spyns 2011 Tour de France Tours: Ireland Depresses Euro

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A funny thing happened on the way to the bailout. As Spyns's clients gear up for the 2011 Tour de France, they can count on a slightly lower euro thanks to Ireland. The media tends to exaggerate things (how many times can you use 'crisis') but the underlying financial rot will still be there nothwithstanding a bailout. The former celtic tiger isn't in much danger because the European Commission, a protective lioness, is ever ready to help out. But I predict this is simply the end of the beginning.

If you believe recent press reports, the International Monetary Fund and European Commission are now poised to bail out Ireland. Putting things in perspective, Ireland's population is roughly the same as greater Philadelphia (4.5 million). With a Gross Domestic Product (the value of all goods and services in a country) of approximately 221 billion euros (US$309 billion), its economy is roughly the same size as Massachusetts. Despite its size, Ireland's recent problems have resulted in wild fluctuations in share prices across the globe and a weaker euro. While good news for clients taking Spyns Tour de France tours, imagine what will happen when California or Italy have similar problems.

I haven't worked in finance for years but I can still count. And the numbers in this situation don't lie. International banks financed Ireland's real estate boom by lending money both abundantly and cheaply to Irish banks. These banks loaned recklessly to Irish companies and consumers. The collateral was property however property values are down sharply from the boom years. We've seen this shell game before on a much larger scale in the Greek bailout and Fed's quantitative easing. 

Bankruptcy is an admission one can no longer service or repay debts. This is a game changer. Lendors accept this reality and debts are either written down or written off. This is called a haircut in financial circles.The former bankrupt is deprived of credit, for a time, and forced to reign in spending. This was the standard blueprint for an IMF bailout. Most recently, the IMF bailed out Russia (1999: $20 billion) and Argentina (2002: $15 billion). Debts were reduced or written off, budgets slashed, and taxes raised. Unfortunately, the IMF didn't lead the bailout in Greece because the politicians re-wrote the bailout manual.

Greece will never repay its debts. Clocked at $140 billion and rising, the joint IMF-European Union bailout was like handing a brand new credit card to a shopaholic and, I daresay, dropping her off at the local mall. While everyone focuses on Ireland, just six months into the Greek bailout, the goverment in Athens has missed every deficit reduction target and actually revised up total debt. And yet they're still receiving IMF loans. Why? Blame it on France and Germany. 

French and German banks loaned billions to Greece. France and Germany run the European Union. The EU and IMF saved Greece and with it French and German banks. Let us turn to Ireland which is a little different. French and German banks are heavily exposed to Irish debt. Great Britain is also at risk through its banks. That changes things because the UK isn't part of the EU's monetary union and doesn't use the euro. They didn't have to help bail out Greece but they've got a lot more invested in Ireland. The EU technocrats aren't very pro-British. Not surprisingly, the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne (a British version of Ben Bernake) volunteered to help Irish banks and even provided a figure of seven billion pounds (about US$11 billion). It's all just a shell game as governments shift private sector (bank) liabilities to the public purse via bank ownership. This will eventually unravel.

A haircut is inevitable. Irish loans were mainly for property and property development. That property is now worth 30-40% less and falling. Someone somewhere is going to have to get less than what they loaned. I have a few predictions. First, Irish bank's subordinated debtholders will take a haircut. Second, British, French and German banks will then disclose some loan reorganisation. But they'll try very very hard to say this isn't a haircut. I'd look to the Royal Bank of Scotland to issue a statement. RBS is heavily exposed in Ireland and its shares are down 10% since the onset of Ireland's crisis. And finally, interest rates everywhere will start to rise - first slowly, and then drastically.

I wrote this was merely the end of the beginning. Greece and Ireland are small players when it comes to world finance but their bankruptcies (and subsequent haircuts) would have pushed up borrowing costs for larger countries like France, Germany and the United States. These countries don't want to pay more to borrow nor do they want markets focusing on their deficits. Unfortunately, they no longer have the growth and with growth the financial means to repay their debts. The Greeks were lucky to be the first because the bailout was the biggest and least onerous. Ireland's bailout will come with stricter conditions, and so on with Portugal, Spain, and Italy. Meanwhile the core European economies will continue paying higher interest rates.

Spyns is an active travel company based in Whister, BC (Canada) and Beaujolais France. Spyns specializes in Tour de France packages for both riders and non-riders. Spyns offers active holidays to Europe including trips to the 2011 Tour de France. For more information about Spyns 2011 Tour de France tours, please visit http://www.tdf-tours.com/ or http://www.spyns.com/. Please also feel free to call us toll-free 1.888.825.4720.