Pushing for reform | Cyclingnews

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Stapleton and 24 year old Linus Gerdemann(Image credit: Shane Stokes/Cyclingnews)

An interview with Bob Stapleton, July 15, 2007

Whatever happens during the rest of the race, Linus Gerdemann's victory in Le Grand-Bornand was an important moment for cycling and the 2007 Tour de France. At the end of last season sweeping changes were made to the structure and lineup of the T-Mobile team, with a revised team roster, new look management, a considerably reinforced code of ethics and strict, innovative internal testing all being introduced.

In that light, Linus Gerdemann's success on stage seven would appear to be a big plus for the sport. One of the first things the 24 year old German rider said after the finish was that this represented a new start for cycling. He'd just scooped the stage victory, the maillot jaune, the white jersey and the most aggressive rider award thanks to his efforts during the day and, as David Millar pointed out, this was the sign of a cleaner generation coming through.

Stapleton is a cycling enthusiast and became directly involved in the sport when he founded High Road Sports Inc. Last year he ran the women's T-Mobile women's team; the fallout from Operación Puerto then saw him take over as general manager for the men's squad, with some reports suggesting that his appointment plus the sweeping changes he proposed were the crucial factors which ensured that the T-Mobile company remained involved.

In contrast to many involved in running teams, Stapleton has no background as a professional rider. This is something which may have worked to his advantage, though, as he comes into the sport with a very different view of doping. Unlike those who have themselves used such products while racing, or, alternatively, may have tolerated their use by their riders, his outsider's perspective is a plus. So too his business background and his recognition that cycling, as a brand, needs to quickly change if it is to recover from the travails of 2006 and to have a real future.

Around the same time as Stapleton was coming on board and settling into his new role, a number of big T-Mobile names were heading out the door. Jan Ullrich went into semi-retirement and finally hung up his wheels just before DNA testing confirmed he was part of the Operación Puerto affair. Andreas Klöden, Matthias Kessler and others decided to go elsewhere, as did some of those involved in running the 2006 team such as Mario Kummer.

"I think that Mark will go for the first six or seven flat stages and it is day by day after that," he said, when asked about his expectations for the first-timers. "For us, it's important that we don't overdo it with him. We want to get experience and give him the chance of some success, but we are really planning to the future with him. Running him through the Alps and Pyrenees doesn't make a lot of sense."

"Mark has got no pressure at all other than the pressure he has put on himself. He really wants to do well, and that speaks a lot about his character. He is a real fighter, he is a real determined kid and it is one of the things that we talked about beforehand. We said, ‘listen, this is the most elite part of the sport. You can get totally shut down here and you need to not let that discourage you.'

"Last year we were a new team with new management and people didn't know a lot about us. The team had a bad reputation, really. And so there was a lot of uncertainty about us. Now people see what we are trying to do and there is a lot of athletes who view this as a good environment for them. I am really motivated by that and I am really encouraged by the interest riders have been coming to a programme where they get good support, they get good tools, and not only is there no pressure to dope, it is absolutely not permitted. So I am very encouraged by that. It is personally motivating."

"I think that the rider declaration is a fascinating one, because it basically it was a little survey of how people feel about anti-doping. I think the results are quite telling. You had a good group of athletes who immediately said ‘okay, we want to change in the sport, we are willing to do this. Even if it is not perfect, even if it is demanding on us.' And then you have got riders and teams who were highly reluctant. For me, that says a lot. It is a nice little survey."

He feels that this plus the UCI anti-doping programme introduced this spring are strong deterrents. "The UCI are doing a lot more tests. Basically, once the 100% Against Doping programme was approved, they went forward in a very progressive way and expand testing. There is a lot more blood tests, a lot more out of competition tests and targeted testing where they focused on riders that they had concerns about. And I think it has already been effective. So I give them a high mark for moving forward."

Stapleton told Cyclingnews before the Tour start that it could be too soon to see a pronounced effect on the general classification of this year's Tour. "I think if you keep the targeted testing up for a year, I think it will make a big difference. I believe that people are nervous and maybe they are watching what they are doing a little more carefully, but I think the big change comes from sustained action.

"If the wrong behaviour is being exhibited, you exert pressure. And then they either change their behaviour or you have the consequences. I really like that, just on a basic level. I think that for the other athletes it is very motivating. For the clean athletes, the biggest problem is how unfair the testing can be. Some were tested a lot, some not at all. So even by just getting everybody tested at some level, they have made it more fair."

One big step forward which he feels could be made is the introduction of blood volume testing, as is currently carried out on T-Mobile riders. While EPO use has been limited due to the current physiological profiling conducted by the UCI, there is currently little to stop riders [outside his team] from transfusing whole blood. However the volume testing can detect any changes in the overall quantity of blood in the body, making this type of doping impossible.

"There are people with different opinions about what to do about doping and maybe even what to do to progress the sport. For me that was another inning in the same ball game. At the moment we are trying to figure out who we can work with who we can't. It is pretty clear that there are eight or 10 teams who view the world quite similarly, and there are some who don't. So we have got to break those guys down. Break them down, or maybe these economic pressures in the sport will drive them out. I don't know. But for us, we are going to fight as hard as we can with the people that want to take action."

When asked what he has experienced since taking over in charge of the team, he said that it's been a mixed time. "I think I have a real appreciation of the sport now, in terms of the difficulties and the challenges from every perspective. I think I admire those who succeed and do it in the right way, but I am still disappointed by how much there is to do in the sport. I guess that has been the highs and lows of it all."

"And the athletes' feedback is super-motivating. When these guys win, when young riders such as Mark Cavendish or Marcus Burghardt win, you feel like you are doing something worthwhile. So it is good to see them succeed. "Some of these guys weren't sure that this was possible, that they could really win in this sport. But they have got enough success that now they believe it." Gerdemann's triumph on stage seven will serve to further reinforce his view. A fully clean Tour may be some way off, but there are encouraging signs that some change is taking place.