Davis to Discovery Channel?

Australian sprinter Allan Davis is set to announce a new professional contract next week, rumoured to be with the Discovery Channel team, according to Melbourne-based newspaper The Age. The 26 year-old from Bundaberg, Queensland has hardly raced since June after his Liberty Seguros team were denied a start in the Tour de France following Operacion Puerto.

Davis' case was officially closed by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority last month leaving him free to negotiate a new contract. "I'm not going to change my way of thinking, I'm going to keep knuckling down and taking it on the chin - it's just made me stronger mentally," he said. "Crying over spilt milk isn't going to change anything, I just had to weather the storm and the storm has passed. I'm now just hoping to have a really good 2007."

The Queenslander will return to racing at the Australian Open Road Championships in Ballarat on Sunday - his first race over 100km since returning from Europe. "Basically I'm by myself, it's a different race to other races throughout the year when you have eight team-mates who can get on the front and bring back a [break]," he said. "A lot of luck will have to fall in your favour for a national title, especially being by yourself. Not having the race legs, you need to make sure the energy is spent in the right spots, so you're there in the last couple of laps with plenty of bikkies left in the barrel."