Kaz

Some time ago, HPT did some focused web surfing to get more info on what at the time was Tyler Hamilton's new team, Tinkoff. Lately, we've had the itch to do some digging again in light of Astana and High Road's bounce from La Giro because of lingering and sundry allegations. (See Puerto, CONI, et al.) We've been wondering why these suspicions and investigations only circle around riders, blood and doctors. Why not follow the money? Who owns these teams, these licenses? Michael Ball lets you know, in his Jeans Gone Wild way who he is but y'know, who's behind the Kazakh Railroad fer crissakes? Hey Johan, can you tell me that? Things like how Manolo Saiz was able to operate for so long in our sport when so much was known or suspected of him really get under our skin. Don't forget, he had Asanta first, before it was sold to the Kazakh consortium. Within which is an unconfirmed link to this guy, who's cycling history site we've referenced regularly over the years. Corruption fighters in the region have little light to shed on our quest. And, because of ADD, another seemingly random connection. We’ve become aware of the alarming increase in HGH and Roids in the anti-aging market, as seen in recent celeb allegations, so we're linking that in too. Ready? Here goes the theory - To their owners, elite cycling teams are like racehorses, or sailboats, or as someone eloquently put - a new yacht. It's a pissing match, a high stakes game, with politicians, Olympic leverage, marketing and more on the table. It's not nice to snap judgment, but it's difficult to not be suspect when complex, expensive doping systems occur on teams linked to places and things that seem plausibly janky. Like Kazakhstan. Or a major pharmaceutical company. HPT has also discussed at length issues of gambling, and the irony of Unibet’s demise in the face of so many teams across all sport that are sponsored by on-line gambling companies. Races are high dollar bids. It’s not hard to see where this is going. Teams owned and bet upon by a tough crowd of rich men. Add into the mix doctors, physiologists eager to cure one of the world’s incurable diseases, or make some breakthrough in blood-related medicines like oncology. Not saying that any of the known doctors of our sport are necessarily guilty, but when you see that uber rich celebs and Bellaire belles are turning to the same drugs as the ball players, cyclists, et all– HGH, steroids, etc. it’s not hard to imagine dollar signs, ego and glory spinning in the eyes of a high end doctor who gets a bunch of thoroughbred racers as test subjects for his quest to change modern medicine. And certainly drug companies benefit tremendously from our now retired savior, not to mention the teams who bear names of all manner prescription medicine. So if any or all of this is plausible – cycling linked repeatedly doctors and drugs companies wanting to further their efforts in developing truly lifesaving medicines, now abused by anyone who wants to look younger or go faster; a sport with connections to betting houses and potentially dangerous East European business consortiums, yet no investigation goes all the way to the top, follows the money trails. And who’d want to investigate potential ex-soviet military ‘businessmen’ anyway? Not us buddy; but there is some interesting material found in these meager links. Enough to make you think anyway.