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with tainted sport - the sponsors.

The ProTour was designed to support and nurture long-term sponsorship of the sport. It weakened the legitimacy of its mission when it failed to stand completely by the side of Unibet.com in its struggle to gain entry into races run by the big three organizers (ASO, RCS and Unipublic). It tosses aside any hope of redemption every day that it erodes sponsor confidence in the wisdom of their investment. And the uncertainty that the sport is effectively policing itself fails to increase confidence in continued funding of a potential public-relations nightmare.

Some teams are establishing internal structures and taking responsibility toward leading the sport into a cleaner era. T-Mobile, CSC, Unibet.com and other squads have implemented strict internal blood and urine checks on their riders to ensure that any discrepancies are caught. Riders must report their whereabouts to the cycling authorities at all times; failure to do so will result in termination of contract and expulsion from races, as the Rasmussen precedent has portended. And the new UCI Pledge, signed by every one of the Tour de France participants (including disgraced riders Alexandre Vinokourov, Patrik Sinkewitz, Cristian Moreni and Michael Rasmussen), penalizes offenders with financial restitution as well as a suspension from competition.

Less savory individuals will always find their way through the cracks and will do everything in their power to seek artificial advantages evasively. Testing cannot work if there is confidence in its unquestionable proof of guilt. What we really need is a system where riders' samples are tested instantly after they are provided. The testing apparatus needs to be on the scene; this way, the ability of athletes such as Floyd Landis to dispute the validity of the test and tester is negated. What greater disincentive to cheating is there than handcuffs waiting immediately on the other side of a positive test result?

We - as fans, the media, race organizers, teams, riders, even sponsors - cannot fall into the same comfortable patterns where we quickly move on from the next scandal. Crises such as l'Affaire Festina or Operacion Puerto should not be left behind merely as fodder for sports historians. They are wake-up calls, the dark spots on the x-ray indicating cancerous cells in the sport's central nervous system. Simply pushing this knowledge downward, letting the world just move on from the scandals, only prolongs and exacerbates the underlying problems with the systems in place.

The sport needs to think proactively to inspire confidence in its methods. The UCI and World Anti-Doping Agency need to work on quicker, reliable tests which allow the athlete to be present for the analysis. Race organizers and the general public need to know as soon as possible whether an athlete is a fraud; if a rider tests positive following stage fourteen of a race, he should not be on the start line for stage fifteen. It only cheats the fans, the media, the race organizers and - most importantly - the sponsors. Because, without investment confidence, sponsors like Unibet.com will turn into sponsors like iShares: from disgruntled to departed...

Learn more about this author, Zach Bigalke.
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