Ivan Basso Gets All Clear

Two-time Giro d’Italia winner Ivan Basso, who withdrew from this year’s Tour de France after revealing he had testicular cancer, has been given the all-clear following treatment, his Tinkoff-Saxo team has said.

The 37-year-old Italian felt pain in his left testicle after crashing in the fifth stage of the Tour and tests later showed he had a small tumour. Basso had surgery in Milan.

“Fabulous news on @ivanbasso! 

Results from final controls show no need for extra treatment. The dark period that started at @letour is over,” Tinkoff-Saxo posted on Twitter.

Basso finished third and second overall in the 2004 and 2005 Tour de France but has won the Giro – his only grand tour titles – thanks to impressive climbing performances.

His career, however, was stained with a two-year ban for his implication in the Operation Puerto blood-doping scandal.

Basso admitted to “attempted doping” in 2007 and was hit by a backdated suspension. He won the Giro in 2010, less than two years after his comeback, to add to his 2006 success.

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Kiryienka Wins Time Trial

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Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus powered to victory in the road cycling world championship time trial in Richmond, Virginia as Tony Martin’s run of six consecutive podium finishes ended.

Kiryienka, the bronze medallist in 2012 and fourth-place finisher the last two years, surprised the favourites by covering the 53km (32.9 miles) course in 1hr 2min 29.45sec. The Italian Adriano Malori came home 9.08sec adrift to take silver, with the Frenchman Jérôme Coppel grabbing the bronze.

“The most important thing today was to race against myself, a time trial against myself,” Kiryienka said. “I knew the time, the references but it was not so important but what I knew from the very beginning was I doing really well. Tony Martin and Tom Dumoulin were favourites but I think today was my day.”

The winner of three straight rainbow jerseys from 2011 before his streak was halted last year by Sir Bradley Wiggins, Martin was widely expected to return to the top of the podium in the United States but the 30-year-old never challenged for the medals.

Kiryienka, the winner of the long time trial at the Giro d’Italia in May, dominated from the start. The 34-year-old Team Sky rider posted the fastest time at every interval on a course ideally suited to his strengths.

“Today I knew it was a good race for me because the course was exactly the kind I like, that suits me,” he said. “OK, Cancellara was not here and Wiggins has stopped but all the other great time trial riders were here so I think the level was very high because everybody was there.”

With Cancellara and Martin having won seven of the last nine rainbow jerseys in the time trial, the podium took on a new look as the favourites faded.

Dutchman Dumoulin, third behind Wiggins and Martin last year, was expected to challenge for top spot but settled for fifth just ahead of the Australian Rohan Dennis.

Dumoulin appeared to tire in the latter stages, drained from a punishing Vuelta, where he surrendered the overall lead on the penultimate stage less than two weeks ago.

“While my objective was to have a better place than last year and I was sixth last year, to go from sixth to second place I think is really good result for me,” Malori said. “It was a very long time trial and I think next year’s course will also be a very good one for me and I hope that next year Vasil will let me have first place.”

Dennis, the winner of the opening time trial at the Tour de France in July, had his hopes of claiming the rainbow jersey damaged midway through the race when he ran into mechanical problems and had to change bikes.

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Tiernan-Locke Ban Upheld

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke’s two-year ban from cycling was upheld after UK Anti-Doping rejected the former Team Sky rider’s claim that irregular blood samples were the result of an alcohol binge in which he drank 33 units of alcohol in six hours.

Tiernan-Locke’s ban was confirmed by UK Anti-Doping on Monday, a month after it was announced by the International Cycling Union. Sky terminated his contract after the UCI’s announcement on July 17.

The 29-year-old was found to have breached anti-doping rules when anomalies were found in his biological passport based on samples taken in September 2012.

He was asked to explain those anomalies at a hearing last month, where he claimed that he had gone on a drinking binge with his girlfriend to celebrate securing a two-year deal with Team Sky.

According to a doctor presenting evidence on behalf of Tiernan-Locke, he consumed around 33 units of alcohol in a period of six hours on the evening of Sept 20, which then resulted in dehydration ahead of the sample being taken on the morning of Sept 22.

The UKAD statement said that “the explanation provided by the rider ... did not sufficiently explain the abnormal values obtained from the sample”.

Tiernan-Locke’s ban, which runs until Dec 31, 2015, was therefore upheld, while he has been stripped of his 2012 Tour of Britain victory and his 19th place at the 2012 Road World Championships.

The Tour of Britain was one of a number of successes Tiernan-Locke enjoyed in 2012 with Endura Racing, leading Sky to offer him a lucrative deal for the next two seasons. He described the deal as “incredible” while giving evidence, saying the period was “by far the most successful few days of my career”.

It was in that mood which he went out to celebrate on the evening of Sept 20, claiming to have drunk most of a bottle of wine he shared with his girlfriend over dinner before moving on to gin and later vodka.

Tiernan-Locke told the hearing that he did not drink often but when he did he tended to binge. He said he had still been hung over when he travelled with the rest of the Great Britain team to the Road World Championships in Maastricht, but did not discuss his condition as he knew it would not go down well with his team-mates. Furthermore, he claimed that he did not drink much water for fear of making himself vomit.

However, while accepting his claim that he had drunk heavily, the panel had “considerable reservations” as to Tiernan-Locke’s explanation of his reading as they did not accept that he could have been suffering from severe dehydration on the eve of a major race in which he went on to finish the best of the British entrants.

“It is inconceivable that a professional rider, selected for the first time to ride for his country at a senior level in the world championships, would not have ensured that by the time he arrived in the team hotel at Maastricht he was fit to race and had ensured that he had taken on sufficient water to deal with any hangover which he was still experiencing,” the written verdict said.

Tiernan-Locke endured a tough 2013 season as he was affected by fatigue after taking part in the likes of Paris-Nice, the Tour of the Basque Country and Tour of Switzerland. He withdrew from the British team on the eve of the 2013 Road World Championships after being notified of the biological passport anomalies by the UCI.

The use of biological passport data to determine doping violations is relatively new, having come into force in 2008, and Tiernan-Locke’s was the first case handled by UKAD.

Graham Arthur, the UKAD director of legal, said: “This is the first athlete biological passport case handled by UK Anti-Doping, handed down under the rules by the UCI. The panel found Jonathan Tiernan-Locke to be in breach of the UCI anti-doping rules and consequently he has been handed a two-year ban preventing him from competing or training in sport.

"The athlete biological passport is a vital tool in the prevention and detection of doping and greatly enhances the integrated approach to anti-doping under which we all operate.”

Brian Cookson, the UCI president, said: “I would like to thank UK Anti-Doping for their work in handling this case and providing the rider with a fair and independent hearing. This case demonstrates how the UCI is working with partners on a global level to combat doping and protect our sport.”

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Hesjedahl Admits Past Doping

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Ryder Hesjedal, winner of the 2012 Giro d'Italia, has admitted doping "more than 10 years ago".

The 32-year-old Garmin-Sharp rider responded to allegations by Dane Michael Rasmussen, who said earlier that he taught Hesjedal how to take the banned blood-booster EPO in 2003.

Rasmussen was at Rabobank at the time, while Hesjedal was a mountain bike rider in their development team.

"More than a decade ago I chose the wrong path," said Hesjedal.

"Even though those mistakes happened more than 10 years ago, and they were short-lived, it does not change the fact I made them and I have lived with that and been sorry for it ever since.

"I believe that being truthful will help the sport continue to move forward, and over a year ago when I was contacted by anti-doping authorities, I was open and honest about my past."

Hesjedal was one of several riders and managers called to testify by theUS Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) in the case against Lance Armstrong, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping.

Hesjedal was one of Armstrong's team-mates at U.S. Postal and Discovery Channel in 2004 and 2005.

However, he is confident the sport is now on the right path and his current team are backing their rider.

"As we have previously stated, our expectation is that anyone in our organisation contacted by any anti-doping authority must be open and honest with that authority," said a Garmin statement.

"Ryder is no exception and a year ago when he was contacted he cooperated fully and truthfully testified to Usada and CCES (Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport).

"For this reason and because of our desire for 100% truth and reconciliation in the sport of cycling, we support him."

Rasmussen admitted earlier this year that he had doped throughout his 12-year professional career, from 1998 to 2010.

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Millar Announces Retirement

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David Millar has announced he intends to retire at the end of the 2014 season.

The Scot, 36, has won four individual stages at the Tour de France during his career and has also won stages at the Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d'Italia.

In 2004, he was suspended for two years for taking a banned substance but has since become an anti-drugs campaigner.

Millar told the Dutch cycling magazine Wieler Revue he had "suddenly" realised his career was coming to an end.

He added: "I think my body is actually getting stronger, it is just that I don't want it or need it as much as I once did.

"I can still be on top of the game - I know that - but it is a lot harder for me now and I want to be on top of my game next year. With the motivation of knowing it is my last year, I know I can get the best out of myself."

Millar was handed his ban after being found guilty of taking erythropoietin (EPO) - a drug that controls red blood cell production.

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Cookson Starts UCI Changes

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New International Cycling Union (UCI) president Brian Cookson has contacted the World Anti-Doping Agency to start talks over an independent investigation into the sport's governing body.

Cookson based his recent election campaign on restoring trust in the UCI which has had acrimonious relationships with doping authorities.

"We've started the work of establishing dialogue with Wada to plan how we will proceed with the independent investigation into the UCI's past," said Cookson.

"We have also been making contact with other key stakeholders in this area, including Usada [United States Anti-Doping Authority], other national anti-doping organisations and the French sports ministry."

Englishman Cookson, 62, who was the former president of British Cycling, also confirmed the decision to "revoke the age limit of 28 that existed for UCI women's teams".

Up until now most riders in a women's team competing at a UCI event have had to be aged below 28. He also said there were plans to form a new commission for women's cycling "to help facilitate the growth of women's elite racing".

Meanwhile, Cookson said the UCI had withdrawn legal action against journalist Paul Kimmage.

In January 2012, former UCI presidents Pat McQuaid, who Cookson replaced, and Hein Verbruggen initiated legal proceedings against Kimmage, claiming they were defamed by articles in the Sunday Times and L'Equipe which discussed doping and the governing body.

Kimmage said: "I am very relieved, it has been a very difficult 20 months and I hope this means things have turned a corner.

"Brian Cookson has my every best wish but he is going to need some time and space to clear up the mess.

"I do believe however that Hein Verbruggen should be removed absolutely from any position at the UCI."

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Costa is World Champion

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Portugal's Rui Costa won a rain-soaked men's road race at the World Championships in Tuscany after Britain's Chris Froome withdrew.

Costa, 26, took the lead just yards from the finish as he beat Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez by a bike-length in seven hours, 25 minutes, 43 seconds.

Spaniard Alejandro Valverde took bronze, narrowly ahead of Italy's Vincenzo Nibali.

Tour de France champion Froome quit with more than 80km left.

"This has been a big dream of mine for a long time. I still can't believe I'm the world champion," said Costa, who broke down in tears on the podium.

Heavy rain caused multiple crashes early in the race, with none of the eight-strong British team, which included former Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins and ex-world champion Mark Cavendish, making it over the finishing line.

"The conditions are the same for everyone; we've got no excuse. We just weren't there," Froome, who was attempting to become the first man in 24 years to win the Tour and world road race in the same year, told BBC Sport.

"It's a big disappointment, especially having made it such a big objective, but with these conditions it just wasn't meant to be.

"The first three laps on the circuit, there were crashes everywhere. It's rained solidly all day. After three laps the split started happening and I looked around and realised I didn't have any team-mates left and it wasn't going to happen.

"Given we've come up empty-handed, we'll have to go back to the drawing board [ahead of the Rio Olympics in 2016]."

Froome's withdrawal meant Geraint Thomas was the only Briton left riding, but he also pulled out shortly after.

"It was just carnage out there," Thomas told BBC Sport. "I saw five or six crashes out in front of me.

"Once you're in that back half, you're kind of destined to get dropped. We all committed to try and get Froome there, but it wasn't meant to be."

Cavendish, the 2011 world champion, led the peloton and helped keep Britain in contention for much of the first 106km after the race left Lucca.

However, as soon as the race hit the first of 10 laps around Florence, featuring two significant climbs, the Italian squad took over the pace-setting and Cavendish fell away.

Wiggins, who had been expected to support Froome in the latter stages of the race, was always near the back of the peloton and soon retired along with Cavendish.

The punishing 16.5km circuits, coupled with the horrendous weather conditions, were taking their toll with riders dropping out at an average of around 15 a lap.

Poland's Bartosz Huzarski, who broke away with four other riders early in the race, held on to the lead for around 240km.

He was finally caught with a little over 25km remaining, by a group of 40 riders that included defending champion Philippe Gilbert and fellow pre-race favourites Peter Sagan of Slovakia and Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara.

However, the trio were unable to respond when Italy's Michele Scarponi, Rodriguez and Nibali attacked on the final 4.3km climb to Fiesole , eventually finishing in a group 34 seconds behind Costa.

Rodriguez rode away from Giro d'Italia champion Nibali, who had crashed on an earlier descent, but was unable to open a significant advantage on the final ascent of the 600m-long Via Salviati.

Costa broke clear of Nibali and Valverde to catch Rodriguez with one kilometre remaining, before making the decisive move in a laboured sprint to become the first Portuguese world champion.

"Losing like this is stupid," said a tearful Rodriguez. "Winning is all that matters so this medal doesn't mean anything to me right now.

"We (Spain) had the numbers; we were the strongest; we should not have lost."

Also in the British team were Ian Stannard, Josh Edmondson, Steve Cummings and Luke Rowe, who replaced Jonathan Tiernan-Locke.

Tiernan-Locke withdrew on Thursday for what he claimed was a lack of form, but it was revealed on Sunday that the UCI, the sport's governing body, is investigating a potential discrepancy in his "biological passport data".

Race result:

1. Rui Costa (Por) 7:25:44"

2. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) ST

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) +15"

4. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita)

5. Andriy Grivko (Ukr) +31"

6. Peter Sagan (Svk) +34"

7. Simon Clarke (Aus)

8. Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz)

9. Philippe Gilbert (Bel)

10. Fabian Cancellara (Swi)

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