Teams divided over hiring cyclists involved in probe

NEW YORK - CYCLING'S biggest doping probe is dividing the sport, as disagreements arise over teams hiring riders linked to the Spanish investigation.

Some race organisers say riders like Ivan Basso and Tyler Hamilton should stay away until their cases are resolved.

Basso now rides for Discovery Channel, co-owned by seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.

Olympic gold medallist Hamilton has signed with Tinkoff Credit Systems.

Said Victor Cordero, general director of the Tour of Spain: 'Cycling is at a junction. We can either go the way of entertainment-style wrestling in the United States, or the way of a credible sport.

'We can't have anything hanging over the sport.'

Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France champion, retired on Monday because of 'wrong allegations' stemming from the Spanish probe.

Spanish police, who discovered 200 bags of frozen blood in their raid on a Madrid apartment last May, provided international cycling authorities with the names of 58 riders implicated in the probe.

Forty-three of the riders will compete this season, the Spanish sports daily As reported on Feb 7.

As doping is not a crime in Spain, none of the riders will be charged, says Elisa Beni, a spokesman for Madrid's provincial court.

The Italian cycling federation said on Oct 12 that it would not discipline Basso, who has denied any wrong-doing.

Johan Bruyneel, manager of the Discovery team, says race organisers have been influenced by unsubstantiated news reports.

He said: 'If the Italian federation clears Ivan, what reason do I have to doubt that decision?

'Nobody should be the judge, apart from who is able to make the decision.'

However, other teams have steered away from riders embroiled in the scandal.

T-Mobile fired Ullrich, 33, on July 21 last year, after he failed to prove he was not linked to the Spanish case.

Brian Cookson, president of British Cycling, said such purges are necessary.

He added: 'Cycling is a mess and we need to clean it up or it won't have a future.'

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