The Tour de France concluded yesterday, and during
ABC's weekend coverage Festina, which sponsored the team
that was thrown out of this year's race for doping, ran an
ad during Tour coverage. The spot showed a pack of bikers
riding in slow motion towards the camera, with the Festina
logo in the bottom right corner of the screen. The
following text scrolled: "An Important Announcement From
Festina Watches: We are saddened that the Festina team was
removed from the Tour de France. Festina Watches will
remain a major sponsor and will continue its proud heritage
and ties to the sport. Festina and cycling are a great
marriage, but -- the use of performance enhancing substances
should be eradicated from cycling." The message was signed
by Festina USA President Renny Swift (THE DAILY).
NOTES: ABC's Terry Gannon reported that two-time Tour
de France stage winner Lance Armstrong, who worked the Tour
as an analyst for ABC, "has come to terms with the U.S.
Postal Service team and plans to race in the Tour next
year." Armstrong, on the doping scandal: "Clearly it's been
a bad situation. ... One thing that sticks out in my mind is
that the riders have been abused, and the system has been
abused a little bit. ... It's been a very unfortunate
situation, and the riders, I think, are fair in being a
little upset" (ABC, 8/1). ESPN's Michael Wilbon: "While
France's first summer bash -- the World Cup -- was exalted,
the Tour has been one scandalous embarrassment after
another. ... There's one tiny little fact that keeps me from
feeling sorry for the riders: Police keep finding doping and
masking products in their raids. ... The cyclists object to
being treated like criminals, but the real objection is to
so many riders bringing such disgrace to themselves and what
used to be cycling's crown jewel" ("Sports Reporters," 8/2).
