Ivan Basso, in an effort to save his own cycling skin, confessed to the Italian Olympic Committee that, yes, he was involved with Eufemiano Fuentes, the Spanish doctor at the center of the Operación Puerto doping scandal. Of course, Basso didn’t admit to actually doping, only the intention to dope. That’s right–Basso was clean when he obliterated the field at last year’s Giro. His intention was to dope in preparation for the Tour de France, but apparently he never got around to it.

That sound you hear? That’s my mind being boggled.

First, Basso is asking that he be pardoned for this transgression since he didn’t actually cheat. Second, members of the press and the peleton are hailing Basso as some sort of hero for stepping forward, as if they’ve forgotten that he denied any involvement with Feuntes for nearly a year. I’m not sure which statement is more ridiculous. At this point, I find it difficult to care at all professional cycling. Two of last year’s three Grand Tour winners are fighting doping charges, and now, Alejandro Valverde, last year’s ProTour winner, has been implicated with Feuntes as well. Tyler Hamilton, fresh off a two year suspension for doping, is also under investigation. Jan Ullrich rode off into the sunset as a doper. Is anyone clean? Certainly, with the allegations against Armstrong and Landis, we could claim a bias against successful Americans, but with three of the Continent’s brightest stars under investigation, the sport clearly has a problem.

Posted on 9 May 2007