Not All Sunshine and Rainbow Stripes - An Interview with Alex Morgan

By September of Year 12, most 18-year-olds are focussing on exams, university applications and celebrating the end of high school. But Mitcham teenager Alex Morgan had other things on his mind. The 18-year-old cyclist had been selected as part of the Australian team for the UCI Road World Championships in Limburg, Holland, where he would be challenging for the rainbow jersey of the best time triallist in the world under the age of 19.

For someone who has been racing competitively for only four years, Alex acquitted himself well, finishing in a time of 35:47.35, just one second off third place. Just three months earlier Alex had done a similarly close ride, coming in second at the U19 Australian National Road Championships Time Trial by just 3.6 seconds. Though disappointed, Alex feels that these near misses have been amongst the best things that have happened to him in his cycling career. “From them I have learnt many things both physically and mentally,” he says. “They have especially made me hungrier to win than ever.”

But it wasn’t destined to be an easy year, as Alex was hampered by sickness in the latter half of the season. “It was hard both physically and mentally but I was very happy with how I dealt with it and I learnt many things for the years ahead,” he says. It was a setback nonetheless, especially in the lead-up to the Junior Track World Championships in New Zealand during August, where the Australian men’s team would be defending their world title in the team pursuit. With good training times behind them, Alex and his teammates Jack Cummings, Evan Hull, Miles Scotson and Tirian McManus were confident they would retain their rainbow jerseys.

“The belief that we would win was certainly there so I had to really focus hard on not becoming over-confident and complacent because the hard work still needed to be done,” Alex says. But the team were in for a shock after the qualifying round. “We really got a scare when we barely made the final,” Alex recalls. “I believe it was the best thing that could have happened for the team as it made us hungrier to win than ever.”

That hunger would serve Alex well in days to come, as the individual pursuit was held three days later. With his preparation for the IP also disrupted by sickness, he was ‘quite happy’ with his result, coming in third behind Switzerland’s Tom Bohli and New Zealand’s Dylan Kennett to take the bronze medal. “It would have been nice to have gone better in the IP but I rode as well as I could on the day,” he reflects.

“Overall it was a very successful season. Domestically I was very happy with how I rode on both the track and road,” Alex says. “It would have been nice to have gone faster in the Junior World TT and IP.” But he’s certainly not dismissing the effort that he and his team put into their races. “To come home a successful defending Team Pursuit Junior World Champion was pretty special. A 1st, 3rd and 4th in the world still isn’t too bad.”

So, where to next for the young road time triallist and track rider? Alex says that school is still a priority. “I’m currently completing Year 12 over two years so I’m doing two subjects per year, this year the first of the two. It’s not too hard to combine cycling and school as long as you are organised and disciplined,” he explains. “It was definitely hard going away for two months and coming back just before exams but my school, Vermont Secondary College, are fantastic and have got me right back on track.”

But he has big dreams for his cycling career too, focussing on the track and the road time trial in the near future and following the likes of Cameron Meyer and Luke Durbridge into full-time road racing later on. “My goals are to go to the [Glasgow 2014] Commonwealth Games and [Rio 2016] Olympics on the track in the Team Pursuit, and IP if it’s brought back. So the next four years I want to focus on the track and the road time trial, then after the Olympics move onto the road full-time. That’s the ideal plan at the moment,” Alex says.  “We’ll see how it goes!”

The Contador Controversy

For some reason, it was only announced during September of 2010, during the International Cycling Union (UCI) Road World Championships, that Alberto Contador had tested positive to a small amount of clenbuterol in his bloodstream on the second rest day of the 2010 Tour de France. Clenbuterol is a bronchodilator, meaning it makes breathing easier and thus increases the amount of oxygen in the body and stimulates the central nervous system, which has earned the drug a place on the UCI's banned list. Contador’s explanation as to why he and some of his teammates tested positive was that they consumed steaks contaminated with clenbuterol that were provided by a friend.

This wouldn’t be the first time in sport that contaminated food has caused athletes to test positive for clenbuterol.  109 soccer players tested positive in the 2011 Under 17 World Cup in Mexico after eating Mexican meat, which can contain the drug.  Cyclists in the 2011 Tour of Beijing were advised by their directeurs sportifs to avoid eating beef or pork whilst in China, as clenbuterol is commonly fed to cows and pigs there.  Instead riders were advised to stick to chicken and fish, which cannot contain clenbuterol, to avoid the scenario in which Contador found himself.  It’s also worth noting that the amount of clenbuterol found in his system was 40 times less than the minimum detectable amount of the World Anti-Doping Agency labs and was only picked up when the samples were sent to a lab in Switzerland that specialises in detecting minute traces of drugs.

Considering it was the most high-profile case in cycling for its entire duration, the Contador controversy took way too long to be resolved.  Contador’s positive test occurred on July 21^st, 2010, but was only publicly announced on September 30^th, well after the Tour de France concluded.  The case was first heard in February 2011 by the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC), who accepted Contador’s explanation of contaminated meat and cleared him of doping charges.  The following month both the UCI and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced their intention to appeal the decision to CAS, which announced it would resolve the case before the 2011 Tour de France.  Needless to say, this didn’t happen, and Contador lined up for the 2011 Tour amidst a storm of conjecture.  The hearing finally took place in November, and a verdict was originally due in mid-January, until the composition of the CAS arbitration panel was called into question, delaying the verdict.  Finally on February 6^th 2012, the arbitration panel issue being resolved, the decision was finally handed down.

So why did Contador’s case take so long to be resolved?  His was not the only doping case of late, or even the only high-profile one or scandalous one.  12-time French female national champion Jeannie Longo missed the critical third random doping test in 18 months and was lucky to avoid the mandatory two-year suspension after she was acquitted on a technicality – the anti-doping authorities failed to inform Longo that she was still eligible for out-of-race testing.  Danish rider Alex Rasmussen was even luckier – the UCI failed to inform Rasmussen of his third infringement within the required 14 days, thus jeopardising their own case against him.  Each of these cases was resolved within seven months of the final infringement taking place.  Yet Contador’s case lasted from July 21^st, 2010, when he tested positive, until February 6^th this year, when the final decision was handed down – a total time of over 18 months.

Despite her husband and trainer being investigated for the procurement of a banned substance, there was no evidence in her case to suggest Longo was actually guilty of doping, nor for Rasmussen, and given the circumstances, it seems unlikely that Contador was intentionally doing so either.  Regardless, CAS handed down the standard sentence for a positive doping test – a two-year suspension from the sport, which was backdated to January 25^th, 2011.  Under this sentence, Contador will not only lose his 2010 Tour de France title, but also any other titles won between January 25^th, 2011 and February 6^th, 2012, including the 2011 Giro d’Italia and his 5^th place in the 2011 Tour de France.  The suspension won’t be lifted until January 25^th, 2013, meaning that Contador will be ineligible for not only the 2012 Tour de France but also the 2012 London Olympics – a harsh sanction overall.

It’s made even worse by the fact that Contador is now fully aware of what he is losing, given the races and jerseys he has won since the 2010 Tour.  Had the issue been dealt with directly after the Tour, in the same fashion as Longo and Rasmussen, Contador would merely have lost the chance to earn the titles, and might even have been eligible to race in time for the Olympics.  Instead Contador has to watch as 18 months of hard work and training goes down the drain, the only light at the end of the tunnel being that due to the backdating less than half his suspension remains to be served.  For the 28-year-old who just a few years ago was cycling’s golden boy, he certainly got the raw end of the deal this time.

Les Championnats du Monde: Copenhague 2011 (Course en Ligne)

Le contre-la-montre n’est pas une course. C’est une bataille entre les volontés des coureurs, entre la volonté et les pieds de chaque coureur. C’est une opportunité à voir qui peut se motiver le meilleur. Mais un contre-la-montre est court, et c’est individuel. Bien que j’aime la contre-la-montre, je préfère voir les tactiques et la rivalité directe de la course en ligne. Et quand c’est les meilleurs coureurs du monde qui rivalisent pour le prix du maillot arc-en-ciel, c’est la plus meilleure rivalité du monde.

En la première année de la catégorie «Junior», rien spectaculaire n’est venu de la course des femmes juniors. Peut-être l’année prochaine, vainqueur Lucy Garner de Grande-Bretagne rivalisera dans la course des femmes élites ou gagnera une course pro, mais à ce moment-là, les noms de ces femmes ne sont pas familiers. Ce n’est pas vrai pour les femmes élites. En effet, ils sont très familiers, car Georgia Bronzini, d’Italie, et Marianne Vos, du Pays-Bas, se sont placées première et deuxième l’année dernière aussi! Cette année, Ina Teutenberg, d’Allemagne, a complété le trio sur le podium. Un résultat un peu étrange, peut-être, mais c’est très clair qui est la meilleur coureuse dans le peloton féminin.

Les hommes juniors n’ont pas des noms familiers. Ces hommes ont moins de 18 ans, et bien que les hommes ne fassent rien remarquable maintenant, ils sont le futur des courses comme le Tour de France. Donc, sur cette note, faire le guet pour Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier, Martijn Degreve et Steven Lammertink, qui ont gagné les trois places premières avec trois seconds sur les autres coureurs. Et, de façon intéressante, malgré ses bons résultats dans les contre-la-montres, les australiens ne font pas très bien dans les courses en ligne. Même dans les hommes moins de 23 ans, australien Michael Hepburn s’est placé 21ème, et France a gagné les deux places premières et Grande-Bretagne le troisième.

«Garder le meilleur pour la fin» est le proverbe, et l’UCI le fait certainement dans les Championnats du Monde. La course plus intéressante, la plus fortement disputé, c’est la course en ligne des hommes élites, qui est toujours en le dernier jour des Championnats. La course cette année a été décrit par les coureurs comme totalement plat avec plusieurs tours et pas de cols, les conditions parfaites pour un sprint du groupe.

Mais malgré le type de course, il y avait une échappée, quand Lars Boom de Pays-Bas a échappé du peloton et fait la course seulement pour beaucoup de kilomètres. Mais les pays qui ont des bons sprinteurs ne l’a pas permis. En les derniers tours de piste le peloton a attrapé Boom pour avoir une possibilité d’un sprint à la fin. Et bien sûr, il y avait un bon sprint, avec l’équipe australien faisant beaucoup de travail pour son sprinteur, Matt Goss. Même les Brits avec son sprinteur, le porteur du maillot vert du Tour de France, Mark Cavendish, ne peuvent pas préparer son train de sprint. Mais quand «le missile Manx» a les pieds, le missile Manx a les pieds, et personne ne peut l’arrêter. Il a sprinté de la roue arrière de Goss, qui s’est placé deuxième, et gagné son premier titre mondial.

Mais le drame n’a pas terminé là. Il y avait une égalité pour troisieme place! Fabian Cancellara, champion suisse en ligne, et Andre Greipel, le sprinteur allemand, ont traversé l’arrivée au même temps exactement! Après quelques minutes, le médaille bronze a été attribué à Andre Greipel, et Cancellara s’est placé quatrième. Avec cette fin du Championnats, j’attends avec impatience les Championnats 2012 à Limburg, Pays-Bas!

Les Championnats du Monde: Copenhague 2011 (Contre-la-Montre)

À ce moment-là, j’espère que je sois à Copenhague. Après allant aux Championnats du Monde sur route à Geelong l’année dernière, cette année pendant les Championnats, Danemark est le lieu auquel être.

Cette année l’UCI a introduit une autre catégorie dans les Championnats – «Junior», plus cadet de l’âge de 18 ans. Et la première année est une bonne année pour Australie – Jessica Allen de l’Australie a gagné la médaille d’or, dans un temps de 8:56:00 (Grande-Bretagne et Allemagne se sont placés deuxième et troisième). Le contre-la-montre des femmes élites était intéressant – les vainqueurs n’ont pas changé de l’année dernière! Allemande Judith Arndt, qui s’est placée deuxième l’année dernière, a gagné la course, et Nouvelle-Zélandaise Linda Melanie Villumsen et Britannique Emma Pooley (troisième et première respectivement l’année dernière) se sont placées deuxième et troisième cette année.

Les résultats des hommes juniors n’étaient pas très révélateur, mais un autre bon résultat pour les antipodes – James Oram de Nouvelle-Zélande s’est placé deuxième et David Edwards d’Australie s’est placé troisième. Les hommes moins de 23 ans aussi – Michael Hepburn de Brisbane, Australie, a gagné le bronze, mais le nom plus fameux est celui du vainqueur, Luke Durbridge. Le porteur de la médaille d’or a gagné l’argent l’année dernière. Mais il y a une surprise pour les fans danois aussi: Rasmus Christian Quaade de Valby, sud-ouest Danemark, s’est placé deuxième (et a gagné le médaille d’argent).

Bien sûr, la course la plus intéressante (et la plus prévisible) était les hommes élites. En effet, les premiers huit coureurs ont couru le Tour de France cette année, et la plupart de ceux sont connus pour les contre-la-montres. Britannique coureur contre-la-montre Bradley Wiggins a fait la course avec un temps de 54:59:68. Mais ce n’était pas assez pour gagner l’or, après Tony Martin (d’Allemagne) s’est placé première à tout les splits intermédiaire et a fini avec un temps de 53:42:85, 1:15 plus vite que Brad Wiggins. Même Fabian Cancellara, championnat du monde contre-la-montre quatre fois, n’a pas pu le battre, se plaçant troisième. Ce n’était pas une surprise, car Cancellara n’avait pas été très fort récemment et Martin est devenu très bien en les deux ou trois ans précédant. Regarde-le dans l’avenir!