We’re halfway through the Tour of Switzerland and just over two weeks away from the start of the Tour de France, and now there’s a declaration every rider in the TdF peloton must sign before they’re allowed to race.

ProTour cyclists will be asked to sign a declaration before the Tour de France saying they are not involved in doping and that they agree to pay one year’s salary if found guilty of drug use.

…

In the declaration, the riders also agree to let Spanish authorities use their DNA to compare it to blood samples seized in the Operation Puerto doping investigation.

Now, I have no idea what the legality of this document is, but if riders don’t want to get excluded from their sport’s biggest event, they’ve got to sign it. What happens if someone is accused of doping but denies it? Who decides when the punishments in the pledge go into effect? Who’s the arbiter of justice? And who’s standing up for the riders?

There are too many patchwork anti-doping measures covering various races or countries or different parts of the sport, and nothing and no one who’s responsible for the whole shootin’ match. And when I say “responsible,” I mean not only does that group stand up and say they’re the anti-doping police, but that they’re actually credible, reputable and neutral as well. It’s those elements we’re lacking with the current band of idiots who claim to be taking care of things.

And while it seems like there’s some kind of solidarity among the riders, there is no riders’ union. At this point it seems like they really need one.

Chris at Podium Cafe offers what I think are good observations here (including the text of the actual declaration), and since he’s a lawyer I believe him when he says there are loopholes aplenty in the pledge. Is this kind of thing the answer? A pledge for every race? Certainly not. The answer is out there, we just haven’t gotten to it yet.