Germany Cracks Down

With the seemingly perpetual shadow of doping hanging over the World Cycling Championships in Stuttgart, additional storm clouds are gathering over the possible inclusion of Italian riders Danilo di Luca and Paolo Bettini competed in Sunday's road race.

German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has frozen a150,000-euro ($211,000) subsidy to the championship, in addition to plans by the host city to sue the International Cycling Union (UCI) for 1 million euros if Di Luca and Bettini compete in the weekend showpiece.

Schäuble, chief of top level sport in Germany, said Bettini's failure to give his support to the UCI's attempt to help clean up the sport has severely compromised the credibility of the world championships.

Schäuble said he had immediately frozen the subsidy payment to the organizers of the event. "Before these championships it was clear from the start that they would provide a chance for a fresh start for this sport," he said in a statement.

"When it is the world championships themselves that refuse to embrace this fresh start, then they have to assume the consequences." The subsidy would be suspended until the matter is cleared up, he added.

Despite never having tested positive for banned substances, reigning world and Olympic champion Bettini is at the center of the controversy due to his refusal to sign a UCI pledge promising not to dope.

Italian's refusal to pledge angers Germany

As well as signing the pledge, brought in by the world cycling body to prevent doping at this year’s Tour de France, all riders were also asked to submit a blood sample to the UCI to rule them out of any involvement in the ongoing 'Operation Puerto' doping affair in Spain. Riders were also threatened with having to pay a year's salary if caught doping,

Bettini has steadfastly refused to sign the pledge, and says that handing over a blood sample is akin to giving up one's basic human rights.

"When a rider refuses to sign a pledge which aims for a new, cleaner cycling and then he manages to participate in the event then the credibility of the sport's fight against doping is destroyed," Schäuble said.

UCI spokesman Enroco Carpani said the UCI could not prohibit Bettini from competing because the anti-doping declaration was strictly voluntary.

Bettini accused of aiding dope cheat Sinkewitz

Meanwhile, German public broadcaster ZDF reported it had information that Bettini supplied former T-Mobile rider Patrik Sinkewitz with the doping substance which led to the German cyclist's positive test ahead of this year's Tour de France. Sinkewitz was dismissed by T-Mobile after it was announced during the Tour de France that he tested positive for heightened testosterone levels during an out-of-competition test on June 8.

Sinkewitz and Bettini were members of the Mapei and Quick Step teams before German racer Sinkewitz moved to T-Mobile in 2005.

ZDF Chief Editor Nikolaus Brender indicated the broadcaster could also stop coverage of the world championships -- as it did during this summer’s tainted Tour de France -- unless the current "dubious events" were not thoroughly cleared up.

Suspect Di Luca could ride despite investigation

Giro d'Italia winner Di Luca, who denies any wrongdoing, is at the center of another long-running scandal and is central to a lengthy police and Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) investigation into Carlo Santuccione, a doctor accused of supplying doping products to athletes. Di Luca is accused of being involved with the doctor by police who claim to have wire tap evidence linking the two.

The row made sure the championships started under a cloud on the first day of competition Wednesday and enforced beliefs that not enough is being done by the sport's authorities, or its stars, to show that the combat against the drugs cheats is advancing.

Meanwhile, Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde won an arbitration ruling on Wednesday allowing him to compete in the world championships.

Pat McQuaid, president of the UCI, said the federation had lost its attempt to exclude the cyclist from Sunday's road race for his alleged links to the 'Operation Puerto' blood-doping scandal in Spain.

Controversial riders go to court to race

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), based in Switzerland, ruled in favor of the Spanish cycling federation RFEC, which had insisted on entering Valverde for the championship.

"We will now accept the decision," McQuaid said.

The UCI had wanted any rider suspected of involvement in a doping case to be prevented from participating in competitions, and said documents from a Spanish district prosecutor "may show the involvement of Alejandro Valverde in the (Operation Puerto) affair."

Valverde, who races with Caisse d'Epargne and finished sixth at this year's Tour de France, has denied being a client of Spanish doping doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.

Another rider, Australian Alan Davis, announced Thursday that he was also going to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Friday to appeal against a UCI ban for Sunday's race imposed because of his alleged links to the Spanish doping probe.

Away from all the talk about doping, some cycling did actually take place and it was a successful opening day for the hosts. Germany's Hanka Kupfernagel delighted a home crowd when she won the women's time trial.

Kupfernagel, a three-time cross world champion, beat title holder Kristin Armstrong of the US and Austrian Christiane Söder.

The championship-opening men's under-23 race was won by Dutchman Lars Boom.