The Movement For Credible Cycling (MPCC) has just sent a box of 200 blue wrist bracelets to all teams that are members of the anti-doping organization. There’s a new slogan and a new attitude.
The bands are to indicate to the outside world that cycling is clean and that any rider wearing the band is clean. Not surprisingly, the slogan printed on the blue rubber is the simple declarative “I’m Clean.”
The MPCC went with a short two word manifesto because the other proposed slogans were too long to fit. “I Have No Illegal Pharmaceutical Products In My Body,” “Do I Look Like Danilo Di Luca?” “My Biological Passport Kicks Your Biological Passport’s Ass” and “Yo, I’m the new Christophe Bassons” failed to make the final cut.
According to the MPCC to “wear this blue bracelet is claiming that cycling is a clean sport, regaining its credibility.” The entire staff of Giant-Shimano has already committed to wearing the band and that’s good news — until Giant recently stepped up as a major team sponsor, their slogan would have been “We’re Bankrupt.”
There was heated debate within the MPCC on the appropriateness of riders such as Franco Pellizotti (Androni Giocattoli), Luis Leon Sanchez (Caja Rural), Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Sharp) and Michele Scarponi (Astana) wearing the I’m Clean bracelets.
One rumor has raised the question of whether there were actually two MPCC bands to distinguish between riders who’ve always been clean and those who’ve served previous suspensions for doping. Apparently, a last minute decision killed the idea of a second version — a blue-gray transitional bracelet with the words “I Swear I’m Clean Now.”
MPCC president Roger Legeay is happy with the new I’m Clean theme and also highlighted the strength of the blue color. “All the ProTour teams now have blue and black kits so we designed the bracelet to match. I think it’s going to look fantastic on Chris Froome’s wrist.
The message that pro cycling is a now a clean sport is a difficult sell in the aftermath of the USADA Reasoned Decision and the recent doping admissions of a number of high profile riders. However, Legeay has no doubt the bracelets will chart a new course. “It is perhaps only a piece of blue rubber. A child’s toy, perhaps. These two words are just two words in the great human dialogue,” mused Legeay. “And yet we must dream this reality as Balzac and Gide and Breton have dreamed. I am perhaps crazy to think a rubber band will end doping but it is very high quality rubber.”
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