The Coffee Ride #104, with Reece Homfray

A YEAR after wearing the maglia rosa, Simon Clarke returns to the Giro d’Italia this weekend as Cannondale’s captain with his eye on a result for the team and a longer-term prize for himself.

Australian cyclist Simon Clarke, front left, riding for Cannondale Pro Cycling Team during the Pais Vasco this season. Picture: Supplied.

AUSSIE CYCLING FRESHLY BREWED EVERY WEDNESDAY MORNING, EXCLUSIVE TO ADVERTISER.COM.AU

CAPTAIN CLARKE RETURNS TO THE GIRO

A YEAR after wearing the maglia rosa, Simon Clarke returns to the Giro d’Italia this weekend as Cannondale’s captain with his eye on a result for the team and a longer-term prize for himself.

With less than two months until Australia must name its team for the road race at Rio Olympics, Clarke is hoping a strong showing at the first Grand Tour of the season will enhance his case for selection.

“Making the team for Rio is a big ambition of mine and is one of the main reasons you have seen me so motivated so far this season,” Clarke said this week.

“It will be a very tough team to make with (so) many Aussies putting in some great performances so far this year.

“I’ve been in contact with (national road coach) Brad McGee and now I just need to do my best at the Giro and respect the selection process.”

Clarke, 29, transferred from Orica-GreenEDGE to Cannondale Pro Cycling in the off-season and had a solid start to the year.

Clarke wins the GP Larciano. Photo: Graham Watson.

He was 20th on GC at the Tour Down Under then won straight away when he got to Europe in one-dayer GP Industria and Artigianato.

Clarke then rode Tirreno-Adriatico but crashed out of Milan-San Remo and finished Amstel Gold (47th), La Fleche Wallonne (48th) and Liege-Bastogne-Liege (136th).

“I’m really enjoying the fresh start and working with new people, and loving the new team,” Clarke said.

“I have been focusing on the Ardennes and the Giro for the first half of the year and after some bad luck in Belgium I’m hoping to make up for it at the Giro.

“Seeing as my preparation worked quite well for the Giro last year I have tried to replicate the build up as best as possible.”

Despite being a seven-year professional, last year was just the first time Clarke had ridden the Giro.

He took the pink leader’s jersey from Michael Matthews on Stage 4 at OGE dominated the early part of the race and then found himself in the headlines after his gesture of sportsmanship in giving Team Sky’s Richie Porte a spare wheel.

On Friday he returns to the Giro responsible for guiding Cannondale’s campaign to get Rigoberto Uran on the top step of the podium.

“My first and primary objective is to be the road captain for Cannondale and help best guide Uran to GC success, on top of that role I will have the freedom to chase some individual stages,” Clarke said.

“Rigo has shown in the past that he can mix it with the best at the Giro and hopefully with a new team and some new motivation that can help him go one step higher on the podium.”

The 2016 Giro d’Italia starts with a 9.8km time trial on Friday and continues with 21 stages until Sunday, May 29.

There are 12 Australians on the preliminary start list including: Simon Clarke (Cannondale); Nathan Haas (Dimension Data); Heinrich Haussler, Leigh Howard, David Tanner (IAM Cycling); Adam Hansen (Lotto-Soudal); Rory Sutherland (Movistar); Caleb Ewan, Michael Hepburn, Damien Howson (Orica-GreenEDGE); Jay McCarthy (Tinkoff) and Jack Bobridge (Trek-Segafredo).

WHO IS ESTEBAN CHAVES?

HOW is it that a little-known Colombian climber who could barely speak English three years ago has become one of Orica-GreenEDGE’s most popular riders and its first genuine hope of winning a Grand Tour?

Esteban Chaves spoke to News Corp from Bogota last week about his background, ambitions and becoming an honourary Aussie.

“I feel like a little kangaroo,” he said.

You can read the special feature this weekend.

LAKE GUNNING FOR THE THREE PEAT

MELBOURNE cyclist Sean Lake will take aim at a three-peat in the Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classic on Saturday.

Lake won his first two titles with African Wildlife Safaris but has since switched teams to Avanti IsoWhey and made a cracking start to the year.

The 24-year-old was third in the time trial at nationals, debuted in the Tour Down Under and won the road race/time trial double at the Oceania Championships in the first week of March but has not raced since.

But in a warning to his rivals, Lake yesterday said after two months of solid training he was feeling as strong as ever.

“I’m really excited to head up to Grafton again and give it a crack at getting something special done,” he said.

Sean Lake gives it his all up a hill during this year’s national championships. Photo: Colleen Petch.

“We’ve got a really strong team and anyone is capable of winning the race themselves.

“(In the last 12 months) I think I’ve continued to improve and I’m getting stronger and smarter on the bike.

“It has been petty quiet since Oceanias but I’ve been getting in a really solid training block and endurance stuff.

“And it works well because after this I can do intensity and we have a big Asian and European block.

“I’m super excited about that (racing in Europe), that’s where I’ll learn a lot more and hopefully progress my skills.”

This weekend’s 228km Grafton to Inverell is the 56th edition of the race.

COMMENT: INNOCENT, GUILTY, OR CAN YOU BE BOTH?

IT can be cruel to the athlete but fundamental to the competition — when it comes to doping in sport you can be both innocent and guilty at the same time.

The question that sporting authorities must grapple with in such cases is how to distinguish one from the other, and fairly.

Australian football has just spent the best part of the last three years debating whether players should ultimately be responsible for what is in their system.

And according to the Court of Arbitration for Sport no matter how naive, how seemingly innocent or how trusting the player is, the final answer is yes.

So then what next for British cyclist Simon Yates, who rides for Australian team Orica-GreenEDGE (OGE) and returned a positive drug test in March?

It wasn’t your normal positive drug test however.

The substance detected in his system was Terbutaline, which OGE says was being used to treat his ongoing asthma problems.

That much is hardly being disputed, and in fact has been supported by riders and an international cycling doctor.

It is also supported by WADA’s stance on Terbutaline, which lists the drug as a ”specified substance” — more broadly meaning that in all likelihood it is being used to treat a medical condition and not to enhance performance.

For that reason, Yates has not been provisionally banned while his case is investigated.

The OGE doctor even declared the use of Terbutaline on a doping control form after Yates was tested at Paris-Nice in March, so it was hardly trying to be hidden.

But what the doctor didn’t do however was apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) which an athlete must have to be allowed to use the substance.

You can only imagine that horrible, sinking feeling when the doctor realised what had been overlooked.

Simon Yates during the Tour de France. Photo: Sarah Reed.

So the issue for Yates and OGE is twofold.

If the UCI and British Cycling accept that Yates was using Terbutaline via an inhaler to treat his asthma, then he should be cleared.

If only it was that easy ... the next question they must consider is to what extent is there an acceptable level of responsibility on the athlete’s part to make sure the TUE is in place?

OGE has already started tending documents to the UCI to explain the situation in an effort to clear Yates of any wrongdoing.

Few dispute that Yates is an innocent victim in this mess but will that mean he is exonerated?

The athlete whereabouts system poses a similar question. In some jurisdictions, if an athlete misses three random doping tests, then that constitutes a violation and they are banned.

But they might have popped out to get the milk when anti-doping knocked on the door, left for training early or stayed the night at a friend’s house and forgot to update the online form stating where they would be.

They might not have taken a banned substance but are punished for not following procedure.

Last year Norwegian cyclist Vegard Robinson Bugge received a four-month ban for testing positive to Terbutaline, which suggests authorities hardly consider the drug the work of the devil.

If Yates is handed a similar ban then it would be devastating for him.

Assuming that the Rio Olympics in August are the end-goal for the 23-year-old this season, then if any ban is not backdated then it’s likely to eliminate him from selection.

OGE says it is “concerned” by how information regarding Yates’ case was leaked to the media.

That should be the least of their concerns. More pressing should be the need to do everything they can to see Yates is not punished, or make sure such an administrative blunder is not repeated.

Common sense says Yates should be cleared.

But common sense also says a TUE should have avoided this situation in the first place.

So the buck stops with whom?

QUOTES OF THE WEEK ...

“This is the first time in the team’s history that we have a team assembled around a rider who has the genuine credentials to compete for the general classification.”

- Orica-GreenEDGE director Matt White on taking Esteban Chaves to the Giro d’Italia.

“Of course it’s disappointing to have to stop but I trust the medical team’s advice that it’s the right decision.”

- Richie Porte after he pulled out of the Tour of Romandie before Stage 2 due to illness.

“Obviously my big goal is to be ready for July. I needed some good racing this week to set me up for that.”

- Team Sky’s Chris Froome after winning a stage of Romandie.

TWEET, TWEET

What does cycling mean to us? This photo of @RohanDennis + @joeyrosskopf from #TDY captures it perfectly! #teamwork pic.twitter.com/yORCA8fici

— BMC Racing Team (@BMCProTeam) May 2, 2016

— BMC Racing Team shows the secret to its success — team work.

Originally published as The Coffee Ride #104, with Reece Homfray