'Clean' squads in the hunt at Tour de France

Even as doping scandals plague the race, three teams that disavow drugs are making a strong showing. By Christa Case Bryant | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor from the July 23, 2008 edition This feature requires a newer version of Macromedia Flash Player and javascript-enabled browser. Reporter Christa Case Bryant discusses the importance of team dynamics in cycling. New York - Whatever hope the storied Tour de France had of avoiding doping scandals this year has evaporated, with positive drug tests precipitating the withdrawal of three riders and the dominant Saunier Duval team from Spain. But largely lost amid the news of riders' failed drug tests is the fact that many top cyclists on the Tour come from a trio of squeaky-clean squads. Though the teams' aggressive antidoping programs and outspoken stances have... [read full story]