Monday Musette – Moreno, Meeusen, Marianne, Medals, and a Miscarriage of Justice.

Fotoreporter Sirotti

1. Was there something contagious in the  Italian water this past week? Moreno Argentin followed Mario Cipollini’s comments about the de-machoing of cycling with his own, saying “A lot of people aren’t hungry for success,” and accusing both Alberto Contador and the UCI of being spineless and soft. He also said that both Contador and Andy Schleck are basically boring: “Made in a laboratory for one race. They haven’t got any originality.” Has he got a point?

2. A few weeks ago, Musette mentioned Sven Nys’s broken pedal, which either snapped or unthreaded as he was about to wind up a sprint against Tom Meeusen. Meeusen, to his credit, commented that he’d rather win cleanly. He got his chance this weekend, and outkicked Nys in snowy conditions in Kalmthout..

3. Also in Kalmthout, Katie Compton once again won a World Cup race – her third this year, beating Katerina Nash and World Champion Marianne Vos to the top step of the Podium. Can anybody beat Katie Compton? Vos’s third place, however, does not cause her to forfeit any of the many Badass Points she has accrued by winning numerous World Championships in road, track, and cyclocross racing, despite her tender age of 23.

4. From the Files of Overdue Prizes, Fabian Cancellara received his silver medal for the 2008 Olympic Road Race, since Davide Rebellin’s second-place finish was striken from the books due to his EPO-CERA positive.

5. In Vail, Colorado, controversy continues over the case of a hit-and-run of a cyclist and the subsequent refusal by the district attorney to prosecute the offense as a felony.

There you have it folks – your Monday Musette. What else is on your radar screen this morning?