Harty on cycling, Albion déjà and a youngsters NBA quest

For those not really familiar with professional cycling the name Alex Zulle, won’t really mean much. But he, among a number of others, could be in fact one of the hardest done by people in the history of sport.

The Swiss Rider finished runner-up in the 1999 Tour De France, without taking any performance enhancing substances.

It transpires that the winner of this race, Lance Armstrong, did take drugs and has been stripped of his title.

But what of Zulle? A true sportsman, but, as yet, the 1999 race has been given no new winner.

While giving him some kind of kudos some 13 years later, will anybody be accountable to recompenseing him, and the other subsequent winners of the races Armstrong has been disqualified from, for the income and endorsements that a Tour de France win would have brought?

Zulle retired nearly five years ago. Money may not be his motivation, but I’m sure there’s a lawyer somewhere prepared to fight his case.

With an ultimate sense of fair play, I hope he gets every penny, or should that be euro, due to him.

I’m getting an overwhelming sense of déjà vu at the Albion.

Competent sides arrive at the Amex with a clear game plan, get the lead and then shut up shop. Every great side in history has had a Plan B.

Hopefully, Gus Poyet’s hard work on the training ground will result in the Albion activating the said Plan B the next time a team arrive with their own, often repeated, game plan.

One of the most enjoyable things about this column is writing about the sporting success of some of our local youngsters.

Luke Nelson, son of Worthing Bears legend, Steve, has played local football, rugby and basketball at school and club level from a very young age.

During his time at Worthing Minors, my teams have had some classic encounters with him and his team-mates on the football field. But, clearly, with it being in his genes, basketball was always going to be his first love and priority.

So, the news that he has just been drafted by the University of California on a four-year basketball scholarship is certainly a huge step in his ultimate quest to play in the NBA.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m sure he will be the first Worthing person to do this if he does . . .