Another Positive

[paczki]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/tour08/news/?id=/news/2008/jul08/jul16news3

[Erik.Lazdins]

Your post was first!

Pretty sad story - I'm wondering how many more are out there. Is the tour cleaner than it was? Is there progress being made?

In my view it seems a daunting challenge to develop an irrefutible test and stay on top of all the reformulations of previous doping practices - ala Patrick Arnold and the the clear.

[paczki]

He was one of the 10 riders with funny blood profiles, so I suppose it was not a huge surprise to the authorities. I'm impressed by the TdFs commitment to keep on outing dopers. They could turn a blind eye, like they used to, and many fans would ignore it, but they don't. The sour grapes version is that after Festina the French were angrier and angrier that so many dopers did well and their riders did not. This has led to an ongoing commitment to anti-doping measures. But the authorities seemed thrilled to have Columbia and Garmin doing so well and they aren't French. I think the next step is to kick teams out when a positive comes up, and severely sanction the team managers, etc.

Both riders are Spanish, and that's another problem -- the Spanish authorities complete disinterest in doing anything about doping. Train in Spain and become an extraterrestrial!

Maybe they should draw and quarter Dr. Ferrari before the beginning of the next stage. I think I would fly out to see that. :banana:

[Fixed]

spanish inquisition ?
cheers

[goonster]

spanish inquisition ?


Noone expects it.

I'm impressed by the TdFs commitment to keep on outing dopers.

This is mostly the WADA's bag now, non?

[paczki]

This is mostly the WADA's bag now, non?

Yeah, but the TdF is clearly taking it all real seriously.

[rwsaunders]

spanish inquisition ?
cheers
.

[Charles M]

And it's another "B" team player...


I really think that if the tour (or the large bodies that will now run the sport) ABSOLUTELY have to require a team to take part in the same year round profiles that Garmin / Columbia are having.

Neither Beltran nor this *****heel would have been in the tour to start with had their teams been responsible.



My big fear now is that The LPR / Liquigas (Basso's new team) / Barloworld's of the peloton will be the new home of "champions"... In fact, It's where the scum is collecting already...

[bhungerford]

the good news is that it looks like the blood profiles are working. and hopefully the future governing body (whom ever that ends up being) will require this from all teams, and get those heavy sanctions on the teams for having a rider dope.

but to me it seems like it's really starting to clean up, and everyone seems to be continuing the fight.

and good racing so far too! a bit more exciting with no clear favorite, and the guys up at the top don't have the strongest of teams either.

[jeffg]

And it's another "B" team player...


I really think that if the tour (or the large bodies that will now run the sport) ABSOLUTELY have to require a team to take part in the same year round profiles that Garmin / Columbia are having.

Neither Beltran nor this *****heel would have been in the tour to start with had their teams been responsible.



My big fear now is that The LPR / Liquigas (Basso's new team) / Barloworld's of the peloton will be the new home of "champions"... In fact, It's where the scum is collecting already...

Agreed.

Also, aren't CSC and Astana both on a similar if not the same year round testing program? Just sayin

[Samster]

My big fear now is that The LPR / Liquigas (Basso's new team) / Barloworld's of the peloton will be the new home of "champions"... In fact, It's where the scum is collecting already...
"leaky-gas." there's a beano commercial in there somewhere.

[Charles M]

Agreed.

Also, aren't CSC and Astana both on a similar if not the same year round testing program? Just sayin


Yes they are... I'm just sayin, I bet the teams that really have gone that extra mile are not the ones that have gone the extra mile.

And there are teams that will crow about their new program, but it's a cheap knock off of what Garmin and High Road have...



I don't think it's reasonable to expect a drug free sport. But I do think we can get to a point where it's either virtually eliminated or so completely compressed that it will only cause the occasional dust up...

The year round profiles are, I think, part one of the only way to ensure the progress. Part two is to penalize the teams. The sponsors have taken care of part two to some degree...

But some of the B teams are (just my oppinion) pretty clearly not on the moral high ground of some of the A teams. And there simply cant be two levels...


The teams must face formal penalty from the organizers for a drug violation.
Thats the only way you'll see em make the effort to have clean riders.

[Louis]

Noone expects it.

GET THE COMFY CHAIR !!!!

[Charles M]

PS...

We interviewed Scott Sunderland and he said that when the news came down it was like a birthday party on the team bus...

I have also heard the comment (not a quote from Sunderland, just to be clear) that had this happened 2 years ago the teams moods would have been extremely reserved and quiet. You would have read the normal statement about how its(a dope test working) "good for the sport" but the mood of the riders would have been more concerned than happy. No body wants to know they're giving up an advantage and nobody wants to feel like "oh crap I could be the next guy caught". The feeling is that this is a way cleaner tour. There is also one team in particular that has the pointy hairs raised up on several team riders for their performance...

Man one or two more steps and this sport could be back on the rise.

[rustychisel]

PS...

There is also one team in particular that has the pointy hairs raised up on several team riders for their performance...


Which team, I ponder... Could it be they're hoping to CLIMB on the podium after some stellar mountain finishes?

Anyway, I think we're mostly aware what is required is the sanction of team managers and medical staff, and the ejection of teams who repeatedly violate.

[Ray]

Which team, I ponder... Could it be they're hoping to CLIMB on the podium after some stellar mountain finishes?

And perhaps hoping to wear a slightly different shade of yellow? When VdV was talking about the incredible attacks SD was putting in a few days ago, was that code?

-Ray

[Climb01742]

ricco, too "good" to be true... from velonews...

The French sports daily L’Equipe reported Thursday that Italian climbing sensation Ricardo Ricco (Saunier Duval) has tested positive for new variant of the blood booster erythropoietin (EPO).

Ricco, winner of two mountain stages and ninth in the overall standings, provided a urine sample which contained the banned substance CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator).

Like synthetic erythropoietin (rEPO), CERA was developed to as a treatment for the anemia that results from chronic kidney disease. Unlike single injections of rEPO, CERA interacts with erythropoietin receptors and has a longer-lasting effect.

The often brash and outspoken Ricco finished second in this year’s Giro d’Italia and has won stages six and nine at this year’s Tour de France. He finished Wednesday’s stage 2:29 behind Australian Cadel Evans in the overall standings, putting him in ninth place.

Ricco becomes the third rider to fail a doping test in this year's race after Spanish riders Moises Duenas (Barloworld) and Manuel Beltran (Liquigas) both tested positive for rEPO.

[paczki]

They've climbed into non-existence.

Directeur sportif Joxean Fernandez Matxin was surprised as anybody. "We only found out ten minutes ago. The entire team is ceasing its operation, not only in the Tour de France."

[Russell]

Two Spainish riders and now a rider for a Spanish team, maybe they should test the whole Spainish soccer team.

[Fixed]

that should surprise ? ..his hero was well you know who
cheers imho

[Charles M]

Two Spainish riders and now a rider for a Spanish team, maybe they should test the whole Spainish soccer team.


No way...

That's one of the more F'd up aspects of Operacion Puerto.

FIFA is so exceptionally strong that nobody would dare touch them, so Puerto turned into a "Cycling" thing despite lots of sports being involved. Cycling was the easy b!tch slap for WADA...


If the Spanish wont touch their own cyclists (Manolo Saiz was simply too stupid for words), no way they mess with their footballers.

[bike <3'er]

that should surprise ? ..his hero was well you know who
cheers imho

There used to be a Cat 1/Pro racer in this Forum who preached out that we were all inept, lacked the ability to judge as we are not fast and we should all shut up. I disagree. We should shout out and expose the cheaters, liars and hold them accountable 24/7/365. A Cat 5 or Cat Nada cylists's speed or wattage matters not in matters of morality regarding cheating in the sport; many medical doctors are chubby, but their opinion on your blood pressure or cholesterol issue is not diminished. Right is right and wrong is wrong.

Ricco is scum.

[rwsaunders]

If this same level of testing were instituted in the NFL or MLB, we'd have empty stadiums and no Nike commercials.

[rumrum888]

Each team should have to escrow a megabuck prior to the race, and on a confirmed positive test, forfeit it all charity.

[bike <3'er]

If this same level of testing were instituted in the NFL or MLB, we'd have empty stadiums and no Nike commercials.

Horse racing too.

Morality will get them, one sport at a time...

[Elefantino]

From VN:

World Anti-Doping Agency spokesman Frédéric Donzé told VeloNews that the Ricco case is proof that “WADA is very much aware of the development of new EPOs and biosimilar EPOs in an expanding market.”

“In the case of Mircera ─ CERA ─ thanks to the cooperation of the manufacturer of this substance (Roche) and of WADA-accredited laboratories, WADA received the molecule well in advance and was able to develop ways to detect it,” he said. “This case shows the significant work that WADA conducts in anticipating doping trends, including by closely cooperating with pharmaceutical companies at very early stages of the development of molecules or substances for therapeutic purposes to develop detection methods for anti-doping purposes.”

Cooperation from the drug companies!

[rwsaunders]

How is Rocco Mediate at age 45 staying near the leader board in the US Open and the British Open? :cool: