Betsema is back...so conflicted.

[crankles]

Well, she's back.
https://www.cxmagazine.com/denise-be...e-steroid-test

I was a huge fan of Betsema so I really want to believe her side of things...but I'm finding it sooooo hard...

[echelon_john]

The UCI is a joke. But then again so is FIFA, the NFL, the NBA, F1....the list goes on.

[72gmc]

By continuing to put forth opaque decisions, and press cases despite bad lab practices, the UCI has created a situation where it's a negative no matter what they say about an athlete associated with doping. All parties are tainted, and everything is conditional rather than clear.

I am cynical about the UCI's desire to fix this. I think it serves their ends to run Anti-Doping Theater rather than a genuine effort. The athletes get trashed and they can still sell the sport.

[Red Tornado]

Saw this story on other media and, yeah, I'm not sure what to make of it either.

She had such a, can I say "meteoric", rise to the top that it even surprised her. She admitted it in an interview. Something along the lines of "it happened faster than I thought, and it was easier than I thought it would be". That statement was a red flag for me. I think she tried to walk it back later.

I see three possibilities; or could be a combination of:
1. She is just that good.
2. The competition is not as good as it appeared to be.
3. She was on the juice.

At this point, most of us probably don't know. Results/performance from here on out might be a good indicator of how it all happened. Hope for her sake, she can replicate results. If not, I think she will be viewed as guilty in the court of public opinion.

[jpritchet74]

The athlete is responsible for what's in their body - there have been a lot of athletes who had entire careers ruined by "tainted supplements" (Tom Zirbel, the 2nd offense for Danielson are just the ones that come to mind).

The system is definitely broken, but when the "rules" have for quite some time been a 2 year ban for 1st offense & 4 years for 2nd (that's correct, right?) then her getting 6 months really sucks.

[Red Tornado]

Agree regarding the length of the ban.
Also not real thrilled with the timing, basically backdated to the off/early season. Doesn't even qualify as a slap on the wrist IMO.
Will be interesting to see the kind of reception she gets when she starts racing.

[rain dogs]

What do I know?... plus she's back for the end of the season and won't race Hoogerheide. Can she even race the world championships.... no, right? So, she races a couple of SSR's in Feb and the season is over.

And then next year, I guess she races but she's got to be pretty far down the pecking order of Dutch girls, especially with the emergence of Worst and that superstar Ceylin.

I guess you gotta trust the system but Katie Compton (who knows more than any of us, obvs) sounds pretty mad about it. And Katerina Nash....

it does look pretty ugly. I just hope she's not back for any of the bigger races and that its not a distraction from what has been a super fun season in the womens elite.

[lavi]

Whatever happened to: "DOPERS SUCK!"?

Or are we all agreed now that racing at the top end of the sport is likely a dirty business?

Zero shock she was juicing.

[William]

Originally Posted by lavi

Whatever happened to: "DOPERS SUCK!"?

Or are we all agreed now that racing at the top end of the sport is likely a dirty business?

Zero shock she was juicing.

Michelle says...


W.

[crankles]

Originally Posted by rain dogs

What do I know?... plus she's back for the end of the season and won't race Hoogerheide. Can she even race the world championships.... no, right? So, she races a couple of SSR's in Feb and the season is over.

I think you are right, article said UCI points were vacated during her backdated suspension so she's out of the top 50.

[crankles]

Originally Posted by lavi

Whatever happened to: "DOPERS SUCK!"?

Wishing I still had my Gerolsteiner dopers suck shirt!

[72gmc]

I recall DOPERS SUCK socks as well ...

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by 72gmc

I recall DOPERS SUCK socks as well ...

I've still got my "LIVE WRONG" wristband.

[homagesilkhope]

Betsema has been publicly disgraced, has had to hire both a doping expert and a lawyer and doesn't "wish this nightmare on anyone." Apparently she got into this mess because Belgian rules are strict and she wanted to reduce the risk of contamination, so she used a Belgian pharmacist to make her supplements and that didn't work out so well. She must be mad as hell about that.

So, what I'd like to know is the status of her claim against the not-so-good pharmacist - whose incompetence or negligence obviously forced her to go through this nightmare - and what comes of that.

[Gummee]

Let's think about this some:

UCI is usually pretty strict about the whole 'tainted whatever' excuse and they only suspended her for 6mos and backdated that suspension at that?

That tells me either Betsema has LA money to pay off the UCI or there may really have been tainted stuff. Being a female CX racer, it isn't likely she had LA money...

I wasn't there and I don't know any of the parties involved, but it seems that she may actually be telling the truth.

...and yeah, dopers suck. ...which leads me to the 'worship' of Pantani. Confuses the crap outta me. You either did or did not dope. You can't hate one without hating them all: Pantani, Armstrong, Virenque, Ullrich, et al all come to mind.

I'm curious about Indurain... Having watched him in his Tours, I'm betting he was on the EPO train too, just never got caught.

M