Doping git thread

[rich p]

I'm disappointed in Lizzie Armitstead. After one missed test you should be extra vigilant and not to appeal the first failure seems bizarre or negligent.
Some mud has always stuck to Christine Ohorigou.

 

[HF2300]

I wonder if the irregularities over the first missed test were not felt to be a problem until the third missed test and the threat of a ban. I suspect if it was me I'd have been annoyed about it but let it slide, not thinking it might become important later.

 

[rich p]

I wonder if the irregularities over the first missed test were not felt to be a problem until the third missed test and the threat of a ban. I suspect if it was me I'd have been annoyed about it but let it slide, not thinking it might become important later.

If you were two tests down and one cock up away from disaster, I'd have thought that she or BC would have been shaken into action. Negligent at least.

 

[smutchin]

not to appeal the first failure seems bizarre or negligent.

To be fair, we don't really know much about what has gone on behind the scenes. My guess would be that she made an appeal to UKAD at the time that was rejected and it's only now CAS have got involved that it has come to light.

Some mud has always stuck to Christine Ohorigou.

The public have never warmed to Ohuruogu and we might speculate on the reasons for that. The fact that she received her ban before she'd really achieved anything of note won't help.

 

[Rustybucket]

She still missed another 2 tests? What happened with them? Sounds dodgy to me...

 

[HF2300]

She still missed another 2 tests? What happened with them? Sounds dodgy to me...

First test was dismissed by CAS because UKAD did not comply with their own procedures - the tester was felt not to have made a serious attempt to contact her. Second test was missed for 'administrative reasons' - for which read someone didn't do something they should have, such as telling UKAD her whereabouts. She's said that's a fair cop.

Third test was because she wasn't available when she said due to a last minute family emergency, which is the sort of thing the missed test procedure is there for - and to be honest, something I have every sympathy for; having had to rush across country myself because of a sudden serious illness in the family, I can see that getting online and reporting whereabouts, even for someone to whom it's routine, might not be the first thing on your mind.

 

[rich p]

To lose one parent test may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.'

Third test was because she wasn't available when she said due to a last minute family emergency, which is the sort of thing the missed test procedure is there for - and to be honest, something I have every sympathy for; having had to rush across country myself because of a sudden serious illness in the family, I can see that getting online and reporting whereabouts, even for someone to whom it's routine, might not be the first thing on your mind.

I'm not saying she is a doper and I'm not saying that we wouldn't be thinking of other things at a time of emergency, but she is a professional athlete and well aware of the procedures and constant testing - but this was a career ending issue.
As I said, very negligent at least.

 

[coffeejo]

I would imagine it's come as a massive wake up call to her, BC and other cyclists (though it seems to me to be like one of those rides where you suffer more punctures than you do spare tubes and patches).

 

[Dogtrousers]

Shouldn't really be a wake-up call. They should be awake already. I seem to remember reading in a Cav pulp autobiog about him missing a test which resulted in him firing his assistant who fouled up the whereabouts reporting.

 

[400bhp]

At what point did she appeal the first Miss I wonder ? After the second or the third ? Even if she appealed right away and it was under review, she should have been a lot more on the ball after that. Could do better.

I guess we don't know the rules of appeal? Perhaps you can't appeal until you are up to three.

Really poor show by Amistead (if she is clean).

 

[smutchin]

I'm not saying that we wouldn't be thinking of other things at a time of emergency, but she is a professional athlete and well aware of the procedures and constant testing - but this was a career ending issue.
As I said, very negligent at least.

It's unfortunate that the day of the emergency just happened to be the same day the tester decided to visit.

Makes you wonder how often riders forget to update their whereabouts in similar circumstances but get away with it. Probably leads to a bit of complacency.

 

[Buddfox]

I'm with Rich P on this. I just don't get how you can miss three tests and I think it is always suspicious.

You miss one, you must already be nervous, because the consequences are severe. Miss two? Almost the only thing I'd be thinking about is not missing the third. Family emergency or no, it's careless in the extreme and fans should be expected to presume that she was in fact up to no good. Very disappointed. Last minute changes in your schedule won't be happening all the time - the rigours of a professional training programme I am sure would see to that - so it doesn't seem that much to ask.

 

[rich p]

It's unfortunate that the day of the emergency just happened to be the same day the tester decided to visit.

Makes you wonder how often riders forget to update their whereabouts in similar circumstances but get away with it. Probably leads to a bit of complacency.

Indeed. It looks unfortunate to us, but I suspect if she was a Katusha rider we'd be crying 'the dog ate my homework' foul.
It would be illuminating if we knew how many cyclists missed one or two tests per annum. If it's a lot then it would help to indicate how hard compliance with the whereabouts testing is.
If it's only a few, then it flags up Lizzie as complacent or dodgy.
I'll settle for complacently negligent but that's because she's a Brit and looks trustworthy!

 

[smutchin]

It would be illuminating if we knew how many cyclists missed one or two tests per annum.

I don't know the numbers but I'm sure I remember Cav once mentioning in an interview that he was on two strikes. It's probably a lot more than we know about.

Updating your whereabouts is easy but it's another admin task and we're all human... This is not a valid excuse for a pro athlete.

 

[S-Express]

Shouldn't really be a wake-up call. They should be awake already

^^ this. Also, I don't buy the whole 'phone was turned off' thing. Nobody does that any more, especially a pro athlete with sponsor demands, personal appearances, and instagram accounts to keep up to date.