Doping git thread

[fimm]

Didn't Froome miss a test recently because the hotel wouldn't let the testers disturb him?

 

[rich p]

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.

I read an interview with Chris Froome earlier this year where he spoke about how rigorous he was about the system. For one thing, he made sure that the hotel staff were to wake him if anyone turned up at any time, day or night. I'll look for it when I finish work

 

[rich p]

Didn't Froome miss a test recently because the hotel wouldn't let the testers disturb him?

Cross posted fimm! We need to check up our facts

 

[fimm]

Cross posted fimm! We need to check up our facts

I wouldn't describe my post as "fact", more "something vaguely remembered or mis-remembered from something I read on the internet somewhere..."

 

[smutchin]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/jun/24/chris-froome-missed-drug-test-tour-de-france

“I had a couple of recovery days and I took my wife down to quite an exclusive hotel in Italy,” said Froome, who was forced to abandon last year’s Tour through injury after two crashes on stage five. “On the first morning the authorities pitched up at seven and the hotel staff actually wouldn’t give them access to our room and also refused to let them call up.

“So when we came down for breakfast at 8.30, they basically just said to us: ‘OK, the anti-doping guys were here to test you this morning but it’s our hotel policy not to let them disturb our clients or let anyone disturb our clients’. So that was a hugely frustrating situation for me.”

“I did appeal to try and explain the circumstances to the authorities but at the end of the day I take full responsibility for that case,” said Froome, who has previously claimed to have been tested more than 30 times in one three-week period.

“I should have been more proactive in letting the hotel know this was a possibility that I could be tested. I’ve certainly learned my lesson there. I’ve stayed in hotels all over the world and I’ve been tested all over the world without any issues at all. Unfortunately I just didn’t see this one coming but it’s opened my eyes and I’m definitely going to be more pro-active in the future. It’s always the athlete’s responsibility to make sure he or she is available for testing.”

 

[smutchin]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/jan/06/mark-cavendish-missed-drugs-test

"I missed an out of competition test last April," Cavendish, the Olympic road race favourite, said. "It was my mistake. I was with a film crew for the BBC and Giro d'Italia on Mount Etna. It was a simple, genuine administrative error. Of course I totally understand the importance of testing in sport. I was tested by the UCI [cycling's world governing body] a couple of weeks before that and twice in the fortnight after and had around 60 tests in all last year. It's part of the job and it's my job to make sure I don't miss another."

 

[smutchin]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/offredo-finds-whereabouts-ban-too-strict/

Offredo said that he has “learned a lot from this. I have become more organized and have a better view of things around me. Besides, I found out who I can trust.”

One of those he can trust is his team, to which he gives partial blame for his ban. “I have received great support from the team. Remember that one breach of the notification requirement was not just my fault. It may be the rider who has the responsibility, but when there is a change in the race program, the team usually makes the report.

 

[smutchin]

A UKAD spokeswoman apparently said "an athlete can accrue a combination of three missed tests or filing failures in 12 months under the World Anti-Doping Code" (rather than two) - so some confusion there.

I guess we don't know the rules of appeal?

http://www.ukad.org.uk/resources/document/uk-anti-doping-rules

 

[oldroadman]

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).

And there is no reason to believe this is not the case.

 

[oldroadman]

^^ 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.

Really? Then explain how a rider gets rest/sleep if the wretched phone rings all the time. The old days thing was to take the phone off the hook in the room and put up the "ne pas deranger" sign on the door. Woe betide anyone who tried to disturb. Agents and representatives have to deal with calls, that's what they get their percentage for. The UKAD tester could have called the agent/manager in an effort to get contact, if they didn't have a list of these people then they are at the least not doing their job properly. They have to put in a bit of effort to locate people, it's not a one way deal.

 

[HF2300]

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 ... I'll settle for complacently negligent but that's because she's a Brit and looks trustworthy!

I must admit this has been in the back of my mind during this discussion. I think when looking at these cases and crying foul (or not) you do tend to make a judgement on all the circumstances and behaviour, though, not just the missed test itself - or I try, anyway.

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.

... there have been a fair number of cases of missed tests, not just in cycling, due to tester error or lack of diligence in trying to track down the athlete and also due to athlete error of one sort or another; and there has been some criticism of the system (though I think perhaps less recently?)

 

[S-Express]

Really? Then explain how a rider gets rest/sleep if the wretched phone rings all the time.

You put it on silent.

 

[DogTired]

I read an interview with Chris Froome earlier this year where he spoke about how rigorous he was about the system. For one thing, he made sure that the hotel staff were to wake him if anyone turned up at any time, day or night. I'll look for it when I finish work

There's a bit on it here: http://www.itv.com/news/2015-06-25/froome-admits-he-missed-drugs-test-and-blames-hotel-staff/

Can't find any thing on the CAS judgement of Armistead on the CAS web-site, but Cycling weekly say that the disputed test was the first one and the two undisputed missed tests came after that. She's a lucky girl to have British Cycling fight her corner and cancel the first on a technicality.

The issue is the rules are there to protect clean athletes. This rule isnt about proving PED use, its about missing 3 tests - if you do you're banned. There's a huge spotlight on doping in cycling (from a UK perspective British Cycling too) and Olympic participation at the moment. If this was a Russian athlete the pitchforks would be out. Armistead is the world road cycling champion, not messing up the doping tests should be part of the professional game.

Some people think Froome dopes. Some people think Armstrong is innocent. In between is a big grey area. Where Armistead fits at the moment is ultimately down to personal belief. And thats not professional.

 

[HF2300]

You put it on silent.

In which case a sleeping athlete might not hear it...?

 

[S-Express]

In which case a sleeping athlete might not hear it...?

Nobody is suggesting calling her at 3am for a sample.