[Doping] How Clean is the Tour De France?

[maurice]

Why not just let them all dope? So long as they do it sensibly and don't end up killing themselves then what's the problem? It's not "unfair" if they're all doing it.

Well that is the problem, with EPO in the 90's it got to the stage where riders were being forced to risk dying in their sleep just to be competitive.

 

[Chuffy]

Well that is the problem, with EPO in the 90's it got to the stage where riders were being forced to risk dying in their sleep just to be competitive.

Part of the reason behind Festina's team doping policy was to ensure rider safety in a carefully controlled environment.

 

[maurice]

I'm not sure how they could ensure rider safety when they're administering HGH.

 

[Chuffy]

I'm not sure how they could ensure rider safety when they're administering HGH.

'Safety' in relative terms. Certainly safer than riders administering it themselves without medical supervision. And it was EPO that I was principally referring to.

 

[maurice]

Well, clearly the 'ensure rider safety policy' doesn't stand up to a lot of scrutiny, when they're professionally administering stuff they have no idea the long-term effects of.

 

[Skip Madness]

Is there a connection between how clean the tour is and the fact that one team has four riders in the top six? Are Astana's pharmacists really that much better than everyone else's, or is it just that the rest of the peloton isn't doping any longer?

I think it's referred to as a team time trial.

 

[ufkacbln]

I believe the worst sport for doping is "Crown Bowls" with the highest ratio of positive tests.

 

[Will1985]

I think it's referred to as a team time trial.

+1
Any the fact that 2 are multiple grand tour winners while the other 2 are proven stage race winners. Astana is the Real Madrid of the cycling world.