[Doping] Kohl on his Programme...

[John the Monkey]

In an extensive interview with the French sports daily L’Equipe, Kohl said extractions of blood began nearly a year before competition.

“It was in August, 2007, when I submitted to the first extraction of blood destined to be used in the 2008 Tour. The second was in November, a liter each time,” Kohl told L’Equipe. “I had two liters at my disposition for July 2008. My blood was prepared, the plasma globules separated, coded and frozen.”

Kohl outlined when he would re-inject the blood into his system before key moments of the race, giving his system extra capacity to carry oxygen to his muscles needed to propel him up the torturous mountain roads.

...

Finally, Kohl said efforts of the biological passport have fallen short, and perhaps even aided the more nefarious members of the peloton.

“The top riders are so good at doping that they know what they need to do to keep their blood levels stable to escape targeting,” he said. “In fact, the UCI has shown us the levels of riders who failed tests. We used that as a reference to follow. The passport has almost helped us.”

http://www.velonews.com/article/93052

 

[Chuffy]

Well according to Pat Quaid we shouldn't believe a word Kohl says. After all, some of might be inconvenient...

 

[rich p]

Well if you believe half of what he says (and I can't see a reason not to) then our hope for a new dawn and ethic a couple of years ago seems sadly naive.

 

[Keith Oates]

If, and I repeat IF what he says is true then those who are really anti the doping scene had better start supporting tiddle winks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yello]

Yep, it paints a bleak picture.

 

[itisaboutthebike]

"Everybody in the cycling scene was convinced that this EPO was not detectable. Many more riders had taken it. Oddly enough, we were only three to fall. I am convinced that the top ten could have been positive,"

I don't doubt it.................if EPO give a 10-15% endurance boots then thats a big margin to make up for someone in the top 10 thats not doping. Just not gonna happen.

 

[itisaboutthebike]

And you wonder why McDead is keeping tight lipped ?

Why rock the boat - more dopers caught means sponsers deserting, so less money for the UCI and McDead

 

[Hont]

I'm not completely cynical yet. Kohl was an average performer before last year's tdf and he stood out a mile - along with the Saunier guys and Schumacher - as someone who's performance did not tally with whatever talent they had shown previously. Just because he didn't have the talent to do it without drugs does not mean that others don't. I remember last year's Tour as being one where nobody (who didn't end up being caught for EPO) sprinted away up a mountain from the others and they looked noticeably less comfortable than previous years when attacking.

Ricco looked miles ahead of the others, which if they were all on EPO he would not have done, surely? How Kohl can confidently assert that others were taking it when, presumably, they were just as secretive as him? Unless there's more to this Menchov story.

Ultimately, though, it's very difficult to catch a blood doper by random testing. It's going to be down to the teams to police it a la Columbia/Garmin.

 

[yenrod]

“When I learned that the French authorities were going to make new analysis after the Tour — I reassured myself, OK, I am dead, but others will be dead, too,” he said. “What were the French authorities going to do? Withdraw the complete GC of the Tour? I knew they wouldn’t dare. Bizarrely, only three of us took the fall. I am convinced that the top 10 would be positive.”

There was no immediate reaction from French anti-doping officials.

--------------------

Hardly surprising.

 

[John the Monkey]

Ultimately, though, it's very difficult to catch a blood doper by random testing. It's going to be down to the teams to police it a la Columbia/Garmin.

Not just by policing it, by being open as well - Kimmage tallked about that last year, about not having the door of the team bus slammed on you &c. I think the article was in Pro Cycling mag.

 

[rich p]

Am I right in thinking that this stuff needs to be looked after? You can't just bung it in your suitcase for 2 weeks and get it out to inject it in the bedroom? Do they still share rooms? Does it need to be refrigerated?
What I'm saying is, is it possible to do the dopage in isolation with no-one in the team knowing about it?

 

[rich p]

Antonio Colom has just been busted for EPO. Another Katusha rider bites the dust

 

[John the Monkey]

Antonio Colom has just been busted for EPO. Another Katusha rider bites the dust

Astana Alumnus too, isn't he?

Don't know the answers to your earlier questions, richp - I think there is *some* ongoing performance benefit (i.e. it could be taken some time before a race and still be effective) but I can't recall time periods etc.

 

[Hont]

Am I right in thinking that this stuff needs to be looked after? You can't just bung it in your suitcase for 2 weeks and get it out to inject it in the bedroom? Do they still share rooms? Does it need to be refrigerated?
What I'm saying is, is it possible to do the dopage in isolation with no-one in the team knowing about it?

What Kohl did was have his manager fly in and then he went to his manager's room after getting a text to say everything was ready. Kohl said it took 20 minutes and "no-one noticed anything" implying that his team was completely in the dark.

Interesting comments from Jonathan Vaughters this morning that seem to refute a lot of stuff about what Kohl was saying: re. the passport not working and that all the top 10 were doing the same.

 

[John the Monkey]

Colom says he is innocent, blames lab procedures. Where have we heard that before?

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2009/jun09/jun10news