here we go again: Vino

[monnet]

Problem is, as has been revealed in the T-Mobile stuff, the doping is a culture that runs through the team. Given that Astana was formed out of Liberty Seguros I bet most knew what was going on and masseurs in particular have a reputation for knowing what's going on (usually as they're doing it). A few years ago I think David Moncoutie spoke out about drugs claiming that not only was it rife in the sport but also recreationally around the sport - riders, their wives and the directors all off their heads at annual parties etc.

As for the fine, well he'll lose a year's wages under the new rules. I like the apology idea - but walking's too good for him, make him do real penance and do it on his knees.

 

[Freewheel]

Hi all (nice to be here)

Being stage winner again on Monday he would have been tested again I presume?
Can this test also be used (as well as Saturday B test) to prove for/against his use.
How long do the blood cells show up on a test? hours, days?

 

[colint]

I hope he at least has the balls to admit it and we don't have to go through the whole Tyler fantasy stories again.

sod him anyway, todays stage should be a belter.

 

[Monty Dog]

Does anybody really think that there's anybody in the top 10 that isn't tainted? It's not even as though an 'off-day' is an indication of being clean - clearly some are better 'prepared' than others. The problem is that the petty sqabbling between the UCI and ASO is seriously detracting their efforts to clean-up the sport - does anyone really care about Unibet? These guys are fiddling whilst Rome burns. Ironically, there are many other sports that are playing a shrewder game, picking up sponsors who are disenfranchised with cycling, whilst the governing bodies appear to be far more complicit in sweeping it under the carpet - I mean, everybody still watches the 100m sprint, yet it would appear than anabolics is a pre-requisite for competing.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

IIRC, homologous blood doping is detectable for many weeks.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

The tests carried out after Monday's stage could not be used to confirm or refute the test results on Saturday as they are different samples all together.

 

[k-dog]

^ yeah, but surely testing those could provide a clue as to whether the samples were contaminated.

That's what always struck me about Floyd last year - he was in yellow for a while so was tested regularly - and only that one test showed something strange.

Not saying he didn't do it - just that it was odd - unless he was having transfusions during the Tour.

 

[fuzzy29]

It's only the rubbish that has been spouted by Landis and Hamilton that have even suggested that there might be a problem with the testing procedure. The European riders accept the findings and the French lad is up to the WADA standards. With all the practice they get each year, I wouldn't expect them to make a mistake.

 

[Blonde]

I expected as much - that's what you get with a team with loads of money... more and better drugs, and more and better ways of doping!

Me, cynical?

k-dog, according to Willy Voet's story of the Festina affair, yes they do transfusions and drip-feeds of all kinds of drugs during the tour. You'd think though that people would know that homologous blood doping was detectable for weeks after the event - so they are taking a big risk of being caught, doing anything either just before, or on the tour.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Vinokourov has insisted he has done nothing wrong, telling French sports newspaper L'Equipe: "It's a mistake. I never doped, that's not the way I see my profession.

"I think it's a mistake in part due to my crash. I have spoken to the team doctors who had a hypothesis that there was an enormous amount of blood in my thighs, which could have led to my positive test."

Vinokourov also claimed he and his team have been victimised: "It's been going on for months and today they're managing to demolish me.

"The setting-up of our team made a lot of people jealous and now we're paying the price. It's a shame to leave the Tour this way, but I don't want to waste time in proving my innocence."

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Astana has Kazakh support

The Switzerland-registered Astana ProTour squad has counted claims that it's on the brink of collapse following the damaging news that star rider Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for a homologous blood transfusion at the Tour de France. A brief release from the organisation, which has honoured Tour de France organiser's request to leave the Tour, stated the team will continue with the full support of the Kazakhstan Cycling Federation.

"Contrary to what some medias announced, the Astana Cycling Team goes on with its activities and will be at the start of the next two races : Sachsen Tour (July 25 - 29) and Brixia Tour (July 26-29)," declared the release from Astana's spokesperson Corinne Druey. "The team's management, still in Pau (Fra), just received the total support of the President of the Cycling Federation of Kazakhstan, Mr Danial Akhmetov."

The Kazak government has been a strong supporter of Vinokourov and the Astana team. The squad was formed last year following the collapse of Manolo Saiz's Liberty Seguros team in the fallout from Operación Puerto.

In an interview with Cyclingnews earlier this month, Kazakh Ambassador Erlan Idrissov said the significance of a Kazakh winner on the world stage cannot be underestimated. For the youngsters of Kazakhstan - a country where a rumoured 250,000 of the 15 million population are drug addicts - the example of Vino and Andrey Kashechkin is designed to be inspirational. "Many boys and girls will jump into cycling, they will stay away from drugs and bars and they will have something to devote their lives to," Idrissov said in the interview. "The message will be that they can also achieve success like this. And the government can support this message by building modern facilities for them."

 

[k-dog]

Many boys and girls will jump into cycling, they will stay away from drugs...

:lol

 

[MsMalfoy]

I feel so let down, if the B sample also tests positive then Vino deserves a life ban and the team and those directly involved, soigneurs, team doctors etc should also recieve serious punishment.
I'd really felt optimistic at the start of this years Tour, to be honest I think that this is still just the tip of a very dirty iceberg.

 

[monnet]

Can't remember where I saw it (Cyclingnews?) but it's been rumoured in L'equipe that his test after Monday's stage was positive too.

 

[monnet]

Can't remember where I saw it (Cyclingnews?) but it's been rumoured in L'equipe that his test after Monday's stage was positive too.

Well, you may also have seen it on the thread titled 'Vinokourov tested positive twice' also in this section!