oops... CERA Giro 2008

[Rassendyll]

Just like David Millar..

And Marco Pantani... and Bjarne Riis... etc

 

[Dave5N]

Never tested positive? Not surprising, as the scheme discussed by ANdrea & Vaughters didn't involve the use of drugs. It involve homologous blood transfusions.

I believe at the time they did not test for it.

 

[Will1985]

Who cares about Armstrong? He wasn't even riding.

Back on topic, who might the suspect dopers be? I've already said Contador which leaves another 5 or 6. Interestingly the article doesn't say if any of these riders might include those already involved with other doping offences: Ricco, Sella, Di Luca, Bosisio, Pfannberger, (Richeze), Rebellin, Piepoli, Gusev.
I have always wondered about Bruseghin's early tour performance and ITT victory even though he was a known time triallist. My thoughts then wander to the non-Pro Tour squads; CSF Navigare immediately springs to mind since 2 have already been banned...the natural suspect is Baliani who appeared in a lot of breakaways and won the best breakaway rider award.

 

[Hont]

I'd actually be surprised if it did include Contador, as he was on holiday a week before (why would you take CERA if you were just training?) and has said that he intended to pull out before the race finished. Possibly took it when he realised he could win maybe? I think Vaughters/Andreu conversation may be relevant here, though, as it suggests that the Postal/Discovery/Astana method was using blood doping rather than drugs.

I'd be inclined to suspect the obvious suspects - Ricco, Piepoli, Di Luca.

 

[Will1985]

I'd actually be surprised if it did include Contador, as he was on holiday a week before (why would you take CERA if you were just training?)

That's even more of a reason to go on the sauce. While the rest of the peloton would have been near their peak in preparation for starting the Giro, Contador and some of his teammates had scheduled a period of low intensity training and holiday. One week's notice isn't enough to reach the same level of fitness as everybody else so they would have been playing catch-up most of the way to Milan.

 

[rich p]

My money would be on Contador being clean but what do I know. Definitely Ricco, Piepoli, Di Luca, Bosisio and Rebellin maybe

 

[yenrod]

Please be Contador..... If 2 out of the 3 best climbers at that Giro have already been caught, surely one of the 6 or 7 has to be him.

Well lets put it another way, did Miguel Indurain use EPO

 

[Rassendyll]

Indurain wasn't noted as a climber though. He tended to stay with the lead group on climbs, not attack and win like Armstrong or Contador.

His time advantage came from time trials.

 

[andrew_s]

(why would you take CERA if you were just training?)

For regenerating the blood you just banked for later use

 

[Dave5N]

For regenerating the blood you just banked for later use

 

[Hont]

For regenerating the blood you just banked for later use

Good point. That does make sense.

As to using it to get fit enough to compete, if he intended to quit before the end (as he stated) I'm not sure that he would run the risk, but I'm sure we will see in due course.

 

[Hont]

blood manipulation is detectable AKA hamilton

Hamilton did not use his own blood. Dave 5N actually meant autologous blood doping (i.e. using your own blood) which is very hard to detect. What Hamilton (and Vinokourov) got caught doing was using someone else's blood (homologous doping) for which there is a test available.

 

[Hont]

Well lets put it another way, did Miguel Indurain use EPO

Big units don't climb as well as Indurain did unless they're on something. Especially in the early 90s.

 

[Dave5N]

Hamilton did not use his own blood. Dave 5N actually meant autologous blood doping (i.e. using your own blood) which is very hard to detect. What Hamilton (and Vinokourov) got caught doing was using someone else's blood (homologous doping) for which there is a test available.

Quite right.

 

[Hont]

There is no current test for autologous blood doping - although there is one in development. The Bio passport mainly assists in targeting athletes - it does not of itself provide evidence of doping. No one has yet been detected using autologous blood doping, unfortunately.

Bernard Kohl admitted to blood doping but this was not discovered, even with the Bio passport. His use of CERA, fortunately, was.