Why no drugs scandals this year?

[Will1985]

Wasn't the Menchov blood bank issue raised before the end of the Giro?

 

[Chuffy]

I've been wondering this too. The whole 50% haematocrit level was a fairly arbitrary ceiling imposed in the late 90s and yes, it gave teams a ceiling to work to. Effectively it sanctioned use of EPO. Avoiding a +tive was easy, just plug yourself into a saline drip for 20 minutes before a test and you were clear. The passport should make that impossible because it tracks blood values across long periods of time.

My measure of how clean the Tour has been is the fact that Wiggy is (and I haven't seen todays stage, so don't correct me!) in third. I realise that I'm setting myself up for a massive fall , but even grumpy cynics like me have to have faith in something...

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Well, this one may not be over for a few months yet - retrospective testing to come for new drugs and probably more significantly, new masking agents.

 

[maurice]

lol, I love that mention of the UCI official spending an hour having Coffee with the Astana guys before testing the team.

 

[Steve Austin]

When someone like Contador beats a true world class timetrialer like cancellara then the next day climbs like a mountain goat, its got make you wonder what on earth is going on.

I would like to believe that folk are riding clean, but i'm having trouble..

 

[Chuffy]

Or maybe he is as doped as the others? Oh no I forgot, he lost some weight didn't he?

You need to read the sentence after the one you highlighted more carefully...

 

[Noodley]

There is nothing I have seen which would make me say anything other than I believe in Wiggins.



As an aside I have just finished reading "Heroes, Villains and Velodromes - Chris Hoy and Britain's Track Cycling Revolution" and Dave Brailsford is fairly open about doping and states there were 3 or 4 British road riders who who didn't get selected "because we know what you're doing" ....their response? "Oh, alright then". The 3 or 4 riders are stated to be road riders with continental professional teams....their names have never been disclosed. But I bet it would be interesting to see who are the 'missing' Brits from Team Sky

 

[Chuffy]

There is nothing I have seen which would make me say anything other than I believe in Wiggins.



As an aside I have just finished reading "Heroes, Villains and Velodromes - Chris Hoy and Britain's Track Cycling Revolution" and Dave Brailsford is fairly open about doping and states there were 3 or 4 British road riders who who didn't get selected "because we know what you're doing" ....their response? "Oh, alright then". The 3 or 4 riders are stated to be road riders with continental professional teams....their names have never been disclosed. But I bet it would be interesting to see who are the 'missing' Brits from Team Sky

Interesting. Selected for what precisely? And there's no guarantee that Team Sky will be all Brit or that all Brit riders will be good enough for it, so I don't think you can use that as a test...

 

[dellzeqq]

When someone like Contador beats a true world class timetrialer like cancellara then the next day climbs like a mountain goat, its got make you wonder what on earth is going on.

I would like to believe that folk are riding clean, but i'm having trouble..

absobloodylutely.

 

[Chuffy]

Latest from AFLD is that there may well be two new products in use plus the good old autologous blood transfusion. Interesting times ahead and anyone who thinks that the likes of Lemond, Kimmage et al should shut up needs to have a long hard think about those rosy-tinted specs they're wearing.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

The teams are so blase about this that they are chucking the packets out with the trash too, according to the AFLD. No doubt the UCI didn't think of looking there...

 

[Globalti]

In all the interviews with Wiggins I noticed that the subject of drugs in the Tour was carefully avoided. My belief (having read the Pantani book, a couple of others and now reading Kimmage) is that they are all doing it but the Omerta effect is alive and kicking and is doing its job. Too many professionals who make a living in various ways from the sport of cycling have realised that cycling doesn't need another scandal, especially when it is growing as a sport and a very lucrative one for the media and the suppliers of bikes, equipment etc.

 

[CotterPin]

In all the interviews with Wiggins I noticed that the subject of drugs in the Tour was carefully avoided. My belief (having read the Pantani book, a couple of others and now reading Kimmage) is that they are all doing it but the Omerta effect is alive and kicking and is doing its job. Too many professionals who make a living in various ways from the sport of cycling have realised that cycling doesn't need another scandal, especially when it is growing as a sport and a very lucrative one for the media and the suppliers of bikes, equipment etc.

I am sure I have heard Wiggins bring up the subject himself - something along the lines of "I know people will think I am doping but that is a problem with the sport right now." His attitude was in direct contrast to Contador's "next question" remarks. You can see where the Omerta really lies.

 

[Chuffy]

I am sure I have heard Wiggins bring up the subject himself - something along the lines of "I know people will think I am doping but that is a problem with the sport right now." His attitude was in direct contrast to Contador's "next question" remarks. You can see where the Omerta really lies.

I heard that too. Wiggy knows the score.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

The whole Garmin team are actually going to have their monitoring results put online. I like this kind of transparency.