Vino positive!!!

[Thorn]

You want to believe, but, then this....sigh....But, I will wait to see what he says. As a conspiracy theorist, how hard would it be to contaminate the blood sample? Or, perhaps, he really did it.

Still I continue to back cycling. It is a sport unlike any others in terms of truly being a "team" sport. The sport doesn't breed the superstar like other sports. Sure, Armstrong was the undisputed captain for Discovery, but, when it wasn't his race, he played domestique (images of him carrying water bottles for Danielson at the Tour de Georgia). You so rarely see that (and never in the US's most popular sports).

Doping aside, cycling is unique. I remain a fan...

[smilingcat]

I'm just really cynical about doping, drugs and such.

I've said it before, it's just too easy and they think they can get away with it. Very sad indeed but I'm not all the suprised.

The money and fame is just too great for some. So if you only took 1/2 or even 1/3 of what guys used to take, they think they can get an edge. For some that is all the difference they need to place on the podium. 4hour ride and at the finish its down to less than 5 seconds. 5 divided by 4x60x60. Its a very small percentage.

The another dark side of this doping/drug issue is some "spectators" want their team to win so they'll try to give other riders a spiked bottle in hopes that the other rider will test positive. And its no just drink but food, snack you name it. The riders for the most part know not to take any freebies from spectators and are INSTRUCTED NOT TO DRINK FREEBIE LIQUID from their coaches, mgrs. Maybe some have tried to use this as an excuse for testing positive.

smilingcat

[smilingcat]

EPO is also readily available at cat3 and all the way down to cat5. A lot of guys just don't care and think they are invincible. Until they die in there sleep that is. One of the side effects of EPO: blood is too thick and doesn't flow freely through your system is what I was told.

Other stuff is readily available too. I know Eden hasn't ran across and just can't imagine why anyone would spend $$ for the drugs just to win some measly primes. The guys who take it their head isn't screwed on right.

smilingcat

[Kalidurga]

David Millar's response to this is also very interesting. My first reaction was to think that yes, he served his suspension like a good boy, but he should still have a little more humility. But then I thought about the fact that this news was disclosed during a Saunier-Duval press conference in which that team was announcing something good that they were doing for the world and that their news was totally overshadowed. It's fairly understandable that he'd react so emotionally.

Once again, this confirms for me that Slipstream is a team to watch. If they're as vigilant as they advertise they are, they may very well be the only "clean" team in cycling. Millar was also going to announce that he's joining Slipstream in 2008, and there's a rumor that Dave Z will also be signing with them. That would definitely put them on the map and create some seriously high expectations for them.

[slinkedog]

What a total downer. I'm very sad for the sport of cycling, but I can't say I'm all that surprised. I hope in a few years cycling will be totally clean, but I doubt it.

My husband used to race Cat 1 on the track and went to the Olympic trials in 1996. He could never understand why there were some guys that just had it so much over everyone else. He was too naive to realize they were likely doping at the time... now he remembers all the puffy faces and other weird stuff that he never put together before. It's sad.

[Kano]

Never mind whether or not he or anyone else is or was doing it --

Last year was my first Tour.

The moment a guy had a Hors-crappegory day, followed by a stupendous day, he was busted.

This year, same thing, right around the same part of the race.

As a newcomer, it's not surprising to me that the drug-czars for this sport would choose to declare "Vino's Doping" the moment he has a big turn around.

Who will do a couple of rides like this and get accused next year?

Karen in Boise