Vino positive!!!

[Kalidurga]

Shouldn't this post have come with a "spoiler alert"?

It's been reported at CNN and in cyling news. Why would anyone want to maintain suspense at finding this out?

[Zen]

It's been reported at CNN and in cyling news. Why would anyone want to maintain suspense at finding this out?

Some of us (well, one for sure) were doing other stuff today, I only had one chance to use a computer.

It is unimaginable how they can do this day after day. They did it in 1903 without doping, if a rider has any moral standards and a true love of the sport for sports sake they wouldn't do it. I just don't get it, they're not exactly making pro football salaries.

[spazzdog]

I am absolutely and irrevocably disgusted...

Yeah, I know doping is far and wide. What gets me most is the arrogance and deceit. To sign an agreement to cycle clean knowing you're not, knowing that if you place anywhere near the top you'll be tested and randomly if you're in "the field"... I'm really pissed.

I'm thinking of following a new sport. What're the chances that shuffleboarders or croquet players dope?

It will be really interesting to hear the 4 muskateers take on this come 3:30 am (6:30 ET)... I'm imagining Phil Liggett will be be spewing all sorts of UK invective (like he doesn't personally know who's doping).

spazz

[emily_in_nc]

Some of us (well, one for sure) were doing other stuff today, I only had one chance to use a computer.

I initially thought the Astana news was a "spoiler" too, when my DH emailed me the news about Vino yesterday. Then I remembered it was a tour rest day, so there was nothing to spoil....except the tour for me, since I am/was a huge Vino fan.



Emily

[Bron]

It is unimaginable how they can do this day after day. They did it in 1903 without doping, if a rider has any moral standards and a true love of the sport for sports sake they wouldn't do it. I just don't get it, they're not exactly making pro football salaries.

Alas, they did dope even at the beginning of the 20th century - alcohol and ether to dull the pain were supposedly quite popular (as were other tactics like leaving broken glass on the road to burst opponents' tyres).

It still makes me very sad - I thought that this was going to be a clean Tour.

[IFjane]

From VeloNews's live feed from today's stage:

"News reports today suggest that the tests following Vinokourov's win on Monday also show signs of homologous blood doping. Neither positive has been confirmed by their respective B samples, but that has to be considered to be a bad sign."

[IFjane]

"bad doping result?!?!?! Today's l'Equipe is reporting that an as-of-yet-unnamed rider has tested positive for testosterone, following last Thursday's stage to Montpellier. We have no information on who that might be, so we will not speculate. There were eight riders tested that day, in case you're wondering.
Robert Hunter (stage winner)
Michael Rasmussen (yellow jersey)
Maxim Iglinskiy
Erik Zabel
Lilian Jegou
Cristian Morini
Kim Kirchen
Patxi Vila...

The UCI
will be making an announcement later today regarding the reported testosterone positive from the 11th stage last week."

[Aggie_Ama]

I am not sure what to make of the Vino incident. I am very disappointed but believe his results shouldn't have been leaked but that is how the doping tests go.

This is a pretty funny quote from him though (from Cyclingnews.com):

Vinokourov did manage a joke about his situation. "I heard that I made a transfusion with my father's blood," Vinokourov said. "That's absurd, I can tell you that with his blood, I would have tested positive for vodka

[Kalidurga]

I saw that quote at cyclingnews, too. It's frustrating in that he's denying it, but also saying "...I don't want to waste time in proving my innocence." Obviously, nothing is definitive until the B sample comes back (and possibly not even then), but this is beginning to sound like Ullrich's situation (I've never doped, but no, I won't provide anything that would help to prove my innocence). Time to take a deep breath, then sit back and just wait for the B sample and Vino's response, if any, to that.

[BikeMomma]

"bad doping result?!?!?! Today's l'Equipe is reporting that an as-of-yet-unnamed rider has tested positive for testosterone, following last Thursday's stage to Montpellier. We have no information on who that might be, so we will not speculate. There were eight riders tested that day, in case you're wondering.
Robert Hunter (stage winner)
Michael Rasmussen (yellow jersey)
Maxim Iglinskiy
Erik Zabel
Lilian Jegou
Cristian Morini
Kim Kirchen
Patxi Vila...

The UCI
will be making an announcement later today regarding the reported testosterone positive from the 11th stage last week."

It's Cristian Moreni of the Confidis team. The team is being allowed to stay.
Here's the story: http://www.velonews.com/tour2007/new...s/12930.0.html

He's denying his right to a B-sample, so that's as good as an admission.

~BikeMomma

[Zen]

Boonen is p.o.'ed

[Eden]

Alas, they did dope even at the beginning of the 20th century - alcohol and ether to dull the pain were supposedly quite popular (as were other tactics like leaving broken glass on the road to burst opponents' tyres).

It still makes me very sad - I thought that this was going to be a clean Tour.

Yeah - I have a history of the tour - It's NEVER been a "clean" tour. Drugs and other methods of cheating have been there since the beginning. The original organizer threatened to cancel it forever many times over the problems. Amphetemines were the drug of choice many years ago. Even the great Eddy Merkx had a suspension over amphetamine use! And think about what would happen today if anyone won all three jerseys (as Eddy did) - no one would believe it was a clean win, no matter how much testing proved it.

[Running Mommy]

Watching the end today (no I won't spoil it) I had to wonder "Is HE clean??" All I can do is pray that my boy Levi is playing by the rules. I really believe he is, but these guys are cracking my trust.. sigh..
Yeah, I felt like crying yesterday too. And I'm not even really a Vino fan. Just the whole mess!

[maillotpois]

Watching the end today (no I won't spoil it) I had to wonder "Is HE clean??"

Um. Apparently not...