Vino positive!!!

[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.

[missymaya]

I don't have cable or any of that and so when I visited my sister, who does have cable, I got to watch Vino do amazingly well on the time trial,especially after the hard times he has had for this tour. I thought it was great and then I read this morning about the positive test and was disheartened. Granted, we have a second sample to wait for, but even still, these guys should know better.It hurts me to see such great talent be based on something false.

But, with all of what's going on, I still love the sport and probably always will. I love watching it, reading it, and doing it. Maybe the sport needs to hit the lows to get the ones who are true to it and to change and to find those who have the talent to ride without needing to cheat, maybe not. I don't have the answers and I can't solve the problem, but I know I can try to help. I know that I will support those who promote a good, clean sport and work hard for the win instead of cheating.

[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...