The Chicken gets plucked!

[suzbyrd]

I'd be lying if I said I was pulling for Rasmussen. I'm pulling hard for the Discovery team. But dang, Ras had a great ride today. I wish I had the discipline those boys have to train and eat correctly and keep so little body fat that they are called the "chicken". I think it is terrible that the tests keep getting leaked to the press before there is confirmation. You'd have to be pretty dumb to dope and drug these days. I've said all along that Ras was cheating. If the Tour meant that much to him and he was clean, he'd make damn sure he was where he was supposed to be for the tests. I'm just praying someone doesn't make something up about Discovery. We've got to believe someone is CLEAN.

[Trekhawk]

Yeah, Levi and Chris Horner.

Hey dont even joke about Chris Horner he is such a cutie. I have withdrawal symptoms if I dont get to watch the Horner diaries. I will miss him when the tour finishes.

Trek-with a little crush-hawk

[ehirsch83]

Maybe they should just forget the yellow jersey and start competing for a tie-dyed jersey...

haha, if they bring in a tie-dyed jersey you might get a bunch of older dope smoking fixie riding men entering the tour, might be a little slower!
j/k

But in all reality all of this is sad and you know that they wouldn't just pull him for missing the tests, because otherwise he would have never started to race. They must have a feeling that he would be testing positive after his great ability to keep the yellow jersey....... but that is just my opinion

[Grog]

Maybe they should just forget the yellow jersey and start competing for a tie-dyed jersey...

Ask and you shall receive:

http://www.velowear.com/products/1010305PRT2XL.aspx

[Eden]

I dunno - I can understand balking at having ones every move charted.... its not that he had a list of time that he had to show up for controls and he missed them. Riders are required to present the doping control agency with an agenda of everywhere that they plan to be and when in detail, ahead of time, so that if the bloodsuckers decided to drop in unannonced they know where to find you..... I would certainly have a hard time living like that, I kind of like being able to be spontaneous....
What's next. Locked in their hotel rooms each night, all training camps to be held in North Korea, since they have plenty of experience running prison camps and providing government minders.
I'm afraid I am more on the side of the riders at this point. Sure they catch up some real cheats, but it seems now adays you can't win a race without automatically being accused of doping - maybe it should be a slow race instead. The person who can cross the line last wins - but if you put a foot on the ground you're disqualified.... We could put all 21 days into doing one stage.

[Grog]

haha, if they bring in a tie-dyed jersey you might get a bunch of older dope smoking fixie riding men entering the tour, might be a little slower!
j/k

You find just about everything on the Internet:

[spazzdog]

Another exasperating giggle-fest is Morini (?) of Cofidis...

He took part in the "we riders are so tired of the doping" start delay this morning... and was booted at the end of the day for a positive A sample from the other day.

Now that's nervy...

I've been wondering if Ras would go. I think a positive test is lurking out there and his team may be acting before the leak hits.

Drugs, sex, rock & roll... cycling, the new Woodstock.

spazz

p.s. there's some comment by Vino about his positive for doping being a mistake because "he had so much blood in his thighs". Do these guys not know basic biology... 8 (oops, or is it 9) pints of blood in the human body. Except in cycling where they have extra (in little see-through bags in the luggage).

[Grog]

Drugs, sex, rock & roll... cycling, the new Woodstock.

Yeah, without the sex and rock'n roll!

I feel so sorry for these guys. I'm surprised we don't hear of cyclists-suicides more often.

[Eden]

p.s. there's some comment by Vino about his positive for doping being a mistake because "he had so much blood in his thighs". Do these guys not know basic biology... 8 (oops, or is it 9) pints of blood in the human body. Except in cycling where they have extra (in little see-through bags in the luggage).

godness knows how badly this quote was mangled in its translation from Kazhak though.....
I've heard that some think the test shows new/vs old red blood cells and he was trying to make the point that he should have a lot of new cells since he lost a lot of blood from his injuries..., but the test for homologous blood doping actually does test for your cells v/s someone elses. The only way you can truely different types of red blood cells with totally different antigens is to be a true chimera, and that's not something that would only show in one test - ask Tyler how poor an argument that one is....

[Thorn]

Funny, I can believe Landis, I even believed Tyler....but Rasmussen? Naw...he didn't just miss one test, he missed 4 and then we find out he lied about what country he was in?!?!? Nope. Guilty. Signed.

As for Vino, I want to believe him, but it is tough...lab people, may I ask a dumb question? Is it possible to contaminate the sample to give the test results? That is, could the 'evil person' who wanted to see Vino tossed, contaminate his blood sample with a second person's blood? Or, is the blood treated when it is extracted, thus, making it impossible to contaminate?

[Eden]

If this is true (was posted on another board by a Brit) I can't see the TDF continuing this year.

Just reported on Sky news (TV) that most teams will leave the Tour and go home tomorrow..... T-Mobile, FDJ, CA, Gerostina amongst others plan to leave the Tour.... enough is enough..... they claim that until all teams play fair there is no point in racing races like the Tour........ well done UCI for withholding the information on Rasmussen before the Tour... what are they on ?

[spazzdog]

Man, oh, man... this would be a first!

If it continues, if I were Contador, I would refuse to wear the yellow jersey to start. Better to stay in the white one. It has less doo-doo on it this year.

spazz (who never liked yellow anyway )

p.s. I believed Tyler right up until he used the "chimera" defense. I walked away to go bury a bone at that point.

[Lifesgreat]

Wow! At the rate they are dropping from the TdF, I shoulda entered! I would have podiumed even with the climbing skills(?) I have. Ask AuntieK about them.

[Trekhawk]

If this is true (was posted on another board by a Brit) I can't see the TDF continuing this year.

Just reported on Sky news (TV) that most teams will leave the Tour and go home tomorrow..... T-Mobile, FDJ, CA, Gerostina amongst others plan to leave the Tour.... enough is enough..... they claim that until all teams play fair there is no point in racing races like the Tour........ well done UCI for withholding the information on Rasmussen before the Tour... what are they on ?

Oh I hope that is not true. For the clean riders that have trained so hard it would be one hell of a blow.

[mikki]

With all of these teams/riders pulling out/being sacked, the question arises: What happens to the standings? Does everyone just move up? What about KOM and green jersey? Do the points for each stage get reassigned to redistribute for the missing riders? Just curious

I'm sick of hearing about doping. It's sad that these athletes that we look to for inspiration in the sport we love are resorting to this sad tactic. What does it say when one has to dive to the level of having someone's blood transfused into them to get the burst they need to win? Perhaps that they should have trained at higher altitudes...