Ah geez....here we go again (Tour thread)

[NJBikeGal]

I certainly don't claim to know anything about the technical side of testing for these substances. However, it would seem to me that these guys KNOW that those running the tests are going to be specifically looking for EPO among other substances. It's this type of arrogant belief that they are going to get away with using the specific substance that is being looked for that I find amazing.

Case in point #3 - Riccardo Ricco.

[Kalidurga]

In Ricco's case, he was apparently using a new version of EPO that was thought to be harder to detect. Not hard enough, though.

[NJBikeGal]

I'll just listen to Jonathan Vaughters...

[VeloVT]

I'm kind of curious as to what's going on with Saunier-Duval. This morning during live coverage Phil & Paul seemed a bit perplexed that there wasn't more information regarding why the team withdrew.

Here's the official team statement from the Saunier-Duval website:

OFFICIAL STATEMENT
SAUNIER DUVAL-SCOTT Statement
17/07/2008
SAUNIER DUVAL-SCOTT announce that just an hour before the start of today´s stage, the French anti-doping agency notified Riccardo Riccò that he´d tested positive for a banned substance after the fourth stage of the Tour de France 2008. Although the Tour organisers allow teams to continue to participate after a positive test, given Riccò ´s important role to the team in the race, SAUNIER DUVAL-SCOTT have decided to withdraw in order to preserve the positive image of the team´s sponsors and the Tour de France itself. Riccò has been suspended.

Moreover, the team decided to temporarily abandon competition activities until this unfortunate incident is clarified.

The last line is curious? Wonder if there's concern by the sponsers that other riders might also be involved?


Anyhoo, my take on this whole issue:
People need to realize that there will NEVER be a tour that is 100% clean. Someone will always try to dope. Just like there will never be an Olympics that are 100% clean. So I get tired of hearing hysterical comments like "can cycling survive one more scandal? is this the END of cycling? this really casts doubt over the future of the tour..." when someone gets caught. I am not talking about this thread at all, I agree that it is disheartening whenever someone we admire tests positive (I was pretty upset when Marion Jones finally actually TESTED positive...of course it coincided with all sorts of other unsavory news about her, giving me a few other reasons to modify my opinion of her, but that's another subject entirely...). Versus plays into the hysteria with its anti-doping commercials (particularly the riding backwards one), you see this attitude both in coverage by mainstream media and in letters to the editor and (user generated) "comments" posts at sources like Cycle Sport and Cycling News. I think we need to be realistic about the goals and likely outcomes of testing in the sport -- and that means **not** expecting to have a tour without any incidents, because that will NEVER happen. I think the goal should be to "de-institutionalize" doping, to change the culture of the sport so that doping isn't just another part of every team's training regime. When that happens though, there will still be some dopers. Hopefully they will be caught and hopefully the incentives will continue to become stronger not to dope... I just get tired of the apocalyptic tone that often accompanies reports on doping in cycling...

Sorry for the rant/ramble...

[NJBikeGal]

Liza, I think you are right. There always have been and always will be cheaters. And I am probably always going to be disappointed when someone is caught...but it's not going to make me stop watching or loving cycling.

As for the Saunier Duval team...I have a feeling that quite a few of them were under suspicion and that they pulled the rest of the team in order to avoid a HUGE scandal and deal with a small one instead.

[Kalidurga]

I'll just listen to Jonathan Vaughters...

Thanks for that link, Sarah. I like Jonathan V more each day, in spite of his funky sideburns (or perhaps because of them ).

And I also agree with Liza. That "apocalyptic tone" pervades all news reporting these days and it's becoming very tiresome.

[Fredwina]

rumor on other web sites (pez) is that Saunier-duval is going to disband.(no word on if the team management pulled the plug or the sponsor got fed up)
so , "The Cobra" has put how many folks on the unemployment line ?