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?

[slinkedog]

We have very good friends who live in Paris and they say it's hard for Americans to understand how much the French hate the fact that Americans have been dominating the sport. It's a little scary, according to them.

[Fredwina]

who?
where?
what?
why?
when?
you're probably familar with these questions
who? where? what? we know that
why? (if he did it) One explanation is that the program was team-wide, and a mixup was made, and Vino got somebody else's blood, which means somebody on Astana has Vino's blood.
The ASO(The company that runs Le Tour) and the UCI offers Astana a deal. the team leaves en masse or we test all your riders.
I personally don't look for pro to be motivaed, as Smiling Cat mentioned ( and some of my RealLife buddies have confirmed) , doping is everywhere. Besides, I have a buddy on bikejournal that finished RAAM with 80 some-odd stiches

[jobob]

I'm with Kalidurga - this is hardly a "spoiler".

A debacle, yes.

[alpinerabbit]

The sponsors should be made to pay for cross-the-board tests, every day, on every player, in every sport. Heck some former golf pro suggested they should start testing the PGA tour, we'd see what comes out...

The riders are desperate, they need wins to support their life after 35. They've gambled everything on this sport.

You know what I do care about - we would not have access to Campy, carbon, or speedplay if it was not for drug-infested pro cycling. Now THAT would $uck.

[pll]

Thanks Fredwina! That clarifies it for me.

who?
The ASO(The company that runs Le Tour) and the UCI offers Astana a deal. the team leaves en masse or we test all your riders.
stiches

[Eden]

Wait! - the contract that the teams signed before the tour started - did that have a clause about pulling the team if a single rider tested positive? I will do some research. It would not suprise me.

[maillotpois]

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?

I think ZC was really more lamenting the fact that she'd rather not have found out about this. As all the rest of us probably feel.

[Fredwina]

Wait! - the contract that the teams signed before the tour started - did that have a clause about pulling the team if a single rider tested positive? I will do some research. It would not suprise me.

Could be that too. Spent too many years writing criminal records tracking system. Al othugh , most news source are reporting that they were "asked" to leave...

[amymisk]

It is sad to see. I was a bit disappointed in Vino, but not shocked.

I also don't believe it could be a simple mix up with same type blood. There are all kinds of anitbodies in blood that have to be checked for compatability, not just the blood type and Rh pos/neg. It would be astounding to me that they accidently mixed up the blood and it just so happened that both riders affected had no antibodies or reaction to the blood.

I would like to see a doping free tour but like others have said the money and fame make such a tempting offer. Not to mention, the fans who have a huge desire to see their hero be super human.

I am still a cycling fan and will continue to watch. If nothing else, Rasmussen and Contador have added a thrill.

[margo49]

DS#2 brought this to my attention as soon as he saw it on a local news site a few minutes ago...
Checked the Eurosport site first and then came over here...

Gutted, just gutted...

[Kano]

So, has any french rider ever tested positive when tested by this lab?

Karen in Boise

[Grog]

Yeah, the fact that they continue to use that lab bothers me, as well. I don't see any reason to frame Vino, as he's not a GC threat, but that lab's integrity has been called into question repeatedly so it just throws suspicion over any of their findings.

Considering the heavy stakes, I can't imagine a lab whose integrity wouldn't be questioned after its results were used to accuse riders of doping.

Of course the lab has had cases with Americans: they've been winning. Back-of-the-peloton French riders don't get tested as often because they don't win very often.

[xeney]

Don't think about Vino - think about the guys like Alberto Contador and how awesome he is....and hopefully clean and honest!

I love Contador, too, but remember he was already implicated in the Operacion Puerto scandal. I have no illusions that any of them are clean.

[maillotpois]

Recall that Vino will be the first rider to test positive under that new charter they made everyone sign before they could ride in the Tour. Under that agreement, he will forfeit his 2007 salary for a positive test.