The biggest anti-doping investigation in history

[biker jk]

All the focus is on the USADA anti-doping case against Lance Armstrong. I'm glad he has finally been exposed and punished. But this isn't the biggest anti-doping investigation in history. Instead, the Italians have exposed a doping and tax evasion conspiracy involving riders such as Menchov & Scarponi, many teams (Liquigas, Lampre, Colnago, Geox, Androni, Katusha, Quick Step, CNF-Inox, Farnese Vini, Acqua&Sapone, Astana, RadioShack, Vacansoleil, ISD, CSF, LPR, Diquigiovanni, Tinkoff, Rabobank, Gerolsteiner and Milram) and a UCI lawyer (who is on the UCI disciplinary commission! and was the first hired by Contador for his defence in the clenbuterol case). It makes very sad reading.

http://english.gazzetta.it/More_sports/17-10-2012/the-ferrari-system-swiss-bank-accounts-fake-contracts-912946609743.shtml

[Ross]

More cyclists doping, who would of thunk it...

About time they started investigating doping in other sports, that would be a HUGE can of worms

[greyhoundtom]

Bugger...........that's a huge bombshell as it will involve a number of complete teams instead of individual riders.

[brawlo]

In my conversations with friends and comments on the net, it has always been my assertion that if this whole fiasco is to mean anything in the long term then it must be about a whole lot more than LA, and many more heads must roll. Bodies like the USADA and the UCI (still waiting to read their impending comments) must be fair and equitable in their treatment of other riders. Heads must roll all the way down the line if the public is to believe that these investigations have any teeth at all. Reading this story kind of comforts me in the respect that that in fact seems to be going to happen. It is a truly sad thing for cycling to be experiencing these terrible times, but I challenge anyone to say that it didn't need to happen. The sport will rebuild, there is too much grass roots participation for it not to happen, but there will be significant damage in the longer term.

are in danger of becoming a tsunami as riders and top athletes, such as the Olympic race walker Alex Schwazer (who tested positived for EPO) and other athletes from the biathlon and triathlon, all used to visit Ferrari

Also in my assertions, I have said that the USADA needs to treat other sports with the same level of scutiny. The drugs in sport problem goes WAY beyond cycling alone. At least this investigation seems to have some teeth in this respect as well. I was hoping after reading the above quote that the story would have more content in respect to other sports, but I guess that time will come, and cycling bashing is the flavour of the week/month.