Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

At least all the 2008 TDF retests came out clean...phew.

And Schumacher is still trying to push the innocent line and blaming the early stage testing as unreliable and able to produce false positives ....



When will he give up and just accept he got caught....

Report: Astana team under investigation in France

(AP) – 50 minutes ago

PARIS — French prosecutors have reportedly launched a preliminary investigation against the Astana cycling team to examine syringes belonging to the squad during this year's Tour de France.

L'Equipe newspaper reported Tuesday on its Web site that prosecutors opened the case after "the discovery of several suspicious syringes in a container given by organizers to all the teams in order to collect the medical waste."

Tour de France winner Alberto Contador and third-place Lance Armstrong rode with Astana on this year's Tour. The Spaniard is still under contract with the Kazakh-funded team while the Texan left to launch his own squad, RadioShack.

According to L'Equipe, the syringes will be analyzed by a forensic lab called Toxlab, which is responsible for determining their content.

Gilbert Pepin, a doctor at the lab, was not available for comment and did not immediately respond to an e-mail from The Associated Press.

While there were no positive tests at this year's Tour, authorities did seize drugs that the French anti-doping agency's scientific adviser said raised questions.

The drugs — which include treatments for diabetes, high blood pressure and convulsions suffered by manic-depressives — are not banned but are "incongruous" in top-level athletes, said Professor Michel Rieu last week.

Rieu declined to say which teams the substances had been taken from, saying that it was part of a judicial investigation.

L'Equipe is giving it the tabloid treatment... sure they found some stuff and yes, it should be investigated if suspicious though only if suspicions are confirmed can fingers be pointed. It would a shame if the media jump on the bandwagon and it gets built up before anything has actually happened.

I assume syringe use would be legitimate if the contents are kosher? Ergo syringes in sharpsafes.
How dopey *groan* would a teams med staff have tobe to put "dirty" picks in an official receptacle?...

Shaun

A long article but IMHO worth a read.
Tom

Ethics of Performance Enhancement in Sport: Drugs and Gene Doping

I want to give you an example

Blood doping kits were discovered in a search of medical equipment belonging to Lance Armstrong's former (and Alberto Contador's current) Astana team during this year's Tour de France.

more here.

if their results from this year's Tour stand, then the sport is a sham. there shouldn't even be debate over who the kits belonged to. if these reports are proven, then the whole team should be disqualified.

Hi

Tom Zirbel has announced he tested positive in an anti-doping test conducted by the United States Anti Doping Association (USADA) following the US Pro time trial championships on August 29, 2009. The A-sample returned positive for an endogenous steroid Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Zirbel awaits the response of the B sample.

Source: CyclingNews

Andrew

Looks like Vaughters wanst going to hang around and see what the happens with the appeal

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vaughte ... out-zirbel

Unlucky for Tom but more of this would'nt go astray in some other teams

RICHARDH wrote:Looks like Vaughters wanst going to hang around and see what the happens with the appeal

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vaughte ... out-zirbel

Unlucky for Tom but more of this would'nt go astray in some other teams

Hi

More in thisCyclingnews.com posting.

Andrew

Hi

Swedish rider Niklas Axelsson has tested positive for EPO for the second time in his career. The 36-year-old returned the positive control from a doping control conducted in September. He now faces a lifetime ban if the B-sample confirms the result...

. Balance of the article at Cyclingnews.com.

Regards
Andrew

Surprise surprise. Ricco's missus (top italian cyclocrosser) is now having a B sample analysed, as her A sample tested +ve for EPO CERA.

Keeping it in the family ......

Some never learn

Hmmm, i wonder who had more drugs in them

Old school and new skool...

Hi

There is some suggestion that Landis is getting a little edgeee...

According to a former professional cycling team director who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Floyd Landis may have issued a barely-veiled public threat to write a book exposing what could be his knowledge of less-than-ethical behavior on at least one of his former teams - most likely, Lance Armstrong's old USPS squad. ..

More at Pappillon....

Andrew

the problem is, Lance would sue the pants off him for libel. truth isn't always an effective defence with libel, particularly when it's difficult to prove either way.

It will all come out in the end...

Just finished reading Bad Blood, and in conjunction with Lances' books plus the Tour De Force... cements my opinion that he is an arrogant pr..k who doesn't deserve any respect. LiveStrong is about the only worthwhile thing he has done in his life.

twizzle wrote:Just finished reading Bad Blood,

Who wrote this? Former rider, directiff, sports masseuse? Any comments?

...unlike now.

RobRollin wrote:

twizzle wrote:Just finished reading Bad Blood,

Who wrote this? Former rider, directiff, sports masseuse? Any comments?

Reporter. Couldn't ignore what was going on in the end, but basically... if you ask too many questions you are frozen out by Lance & friends, and without a news feed you don't have a job in velo. So the reporters basically turn a blind eye. Now I understand why Bernard Kole didn't name any names.

Cyclingnews.com wrote:Italian doctor describes taking banned drug and breast-feeding as ‘crazy’

The new junior Ricco squad is not looking that clean either. Who will be done next in his family, his gran?

Deal...