Here we go again

shoppo33

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/19072007/ ... danes.html



Sounds to me like he is one of the men in black.

OffTheBackAdam

Very strange behaviour, if a UK athlete tried this, they'd be treated as having given a positive test!

bigdawg

this is just a copy of what Ive posted in another section of this site:

Rasmussen is one of the UCI's 'men in black - a groupe of cyclists that were supposedly training in odd places, and not wearing team kit.

Rasmussen admits he was one of these riders, he went to Brazil, because his wife's Brazilian (!!) to stay with her family for a couple of weeks, and he tries not to wear tem kit because he cant get any training done - when someone spots him they try and stop him to get autographs, have a chat etc..., not entirely condusive when your training for the tour.

I get the feeling he told them where he was going , they just couldnt be arsed to go there to get samples..., the UCI def knew where he was or they couldnt have classed him as one of the men in black...

Stephen Sorba

bigdawg wrote:

this is just a copy of what Ive posted in another section of this site:

I get the feeling he told them where he was going , they just couldnt be arsed to go there to get samples..., the UCI def knew where he was or they couldnt have classed him as one of the men in black...

I 'get the feeling' you're clutching at straws. There are various ways do describe his behaviour in the current climate and 'foolish' is the least derogatory.

bigdawg

tbh unless he actually tests positive for anything I cant see that hes actually done anything wrong - its the tdf, its loosely drugs related, thats all the media are interested in

if it had been the giro or lankowi we probably wouldnt have heard about this.

pete236uk

Look's like the Tour will be a sharade again I feel so let so let down to see people that I think are heroes only to find out they are dopers.

It's about time cycling got it sorted many people I know say all racing cyclists are druggies the governing bodies should ban positive cylists for life

bigdawg

lets not forget he hasnt actually missed any tests, or tested positive for anything....

but lets not let facts get inthe way... :?

pete236uk

I got into the tour a few years ago as someone that came from a different sport in younger life namely rugby,
I was amazed at these guys that rode the tour and have followed it for some years watching stages in the alps and uk.

I just feel that when I see a guy riding the tour have this horrible feeling they are not clean I even think of my hero Lance Armstrong and think I am not sure although I can not belive a guy with cancer would take performance drugs but not sure now.

The sport will die if this ongoing problem is not sorted

RIDE CLEAN AND BAN DOPERS FOR LIFE

bigdawg

tour director says he can carry on riding, hes been tested 5 times in the last 5 days and nothing has come up...

Non story.....surprise!

Stephen Sorba

bigdawg wrote:

tour director says he can carry on riding, hes been tested 5 times in the last 5 days and nothing has come up...

Non story.....surprise!

You really don't want to understand do you?
Perhaps the fact that has eluded you is that his own national federation have disowned him. Not that they know anything about the background to the story, unlike you.

'The director of the Danish Cycling Union (DCU) Jesper Worre told DR1 television station that Rasmussen had received a number of warnings over failing to inform doping authorities over his training whereabouts.

"We consider this case with great seriousness and the executive of the DCU decided that Michael will no longer be part of the national team and he was informed of this on June 26th," said Worre.'

And this when he leads the Tour De France, German TV has just pulled out after a rider testing positive (pre-tour), ex and current pros admitting to drug use, Petacchi not allowed to start etc etc

How much bigger would you like the story to be or shall we just bet back to sweeping everything under the carpet?

bigdawg

Im all for outing cheats, ban them for life as far as im concerned, but I also beleive in innocent until proven guilty. Depending on which story you read he hasnt missed any tests or hes missed two tests.

Drug stories in cycling are rushed out to get the sensational headline, with little regard given to actually getting the facts right, and I dont believe a career should be ended based on conjecture, surmise or made up headlines. If any one of those tests comes up a double positive then ban the guy, until they do let him race.

iainf72

Stephen Sorba wrote:

How much bigger would you like the story to be or shall we just bet back to sweeping everything under the carpet?

So, this happened in late June, no, and Rasmussen was informed.

Why did the Danes wait until nearly a month later, when the guy concerned was in the yellow jersey to announce it? Why not announce it in June and be done with it?

Stephen Sorba

iainf72 wrote:

Stephen Sorba wrote:

How much bigger would you like the story to be or shall we just bet back to sweeping everything under the carpet?

So, this happened in late June, no, and Rasmussen was informed.

Why did the Danes wait until nearly a month later, when the guy concerned was in the yellow jersey to announce it? Why not announce it in June and be done with it?

I don't know and nor do you. And I am not suggesting anyone is guilty. I'm suggesting that it's a 'story' which the media has to report on. Of course they like to sensationalise the issue as they do with all stories. To suggest that they pick on cycling, to invent conspiracy theories, to moan about how unjust criticism is, of a sport riddled with cheating, is just feeble.

Moose11

Definately a mountain out of a molehill here. I'm not convinced he's doping, though nor am I convinced he's not and that goes for the rest, but he hasn't failed a test, it seems there has been some kind of mix up and the Danish federation is in a bad mood with him. In all I think the media who dont care for the racing side of the sport are going at this because theres a little something there. It's unfortunate.

vinocough

Just because a rider doesn't wear team kit doesn't mean he's doping.Do they not have to tell the bodies that be where they are everyday anyway.Lets be honest if any of us saw Vino or Rassmussen out training would we not want to try and get on their wheel.They want to train in peace.

OffTheBackAdam

vinocough wrote:

Lets be honest if any of us saw Vino or Rassmussen out training would we not want to try and get on their wheel.They want to train in peace.

The only way I could get on their wheel is if the traffic ights turned red!
Suspect timing, The Chicken says one thing, his Federation another, in the current climate, I'd have expected any Tour contender to be doing everything to show the authorities that they were squeaky clean.

kyffin

I agree this should have been announced in June or after the tour. Why in the middle?
I'm fed up with certain members of the media just looking for half a drugs related story. Why not concestrate on the fantastic racing.
Also riders who dope should be banned for life from now on. It's the only way to eradicate the problem.
Give cycling a break!

OffTheBackAdam

It does look like the Danish Federation is milking this for all it's worth, they tell Rasmussen weks ago, the second missed date was in June, they let him ride their National Champs, then wait until he's in yellow until announcing it to the world.

ut_och_cykla

Swedish Eurosport commentator Vacci asked the other day - who else has not sent in his whereabouts letter to UCI in time this year? Did Ras actually miss a test? Has Ras been tested otherwise? Who else has been tested out of competition this year? How often? Where?

As I understand things Ras has two UCI warnings - Danish cycling has repeated these as their own making four. They have known about it for ages (weeks months?) and simply told him in mid June that with such warnings he couldn't be selected for Danish team for World's or Olympics next year.

Yes - Ras has behaved foolishly, but no he hasn't missed or failed a test yet as far as I know. He's not a big fave in my books, but the media witch hunt is getting tiresome. 2 big name field & track have been banned - no headlines, a Swedish swimmer, 6 month (?) ban recently, no headlines. Swedish drug free sport rep (!!!) caught taking party drugs last winter - one headline, two day story!!!

Yes cycling needs to clean up its act but even more important in my mind is to get the politics less polarised and the testing more transparent.

Phew - now I need a lie down!!

bigdawg

who are the track & field guys that have been caught??

lateralus

bigdawg wrote:

tour director says he can carry on riding, hes been tested 5 times in the last 5 days and nothing has come up...

Non story.....surprise!

Did anybody else see this article in the Times a couple of months back? http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 800926.ece

It's an interview with Victor Conte, who knows a bit about the subject of doping. It's very interesting on the subject of out-of-competition testing. A quote:

This business of “ducking and diving” is where Conte believes the system is beatable. “I don’t consider in-competition testing to even be dope-testing,” he said. “I call that IQ-testing. If you are dumb enough to be caught in a competition, then you are mentally retarded. It’s during the off-season that athletes do their real weight training. That’s where the doping problem has always been.”

Obviously, it's not quite the same drugs or type of training as a track athlete but, having read that, I can't help but feel that breaches of the "whereabouts" system have to be treated just as seriously as a failed test. Let's face it, these guys know what the rules are and the consequences.

ut_och_cykla

bigdawg wrote:

who are the track & field guys that have been caught??

A/ The female high jumper (not bergkvist - her worst rival!) and a pole jumper. Can't remember names- east european sounding if that doesn't sound like bigotry!