Were ALL riders tested BEFORE race started ?

john ponting

Did I head Brad say that 'they' were tested 2 days before the start of the Tour? Was this ALL riders from ALL teams?

If yes, then why were there no positives?

If no, then why not?

Cost is no excuse.

Is the effect of testosterone (on a trained athlete) so rapid that they don't take it pre Tour?

Is the effect of EPO so good that it can be taken between stages and have an effect worth the risk of detection?

I believed that steroids had a cumulative effect and were taken for an extended period pre season?

iainf72

Not sure if they're all tested. They all have blood tests for sure.

But, if they were

No positives because it's not that difficult to beat a test when you know it's coming.

The EPO urine test only works for 3 days after you take it and if you microdosed it probably wouldn't show up.

Drug tests are expensive though. It would cost the best part of US$ 100,000 to test all the riders before the start. And would take at least a week or two to get the results back.

john ponting

thanks Iain.

seems I need to get my sketchy knowledge up to date.

top_bhoy

iainf72 wrote:

Drug tests are expensive though. It would cost the best part of US$ 100,000 to test all the riders before the start. And would take at least a week or two to get the results back.

When you think of the money it will cost the tour in terms of fire-fighting these latest scandals and the lost reputation of the tour and cycling in general - if that figure is anywhere being correct then I feel that is a small price to pay. How much is the latest episodes worth in lost sponsorship?

To assist, maybe the teams could be asked to pay additional race fees to enter the race - which in effect would be about US$5k per team - again pretty trivial. Teams found with guilty riders would face further penalties.

Also, targetting of certain riders should be done - ie certain riders and/or team leaders have more extensive tests carried out on their blood.

richa

I believe they are ALL tested 2 days before the start of the tour.

OffTheBackAdam

I believe that the testing 2 days prior to the start is just for their baseline haematocrit, ensuring no one should start with an "unsafe" level of over 50%.