May 9 - Bio Passports - Who is going to get busted!?

Pokerface

Article on CW stating that the UCI is planning to FINALLY release the results of the Bio Passports - and announce those who will be busted for failing. All just prior to the Giro.

They claim that it has taken so long because they want to make sure that the results stand up in a court of law.

So - any bets on who will be caught out?

Kléber

Given these tests are not some surprise new technique, I think they will only catch careless riders, not those on sophisticated programmes. It would be nice if they shook down the big doctors and their superstar clients though.

zammmmo

I hope they aren't going to release this information the day before the Giro. When Basso and Ullrich were banned from the Tour (the day before?) a few years back, it overshadowed the whole event in my view.

GroupOfOne MkII

They won't release them on the 9th, that's a weekend and everyone knows the UCI don't work weekends

Again though if they do release them then it seems a deliberate attempt to at best overrule someone elses event or at worst sabotage someone elses event. If some of the riders, and what's the betting it's only 1 or 2 'small' names, are on the Giro start list then it makes a mockery of it.

The UCI will know whose names they're announcing in the week running up to the event (unless they're in a sealed envelope like the BAFTA winners), so why not announce them midweek, rather than dramatically having to pull people out of the Giro at the last minute.

I do wonder however if it's a translation issue, and it should read they'll be announced "by 9th May".

zammmmo

I'd hate to think their motivation for waiting is to wait for more eyes to be cast in our direction with the inception of a Grand Tour, and therefore be seen to be tackling the doping issue. The two should be separated...doping unfortunately makes headlines but I like many cyclists who follow the pro scene just want to watch some decent sport.

disgruntledgoat

zammmmo wrote:

I hope they aren't going to release this information the day before the Giro. When Basso and Ullrich were banned from the Tour (the day before?) a few years back, it overshadowed the whole event in my view.

One could argue that Ullrich and Basso keeping bags of blood in Madrid's premier Black Pudding factory had more of a hand in overshadowing it than them being banned.

Damn those pesky anti-doping rules!

Pokerface

Better to announce doped riders BEFORE the start of the Giro - than during it or after it. Doped riders who are later caught out and disqualified can radically change the face of the race. Just look at the effect that Ricco had on the race last year.

Personally I don't care if a UCI announcement overshadows the Giro itself - I would rather see clean riders in the race.

As far as this Passport only catching out 'small' riders who are not on sophisticated programs - I hope that the whole point of it is that it will catch ANY rider who has been doping - regardless of how good their program is. I thought that was the point of testing over and over and over and monitoring all the results, etc.

We shall see...

Kléber

Why plan for a spectacular press conference? If they have the news ready today, announce it. If it's not ready, don't stir up the nest until it is.

hommelbier

Can we expect the list to include riders who are already banned such as Kohl, Schumacher, Ricco, etc. as they would have been included in the passport scheme when it was introduced?

Brian

andyp

This is the article that CW got their story from;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/ap ... iro-italia

blazing_saddles

I won't believe anything the UCI says, until Lance twitters it. :roll:

sing_for_absolution

UCI should announce it in the middle of a giro stage and any named riders in the race be brought down Bos-style.

stagehopper

Meanwhile over on Cycling Weekly's twitter:

"We've just heard a shocking story coming out of Spain. I really, really hope it's not true. If it is, Whereabouts testing could be dead."

micron

Could it be this? 'Spain passes decree to prevent night-time doping controls'

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show ... trols.html

They're really keen to protect their 'world beating' sportsmen in Spain, aren't they? I foresee Girona becoming awfully popular again for the world's best cyclists :roll:

andyp

They do like to protect their own in Spain don't they? As micron says, expect leading athletes from many sports moving to Spain in the coming months if this decree stands.

blazing_saddles

I suppose WADA and the IOC could write every athlete living in Spain, or even visiting Spain, as having missed tests, simply by scheduling them within that time window.
3 strikes and out, en masse.
They may pay a heavy price, for their tennis hero.

It is, however, consistent with Serrano's stonewalling of OP.
Should now be crystal clear to everyone, what is going on behind closed puertas.

LangerDan

Amyone know exactly what percentage of tests are actually carried out between 11pm and 8 am? In reality,this may be a red-herring to deflect from other more serious issues such as access to the Puerto data

One possible benefit from this change is that it may force pre-race tests to be held closer to the start time, reducing the opportunity for boosting between the test and the start.

iainf72

AFAIK, testing after 11 used to be forbidden. The code has changed but I remember with Kash one of the issues was they arrived at 22:45 and he said by the time they did the tests it would be past 23:00

le_patron

As Blazing Saddles says, how does a Spanish 'royal decree' over-rule WADA etc ? What would stop international bodies still counting night-time refused tests as a strike ?

All a bit bizarre.

cougie

I thought the athlete had to post where he would be available for a couple of hours each day ? So no need for midnight calls ? Cant see the issue myself ?

micron

Think the issue is that this is a direct challenge to the whereabouts rule - and if they can ban testing at these timnes what's to stop them saying it's banned between 2.00 and 6.00 and so on and so on?

Philip S

It's about time an almighty stink was kicked up about the Spanish attitude to drug testing... Who's going to start it?

stagehopper

cougie wrote:

I thought the athlete had to post where he would be available for a couple of hours each day ? So no need for midnight calls ? Cant see the issue myself ?

Just 1 hour per day - it was always athlete controlled. They just need to post it between 8am and 11pm now.

Kléber

Who is going to get busted? Possibly no one:

"I never spoke – and let me emphasize that – of definite positive cases. I simply said to the interviewer that there will probably be before the Grand Tours some communique from the UCI regarding the progress of the biological passport. But the contents of this communique could also be, and we all wish it would be thus ‘All fine, nothing to report, let’s carry on like this."

- Enrico Carpani, UCI spokesman.

Kléber

Here's the news from Spain:
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/deportes ... idep_2/Tes

It's a bit more than Micron's earlier earthtimes link. But it's not the technical "what hour can you test debate", it's the way Spain is sticking two fingers up to WADA, with this decree the Spanish government has signalled it doesn't want to work with WADA, it wants to undermine it.

skavanagh.bikeradar

Presumably it will be very easy nowfor the anti doping bodies and supporters to isolate Spain as doing so. With Puerto and this they really are nailing their colours to the mast. One can only imagine that recent Spanish sporting highlights in cycling, football and tennis being protected to some degree. WADA and the IOC could easily call their bluff.

blazing_saddles

Not just WADA and the IOC.
I can see all Spanish riders certainly getting the boot from German races. Their attitude to doping, will be a knee jerk one......in the direction of the Spanish groin.

So too, could the ASO. Again, the French could take this very seriously.
Indirectly and on top of an Italian ban, Valverde could end up with a Tour and classics block.

Not a lot McQuaid can say to the contrary, IMO.

Cumulonimbus

Be interesting to see what happens. I seem to remember that last year some notes went out to 23 (?) riders saying that their readings were abnormal. If these people have returned to normal then could it actually prove that they were doing something dodgy before or were the first notes regarded as a shot across the bows? Likewise at the tour they targetted some people with abnormal values and the tour director said these people's values returned to normal but that their performances became very ordinary.

I remember two names being linked to the original 23, both young riders, whose form doesnt seem to be following its logical progression.

eh

Its not just the Spanish kicking up a fuss though, isn't there a Belgium legal action going through at present? Plus football seems to be ignoring any WADA directives.

iainf72

Blazing Saddles wrote:

So too, could the ASO. Again, the French could take this very seriously.
.

The French ain't got much room to talk as the're prone to ignoring WADA guidelines from time to time.

Remember when the AFLD sanctioned Landis while his case was open with the USADA. That goes against the guidelines because ADA's are supposed to respect each other.

blazing_saddles

Apparently, the UCI have now done yet another "U" turn and are denying there's no one to bust.
Obviously, all the brown envelopes have now been safely banked in Switzerland. :roll:

Iain, I know. That's what I meant.