Larpe positive for EPO

DaveyL

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/larpe-positive-for-epo

"Mickaël Larpe from the Continental team Roubaix-Lille-Métropole has tested positive for EPO, the French professional league announced today, just 10 hours after the police raided his house in Angoulême. The Frenchman faces a two-year ban and an inquiry is ongoing about trafficking of doping products."

A Frenchman, eh? Must be that creeping Americanisation of France we keep hearing about..

BikingBernie

As they say, 'If you can't beat them, join them'.

Still, it does go to show, along with all the other recent doping busts, that the 'sport' has learnt nothing in recent years. Meanwhile, those who have genuinely tried to do something about doping, such as Patrice Clerc, have been forced out of professional cycling.

All in all, it stinks.

micron

Guimard says the team know nothing officially.

Interesting that the UCI weren't going to do any controls at all and that the FFC are up in arms because the AFLD, by controlling 6 riders, have uncovered at least one positive. Wouldn't it be nice if all the anti doping agencies could work together instead of having stupid pissing contests?

DaveyL

BikingBernie wrote:

As they say, 'If you can't beat them, join them'.

Still, it does go to show, along with all the other recent doping busts, that the 'sport' has learnt nothing in recent years. Meanwhile, those who have genuinely tried to do something about doping, such as Patrice Clerc, have been forced out of professional cycling.

All in all, it stinks.

So this biological passport thing is not doing something about doping?

Check out the "Giro big name" thread, you might learn something!

BikingBernie

DaveyL wrote:

So this biological passport thing is not doing something about doping?

Whatever it is doing, it certainly doesn't seem to be stopping people from doping, does it?

It also seems that this bust was the result of an AFLD action, not the UCI's 'passport' scheme. (Apparently the UCI had no intention of testing any of the riders involved in this case). What's more, many of those implicated in the 'passport' bust seem prepared to challenge it's validity.

Remember the Landis saga? As the Carpenter's sang 'It's only just begun'.

DaveyL

BikingBernie wrote:

Whatever it is doing, it certainly doesn't seem to be stopping people from doping, does it?

No, but cheating goes on in every sport and I'm not aware of a 100% effective way to stop it. Cycling is making a pretty big effort with the passport and it seems to be generally acknowledged that the sport is much cleaner now than it was 10 years ago or less. You're not going to get a clean sport overnight.

BikingBernie wrote:

It also seems that this bust was the result of an AFLD action, not the UCI's 'passport' scheme. (Apparently the UCI had no intention of testing any of the riders involved in this case). What's more, many of those implicated in the 'passport' bust seem prepared to challenge it's validity.

Yes, but the passport has busted several riders, and several top riders. A lot of other riders have also tested positive since its introduction, possibly via target testing riders flagged up by the passport, so it is a two-pronged attack.

Yes, many riders might be "prepared" to challenge its validity. As you mention Landis, he challenged the validity of the carbon isotope test for testosterone. It didn't do him any good. Riders who are being sanctioned can say what they like, whether they can make any of it stick from a legal point of view is totally another matter. The passport is a completely new way to tackle doping and you would think it is very much at risk to a challenge, given it doesn't require a positive test to sanction a rider. it took a long time to set up and you can bet that was at least in part due to the UCI making sure they dotted their "i"s and crossed their "t"s.

I'd be interested to see if an athlete actually goes through with a challenge. Let's see if it happens.

andyp

DaveyL wrote:

Yes, many riders might be "prepared" to challenge its validity. As you mention Landis, he challenged the validity of the carbon isotope test for testosterone. It didn't do him any good. Riders who are being sanctioned can say what they like, whether they can make any of it stick from a legal point of view is totally another matter. The passport is a completely new way to tackle doping and you would think it is very much at risk to a challenge, given it doesn't require a positive test to sanction a rider. it took a long time to set up and you can bet that was at least in part due to the UCI making sure they dotted their "i"s and crossed their "t"s.
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From what I've heard. the UCI legal department were opposed to the passport from the outset so I think it's pretty watertight from a legal perspective.

DaveyL

They were opposed it?

andyp

So I believe. It's a new way of identifying doping methods so has a large element of risk attached. The last 6 words of that sentence are not something some lawyers like to hear.

DaveyL

But then you said it's pretty watertight from a legal perspective...

andyp

Yes. I think the reason it was delayed was because the UCI lawyers wanted it to be copper bottomed so that when the UCI took action based upon biological passport data there was no comeback on scientific grounds.

Anne Gripper should be applauded for the work she did at the UCI. For probably the first time in their history they are right at the leading edge of something.

Kléber

It's very good stuff... but it's been so badly handled. Look, here we have a big name who appears to have been caught. This should be a crowning moment for the UCI, using new technology and innovative methods to rumble a big time cheat, a real name.

Only the details get leaked, the rumours fly and finally the rider and his team are allowed to start putting the whole scheme under doubt.

Instead any riders named here should be stuffed and mounted on the wall. The UCI should announce they've been caught, there's incontrovertible evidence and the riders can appeal but they are banned from today onwards for two years. This should be backed up with a press release detailing the evidence in excruciating detail for any expert or nerd to check for themselves.

But no, it's a leak and slowly Liquigas are trying to undermine the scheme. What should be the jewel in the anti-doping crown is being chipped away because of UCI cackhanded failure.

DaveyL

Is Pelizotti starting the Giro?

Corporate Ascents

They seem to be dropping like flys at the moment.