TDF not winnable without doping ?

No_Ta_Doctor

Bronzie wrote:

Brian B wrote:

If we believe that Basso was clean this year(his blood samples seem normal in reagrds to falling red blood cells count and all test results negative) then its possible that there are clean riders capable of winning the TDF.

Basso is now also coached by Sassi. He apparently arranges testing on his riders that includes the carbon-monoxide test to detect autologous blood transfusions. Not sure how much of a "clean guarantee" this is, but it's got to be worth more than the standard "I've passed every dope test" line.

http://theinnerring.blogspot.com/2010/1 ... -dust.html

Interesting approach, though I'm always suspicious of teams monitoring their riders if the information isn't also available to WADA etc. It can be used as a good excuse to get rid of a problematic rider but would they fire a team leader?

I wonder if it might be possible to implement WADA/UCI blood monitoring program using a selection of traceable non-toxic chemicals? It should be possible to find a blood tagging chemical or two that would be impossible to get into your bloodstream/urine in any other way than eating a pill from the dope controllers. Give each rider a bag full of pills: This week take pill 4, next week take pill 7 etc. The riders wouldn't know which trace they were given, and if it turned up later, during the wrong test....

Bronzie

No tA Doctor wrote:

Interesting approach, though I'm always suspicious of teams monitoring their riders if the information isn't also available to WADA etc. It can be used as a good excuse to get rid of a problematic rider but would they fire a team leader?

I think Sassi is Basso's own personal coach rather than anything to do with Liquigas as a team. It's fair to say that there are some major questionmarks over much of the Liquigas team itself.

But I guess it holds true that Sassi would not want to be linked with any dodgy practices should he be the one to uncover them. It would look bad for him, his other clients and the Mapei training centre. Easier to get the carpet sweeper out.