Biological passport starting to see positive changes?

stagehopper

A few comments here from UCI Anti-doping manager Francesca Rossi and UCI Doctor Mario Zorzoli at a conference on "Ethics in Cycling":

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-rev ... of-cycling

"So far 850 riders have been followed with the passport programme and their whereabouts is monitored 365 days a year."

"Between 2008 and 2009, more than 19,000 test were done, 80% of them out of competition and 65% of them were blood tests."

"The percentage of tests showing suspicious data has dropped from 11% to 2-3%."

Pokerface

stagehopper wrote:

"The percentage of tests showing suspicious data has dropped from 11% to 2-3%."

The percentage of riders skilled at masking their doping practices has raised from 89% to 97-98%. 8)

Bronzie

stagehopper wrote:

UCI Doctor Mario Zorzoli

Cycling Fans Anonymous tweeted that they may as well have got Fuentes in to do the presentation.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/editions/lat ... ary-9-2007

dougzz

Pokerface wrote:

The percentage of riders skilled at masking their doping practices has raised from 89% to 97-98%. 8)

Sadly I feel this is probably closer to the truth.

stagehopper

You can't mask the blood values themselves ...

dave_1

Which other sports run a bio-passport testing system? How many days of the year are the blood dopers vulnerable with suspect blood profiles when they're extracting 10 pints of blood a year? Also, CERA should be added in one supposes so it can't be that safe?? Cera masks the drop auto trans creates, but is detectable. How many riders have enough of a salary to have an expert employed to help?

Pokerface

stagehopper wrote:

You can't mask the blood values themselves ...

You can manipulate them to look 'normal'

Kléber

It helps but it's about gathering intel.

What's interesting right now is that the UCI thought it had a watertight case against guys like Pellizotti and Valjavec, only to see the riders turn around a fight. Predictable perhaps but the Slovenian Federation has refused to sanction Valjavec and now Pellizotti's fighting hard in the courts.

Dave_1, I think Cross-Country Skiing has a similar scheme. It too has suffered from big name after big name being busted and major results being upturned.

sherer

As Kohl said the passport can help some as they can see all their values. All they need to do is keep them consistent and mirco dose rather than large dose. Some drugs have a life of 12 hours so once you are tested you can dope straight away and then you are in the clear.

Kleber raises something that I have always felt is an issue. As soon as there is a problem is goes to the local cycling federation. This is the problem as we have seen countless times in the past they never want to sanction a star rider and always back them.

Positive tests and even the testing needs to be done by someone who is independent not the cycling federation that uses the riders as a cash cow. What incentive do they have for banning their greatest star ?

stagehopper

I don't think it's completely stopping doping but as Kleber say can help with intelligence, may be making blood doping less effective and may force desperate riders to try more detectable methods.

If doping is cycling's Jack in the Box, I think it's adding a weight on top of the lid.

squired

Surely, if the passport is limiting the amount of doping that is possible it is creating a far more level playing field? If people can only put in 100ml of blood, whereas in the past they could do 500ml those who are riding clean are far more competitive. It must get to the point where the potential benefits simply aren't worth the bother and guys are doing it and simply getting a placebo effect.

Pokerface

Even the tiniest of advantages can mean the difference between a podium spot and the rest of the field unfortunately. So for some, it will still be worth the risk.

mididoctors

it is not making their life easier.

whatever the underlying figs are the number of guys n the top 3 steps getting busted is going up