Biological passports not all that?

iainf72
iainf72 Posts: 15,784
edited November 2007 in Pro race
http://www.thepulse2007.org/?p=13#more-13

Although, expert guy did admit he doesn't have a better idea. And the new drugs will be ever more difficult to detect.

There is also mention of something that I've wondered about - Won't things like biological passports merely push the starting of a doping program to earlier in a career. If you start juicing up a 15 year old by the time he's into the elite system his "natural" number are already very high?
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.

Comments

  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    The biological passport was introduced by the French federation in the wake of the Festina scandal, so suggesting it's a new idea now suited to today's doping products is foolish.All elite riders use it, so junior stars can be tested from a young age onwards, changes in summer and winter can be reviewed.

    It would have been useful a decade ago but the UCI didn't like the French move - as it suggested that doping was rife, only invasive methods would prevent it - and they blocked any proposals to extend it to riders from outside France.

    Sadly, as ever, the UCI ignores good ideas and brings them in long after the horse has bolted.
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    In order to have elevated values accepted as your passport baseline, you'll need to be doping for part of the proceeding period. I believe we'll see a lot of out-of-competition testing in the weeks and months running up to the passport tests. There has been much comment on the fact that the UCI is not near its own proposed target for the number of tests - my guess is that they are waiting until the timing is right.

    Regarding the doping of underage riders - it has been happening for years, albeit at a very low level. I don't believe the introduction of the biological passports is going to make much difference to that. All you ever needed was a gifted but pliable young athlete, a dodgy coach and a pushy parent none of which are in short supply.
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Quoth the Vaughters from Cyclingnews today

    "Even with the blood profile, it's difficult to detect autologous blood transfusions"

    The more things change the more they stay the same it seems.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • It struck me that Vaughters has a lot of sound advice to pass on to the UCI. If the UCI can get their head out of each others backsides for long enough to listen that is.
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • That article suggest that there is confusion over whether irregularities in the passport/profile would be a doping offence or not. I think we decided it should be a 'health check' and result in a 'recovery period' i.e. they can't race for x weeks. Anyway as usual the UCI are seen to be erm, where are the UCI? Shouldn't they be preventing this sort of report by having a programme of development and assoicated changes to the rules and press releases on a known schedule?