Recent content by Martinello

Oleg's first team roster was basically identical to the convicted dopers list. Sort of RockRacing v.1.0. The guy is no stranger to doping and comes across to me as a results oriented businessman.

I can't see why Big Pharma would do such business with athletes. The risk of getting involved in some juicy scandal with celeb atheletes over a few thousand vials of NeoRecormon is just too big compared with the gains. Saleswise, the epo/hgh consumption of the pro athletes is a drop in the ocean...

The Roche-conspiracy probably only exists in the poor guys head. 70 employees servicing cyclists? That's one big department for a customer group who's pharma consumption of epo doesn't even come close to say a mid sized department of nephrology in e.g. Cologne or Girona. To the best of my...

The Roche-conspiracy probably only exists in the poor guys head. 70 employees servicing cyclists? That's one big department for a customer group who's pharma consumption of epo doesn't even come close to say a mid sized department of nephrology in e.g. Cologne or Girona. To the best of my...

Good and debate provocing post. Naming other riders/DS would probably get the rider involved in numerous law suits or at least threats of such. Even if the rider had iron clad evidence, the entire proces would probably bleed him dry, money wise, and obviously leave him lonesome and depressed...

P-N, but I have a bit of veneration for Cote d'Azur and have ridden some French amateur races in the area so I might be biased. With the return of the Col d'Eze TT and the whole concept of 'race towards the sun' P-N still is THE Spring stage race for me. On a side note, as others have...

You're right about that one, numerous instances can be mentioned, such as storing intralipid bags at 40-50C on the front seat of the car in July and then infusing it into 9 PDM riders. It's basically the issues the IV drug abusers battle every day. The stuff (i.e. heroine) itself is perfectly...

sounds like a clear cut case of sepsis to me (infection leading to an inflammatory response with vasodilatation, compromised circulation and resulting organ failure). I've seen healthy, younger patients deterioate within hours into life threatning multi-organ failure due to sepsis from urinary...

Other candidates: Dario Frigo (busted twice in police raids in 2001 and 2005, also withdrew from P-R one year due to gastro-enteritis, although he'd been riding like a motorcycle all week) Michael Rasmussen (no explanation needed) Raimondas Rumsas (or perharps his mother-in-law)...

Jaja in 1995 - probably wasn't totally reckless but he surely hit it spot on that year. Vuelta (including mountains and points), MSR, Fleche Wallone, Paris-Nice, 4th in the tour + points. What ever he was on that year, especially in the vuelta (albeit helped by a very dominant ONCE team)...

Strange that people keep on naming the Festina squad as being the worst dopers of the 90's. Surely, they had rather good results with Dufaux/Virenque/Brochard and to some extent Zulle (who never really reached his ONCE-levels). Although Voet might have an interest in describing himself and...

Ricco is just a cheap Vandenbroucke rip-off. At least VDB had the class to pay for the ride and use Tom Boonens photo on his fake license (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/francesco-del-ponte-speaks)

I'm finding it hard to believe that the same riders who only put on helmets at gunpoint 6 years ago are now using the "safety" card all the time. The argument with the shattered peloton on a mountain stage doesn't really hold true. If the riders are scattered over a distance of 5 kilometers...

The first phase I and II trials on epo were conducted in 1986-87 (Eschbach et al, 1987). Getting your hands on a phase I recombinant hormone on the black market in 1986-1987 cannot have been easy due to availability, knowledge on dosage and pricing. I'd be surprised if any athletes had access to...

In my opinion it's a close race between Cofidis, Milram and Liquigas. Cofidis were absent for most of the race, except for a couple of half-hearted attempts from Auge, Pauriol and Moinard. Too bad about Taraamae having to quit, he would have been a contender for the maillot pois in the first...