Wow. So many. To one poster, I wanted to say HTFU. To another, I wanted to say STFU AND HTFU. And, I also wanted to say Lighten Up!
Listen to me. The logic behind reversing Ashenden's 30% to make it 70% is, ahem, INVALID. This is a commonly used argument technique - taking the opposite of a statement. But, the opposite is NOT necessarily true. The posters who point this out are correct. However, what they are so happily pointing out fails to recognize that MORE riders are clean - based on the same figures. We aren't talking figures accurate to four points here. We knew that, right?
Ok - moving on to the 30%. Please, poster, READ the references BEFORE you post!?@#!? It is patently obvious that several of you did NOT read the referenced article before posting. The reason you post is because you want me, and others, to seriously consider what you have to say. But, if it is OBVIOUS that you don't know what you are talking about, WHY should I listen to you? Ashenden CLEARLY stated that, since 2008, 30% of GT winners had been implicated in doping. Depending on your count, the actual number turns out to be 27.something percent - or something like that. So he rounds it to 30%. No problem by me - and I don't want to hear anybody complaining about a microscopic 3% difference. Depending on how you interpret events, it could be 32%. NO BFD!
What we DO have - approx 30% +/- 3%. Implicated in doping. GT podium. Ok. Next.
From 1995 to 2005, if you look at the GT podiums, I think your percent is gonna be like 95%. This has been the topic of other threads, and it was quite controversial trying to figure out who might have ridden CLEAN in those years. As I recall, only 3 riders in that 10 year period were NOT tagged by a direct doping accusation or test.
30% < 95%. You wanna argue that? Please - feel free.
You can hammer away at the 70%. You can righteously hammer away that it is false logic to say 70%. But we KNOW, based on the starting numbers, that things are better today than they were 5 years ago! Much better!
End result, we take Ashenden's negative spin, and try to find a positive spin. It is the same facts, the same numbers, but instead of pointing fingers of blame, we are trying to see where there might exist "HOPE".