A doping detection idea - dogs

[Dear Wiggo]

Dogs have an acute sense of smell. They can be trained to detect cancer, which I am guessing has a very subtle bouquet.

Have a few dogs interact with the cyclists in the morning, and anyone who gets special puppy attention can get tested then and there. They can do it at the hotel, so it's kept out of the public eye, and you wouldn't need to limit it to GC / jersey wearers, etc, as the dogs would be filtering the testing pool automatically.

You can't train a puppy to detect unknown chemicals, but the drugs commonly tested for would be a good start. You can do targeted testing based on how someone smells rather than a computer system, statistics or otherwise. Not to replace those things, but as a real-time, ad-hoc ping.

I have not looked, but data from drug sniffer dogs at airports could be used as
* a template for training and handling
* source for efficacy data, etc.

I realise
* embrocation smells or similar could mask any exogenous chemical smells in cyclists
* the dogs have human handlers, introducing a corruptible link in the chain
* noone in cycling admin, IOC or anywhere else is actually interested in preventing or stopping doping

However, I am curious on other's thoughts?

 

[la_bicicleta]

Sounds a bit over the top for a bunch of guys just riding bikes. BUT I think it would be a good implementation for when the law decides to pay visits to team buses, no more bus drivers hiding dope in their underwear

 

[kielbasa]

Masking perfumes?

 

[proffate]

What prevents there from being more tests is not that they don't know who to test (hint: test everyone), it's money. The drug sniffing dogs would cost money, hence there would be less left over for testing.

How about this idea? A binary search for drugs. Split the peloton into two halves. Have each half pee into a trough. Test each for drugs. The half that has less drugs in it, discard. Split the remaining peloton half into two equal parts. Have each half (now a quarter of the total) pee into a trough. Test each for drugs. Discard the less druggy half. Continue. Eventually, you will find a drug user, and you only needed log(n) tests to do it!

 

[BroDeal]

If nothing else it would be a good way to find Boonen's stash of coke.

 

[MarkvW]

Every rider could have their own personal dope dog that follows them everywhere, all year round. And the dog could have cameras, and audio, and live streaming. And there'd be a remote monitor watching everything 24 hours a day . . ..

 

[la_bicicleta]

Every rider could have their own personal dope dog that follows them everywhere, all year round. And the dog could have cameras, and audio, and live streaming. And there'd be a remote monitor watching everything 24 hours a day . . ..

Hmmm, The Dawg vs dope dog

 

[EnacheV]

i have a better idea

lets put a Big Brother cam on every cyclist

and have NSA to watch all their phones/mails

i know, its off season...

 

[LaFlorecita]

i have a better idea

lets put a Big Brother cam on every cyclist

and have NSA to watch all their phones/mails

i know, its off season...

Good idea

 

[Clausfarre]

Hmmm, The Dawg vs dope dog

Froome to press about his new dog: "I call him Watts and he is a marginal gain in the fight for clean cycling. He won't have to sniff about to learn about my secret, which is raw, ridiculous talent."

 

[sniper]

The average procyclist will find this measure inacceptabe because it treats cyclists as criminals.
for the same reason, i find it perfectly acceptable.
Let these dogs go through the teambusses.
piet de vos would think twice before hiding dynepo near his balls.

 

[Dear Wiggo]

The average procyclist will find this measure inacceptabe because it treats cyclists as criminals.
for the same reason, i find it perfectly acceptable.
Let these dogs go through the teambusses.
piet de vos would think twice before hiding dynepo near his balls.

So the dogs at the airport make the passengers feel like criminals as well?

 

[mattghg]

Could you train a dog to detect who's had a blood transfusion?

 

[ebandit]

well I will be dawg gone

how long would it be before a rider came up....................

with a TUE for their doggie phobia?

Mark L

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Could you train a dog to detect who's had a blood transfusion?

The information I have read indicates they are detecting a specific smell. As opposed to what people "normally" smell like.

Given the transfusions tend to be the person's own blood, I doubt there would be any difference in the smell.

They could probably be trained to detect plasticizers, assuming the cyclist was clueless enough to have used such a blood bag for storage.

Hmmm wait a second. The blood is stored in glycerin, isn't it? So maybe detecting that as a smell might be a step in the transfusion detection direction...

 

[sniper]

So the dogs at the airport make the passengers feel like criminals as well?

good point, though i'm not sure if the comparison is fully warranted.

anyway, i think most reactions from the peloton would be along the lines of "we're being criminalized".
If this reaction would indeed predominate it could of course be indicative of the high percentage of cheats in the peloton.

 

[Nicko.]

...
How about this idea? A binary search for drugs. Split the peloton into two halves. Have each half pee into a trough. Test each for drugs. The half that has less drugs in it, discard. Split the remaining peloton half into two equal parts. Have each half (now a quarter of the total) pee into a trough. Test each for drugs. Discard the less druggy half. Continue. Eventually, you will find a drug user, and you only needed log(n) tests to do it!

Nice outside-the-box idea!
Problem is, there might be nothing of importance in the pee, only something lacking in the blood...

How about this one:
1. EVERY Pro Tour rider has to visit a UCI-designated "pee- and blood sample" test facility once a month, year round. A sub-maximal ergometer test is also completed (for health reasons, of course...)
2. Pee and blood sampled are collected in competitions as is done now.
3. OOC testing is carried out as normal.
4. Here's the piece de resistance:
EVERY sample of EVERY rider is analysed at the end of the year, at one time, in one lab, rider & counsel present, with every sample threated and compared longitudinally.
Patterns will emerge between years, within the year, between planned and OOC tests, between teams (!) and between team "doctors".
Costs will be reduced, accuracy improved, legal counterattacks rare.
YEAH!!!
Apply liberal punishment, make all data public, put suspicious players under official observation.
Store half of the sample material for the future.

Done.

 

[IndianCyclist]

What prevents there from being more tests is not that they don't know who to test (hint: test everyone), it's money. The drug sniffing dogs would cost money, hence there would be less left over for testing.

How about this idea? A binary search for drugs. Split the peloton into two halves. Have each half pee into a trough. Test each for drugs. The half that has less drugs in it, discard. Split the remaining peloton half into two equal parts. Have each half (now a quarter of the total) pee into a trough. Test each for drugs. Discard the less druggy half. Continue. Eventually, you will find a drug user, and you only needed log(n) tests to do it!

A modification on ur idea. Each team pee in a common bottle. Test for drugs. Entire team disqualified if found. Anyway they share the winnings they should share the bad side as well. It could turn out to be a cost effective deterrent. Whistle blower will be rewarded with no penalty.

 

[kielbasa]

Newsflash: A champion cyclist told she has cervical cancer after a drug-sniffing dog mix-up.

 

[Parker]

Here are your problems:

1. Dogs can't smell everything.

2. Most of the main doping products - transfused blood, EPO, growth hormone, testosterone - occur naturally in the human body.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

how long would it be before a rider came up....................

with a TUE for their doggie phobia?

Mark L

or just allergic to the creature. Another TUE puffer on the cards.....

 

[WinterRider]

A modification on ur idea. Each team pee in a common bottle. Test for drugs. Entire team disqualified if found. Anyway they share the winnings they should share the bad side as well. It could turn out to be a cost effective deterrent. Whistle blower will be rewarded with no penalty.

This is a great idea.

 

[DirtyWorks]

This is a great idea.

Except the sports federation won't process the positive, if there is one.

The system they have technically works. The data appears to be there. Sports federations appear to be doing everything in their powers so no important athletes get popped.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

If nothing else it would be a good way to find Boonen's stash of coke.

Seat tube. Right next to the motor to keep it warm.

 

[MonkeyFace]

They are developing cancer sniffing dogs so the dogs can smell when something is out of whack. Who knows if they can detect other imbalances. I would be surprised. Maybe, they could be used to screen suspicious athletes to get a good guess that they still have X in their system to make better use of your 'real' test and make better use of the few blood samples you can take. A cheap effect test really needs to be developed to screen out dopers. Maybe, dogs could help make test more cost effective.

http://www.businessinsider.com/working-dog-center-dogs-can-smell-cancer-2013-8