Astana transfusion equipment "Criminal"

[Alpe d'Huez]

Tour de Swiss he could get away with

Or maybe the Tour of Gila. Better chance of winning too.

 

[BroDeal]

Could be a classic Contador-Armstrong type situation.

Not really. Schumacher's talent is real. It did not come out of a needle or from a dodgy doctor.

 

[L29205]

Not really. Schumacher's talent is real. It did not come out of a needle or from a dodgy doctor.

+1
Cannot Doctor up the reaction times that F-1 drivers have.

On the subject of the thread, it looks like LA's and JB's luck has finally run out. After all of the years of no positive tests results (other than the retro-active tests), they finally slip up. I still am not sure if anything will come of it other than it will be a prefect reason for ASO not giving them a spot in the crowded Tour field.

 

[patswana]

On the subject of the thread, it looks like LA's and JB's luck has finally run out.

Never underestimate the power of money to buy you out of trouble.

 

[Hugh Januss]

+1
Cannot Doctor up the reaction times that F-1 drivers have.

On the subject of the thread, it looks like LA's and JB's luck has finally run out. After all of the years of no positive tests results (other than the retro-active tests), they finally slip up. I still am not sure if anything will come of it other than it will be a prefect reason for ASO not giving them a spot in the crowded Tour field.

I would bet the last thing the new improved ASO wants is for anything to happen that would spoil the grudge match that they have lined up for next year. It is already clear that they now care more about the bottom line than fighting doping, they have got to be holding their breath right now.

 

[BroDeal]

On the subject of the thread, it looks like LA's and JB's luck has finally run out.

I would like to think so, but I just don't see it. Cycling is too corrupt to let a golden goose be slaughtered.

 

[Walshworld]

Astana Kazaks are behind this.

It's a weird but brilliant chess-move. They help the French with their DNA fingerprint investigation. It's not their problem anymore and revenge is the reason. Those riders are with Radio Shack now. The Kazaks are taking Radio Shack down. Twisted Spoke http://walshworld.wordpress.com/

 

[L29205]

I would like to think so, but I just don't see it. Cycling is too corrupt to let a golden goose be slaughtered.

Yes I agree with all of similar posts, but are they going to be able to influence a criminal case. The UCI will claim that they cannot release blood samples do to confidentiality contract with the riders (speculation not based on any factual information on signed contracts). It will be interesting to see if the French authorities follow through with matching the DNA. Will travel and tourism say make this go away?

 

[oldschoolnik]

It's a weird but brilliant chess-move. They help the French with their DNA fingerprint investigation. It's not their problem anymore and revenge is the reason. Those riders are with Radio Shack now. The Kazaks are taking Radio Shack down. Twisted Spoke http://walshworld.wordpress.com/

This site is a trip. I like the story line and hypothesis anyway.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Yes I agree with all of similar posts, but are they going to be able to influence a criminal case. The UCI will claim that they cannot release blood samples do to confidentiality contract with the riders (speculation not based on any factual information on signed contracts). It will be interesting to see if the French authorities follow through with matching the DNA. Will travel and tourism say make this go away?

All good questions, and speculation.

The UCI is like a political party, or weather vane, they go where the wind (or money) blows. They are likely going to sit back and wait to see how much pressure they are under to release the DNA info or pursue any sort of suspension or sanction. My guess is that the pressure would have to be very high in order for that to happen, and they'll try to hide behind obscure rule determination, such as contract confidentiality or civil rights, as you note, unless they feel threatened, in which case they'll say they'll ponder it, and then only if they have to, will cave.

The AFLD and ASO are a stronger, less corrupt pillar than the UCI, but this may be a bigger mess than they want to deal with right now.

I honestly don't know enough about the French judicial system to know how easily they can obtain the DNA to match. Or if they too are influenced enough by money to find ways to make the stall. I would think that laws or otherwise, again, external pressure will have a big say. If higher powers, be that politics or travel/tourism want it to go away, and there's not a huge protest from fans, they possibly could either plea it down to a fine of some sort, or dismiss it due to a technicality.

On the other hand, if there's a howl of protest that this is another example that the sport is corrupt and doped to it's core, and politicians get phone calls, newspapers get letters, and fans pressure sponsors , they could feel enough heat to fast track the case, and prosecute it to the fullest extent of the law.

Perhaps PouPou or some of our other French friends can comment on the political will as the news continues to develop.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Yes I agree with all of similar posts, but are they going to be able to influence a criminal case. The UCI will claim that they cannot release blood samples do to confidentiality contract with the riders (speculation not based on any factual information on signed contracts). It will be interesting to see if the French authorities follow through with matching the DNA. Will travel and tourism say make this go away?

That last is where I think that ASO will have more influence in this than UCI will, but with unfortunately the same or at least very similar goals.

 

[Race Radio]

I really don't see why the French would need the UCI for the DNA. They have at least a few of the riders DNA and it would be simple for them to request it from Astana. If they do not comply then no racing in France until they do.....besides what would they have to hide?

 

[El Imbatido]

Fcuk, i just read 29 pages of shit. Don't get me wrong the bickering between Rex and Radio and Thoughtforfood was entertaining but it really needs to be taken somewhere else.

My thoughts on the topic are that some big names finally lost. The system was at one time so easy to beat (ala 1999) but slowly (very slowly) that gap between being able to beat the system and getting caught has closed a fair way.

Things like the bio-passport and more controls and the whereabouts system, eventually getting a test for EPO and the catching of people using new substances ie CERA have attributed to it closing of the gap to a point where it was becoming more and more like playing Russian roulette. Eventually someone big was gonna go down and at the moment it looks like Armstrong, Contador, or Kloden in the cross-hairs on the doping authorities

 

[patswana]

It's a weird but brilliant chess-move. They help the French with their DNA fingerprint investigation. It's not their problem anymore and revenge is the reason. Those riders are with Radio Shack now. The Kazaks are taking Radio Shack down.

If you're right, what money that Mureyev is not one of the seven?

 

[CentralCaliBike]

My thoughts on the topic are that some big names finally lost. The system was at one time so easy to beat (ala 1999) but slowly (very slowly) that gap between being able to beat the system and getting caught has closed a fair way.

I just do not see this as somehow showing that "the system" is getting much harder to beat. According to the reports known at this point in time the evidence was handed over to the authorities for disposal - if it turns out to be illegal conduct, it will not be the doping agencies showing how much beater they are than the dopers as much as getting lucky, or the dopers just getting sloppy.

 

[Race Radio]

I just do not see this as somehow showing that "the system" is getting much harder to beat. According to the reports known at this point in time the evidence was handed over to the authorities for disposal - if it turns out to be illegal conduct, it will not be the doping agencies showing how much beater they are than the dopers as much as getting lucky, or the dopers just getting sloppy.

From what I understand this was not handed over in the official way but was disposed of outside the approved methods.

 

[CentralCaliBike]

From what I understand this was not handed over in the official way but was disposed of outside the approved methods.

I was thinking that I read somewhere that the evidence seized was located in the medical waste bins provided to the teams. According to one article previously posted here "Syringes and transfusion equipment believed to belong to teams were found in medical waste containers during the race and are currently being analysed." http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/8305492.stm From this article, I believe that the teams handed the evidence over to the French for disposal in the approved method (of course the article may be wrong but I have seen nothing that would suggest that so far).http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/8305492.stm

 

[craig1985]

Nothing will happen.

 

[53 x 11]

Nothing will happen.

Yup. But we can live in hope.....I do love a good scandal.

 

[frenchfry]

Perhaps PouPou or some of our other French friends can comment on the political will as the news continues to develop.

You can bet that Lancy-poo has already talked to his buddy Sarko, who will be doing his best to manipulate the justice system. Maybe they can share a blond when this blows over.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

If it doesn't blow over, guess who the "new" leader of Astana is?

That's right!

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Keep scrolling down!

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Oh yeah!

 

[poupou]

I honestly don't know enough about the French judicial system to know how easily they can obtain the DNA to match. Or if they too are influenced enough by money to find ways to make the stall. I would think that laws or otherwise, again, external pressure will have a big say. If higher powers, be that politics or travel/tourism want it to go away, and there's not a huge protest from fans, they possibly could either plea it down to a fine of some sort, or dismiss it due to a technicality.

On the other hand, if there's a howl of protest that this is another example that the sport is corrupt and doped to it's core, and politicians get phone calls, newspapers get letters, and fans pressure sponsors , they could feel enough heat to fast track the case, and prosecute it to the fullest extent of the law.

Perhaps PouPou or some of our other French friends can comment on the political will as the news continues to develop.

Of course, everything can append especially for France interest, people can be pressured to accept to dismiss the case.
But with the diner of Lance and Bruyneel with Sarkozy, that would be a political issue, with a lot of people happy to put our Great President in the mud.
Besides covering that crime make those people accomplices, so I doubt it would be stopped.

The only issue I could see is a bad handling of the whole affair making better to stop it than exposing incompetence. Likely I don't think that will happend.

The Shack team and his management are in la merde, comme on dit.

Maybe, it's a trick of Armstrong and Bruyneel who have stolen material of other team... or a trick of Contador to thank his loyal team

 

[BroDeal]

If it doesn't blow over, guess who the "new" leader of Astana is?

This reminds me. What happened to Kessler? Did I miss him signing for 2010? He would add a lot of firepower to Contador's TdF squad.

 

[richwagmn]

If it doesn't blow over, guess who the "new" leader of Astana is?

That's right!

.

.

.

.

.

.

Keep scrolling down!

.

.

.

.

.

.

Oh yeah!

Oh, the irony.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Thought you guys would like that.

This reminds me. What happened to Kessler? Did I miss him signing for 2010? He would add a lot of firepower to Contador's TdF squad.

And why didn't anyone sign Kashechkin? Okay, he doped, but he served his suspension. He also showed talent when he was young, so it's not like it was only doping that made him at least decent. You'd think Astana at the least give him another shot.