Boonen on coke - again!?

[Cobblestones]

A decision consistent with last year's.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

sporza.be says the same.

it's bull****.
(i wanted to say: at least they're consistent: but did'nt ASO said they would follow the UCI decision??)

 

[39*23t]

uci said they would only make a decision after the tour pushing the ball back to aso's court to deal with lawsuit

 

[Jasper]

I'm not too happy with this, but I saw it coming. ASO makes clear that they still make their own rules, no matter what. I wonder what Lefevre will do now. Will he put his money where his mouth is?

 

[Bala Verde]

A decision consistent with last year's.

I'm not too happy with this, but I saw it coming. ASO makes clear that they still make their own rules, no matter what. I wonder what Lefevre will do now. Will he put his money where his mouth is?

As Cobbles indicates, it's consistent with his previous exclusion. As a professional organisation,could they really diverge from that decision (not to say that that decision was right/wrong)?

 

[Jasper]

That's why I said that I saw it coming

 

[Jasper]

But what are they going to do with Valv.piti now? The case is pretty similar, and even if there is no legal ground to keep him out of the race - yet - he's not really doing any good for cyclings image and integrity too, now is he? Does the ASO even remember last year, when off season XTC muncher and drunken driver Schumacher was allowed to participate (I still don't get why he got off the hook, and Boonen didn't), won 2 stages in an impressive way, but a few weeks later got his *** busted for using CERA. That blew up in their faces. Are they going to do the same thing with Valverde now, while in the meantime using Boonen to set an example? That would be pretty hypocrite imo, not to mention plain stupid.

 

[Cobblestones]

Valverde might decide not ride anyway since he won't be allowed to finish (there is this little excursion to Italy). A more interesting case is Kloden. When OP broke, ASO reacted very quickly and decisively on what one might call circumstantial evidence. To be consistent with that, they should at least have a good look at the Freiburg report.

 

[jfarbs]

I disagree completely. The ASO has no right to ban Tom for recreational, non-performance enhancing drug use, out of competition no less. This is a victimless crime. The ASO must own shares in Mark Cavendish (or maybe he is actually French?) as they once again snub Tom and the QuickStep team. I hope the lawsuit goes ahead.

 

[BroDeal]

Valverde might decide not ride anyway since he won't be allowed to finish (there is this little excursion to Italy). A more interesting case is Kloden. When OP broke, ASO reacted very quickly and decisively on what one might call circumstantial evidence. To be consistent with that, they should at least have a good look at the Freiburg report.

Kloden's situation will be interesting. I think they will prevent his start because the ASO appears to be desperate to avoid any and all doping problems this year. At any point in the TdF new info about Klodi could pop up.

 

[BikeCentric]

What a shame. I think Boonen is one of the very few "greats" that is currently riding in the pro peloton. Here's to hoping he just chills out a bit on the party scene and wins some more classics before he retires.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

You say there consistent. But being cosistent when you're wrong isn't wise, it's just stubborn.

 

[titan_90]

I couldn't care less if Boone got popped for coke in a out of competition test. The guy should be allowed to race.

 

[BroDeal]

I don't know where to put this and I did not want to start a new thread, but as long as we are talking about recreational drugs...remember Missy Giove, pro mountain biker from the 90s? She just got busted with four hundred pounds of pot and a million dollars in cash. This is proof positive that wearing a piranha around your neck leads to the harder stuff.

http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2009/06/17/news/doc4a39678ba7370791741445.txt

 

[Zoncolan]

So, it's okay for blood doped Kloden to comptete at the Tour, but not for Tommeke who likes to party a bit too much?

 

[Jasper]

It was already a travesty with Schumacher being allowed to race and Boonen not, while Schumi did the exact same thing. Now we have Boonen banned again under the guise of "consistency", while certified and soon to be convicted blood dopers like Klöden and Valverde could participate if they really want to. That's so random and arbitrary, and I really hope the Quick Step lawyers can find a way to sue the hell out of the ASO. Next thing you know they ban him from next years Paris-Roubaix, just because they think they can...

 

[lucybears]

I really hope the Quick Step lawyers can find a way to sue the hell out of the ASO. QUOTE]

http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/090619_boonen_rechter

 

[michaeld05]

surely a ban from the sport is irrelevant, maybe a jail sentence is more fitting

 

[ploglet]

He should likely go to jail

My personal opinion on this is that since they cant sanction him for out of competition he should be able to ride.

But since he should go to jail for breaking his first agreement, and then doing cocaine again he should go through the normal drug user criminal sentencing that they have in place in Belgium. This of course would mean he could only do the French Prison Tour de France, he might even win that one?

 

[reubenr]

Boo Boonen

Frankly, the reporting has been terrible on all fronts. It seems anybody can say anything and it becomes a fact. Mr. Boonen is under the restrictions of the court and he has apparently violated those conditions. I, for one, wouldn't invite him to my house, since he should probably be committed to a drug rehab. Prison seems a little extreme but the TDF should be out of the question. The way it was shaping up last is that the UCI is not going to conduct a disciplinary hearing on Boonen prior to the TDF, and the ASO was going to follow the lead of that outcome, which means both sides wanted to get off the hook. Quick Step can sue their hearts out but I don't think they can get very far. If they all chill, he's back racing in August, elsewise he will be out for 6 months. It's ridiculous. Tom couldn't lick Cavendish's pedals. Is Tom a little touched? And I just love the hired help trying to explain away his behavior. His last hair sample said he wasn't a frequent user, but the sample before that said he was. The latter was done by the court's, so I think that should be respected, particularly since it's predictive value was on target.

In regards to Valverde, someone please tell me if the bags and/or the Giro blood sample matched by CONI contained drugs? Or was it just the same blood?

This thing about Kloden seems truly ridiculous. Let's try staying in the here and now.

 

[stephens]

I haven't heard anything about the Belgium authorities reaction in regards to Boonen's "probation" or whatever from his previous case. Of course it's quite possible that the very tiny amount of drugs found in his system will not be enough to spur legal penalties (it certainly shouldn't be). Does anyone have any news on that front?

It's quite clear he does not have the cocaine problem the addicts in this thread want to ascribe to him, though he may party a little too hard on occasion. But last time i checked, occasional binge drinking was not a crime and was quite common behavior even amongst quite successful people like Boonen. He clearly does not have a major alcohol problem either, since if he did he certainly couldn't train and maintain the fitness level he has.

 

[derailleur]

Exactly. UCI is not the police. They should only cover cycling-relating offenses. Taking non-performance enhancing drugs is not doping and thus none of the UCI's business.

If they want to ban a rider from their sporting events for his illegal activities outside their sport, that is their business.

 

[BroDeal]

F
In regards to Valverde, someone please tell me if the bags and/or the Giro blood sample matched by CONI contained drugs? Or was it just the same blood?

Valverde's bag o' blood was one that contained artificial EPO, if I remember correctly.

 

[subzro]

In regards to Valverde, someone please tell me if the bags and/or the Giro blood sample matched by CONI contained drugs? Or was it just the same blood?

The sample CONI took was from the TdF last year, not the Giro. It tested clean, no traces of drugs.

 

[Escarabajo]

Valverde's bag o' blood was one that contained artificial EPO, if I remember correctly.

Correct. His blood was one of the bags, unfortunately for him, which was specially tested in Madrid by a Judge demand, in order to find its contents and evaluate if what Fuentes was doing was going against public health. The amount of EPO did not merit any further research and the case was closed shortly after that.