Doping in XC skiing

[Trond Vidar]

He sounds ok in the norwegian text.

Ps. The translation speaks of "runners" but he means skiers. Translation is wrong as an auto translation of a "skiløper" (skier) is "skirunner". Norwegian then say "løper" in a skiing context. We use the same word for runners, ie marathon, but the context is obviously different.

 

[Escarabajo]

...

i call it bs b/c glass was used way before flexible bags became a norm. a cheater ingenuity is limitless if the will and the means are behind it.

That puts an extra hurdle into the doping programs. But at the same time makes it only available to those that have the means and money to buy expensive programs. So expect only a few to get the "Royal Treatment" at first.

 

[Cloxxki]

Disposing of glass bottles with DNA traces may be harder than plastic, as it's harder to flush?
Bloodhound, the ones with the swooping tails, may be what we really need. Visit each athlete/manager hotel.

 

[Trond Vidar]

Damsgård also claims that the glass quality you need to store blood in is so high that he considers it unlikely that the dopers have it at the moment.

 

[ingsve]

I wonder how big the market is for glass blood containers these days. I get that they may have been quite common in the past but nowadays they can't be too common right? I wonder if it would be possible to trace purchases or sudden increases in demand etc.

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

Think we'll see more Ricco's if the DEHP test can actually be used to sanction dopers and all these jack***** turn to glass?

A swedish rag claims that russian star Maxim Vylegzhanin and several other russians, estonians and kazakhs are "black listed" by FIS.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Off the current topic but relevant to the thread as a whole; Russian biathlete Ekaterina Iourieva returned from her 2-year suspension for EPO in December, and made her first steps back up to the World Cup in the recent US events in Presque Isle and Fort Kent.

Her shooting was near flawless until the final race at Fort Kent, but she's consistently been well over a minute down on the leaders on ski time - 2'40" down with 2 penalty loops in the sprint, and losing a further 46" in the pursuit despite three fewer misses, at Presque Isle, and 2'04" down on the winner with 0 penalty time in the sprint, losing another 4'50" (with 3 extra misses) in the pursuit at Fort Kent. She didn't enter the Mass Start as she didn't have enough World Cup points.

If we consider each penalty loop to contribute 30 seconds (maybe a slight exaggeration but only slight), that's 1'40", 2'16", 2'04" and 3'20" that she's lost on the skis.

If you want your guide to how much endurance doping can benefit you on the skis, that's a pretty solid marker.

 

[RdBiker]

FIS president Gian-Franco Kasper is certain that there will be doped skiers in the upcoming World Championships. He says that they through blood profiling knows fairly well what riders are cheating but they don't have concrete proof in the shape of positive tests etc to ban them. He says they are powerless to do anything until they have enough proof.

This reminds me of the news we had before the Winter Olympics last year. FIS claimed to have tens of positive tests before Vancouver but nothing ever came out. It seems that they are (again) trying to scare the athletes from doping by claiming they know who are doping and that they're going to target them...

Actually I think they are speaking the truth: they know that everyone is doping and they're targeting all of them

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

This reminds me of the news we had before the Winter Olympics last year. FIS claimed to have tens of positive tests before Vancouver but nothing ever came out. It seems that they are (again) trying to scare the athletes from doping by claiming they know who are doping and that they're going to target them...

Actually I think they are speaking the truth: they know that everyone is doping and they're targeting all of them

It was WADA who claimed that 30 athletes had been stopped from the olympics. This was interpreted as 30 new positives but they were actually referring to 30 already known positives over the last couple of years.

Kasper isn't trying to scare anyone. He's saying there will definitely be doping but they might not catch anyone...

 

[workingclasshero]

Western athletes are pretty lazy

jesus christ, what a silly thing to say.

someone's got far too little respect for what effort it takes to become a level at world class level

if you're lazy you'll need incredible talent to reach the top of the world in a sport like xc skiing

somehow i don't think there can be about 20 people with that talent in the world

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

An estonian newspaper is claiming that olympic and world champion, Andrus Veerpaluu - who pulled out of the World Championships on short notice and retired - failed a drug test in late january. Veerpaluu insists that he called it a day due to a knee injury and has not tested positive.

 

[Ferminal]

An estonian newspaper is claiming that olympic and world champion, Andrus Veerpaluu - who pulled out of the World Championships on short notice and retired - failed a drug test in late january. Veerpaluu insists that he called it a day due to a knee injury and has not tested positive.

Good riddance... The way he approached Vancouver last year was like Andy Schleck to the power of ten.

 

[Ney the Viking]

How is peoples feeling about Petter Northug? I get a bad "Di-luca/Cobra" taste in my mouth everytime he just powers away from way more experienced and older guys. I know he was considered talent already from a junior, but well yeah, him and that big swiss powerhouse makes the cynic in me itch :\

 

[roundabout]

How is peoples feeling about Petter Northug? I get a bad "Di-luca/Cobra" taste in my mouth everytime he just powers away from way more experienced and older guys. I know he was considered talent already from a junior, but well yeah, him and that big swiss powerhouse makes the cynic in me itch :\

You must have failed to get the memo. In cross-country skiing only two nations don't do doping (Norway and Sweden). Northug is Norwegian so he is clean.

 

[python]

How is peoples feeling about Petter Northug? I get a bad "Di-luca/Cobra" taste in my mouth everytime he just powers away from way more experienced and older guys. I know he was considered talent already from a junior, but well yeah, him and that big swiss powerhouse makes the cynic in me itch :\

tbh, i have had the same premonitions many times watching him this season. he even has some eccentric traits similar to the guys you mentioned. but i will give him the benefit of a doubt for now. xc-sking is both very similar and different from cycling.

one can argue that the combination of snow condition/skill of norwegian waxmen, northug's better skating technique and his super powerful upper body may give an advantage. but i'd be a fool to fixate on that.

on the other hand, i'd bet that some russian men, but not the girls, were doped again.

 

[Cloxxki]

tbh, i have had the same premonitions many times watching him this season. he even has some eccentric traits similar to the guys you mentioned. but i will give him the benefit of a doubt for now. xc-sking is both very similar and different from cycling.

one can argue that the combination of snow condition/skill of norwegian waxmen, northug's better skating technique and his super powerful upper body may give an advantage. but i'd be a fool to fixate on that.

on the other hand, i'd bet that some russian men, but not the girls, were doped again.

Northug's weapons as a skier, are so far beyond what other skiers can, that either Northug is the only skier who dopes, and only cares to boost his sprint, or he is in fact a very unique sprinter, especially when it comes at the end of a non-sprint race distance. He's just weird. I don't associate it with doping. On a serious uphill, he is weaker than non-sprinters such as Bauer (whom I suspect more, despite his great around-threshold level skiing efficiency).

The past Oslo Worlds gave me mixed impressions. Marit Bjoergen was less overwhelmingly dominant than earlier in the year, despite her obsessive "peaking" towards Oslo. She seemed cleaner than she may have been planning to be as she prepared for this peak. That she still won a lot, is because she's Bjoergen, peaks, and well, she was too buff to stand up straight at the celebrations showcase. I saw a bunch of pretty top-fit Noprwegian women, and bodybuilder just after a hard max workout.

Finland got me the creeps at times this season. Odd bursts of speed, from relatively unknown skiers, mid-race in distance and sprint, as well as final accelerations.
Estonia, what is new? Good to learn they have actual self-critical press there.

 

[Ney the Viking]

tbh, i have had the same premonitions many times watching him this season. he even has some eccentric traits similar to the guys you mentioned. but i will give him the benefit of a doubt for now. xc-sking is both very similar and different from cycling.

one can argue that the combination of snow condition/skill of norwegian waxmen, northug's better skating technique and his super powerful upper body may give an advantage. but i'd be a fool to fixate on that.

on the other hand, i'd bet that some russian men, but not the girls, were doped again.

Didn't the Russian men totally fluke in Oslo? Not too long after a bunch of commotion of Russian Team-wide doping? I got the itch from that as well.

With regards to the bolded, that has been my take as well.

 

[flyor64]

...I saw a bunch of pretty top-fit Norwegian women, and bodybuilder just after a hard max workout...

She wasn't the only one uncomfortable when she we standing up there in that dress after the medal ceremony that night in downtown Oslo. I'd like to query the 100 000+ people that were there live on Universitetsplassen that night to see if they felt what I felt seeing it on TV....

 

[python]

Didn't the Russian men totally fluke in Oslo?

....

generally yes, but vylegzhanin brought them 2 medals of the total 3 (iirc) in oslo for both man and women teams.

it went virtually un-commented that just a couple of weeks before oslo the guy was grounded by fis for the mandatory 5-day vacation for a high haemoglobin.

it may not be team-wide anymore but the old habits die hard....

 

[Ney the Viking]

Erm, all the girls look pretty happy and normal for top athletes, so Bjorgen got a bit wider shoulders than some of the other girls, but she looks top fit.

If you want scary pictures of her at least find something proper like

But yeah, I am not sure I got the meaning of your post, so heres a just as meaningless reply

 

[Ney the Viking]

generally yes, but vylegzhanin brought them 2 medals of the total 3 (iirc) in oslo for both man and women teams.

it went virtually un-commented that just a couple of weeks before oslo the guy was grounded by fis for the mandatory 5-day vacation for a high haemoglobin.

it may not be team-wide anymore but the old habits die hard....

Ah I must have missed that part, thanks!

 

[Cloxxki]

I don't have suspicion over women being able to develop muscles. They can if they want. It just baffles me how they can perform aerobically with so much of it to drag up the hills.

Anyone notice Bjoergen's low max heartrate as displayed during the races? She seems to top out at 170 or so, and that for a lady still to hit 30 (not sure on that stat). Very odd physique. I'm again very worried about her posture in that celebration. Not the bulk itself, but that she could not even stand up properly because of it. They other girls are as fit as they come as well, but at least they can stand up and wave without it looking like a jury pose. Heck, I'd even date Johaug if I had to. Looks healthy, even if many complain of her being too skinny. I've had skinnier girlfriends that were eating quite well.

I wonder if we're going to hear more of Vylegzhanin. He was like Bjoergen, less overdone that earlier in the season, but still up there. Will his samples be looked at again with newer sophisticated tests? I though he failed the 50% Hc actually, but anyway, a big red flag of course.

 

[Ingenerius]

In other news, Northug is no longer together with his lovely girlfriend.

No mentions on the blog though. I always find it strange that sport stars(at least in Norway) usually feel the need to keep brake ups secret for as long as they can.

http://rachelnordtomme.blogg.no/

 

[Ney the Viking]

I don't have suspicion over women being able to develop muscles. They can if they want. It just baffles me how they can perform aerobically with so much of it to drag up the hills.

Anyone notice Bjoergen's low max heartrate as displayed during the races? She seems to top out at 170 or so, and that for a lady still to hit 30 (not sure on that stat). Very odd physique. I'm again very worried about her posture in that celebration. Not the bulk itself, but that she could not even stand up properly because of it. They other girls are as fit as they come as well, but at least they can stand up and wave without it looking like a jury pose. Heck, I'd even date Johaug if I had to. Looks healthy, even if many complain of her being too skinny. I've had skinnier girlfriends that were eating quite well.

I wonder if we're going to hear more of Vylegzhanin. He was like Bjoergen, less overdone that earlier in the season, but still up there. Will his samples be looked at again with newer sophisticated tests? I though he failed the 50% Hc actually, but anyway, a big red flag of course.

I havn't seen the tv ceremoni, and I dont get the cant stand straight from the picture.

Marit is 31, and I doubt they reach max pulse other than the last few minutes, so 170bpm doesnt seem off. Considering her age 90% of max would be in the 165-175 range right, which seems like a pretty damn good race threshold *shrugs*

 

[sadfitty]

Regarding the heart rates displayed during races: Total BS and pure fantasy. Sometimes they (Polar, FIS, whoever) display the heart rates of athletes who are not even wearing monitors. You can't read anything into those numbers.