General Doping Thread.

[yaco]

Stannard was with the Mitchelton Scott Conti team in 2018 - It's interesting that the three best talents to come out of Australia in the last ten years were Stannard, Power and Ewan - Power is out of the peleton, while Stannard has struggled and only Ewan lived up to his potential.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Retroactively testing older samples with new methods maybe?

The lack of specifics - no date and the non-analytical 'prohibited method/prohibited substance' line suggests not.

 

[Sciatic]

A Dallas Cowboys (NFL -where they can take all the tramadol they want)) running back was suspended for a whopping two games for doping violation. League doesn’t release what the drug is (lame), but today Ronald Jones explained he was just taking care of his health and the drug is a “heart stimulant” (!) he has had prescribed. He lamented there was no appeal or retest, and as for the usual suspect PED in the NFL, steroids, he explained that he couldn’t possibly be on steroids because “I’m the skinniest guy on the team”

Cowboys news: The latest Dallas updates from camp

The latest in Cowboys news.

www.bloggingtheboys.com

 

[Tim Cahill]

His statement refers to "never intentionally or knowingly used a prohibited substance" so unless he is trying to be clever would likely not refer to contact with an individual or use of methods. I'm unsure as to why they don't reveal the substance or whether there are legal ramifications of doing so but as mentioned 'non-analytical' also seems like it means no frozen samples? Hopefully some clarification is coming as the whole chain of events in the past week within the UCI has certainly been puzzling.

 

[fmk_RoI]

"never intentionally or knowingly used a prohibited substance"

That's a standard formulation, made famous by Virenque in 1998. Possibly even by Merckx in each of this three fails. Someone spiked my bottle. It was an honest mistake, guv, honest.

Or, basically, a big boy did it and ran away.

 

[ontheroad]

So another ADRV post Tour and another low key rider cited. It seems like the PR department of the UCI have been working overtime. Whatever Stannard and Baudin were doing definitely wasn't working anyway, they could barely stay the pace with the peloton!

 

[Mayomaniac]

So, what's next on the anti-doping Bingo card? My pick would be a pre-Volta suspension, probably for a guy who used to race for W52-Porto.

 

[ThisFrenchGuy]

That's a standard formulation, made famous by Virenque in 1998. Possibly even by Merckx in each of this three fails. Someone spiked my bottle. It was an honest mistake, guv, honest.

Or, basically, a big boy did it and ran away.

I guess you're thinking of "Dopé à l'insu de mon plein gré" which doesn't translate well because Virenque conflated and misused two idioms creating an oxymore.
"Doped unwittingly of my own free will" is the best approximation I can make.

 

[fmk_RoI]

WRT Alex Baudin and the line favoured by so many that he had a crap Giro, was basically invisible pack-fodder. Was he really?

Stage 12, he finished 10th.

“I am really happy to score a top-10 on a stage of a Grand Tour in my first participation. It was a special day for me [...] I have tried, without success, to slip into the break several times since the start of this Giro d’Italia. So getting there today was a particular satisfaction.”

 

[ThisFrenchGuy]

That's a standard formulation, made famous by Virenque in 1998. Possibly even by Merckx in each of this three fails. Someone spiked my bottle. It was an honest mistake, guv, honest.

Or, basically, a big boy did it and ran away.

Edit : After double checking, he never said that phrase, it was the writers of the puppet show Les Guignols who attributed it to him and it became embedded with his character, mimicking some of his excuses and his style. Leaving my following message as is as an humbling experience.

I guess you're thinking of "Dopé à l'insu de mon plein gré" which doesn't translate well because Virenque conflated and misused two idioms creating an oxymore.
"Doped unwittingly, of my own free will" is the best approximation I can make. Should have said "Doped unwittingly" or "Doped without my consent". But Virenque never was famous for being a sharp mind or Renaissance Man on a bike.

While you're right he was probably reaching for the "spiked bottle" excuse, the amusing formulation could be read as "there was a doping program I was subjected to without my knowledge".
He never lived down that phrase, I know he's still used as a prop whenever there's a sketch on doping (including for the 2023 ITT in the Tour) though he quickly gained back some public affection. He's seen as too naive or simple to have doped out of Machiavellian impulses (unlike Lance the supervillain) despite the investigation showing he was fairly proactive. Damning by faint praise, perhaps, but I suppose there's possibly a kernel of truth to that (all riders maybe don't have all their agency when facing that choice).

 

[fmk_RoI]

While you're right he was probably reaching for the "spiked bottle" excuse, the amusing formulation could be read as "there was a doping program I was subjected to without my knowledge".

I don't think Virenque was ever suggesting a spiked bottle (that's Merckx's Giro defence). Virenque was suggesting Voet doped him without his permission/knowledge.

The point is, it's a standard excuse, used across all sports. Like hold muzak, it means nothing, it just passes some time.

 

[ThisFrenchGuy]

I don't think Virenque was ever suggesting a spiked bottle (that's Merckx's Giro defence). Virenque was suggesting Voet doped him without his permission/knowledge.

The point is, it's a standard excuse, used across all sports. Like hold muzak, it means nothing, it just passes some time.

The sentence was apocryphal as I edited above but I do remember some of his excuses in his apologetic book written right in the heels of 1998 that in spirit were pretty close to that, yes.

When I say "spiked bottle" it was as a label for the non specific cross contamination of unknown origin.

 

[Escarabajo]

So Stannard was suspended:

Robert Stannard handed provisional doping suspension for alleged 2018 case

Australian suspended due to alleged 'use of Prohibited Methods and/or Prohibited Substances'

www.cyclingnews.com

 

[fmk_RoI]

The sentence was apocryphal as I edited above

Yes, what you said was complete nonsense. Doesn't change the fact that V did say he didn't dope of his own freewill.

But, once again, this is only taking us away from the point that what Stannard said is a general formulation and means *** all.

 

[ThisFrenchGuy]

Yes, what you said was complete nonsense. Doesn't change the fact that V did say he didn't dope of his own freewill.

But, once again, this is only taking us away from the point that what Stannard said is a general formulation and means *** all.

Put that on the account of a decaying brain and foggy memories from 25 years ago.

 

[Unchained]

So Stannard was suspended:

Robert Stannard handed provisional doping suspension for alleged 2018 case

Australian suspended due to alleged 'use of Prohibited Methods and/or Prohibited Substances'

www.cyclingnews.com

On the bright side, because he was below the waterline anyway.. No big deal and depending.. no team awards need to be refunded and no TTT results to be overturned

 

[veganrob]

They released a statement to the press saying they don't use Tramadol, so it was rumours in as much as what Michael Barry said happened was never backed up afaik?

""None of our riders should ride whilst using Tramadol — that’s the policy of this team," said Sky in a statement. "Team Sky do not give it to riders whilst racing or training, either as a pre-emptive measure or to manage existing pain."

Team Sky: We do not use Tramadol

Team Sky issues statement in wake of comment made by former rider Michael Barry that the team used powerful painkiller Tramadol

www.cyclingweekly.com

So an admitted doper says in his book that he used the finish bottles and Team Sunshine and Blue Sky says it is not true. Color me shocked!!

 

[Rob5091]

So after the mutterings in the press and from certain teams about "suspicious performances" we get two doping violations? One of which is two "methods & substances" from 2018 & 2019 ... what is going on here? Incompetence or corrupt or people being thrown under the doping bus? Look forward to hearing more on Stannard's suspension.

 

[samhocking]

So an admitted doper says in his book that he used the finish bottles and Team Sunshine and Blue Sky says it is not true. Color me shocked!!

The point claimed and which I replied to was Sky admitted they use Tramadol, while the actual quote shows they didn't (unless you want to claim they both said they do and then don't at the same time, which would be even more odd).
Whether they used it or not or Barry made it up or not, if it was just specific riders requesting it themselves or a team policy or not, is still entirely unknown to any of us.

 

[samhocking]

So after the mutterings in the press and from certain teams about "suspicious performances" we get two doping violations? One of which is two "methods & substances" from 2018 & 2019 ... what is going on here? Incompetence or corrupt or people being thrown under the doping bus? Look forward to hearing more on Stannard's suspension.

Statute of limitations is 10 years. Not particularly surprising these announcements might come in waves from The ITA. As we saw with London 2012, new more sensitive testing capability came into WADA labs in 2017/18 and we then had a flurry of violations for 2012 in 2019. New data, athlete intelligence, analysis, equipment come in all the time and used retrospectively on samples that might have been thought suspicious but the threshold of a violation not reached and so parked for future testing when better procedures come online to better investigate that suspicion.

 

[ontheroad]

The point claimed and which I replied to was Sky admitted they use Tramadol, while the actual quote shows they didn't (unless you want to claim they both said they do and then don't at the same time, which would be even more odd).
Whether they used it or not or Barry made it up or not, if it was just specific riders requesting it themselves or a team policy or not, is still entirely unknown to any of us.

Maybe Freeman was just a rogue doctor acting alone and maybe Tiernan Locke made it up also. And maybe pigs fly!

 

[fmk_RoI]

2018-2019 was Aderlass, wasn't it? Are they still catching small fry from it? Does Stannard fit the profile of one of Schmidt's clients?

Or was there some other dodgy doctor operating then who's rolled over on his clients?

 

[fmk_RoI]

Incompetence or corrupt or people being thrown under the doping bus?

If the objective is to silence criticism of TJV I think you'd want someone with a higher profile that Stannard to throw under the bus.

If we're going to link Baudin and Stannard, how 'bout we go full looney and bring Freeman in for the trifecta?

Not everything is a dead cat.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Maybe Freeman was just a rogue doctor acting alone and maybe Tiernan Locke made it up also. And maybe pigs fly!

It's really heart-warming to see the likes of Kenny Pryde still fighting the good fight and saying nothing to see here. I do hope he's getting paid for this, even after all the regime changes in BC and Skineos. Then again, he had the shamelessness to continue promoting his Medal Factory book even after Nicole Cooke defeated him, twice, maybe he's just got nothing else to do.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1686819580688089098

View: https://twitter.com/Kenny_Pryde/status/1686819580688089098

 

[Tim Cahill]

I'm sure if I were to head down to my local GP he would be willing to risk his career and livelihood to satiate my urge to 'dabble with some extra T'.