Hack elite triathlete popped for blood passport infraction

[SlowtwitchLeaks]

Great job USADA!

http://www.usada.org/media/sanction-fretta1192012

This guy's not even good, just a hack. But he was an athlete at the OTC in Colorado Springs. Hope there's a full investigation, nobody dopes alone.

 

[mewmewmew13]

I read this on twitter...jeez.
Tri!
..EPO --but you must learn how to use it I guess

 

[BroDeal]

He had a warning for ephedrine three years ago.

http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_imposes_warning_on_mark_fretta/

 

[SlowtwitchLeaks]

Chances that Empfield writes an editorial defending Fretta???

 

[Merckx index]

This is really interesting:

Fretta’s four-year period of ineligibility began on June 11, 2012, the date he accepted a provisional suspension. As a result of the violation, Fretta has been disqualified from all competitive results achieved on and subsequent to August 18, 2010, the date USADA collected the first blood sample that was included in Fretta’s individual longitudinal blood profile.

He is suspended for four years, but he has an additional two years lost because of samples contributing to the conclusion of doping. So in effect he is getting six years, retrospective plus prospective. If I understand this passage correctly--and maybe I don't--they are not sanctioning him just from the date of collection of a sample that is significantly different from the baseline, but from the date of collection of samples that were used to construct the baseline? Doesn't make sense.

Either that, or the 2010 sample was suspicious, but not considered significant until other samples were collected later. Either way, I never heard of this being done in cycling. Imagine if in the Contador case a review of blood data led to the conclusion that several samples, taken together, indicated doping. And the sanction began with the collection of the first sample. He could have lost not simply his 2010 TDF and 2011 Giro, but also his 2009 TDF. There would have a huge outcry over this, needless to say.

 

[zebedee]

He had a warning for ephedrine three years ago.

http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_imposes_warning_on_mark_fretta/

What's to stop a committed doper lining up an excuse like this in advance just in case he gets caught?

I remember Mariano Puerta using a similar tactic when he tested positive for ephedrine after the French Open final a few years ago when he lost to Nadal (believe it or not, in tennis only the loser gets an in-competition test!). Puerta claimed he'd inadvertently taken a glug of water from his girlfriend's glass of water which just happened to have her ephedrine-based medicine in it. That was his second offence and he copped eight years.

 

[blackcat]

he can compete on the non-sanctioned circuit with Armstrong?

See, Lance still have his benefits

 

[hiero2]

he can compete on the non-sanctioned circuit with Armstrong?

See, Lance still have his benefits

There you go again!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It0Dtm1gFFQ