Houanard provisionally suspended for EPO

[Arnout]

my hope might be idle, but I am hoping/expecting the french reaction to houanard's positive to be different from the spanish reaction to aldirto's positive.

There's always Engoulvent: https://twitter.com/JimmyEngoulvent/status/255747087470313472

https://twitter.com/JimmyEngoulvent/status/255748177100156928

But then we already knew his opinion on this matter.

 

[D-Queued]

This news comes as such a relief.

They finally caught the real doper.

The dark era is now behind us.

Dave.

 

[thehog]

This news comes as such a relief.

They finally caught the real doper.

The dark era is now behind us.

Dave.

I also think he's low enough in the rankings for other cyclists to condemn him. Give him the Ricco treatment. Make jokes about him bending over in the shower.

Then tell us Armstrong was good for the sport.

 

[Ferminal]

I thought AG2R were doing it a bit easy, they are a mini-Europcar.

Hounard though... is a nobody.

 

[D-Queued]

I thought AG2R were doing it a bit easy, they are a mini-Europcar.

Hounard though... is a nobody.

Good thing they caught him now.

Next year, World Champ. Then, seven TdFs.

All clean of course. But, you gotta get them before they stop doping.

Dave.

 

[blackcat]

This news comes as such a relief.

They finally caught the real doper.

The dark era is now behind us.

Dave.

no french guys dont dope

 

[D-Queued]

no french guys dont dope

Acch, false positive.

Dave.

 

[pelodee]

Houanard took EPO for WorldTour points, alleges Ag2r manager (cyclingnews)

"Team desperate for points to keep WT status has guy go + for epo before last points event.Need any more evidence points system is bad idea?" (Jonathan Vaughters)

"According to @alexfeel Vayer not houanard's coach for two years. But I'm still told he is."
and
"In August, #Vayer went to an agent to find #Houanard a new team as he was to be dropped by AG2R"
(Julien Pretot)

 

[Le breton]

Don't tell this in France ;-)

Right, it's on everybody's mind there. Even his mother in Martinique worries about it.

 

[Ferminal]

Sure taking PED'S is and was never ok. But i hope Peoples dont forget, they talk about a Human being with feelings Emotions etc. Its hard enough for him to go trough all aniway. @stevehouanard wish you all the strength you need and that you have good Friends by your Side now...

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/jjgjsa

Funny that one of the few guys who talk sense is a convicted doper who will never ride for a top team again.

 

[pelodee]

I think it is interesting that French doping seems to be more common than it used to be. I suspect that when the ASO decided it would not fight doping anymore, there was a similar shift in the attitudes of French riders. Having few results is bad for business and threatens the long term health of a country's cycling.

It is hard to explain Voeckler's 2011 Tour performance.

Late 90's Festina. Early 00's Cofidis. Maybe French cycling needed to clean up by introducing better controls? Maybe there are more controls now than ever?

Maybe Thomas Voeckler was fortunate to get the leaders jersey on stage 9 and so hung on to it until stage 19 in a peloton depleted of top 10 GC contenders?

 

[Benotti69]

When was the last time an AG2R rider got popped?

Wonder did they leave the UCI column for 'dont test postive' to 'test positive' after Nico Roche left

 

[sniper]

I asked JV to publish the values of one of his domestiques.

Noone's interested in #123, he said.

I am, I replied. I want to know if #123 can finish the Giro (GT of choice) clean.

This doping coup by our esteemable UCI provides a single data point that no, it probably isn't.

+1

Indeed, I remember.
Another data point suggesting Garmin's transparency exists in words, not in deeds.