Jonathan Tiernan-Locke written to by UCI, asked to explain blood values

[martinvickers]

From David Walsh

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke, 28, from Plymouth, who won last year’s Tour of Britain, has received a letter from the UCI, cycling’s governing body, after the discovery of irregular variations dating back to September 2012, three months before he joined Team Sky. He has three weeks to provide an explanation.

...

It is believed the suspicious values relate to the final four months of last year, when Tiernan-Locke was riding for Endura, a team that competed at a lower level and whose riders were not part of the biological passport system. He began to undergo regular blood-testing when he won the Tour of Britain.

Sounds suspiciously as some thought - his miracle year at Endura that got him the Sky contract was...ahem...a miracle. It seems likely going off the juice at Sky has lowered his numbers from the Endura/Worlds 2012 level and caught him out; he has been crap all this year...

Would very much like to know WHEN he got the letter; he was dropped from the world's squad just a couple of days ago, citing poor form (I wonder who cited that, actually) #transparency.

Was this Pat's last revenge, me wonders!!

 

[bianchigirl]

But he wasn't subject to biopassport at conti level

 

[roundabout]

tsk, tsk.

may not reflect well on Sky

 

[hrotha]

At least Pecharromán was never really caught.

 

[martinvickers]

tsk, tsk.

may not reflect well on Sky

perhaps - hard to say - when coupled with his miracle 2012 with no BP until the ToB, and crap 2013, suggests, to me anyway, that he juice at Endura, not Sky.

Suspect his late 2012 'still juiced' scores are not suspciious in themselves -BP doesn't work like that - it's the fact they don't match his 2013 scores at all that's suspicious - but that's just hunch at this stage.

 

[Arnout]

What a surprise.

 

[hrotha]

But if he could kept his values stable enough he would have kept following the same program even if he was outside of Sky's inner cadre or if Sky were clean. Unless this was an Endura-wide doping program, of course.

 

[Race Radio]

But he wasn't subject to biopassport at conti level

He was target tested at and after the Tour of Britain. I do not see any mention of a Biopassport violation, maybe it is his Offscore?

They can also use his tests from 2012, in combination with BP tests from 2013, and show a pattern of manipulation

 

[martinvickers]

But if he could kept his values stable enough he would have kept following the same program even if he was outside of Sky's inner cadre or if Sky were clean. Unless this was an Endura-wide doping program, of course.

He never had to keep his scores stable priot to ToB2012, there was no BP.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

But he wasn't subject to biopassport at conti level

I just read the article and it said he started to be tested for the BP when it was announced he was joining Sky.

And as Martinv has said, the values of last year were deemed suspicious in comparison to this years values.
He has some explaining to do....

 

[sniper]

ok, so in fact sky could come out looking really good, if the conclusion is that he stopped juicing after joining sky.

 

[roundabout]

perhaps - hard to say - when coupled with his miracle 2012 with no BP until the ToB, and crap 2013, suggests, to me anyway, that he juice at Endura, not Sky.

Suspect his late 2012 'still juiced' scores are not suspciious in themselves -BP doesn't work like that - it's the fact they don't match his 2013 scores at all that's suspicious - but that's just hunch at this stage.

Depends what information was available to Sky at the time that they signed him. Could be somewhat unlucky that they signed a suspicious rider , but lacked actual evidence.

 

[The Hitch]

Good thread to show who is in on a Saturday night

tsk, tsk.

may not reflect well on Sky

Quite the opposite no? Makes Sky look like they are the team that makes sure their riders are clean even if they doped before.

Well thats likely how it will be sold.

Will have to wait and see though how it all goes.

 

[martinvickers]

I just read the article and it said he started to be tested for the BP when it was announced he was joining Sky.

And as Martinv has said, the values of last year were deemed suspicious in comparison to this years values.
He has some explaining to do....

Bizarrely, it seems to make Sky look good on doping, but sh!t on transparency. It looks suspiciously like a 'clean (and crap) 2013 has shown up the wonderful 2012 for what it was.... Would very much want to know series of events now from the last few days...

Let's put it this way. If it does turn out to be a late 2012 vrs 2013 dropoff...would any of us be particularly surprised, or would there by a lot of eyebrows and nods?

 

[roundabout]

I am curious who leaked this

 

[martinvickers]

Good thread to show who is in on a Saturday night



Quite the opposite no? Makes Sky look like they are the team that makes sure their riders are clean even if they doped before.

Well thats likely how it will be sold.

Will have to wait and see though how it all goes.

exactly. The Sky problem here isn't the doping, i think. It's the fib on why he withdrew.

My guess? "we can't possibly 'out' riders until there's a formal charge - still very early stage of proceedings - withdrew him from racing on principle - but tried to protect priacy for the meantime - will learn for future - we're clean, missus."

 

[martinvickers]

I am curious who leaked this

Walsh has it. So I suspect for some reason Fran Millar or s/o at Sky may have passed him the basics, in order to 'manage' the story.

Absolute pure hunch, could be completely wrong.

 

[Race Radio]

I just read the article and it said he started to be tested for the BP when it was announced he was joining Sky.

And as Martinv has said, the values of last year were deemed suspicious in comparison to this years values.
He has some explaining to do....

He announced in October, ToB was September. Could be some some ABP fluctuation but I still think Off Score. Might not be bad enough to sanction on it's one, like Levi, but in combo with the Biopassport the UCI has a better path to sanction him

 

[sniper]

Quite the opposite no? Makes Sky look like they are the team that makes sure their riders are clean even if they doped before.

Well thats likely how it will be sold.

Will have to wait and see though how it all goes.

yeah.

funny how walsh is now on twitter in a hurry to try and sell this as if he's breaking the story and as a sign of him being critical of sky, whereas probably this story would have broken with or without walsh.

Good thread to show who is in on a Saturday night

lol

 

[BroDeal]

Sounds suspiciously as some thought - his miracle year at Endura that got him the Sky contract was...ahem...a miracle. It seems likely going off the juice at Sky has lowered his numbers from the Endura/Worlds 2012 level and caught him out; he has been crap all this year...

It sounds like he pulled a Wiggins.

Funny how Sky never bothered to examine his test numbers enough to see they were hiring a sketchy rider. Or maybe Brailsfraud does not care.

At least Vaughters checks this stuff out before hiring someone.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Walsh has it. So I suspect for some reason Fran Millar or s/o at Sky may have passed him the basics, in order to 'manage' the story.

Absolute pure hunch, could be completely wrong.

I don't think it was "managed" leak.
Walsh appeared to catch Brailsford by surprise.

 

[sniper]

He announced in October, ToB was September. Could be some some ABP fluctuation but I still think Off Score. Might not be bad enough to sanction on it's one, like Levi, but in combo with the Biopassport the UCI has a better path to sanction him

the perfect start for cookson.

 

[Rui Quinta]

Another case of a rider who performed very well on a small team but not on World Tour, because on World Tour he's much more controlled. The same happens with several south american guys (for example).

 

[hrotha]

I don't think it was "managed" leak.
Walsh appeared to catch Brailsford by surprise.

What do you mean?

 

[martinvickers]

I don't think it was "managed" leak.
Walsh appeared to catch Brailsford by surprise.

Reading the series of articles now - boy, they've gone big on it, quite rightly.

interesting 'off the record' point here from Walsh

Though no one at Team Sky would comment publicly, there is deep disappointment among their members and frustration that the values that have aroused UCI suspicion were recorded in the months before Tiernan-Locke joined the team.

That's Fran, methinks..and that's confirmation the juicing was at Endura. Story coming together in my mind anyway.

Plus the "cant speak at this point" from Brailsford sounds exactly like the 'we have to hold our tongue for the process' - hence the 'form' nonsense. Which makes Sky look bad, of course, but realistically, for this type of cae what else do you do...