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

[Catwhoorg]

Moving away from speculation about Sky's involvement or lack of, what are the next stages in the process?

Is there a deadline for appeal, and if so when is it? Does the appeal go straight to CAS or is there another stage first?

21 days is the normal window for an appeal, where it goes depends upon what level he is classified as.
WADA always has an additional 21 day window after others have had the chance to appeal.

I would think he is international class it goes straight to CAS under the code.
(in this case JTL, BC, the UCI, WADA and the IOC can all appeal it. Realistically only JTL would consider an appeal. 2 years is the standard ban, so I doubt anyone would be seeking to increase it)

If he were national class then UKAD hears the appeal, which in itself can then be questioned at CAS.

 

[Benotti69]

Why didn't Sky send Oli Cookson down to Plymouth with JTL to do some blood profile research..........?

If only JTL was born in Colombia......

 

[Froomster]

Never tested positive. Could have been a machine error.

And this is the problem, isn't it? If they were really serious, they'd have every rider tested every day for a month before the GT's.

Yes, it would be expensive, but it would remove all doubt and, given the money these tours make, it would show intent.

It would also make all past doped performances and future ones blindingly obvious.

 

[RownhamHill]

You expect someone who runs a clean team to be extremely upset as it undermines everything a clean team is trying to achieve so yes you would put the boot in repeatedly.

That Brailsford isn't again points to Sky not being what they keep telling the world they are.

I think you're just being spiteful.

Straight up sacking someone and saying they have no place on your team is hardly a weak statement, there's no need to start slagging the guy's mum off as well.

 

[frenchfry]

Brailsford is trying to distance himself from JTL by playing dumb.

Which is exactly what I expected him to do.

Interesting turn of events, usually he plays us for dumb not himself.

On second thought, by playing dumb he is assuming that we are total idiots.

 

[TheGame]

It's pretty obvious. Sky doped JTL for the Tour of Britain to help him beat them.

This is Sky's new tactic. Dope all the riders on other teams to level the playing field.

They have progressed from using, to being dealers and supplying the entire peloton.

 

[thehog]

I think you're just being spiteful.

Straight up sacking someone and saying they have no place on your team is hardly a weak statement, there's no need to start slagging the guy's mum off as well.

That depends. If Sky/BC assisted his doping then it's not good. If JTL was a lone gunman it's still not good. UKAD need to step in with a rehabilitation program or at least understand why he doped and where it came from. Because if JTL is scoring dope at UK races then he won't be the only one.

My money is on BC doping him.

 

[TheGame]

That depends. If Sky/BC assisted his doping then it's not good. If JTL was a lone gunman it's still not good. UKAD need to step in with a rehabilitation program or at least understand why he doped and where it came from. Because if JTL is scoring dope at UK races then he won't be the only one.

My money is on BC doping him.

He isn't. You think British domestic racing is clean? There are cat 1/2's doping (probably Cat 3's as well)

 

[Benotti69]

I think you're just being spiteful.

Straight up sacking someone and saying they have no place on your team is hardly a weak statement, there's no need to start slagging the guy's mum off as well.

No one mentioned his Mother, till you did.

He wont call JTL a doper, why not? I thought Brailsford was all about clean cycling.

I think you are being an apologist.

 

[zigmeister]

Here's the thing with the Passport, it doesn't actually prove anything 100%. It is just some values that give some indication of something being up/suspicious.

This hasn't actually helped/identified anything in respect to what he might have been doing exactly.

What we need to know, is what doping exactly that might have caused the findings.

I know the WADA/UCI would like to keep their secrets and try to stay ahead of the dopers and not "show their hand", but at the same time, people have to know, if you dope, all sorts of things, even if you think we can't detect it, we know.

 

[Catwhoorg]

He isn't. You think British domestic racing is clean? There are cat 1/2's doping (probably Cat 3's as well)

Indeed Dan Staite being famously one caught and banned for 2 years in 2010
(EPO and ATD)

 

[gillan1969]

I think you're just being spiteful.

Straight up sacking someone and saying they have no place on your team is hardly a weak statement, there's no need to start slagging the guy's mum off as well.

...only its not a statement...it it's the absolute minimum you would expect from any/every team in the same situation...

 

[D-Queued]

If only there were an independent commission where he could confess his sins and help clean up the sport...

You guys are cracking me up.

Time to dust off a McQuaid comment? Please recall that Anglo-saxons don't dope.

Dave.

 

[D-Queued]

He isn't. You think British domestic racing is clean? There are cat 1/2's doping (probably Cat 3's as well)

We can breath a sigh of relief that doping is so well contained, then.

Surely we can rest assured that there is no doping in the Masters ranks.

Dave.

 

[thehog]

You guys are cracking me up.

Time to dust off a McQuaid comment? Please recall that Anglo-saxons don't dope.

Dave.

JTL to join Ricco in the mountain accent records. He can be the bunny for Ricardo.

 

[Catwhoorg]

I know of some guys who are taking their "Low T medication" and busting up local 5ks and feeling chuffed. They have kind of mused at why all of a sudden they have all this vigor and energy, and then they get well ****ed with me when I call them dopers.

Its not just cycling, its freaking endemic in middle aged men seemingly doing all sports.

 

[RownhamHill]

No one mentioned his Mother, till you did.

He wont call JTL a doper, why not? I thought Brailsford was all about clean cycling.

I think you are being an apologist.

Mentioning his mother was an example of hyperbole for comic effect. I'm sure wikipedia will help you if you're confused by that linguistic nuance.

He won't call JTL a doper but he does presume he's a cheat and says he has no place on his team. That's not much of an apology to be honest.

 

[RownhamHill]

...only its not a statement...it it's the absolute minimum you would expect from any/every team in the same situation...

The statements by Brailsford we were discussing definitely were statements. Unless the press is lying and he didn't actually state the things they quoted him as saying.

More to the point, you expect every team in cycling to sack riders if they get banned for doping? Does that include Team Garmin? And Saxo Bank? And Astana?

The funny thing is I don't even like Sky particularly, but once again this is just silly - and we all know if Brailsford had gone off on one about JTL Benotti would be calling him out for his hypocrisy, and claiming it was indicative of a guilty conscience.

 

[Energy Starr]

I know of some guys who are taking their "Low T medication" and busting up local 5ks and feeling chuffed. They have kind of mused at why all of a sudden they have all this vigor and energy, and then they get well ****ed with me when I call them dopers.

Its not just cycling, its freaking endemic in middle aged men seemingly doing all sports.

+10 and its not just middle agers.

 

[bewildered]

in fairness to Brailsford, it is not wise to call someone a doper when they haven't tested positive at the very least. If he was advised legally, they would tell him not to say that and there is no need

 

[msjett]

It might be just me but this excuse of it happened while he was riding for another team is wearing thin. If you don't do your research and testing etc then it's your problem.

 

[thehog]

It might be just me but this excuse of it happened while he was riding for another team is wearing thin. If you don't do your research and testing etc then it's your problem.

Especially if he was juicing him up.

JTL was doing blood tests since April 2012. Brailsford knows what's up. He was at the Sky training camps testing with Kerrison. They know exactly what they were buying.

They just got greedy thinking they could just win every race on the calendar.

 

[neineinei]

in fairness to Brailsford, it is not wise to call someone a doper when they haven't tested positive at the very least. If he was advised legally, they would tell him not to say that and there is no need

Not this "haven't tested positive" bull again.

The biological passport has been tooted as the reason Brits can win cycling races again, but when a Brit gets caught all this is forgotten and we are straight back to Armstrongs "haven't tested positive" tune. Clearly the biological passport is supposed to be just a scarecrow, not something that should actually catch dopers.

 

[BradCantona]

I must be missing something? I never see anyone here claim Brits don't dope, yet I see the same few uber-posters constantly making references and wise cracks at the expense of those claiming Brits don't dope... I can't square that circle.

As for Locke, I'm delighted that one more doper has been caught, and may I say two years isn't long enough. This is another victory for the blood passport system which is too heavily criticised on this forum. I think the claims on here that Sky doped him up before signing him fail the credibility and logic tests, but I do think there are questions they should answer to clear things up.

Obviously they didn't have the evidence to discover his past doping when he was signed, however how have their own internal controls not noticed an issue as his career with Sky progressed? (I seem to recall a time period where he was apparently fit, but not being selected, which seemed odd and I did wonder whether Sky had sat him out because they were themselves suspicious based on data they'd gathered. But then he was selected for the 2013 Worlds, only to pull out when the charges were brought, which scuppers that possibility). And I've heard Brailsford say changes have been made to try and avoid this situation happening in future. Great, but for a team that are so vocally anti doping, why so often do they seem to be reactive rather than proactive?

 

[Dear Wiggo]

Not this "haven't tested positive" bull again.

The biological passport has been tooted as the reason Brits can win cycling races again, but when a Brit gets caught all this is forgotten and we are straight back to Armstrongs "haven't tested positive" tune. Clearly the biological passport is supposed to be just a scarecrow, not something that should actually catch dopers.

Anti-doping theatre. I am pretty sure you nailed it with the "scarecrow" analogy.