Testing

[iwannabeabiker]

WOW - how many threads!!!! How many replies!!! Impossible to keep up unless you're tuned in 24/7...
DISC - Newish to cycling so not that knowledgeable in this area....but....
From what I've gleened one would have to assume that the majority of the cyclists who are regulary competing for honours [surely] must be "souped up". Being souped up must create an unfair avantage so in order to create a "level" playing field, numerous riders/teams must be at it.
I dont know how complex the testing process is but I would have thought that at the immediate end of each stage the first 5-10 riders can have a blood sample taken and tested for illegal substances? Sure this might take several days perhaps weeks to receive the findings but at least something comprehensive is being done. 1, it might act as a deterent and 2, it might catch a few more riders....
Or.............Legalise sports enhancing drugs in cycling?????

 

[theswordsman]

WOW - how many threads!!!! How many replies!!! Impossible to keep up unless you're tuned in 24/7...
DISC - Newish to cycling so not that knowledgeable in this area....but....
From what I've gleened one would have to assume that the majority of the cyclists who are regulary competing for honours [surely] must be "souped up". Being souped up must create an unfair avantage so in order to create a "level" playing field, numerous riders/teams must be at it.
I dont know how complex the testing process is but I would have thought that at the immediate end of each stage the first 5-10 riders can have a blood sample taken and tested for illegal substances? Sure this might take several days perhaps weeks to receive the findings but at least something comprehensive is being done. 1, it might act as a deterent and 2, it might catch a few more riders....
Or.............Legalise sports enhancing drugs in cycling?????

I think they normally test the top three plus a couple of random (possibly targeted). But the cheaters are ahead of the tests. A year ago there was no test being used for HGH. It hasn't been announced that there's one for own blood transfusions. Under 23 riders were caught possessing doping agents last Fall and explained that there are protocols where you use smaller amounts of a number of things and you still pass controls. Frei was microdosing with EPO, and said he wouldn't have been caught if he'd consumed a liter of water between the late night dose and early morning out of competition test. Riders have used performance enhancers that won't even be on the legitimate market for two years.

It's for these kind of reasons that Armstrong's mantra of never having tested positive, even if it was true, is meaningless. Guys used EPO for years before there was a test.

The Biological Passport was set up to address all of this, supposedly giving another way to catch the cheaters, but it's under the UCI, who have the philosophy that it's better for the sport to give the impression of being clean (by not catching dopers) than it is to air the dirty laundry and try to actually clean it up.

 

[santacruz]

I think blood samples should be saved for up to 20 years, and when new tests come out the old blood samples can be tested so we can be constantly cleaning up the history books and awarding the clean people with their victories even if they come 10+ years late. Think of how cool it would be to find out the only clean rider in the top ten was such and such, then go to his house with a TV crew, "HEY YOU WON THE TDF 10 years ago CONGRATS!!" And perhaps have the riders sign something saying they can be sued, or must pay this much money if they are found to have been doped, and a team of data base entry type folks are hired to travel the internet making sure that person has a "doper" tag next to wherever their name is mentioned.

But I seriously think if we could say without a doubt that the rider who placed 17th at the TdF was the first place winner because everyone else cheated, it would be pretty cool!! And imagine how happy that rider would be... it could be like a reality TV show, then the clean rider who won gets to go knock on the door of the dopers, carrying a trophy, and say "shove this up your ****%#$#!!"

 

[mr. tibbs]

I think blood samples should be saved for up to 20 years, and when new tests come out the old blood samples can be tested so we can be constantly cleaning up the history books and awarding the clean people with their victories even if they come 10+ years late. Think of how cool it would be to find out the only clean rider in the top ten was such and such, then go to his house with a TV crew, "HEY YOU WON THE TDF 10 years ago CONGRATS!!" And perhaps have the riders sign something saying they can be sued, or must pay this much money if they are found to have been doped, and a team of data base entry type folks are hired to travel the internet making sure that person has a "doper" tag next to wherever their name is mentioned.

But I seriously think if we could say without a doubt that the rider who placed 17th at the TdF was the first place winner because everyone else cheated, it would be pretty cool!! And imagine how happy that rider would be... it could be like a reality TV show, then the clean rider who won gets to go knock on the door of the dopers, carrying a trophy, and say "shove this up your ****%#$#!!"

They tried that a couple of years ago. Bettini was cannonized for pretending to shoot the responsible parties with a rifle as he won the worlds that year.

Much as I'd love to see it, good luck.