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ToC doping control

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Oct 25, 2010
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lean said:
agreed, but i also recognize that a certain amount of PR is necessary. it's still a business and they want to instill confidence in their audience, especially in the US following the leaking of landis' emails in the middle of the event last year. i'll concede that in a perfect world they shouldn't say a word.

This had nothing to do with the audience. It was a "Do what Pat says" move. "You want to be on the schedule next year you pi**-ants? Make this announcement".
 

Polish

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Mar 11, 2009
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alpine_chav said:
If they want to really catch dopers best to keep their mouths shut and go about their business diligently.

Believe it or not, the USADA would prefer if all riders tested were CLEAN.
They really would. They do NOT want to have riders fail dope tests.
What good does that do?

Put the word out on advance testing.
Put the word out on the plastisizer test.
Put the word out that you will be caught if you dope.

They would much rather test clean riders than "catch" dirty ones.

Now Inspector Bordry - that is another kettle of fish lol.
 
Jun 19, 2009
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Libertine Seguros said:
Lance is retiring. Lance can rest on his laurels, he has no need to dope for this event. He can smile, sit back and wave to the crowd. Lance would be a complete moron to dope for the 2011 Tour of California, and we know he isn't one of them.

I suppose the only problem is if he is selected for "random" drug testing then his DNA could be linked to other things that USADA, the FDA or somebody else already have, just as Alejandro Valverde was selected for a "random" drugs test after Prato Nervoso. That's the only reason I can see for him giving a damn.

Good point but the technical issue raised by Colm Murphy is valid: how do you pre test all riders, including the Columbians? Who is paying for that? I'd love to think this is a pre-emptive announcement to the peloton to come clean or stay at home.
 
Feb 21, 2010
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Polish said:
Believe it or not, the USADA would prefer if all riders tested were CLEAN.
They really would. They do NOT want to have riders fail dope tests.
What good does that do?

Put the word out on advance testing.
Put the word out on the plastisizer test.
Put the word out that you will be caught if you dope.

They would much rather test clean riders than "catch" dirty ones.

Now Inspector Bordry - that is another kettle of fish lol.


The advanced warning does serve as strong deterrent.

To answer your question (in bold), the good that comes from riders failing dope tests underscores USADA's importance and holds out examples of what happens when you are caught. It also keeps them in business. It is good business to showcase your busts. Think about how the local police or govt agencies roll out the cameras and lights when a big bust goes down. Gotta keep those budgets growing, more money to fight "crime"...

Perhaps I missed it but did they announce something regarding the plasticizer test?
 
Feb 21, 2010
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Oldman said:
Good point but the technical issue raised by Colm Murphy is valid: how do you pre test all riders, including the Columbians? Who is paying for that? I'd love to think this is a pre-emptive announcement to the peloton to come clean or stay at home.

More on this, if you DON'T go and knock on doors in Colombia or Holland or Germany or wherever, your credibility is shot. You cannot level empty threats and then toss it out the window and have no follow through.
 
Oct 25, 2010
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US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart explained that such an approach goes against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code and that all riders should be considered innocent until proven guilty. He said USADA had never agreed with the policy of excluding riders until they have gone through a fair and impartial proceeding.

Had it been continued, the rule could have prohibited Lance Armstrong from competing in the event, as he is reportedly under investigation by the federal government over alleged doping in his former US Postal team.

"Until an athlete through our process has been shown and proven to have committed an anti-doping rule violation, they are free to compete: whether pending indictment, pending investigation, whether some blogger thinks they cheated," said Tygart.

Hmm, I don't ever remember hearing anything about Lance getting his "Letter" from the prosecutor. Does this mean that Travis knows something the rest of us do not? Wasn't Travis on Novi's European Vacation?


rusty1.jpg
 
Jun 19, 2009
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Colm.Murphy said:
More on this, if you DON'T go and knock on doors in Colombia or Holland or Germany or wherever, your credibility is shot. You cannot level empty threats and then toss it out the window and have no follow through.

Agreed and that's where the financial headache starts. They could appoint third party labs in each country to collect samples and test later to save some dough but that's still not inexpensive. They'd have to do that at least to have any teeth to the requirement.
 

Dr. Maserati

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Jun 19, 2009
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thehog said:
Obviously a sticking point...

Messick also confirmed that the race organizers do not pay Armstrong or any other racer an appearance fee. “We don’t pay him to show up. We don’t and haven’t paid appearance fees for athletes,” he said

Ha - well, in one of the Landis emails sent to Messick, Landis states:
Therefore I think it reasonable, in the event that you cannot add his team to the TOC, that you refund the 40K that Dr Kay has paid for the tent since, for one he has been snubbed from the race and moreover the 40K along with all of the other money that you leverage from small American teams ends up deposited directly into Lance Armstrongs account as an appearance fee.

And Messick email response to that was:
Your comments regarding Lance Armstrong are not worthy of a response.

Later in a NYT article about the issue of LA being paid an appearance fee:
In another exchange, Landis asked Messick to return $40,000 that Kay had spent on a sponsor’s tent at the race if his team was not invited to compete, suggesting that the $40,000 would end up in Armstrong’s bank account as an appearance fee. Messick called that suggestion “massively inappropriate.”

"Massively inappropriate" sounds a lot different from "We don’t and haven’t paid appearance fees for athletes"
 

flicker

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Aug 17, 2009
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alpine_chav said:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/amgen-tour-of-california-teams-to-undergo-rigorous-testing

Great news everyone... The ToC organizers and USADA have used their collective intelligence and decided to release a PR Statement telling riders that (and when) they will be tested pre-race!!!

This is possibly the most ridiculous thing I've seen yet. Talk about flushing money down the drain. If they want to really catch dopers best to keep their mouths shut and go about their business diligently.

Seriously, please look at the picture here. Dope testing is a police action.

No crime makes everyone happy, top to bottom.

I hate seeing positives as a fan. It really stinks up the sport. To announce testing is an excellent move, let them (the dopers know) that they will be dilligently tested. The smart ones will stay clean, a win/win for everyone involved.

I also thought the ToC did the right thing by not letting Rock Racing race the ToC in 2008.
 
Jun 19, 2009
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flicker said:
Seriously, please look at the picture here. Dope testing is a police action.

No crime makes everyone happy, top to bottom.

I hate seeing positives as a fan. It really stinks up the sport. To announce testing is an excellent move, let them (the dopers know) that they will be dilligently tested. The smart ones will stay clean, a win/win for everyone involved.

I also thought the ToC did the right thing by not letting Rock Racing race the ToC in 2008.

Didn't they race that year? I thought the exclusion was 2009's edition.
 

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