UCI in a panic over document in Friday's L'Equipe

[frenchfry]

The index was created by Pierre Edouard Sottas at the Lausanne laboratory. It is based on the UCI's biological passport. Depending on the length of time the rider has been in the professional peloton it would collate data from 2008 up to July 1st 2010.

It represents an index of suspicion based on the time period referred to above - highest numbers being most suspect.

Analysis also ranks countries and teams using the index - France and Cofidis cleanest, Ukraine and RadioShack dirtiest.

The L'Equipe article also has an interview with FDJ doctor Gerard Guillame in which he points to the resurgence of corticosteroids in the peloton.

I don't know why but I am surprised Codidis is "cleanest". I would have counted on FDJ, although they can't be far behind. Canada with Barry at 0 and Hesjedal at 1 must be pretty low as well.

Radioshack "dirtiest", no surprise there other that they could be considered the best at manipulating the data. Lots of Quick Step and Rabobank riders with high numbers as well.

 

[webvan]

So they were not targeted ? why would they not recommend blood control ?

all seems very odd to me

D Oss being an 8 bit of a surprise

Well they way I understand this is that the UCI didn't order any specific tests for them in spite of their suspiciousness, this is what's at stake.

 

[theyoungest]

I don't know why but I am surprised Codidis is "cleanest". I would have counted on FDJ, although they can't be far behind. Canada with Barry at 0 and Hesjedal at 1 must be pretty low as well.

Radioshack "dirtiest", no surprise there other that they could be considered the best at manipulating the data. Lots of Quick Step and Rabobank riders with high numbers as well.

Lol. Lots of them. Two riders with indices higher than 2.

Don't be so French.

 

[LukeSchmid]

I don't know why but I am surprised Codidis is "cleanest". I would have counted on FDJ, although they can't be far behind. Canada with Barry at 0 and Hesjedal at 1 must be pretty low as well.

Radioshack "dirtiest", no surprise there other that they could be considered the best at manipulating the data. Lots of Quick Step and Rabobank riders with high numbers as well.

Sulzberger at 7 can not have helped FDJ's average

 

[The Sheep]

never knew Barredo was that much of a suspect?

 

[Forza L'Aquila]

I should add all data is based on riders in last year's TDF.


France 1.23
Pays Bas 1.25
Suisse 1.6
Portugal 2
Slovénié 2.25
Etats-Unis 2.37
Belgique 2.69
Danemark 2.8
Autriche 3
Allemagne 3.27
Australie 3.27
Espagne 3.37
Grande-Bret 3.37
Italie 3.7
Biélorussie 4
Kazakhstan 4.33
Ukraine 5.33

The list does not take into account countries with fewer than three riders .

 

[Granville57]

Full list

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49195174@N00/5714862867/in/photostream

Thanks for that.

Analysis also ranks countries and teams using the index - France and Cofidis cleanest, Ukraine and RadioShack dirtiest.

If that's the case, and it turns out that Popo was the "protected one" (with his outstanding ranking of 10!) then there should be some entertaining responses forthcoming.

 

[Chef_Vodnik]

Just for comparisons sake, Shrecks count for 2 and 3 respectively, averaging 2.50 ... below belgium. VdB2 really skewed that.

 

[Forza L'Aquila]

Teams were ranked in order of lowest index to highest:

Cofidis
BB Telecom
FDJ
AG2R
Garmin
Cervelo
Footon-Servetto
Rabobank
Liquigas
Sky
Milram
Saxo Bank
Euskatel
Katusha
Lampre
Quick Step
Omega-Lotto
HTC-Columbia
BMC
Caisse d'Epargne
Astana
RadioShack

 

[nesocip]

never knew Barredo was that much of a suspect?

For some reason, didnt surprise me at all. A 10 really jumps out, true, but i think nobody would have even commented on him if he was an 8 for example.

 

[Von Mises]

Teams were ranked:

Cofidis
BB Telecom
FDJ
AG2R
Garmin
Cervelo
Footon-Servetto
Rabobank
Liquigas
Sky
Milram
Saxo Bank
Euskatel
Katusha
Lampre
Quick Step
Omega-Lotto
HTC-Columbia
BMC
Caisse d'Epargne
Astana
RadioShack

Averages

Cofidis 0,4
Bbox 1,4
FDJ 1,6
AG2R 1,7

FDJ score is pushed up by Sulzberger 7 and AG2R´s score by Nocentinis 8.

 

[Granville57]

Teams were ranked in order of lowest index to highest:

Cofidis
BB Telecom
FDJ
AG2R
Garmin
Cervelo
Footon-Servetto
Rabobank
Liquigas
Sky
Milram
Saxo Bank
Euskatel
Katusha
Lampre
Quick Step
Omega-Lotto
HTC-Columbia
BMC
Caisse d'Epargne
Astana
RadioShack

JV should be quite happy with that list.
The French are going to have a field day with this.

 

[bicing]

Teams were ranked in order of lowest index to highest:

Cofidis
BB Telecom
FDJ
AG2R
Garmin
Cervelo
Footon-Servetto
Rabobank
Liquigas
Sky
Milram
Saxo Bank
Euskatel
Katusha
Lampre
Quick Step
Omega-Lotto
HTC-Columbia
BMC
Caisse d'Epargne
Astana
RadioShack

I'm impressed - this ordered list seems quite consistent with the forum's general consensus on cleanest to dirtiest teams.

 

[ultimobici]

For those who read French here are the notes emailed to me from a friend in Paris.

 

[Von Mises]

First impressions are that the tables make absolutely no sense to moi.

Michael Barry was implicated in the Landis confessionals, and he's Indice 0.
Ruben Plaza was part of Operation Puerto, and he's Indice 1.
Vino has already copped a ban and he is Indice 5.

Yet Jeremy Hunt is a 7............................................................

This table may not be conclusive about certain riders, but I think that it helps to make some generalizatiosn like French team are clean, cleanish or cleaner.

 

[Frosty]

Plaza is a bit of a forum favourite for the teams he's been on isnt he? Just a 1 for him.

 

[L'arriviste]

I'd add to that:

No surprise:
Popovych 10
Menchov 9
Guterrez 8
Hondo 8
Muravyev 8
Kloden 7
Petacchi 6
Voeckler 0

Surprised:
Gerdemann 6
Moreau 7 - per the scan (don't know why I am surprised but..)
Thomas Geraint 6
Horner 0
Rast 0

Good news:
Hesjedal 1
Chavanel 1 - Great performance in TdF 2010

...

 

[theyoungest]

Teams were ranked in order of lowest index to highest:

Cofidis
BB Telecom
FDJ
AG2R
Garmin
Cervelo
Footon-Servetto
Rabobank
Liquigas
Sky
Milram
Saxo Bank
Euskatel
Katusha
Lampre
Quick Step
Omega-Lotto
HTC-Columbia
BMC
Caisse d'Epargne
Astana
RadioShack

It's just painfully obvious why L'Equipe have published this list. If, say, Thomas Voeckler had a suspicion index of 8, we'd have heard nothing about this.

 

[Frosty]

Of course this is only before the Tour, some people might have changed category since then. Also, bio-passport goes back to 2008 so some people might have dodgy results from back then. Not that that makes it any better but just a thought.

 

[Forza L'Aquila]

On Contador, the article says he recorded a high haematocrit in May and UCI testers were advised to target him with blood tests during the tour .

It goes on to say the date for Contador's CAS hearing will be officially set next week and should be heard in the second or third week of June.

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

Sure, but I can't see who that would be, as the one(s) that we do know did get attention were having plenty of other reasons why it was warranted, even if their bio passport turned out to be cleaner than Dazz Ultra.'...'

One example would be AC and Menchov. There are plenty of other reasons why both of them should get some extra attention. If AC was tested more, and the difference isn't explained by stage results, avid conspiracy theorists will want two questions answered. The latest leak might be useful in answering both questions...just in case there are one or two skeptical avid conspiracy theorist in the clinic...

As for your second point, that depends on the exact nature of the report. By whom, for whom. Somewhere at some point test results and data must be matched to names, not ID's. How else do you know who to target how?

Actually I don't think there is ever any excuse to form a full list of names and "charging factor". They can analyse the data, calculate the charging factor, then connect the name with the ID number only when it comes time to test a specific athlete. Anyone involved in adding subjective information, such as whether a rider has been sanctioned in the past, should make every effort not to figure out the name of the rider they are assessing. Such a list doesn't help; it's existence isn't a good sign IMO.

Edit: Although for sheer entertainment value it's gold!

 

[Straßenrennen]

I'd add to that:

Okay good cant quote your edited list, but i think Thomas's increased rating of 6 was based on the fact it was his first year with the bigboys and the kid pulls like a german panzer, he has no pain barriers, okay no pain barrier that he wont break. The list is based jointly on performance and bio passport, so we dont actually know which is the reason for the 6 or for any of the riders rating. It could be a 2+4 combination or a 0+6 combination.

Except for the ex-milram riders, we were so poor last season that someone must of either forgot the big minus before there name or the uci thought they'd been drawing blood all season so we could top up daily during the tour.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

The scale means

0-1 = Not suspicious
2-4 = Some remarks about the blood profile, but still not suspicious
5 = More remarks about the blood profile, is being watched carefully
6-10 = Very suspicious (the higher the worse obviously), many remarks about the blood profile which seems to have a very irregular pattern

 

[ElChingon]

Will more data be released? Or will we only get this aggregate number?
Would be nice to see how the numbers add up, actual data that is.

 

[Fus087]

So they were not targeted ? why would they not recommend blood control ?

all seems very odd to me

D Oss being an 8 bit of a surprise

He only turned pro in 2009, and we don't know how many samples the bio passport is based on per rider (if those numbers are even based on the bio passport, or only the pre-Tour medical check, that's not so clear to me).

On the other hand, I wouldn't be so surprised: Former Zalf rider, never even won a 1.2 race as U23 (which normally almost is a prerequisite for an Italian to get a pro contract), significant improvement from 2009 to 2010... Connect the dots.
(yes, I know that connecting the dots isn't necessarily foolproof, see Tondo)

But his improvement in his second pro year could also be down to having adjusted to the pro peloton, and the 8 could simply be a wrong measurement, or have a natural cause.
As always, it's difficult to say something about a rider with only this as evidence; others we know much more about.