Who's more important to bust to rid cycling of doping

[python]

It’s a hypothetical poll but I cant resist asking when I hear ettore torri and reading about contador and armstrong and an army of other dopers.

 

[Barrus]

More important = Mcquack

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

Corrected the spelling on "Armstrong" for you

Susan

 

[fruit bars with eyes]

no individual rider bust can have a meaningful effect - armstrong is a big name but he is all but retired- whilst the american focus here means he's seen as 'mr cycling' he's no bigger than eddy was in france or museuuw in belgium or pantani in italy or kelly in ireland or vino in k-stan. the busting of the UCI, the soigneurs and doctors may help- but the problem if we got back to a clean peleton is that the best way to win then would still be to be a very good rider and to cheat. a well monitored passport (which we more or less have) that works like a harm reduction device by ensuring levels of certain indicators are 'normal' may be the best that can be achieved?

 

[L'arriviste]

"All of them", of course. Because otherwise we don't really get rid of doping, it just continues underground.

My ongoing research suggests to me that we have to try to look beyond mere riders though. A whole network of supporting roots is there and just lopping the head will mean that the weed can just keep growing back.

 

[hrotha]

Busting Armstrong is extremely important, but it's meaningless if today's big dopers are not busted too.

 

[Ferminal]

Both... If only Armstrong goes down cycling was dirty but is now clean.

If only Contador goes down he's just a bad apple and there's no institutional problems in the sport.

If both go down it shows how deep doping is.

 

[online-rider]

Busting Armstrong is extremely important, but it's meaningless if today's big dopers are not busted too.

I wonder who would be left if all the dopers of today were busted at once. ( Maybe I could finally get my pro contract )

 

[python]

Corrected the spelling on "Armstrong" for you

Susan

much obliged, susan (tipping my hat back)

personally, it's all of them but my stubborn avatar has other ideas

 

[marioni]

I'd 'bust' anti-doping instead.

 

[icefire]

It still amazes me that after the full Festina affair, Pantani, the aftermath of Operation Puerto (Basso, Ullrich, Valverde, etc), Landys, Rasmussen and so on... there's still some people who think that busting a high profile rider will be of any use in the global scheme of things.

Bust all of them to have them replaced with new names doing the same thing.

 

[Ney the Viking]

I voted all of them, but in reality I think it's more important to get rid of people like McQuack and other "care-takers" of the sport that (imho) facilitates and enables the riders to use doping.

If the manegement wanted a clean sport they could definitly do a lot more than what is currently done.

When manegement hails corruption, secrets, lies et.al. why would the riders believe in clean riding?

Cleaning up from the bottom never works, always start at the top.

 

[Vonn Brinkman]

Sadly I can't vote other!
Pat has to go first!
And then Armstrong should go, true, and then pretty much 90% of cycling.
What I think should happen after: doping should be legalised, and everyone should be able to admit they doped during their careers, without getting penalized. I think the only solution to all these issues is to legalise doping.

 

[Squares]

People by nature will cheat to get ahead if there is a way to do so.

This means that it doesn't matter how many Armstrongs, Contadors, Riis', Rasmussen's, Landis', or Ullrich's you bust, doping is endemic to the sport and will continue to be an important factor.

The only hope is that the scientific methods to detect doping get as much attention and funding as needed. They need to develop assays that can detect the upcoming doping methods and that these assays can be performed reliably and consistently by all antidoping labs. These tests need to be as reliable as those approved by the FDA, NICE, or EMEA as diagnostic tests for clinical use.

Also, rather than the random 5-6 riders tested at the finish of a race, testing needs to be performed on enough riders (30-50%) so that a rider in the tour knows they don't really have a chance to go undetected because they will be tested (on average) every other day, but may get tested on successive days. A rider that races 70-80 days a year needs to be tested 20-30 times. That way, like the hematocrit, plasticizer levels and meat contaminant levels (and anything else) could be established as baseline levels.

The problem, that all costs a ton of money. Money that the UCI and WADA dosen't have. Are riders going to give up salary to pay for testing? Are sponsors willing to pay more for additional testing? Are ASO and RCS willing to give up their haul?

In the end, until people are really willing to give up a bunch of cash to the geeky scientists, the sport will continue in the current course.

 

[flicker]

Sadly I can't vote other!
Pat has to go first!
And then Armstrong should go, true, and then pretty much 90% of cycling.
What I think should happen after: doping should be legalised, and everyone should be able to admit they doped during their careers, without getting penalized. I think the only solution to all these issues is to legalise doping.

I agree. Let me add no sanctions to previous doping wins.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

It still amazes me that after the full Festina affair, Pantani, the aftermath of Operation Puerto (Basso, Ullrich, Valverde, etc), Landys, Rasmussen and so on... there's still some people who think that busting a high profile rider will be of any use in the global scheme of things.

Bust all of them to have them replaced with new names doing the same thing.

Sadly, I have to agree.

The riders - even the big names are merely pawns that are quickly replaced so the game continues.

Catching dopers will not change anything - however if the UCI is caught up in (more) corruption then this could force a change to how the sport is administered and that could have an effect.

 

[Polish]

Is it even POSSIBLE to bust a rider for having STEEL coursing through their Veins? Doubt it.

And busting a rider for cheating in 2010 will be a much better deterrent than busting a rider from 1999 or 1973 lol. Duh.

The Scientists, the good guys, seem to be getting the upper hand. Of course, there will be a lot of busts during the transition. Don't get discouraged.

And If/When Lance gets busted, there will be mass sympathy and more bogus calls for "Legalization". Not a deterrent, maybe just the opposite

 

[PikaCyclist]

Bust the teams too

Until the teams face sanctions for having riders test positive, no real change will come. Astana should be facing some sort of suspension for failing to supervise Contador - or possibly for giving him whatever caused the positive test, be it tainted Spanish beef or a blood transfusion.

Riders are under a lot of pressure to win at any cost, and it is currently in a team's best interest to not bust their own riders. Only Rabobank, in its dealings with Michael Rasmussen, has ever shown that sort of integrity. (Even Bernhard Kohl says Rabobank is clean!) Garmin, HTC and SaxoBank have certainly talked the talk, and had good results with no one testing positive for anything, so it would appear that some teams can have good results without poisoning their riders. That should be encouraged, and the teams that tacitly allow doping should be punished and flushed from the sport. IMO.

 

[hfer07]

the following "must" be busted:
UCI
Pat Mcquaid
Johhan Bruyneel
Lance Armstrong

the problem won't be fixed if the governing body is as corrupt as the athletes, doctors, managers & every one in between promoting that behavior in cycling -but we cannot let cheaters like Armstrong just walk away with impunity..

 

[Oldman]

You have 'Zeke Mosquera and teammate popped and yet their DS, Pino is going to "retire"? I think the DS's and the UCI are in the same class as one group takes their cue for how far to push the envelope from the other. Hence Mr. McQuack's constant backpeddling because he thought he had the genie in the box. Unfortunately someone sent the box to Cologne....

 

[BrindSurch]

THe problem is both of them havent been proven dopers so would be abit pointless. in my book clean to proven guilty.

And i believe they are both clean

 

[offbyone]

How can a cyclist who is no longer competing be more important to bust then the currently touted best grand tour rider in the world?

The notion that changing the past will affect the present and future is hogwash.

 

[nevada]

The UCI and all DS's with any kind of history.

I am amazed that its taken this long to catch Contador, especially given all his prior teams.

 

[buckwheat]

How can a cyclist who is no longer competing be more important to bust then the currently touted best grand tour rider in the world?

The notion that changing the past will affect the present and future is hogwash.

I tend to agree with the first part.

If the present and future sees Armstrong in the pen, that could be a big deterrent.

 

[Straßenrennen]

You have 'Zeke Mosquera and teammate popped and yet their DS, Pino is going to "retire"? I think the DS's and the UCI are in the same class as one group takes their cue for how far to push the envelope from the other. Hence Mr. McQuack's constant backpeddling because he thought he had the genie in the box. Unfortunately someone sent the box to Cologne....

Dont think the Germans will be trusted with anymore important samples if pats anything to do with it. Also he must be mighty ****ed that the lab also used the test for plastiziers before its been offically approved. Heh. For once "everyone" likes the germans!