Why Tenerife?

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Tenerife and cost

Funding could well be an issue when it comes to explaining any perceived gap in testing. In order to test riders in Tenerife anti-doping authorities may well need to send a pool of testers to a location that's relatively remote. There's also the added pressure of needing to transfer the samples to the accredited lab in Madrid within a certain time frame.

Cyclingnews spoke to one source who has extensive knowledge of how the UCI's Passport programme operates and its funding. "There's no real excuse for this. Wherever athletes are they need to be tested, training camp or not. Yes, it's an expensive operation to send testers to such logistically difficult areas but finance shouldn't be a deciding factor if we want a cleaner sport. To me, and from what I know from working in the sport, there's no excuse if two or three Grand Tour favourites are spending extended periods of time there in the lead up to the Tour de France."


http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lack-of-anti-doping-testing-in-tenerife-under-spotlight
 
Mar 26, 2009
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I can't image being "expensive" to send someone there for testing (flights from EU to Tenerife are around 300euro or so); those GT favourites have been there for long time and even at same time for a week or so.
 
Jul 10, 2013
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I think that one of the things being seriously overlooked up in hiah is the fact that the weather around the Teide is very similar to the weather in the Alps or the Pyrenees in July. And the climbing can be very similar too.

And, like I said before, the climbs have multiple escape routes should you need to "disappear" for an hour or so.
 
The_Juan said:
I think that one of the things being seriously overlooked up in hiah is the fact that the weather around the Teide is very similar to the weather in the Alps or the Pyrenees in July. And the climbing can be very similar too.

And, like I said before, the climbs have multiple escape routes should you need to "disappear" for an hour or so.

Eh?.....there is only one road over the Teide......with only two access points at either of that road

Mark L
 
The_Juan said:
I think that one of the things being seriously overlooked up in hiah is the fact that the weather around the Teide is very similar to the weather in the Alps or the Pyrenees in July. And the climbing can be very similar too.

And, like I said before, the climbs have multiple escape routes should you need to "disappear" for an hour or so.

Eh?....as far as I recall there is only one paved road over the Teide with two access points either end.....there are dirt tracks, but then there are dirt tracks all over the Alpine climbs too........if you wanted to choose a place where dope testers couldn't find you Tenerife would be a bad choice.....its a tiny island

Mark L
 

daveyt

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The_Juan said:
And, like I said before, the climbs have multiple escape routes should you need to "disappear" for an hour or so.

The whereabouts system still applies in Tenerife.
 
daveyt said:
The whereabouts system still applies in Tenerife.

You only need to give one window per day of when you will be available. If they are targeting you for a random out on the road outside of this window, it is up to the testers to catch you.

Isn't Mt Teide too far away from the nearest testing lab to get a sample back in time for it to be tested? I thought that was why it was chosen.
 
I don't think it is true that Tenerife is too far....in fact I know it isn't true because tests have been carried out in the past.....it is most likely a question of funding which I suspect is the real issue behind effective anti-doping.....having said that, whatever your stance is on Froome what he tweeted last year was correct.....it is odd that when you have what at the time seemed to be the likely TdF podium lined up training in the same place it is odd that no testing took place.....of course he may have had ulterior motives for that....perhaps knowing that for that period of time he would be clean......or maybe hoping to generate some favorable anti-doping press that he could refer back to when faced with awkward questions in July

Of course its questionable as to whether any of the riders would be doping during training anyway.....certainly seems to not be the current method

Mark L
 
Sep 29, 2012
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If the riders are racing (IC) 60 days / year (Froome did 52 in 2014), that leaves 300 days / year they are training or recovering (OOC).

If they are tested on average 3 times / year OOC, that's an average of once every 100 days.

If they spend 3 weeks (21 days) at Tenerife they still have another 80 days, on average, before they would expect another random, OOC test.

This Tenerife training camp storm in a teacup is a very useful mechanism for obfuscating the issue that OOC testing is closer to useless for catching dopers, regardless of where they train.
 
Oct 16, 2010
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Dear Wiggo said:
If the riders are racing (IC) 60 days / year (Froome did 52 in 2014), that leaves 300 days / year they are training or recovering (OOC).

If they are tested on average 3 times / year OOC, that's an average of once every 100 days.

If they spend 3 weeks (21 days) at Tenerife they still have another 80 days, on average, before they would expect another random, OOC test.

This Tenerife training camp storm in a teacup is a very useful mechanism for obfuscating the issue that OOC testing is closer to useless for catching dopers, regardless of where they train.
and in that light isn't it reassuring to hear all those clean teams and riders demand that funding of antidoping and the number of OOC tests be increased.
:rolleyes:
 
bobbins said:
Isn't Mt Teide too far away from the nearest testing lab to get a sample back in time for it to be tested? I thought that was why it was chosen.
No, not really. Tenerife is only three hour flight from Madrid which has a testing lab. In terms of travel times it's as close to an accreditated lab than many major cities in the USA (which has labs in LA, Salt Lake and Montreal over the border). How long would it take to get a sample to a lab from Miami or Dallas?
 
sniper said:
and in that light isn't it reassuring to hear all those clean teams and riders demand that funding of antidoping and the number of OOC tests be increased.
:rolleyes:

Why would they?.....why would any team clean or not want to have to give away some of its income?.....it is obvious why a dirty team wouldn't but even a clean team might not be so adversely affected by dirty riders as to make an increased financial contribution worthwhile

I've read people predicting that a many dope bust would destroy cycling irreparably but that hasn't proved to be the case historically...... some of the German media withdrawal has happened but has anybody really noticed the difference?

The bottom line is the whole set up is a business.... Doing the right thing and being seen to do the right thing only happens if financially viable

Mark L
 
Jul 10, 2013
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ebandit said:
Eh?....as far as I recall there is only one paved road over the Teide with two access points either end.....there are dirt tracks, but then there are dirt tracks all over the Alpine climbs too........if you wanted to choose a place where dope testers couldn't find you Tenerife would be a bad choice.....its a tiny island

Mark L

That's what I'm talking about, the dirt roads.

You cant train in the Alps and dope at the same time because once you tell WADA you will be in the Galibier training you will, for sure, be welcomed by a tester. Not in Tenerife.
 
Oct 16, 2010
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ebandit said:
Why would they?.....why would any team clean or not want to have to give away some of its income?.....it is obvious why a dirty team wouldn't but even a clean team might not be so adversely affected by dirty riders as to make an increased financial contribution worthwhile

I've read people predicting that a many dope bust would destroy cycling irreparably but that hasn't proved to be the case historically...... some of the German media withdrawal has happened but has anybody really noticed the difference?

The bottom line is the whole set up is a business.... Doing the right thing and being seen to do the right thing only happens if financially viable

Mark L
Stop playing dumb 'n dumber.
If you're clean, the chances are big that your income is being diminished by dopers who claim victories that you should be celebrating.
case in point: Wiggins 2009 TdF. How much more money would he have made in that year (and subsequent years) if Armstrong and Contador had been caught prior to that TdF?
If you're clean and want to make more money, what you'd logically do is demand more and more thorough testing. Or will you now argue that clean riders are not interested in making more money?
 
Oct 16, 2010
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Parker said:
No, not really. Tenerife is only three hour flight from Madrid which has a testing lab. In terms of travel times it's as close to an accreditated lab than many major cities in the USA (which has labs in LA, Salt Lake and Montreal over the border). How long would it take to get a sample to a lab from Miami or Dallas?
but probably there aren't as many flights leaving from Tenerife as there are from Miami or Dallas.
Anyway, where does your confidence in USA andtidoping come from? You seem to use it as a yardstick for successful antidoping testing.:eek:
 
sniper said:
Stop playing dumb 'n dumber.
If you're clean, the chances are big that your income is being diminished by dopers who claim victories that you should be celebrating.
case in point: Wiggins 2009 TdF. How much more money would he have made in that year (and subsequent years) if Armstrong and Contador had been caught prior to that TdF?
If you're clean and want to make more money, what you'd logically do is demand more and more thorough testing. Or will you now argue that clean riders are not interested in making more money?

Indeed...but there are a number of other categories who would also logically demand more testing;
1. those with a sophisticated doping programme where their doctors know they can beat the tests
2. those who use TUEs
3. those who are tipped off as to when testers might target them
4. in combination of the above...those who want to appear clean but who are not...and you can't argue the 'chutzpah' of armstrong in portraying his 'donation' to the UCI to be to help fight doping...of course he famously never failed a test (well apart from the ones he did :) )

Without a detailed knowledge of your competition's programmes it wouldn't do you any harm to have them, you might say, 'stress-tested' by a OOC test...
 

daveyt

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Oct 23, 2014
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sniper said:
but probably there aren't as many flights leaving from Tenerife as there are from Miami or Dallas.
Anyway, where does your confidence in USA andtidoping come from? You seem to use it as a yardstick for successful antidoping testing.:eek:

There are 13 flights a week from Madrid to Tenerife South
2 airlines fly direct from Madrid to Tenerife South
The most popular airline flying from Madrid to Tenerife South last month was Iberia
The average flight time from Madrid to Tenerife South is 3h
£70 was the cheapest return price from Madrid to Tenerife South last month
Madrid to Tenerife South is 1,133 miles
 
May 26, 2010
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gillan1969 said:
Indeed...but there are a number of other categories who would also logically demand more testing;
1. those with a sophisticated doping programme where their doctors know they can beat the tests
2. those who use TUEs
3. those who are tipped off as to when testers might target them
4. in combination of the above...those who want to appear clean but who are not...and you can't argue the 'chutzpah' of armstrong in portraying his 'donation' to the UCI to be to help fight doping...of course he famously never failed a test (well apart from the ones he did :) )

Without a detailed knowledge of your competition's programmes it wouldn't do you any harm to have them, you might say, 'stress-tested' by a OOC test...


It would be pretty easy for WADA to find out what the latest sophisticated programs are.
 

daveyt

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Oct 23, 2014
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daveyt said:
There are 13 flights a week from Madrid to Tenerife South
2 airlines fly direct from Madrid to Tenerife South
The most popular airline flying from Madrid to Tenerife South last month was Iberia
The average flight time from Madrid to Tenerife South is 3h
£70 was the cheapest return price from Madrid to Tenerife South last month
Madrid to Tenerife South is 1,133 miles

Actually looks like there might be more flights from Ternife North than there are from the South.... can't get the stats out of the stupid website though.