A Way to End the Drug Controversy

gntlmn

Here's a proposal that I think would restore faith in the drug free status of Tour de France riders. Simply require everyone to list every type of allowed medication and supplements they are taking. Then require a portion of each blood and urine sample to be kept frozen for a number of years after the Tour.

When testing improves in the future or when new substances come into the public eye, these samples can then be retested and the rider stripped of his honors retroactively if any other substances are found other than the ones on the list he provided.

Comments anyone?

Cam the Ram

I don't think riders in the Tour are more likely to use drugs than in any other sporting event. I just think riders in the Tour have become guilty of hiding their drug use more! Just because Tour riders get caught, doesn't mean everyone else isn't doing it.

__________________
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gntlmn

Actually, I disagree with you there. I think that the Tour guys are hiding it less than those in other sports because the testing is more intensive with the Tour than with other sports, especially this year. They are also blood testing, as well as the usual urine testing.

The Tour is the most publicized sporting event in the world. I think the drug controversy is more a function of publicity than fact. It is a problem, but I think it's solvable. What I suggest, and which by the way, they are doing this year to a certain extent, is to preserve the samples. This enables them to look for unknowns at a later date. I don't know how much sample they are saving, but they are saving.

David_Zen

Does anybody know when and how often the riders are tested?

Weisse Luft

Samples ARE retained for further testing. The problem is the testing lab has to be specifically looking for a banned substance and in cases of natural hormones like EPO, there is NO accurate testing method, only a infered result of high hematocrit. Altitude training will net a higher hematocrit.

markwill

Are you serious? I am new to road biking (not even in to racing) and I am loving the Tour De France on OLN. But it's been amazing how many of my work friends don't even know it's going on right now. Sadly...

I'm guessing you were joking, yes?

Mark

Perro Loco

Recombinant Epo can be distinguished from natural epo for ~ 72 hours after use.

A few facts and speculation
Epo has effects (increased hematocrit) for ~ 3 weeks.
It is only detectable for < 96 hours after last use.
However indirect measuremnts can be suggestive for ~30 days. The tour (and Giro) is now using these parameters
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2004/jun04/jun29news
basicly-Stimulation Index = hemaglobin (in g/L) - 60 x square root of reticulocytes (in %). The limit is 133.
It's main problem is people at recent altitude may have a false positive.

This formula has been available for a couple of years and I suspect the UCI/Tour has kept its' eye on riders whose counts looked suspicious or whose hematocrit rose during a 3 wee race ala Rumsas(it actualy declines for several reasons) and targets them for more frequent testing and or passes the info along to authorities.

The UCI has stated samples will be kept and GH tested for retroactively.
Interestingly urine samples from the 98 TDF where tested for retrospectively for epo and 14% came back positive
Lasane and Ceaurriz Nature 2000

gntlmn

No joke. But Americans are still lagging. Many still don't know what it is.

gntlmn

I wonder who? Pantani?

markwill

Not to belabour the point but I gotta believe that the World Cup, European Championship and Olympics leave the Tour De France in their dust :-) Whether in America or otherwise.

Mark

Perro Loco

I often wonder this myself and have never seen mention of this.
I am sure Jean Marie or the UCI know who was positive.
In the US samples would have to kept annymous when used for research, but in France I don't know and have my doubts.

flysolo1

who cares what they use i still would not be able to climb and ride like those guy if i injected the entire pharmacy

leave the riders alone

DeRosa_AV

That might be so but they are still cheats.

mingcat9

I have talked to my friends in high school, and mentioned lance armtrong, and then said, "you do know who he is, right?" and a couple times the reply was, "yeah, he landed on the moon, right?"

of course these were the average kids, not the ones that have a 3.8 gpa and watch the news (like myself). but still, it worries me. America is supposed to be such a wonderful country (though it is), it seems 90% of the population think that cyclists are insane and european-ized and therefore unpatriotic, so they must try to side-swipe every cyclist they catch.

for instance, on the metro detroit station Local 4, the best of local stations, their sportscaster mentioned the tour de france and all the recent crashes and suggested that some cyclists need to be equiped with training wheels...he said it only half joking.

The media hypes all the doping in the olympics and it seems odd that the media treats athletics this way when, they too are losing their credibility because of reporters in major newspapers making up stories.