**** Breaking News: Hamilton Tested Positive? ***

Perro Loco

The first number is all riders at the start, therafter it is random teams selected along with stage winners- etc. I am not sure what would be the effect if everybody knew they would be tested. 80 still amounts to over 50% of riders tested (147 finished).

I think things have improved, perfect? far from it.
It would be great if the UCI would publish all the data. I think they have done a reasonable job (could clearly do better) after initialy sticking their head in the sand.

On the other hand, try and find the average hematocrit for any major marathon in recent years. Boston, London, new york or Olympics. For that matter any endurance sport or one that might benifit from blood doping- swimming, tennis etc. I couldn't find it. I saw some data from ironman, but limited. If someone knows let me know.
There is data from cross country skiing and it doesn't look good.

2001 cross country worlds- 14% "abnormal hematologic profile"
Medalists 50% abnormal 4th-10 33% abnormal.
Stray-Gunderson et al Clin J Sport 2003

Skiing uses a higher cutoff for hemaglobin than does cycling
Hemaglobin of 17.5 ~ alittle more than 52%

Perro Loco

I can't see anyway he can prove his innocence- only + over 300 tests 3 samples positive one unable to be tested.
There are rare indiviuals who are mosaics for certain genes (mutation occurs at an early embryonic stage) and it has been described for blood groups. But this would only be one antigen difference in all likelyhood.

sportzgurl

I didn't quite understand what you were saying there!! lol. Could you please explain that again?? lol thanks

patrickpike2003

Tyler keeps his gold but has big trouble pending.

I was curious if anyone knew anything about the pink bracelets. I've seen a few around. My girlfriend's mother is a breast cancer survivor who really appreciated the yellow one I gave her, I think she would go nuts if I got her a pink bracelet. So if you know where to get one, post here or send me an e-mail.

-Patrick

antoineg

You'd think it would be a simple thing to rule out mosaicism or chimaerism by doing DNA testing or an equivalent flow cytometry test on the parents' blood/tissue. Not to mention that these conditions usually are marked by terrible problems in the adult human, not what you'd expect in a world-ranked cyclist.

I do not see how a normal gene mutation could result in a postive using this flow cytometry process.

sportzgurl

I did mention before that I didn't think too many BIG names had pulled out of Vuelta, but as it turns out they have!! Most with that chronic stomach bug that seems to be doing the rounds there. Is this just a case of the bug spreading around the teams or is it something a bit more suspect. I mean it is getting late in the Vuelta so i suppose you would expect more riders to pull out now, than before, but does anybody think this is just a little suspect??? Could it have something to do with doping? Also just read this on cyclingnews:


More Vuelta positives

Spanish sports newspaper As is reporting that six as-yet-unnamed Spanish riders have returned positive doping controls at the Vuelta a España. However, the substances in question are ones which it is possible for athletes to use, provided they have a medical certificate. The UCI is examining the medical handbooks of the riders - believed to include some of the race's major protagonists - to check that the necessary permissions are in place.

Is this a case of prior notification.....again

mareblu

If you want to send a personal note to Tyler Hamilton you can go to

www.tylerhamilton.com

gntlmn

Did you see the new equipment used by women's fast pitch softball team to zero in on the ball as it is pitched? Pitching equipment shoots out ball with colored number. Batter is supposed to identify the color and the number. It takes about 2 weeks usually for a batter to develop the skill while using the pitching machine. Batters first starting with the machine cannot believe it can be done, but when they stick with it, they improve greatly--so does their batting.

sportzgurl

Another Tyler update!! It turns out that the reason the IOC B tests were disregarded is because they were frozen, which ruins them. How careless is that!! You would think they would no if freezing the blood stuffs thier tests. But the IOC man (whose name is something Saucy i think) said that he was sure that the A tests were accurate. He said there was definatley two peoples blood in Tylers sample. I heard this on eurosports news. I hope you didn't already know lol.

gntlmn

Sorry, I was busy today and couldn't get back with you right away.

We need more information on this study. The reason is because I don't think any of us really knows what these numbers are referring to yet. Are these the average speeds of the winner of the Tour de France? Or are they the average speeds of each of the riders of the Tour de France?

Let's assume it is the average speed of the winner because I'm pretty sure that's what you're going to tell me. But back me up if I'm not making this assumption correctly.

Now, let me tell you this. If it is the average speed of the winner, then what the peloton does in a support function will greatly increase the speed of the winner, even if many riders fade and cannot keep up with the pack. The faders and the dropouts are not being considered here. If it is the average speed of all riders, then we need to figure out what we're talking about with respect to the dropouts. How do you figure the average speed of everyone if you have a lot of DNF's. Anyway, if it turns out to be that, then we need to get probably so technical that the analysis will bear little fruit. This is another reason why I will figure this by average speed of the winner.

And now I propose that this analysis may be very easy if you consider this. Let's say that next year (this won't happen, but I'm trying to show something here), the Tour de France organizers tell the peloton the following. "We have an additional bonus this year. To win $100 million each, the fastest rider has to reach the finish line in Paris in greater than 45 kph average over the entire course, all stages included. The policy guaranteeing the prizes are being underwritten by an insurance company."

Now I ask you this. Don't you think the peloton could get the first place man there to Paris significantly faster than 40 kph? I think your answer is yes. And the reason is because the peloton is not running to full capacity at all times during the race. It rests because it knows it can get away with it. The race is controlled by the leaders as to whether or not the peloton moves quicker. If the peloton wants to go quicker it can. If it does, the winner gets to Paris quicker too. So as long as the peloton is not running to capacity the whole way, then the first rider to Paris will have an opportunity to get there faster.

gntlmn

Good work. I think I am beginning to disbelieve Tyler. When you hear the story that he approached a doctor for help with doping in the late 1990's, claiming he was acting on behalf of his team and that if the doctor cooperated, he would have a position with the team as team doctor, you might not believe it by itself because it was only disclosed this year. But then when you combine that story with this one, about the alleged doping in the Olympics and Vuelta, you begin to reconsider whether you should have believed the doctor who claims to have refused to provide doping help. I think Tyler is trying to pull an OJ on this one and get off 100% not guilty. Just my opinion.

gntlmn

I wasn't too sure about Tyler until I heard the positive on Vuelta sample B. IOC sample B gives me only a double take, until I discover that they destroyed the sample by freezing it. Now I am inclined to believe that Tyler is guilty. How do you explain 3 out of 3 positives? It's not 3 out of 4 because the other sample was destroyed.

gntlmn

Where do you get the 14% number? The link makes no mention of that.

sportzgurl

Do you mean you wouldn't have expected Tyler to do that? Yeah, when a doping story comes out in cycling there is never a straight answer to it. There always seems to be a 'hidden secret' that comes out, which adds to the suspision. Is that story ture? Well I know you dont write claims without facts so it must be. So yeah, i have to say that the more we talk about this and look into it, the more the facts begin to stack against Tyler. Your opinion is the same as mine!

But what the hell were the IOC testers doing putting the sample in the freezer? I mean how they test a sample can alter the lives of the sample provider for ever. They can't be so careless as to ruin a sample that could clear or incrimate an athlete. I mean I heard the IOC man say thats what they did so it has to be true but it just seems way to sloppy for the IOC. Doesn't it?