Can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man

You know with all the "news" on doping this year and the reactions to it as the road season is in recess, it's got me thinking.

Now correct me if I'm wrong but, the UCI and related groups (or the idiots who run cycling) want to stop doping. Also anyone who they catch, they hope will turn in anyone who was helping them or any other riders who are doping.

Now here is what I don't understand.

When you are caught and/or admit to doping you are banned from riding for anywhere from 1-2 years and banned from ProTour teams for an additional 2 years (not that the ProTour means much anymore). This is completely fair in my mind, however any rider who has been banned, except David Millar, seems to be finding it next to impossible to find a decent team to ride for, in fear of that team not being invited to the big races. Even riders not implicated in doping but talking to a doctor implicated in doping (ie Diluca) are caught up in this.

So my question for the idiots is this.

How does this encourage any riders to come clean and admit what they know? If you would be taking the chance that no top tier team would ever sign you again because they might not be invited to the classics and grand tours, I sure wouldn't admit to anything.

Another thing, maybe the UCI should just post all the documents they've received regarding Operation Puerto on the web. Let the general public decide if Valverde or anybody else is guilty. OR better yet let the general public do the research. People love that kind of stuff. Unless you are worried that some riders may be implicated in the documents that you haven't been hounding like you have Valverde.

Just a thought.

Can this passport be revoked?

So in yet another example of the controlling interests in cycling—not the riders or the sponsors mind you—dictating what they want to happen and how it should happen, we now get the blood passport.

Though it may sound like something out of Nightwatch or Moonlight, it is infact the new WADA plan to try to stamp out doping in cycling.

Now I will grant you I haven't dug into this enough to know if they have already answered my questions but I feel like there is a lack of safeguards for the riders and the incredible amount of bureaucracy this could create could create chaos.

How does rider prove they are innocent? Do they have the ability to retroactively challenge the original blood tests to the levels were not accurately captured? How long would this process take? And how advanced is our science in this realm or does WADA already have some of these parameters in place?

Another question I have is in regards to the effects of an entire season of training and riding on the body’s natural chemistry. Do we know what the effects of all this is on hormone and blood levels? Is it possible that some of these naturally might alter themselves?

If they really want to do something how about getting rid of all the exemptions that half the peloton has. I’m sorry but if you have asthma and it makes it hard to ride that is your own damn fault and you may not be able to race at the elite level. I don’t have the physiology to climb mountains all day long for days on end so should I be able to get a therapeutic exemption for steroids so I can compete with the pros in the peloton?

any port in a storm

So it looks like the UCI finally realized that it has a big bundle of documents from the Spanish authorities in that Operation Puerto mess from LAST YEAR.

Today they announced that Alejandro Valverde is barred from competing at the World Championships next month in Germany. They issued a statement today that read in part:

"During the meticulous studying of the 6000-page Puerto dossier, the UCI has concluded that several documents may show the involvement of Alejandro Valverde in the affair."

Now the big question has got to be whether anyone will get barred from the Vuelta a tte last minute.

Developing I am sure

A sinking ship

Seems like every day it's more bad news for the Astana team.

They lost their bike sponsor, their clothing sponsor and now today Velonews is reporting that Andrey Kashechkin has tested positive for homologous blood doping in an out of competition test Aug 1.

Yet another blow to the team and one has to wonder how long they can last or even if the UCI will pull their Protour license now that they have had 3 positive drug tests in the last few months.

Le Tour - Stage 18

Another day of recovery ahead of the Decisive TT by the peloton today.

a break that included Merckx, Lefèvre, Casar and Boogerd was able to stretch out to a 17 minute lead at one point before Casar took the stage ahead of Merckx 9 minutes ahead of the peloton. This after crashing into a dog earlier in the stage (what is with dogs and crashes this year?).

IN the bunch sprint for the remaining points Boonen once again took the top spot over Hunter and Zabel sealing up his lead even more. The perhaps big news of the stage was that the final sprint split the peloton and Evans gained 3" on Contador who was left in the second group (does this mean anything for the TT? hmmmmmmmm).

In more depressing news, Cyclingnews.com is reporting that on the final mountain stage one of the jersey wearers tested positive in their doping control. The cast of characters includes Rasmussen, Contador, Soler, and Boonen. They are reporting that it is Soler and that the police have been at the Barloworld hotel.

After putting in such a string showing this is very depressing news indeed and will only go on to further undermine cycling in the world's view.

another day, another doper (stage 16 wrap-up)

UPDATE BELOW

oy...

...before I could even find the time to write about today's very exciting final mountain stage, word comes out about another rider testing positive.

Turns out that Cristian Moreni of Confidis has tested positive for testosterone and the entire team will be leaving the tour a la Astana. They are also foregoing the B sample test so he must have admitted it to the team once confronted.

It's really to bad for the rest of the team but I think that this is really the way to go as it will hopefully begin to ostracize the riders who do cheat and will hopefully make the other riders more likely to come forward.

UPDATE: Well I suppose I should have seen this coming but Rabobank has pulled Rasmussen from the tour and fired him. Apprently there is evidence that he purposely lied of his whereabouts while training to the UCI and was in Italy when he said he was in Mexico.

It's really too bad because today was a brilliant display of tactics on his part to let Contador blow himself trying to stick an attack. It also showcased another young rider in Soler who has ridden incredibly well the whole tour and rightly deserves the polka dot jersey he now has. Meanwhile Disco now has 2 podium spots and only has to be careful of Cadel Evans (who it must be reminded is the new winner of the TT since Vino tested positive).

More to come tomorrow

HOLY CRAP!!!

UPDATE Below

Well this just f-in sucks!

Vino has tested positive for blood doping after his TT stage win.

Apparently the entire Astana team has withdrawn from the tour following the news.

Of all the people to test positive it had to be him, and after winning 2 out the last 3 stages in the tour.

I know that he has always seemed to care more about himself than his teammates, but this goes well beyond any of that because now it affects the entire peloton. When added to the accusations about Rasmussen the media is only going to be talking about this for the rest of this tour.

There has been a ton of exciting moments and now it all boils down to doping.
He better not be signed by another team ever again and I hope that he is never allowed to compete at a professional level again.

Update: The more I think about it, I fell that in the future any team that has a rider test positive should be immediately barred from the remainder of the competition they are in. Maybe that would drive the fight against doping a little more via peer pressure.

The one positive thing I have to say though is that he cheated and he was caught. This is the point of the controls. Plenty of track and field athletes have been caught for doping and yet you don't here the same things about those sports.