Contador Pinged - One Year Ban

Dozer

Dozer

Heavy machinery.
Staff member
These guys need to stop trusting their Doctors. Do they realise the world detests them and their apparent cheating ways? For crying out loud, no televised road race can be watched with total trust in the athletes! Bloody dopey morons.............
 
chrisp2087

chrisp2087

Likes Dirt
It's a tough one, cycling seems to be the sport that cops it the worst (media coverage of doping that is) but it also must be one of the most difficult sports in the world.

Is it that no-one else in the race was doping? Or they're just better at it?

Who, if anybody, can challenge Andy this year?
 
Lanky Love

Lanky Love

Likes Dirt
From what Ive read over the years, this is why doping in cycling is 'so common': Cycling has always strongly tried to fight doping and therefore its existence is known about a lot more than other sports where they haven't worked as hard to fight it. Its also one of the biggest sports in Europe with a lot of money which means riders are under a lot of pressure to perform which results in taking drugs.
 
S

Sethius

Crashed out somewhere
chrisp2087 said:
It's a tough one, cycling seems to be the sport that cops it the worst (media coverage of doping that is) but it also must be one of the most difficult sports in the world.

Is it that no-one else in the race was doping? Or they're just better at it?

Who, if anybody, can challenge Andy this year?
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The guy with the best drugs that don't get picked up on the tests. :p
 
Bodin

Bodin

GMBC
Mr Green said:
True, but why is it we don’t seem to mind doping in every other sport? :confused:
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Might have something to do with the fact that virtually every TDF winner over the last 15 years has either been done for drugs or has a MASSIVE cloud hanging over their heads.

Another thing hurting the sport long term is the way self-confessed cheats are so easily allowed to continue in the sport. Vino, Basso... why is Riis allowed to run a team?

I still love it - the drama, the amazing scenery, etc... - but I look at it more now as a piece of theatre more than a genuine sporting contest. Bring on July!
 
R

Ryan

Radministrator
Bodin said:
Might have something to do with the fact that virtually every TDF winner over the last 15 years has either been done for drugs or has a MASSIVE cloud hanging over their heads.
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Except for Lance, who never used drugs. Ever. *fingers in ears with eyes clenched tightly shut*. Na na na na na can't hear you!
 
scblack

scblack

Leucocholic
Can someone clear this up a bit for me please?

The levels of clenbuterol found in his system are apparently 400 times LESS than the allowable amount by UCI. 400 times LESS than allowed.

So what is the issue? If it is less than the amount, why is he being penalised at all?

Thats like driving with 0.005 alcohol in your system but being banned from driving, not for being over the limit, but having any alcohol in your system.

Or am I missing a point here?
 
D

dain2772

Likes Bikes and Dirt
scblack said:
Can someone clear this up a bit for me please?

The levels of clenbuterol found in his system are apparently 400 times LESS than the allowable amount by UCI. 400 times LESS than allowed.

So what is the issue? If it is less than the amount, why is he being penalised at all?

Thats like driving with 0.005 alcohol in your system but being banned from driving, not for being over the limit, but having any alcohol in your system.

Or am I missing a point here?
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My understanding is that they are not allowed any clenbuterol in their system, presumably not a naturally occuring chemical/hormone (unlike testosterone etc).

So in the alcohol example, it is like being told that your blood alcohol limit is 0.00, but being tested by a method that can say that you have 0.0001 (ratios not aligned to the 400 times), but the requirement being that they only need to be able to test to two decimal points.

But, to be accredited as a UCI testing lab, they need to be able to detect a level of x, while Contador was detected with a level 400 times (??1/400th??, I dunno) less than this level. So a lower quality lab could still have been accredited by UCI and not have detected it and he would have been fine.
 
alchemist

alchemist

Manly Warringah MTB Club
scblack said:
The levels of clenbuterol found in his system are apparently 400 times LESS than the allowable amount by UCI. 400 times LESS than allowed.
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No. there is no minimum limit set. Rules say if it's detected you doped.

The level is 400(?) times lower than the minimum amount that a testing laboratory has to be able to detect to be certified by WADA/UCI.

Once the adverse finding had been made Contodor had to prove that he didn't dope, and while he's provided a plausible explanation he can't prove it.
 
scblack

scblack

Leucocholic
Thanks guys, I understand now, 400 times less than the lab is required to be found. But still illegal at any concentration.

Cheers.:)
 
Pizzaz

Pizzaz

Likes Dirt
dain2772 said:
My understanding is that they are not allowed any clenbuterol in their system, presumably not a naturally occuring chemical/hormone (unlike testosterone etc).

So in the alcohol example, it is like being told that your blood alcohol limit is 0.00, but being tested by a method that can say that you have 0.0001 (ratios not aligned to the 400 times), but the requirement being that they only need to be able to test to two decimal points.

But, to be accredited as a UCI testing lab, they need to be able to detect a level of x, while Contador was detected with a level 400 times (??1/400th??, I dunno) less than this level. So a lower quality lab could still have been accredited by UCI and not have detected it and he would have been fine.
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Got it in one... there is no 'tolerance' for clenbuterol - if its in there its because it was put there (either deliberately or accidentally). Just the labs are getting better at searching for 'any' (more decimal places in the search...)

Tainted meat... suuuuuuure... if thats the case then he deserves a year off for being dumb enough to eat mean carried by a friend directly from Spain (mmmm steak kept in the boot of a car... yum) the night before a major stage... I mean really?

There was a clenbuterol case where the tainted meat excuse was accepted but it was an entire team who had eaten tainted meat in China (can't find the exact article) but IIR the defence was then testing hair - clen in the bloodstream and none in the hair supports the one-off tainted meat story...

Another profile rider caught... more protestations of innocence followed by a slap on the wrist 1 year ban. Sometimes its hard to like this sport... :(
 
scblack

scblack

Leucocholic
A mate saw an article which was critical of Contador's excuse, saying that even if he did eat tainted meat as he suggests, that the amount of clenbuterol the animal had to have been given would have surely killed it stone dead.

Not a likely event......
 
M

Mr Green

Likes Dirt
Then there is the high concentration of Plasticizers (spelling?) that were also found in his blood. From what I understand these are 'bits of plastic' that come off soft plastic bags, like the ones used for blood transfusions. Not sure if this is correct or even if it is illegal to have plasticizers in your blood but it does cast even more doubts on his story and reputation.
 
Lanky Love

Lanky Love

Likes Dirt
scblack said:
A mate saw an article which was critical of Contador's excuse, saying that even if he did eat tainted meat as he suggests, that the amount of clenbuterol the animal had to have been given would have surely killed it stone dead.

Not a likely event......
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There are reports the animal was dead when Contador ate it. That could put an end to your argument ;)


I should be Contadors lawyer.
 
alchemist

alchemist

Manly Warringah MTB Club
Mr Green said:
Then there is the high concentration of Plasticizers (spelling?) that were also found in his blood.
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No, in his urine. This test at this time has not been validated, I think a lot of work would be required to show what level would be indicative of doping and what level comes from other sources. While being phased out these chemicals are fairly commonly used in all sorts of things.
 
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