Tour De France 2007

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Originally Posted by TheOriginalFlashDavo

Yes, but "thinking" doesn't make it true. And unfortunately due to recent history the onus will be on the teams, riders and the sport to convince the general public they are clean. That's not going to happen overnight.

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Cycling actually has more strict and more frequent dope tests than any other sport. Most of the riders tests negative, and many are tested everyday during the Tour de France and also when not competing. As sponsors are really important to the riders, and sponsors don't like doping scandals, there will be taken measures against it. New this year is that many riders have signed contracts with their team that make them lose one years wage if they're caught using dope (no, I don't think this will encourage them to try harder to hide it, but discourage them from using it). There have also been talked about canceling all competitions for one year, but that seems unlikely to happen.

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Originally Posted by TheOriginalFlashDavo

Yes, let us hope. But a clean test isn't going to prove anything in the short term unfortunately. Rass was also testing "clean", he just got caught lying.

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4 times. 3 times is the limit at which you can be excluded from competitions (equal to positive test). The problem here was the he lied/didn't give up his localization 2 times to the ICO and two times to the Danish Cycling Association (or whatever their name is), so both of these association thought that he had just missed it twice. If it had been known that the number was 4 times instead of 2, he wouldn't have been allowed to start this year's Tour.

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Originally Posted by MagnusVS

Cycling actually has more strict and more frequent dope tests than any other sport.

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Well, there's something not quite matching with that claim and the frequent drug findings. Their testing procedures obviously need a LOT of work.

Don't shoot the messenger. Cycling is tainted at the moment, and it's of their own making - money and victory over the good of the sport. Not the first sport to go down that route, probably not the last, but it is the current one in the spotlight and the one - at the moment - with the most issues to address.

It doesn't paint a pretty picture.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/othe...ng/6916932.stm

Can you imagine how it must feel to be a promising young, up and coming cyclist, when you see/hear so much of this going on? If you know those who are beating you are using drugs yet not getting caught, how tempting must it be to give yourself that "edge" too?

One can only hope the sport can turn the corner, but only time will tell.

Nastiest sh1t in TDF history. It's getting uglier and uglier. Might as well cancel the tour. First, it was sad Vino got kicked out, but the next day I was pretty mad. Such a humble man working his best out from a bad crash turned out that he's doping. And there's Rasmussen, I've never trusted this guy so all is well when he got kicked out, but it still shocking. As of now, the remaining strong contenders (Cadel, Levi, Contador) are believed to be clean, but who knows. I'm not taking bet anymore. I kinda have a bad feeling that once one of two Discovery Channel men (Levi & contador) starts wearing yellow jersey, all eyes are gonna be on him. No one is trusted these days if you wear yellow jersey more than once. Nonetheless, I still believe that Levi & Contador are clean because of their team effort that catapulted these two to top three.

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Originally Posted by TheOriginalFlashDavo

Well, there's something not quite matching with that claim and the frequent drug findings. Their testing procedures obviously need a LOT of work.

Don't shoot the messenger. Cycling is tainted at the moment, and it's of their own making - money and victory over the good of the sport. Not the first sport to go down that route, probably not the last, but it is the current one in the spotlight and the one - at the moment - with the most issues to address.

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Yes if would be desirable to test every rider every day every year, but that won't be possible.

When you speak of "their" own making, it provokes me a bit. There are lots of clean cyclists and it's a minority that ruins for the others. You can also see that sponsors throw these doped idiots out of their teams.

Contador is 24 years old. He followed Rasmussen in the mountains. If Rasmussen was using dope, I also think Contador have used something.

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Originally Posted by hurricaneone

I can see how you can say testing clean means nothing, but if you applied that same train of thought to any similar situation, we'd be in a right pickle.

'Right, sir, we've done a breathalyzer and it's come back negative but we're nicking you anyway because you had a glass of wine two nights ago.'

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I don't think it is quite like that. His profession requires no doping or blood exchange at any time, even when not competing (that is why they have out of season testing).

Rassmussen was removed by his team because he lied about where he was for pre-race testing. Clean or not, the lying was enough, they are required to be available for the tests.

When (or whether) he used performance enhacing substances or procedures is irrelevant.

The fact that some of the cheats are going before the race ends is significant, and shows how seriously team sponsors and race officials take the anti-drug stance.

I think it is a very good sign for the future.

david

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Originally Posted by david petley

I don't think it is quite like that. His profession requires no doping or blood exchange at any time, even when not competing (that is why they have out of season testing).

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Indeed, but similar to what Magnus said, smearing the whole sport with the same dirty brush is unfair to those who are clean.

And there are some.

Not to mention, testing to the point required to completely eliminate doping is impossible, so I can't see any good coming from even suggesting as much.

That doesn't make it any better when the tour leader is ejected from the race, but public or private, the house was being cleaned. Part of the game is being tested and skip the dates, you're as good as dirty.

I think as a spectator I just want to see them doing as much as they can to eliminate it. And at the moment, they patently have not imho.

So until that time, I'll take any "result" with a pinch of salt.