Tour de France 2008

[Kingreno]

Studies show that a tour without doping would get 90% less media attention outside France. CNN for example pays minimum attention to the actual stages, whilst spending long minutes on doping.

[Rik Meleet]

quote:Originally posted by Shabbaman

He's from the Island of Man, the british equivalent of Lesbos

[Stapel]

quote:Originally posted by socralynnek

I don't know what to think.

Shall I think: Hey, finally controlling does work!
Or shall I think: Hey, see, hey are all taking doping.

Don't know. I hope they take even more out of the race. I guess there are lot still doping and they finally need to see the risks.

An interesting article on Belgian website nieuwsblad.be reveiled some things. A new method to track down the use of 3rd generation EPO (CERA (Continuous erythropoietin receptor activator) or Mircera (brand name)) was used. This method was ready for use as recent as this week....., and it tracks down the use of EPO, not the hematocryt values. Another news site, Het laatste nieuws, even quotes an expert there is not yet such a test. He might simply be a day late with his knowledge.

Another thing is that all riders had to hand over their blood samples and hair before the tour started. The anti-doping-metods have been laughable for decades, but the last years have shown a remarkable change. There are also crimial laws on posession of EPO and other drugs. This lifts the whole anti-dpoing struglle to the prosecutors, rather than people from inside the sport.

My conclusion is that this really new test tracking down only a few riders, means that many riders are actually clean.

[Stapel]

quote:Originally posted by Kingreno

Studies show that a tour without doping would get 90% less media attention outside France. CNN for example pays minimum attention to the actual stages, whilst spending long minutes on doping.

Cycling means nothing in the US, so CNN is a poor example. In most European countries, La Grande Boucle gets media attention anyway. Evven the BBC-website has a live-tracker these days.

[socralynnek]

Personally, I don't see the tour as a farce aftery yesterday.

The hunters were able to surprise the dopers which is worth a lot and can make a lot of them think.

Controlling was too foreseeable in the past.

Therefore I hope to see a lo of dopers thrown out of the race this year and hope to see a clean race next year. Maybe with new people in some position.

One must see that cycling (especially the Tour)has now become the port that is doing by far the most against doping. And especially it is effective which it wasn't in the past, no matter how much money it did cost.

[ProPain]

quote:Originally posted by Shabbaman

SD is a small team with impressive results. That's suspicious at least, dubious at best... Just look at their performance at the Hautacam. But the team wasn't kicked out, they quit themselves.

Saunier Duval being caught isnt shocking at all imo, talks of systematic drug use in this team have been ongoing for ages. Also the Spanish teams in general don't have the best image where doping is concerned.

Also I dont think they quit themselves, I'm convinced Preudhomme told them they would be kicked if they didnt leave on their own.

Shabba mentions the Once-Astana connection. They went from Once-> Liberty Seguros ->Astana, all led by Manolo Saiz. He's heavily connected with the operation Puerto affair and I'd say these teams have had team organised doping usage ever since the start.