Identifying Harpies in the field is easier with an illustration. ;)
Posted on 02/16/2005 6:41:45 AM PST by pissant
No, Hamilton is not back racing professionally at this time. At the moment, he's somewhat in limbo. At the Tour of Spain last September, Hamilton failed a test that indicated that he had engaged in "blood doping" (i.e., infusing whole blood -- either one's own, that had been previously banked, or blood taken from somebody else -- into one's system, so as to increase the concentration of red blood cells, thereby boosting performance). Apparently, with a direct test for the use of the red blood cell-boosting drug EPO having been developed, professional cyclists have begun to revert to this older technique (first made infamous when the Finnish runner Lasse Viren was rumored to have blood doped at the 1972 Munich Olympics). Unbeknownst to these cyclists, however, a new testing method had also been developed to detect blood doping. The test was used at both the Athens Olympics and at the Tour of Spain.
Hamilton has protested his innocence, and is still awaiting to put his appeal before the International Court of Arbitration and Sport. Things are still up in the air in this regard, but it looks like his hearing could be held, and a decision rendered, within the next month or so. Absent a successful appeal, Hamilton will almost certainly be suspended by the UCI for two years, which will effectively end his cycling career, given his age.
In the meantime, no professional team has hired Hamilton subsequent to his being fired by Phonak, so he has no opportunity to race in any event.
They catch and expel drug cheats at the Tour de France practically every year.
As for erythropoietin, read this:
"David Millar, the Scot stripped of a world time-trial title for using the banned blood-boosting drug, eryhropoietin"
Do you follow the sport at all?
Well, to be fair, the David Millar incident tends to prove the other guy's point. Millar admitted to having taken EPO prior to winning the world time-trial title, but only after authorities found vials of the drug in his residence. Millar actually passed the drug test he was given after winning the world championship time trial. I don't believe that Millar ever failed a drug test while he was riding professionally.
I can't root for this guy who dumps his wife for Sheryl Crowe.
Please describe the test you link to and address it's molecular basis and possible shortcoming related to false positives.
Sorry. Do your own research.
Identifying Harpies in the field is easier with an illustration. ;)
Hey, man, whatever. My posts were referring to the incidents involving Tyler Hamilton and David Millar. I never mentioned Lance Armstrong one way or the other.
For goodness sakes!, she looks like she's suffered a cramp.
Armstrong does not deserve a "solid conservative gal". He deserves Sheryl. Save the conservative gal's for committed, family loving conservative men.
This sort of non-testing evidence is how most busts are made.
Marion Jones is an excellent example.
As I have stated, an athelete can be observed to have taken a substance by the testers, yet the results can be inadmissable due to variation from pre-set patterns that must be observed as per protocol.
The atheletes have suppliers that do not FDA regulations to be met prior to use whereas the testers have WADA or USADA or other stringent criteria that must be met and formalized. Therefore the cheats are always a step ahead.
Obvious masking takes place as well, which cannot be used to say the athelete has used a drug.
Given that you don't, you aren't in a position to make any sort of informed judgement or opinion.
My impression is this is an emotional issue with you and you don't like the idea that atheletes you like might be using such drugs.
It's OK. Why taint your enjoyment of a sport.
Yes, I forgive you.
From your post #40:
What is the test used for epo?
You know how the tests work eh? Sounds like you didn't even know the tests existed.
Don't worry about it. I realize you aren't serious about this subject.
It's OK.
In associated news, the French have announced that they will select, purely at random, one racer who will be required to compete the entire race on a bicycle supplied by Jacques Chirac.
And don't forget that they store samples of Lance's blood and urine, and every time a new test is developed, they go back and check the old samples. He's never come up dirty. The fact is that Lance just trains harder than anyone else. His rivals take a couple of months off in the winter, put on weight that they have to lose (Ullrich), and lose their edge. Lance never goes more than two days off the bike and has a team (Chris Carmichael, et al.) who have his training periodization down to perfection.
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