Quote:
Originally Posted by Runscott
I think cycling is even worse than baseball - too many years without adequate testing, resulting in 'everyone' feeling they had to do it in order to compete. It might actually be true that if you didn't dope, you couldn't compete at the top - blood-doping gave an incredible advantage to cyclists, and it was easy to cheat and get away with it.
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Cycling was among the first sports to test for drugs, and has one of the most stringent programs there is. In competition testing that's daily or nearly daily during a big race like the TDF, and the riders must submit a schedule of where they'll be, what they're doing and with who during the offseason. Offseason testing is random, and done at least once, more if the rider is suspect. If they're not available tor that test within 24 hours it;s considered a positive test. If they are someplace they didn't have listed on the paperwork shown that's considered as a positive test.
The Lance thing isn't over yet. The international governing body -UCI- still has to make their ruling, which relies on the evidence put forward by USADA. The backstory that's not making headlines is that the UCI told USADA to drop the investigation partly because they were ignoring their own rules and partly from lack of any hard proof. All they really have is stories from disgruntled former team members who made deals to avoid their own suspensions.
Also the WADA has to recieve and approve the USADA report and make their ruling.
Finally, the group that runs the tour will review those decisions and THEY decide if the wins get taken away and who gets them.
Part of Lances claims are that USADA is way overstepping their authority in going after him. And from all I've read they are. Wether the UCI and WADA will go along with what they've got isn't a foregone conclusion for a few reasons.
If they accept whatever report they get they appear to surrender authority to USADA, a bad precedent.
If they accept the stories as the only evidence, they open the door to serious questions about their entire testing program. The stuff Lance was supposedly using was tested for with accurate tests during the time he was supposed to have taken it. So how did he pass literally hundreds of tests that caught other riders?
If that is the case, then either the tests weren't much good, or his doctor was incredible, or the tour promoters were allowing him to continue racing by concealing positive tests. I can see that for maybe the 7th win, but certainly not the first or the record breaking 6th. And it's unlikely for the others. Why would a French organization be part of helping an american cheat at a historic level?
So their choices don't look very appealing unless there's some very solid evidence there.
And remember, the feds went after him for 2 years, found essentially the same evidence, mostly supplied by USADA, and declined prosecuting him in any way.
Steve B