BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Even if the UCI buys his "contaminated meat" theory, he'll still likely serve some sort of suspension. Petacchi had a therapeutic usage exception for clenbuterol, and still received a punishment when he was found to be over the limit. This is a chance for the UCI to show that they aren't in the back pocket of the best riders, especially given what's come to light regarding their relationship with Armstrong and his donations.

There are two interesting conspiracy theories floating around:

1. The positive was due to AC blood doping prior to the test with contaminated blood.

2. Someone sympathetic to Lance Armstrong set up AC, thus allowing LA to ride off quietly into the sunset while Contador fights the accusations.

EDIT: I'm also curious to see if Contador's story changes at all. Given the levels the test detected (very small), I'm surprised he didn't claim therapeutic use, given his history of respiratory issues.

I think it's interesting that Floyd Landis talked about using micro-doses of EPO. Maybe micro-dosing with steroids is also the way?

Another thing NOT going in AC's favor: Fuyu Li was suspended for similar values earlier this year. Many people will be watching the UCI and the Spanish federation very carefully, methinks.

Best comment ever from that story you linked bjanaszek:

"Such a small amount, maybe he breathed it in from the surrounding riders?"

Hahaha, secondhand doping.

Secondhand doping. "Whatever you do, don't lick anyone in the break, or you could be contaminated."

^^^ LOL!

From a used bike seat, perhaps?

The only sport I watch is ultimate frisbee in the park. I like that the teams work out violations fo rules by themselves and don't have referees.

I doubt that there is much (non-cannabis) doping in this sport.

I will contend this is the same as floyd. He put in

some blood and it had the substance in it already from training in January or whatever.

Its awesome that these dudes are on so many drugs that they dont even remember when their blood was clean.

From the AP

L'Equipe reports that tests undertaken on the Spaniard's urine sample from the tour detected the presence of a plastic component that is found in blood transfusion bags.

Of course, they transfused the livestock before they chopped them up for his dinner. Food contamination, obviously.

May be time for a new nick-name, eh Bert?

el tramposo?

el hombre jeringa?

el drogacito?

definitely time for some new branding

clearly it was the bike's fault!

I'm generally cynical about these things.

On the other hand, I have beena ble to read nothing coherent and damning about what the concentration of chemicals in Contador's blood.

From the aricle bjaneszek posted:

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/501437/contador-tests-positive-for-clenbuterol-says-governing-body.html

"The concentration found by the laboratory was estimated at 50 picograms (or 0.000 000 000 05 grams per ml)," said the UCI in today's press release, "which is 400 times less than what the anti-doping laboratories accredited by WADA must be able to detect."

"400 times less"? LESS? WTF is that supposed to mean?

That if he had taken 400 times more than he did take (by contamination or otherwise), it would be at the threshold value? That doesn't make sense, but it is what the quote says.

Wiki says The UCI issued a statement reporting that the concentration was 50 picograms per millilitre, which is 400 times below the minimum standards of detection capability required by WADA, and that further scientific investigation would be required

and

Later the amount discovered was clarified as 40 times below the minimum standards, rather than the 400 times originally reported by the UCI.

BELOW??? WTF.

An AP article says something about the transfusion plastic:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i3PPjohFh-pxv8X9LPQ4C50npndwD9IIVSDG0?docId=D9IIVSDG0

Professor Michel Audran, a leading expert in blood doping, told the AP that the Barcelona lab published a study last year showing that the amount of plastic traces in people receiving a blood transfusion is twice as big as those found in the general population's samples.

OK. Twice as much as the general population?

That isn't much. Where does the compound come from in the "normal" population? Plastic food packaging, I'm guessing. So you put something in the microwave without unwrapping it? Will that give you a 100 times normal amount of that plastic packaging compund? I'm guessing it would.

(um... guys? Don't put plastic into the microwave if you want to eat something. OK?)

Do TDF folks eat twice as much as the "normal population"? I'm guessing more.

I wouldn't start calling him Albert "Floyd" Contador just yet. Nor "El Balco".

On the other hand, if the drug was from a filet, that was one doped up cow, for sure. ("I'm NOT a cow. I'm a helicopter.")

Somewhere Lance is laughing his ass off.

Somewhere Andy Schleck is NOT laughing his ass off.

Cleared!, but his poor image...

“One thing is clear -- I’m not going to eat meat now,” Contador told VEO7.

How 'bout them Vikings, dude?

Contador's comments published here made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

I have managed to prevent an injustice being committed, and institutions ought to take this as a starting point to prevent other injustices taking place. My case will turn out to be very important for cycling.

Pew pew pew!

Where does the compound come from in the "normal" population? Plastic food packaging, I'm guessing

Reasoning from guesses doesn't always give good results.

I think a better argument is that "2x the mean" could easily be within one std deviation. Or not -- but that statistic alone is awfully weak.

Of course, "400 times less" is meaningless. Usually when I multiply something by 400, I end up with more of it.

they need to just say fuck it and stop testing. the sport has become an experiment in exotic materials and pharmacology. i almost don't even care anymore, i barely watched last year. its pretty hard to be into a race when you have a good chance of not knowing who "really" won for months or even years after its over.

I remember when I played Quake 3 online and found out that the really kick ass players rolled their own graphics ini files.