This is madness!! Vino positive...I just can’t believe it. I’m so disappointed.
How can they do something like that? How can he do something like that to cycling?
These guys are nothing without cycling. No one will ever believe in this sport again. This is the knock out of cycling.
I can’t believe this guy is taking drugs. He has naturally so much class. He honestly doesn’t need this to win. He is already a star in his country.
This situation is now so embarrassing, you will see that nobody will want to win tomorrow. It is such a shame.
I can’t say it enough, these guys are just killing the sport--and by that they are killing themselves slowly but surely now. Is it what they really want? They gave so much to get where they are.
I really thought cycling was on its way back, but now I just don’t know what to say or even what to think.
Who is behind all that? What is motivating these guys to take drugs like that?
Now the psychosis is on and yesterday evening the Rabobank, Astana, CSC and Discovery buses were stopped by the police to process a complete search--for drugs, of course.
I feel bad to be part of this. The only good news is that the tests and controls are becoming more and more efficient.
Ronan
Ronan Pensec participated in 8 Tours, and wore the yellow jersey in the 1990. He now operates Ronan Pensec Events , an official Tour de France operator hosting VIP cycling tours for recreational cycling enthusiasts.
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BillS
I would have to assume that Vino wanted to drop and that someone on his team - someone not very smart - chose this route over having him drop out. To someone raised in an authoritative society where atheletes were 'property' of the state - having Vino given a boost based on their decision would be seen as acceptable. The fact is we don't know who made the decision to approve Vino getting this blood or even if Vino had a choice - this for me is the real reason that doping needs to be eliminated from sports.
I don't think this will or should kill the sport - however, Ronan you and others who are there just need to state - since Vino cheated he didn't win stage # or # and hold new awards for both of those stages to promote the individuals who 'won' (although do us all a favor and make sure they are clean...) For the sport to survive what needs to happen is long term monitoring of the type used by teams like Slipstream and even T-Mobile and the politics of the testing needs to go away. A sample to lab A, B sample to Lab B - both independently verified individual continues to race although questionable tests are announced - **** make the actual levels public none of this 'we only think he's cheating if the level is 8 times normal ****' - show that someone's testosterone levels are rising week after week for no good reason other then doping.
The politics around testing are the problem - shine the light of day on it and the problem goes away.
Nick Webster
Assuming, as I fear will be the case, that Vino's B-Sample is positive for transfusion, he will receive the two year ban and cycling will survive to ride another day. That said, I am reasonably certain that Alexander Vinokourov did not hook himself up to an IV and infuse himself with someone else's blood. There was someone else involved, someone with a license to practice medicine. While Vino will be banned, and, as much as it pains me to say this about my single favorite rider, it is a result he will have earned, so far nothing has been said about the medical professional who made this possible. While I support the two year ban for the rider, I would support a loss of license for the Doctor. While the cyclist is making a horrible choice, the Doctor is making an unforgivable one. Perhaps the way to end doping once and for all is to go after the Doctors with the same intensity that cycling is currently going after the riders. If Vino could shave 1 year off of his suspension by pointing the finger, I suspect that we would have one less doping Doctor lurking around the sport.
Max
Ron,
You are right in not believeing that Vino was taking drugs because that has not been proved. All that was proved is that he is suspected of having a blood transfusion from somebody else. Although that is cheating and doping, that is not "taking drugs".
Please watch what you write and try to be accurate, especially on ocasions like this when people's images of their heroes are shown to be mirages. Cycling lovers are crushed by this news, but being objective is important too.
Marcia
To crushed and shocked add betrayed. Like it or not The Tour is the most imortant public face of cycling. For each of us who is passionate about our sport, not only do we wither a bit inside when we hear the news, but we know that soon we will be defending our sport to others. And for every clean pro this means disaster. Millar nailed it when he said he felt like crying and did.
It is clear that, at least in the US, cycling will struggle to recover its (newfound) status as sponsorship and viewership worthy.
And Floyd's decision yet to come.
I feel truly sorrowful.
GLS
in response to: Max
Hey, remember that Vino was part of the same team that Riis, Aldag, Ullrich, Zabel et al were part of. If you think he was the only rider not doping, I think you are dreaming. It is just too bad for our sport that he continued, as I suspect several other Astana team members did, in this practice. It is especially troubling that someone who professes to love the sport would do something that, at this critical time, would hurt it so much. Also keep in mind that he more than likely doped prior to the start, probably a 'top-off' to bring his hemoglobin levels up to maximum level tolerated by the UCI. Given that the half-life of a red blood cell is over 50 days, this should have been adequate to last through the tour, although normally there is a fairly steep drop in hematocrit over three weeks of intense competition. If he did transfuse shortly before the TT he is an idiot, as there is commonly a reaction to homologous blood transfusions that cause a flu-like syndrome. Perhaps that is why he lost so much time the next day. As for the doc's being to blame, get real, no one can force someone to take a transfusion and it doesn't take a physician to set up an IV.
GLS
M. E. Woljaitis
in response to: GLS
My reaction is a purely emotional one, as I believe it is for many fans of one of the greatest sports events in modern time. With the kind of investment that comes from following every stage for 3 weeks and all of the drama and excitement, it becomes an emotional thing. Particularly when I see the amazing effort, skill and intelligence of the individual riders, team management and technicians,; it really is awesome. To see 'Vino' clawing his way up the mountain to win that stage was initially inspiring, now, it is proportionally disgusting. I should have remembered Landis's incredible comeback of last year. Incredible: That is the word that must be used for any and all riders in the Tour and, I daresay, the sport: incredible. Rasmussen should be given no quarter. He has broken the rules that he agreed to follow. He can't pick and choose. Especially when there is the very real possibility he is evading detection. No rider can afford even the appearance of inpropriety.
As for solutions, I have none. But every person involved in the sport should be charged with the duty to be a mandatory reporter with stiff penalties for not reporting infractions. Perhaps the Tour should only be run every other year to at least take the physical pressure off of the riders to perform at such a high level of endurance year after year.
Actually, I do have a solution: riders, sponsors, TV, money guys and gals, listen up!: I am deleting Le Tour from my TIVO selection. Suddenly my schedule has opened up 3 hours a night. **** on it! I think I'll go for a bike ride.
Ellen
in response to: M. E. Woljaitis
I certainly agree with you, I've loved watching the Tour de France and I am very saddened by Vino taking a blood transfusion. Amazed that they would risk something like this when he was being so closely watched. He was a hero to many with him struggling over those mountains, but I too was amazed he had the willpower to come in first on that time trial. I dare say that some of the excitement has gone out of the Tour since Astana has been eliminated, I loved watching those strong men pull themselves over the Pyrenees and they never gave up. My goodness, if they all took blood transfusions the Tour would be over in a few days with everyone coming in first!
We are all shocked! The report is that the positive was for an homologous blood transfusion (someone else's blood) same as Tyler Hamilton in 2004. While the use of performance enchancing products is illegal and unethical, I cant understand why a rider would be stupid enough to transfuse someone elses blood when he could transfuse his own without risk of detection (unless they happened to find the bags of actual blood e.g. Operation Puerto). Another black mark for cycling, another hero comes crashing down. When will it end?