By Paul Andrews, BI editor on November 2, 2009
Doping scandals aplenty, Velo News reports. They’re taking another look at 2008 Giro d’Italia samples for CERA, undetectable previously but now testable. The same may happen for the 2009 Giro and Tour as testing catches up with ever newer, previously undetectable substances. “The report also outlined a new blood doping practice which evaded current testing [...]
Posted in Racing, This Day in Doping | Tagged Cadel Evans, cycling doping, euskaltel-euskadi, floyd landis, Giro d'Italia, michael rasmussen, Tour de France, uci
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on October 8, 2009
Team Astana, including stars Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador, got preferential treatment when it came to drug testing, two leading French newspapers have reported (linked by Bicycle.net). This is part of an ongoing snit between the UCI, the international cycling governing body, and French anti-doping authorities over the rigorousness of dope testing during the Tour [...]
Posted in Racing, This Day in Doping | Tagged AFLD, alberto contador, bicycle doping, bikesnobnyc, doping, lance armstrong, Team Astana, Tour de France, uci
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on August 2, 2009
About that “Pure Tour” of 2009? It’s getting closer to dirty. Spaniard Mikel Astarioza’s breakaway seemed unreal on the 16th stage. Now it seems it wasn’t unreal, just unclean. The UCI has suspended Astarioza for testing positive for EPO in June. It was before the Tour began, so technically we still have a clean Tour. [...]
Posted in Racing, This Day in Doping | Tagged BikePure, doping, michael rasmussen, Mikel Astarioza, riccardo ricco, Tour de France, uci
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on July 29, 2009
It’s hot, may reach 101 degrees in Seattle, making it the hottest day ever … recorded … in history. Right now we’re at 94, I’m about to head out on my second ride of the day. Will keep ya posted! Tweet tweet… By the way, when you blog and Twitter the same item, I’m calling [...]
Posted in Culture, Mountain Biking, News Cycle | Tagged Bleet, NoTubes, Tour de France, Versus, WorldChanging
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on July 28, 2009
Bicycle.net has a great update on the “clean Tour” of 2009, but as Prudhomme notes, it’s too early to declare victory. For one thing, detection techniques that today find nothing will tomorrow improve. People are looking askance at Contador, a little guy who somehow nonetheless can time trial with the best. But something about Contador [...]
Posted in Racing, This Day in Doping | Tagged alberto contador, Andy Schleck, doping, Tour de France
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on July 28, 2009
It was a small gesture, barely noticed. But when Lance Armstrong placed his left hand on Andy Schleck’s right shoulder and congratulated him “warmly” on the podium in Paris, it may have sent a signal about his machinations for the Tour de France in 2010. The bad blood between Lance and Alberto Contador means the [...]
Posted in Racing | Tagged alberto contador, Andy Schleck, lance armstrong, Team Radio Shack, Tour de France
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on July 26, 2009
Bicycle.net: UCI opposes letting Michael Rasmussen, the 2007 Tour “winner” who was kicked off his team as he was poised to take the yellow jersey to Paris (for lying about his whereabouts earlier in the season), return to competition because he hasn’t paid his share of anti-doping costs. Although Rasmussen was certainly a cheat, he [...]
Posted in Racing, This Day in Doping | Tagged alberto contador, michael rasmussen, Tour de France, uci, VO2 max
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on July 26, 2009
The Tour de France 2009 could have been a bell-ringer. It had as much if not more raw talent than most tours, especially in recent years, and the big gun of Lance Armstrong to draw international attention back to cycling. It was a killer course, laid out to maximize drama and intrigue as well as [...]
Posted in Racing | Tagged alberto contador, Andy Schleck, Frank Schleck, lance armstrong, Team Astana, Tour de France
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on July 20, 2009
The Tour de France is enjoying a rest day, but bloggers never sleep. Bloggers never sleep because, as mainstream media constantly remind us, we work in our pajamas. Until someone comes up with a new form of sleepwear, bloggers can consequently have no rest. Neither will Andy Schleck, my man in this year’s Tour and [...]
Posted in Mountain Biking, News Cycle, Racing | Tagged evil bikes, Jan Heine, Ragbrai, seattle times, Tour de France, Tyler Morland
By Paul Andrews, BI editor on July 18, 2009
How does that saying go? A friend of my friend is my friend unless my friend is Lance Armstrong? As much as I beat up on Lance for grandstanding and truth-avoidance, I can’t point the finger at him for cheating Hincapie out of the yellow jersey today. If anything, it was Lance’s “friends” — Team [...]
Posted in Racing | Tagged George Hincapie, lance armstrong, Team Astana, Tour de France, yellow jersey
