Posted on 10/13/2009 9:12:55 AM PDT by Mr. Blonde
French prosecutors have reportedly launched a preliminary investigation against the Astana cycling team to examine syringes belonging to the squad during this year's Tour de France.
L'Equipe newspaper reported Tuesday on its Web site that prosecutors opened the case after "the discovery of several suspicious syringes in a container given by organizers to all the teams in order to collect the medical waste."
Tour de France winner Alberto Contador and third-place finisher Lance Armstrong rode with Astana on this year's Tour. The Spaniard is still under contract with the Kazakh-funded team, but the Texan left to launch his own squad, RadioShack.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.espn.go.com ...
Ping!
Not good news though.
Well, Contador freelance climbed his way into a 2 second lead over the annointed Lance, who was then frozen out of Yellow. And now this ... may we be so bold to call it “Landising”?
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Lemond flat out accused Contador of doping after his climb. Saying it was impossible unless his VO2Max was incredibly high.
I would have liked to see Lance win, I would have liked to see Andy Schleck win. But I wanted to see them do it on a bike and not based on results from a lab.
Of course, if wrongdoing is found, the whole team probably gets disqualified and suspended etc.
Somehow I just don't see a team tossing incriminating evidence into a box to be given to the race organizers.
I suppose you can take the performance categories established by Antoine Vayer as proof, as LeMond has, or you can believe that some athletes can perform at higher levels as did Contador at Verbier.
I am not in favor of doping - far from it. But keep in mind that Antoine Vayer is in the business of selling himself and selling papers.
Put me in the “otra pregunta” category.
Yeah. But just wait. Nothing will come of this. Then during next year’s Tour we will have people chiming in that Lance and Alberto are both dopers and cheaters.
Agreed. I think a lot of the issue with Lemond is he can’t handle fading from the spotlight. Accusing the best rider in the world of cheating is a way to stay there.
I’m hoping Alberto is a product of good genes and incredible work ethic. If it does turn out he doped though he should be booted.
Oh boy do I hope so too. The way he can accelerate on climbs is other worldly.
Yes, you’d have to be pretty stupid to throw your illegal drug syringes into an official waste container that goes back to the race organizers.
HOWEVER, you wouldn’t have to be stupid to slip illegal drug syringes into the waste container given to ANOTHER team, if you were trying to frame them.
That had crossed my mind; security of said box would be crucial.
Fook, Mr Blonde, I posted this on the ongoing Radio Shack thread and pinged everyone to it. Sorry, not meaning to battle w/ your thread.
Seems to me a sep thread is best.
A little more from Cycling News
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/astana-under-investigation-in-france
(Updated) Team’s syringes disposed at Tour de France being analysed
Two and a half months after the Tour de France, public prosecution in Paris has opened a preliminary investigation against the Astana team, whose rider Alberto Contador won the event. The object of the investigation is the content of several syringes that the squad disposed of at the event, according to L’Equipe.
At the Tour de France, organiser Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) provides the teams with special containers to collect medical waste. The Central Office against environmental damage and public health (OCLAESP) has opened the proceedings after discovering several “suspect” syringes in the containers that belonged to the Astana team during the race.
The content of the syringes is currently being analysed by expert judiciary laboratory Toxlab in Paris. It is not known when the results are being expected.
Team Astana reacted to the news with surprise. “These reports are the first we as a team have heard of an investigation,” read an official statement. “According to the press articles, the investigation involves a number of cycling teams having participated in the 2009 Tour de France.”
“The Astana Cycling Team has nothing to hide, the riders use no forbidden substances. The Team is confident in the result of analyses performed or to be performed by a Parisian laboratory and is prepared to cooperate.”
Follow Cyclingnews on Twitter for the very latest coverage of events taking place in the cycling world - twitter.com/cyclingnewsfeed.
It’s all good. I was pinged to the Radio Shack thread right after I posted this thread. Either way works for me.
Like I said on the other thread, there is a huge chain of evidence problem. It wouldn’t have been that hard for someone to slip the syringes in.
And if Astana were doping, I think they would be smart enough to get rid of the syringes somewhere else.
To me, if they passed the drug tests, this is nonsense.
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