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How did he pass over 500 tests and never get caught once? This is bad for him. I hope it is not true. If Hinacpie has indeed testified against Lance, backing up Hamilton, then I afraid it might be over for Lance? I do not see how he can keep denying and keep denying, when more and more people are coming out against him?

Just curious why the Feds are so interested in this? Someone mentioned on another thread that the sponser at the time, the USPS, makes this a federal issue?

How did he pass over 500 tests and never get caught once?

Because the usage of EPO isn't like taking a conventional PED like steroids. For many years, EPO was unknown to the testers. When they became aware, the way to bust a user was to measure his red blood cells as a ratio. If that ratio went over a set limit (say, 50%), he was busted.

(By raising red blood cells, one increases his ability to oxygenate one's blood, providing a rather large advantage in endurance events.)

When users are very careful and have done all the science and employ their own doctors and scientists to keep on top of things, the user only uses enough to keep his levels just under the max allowed. Those close to pro cycling would say that every top pro rider has used EPO in the last 15 years many times. It's viewed as no worse or different from oxygen tents, which acheive the same desired effect - and which the UCI thought of banning at one time.

There is a newer sort of synthetic EPO called CERA which allowed users to control their counts better, but it's now easily seen in blood testing. Then there are the transfusers who store up their blood and infuse it back into themselves to increase blood volume and therefore, RBC counts again.

Every now and then, you have real idiots like Vinokourov who transfused his FATHER'S blood into himself.

And yes, the Feds are interested because of other types of issues, all tangential (and arguably more important) than the doping itself.

I should further note that some of the high profile busts (like Ullrich) have never actually been confirmed in tests, but rather in the paper trail and circumstantial evidence. Evidence that would NEVER fly in the US.

Also, the UCI has Armstrong’s blood dating back something like 8 years. They do keep trying new tests on it, but so far have come up with nothing.

Also,the pro peleton today has a thing called the “passport” which is a measure of all kinds of blood/urine related things that they have to get “updated” all the time, all year long. So say you’re a pro and your hematocrit is measured at 43% in January. You can’t then spike it to 48% in July and simply say, “hey, I’m under the UCI legal limit,” no, because you spiked 5% somehow and you cheated. They measure all that stuff, like testosterone levels and all sorts of natural hormones and chemicals – and you have to stay within a narrow band in all your tests, in and out of competition, 365 days/year.

Wanna bet they’re still “cheating” somehow though?