A Mish-Mash Of Doping News

So there has been several different doping stories that I have been following lately. All from different angles of the problem.



Contador finger banging his way to the top. But did he have synthetic help?

 The first is the Alberto Contador saga. You can catch up on all the finer points here.

I guess my main gripe with the Contador case isn't so much with Alberto himself. But with the way the Spanish Cycling Federation, WADA and the UCI are dealing with this whole mess.

The fact that his federation let him off because of a convincing court case in and of itself is okay. But why hasn't any of this convincing information really come to light? I know his defense team were putting out all their info in Spanish and English just so there were no miss-interpretations along the way. Which is smart. But why haven't any of the bigger cycling media outlets picked through it to see why his defense was so convincing to the Spanish federation? Or is it just to time consuming (Don't get me wrong. I don't want to go through it either. But surely someone has.)?

And why the hell are WADA and the UCI filing separate law suits with the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS)!? That's like taking something complicated and multiplying it be 50. It doesn't make any sense. Since both of them are involved in the case from the same side/angle why don't they just go in together to get it done faster (Perhaps its because neither one plays well with others.)? And what if one gets the results (A ban of some type.) they want while the other is still in process? Do they just drop it and call it good? Or is this some type of divide and conquer technique against Contador's legal team? And why am I asking so many questions?

One thing I will say is that I approve a great deal more of is how WADA conducts themselves with the media. They pretty much just said. Yup, we are pursing this with CAS and that's all we have to say about that.

 I like it.

 It's almost like they are a professional outfit. Which is pretty damn rare in cycling.

UCI on the other hand have been whiny little media whores as per usual. Seriously. Pat McQuaid pretty much makes me want to punch kittens.

Wheres a tabby!?

I really don't know about Alberto's innocence or not. I'm kind of indifferent. But the whole process is just so screwed up. I think they need to tear it down and start over again.



Contador and his big puppy eyes...


The second story as of late is good old Riccardo Ricco. I am glad that he appears to have made it out of the hospital okay. Even if it was induced from a pour blood transfusion (Allegedly). No one should die because of sport. At any level, it's just not worth that kind of price.  All that being said. If Ricco is in fact guilty, he has to be the biggest retard in the world!



Look at his weezily little face! He makes me want to punch kittens too.

 You can get him contradicting himself here.  Where he says that he doesn't remember anything. But he for sure didn't say anything to make them think it was a blood transfusion gone bad. And then a little later he requests a little time for his legal team to get their crap together (Big surprise there. After all the talk he's been spuing. That guy it a real tool. Regardless of what happens he says he's never racing again. And that he wants to go be a barista. I'm sure Starbucks is hiring. And I here they still have a good health plan. He may need it....

"The Man."(As in, the man is bringing me down.) With in the coffee world.

The last story is a little more up lifting. Tom Zirbel is back from his two year ban for testing positive for DHEA early. He was originally scheduled to finish out his suspension by September. But because of some help he gave the USADA (US Anti-Doping Agency) with two other cases he was able to be reinstated 8 months early. You can read the full spiel here.



I'm happy about this for several reasons. Firstly, I never really felt like he was a doper (But I have been wrong in the past...). And what he was busted for is not direct dope. But a masking agent at a tiny amount. The kind of amount that it seems highly unlikely that it anything more than some supplement or food contamination (I'm beginning to see a pattern here.)

Secondly, I have it on good authority from several super secret sources that he is a very good, clean rider. From people in the know, you know.

Thirdly, even the powers that be (US Cycling and USADA) both made comment at different points that it really did look like he got caught by the letter of the law (I.E. The inflexibility of the rules). Not so much the spirit of the law.

So welcome back Tom. I hope the system didn't rob you of your best years...



He won't have to make this constipated  face any more.



Rubber side down,

Big E