4-time Tour de France Winner Chris Froome Fails Drug Test

[cantunamunch]

Stupid question here but is Panax Ginseng considered a banned substance? No skin in the game other than being a simple fan that occasionally uses herbal tinctures. Just curious.....

https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/defa...-29_-_wada_prohibited_list_2017_eng_final.pdf

First you run the risk of running into the "newly designed drug" clause, unless you can show FDA approval it en't allowed :

NON-APPROVED SUBSTANCES
Any pharmacological substance which is not
addressed by any of the subsequent sections of the
List and with no current approval by any governmental
regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use
(e.g. drugs under pre-clinical or clinical development
or discontinued, designer drugs, substances approved
only for veterinary use) is prohibited at all times.
​

Now the obvious workaround there is to not buy it as a tincture or anything with an advertised body treatment purpose but to label it as just food. "Traditional Chinese tea" or whatever.

​

Then you run the risk of uncontrolled ingredients - like when the Ginseng for Reinforcing Kidney contained sildenafil.

​

 

[Tom K.]

Another brick in the wall....

http://www.velonews.com/2018/03/new...uments-sends-case-to-anti-doping-court_461685

 

[scott43]

Another brick in the wall....

http://www.velonews.com/2018/03/new...uments-sends-case-to-anti-doping-court_461685

He apparently called this "fake news"..

 

[Muleski]

Froome's response about the fake news, and such, raised my blood pressure. Insulting.

I hope they take him out of the sport long enough to effectively end his career as a GC contender. Multi year ban.

I don't know what the recourse is against Team Sky. Complete joke. Also insulting to the sport. Scumbags.

"Clean." Sure.........You can't be clean and win in the sport. I can't believe that anybody even bothers to argue that point.

 

[cantunamunch]

He apparently called this "fake news"..

It's the LA playbook. Hate it as much as we like, it's the only one demonstrated to be effective.

Froome's response about the fake news, and such, raised by blood pressure. Insulting.

I hope they take him out of the sport long enough to effectively end his career as a GC contender. Multi year ban.
.

*cough*Valverde*cough*

 

[Tom K.]

"Clean." Sure.........You can't be clean and win in the sport.

Truth probability ~ 90%.

Sadness probability 100%.

And interweb death to the first person to note that probabilities should be 0.9 and 1.0, not expressed in percentages!

 

[cantunamunch]

Truth probability ~ 90%.

Sadness probability 100%.

And interweb death to the first person to note that probabilities should be 0.9 and 1.0, not expressed in percentages!

*is extremely tempted to make a pun about the frequenters of this forum requiring proposition values of 0 and 1*
*ooh - shiny!*

 

[Eleeski]

So why does UCI leak to La Monde before informing Froome? Froome expects to be notified first - so a "fake news" call is justified. Can Froome now get a fair judgement? Leaks like this sway the public opinion. People here who have NOTHING to do with the case are branding him as a cheater who should be banned forever. His case has been managed to paint him in the worst light. By rule, we shouldn't even know about this until the investigation is over! But the public judgement is in already.

Wow, he's got asthma and uses a very common drug for it. Maybe the drug gives a slight advantage but does it offset the disease? Maybe it's the hard work, extraordinary drive and natural talent that makes him the best cyclist.

Eric

 

[Primoz]

Are you sure Froome didn't get notified first? The way Sky is handling things, I wouldn't just assume with 100% certainty UCI leaked this to Le Monde and Froome wasn't notified first.
And again, yes since last September he has asthma, but once again, even though I said this several times, he didn't just use what he was suppose to use in case of asthma but he used some 10 times bigger dosage then he should. Limit is 1000ng/ml (which is pretty much impossible to reach with normal use of puffers), Froome cloaked it at 2000ng/ml. So nothing normal for asthma patient and very much plain and simple doping. Even if he would really have asthma.

 

[LKLA]

Late Sunday night, Michael Goolaerts, 23, died after a cardiac arrest during the Paris-Roubaix race, his Veranda’s Willems-Crelan team confirmed.

Goolaerts was airlifted to the hospital after being knocked unconscious in a heavy crash at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, emergency services said. Goolaerts’s crash was not seen by television cameras, but when a chase group rode by, he was seen lying on his back on the side of the road. It appeared he had crashed alone.

 

[scott43]

Late Sunday night, Michael Goolaerts, 23, died after a cardiac arrest during the Paris-Roubaix race, his Veranda’s Willems-Crelan team confirmed.

Goolaerts was airlifted to the hospital after being knocked unconscious in a heavy crash at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, emergency services said. Goolaerts’s crash was not seen by television cameras, but when a chase group rode by, he was seen lying on his back on the side of the road. It appeared he had crashed alone.

Saw that news..just awful, 23 years old.

 

[newfydog]

From a guy who really knows his drugs......

Tom Boonen defends Chris Froome and Team Sky
'To call salbutamol doping is ridiculous' says four-time Paris-Roubaix winner

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/tom-boonen-defends-chris-froome-and-team-sky/

 

[newfydog]

I had a very interesting discussion with an orthopedic guy a few years ago. He is a sports insider, and he told me that some top cyclists were doping by using bone thinners. Incredibly stupid for long term health, but a lighter skeleton, when it doesn't break, lets you go uphill faster. It is an under tested, under acknowledged issue Top climbers were always naturally fragile, but the drugs are making it worse.

In 2014 Froome had the kind of crash a Cavandish would shrug off and still win the stage, but somehow Froome broke both wrists. My friend cited that as a good example.

I have seen that Salbutamol is a very poor choice of drug for an anabolic effect. You would need long periods above the limits for minor muscle gain. Doing a bit more research, I found some interesting stuff....at anabolic doses, Salbutamol has a side effect of loss of bone mass.

I'm shocked.

 

[newfydog]

“In light of WADA’s unparalleled access to information and authorship of the salbutamol regime, the UCI has decided, based on WADA’s position, to close the proceedings against Mr Froome,”

“A review of all Chris’s 21 test results from the Vuelta revealed that the Stage 18 result was within his expected range of variation and therefore consistent with him having taken a permitted dose of Salbutamol.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, I have a friend on the board of directors of WADA, and I respect their work. The IOC is trying to take control of it, but thus far they have been a solid and independent organization.

Let the Team Sky haters start their rave........

 

[jmeb]

Boom.

Folks can hate Sky if they want. I'll be the first to say they aren't as holy as they put on. But until someone has real evidence against this guy I'll continue to enjoy his impressive riding.

Froome on the verdict:
“I am very pleased that the UCI has exonerated me. While this decision is obviously a big deal for me and the Team, it’s also an important moment for cycling. I understand the history of this great sport – good and bad. I have always taken my leadership position very seriously and I always do things the right way. I meant it when I said that I would never dishonour a winner’s jersey and that my results would stand the test of time.

“I have never doubted that this case would be dismissed for the simple reason that I have known throughout I did nothing wrong. I have suffered with asthma since childhood. I know exactly what the rules are regarding my asthma medication and I only ever use my puffer to manage my symptoms within the permissible limits

“Of course, the UCI had to examine these test results from the Vuelta. Unfortunately, the details of the case did not remain confidential, as they should have done. And I appreciate more than anyone else the frustration at how long the case has taken to resolve and the uncertainty this has caused. I am glad it’s finally over.

“I am grateful for all the support I have had from the Team and from many fans across the world. Today’s ruling draws a line. It means we can all move on and focus on the Tour de France.”

https://www.teamsky.com/article/team-sky-welcome-froome-verdict

 

[scott43]

And...done.

 

[jmeb]

I'd add --

Part of Froome getting off is due to Sky's deep pocketbooks. Funding a 1000 pages of evidence, including what is probably a lot of cutting edge scientific research is expensive. That Sky can do it, and most other teams can't, certainly seems unfair.

But if that new research Sky performed helps WADA understand the pharmokinetics of salbutamol better in the case of extreme endurance atheletes, and potentially makes their test better or more fair -- well that is a good thing for the sport, and sports more generally.

 

[Ron]

another article in case anyone is interested

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport...d-why-can-he-compete-salbutamol-a8426361.html

 

[SShore]

http://www.velonews.com/2018/07/tou...-79358069&mc_cid=161c3d9960&mc_eid=25d97662dc

I guess when you have the money of SKY and a bully like Braislford running the operation, you can get away with anything.

 

[jmeb]

http://www.velonews.com/2018/07/tou...-79358069&mc_cid=161c3d9960&mc_eid=25d97662dc

I guess when you have the money of SKY and a bully like Braislford running the operation, you can get away with anything.

If you got evidence, bring it.

Sky apparently "demonstrated within-subject variability in the excretion of Salbutamol". That means that the level in the sample was possible using no more than the maximum dosage based on evidence Froome provided. Given that he had to prove it was beyond a reasonable doubt (since the burden of proof had switched to him at this point) -- I'd say that pretty damn impressive evidence and potentially -- some interesting science.

This decision was made by WADA -- a scientific body with no financial interest in cycling, not by the UCI. The same WADA that found against the Russian state resulting in massive sanction. I think that the Russian state has a bit more power and influence (to say nothing of money) than Sky could ever dream of.

Are Sky doping? Maybe. Probably. Are other teams in the peloton doping? Maybe. Probably.

Could they prove it in this case -- apparently not.