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This week's letters page is, unsurprisingly devoted to the 'interesting' events of the past week and your take on them.
Pantani Takes a POP
Probenecid
LeBlanc regarding Garzelli affair
Bob Roll's comments
Questionable
Stefano Garzelli
Creative doping
Simoni
Doping and coping
A letter on doping (what else!)
Giro
McEwen
Giro "Fair Play Competition?"
Re the article Cyclingnews posted on Pantani taking a pop at Mapei. Not that the Pirate has any leg to stand on when speaking of others (much less having legs to pedal with...), but he is right.
We should not forget the comments of Mr. Squinzi the head man at Mapei, who said that, "You don't finish on the podium or in the top 10 of a major tour without doping", while trying to make excuses for his team's annual no-show at all the major tours.
What was more funny was that his man at the time (Tonkov) went on to finish in the dopers section.
I hope Garzelli Kicks Simoni's butt. Although, even with all the Simoni bashing on this site (some by me) I still think he is top calibre. Regardless, it will be a well deserved victory for a super person in Garzelli, but his boss doesn't deserve it after his silly comments.
Pantani doesn't say much lately worth listening too, and it is a shame that one of the best climbers of all time doesn't have the same pop, but his comments here are right on. Garzelli isn't necessarily the target as much at Mapei's boss is.
Charles Manantan
USA
Saturday, May 18, 2002
Can someone please tell me how you can test positive for Probenecid one day and be clear the next? Clearly I'm referring to Garzelli, who stands waiting for results that may put him out of the tour.
Ross Kennedy
Boston, USA
Sunday, May 19, 2002
From Cyclingnews daily news Wed 22/5/02:
In addition, there is really no reason to believe that steroids, either anabolic or corticosteroids, would have any performance enhancing effect for events like the Giro, although they have been used there.
Most of your comments were spot-on and very worthy, except for this bit about anabolic and corticosteroids, as I have written in the past.
Unfortunately this results from conventional medical (mis)understanding of the benefits / abuse of anabolic steroids and corticosteroids, as only being useful for gains in size or anti-inflammatory respectively. In cycling both forms of steroids have a potentially useful role in modifying exercise metabolism. In a lengthy tour, a big problem is simply eating enough to match energy expenditure - food gets tedious. Both drugs are well known to enhance appetite, and have the potential to aid recovery. They also may boost energy availability at critical times. Anabolics possibly also increase red cell production, without risk of exceeding 50% haematocrit limits. All of these potential benefits come without risk of gain in weight (which obviously would be a penalty with the high mountains to come) when a cyclist is racing hard.
None of this is to imply anything about Stefano Garzelli - on the facts presented, clearly this is a strange case, and everyone awaits developments with interest.
Thanks for your continuing excellent coverage. I am happy if you want to pass this info on to Michael Murray.
Andrew Garnham
Australia
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
I think JM LeBlanc needs a strong dose of "shut the hell up." It's neither his race, nor his problem, nor his concern.
LeBlanc needs to focus more on things like doping in his own race; how poor quality his race is going to be, because there are again second rate French teams instead of this year's proven performers.
In fact, LeBlanc is starting to sound a little like Mr. Pantani, in that he is speaking out of turn to a question no body asked him. When he shaves his head and grows a suspect moustache, then we'll know the truth. But until that time, he needs not be in the media, unless he's telling us he is changing the teams in his race, to those who will make it a great spectacle, not debacle, like it once was.
Stephen Schilling
USA
Monday, May 20, 2002
Shame on you Bob Roll for saying on national news, OLN, that Marco Pantani couldn't ride his way out of a wet paper sack and that if he used his legs as much as his mouth... etc. I thought that was quite rude (even if it is true) and unprofessional as a sports announcer. A lot of us spectators don't know a whole lot of what's going on with the riders. It's not that we're not interested we just don't hear the "dirt." We enjoy watching the race with all its variety through the beautiful countryside of Europe.
Judy Atkins
San Diego, USA
Tuesday, May 21, 2002
Garzelli and Mapei are pathetic!
They should all be out of the race and he should suffer a lifetime ban. When the team's lose and when riders suffer real penalties, we will finally make them understand that we must have a clean sport!
Sean M Dee
Hot Sulphur Springs, USA
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
A professional cyclist is denied competition in racing. The competitor tested positive to a drug which provides no physical benefit to performance. Until cycling organisations are empowered solely by cyclists, travesties of justice such as this will continue. Trust the expertise of medicine, technology and entrepreneurship. But the enforcement of rules must be placed only in the hands of riders. Responsibility without active involvement is politics.
Mo Joyce
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
Having just announced Garzelli's failed B sample, why don't the UCI use a little common sense and introduce maximum permitted quantities? The amount of Probenecid involved was obviously not enough to either diuretically flush any possible illegal substance, or decrease excretion of steroids.
I am not condoning the use of proscribed substances, but there has to be some real-world context put on this. Take the case of Jonathan Vaughters and the bee sting at the 01 TdF. "Steroids are banned, so you cannot apply a cream to your face to ease the pain, enable you to see and also continue in the race." 29ng/mL of Probenecid? A decent cup of coffee will have more diuretic effect, yet the UCI allow a certain amount of caffeine. The pros' feeling seems to be that Garzelli is a talented, hard-working colleague. I can't believe that they don't know who's doing what - certainly more so than the UCI.
I also find it strange that the relatively obscure substance involved could be identified so quickly, even given the use of GC-MS and HPLC-MS. Caffeine, steroids and EPO, yes - but an aid to gout? It would be interesting to know at what level the A sample came out at, i.e. how close to the 29 parts per billion result of the B, and how many replicates and duplicates are run to give the definitive result of "GUILTY, M'LUD".
Garzelli has been stitched up - and so probably has Simoni with his cocaine non-negative. Given that over 80 per cent of banknotes in the US show traces of cocaine, I would not like to be the analyst who has categorically stated that Simoni is definitely "non-negative" (stupid legal get-out-clause statement that is, too).
Rob Helps
Somerset, UK
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
At least some of these guys are getting creative with their excuses. First Vandenbroucke's dog is all pumped up on EPO. Now Simoni gets cocaine from a dentist? What kind of medical system do they have over there? I'm certain no legit dentist would use cocaine as a pain killer.
Maybe this can explain Simoni's ranting this spring.
What next? Someone getting thrown out of a race for testing positive for heroin? Umm, yeah I was coming home from the dentist with my dog and walked through the hood and accidentally tripped and fell on a junkie's needle.
Sean McCombs
Chattanooga,USA
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
Cocaine from the dentist's injection ? Are these guys so totally naive that they happily go off for medical treatment with NO manager, NO soigneur, NO team doctor and let a dentist inject them with a pain killer which obviously will contain some drug!
I used to be really proud to be a racing cyclist - now I'm even wondering if I want to travel to watch the Tour de France this year.
John Andrews
Singapore
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
I cannot imagine how challenging it has to be for professional riders, especially now those in the Giro d'Italia, to get up each day and ride another stage. For all the clean riders, a thought going through their heads has to be, "not this again?" I can imagine that some of the riders have to drag themselves to the start line each morning, hoping that sunshine, the countryside, the tifosi, their team mates and fellow riders, will lift their souls for 4-6 hours doing what they love to do. Keep riding.
Eric Snider
Toledo, USA
Thursday, May 23, 2002
Doping in professional cycling has gotten out of hand... or perhaps it's the testing and inflexible doping policies that have gotten out of hand. Three examples come to mind of how ridiculous these policies can be. Jon Vaughters leaving the Tour because he couldn't be treated for a bee sting, Garzelli being expelled from the Giro for trace amounts of an antiquated and non-performance enhancing drug that has no use in cycling, and now Simoni under pressure for small amounts of cocaine that can be directly attributed to a dentist visit.
Ten years ago when I was racing as an amateur in Italy and Belgium, doping among elite amateurs and professionals was commonplace and even accepted as long as it was kept quiet. Now, it is absolutely not acceptable among 99 per cent of the people involved in the sport. That is an incredible change in the culture of professional cycling in a short time. They should be applauded!
Is it even possible to be clean to the level professional cyclists are held? I'm sure if I was drug tested right now I would be positive for something, perhaps in a cold medicine I took last week. In fact, most people in everyday life come in contact with substances that could find them positive. And even worse, someone in Garzelli's position is susceptible to being surreptitiously slipped a drug to discredit both him and his team.
I'm not saying drug testing is wrong. It just needs to be implemented with some flexibility and an understanding of reality. Zero tolerance sounds good, but it's just not realistic. We can't hold our sport to an impossibly high standard and expect it to thrive.
However, athletes who are caught for obvious doping crimes should be punished with much harsher sentences than they are currently. Anyone caught using Nesp or another such performance enhancing drug should get a four (or more) year ban from ALL competition. You can't take drugs like that by accident. It requires a regimen that clearly demonstrates a concerted effort and willingness to cheat. The penalties for this type of doping have to be harsh enough to make using performance enhancing drugs ABSOLUTELY not worth the consequences.
Perhaps there should be different levels of punishment for different levels of drug infractions. In Simoni's case, he could be given a two minute GC penalty for making an unfortunate error in not notifying the proper sporting body of his dental procedure. In Garzelli's case, he could be allowed to continue on an "innocent until proven guilty" basis because of the very suspicious nature of his positive result, and the non-performance enhancing drug involved. And in Vaughters' case, well, come on!!! Let the guy get treated for a bee sting! It shouldn't be any different from treating a rider for road rash.
So who is guilty? A rider who is caught and admits to using Nesp? Or a rider who had a tooth pulled and forgot to tell anyone?
Chris Kilkus
USA
Thursday, May 23, 2002
It's getting very depressing isn't it? It only seems like yesterday we all thought things were getting better...
Just a thought. How many of the riders now under a cloud rode in last year's Tour de France - which has recently been declared 'clean'?
Chris Whiley
UK
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
I've just read that Simoni is 'non-negative' for cocaine. This is nuts - Garzelli, and then Simoni? Both top riders with good chances in the Giro? Is there some vendetta against this race? Because I find it impossible to believe that top professional riders who are well aware that they could be tested at any time would take the risk of losing the race, their jobs and their careers. Isolated incidents, OK - two in a week? - pull the other one.
Justi Carey
Scotland.
Thursday, May 23, 2002
It's a shame that Robbie doesn't wish to continue to go after the Green Jersey in the Giro - but the rest of the race certainly advantages the all round climber breed.
With the Giro as such a disgrace can you focus more on the Midi-Libre and German race - maybe cheer us all up ?
John Andrews
Singapore
Thursday, May 23, 2002
I'm not a great Mario Cipollini fan, but everyone seems to knock him for pulling out of tours after the sprint stages are over. However, he is one of the best known names in cycling, and one of those with a long career that seems unspoiled by drug scandals.
Is everyone going to complain about Robbie McEwen? How can he enter a race and know it is only for 10 stages? I don't think it is very sporting, knowing you don't have to limit your energy reserves for the whole tour. Imagine the boost he has, knowing he has not got to face the mountains. I don't think he deserves the stage win.
Antony Green
UK
Thursday, May 23, 2002
Can someone please explain the Giro d'Italia "Fair Play Competition" ? It is a team based ranking and you do well not to have any points... but for what? Doping? Fighting? Having Graeme Brown on your team?
Barry Johnson
Salt Lake City,USA
Friday, May 24, 2002
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