Ricco is a doper threads here

[doofus]

doper

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008...l08/jul17news4

[climb01742]

from velonews:

The French sports daily L’Equipe reported Thursday that Italian climbing sensation Ricardo Ricco (Saunier Duval) has tested positive for new variant of the blood booster erythropoietin (EPO).

Ricco, winner of two mountain stages and ninth in the overall standings, provided a urine sample which contained the banned substance CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator).

Like synthetic erythropoietin (rEPO), CERA was developed to as a treatment for the anemia that results from chronic kidney disease. Unlike single injections of rEPO, CERA interacts with erythropoietin receptors and has a longer-lasting effect.

The often brash and outspoken Ricco finished second in this year’s Giro d’Italia and has won stages six and nine at this year’s Tour de France. He finished Wednesday’s stage 2:29 behind Australian Cadel Evans in the overall standings, putting him in ninth place.

Ricco becomes the third rider to fail a doping test in this year's race after Spanish riders Moises Duenas (Barloworld) and Manuel Beltran (Liquigas) both tested positive for rEPO.


folks were saying it looked too easy for him. apparently it was. this sucks.

[Shawn G]

Ricco tested positive, see link below - the Salon called it right on this one, he was riding too easy in the high mts...another TdF scandal, what's new

http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2008...l08/jul17news4

[Jonathan]

Ha Ha, this is awesome.

[Shawn G]

The dOCTOR is the winner! Fastest typist in the bunch! 3 posts wi/in an a minute on the same subject...cracks me up.

Interesting to see that he tested positive for something like rEPO but new? I hope this is a win for the testers and their new test, maybe it will start to put the fear of God into some of these guys.

Also, I think that it is interesting how easy it was for so many on this forum (interested but not trained observers/watchers) to see how Ricco stood out among the bunch on Tourmelet & Hautecam. For those that wondered why he wasn't attacking, maybe because he knew he'd get tested as the winner or maybe because his DS could see he was hopped up too and was keeping the reins on him in the hope that he could slip by for a couple more days until the stuff was out of his system.

This TdF stuff was a lot more fun when I was ignorant of PEDs and the constant doubt they put in my mind whenever I see something good (Voigt on Tourmelet). I want to believe it is just an awesome performance, unfortunately they turn out all too often to be simply super-human.

Shawn G

[Too Tall]

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Watoni]

Ha Ha, this is awesome.

How so?

I think this inhales week old embryo eggs personally ...

[doofus]

the whole saunier duval team has been going pretty well lately

[climb01742]

i wonder if beneath the surface, THIS -- and of course money and power -- was one of the big reasons the ASO really split from the UCI. the way the ASO/french anti-drugs dudes are doing tests is far different from how the UCI did it. this year it is very targeted. like testing ricco four freakin' times. and having the police haul guys away. the french seem much more dedicated to busting dopers than the UCI ever was. the french can be pains but good on 'em for this.

[Too Tall]

Zero tolerance, pay attention. French justice = guilty until otherwise proven innocent....you'd best walk the str. and narrow if you expect scrutiny.

[Jonathan]

How so?

I think this inhales week old embryo eggs personally ...

I love how they are making the fans look like fools. We continue to believe over and over again to be disapointed. Our capacity to deny the truth is amazing with some of these riders.

[Bruce K]

Please correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't one of the reasons Astana wasn't invited was to potentially AVOID a doping scandal?

Also, wasn't one of the reason the organizers split The Tour out was to AVOID doping scandals?

All in all it's probably a good thing that they are catching these guys and that legal action is being taken. Apparently a 2 year ban wasn't enough disincentive to doping. Maybe a few years in the clink will provide the impetus needed for these guys to clean up their act once and for all.

And big cheers for Garmin and Columbia and CSC as well for having the backbone to institute their own anti-doping programs and sticking to them.

BK

[Shawn G]

the french seem much more dedicated to busting dopers than the UCI ever was. the french can be pains but good on 'em for this.

+1

Also, so much for the "new generation gets it, it's just few bad apples from the olden days" argument.

Shawn G

[SteveP]

repeat:
pantani redux.

hope he fixes himself unlike marco.

[Watoni]

I love how they are making the fans look like fools. We continue to believe over and over again to be disapointed. Our capacity to deny the truth is amazing with some of these riders.

Dude, you don't have to believe to be disappointed ...

Ever since I witnessed an EPO raid at the Maratona dles Dolomites some years back I realized if even ciclamatore are using then all hope of a clean sport is effectively lost. Yes, some will get caught, but others will always cheat

[Watoni]

repeat:
pantani redux.

hope he fixes himself unlike marco.

He will effectively have to do this outside bike racing. I don't think the is ever riding the Tour again, maybe the Giro in four years

What an ass

[happycampyer]

Whew... it sure was effective excluding Astana from the Tour. What is ASO supposed to do next year? I guess you need to embarrass the Tour 2 years in a row to be excluded...

[Jonathan]

Dude, you don't have to believe to be disappointed ...

Ever since I witnessed an EPO raid at the Maratona dles Dolomites some years back I realized if even ciclamatore are using then all hope of a clean sport is effectively lost. Yes, some will get caught, but others will always cheat

Dude..It's not sport. Keep on believing.

[Watoni]

the whole saunier duval team has been going pretty well lately

Yeah, and they all just quit the TdF ...

Jonathan,

Are you a Cartesian evil genius?

[Ray]

I love how they are making the fans look like fools. We continue to believe over and over again to be disapointed. Our capacity to deny the truth is amazing with some of these riders.

Except this is such a non-surprise. The SD guys, and Ricco in particular, were the only ones in this year's tour who looked like they could fly. Given the sport's recent history, it was too easy to suspect doping and damn near impossible not to at least SUSPECT it. With that team gone, there will be nobody left climbing head and shoulders above everyone else and making it look too easy. I think this is a good thing.

In past years, I always assumed everyone was doping (at least all of the contenders) and never really cared. It made for exciting racing and it was a reasonably level playing field, so the best were still the best. But if they're going to make a real effort to clean it up, which it APPEARS they are, then I want 'em to nail everyone so its a level playing field again. Even if we lose the incredibly thrilling mountain attacks from guys who are seemingly weightless, we see a lot more grit and determination, which is at least as good. So this doesn't bum me out. It gives me hope that they might actually be serious and might actually make this work.

Either do it or don't do it. For a few years, it felt like some kind of purgatory where some guys got busted and some guys didn't, so you couldn't trust the results. I think we might be able to trust them this year. I hope. The audacity of hope?

-Ray