Kohl's confession buys no time

No discount for the confessor: Bernhard Kohl received a two-year suspension this afternoon in Vienna for having used EPO-CERA at the Tour de France. According to press reports, Austrian Kohl did not have any comment on the sentence.

Carini gets 2

Well it's by the book, isn't it?

The Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) recommended a two-year competition ban for Giovanni Carini. The Italian racer tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) in an anti-doping control on June 28, 2008, at the end of the Italian National Championship week during which he won the non-contracted elite category road race.

Not that we always go by the book.

Ullrich denies, testifies...

Ullrich has stated in court that he did not dope during the period he was employed by Team Coast, nor beforehand to the extent where the effects may have lingered. (Which still leaves some time in question, although he also answered some questions about Operacion Puerto and various 'usual suspects'. ) Yes, he testified under oath. Yes, he did it for the money he was owed. Or did he?

After the hearing, Ullrich said that right had been done, adding, "Dahms is a cheat. I don't want his dirty money. Dahms lied in my face, although he knew he was broke. If I do get anything from him, then I will donate it to a children's charity."

Sella cooperates, gets a year off

It doesn't pay to get caught, but if you own up you may get a shorter break:
The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) recommended a one-year suspension for Emanuele Sella, who tested positive for EPO-CERA this last July. The Italian, winner of three stages and the mountains jersey in the Giro d'Italia, cooperated with investigators to earn a reduced sentence.

Soccer (aka 'football') follows where cycling rides

Well, maybe. They say that several sports have 'whereabouts' databases on their athletes, but cycling's the only one I've heard of, up to now. But what would I know?

England's soccer players will be next to join the ranks of those who have to report their "whereabouts" and make themselves available for out of competition doping controls, just like their fellow athletes on bicycles.

Stevic asks, 'Why didn't you call?'

Good question, Ivan. And why didn't you ring them?

Serbian Cyclist Ivan Stevic has appealed a lifetime-ban handed down by Italy's anti-doping court in September. The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) charged the 28-year-old with serious anti-doping violations, and his team, Toyota-United, has since suspended its rider, pending a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

FYI, his room was raided and supplies of HGH and corticosteroids found.

Flores gets 2

Another one for the records... Argentinean cyclist Claudio Flores received a two year suspension for doping during the Tour of Uruguay, AFP reported Thursday. He tested positive for anabolic steroids during the Tour of Uruguay in March, and was handed the suspension this week by the Uruguayan Ministry of Sports. Flores, who rides for Agrupación Piquetera Vírgen de Fátima, tested positive for Estanozolol.

Straightforward enough. Anabolic steroids assist in building muscle mass, useful for strength in particular - but "may" have "some" assistance for endurance as well if multiple muscles can be co-opted. Likely as not this was of little use to Flores unless he was coming back from injury.

Armstrong on '99 and EPO

Here's a good ESPN interview with LA that makes some clear points about 1999 and that urine sample that may or may not contain EPO: Let me ask you this question: If this was your urine sample [grabs a half-finished bottle of iced tea on table] -- it's open. You haven't seen it, you don't know where it's been. It's been sitting open, and all of your credibility and your life's work, everything rides right there on that bottle. Would you go over there and test that? I can answer it for you. Of course you wouldn't. Nobody would do that. So we're not going to get into that game with them. It's time that they move on from that.

Well yes, but... no. Andy and his worries

Andy is worried about bad press: "I am frightened that we will not be presented in the press in the same light as before," he said, noting that two months ago it was rumoured that five CSC riders had tested positive during the Tour de France. Those rumours have been laid to rest, but "there have never been any apologies for the reports," Schleck told sportwereld.nl.

OK Andy, I'm sorry I even mentioned the rumours. Hang on, the rumours weren't really about Andy, they were fairly broad-brush affairs that tainted just about anyone who rode out of their skin, or pulled out of the Worlds. And the Schlecks themselves came into it because of father Schleck's car being searched during Le Tour - which was just one of those things that starts people thinking and talking, but was discounted quickly as random. Then we had Frank and Andy doing so well in Le Tour itself, which also sets tongues wagging in a normal fashion, but not necessarily in a bad way. But then we had Frank admitting that he paid a doctor he didn't even know for some training advice he didn't really need. Well that was sloppy, and we can't really not talk about it, can we? That was brought about by brother Frank himself.

Now if Frank hadn't been so sloppy we may not have even thought about the car search again (and nothing was found, let me add). And if Frank's riding hadn't been so good, when he previously wasn't so flash, maybe we wouldn't have thought any more about it. And if they weren't brothers, and Riis wasn't a Tour winner and admitted doper maybe - just maybe - we wouldn't have even wondered about any of this. But Riis will always have a cloud over his head - just as surely as he gets a huge dose of respect, both for his riding and management as well as his courage in admitting the truth.

In any event it appears that we have caught all of the dopers we are going to get from the 2008 Tour, and that case is closed. So the riders who rode under the cloud of suspicion, and those who pulled out of subsequent races like the Worlds, are indeed presumed innocent. If they truly are innocent, as we think or hope they are, then they also have to be innocent - or naive - to think that riding for Riis is going to be plain sailing. That cloud is there, the topic has been raised and it's out there forever. It's a shame, but it's human to look at the dark side and imagine the abyss, to expect the worst.

We shouldn't apologise for being human, for speculating and wondering; but we should also accept the truth as we know it. For now, Frank is in doubt and has to do some explaining; for the rest of them, they have no known case to answer. But they can't expect us not to wonder.