15 Le Tour 2008 samples to be retested

We already knew that 30 riders were in the frame for biological passport anomalies, now we know that 15 riders are being targeted from the 2008 Tour de France as well. (There may or may not be some overlap here as we have different agencies at work - seemingly competing for top prize in dope sleuthing.) An earlier unconfirmed suggestion was that the 15 were targeted from the top 20 riders in last year's tour. If true, there will be some big names here... and none of them will be from Astana...

The French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) will re-examine urine samples from the 2008 Tour de France according to comments made on Sunday by the agency's President, Pierre Bordry. "Before this year's Tour start in Monaco, we warned some 15 riders that in conformity with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, we would analyze retrospectively (the) samples taken in the 2008 Tour," Bordry told Reuters.

UCI names names in biological passport program

It had to happen. It's almost Le Tour time:

Lampre's Pietro Caucchioli and Fuji-Servetto's Ricardo Serrano have been suspended their teams after being named by the UCI as riders who showed abnormal values in the year-old system. Both teams stated that the riders showed the abnormal results during the 2008 season while riding for other teams.

Note that these are 'abnormal values' alone - no-one has been "caught" with a specific needle in their arm, or whatever.

But wait, there's more:

Also named were former world champion Igor Astarloa, former Saunier Duval rider Ruben Lobato Elvira, who is without a team for this season, and Italian Francesco De Bonis (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni - Androni Giocattoli).

As I say, there may be a smoking gun, but nothing is "proven" beyond the fact that the blood values that are monitored were shown to vary over time in a substantial and unusual way that is usually indicative of doping. The ball is in the riders court to defend themselves, rightly or wrongly.

Ahhh the mystery of it all

The UCI's biological passports are a great idea - if only the administrators, media and the lawyers all had one as well. Anyway, it's a practical way to monitor changes in blood values over time, so any deviance from a rider's baseline can be investigated. However it's also a great way to 'innocently' announce that some riders have already deviated from the norm and to start a new round of the 'who is it this time?' game.

So who is it? And which teams? Well apparently no-one and everyone. Confused? In this respect nothing has changed...from CN: "The teams involved have been informed," Gerolsteiner team manager Hans-Michael Holczer told the Suedwest-Aktiv newspaper. "Thank God, I didn't receive a letter." The two Dutch teams Rabobank and Skil-Shimano both confirmed to telesport.nl that they had also not received such a letter from the UCI. There's a good reason for that, McQuaid told the website, "That is correct, because we have absolutely not sent any team such a letter."

Certainly Steegmans is not amused by the UCI's tantalising annoucement "It is a perfect example of how not to deal with such things," an annoyed Steegmans told Het Nieuwsblad, "Why was that announced in this way? Either you say the full names, or you shut up and go about your business. This is only good for making everyone suspicious. I am certainly not the only one in the peloton with this opinion."

Blood profiling and more

Interesting story of reconciliation (as well as blood profiling and the 'biological passport') here, between the UCI and ASO, respectively the world cycling governing body and the TdF organiser (via CN): The program, based on half a dozen blood analyses to determine each rider's blood profile, is considered by all parties (UCI, WADA and ASO) as a real weapon against blood doping. "We hope if it's successful in cycling that once we know it is successful, we'll use it in other sports after 2008," Pound said. The biological passport will not be compulsory at the start of all races but "the main ones". It will concern road riders only when it's put in place on January 1 and McQuaid added: "I'd like to think we'll do it in other disciplines than road possibly before the Olympics in Beijing."