http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515 Always select Genuine Rant™ Brand. Everything else is just words. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:27:08 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47205 Jeff Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:43:55 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47205 Three years of misery and innuendo later.....it's probably for the best. YMMV. http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47204 MikeG Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:34:11 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47204 It looks like backroom politics has finally killed Puerto: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/operacion-puerto-case-closed I can't figure what else might motivate them to sweep it all under the rug...
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/operacion-puerto-case-closed

I can’t figure what else might motivate them to sweep it all under the rug…]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47203 Jean C Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:07:24 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47203 Seems that fans are tired of myths, for people who have not yet read it : http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/2009/11/8-things-on-lance-armstrong-from-other.html On the same blog, http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/2009/07/church-of-lance-armstrong.html is worth too. http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/2009/11/8-things-on-lance-armstrong-from-other.html

On the same blog, http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/2009/07/church-of-lance-armstrong.html is worth too.]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47201 William Schart Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:31:57 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47201 There well may be a large data base from the bio passport system, but how well are any conclusions from that verified independently? Anybody can say "I think that such and such a value" for some factor is indicative of doping, buy without independently testing such an assumption it is at best just an hypothesis. This case under discussion shows this: there are a number of possible explanations for an abnormal reticulocyte count besides doping. Now it very well may be possible for some or all of these other explanations can be ruled out in Pechstein's case, but unless and until they have been ruled out, or doping is confirmed by other means, one can't say conclusively she doped. But there also is all that legal stuff regarding burden flipping that Judge Hue brought up on TBV. Where does the burden lie, legally speaking, here, according to the system in force at this time? Does the ISU/WADA have to prove that the results are definitely indicative of doping, or does Pechstein have the burden to prove the results resulted for some other reason?
This case under discussion shows this: there are a number of possible explanations for an abnormal reticulocyte count besides doping. Now it very well may be possible for some or all of these other explanations can be ruled out in Pechstein’s case, but unless and until they have been ruled out, or doping is confirmed by other means, one can’t say conclusively she doped.

But there also is all that legal stuff regarding burden flipping that Judge Hue brought up on TBV. Where does the burden lie, legally speaking, here, according to the system in force at this time? Does the ISU/WADA have to prove that the results are definitely indicative of doping, or does Pechstein have the burden to prove the results resulted for some other reason?]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47200 Jean C Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:25:43 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47200 Interresting to note the difference approach of International Skating Federation and UCI. Claudia Pechstein who is/was a famous athlete has his national federation to back her up. About blood monitoring, I don't know when ISU began his program but with the samples collected by cycling and ski runner federations since at least 2 years, there is already a serious database for elite athletes, furthermore Lausanne's lab had older samples at least from 2005 when Saugy declared something like 80% od riders were using blood doping. Probably blood can have some strange behaviour in some bodies but we can assume that elite athletes represent only a small part of the population diversity, they are all in good health, similar age, good food and have regular health check. So we can assume that blood reaction of an athlete is more similar to another athlete than those of normal individuals. Would McQuaid apology to Manzano about how their behaviour after the ouput of L'Equipe's article ? Not sure... money and covering doping is more important for them (management in place) than honesty. Claudia Pechstein who is/was a famous athlete has his national federation to back her up.
About blood monitoring, I don’t know when ISU began his program but with the samples collected by cycling and ski runner federations since at least 2 years, there is already a serious database for elite athletes, furthermore Lausanne’s lab had older samples at least from 2005 when Saugy declared something like 80% od riders were using blood doping. Probably blood can have some strange behaviour in some bodies but we can assume that elite athletes represent only a small part of the population diversity, they are all in good health, similar age, good food and have regular health check. So we can assume that blood reaction of an athlete is more similar to another athlete than those of normal individuals.

Would McQuaid apology to Manzano about how their behaviour after the ouput of L’Equipe’s article ? Not sure… money and covering doping is more important for them (management in place) than honesty.]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47199 brian ledford Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:37:26 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47199 Do any of the high reticulocyte scenarios make sense for an in competition test? I can't see someone donating blood during or immediately before a competition. And as there wasn't an epo positive (presumably blood and urine), the question of the window between EPO becoming undetectable and the reticulocyte count stabilizing/normalizing is certainly raised. And again, why would you take EPO during or immediately before a competition? http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47198 Jeff Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:37:58 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47198 I’m not comfortable with the precedent this seems to set. I’d be much more comfortable if the bio passport results triggered all the targeted testing the soup required to get a confirmed AAF. I have not had a chance to do much more than scan the decision, but it doesn’t appear she even triggered an AAF on an A Sample. It sounds fishy to me, but I’ll need to do more research to affirm my initial response or to have facts change my mind. Edit: link to CAS decision already provided by Rant.
Edit: link to CAS decision already provided by Rant.]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47197 Rant Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:16:10 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47197 Brian, Good question. An abnormally low reticulocyte count may be associated with a recent blood transfusion. On the other hand, an abnormally high count may be associated with recent use of EPO. In the case of a transfusion, the extra blood could dilute the percentage of reticulocytes per unit volume. With EPO, if the body is stimulated into producing more blood cells, then the reticulocyte count could go up as new cells are produced. Also, if an athlete donated blood (for whatever reason -- including autologuous blood doping), one might expect the reticulocyte count to increase as his/her body produces replacement cells for those donated/set aside for later use. I still haven't looked through the full 63-page document, so I don't know whether Pechstein's hematocrit was elevated, or elevated from her average over time.
Good question. An abnormally low reticulocyte count may be associated with a recent blood transfusion. On the other hand, an abnormally high count may be associated with recent use of EPO. In the case of a transfusion, the extra blood could dilute the percentage of reticulocytes per unit volume. With EPO, if the body is stimulated into producing more blood cells, then the reticulocyte count could go up as new cells are produced. Also, if an athlete donated blood (for whatever reason — including autologuous blood doping), one might expect the reticulocyte count to increase as his/her body produces replacement cells for those donated/set aside for later use. I still haven’t looked through the full 63-page document, so I don’t know whether Pechstein’s hematocrit was elevated, or elevated from her average over time.]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47196 brian ledford Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:22:21 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47196 I thought abnormally low reticulocyte count was considered proof of doping? A bad (high) off score (not sure what's capitalized there) is a product of high hematocrit/hemoglobin concentrations and low reticulocytes, right? Did she also have an unusually high hematocrit? http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47195 Rant Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:59:57 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=2515#comment-47195 Tom, You're correct. The quote is both untrue and misleading. Once the EPO is out of the system, its main effect (stimulating red blood cell production) is gone, too. But the new blood cells that came about will be there for 120 days or so, and as you noted, they will only be in the reticulocyte stage for a few days. Now, if the writer had said "the red cells produced in response to EPO administration would be around long after the traces of EPO itself had disappeared," that would be a truer statement."
You’re correct. The quote is both untrue and misleading. Once the EPO is out of the system, its main effect (stimulating red blood cell production) is gone, too. But the new blood cells that came about will be there for 120 days or so, and as you noted, they will only be in the reticulocyte stage for a few days. Now, if the writer had said “the red cells produced in response to EPO administration would be around long after the traces of EPO itself had disappeared,” that would be a truer statement.”]]>