The professional cycling thread
Discussion
Digger said:
Surprised no one has raised this, but no dopers caught in the tdf this year?!
that's a good thing and the fact people complained it was boring maybe because a clean rider is not a superman and needs rest and has off days. the avg speed over the last few years has tailed off after being on the rise each year for decadeshttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3...
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armitstead-cleared...
Three missed tests in a career would be bad enough, but three in the space of a year? Good job she's not Russian.
Three missed tests in a career would be bad enough, but three in the space of a year? Good job she's not Russian.
mcelliott said:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/armitstead-cleared...
Three missed tests in a career would be bad enough, but three in the space of a year? Good job she's not Russian.
apparently the Hotel receptionist would not give the testers her room number at 6am and they left so give her that one but what about the other two. Either the system isn't working or someone needs a rocket up them.Three missed tests in a career would be bad enough, but three in the space of a year? Good job she's not Russian.
If they were Russian there would be a big stink about it for sure.
funkyrobot said:
I don't get how she got away with that. They all know how important the testing is and missing 'x' amount in a row is serious.
Not too sure about her now.
As others have said, if she was from certain other countries, questions would be asked.
Very suspect. To miss 3 tests is just not right.Not too sure about her now.
As others have said, if she was from certain other countries, questions would be asked.
Daz68 said:
Very suspect. To miss 3 tests is just not right.
Something has gone wrong here and more transparency is needed over the three missed tests. If she has been tested between the missed tests shouldn't a negative result dismiss the problem of the missing test and she is tested frequently in competition.Anyhow not long now to the Olympic track programme and the Team Pursuit with Wiggins is going to be epic and then we have Laura Trott cant wait.
Daz68 said:
Very suspect. To miss 3 tests is just not right.
yes and no. under the current system used in Britain you need to give the testers a diary of where you will be for a set amount of time each day. you lodge this (I think!) a month in advance and can be updated at any time (again I don't know how much notice is needed for that to take effect).
I've had friends who've been on this testing programme and never known them to have any issues with it, regular visits to the house at 6am to pee in a cup. but they were fortunate to be based in one place for training and had quite a fixed training regime.
I don't know if she trained at lots of different places, how often she is away at different training camps, do these get changed with short notice.
I don't know how common missed tests are under this procedure. I don't know if its common for people to miss one or 2 a year. but I'd like to think if I was a professional athlete, olympian, being paid through funding and that was my main focus in life, then I'd be getting this part of it right.
It's all covered well here http://inrng.com/2016/08/armitstead-whereabouts-uk...
(knee jerk accusers you should have a look at yourselves for pointing fingers without the facts.)
In her own words...
I am writing this statement in my own words, something I have wanted to do from the very beginning. Understandably people have questions which I want to answer as openly and honest as I can. I hope people understand that speaking with journalists is a necessary part of my job, speaking directly to the public in a statement like this, which has not been ghost written or moulded by somebody else is un heard of. I want to take responsibility for this message, this is my life and not a game of headlines. I want to state the facts but also try to explain my situation further. I believe I owe this statement to sports fans, people who love sport like I do.
As an 18 year old school girl I was introduced to the whereabouts system. 9 years ago. Since then the system has evolved and developed, post October 2015 I recognised this and requested further education from UKAD, I will come back to this later.
By submitting my whereabouts I am consenting to people coming into my house or hotel and taking blood and urine samples. This is a part of my sport that I accept and whole heartedly support.
To add some background before I explain the specific details of my 3 'strikes'.
I have been tested 16 times in 2016.
I have a clear and valid blood passport (a more detailed use of looking for doping violations by looking for trends vs anomalies in my blood values)
I have been tested after every victory this season.
I am on the road for around 250 days a year, with around 60 race days.
I have never tested positive for a banned substance.
I have never taken a band substance.
I will present the facts of my 3 'strikes'
Sweden 20th August 2015
UKAD are allowed a maximum of 2 weeks to inform you of a 'strike'. When I received the letter from UKAD I immediately contested it with a written explanation, this was not accepted on the eve of me travelling to America for my world championships. I had no legal advise or external support at the time.
Last week:
CAS ruled quickly and unanimously in my favour and cleared me of any wrong doing, because:
I was at the hotel I stated.
The DCO didn't do what was reasonable or necessary to find me.
I was tested the next day, this test was negative.
Calling an athletes mobile phone is not a method approved by UKAD to try and locate an athlete, as such it is not an argument against me that I slept with my phone on silent in order not to disturb a room mate.
Put simply I was available and willing to provide a sample for UKAD.
2nd 'strike' October 2015
Despite being reported as a 'missed test' this was in fact a 'filing failure'
UKAD did not try to test me, instead this was an administrative spot check. They found an inconsistency between an overnight accommodation and a morning time slot.
A busy post world championship period meant I had no firm plans and as such was changing address and plans very quickly. I made a mistake. This was an honest mistake rather than trying to deceive anybody. A mistake that many athletes who are honest with themselves will admit to having made themselves. I was Tested by UKAD later that week and produced a negative result.
In December 2015 I met with UKAD and British cycling to discuss a support plan in order to avoid a 3rd potential 'strike'
Simon Thornton from British Cycling was put in place to check my whereabouts on a bi weekly basis. We had regular contact and he would help me with any problems, effectively he was a fail safe mechanism. Since meeting with UKAD my whereabouts updates have been as detailed and specific as they can possibly be. Going as far as I can in describing my locations to avoid any further issues.
Unfortunately this system fell apart on the 9th of June when UKAD tried to test me in my hour slot and I was not where I had stated I would be. Simon Thornton had left BC 3 weeks prior to my strike without anybody informing me. We worked under a policy of 'no news was good news' as outlined in my support plan with UKAD. If Simon was still in place the following oversight could have been prevented. My over night accommodation ( the bed in which I was sleeping the morning of the test) was correct, but I had failed to change the one hour testing slot, it was clearly impossible to be in both locations.
This is where I believe I have the right to privacy. My personal family circumstances at the time of the test were incredibly difficult, the medical evidence provided in my case was not contested by UKAD, they accepted the circumstances I was in. UKAD did not perceive my situation to be 'extreme' enough to alleviate me of a negligence charge. A physiatrist assessment of my state of mind at the time was contrary. In my defence I was dealing with a traumatic time and i forgot to change a box on a form. I am not a robot, I am a member of a family, my commitment to them comes over and above my commitment to cycling. This will not change and as a result I will not discuss this further, our suffering does not need to be part of a public trial. I hope I have made it clear that family comes before cycling, I am not obsessively driven to success in cycling, I love my sport, but I would never cheat for it.
To conclude:
I currently have 1 filing failure and 1 missed test.
The reason this hasn't been discussed publicly until now is because I had the right to a fair trial at CAS, it is clear sensationalised headlines have a detrimental effect to any legal case.
In the days following the revelations in the press my family and I have been the victim of some incredibly painful comments. I ask people to take a moment to put themselves in my shoes, I am an athlete trying to do my best, I am a clean athlete. I am the female road race world champion, I operate in a completely different environment to the majority of athletes in the testing pool. I am self coached, I work outside British cycling and its systems, I race for a women's team that doesn't have a budget to match a world tour men's team who have staff specifically in place to supports riders with whereabouts. I don't wish to make excuses, i made one mistake which was noticed in a 'spot check' my second strike came at a time when anybody who lives for and loves their family would understand my oversight. It's as simple as ticking the wrong box on a form.
I love sport and the values it represents, it hurts me to consider anybody questioning my performances. Integrity is something I strive for in every part of my life. I will hold my head high in Rio and do my best for Great Britain, I am sorry for causing anyone to lose faith in sport, I am an example of what hard work and dedication can achieve. I hate dopers and what they have done to sport.
To any of the 'Twitter army' reading this, do yourself a favour and go for a bike ride. It's the most beautiful thing you can do to clear your mind.
In her own words...
I am writing this statement in my own words, something I have wanted to do from the very beginning. Understandably people have questions which I want to answer as openly and honest as I can. I hope people understand that speaking with journalists is a necessary part of my job, speaking directly to the public in a statement like this, which has not been ghost written or moulded by somebody else is un heard of. I want to take responsibility for this message, this is my life and not a game of headlines. I want to state the facts but also try to explain my situation further. I believe I owe this statement to sports fans, people who love sport like I do.
As an 18 year old school girl I was introduced to the whereabouts system. 9 years ago. Since then the system has evolved and developed, post October 2015 I recognised this and requested further education from UKAD, I will come back to this later.
By submitting my whereabouts I am consenting to people coming into my house or hotel and taking blood and urine samples. This is a part of my sport that I accept and whole heartedly support.
To add some background before I explain the specific details of my 3 'strikes'.
I have been tested 16 times in 2016.
I have a clear and valid blood passport (a more detailed use of looking for doping violations by looking for trends vs anomalies in my blood values)
I have been tested after every victory this season.
I am on the road for around 250 days a year, with around 60 race days.
I have never tested positive for a banned substance.
I have never taken a band substance.
I will present the facts of my 3 'strikes'
Sweden 20th August 2015
UKAD are allowed a maximum of 2 weeks to inform you of a 'strike'. When I received the letter from UKAD I immediately contested it with a written explanation, this was not accepted on the eve of me travelling to America for my world championships. I had no legal advise or external support at the time.
Last week:
CAS ruled quickly and unanimously in my favour and cleared me of any wrong doing, because:
I was at the hotel I stated.
The DCO didn't do what was reasonable or necessary to find me.
I was tested the next day, this test was negative.
Calling an athletes mobile phone is not a method approved by UKAD to try and locate an athlete, as such it is not an argument against me that I slept with my phone on silent in order not to disturb a room mate.
Put simply I was available and willing to provide a sample for UKAD.
2nd 'strike' October 2015
Despite being reported as a 'missed test' this was in fact a 'filing failure'
UKAD did not try to test me, instead this was an administrative spot check. They found an inconsistency between an overnight accommodation and a morning time slot.
A busy post world championship period meant I had no firm plans and as such was changing address and plans very quickly. I made a mistake. This was an honest mistake rather than trying to deceive anybody. A mistake that many athletes who are honest with themselves will admit to having made themselves. I was Tested by UKAD later that week and produced a negative result.
In December 2015 I met with UKAD and British cycling to discuss a support plan in order to avoid a 3rd potential 'strike'
Simon Thornton from British Cycling was put in place to check my whereabouts on a bi weekly basis. We had regular contact and he would help me with any problems, effectively he was a fail safe mechanism. Since meeting with UKAD my whereabouts updates have been as detailed and specific as they can possibly be. Going as far as I can in describing my locations to avoid any further issues.
Unfortunately this system fell apart on the 9th of June when UKAD tried to test me in my hour slot and I was not where I had stated I would be. Simon Thornton had left BC 3 weeks prior to my strike without anybody informing me. We worked under a policy of 'no news was good news' as outlined in my support plan with UKAD. If Simon was still in place the following oversight could have been prevented. My over night accommodation ( the bed in which I was sleeping the morning of the test) was correct, but I had failed to change the one hour testing slot, it was clearly impossible to be in both locations.
This is where I believe I have the right to privacy. My personal family circumstances at the time of the test were incredibly difficult, the medical evidence provided in my case was not contested by UKAD, they accepted the circumstances I was in. UKAD did not perceive my situation to be 'extreme' enough to alleviate me of a negligence charge. A physiatrist assessment of my state of mind at the time was contrary. In my defence I was dealing with a traumatic time and i forgot to change a box on a form. I am not a robot, I am a member of a family, my commitment to them comes over and above my commitment to cycling. This will not change and as a result I will not discuss this further, our suffering does not need to be part of a public trial. I hope I have made it clear that family comes before cycling, I am not obsessively driven to success in cycling, I love my sport, but I would never cheat for it.
To conclude:
I currently have 1 filing failure and 1 missed test.
The reason this hasn't been discussed publicly until now is because I had the right to a fair trial at CAS, it is clear sensationalised headlines have a detrimental effect to any legal case.
In the days following the revelations in the press my family and I have been the victim of some incredibly painful comments. I ask people to take a moment to put themselves in my shoes, I am an athlete trying to do my best, I am a clean athlete. I am the female road race world champion, I operate in a completely different environment to the majority of athletes in the testing pool. I am self coached, I work outside British cycling and its systems, I race for a women's team that doesn't have a budget to match a world tour men's team who have staff specifically in place to supports riders with whereabouts. I don't wish to make excuses, i made one mistake which was noticed in a 'spot check' my second strike came at a time when anybody who lives for and loves their family would understand my oversight. It's as simple as ticking the wrong box on a form.
I love sport and the values it represents, it hurts me to consider anybody questioning my performances. Integrity is something I strive for in every part of my life. I will hold my head high in Rio and do my best for Great Britain, I am sorry for causing anyone to lose faith in sport, I am an example of what hard work and dedication can achieve. I hate dopers and what they have done to sport.
To any of the 'Twitter army' reading this, do yourself a favour and go for a bike ride. It's the most beautiful thing you can do to clear your mind.
Edited by JustinF on Wednesday 3rd August 11:58
johnxjsc1985 said:
she is tested frequently as she wins frequently there is no suspicion on my part I just would like to know the details of how the other two tests were missed. She travels extensively and I can see how you could lose track .
Sadly due to people like Armstrong we now have people desperate to shout "cheat" at every given opportunity as was seen on the TDF with all the nonsense booing etc. I think the system needs looking at especially when people like Lizzie are tested throughout the season due to their success.Cheers for that, Justin.
On the face of it, with the brevity of a lazy journalist limiting access to all the facts, it would be easy to be suspicious about the headline "Three Missed Tests!".
But even by the low standards of the story I read, it was possible to conclude that she missed a test at her hotel on day 'x', but was tested at the competition on the following day. No-one can filter that s
t out in 24 hours, so a negative test at that competition surely demonstrates beyond doubt that she was available and willing to provide the required sample on day 'x' but didn't now that she was wanted for testing. The fact that the negative sample was provided so close to the missed test should also demonstrate that she was clean the day before too.
I've been subject to a drugs testing regime, in the military. But it's no-where near so invasive into your life as it is for an athlete. Yes, we had to pee in a cup at short notice, but it wasn't personally targeted on me as an individual. The testing team would simply turn up, lock the unit down, and no-one got out until a) they'd been tested, or b) the testing sample target percentage had been reached and the CDT team went home. Athletes have to give up their whereabouts for a set period of their day, every day, for...
...well, for as long as they want to be an athlete, really. Think about how hard that might be, when you are not only training, and 'being an athlete', but also being a 'normal human being'. Not being able to go to X because you submitted a form stating you'd be staying at Y. Not knowing if you could just 'nip out for a pint of milk' because the testing team might turn up while you were out. Psychologically stressful, potentially, on top of the mental and physical loads that training for your sport places upon you.
As for that "Twitter Army"? Twitter tts, more like. I don't have a twitter account, and I don't follow it, but there is plenty of cross-pollination in the media and on forums like this, so I'm aware of the sort of nasty crap that gets put about on 'soshul meejia' sights. Just shut the fk up you bunch of nasty bds. If you've got no knowledge of a situation, and can't add anything useful to a debate, keep it to yourself. If it wasn't for "industrialised doping" by disreputable countries on behalf of their athletes for many years now, we wouldn't need to be so suspicious of every succesful athlete, whatever their field. But sadly, that seems to be the default position these days.
But on a brighter note, best of luck to all competing as part of Team GB in Brazil!
On the face of it, with the brevity of a lazy journalist limiting access to all the facts, it would be easy to be suspicious about the headline "Three Missed Tests!".
But even by the low standards of the story I read, it was possible to conclude that she missed a test at her hotel on day 'x', but was tested at the competition on the following day. No-one can filter that s
t out in 24 hours, so a negative test at that competition surely demonstrates beyond doubt that she was available and willing to provide the required sample on day 'x' but didn't now that she was wanted for testing. The fact that the negative sample was provided so close to the missed test should also demonstrate that she was clean the day before too.I've been subject to a drugs testing regime, in the military. But it's no-where near so invasive into your life as it is for an athlete. Yes, we had to pee in a cup at short notice, but it wasn't personally targeted on me as an individual. The testing team would simply turn up, lock the unit down, and no-one got out until a) they'd been tested, or b) the testing sample target percentage had been reached and the CDT team went home. Athletes have to give up their whereabouts for a set period of their day, every day, for...
...well, for as long as they want to be an athlete, really. Think about how hard that might be, when you are not only training, and 'being an athlete', but also being a 'normal human being'. Not being able to go to X because you submitted a form stating you'd be staying at Y. Not knowing if you could just 'nip out for a pint of milk' because the testing team might turn up while you were out. Psychologically stressful, potentially, on top of the mental and physical loads that training for your sport places upon you.
As for that "Twitter Army"? Twitter t
ts, more like. I don't have a twitter account, and I don't follow it, but there is plenty of cross-pollination in the media and on forums like this, so I'm aware of the sort of nasty crap that gets put about on 'soshul meejia' sights. Just shut the fk up you bunch of nasty bds. If you've got no knowledge of a situation, and can't add anything useful to a debate, keep it to yourself. If it wasn't for "industrialised doping" by disreputable countries on behalf of their athletes for many years now, we wouldn't need to be so suspicious of every succesful athlete, whatever their field. But sadly, that seems to be the default position these days.But on a brighter note, best of luck to all competing as part of Team GB in Brazil!
Things for a professional cyclist to do every day in order of importance:
1) Ensure whereabouts completed
2) Train
3) Eat
4) Sleep
5) AOB
How fking hard can it be?
LA should have objected to the first 'missed' test (which btw is almost identical to the 'strike' that Froome has accepted on his record) at the time - not 10 months later when facing a ban, and on a technicality. If this was an athlete from 'another' country everyone would be up in arms about it. She should be banned in accordance with the rules. There is no excuse. Her cleanliness - or otherwise - is not the matter at hand. British Cycling also look hopelessly conflicted here but that is also another discussion.
1) Ensure whereabouts completed
2) Train
3) Eat
4) Sleep
5) AOB
How f
king hard can it be? LA should have objected to the first 'missed' test (which btw is almost identical to the 'strike' that Froome has accepted on his record) at the time - not 10 months later when facing a ban, and on a technicality. If this was an athlete from 'another' country everyone would be up in arms about it. She should be banned in accordance with the rules. There is no excuse. Her cleanliness - or otherwise - is not the matter at hand. British Cycling also look hopelessly conflicted here but that is also another discussion.
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