Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
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2018 Tour de France | 2018 Giro d'Italia
It's funny how most people love the dead, once you're dead, you're made for life. - Jimi Hendrix
Latest completed racing:
- December 17: Namur Cyclocross (Citadelcross)
- December 16: Scheldecross
- December 10: Vlaamse Druivenveldrit Cross
- December 9: Essen Cyclocross
- December 2: GP Hasselt Cross
- November 26: Flandriencross
- November 25: Zeven Cyclocross
- November 19: Bogense Cyclocross
- November 12: Gavere Cyclocross
- November 5: European Cyclocross Championships
Team LottoNL-Jumbo suspends Tolhoek and Eenkhoorn for two months, Juan José Lobato leaves
The team sent me this update:
As a result of the events during the training camp in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Team LottoNL-Jumbo has ended the contract with Juan José Lobato in mutual consultation. Furthermore, Antwan Tolhoek and Pascal Eenkhoorn have been suspended for two months. These two riders are excluded from all team activities, including the team presentation, the training camp and the participation in races.
Without the knowledge of the team and its medical staff the trio had used (non-doping related) sleep medication, which was neither provided nor is being prescribed by the team. This is a severe and unacceptable violation of the team regulations.
In determining the measures, all legal and personal aspects were taken into account, as well as the major impact the incident has had on the team. It was also paramount to ascertain who was in possession of what medication and in which way they were utilised. None of these riders’ actions have violated UCI and/or Wada rules.
The team takes responsibility for the health of the riders, and experiments that endanger their health are not accepted. In the context of the talent development policy that Team LottoNL-Jumbo advocates, the team has reached out to Tolhoek and Eenkhoorn to provide them a continuing opportunity to develop into an exemplary professional cyclist.
Juan José Lobato winning the first stage of the 2017 Tour de l'Ain
In the case of Juan José Lobato, it was decided to end the sporting cooperation in the interest of both the rider and the team. Lobato has had an emotionally eventful year and will have to concentrate on his recovery.
MPCC (Mouvement Pour un Cyclisme Crédible) releases statement regarding Chris Froome
The MPCC anti-doping organization (Team Sky is not a member) posted this:
2017/12/18 PRESS RELEASE
Chris Froome's abnormal test result triggered a huge public outrage. When it comes to "specified substance", such as Salbutamol, provisional suspension is not mandatory and the rider is free to choose it or not. Nevertheless, MPCC wishes to make a statement on this topic.
Once again, trouble has been brought upon cycling with the suspicion of a violation of the international anti-doping rules. Given all the efforts made to prevent these kind of events from happening, this is regrettable.
MPCC would like to remind some of its rules, which are applied on a voluntary basis by the 43 team members (65% of the pro peloton, World Tour and Conti Pro), meaning 43 managers and 43 team physicians in charge of these 43 teams and 749 riders.
Article 3: To take responsibility to immediately suspend a rider receiving his first positive testing result. Each member team will inform the President of MPCC as soon as they acknowledge a positive test result sample A.
These rules that the team members commit to were made with a clear purpose: transparency. This is for the benefit of all, and to benefit cycling as well.
This is the reason why MPCC and its Board of Directors, without making any assumption towards the final decision, asks Team Sky to suspend its rider on a voluntary basis, until the end of the procedure. This measure would allow the rider and its team to focus on their defense with serenity, but also to avoid tension among many managers and riders.
Article 9 MEDICAL : TUE must be validated by the physician in charge of the team. It is mandatory for any racer who, due to his health condition, may need a cortisone treatment given systemically -via oral, rectal, intramuscular or intraveinous administration – to be prescribed a sick leave and a competition leave for a minimum of 8 days. Competition participation will resume, subject to a cortisol levels control yielding normal results. Corticoïd infiltrations, which do not require AUT, will imperatively be validated by the physician in charge of the team, who will imperatively prescribe a minimum of 8 days of sick leave and competition leave, as well as a cortisol levels control. In case of unusually low cortisol levels, competition will resume after an additional 8-day rest minimum, and back-to-normal cortisol levels.
MPCC also requests that UCI opens an inquiry following Shane Sutton’s statements. The former Team Sky and UK’s national team’s coach admitted that some of the medicine requiring a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) might have been use to enhance performance.
Given the zero tolerance that everyone advocates and the necessity for transparency, MPCC renews its wish to see Team Sky and all the other teams, sponsors, organizers, national federations, agents, etc… to join MPCC on a voluntary basis. MPCC’s philosophy, alongside the UCI, can make a real difference in the fight against doping.
End of release.
It was at the Vuelta a España that Chris Froome showed high levels of Salbutamol
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