raptor-22

forget manuals, Automatic dual clutch is where its at

was his ban ever revoked?

Cool that would be appreciated. AS for a life time ban for a chest cold medication?! That's really not fair at all and sends the wrong message. It can be interpreted in conjunction with the high sticker price as "only the financially and genetically gifted need apply". A chest cold could develop further but then the race doctor needs to make a responsible call. Did the ride get the medication from the events medics? That would just double the injustice. Not only CSA should be taken to task, but also the event organizer. I think if enough amateurs get busted for silly infringements, it will sound the death nell for events that take such an unfair stance. But we never hear about these infringements so it makes one wonder if there's a gagging order being issued somewhere...

nah it's just a scratch

Good question. last year I had an annis horriblis in terms of health. Took a step forward and two steps backward. All the while my doc and I avoided anti-biotic. But some chronic meds was required. However, a big part of getting through the health issue was staying fit, picking my events and not going 100%. This advice was given by my GP and a specialist. Exercise is actually a very strong healing mechanism but one does need to be pragmatic about the intensity and duration. I got through all of that and hit the curve to improving quality of life but still need the chronic meds to help stablise my respiratory system. Both agree that I won't need it long term but it helps the body get to a point where the systems will stabilize on their own. being an athlete himself my GP reckons athletes are more prone to certain health issues simply because they stress their bodies more especially when they are off their form. Normal people break a sweat and back off. Athletes break and sweat and go harder because there's not enough sweat. The stats for athletes using inhalers is quite staggering but both GP and specialist agree that typically people who have had a health issue when young have turned to sport and vigorous exercise to strengthen their bodies to be less pone to getting ill. So when they fall ill, the effects are generally more severe than with less trained but generally healthy people. E.g I don't get the flu, I get bronchitis whereas someone else will just get the flu. I also think athletes become addicted to the endorphins released during exercise so when they're ill they're more likely to want to continue training and racing. No ones going to give their neighbor the edge on training when competing for the fastest Argust Time in Pine ave Dunno if that answers the question.

Thanks, some good info here an d I learned something from it. the thing with defending oneself against a ruling is that it costs a heck of a lot of money. I feel this area is severely lacking. I'm glad the process does weed out real cheats and I'm 1000% behind that concept, but I'm also about catching people in a fair manner. So it appears from your info that there are mechanisms whereby one can defend oneself. It would be great if you could share how that process works

With Prescription medication its an absolute mine field. I asked my doc to check up on a particular med he prescribed because it was not known if it was on the banned list or not. He came back to me a week later (he has other patients and a life after work) and said he THINKS its ok. I asked why no certainty and he said , even though the ingredient list is extensive, convoluted (intentionally) he could not be 100% certain as some of the names of the ingredients are proprietary to the manufacturer. He had asked the pharmacist who asked the pharmaceutical rep. All she came back with was a shorter skirt, slightly higher heel, extra swing and a "ek dink dis OOOIriiiiiight!" So, Forgive me if I'm a bit soft on dopers but when the burden of proof is with the athlete and information is not quite 100% available then I'm very very skeptical that the only objective is athlete health. It may be the final objective but right now the purpose is sacrificing as many lambs as possible to give the system credibility

Have you tried asking a pharmaceutical company what their products contain? I have all they will offer is printed on the side of the container. Add up those numbers and they don't reconcile to 1 so theres also stuff in there they won't disclose. To find out what that "other stuff" is I would need to send the product to a lab and have it analysed and then I'll fall foul of patent or copyright law. So either way, as an athelete, unless you live on organic produce groen in your own backyard and fertilized by a free range cow, drink natural spring water and are one of those 0.005% of the worlds population who never gets ill, you're rolling the dice when you turn up to start a bike race and you're asked to pee in the cup. Without full disclosure of what any foodstuff contains, the athlete cannot be 100% responsible for what they ingest because of the lack of transparency in the food/medication/ manufacturing and supply chain. Only WADA and its affiliates can demystify that. In the mean time, we're all guinea pigs, and sacrificial lambs in the game of laying down markers to act as a deterrent. I don't find that particularly fair when WADA is all about promoting fair sport. This is like justifying the Spanish Inquisition as a good cause that had to step over the line in order to givet Christianity credibility by identifying witch craft. The only difference is that witches never really existed. So whats the alternative? WADA needs to speed up identifying which products contain banned substances. Where people are claiming they only ingested a supplement then that supplement shou;d be immediately tested to understand if there is truth. New products for use as sports supplements should be SAIDS and WADA approved and frequency testing on these products needs to implemented, Supplements at events should also be tested, not just the riders it feels like the pharmaceutical companies are let off the hook here in exchange for financial support to WADA and affiliates. that's a perfect way to shift blame back to the (unwitting) athlete.

So as part of my formulating my arguments to illustrate my distrust of the system I've been reading through transcripts of SAIDS hearings with athletes who have found themselves on the wrong side of the process. The challenge with educating people about the system is not with the process but rather what is allowed and what is not , knowing all the names of the substances. This burden lies with the athlete. This in itself is a bit of an unfair expectation since one really needs a degree in sports medicine, pharmacy or biochemistry to make head or tail of it. The app on their website is helpful but it wouldn't have helped the kid who bought supplements from dischem and 32Gi. The whole burden of proof lying with the athletes smacks of a witch hunt since the athletes; particularly at an amateur or lower level pro will not have the resources to establish the contents of every vitamin or supplement they ingest without having a lab do analysis of the products. It's here where I feel WADA and moRe locally SAIDS needs to be assisting by identifying which products actually contain banned substances and approve products that are clean by either developing an SABS standard or applying a SAIDS approved mark to products. In a he mean time it feels like picking the low hanging fruit to serve as sacrificial lambs and a deterrent to others is the real objective. If a real doper gets caught then that's a bonus.

Mount on chopping block and then let the Louisville slugger have a go at it. Then into the trash. Rather buy the gardener a cheap Ryder or Giant helmet from sportsmans warehouse. Typically they not too fashion conscious

Louisville slugger and then the trash. I bought the Gardner a cheap giant lid. Good quality

That's way past use by date

Bicycle helmets have a maximum useful shelf life of 5years if stored in cool, dry conditions away from UV. Once its in use, you should replace the helmet after 3yrs of use. I recently dropped a Bell sweep after taking it off. Just missed the hook where I hang it. It cracked when it hit the ground. It failed in a non critical area but its an indication that the rest of the structure may not be sound anylonger. Its a 2008 model. Also had a 2006 model Uvex FP1 fail crack when droped from shoulder height. Styrofoam does not hold is mechanical properties after moulding for much more than 5 years so I replace my helmets every three years. bear in mind its exposed to all manner of abuse including sweat, sunlight, heat, impact etc

Good questions. I'll come back you to once I've structured my arguments. Just banging out random thoughts just to respond wouldn't be respectful to the quality of the questions

Flawed systems also target results before quality. The system has as much a duty to fulfill in ensuring real cheats are caught as the riders do need ensure they are clean. Placing blind faith in a non transparent bureaucratic process is foolish. The value of these processes is not to provide Friday Bikehub banter but to police fair sporting activity.

I'm not defending anyone. I am stating that I don't trust the process

World is not black and white huh? Do you think it's fair to receive a lifetime ban for someone else's bungle?

I simply do not trust CSA. Easy to throw someones name away and bugger the consequences.

seems this banning for life is a double standard then. We won't test you on our event but don't get caught elsewhere

then pleae don't improve your cycling to achieve a sub3 argust. Rather stay on the couch neh

and this is my major beef with the whole drug testing process. The manufacturers are never guilty of withholding information but a hobbycyclist can get sanctioned for taking something that's constituents have not completely been disclosed

Go Shameeg!! I can just imagine the Sherwinism's and shyte pronunciations that going to be aired this year!! LOL

Bru if you feel the need to exceed the daily dosage then you got a seriaaaas problem and maybe need to consult a mortician. One puff of Venteze generally does the trick of loosening up a tight chest. Maybe another puff a cople of hours later. Anyone that needs16puffs......eish

Not sure why Sky is getting fingered here. The British Cyclng Federation definitely found something whether it be training methodology, nutrition or other enhancements since the 2008 Olympics and 2012 London Olympics where the Brits featured very well. Even back in Boardman's day they were already experimenting

that's a real pity if it turns out the circumstances are unintentional