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Posted

Its only a matter time before the drug testing technology catches up with the drugs.

 

Give Froomey a few years and he will be caught too

The technology is there....the list of banned substances however poses another problem....every tom dick and drug is on there because they try and cover all bases....and then some they include only after they become a popular term amongst athletes....

Posted

 

Flashback Monday...

 

Evans: I did not know

THE-STAR / 

08 November 2012 at 09:00am

Kevin McCallum

Kevin Evans got drunk on Tuesday night after he had learnt his Nedbank 360Life teammate, David George, had tested positive for EPO. He struggled to make sense of the trust that had been broken by someone who had cheated his teammates, his sponsors, his family and his sport. He sought solace in wine to numb the cold, hollow hurt.

“No. I didn’t know. Not at all,” said Evans yesterday when asked if he had had any idea that George was taking banned substances. It was a simple answer to a simple question. He has been asked the same question by his sponsors several times in the last few days. And the answer has been the same. One of his sponsors told me they had also asked Evans straight up if he had ever doped himself. “He said no, absolutely not. Never,” the sponsor said and asked not to be named. “I believed him. I don’t think Kevin could be a good liar. He couldn’t look his family and friends in the eye if he was cheating.”

Evans is contractually bound not to talk about the George affair in detail just yet, but said he would be releasing a statement shortly. He did admit he was devastated by the news and worried that he and Reid would be tarred with the same brush.

Evans and James Reid, the young, up-and-coming mountain bike star, are now in danger of losing their jobs following the suspension of their Nedbank 360Life team on Wednesday. Scott Bicycles South Africa, who supply the two with equipment, also withdrew their sponsorship of the team, and the fall-out continued this morning when supplement supplier, USN, announced that they were terminating their association with him yesterday morning. “USN has a zero tolerance policy on doping in sport,” read the statement.

The two have had an enormous amount of support from the rest of the cycling community following the announcement by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) and George’s subsequent confession on Wednesday. Brandon Els of Scott Bicycles South Africa and Nedbank asked on Twitter whether cycling fans thought they should remain in the sport. The answers were mainly in the positive.

Daryl Impey, who rode with George on MTN some years ago, told Els to continue to back Evans and Reid. “Continue your support. You supported me and I am always grateful for the contributions you made towards my career. Thank you.”

Jeroen Swart, a cycling coach, sports scientist and a member of the Doping Control Review Commission, said that George’s positive was proof that the system was working. When Nedbank tweeted a question asking if they should “pull the sponsorship of the whole team”, Swart replied: “Absolutely not. Punish the athlete, not the team.”

There was a sense that SAIDS had been targeting George for some time now. The rider has returned adverse samples before, and during his time with the South African-sponsored Barloworld team, was rested for two weeks after he was found to have a high hematocrit (volume of red blood cells) level of over the allowed limit of 50 percent. He never tested positive for EPO then, but questions were asked. Athletes are now required to record a blood sample which is kept in a “passport” against which subsequent blood samples can be measured.

“That’s the point of our [blood level] passport system,” said Swart. “Targeted testing based on probabilities of values being suspect. The more data points in the passport, the tighter the net becomes.”

George said yesterday in an SMS that he would “face the music” and accept any punishment that Cycling South Africa gave him. That is one small mercy in all of this, that it will be over quickly. It will not be over quickly for the sport of cycling. And it will not be over quickly for Kevin Evans and James Reid, who are left to pick up the pieces of their career.

Posted

My letter from Emma Saddleir

She is only a lawyer specialising in social media situations,and one who has taken a keen interest in this type of media as most people believe that "freedom of speech"will protect them.Not the case unfortunately.

But will be interesting to see if an apology is offered,or an offer of retraction of threat will be made as well.Typical legal jargon threats.....GUILTY IS GUILTY IS GUILTY.

Posted

I find his response sounds just like his excuse about the "sniper line" at Epic - absolutely disrespectful to his fellow racers and unsportsmanlike behavior. Never "sorry I was wrong". So he took whatever he took because he wanted to be healthy for his family. Fair enough but then why don't you stay away from racing? Seems he never thinks he did anything wrong.  

Posted

Its only a matter time before the drug testing technology catches up with the drugs.

 

Give Froomey a few years and he will be caught too

 

I don't think the problem lies in the technology. More so the administration and implementation thereof... 

 

Administration, be it for processing dodgy findings or processing a TUE application just simply takes too long. An athlete cannot wait (read derive zero income for) 60 - 90 days for a TUE confirmation. 

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