More on Beltran
Another quick note on Beltran. I'm relatively convinced that he's guilty, but I can't understand why they announced the whole thing before the B sample was tested. Once you've hauled the guy away in a police car and it's been in all the newspapers, that provides a serious disincentive for a lab to reverse all that by declaring that the B sample was negative. How hard would it be to wait for that before exploding everything? I'll just tell you that if the did those two things 1) waited for the results of the B sample before doing ANYTHING (telling anyone) and 2) had the B sample tested at a completely different lab (preferably in another country even). Then I would feel totally comfortable saying "Yeah that dude did it, kick him out of the race and off the team." Whereas now, I'm reasonably comfortable in saying that out of all the people busted for doping that one of them (maybe even more) was probably innocent.
That's all folks!
That's all folks!
posted by DireKobold at 7:41 AM
2 Comments:
I agree that for the sake of the accused, a separate lab in another country, where the sample source would be blind is best(e.g., the Tour does not tell a lab in Milwaukee, say, that the sample is from a rider in the Tour, but that the information is passed along as anonymously as possible).
One thing I have to give the Tour: they're taking this stuff seriously now. Would that the Olympics and professional sports in the US did the same. Beltran's eviction, guilty or not, has probably put another nail in the coffin for many US fans who got into the Tour thanks to Armstrong.
According to El Pais (Spanish newspaper), he claims innocence, and asks that his team not be judged. He awaits the results for B sample. At the same time, it mentions that the new French anti-doping law, if any doping agents were to be found (outside his body), could punish him up to 5 years in jail and 75,000 Euros.
In an article/Op-Ed, it mentions that 10 people had been targetted for intensive testing, due to "blood irregularities." Said piece was titled "Beltran crushes cycling." Not a lot of love for homebody there.
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