Astana team

NJK said:

How dodgy is this team? 3 wins in the vuelta. I can't believe that vino is not involved in any doping enquiries, he rode for liberty under sainz as top dog. Sainz gets done along with 2 major rivals basso & ullrich but not vino. Surely sainz was getting products to supply vino so he take on basso and ullrich, or is that to simple. 😕

The first thought that struck me after the race today was: Eufemiano won three times in a row.🙄

NJK said:

How dodgy is this team? 3 wins in the vuelta. I can't believe that vino is not involved in any doping enquiries, he rode for liberty under sainz as top dog. Sainz gets done along with 2 major rivals basso & ullrich but not vino. Surely sainz was getting products to supply vino so he take on basso and ullrich, or is that to simple. 😕

They probably have another doctor. I don`t see any other explanation.

Virenque said:

They probably have another doctor. I don`t see any other explanation.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with you... 🙁

Not to worry, old shoe... this is like Festina. A couple of slow years, an inspirational champion or two, and we'll all be back in fantasy land.

To hell with it. If they don't care about jazzing EPO until their cartilage dissolves, why should we? HGH? Gives them a head to match their inflated egos. Blood transfusions? Everyone should have a stroke or two - wipes out the bad memories. Testosterone? Makes for a 'ballsy' ride.

I've learned a lot more about medicine than cycling in the last couple of years. T/E ratios, the flow cytometry test, masking agents, the lifespan of a red blood cell, using magnets to detect recombinant EPO, even knowing what recombinant EPO is... wasn't there a time when we followed pro cycling for the tactics, the chess game in motion?

JohnO said:

Not to worry, old shoe... this is like Festina. A couple of slow years, an inspirational champion or two, and we'll all be back in fantasy land.

To hell with it. If they don't care about jazzing EPO until their cartilage dissolves, why should we? HGH? Gives them a head to match their inflated egos. Blood transfusions? Everyone should have a stroke or two - wipes out the bad memories. Testosterone? Makes for a 'ballsy' ride.

I've learned a lot more about medicine than cycling in the last couple of years. T/E ratios, the flow cytometry test, masking agents, the lifespan of a red blood cell, using magnets to detect recombinant EPO, even knowing what recombinant EPO is... wasn't there a time when we followed pro cycling for the tactics, the chess game in motion?

I think it still is a chess game in motion, even if they are a bunch of freakish lab experiments. Frankenstein still needs tactics to win. I will be interested to see what happens in the long run to these guys after years of this pharmacology.

I'm sure the Kazakhstan anti-doping association is putting forth a valiant effort to root out doping amongst professional teams in their country.🙄

They don`t know anti-doping. All they know is a russian medicine.😄

fscyclist said:

I'm sure the Kazakhstan anti-doping association is putting forth a valiant effort to root out doping amongst professional teams in their country.🙄

Well they can't be worse as the UCI...😉

UCI is not doing so bad. Just look at the other sports, for example, athletics. Do you think there`s less doping?

Virenque said:

UCI is not doing so bad. Just look at the other sports, for example, athletics. Do you think there`s less doping?

Sorry just because there are doping cases in other sports doesn't mean the UCI is doing not so bad. They are doing nothing! They hang some riders every now and than... that's all they do.

There are a lot more doping cases in cycling than in any other sport and I think there is not less doping in other sports. Anti-doping in cycling is obviously more strict. That`s what I want to say.

Virenque said:

There are a lot more doping cases in cycling than in any other sport and I think there is not less doping in other sports. Anti-doping in cycling is obviously more strict. That`s what I want to say.

That still doesn't mean the UCI is not so bad, why didn't they install the French anti-doping system and why are they still not doing it?

Of course they`re not perfect but they`re probably better than other sports` associations in terms of anti-doping fight. We went off-topic...🙄

Virenque said:

Of course they`re not perfect but they`re probably better than other sports` associations in terms of anti-doping fight. We went off-topic...🙄

It might be that there are other federations who are worse but believe me the UCI is not really fighting against doping at all and yes you are right we went completly off-topic🙄

Astana team presentation on January 20, 2007

Edit: by the way it will be held in Astana, Kazachstan

JohnO said:

I've learned a lot more about medicine than cycling in the last couple of years. T/E ratios, the flow cytometry test, masking agents, the lifespan of a red blood cell, using magnets to detect recombinant EPO, even knowing what recombinant EPO is... wasn't there a time when we followed pro cycling for the tactics, the chess game in motion?

It's evolved (devolved?) into a chemical chess match. Pound-for-pound, in terms of drama, it's the best sport out there.

cyclingheroes said:

Astana team presentation on January 20, 2007

Edit: by the way it will be held in Astana, Kazachstan

Now thats one presentation CH you should go to!

foxvi said:

Now thats one presentation CH you should go to!

I know but i probebly won't.... I will probebly do something else with Kessler in January

Manolo Saiz is allowed (by the Pro-Tour council) to keep his Pro-Tour license. Saiz stated that he doesn't know if he wants to keep Astana as a sponsor since he has contact with another possible sponsor, a company of the oil industry:

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