(http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/aug07/aug26news )
Greg makes some interesting suggestions, but I have problems with some
of them.
Not really sure how much good this would do. After all they can always
dope during the night or some other time. Secondly isolated from
whom..?? One possiblilty would be to have unauthorized people from
visting their hotel. This could be a bit onerous since the teams often
"stay at more than one hotel.
"keeping riders sequestered for two hours before races to eliminate
"unauthorized contact,"
"
This seems like a very good idea
"increasing the number of randomly tested riders to 20"
Another good idea, but some riders have naturally higher levels.
"lowering the hematocrit limit to 46 percent - the upper end of the
range considered normal in medical tests".
Another good idea, but does not go far enough. Lifetime first use bans
must be established.
"He also wants to see higher penalties for those caught cheating, but
an additional consideration for those who would act as informants."
Seems to me this is already illegal...!!
""In LeMond's ideal situation, "There would be the ability to plea-
bargain prison sentences, so when riders get busted they can rat out
the system and come back to racing in much heavier testing." He went
on to say that doping "needs to be criminalized because they are
trafficking in illegal drugs. They are prescription drugs, but they
are being illegally distributed throughout the peloton.""
Oh please Greg this is just another typical cheap shot.
"LeMond was also not afraid to take a thinly veiled shot at his fellow
Tour winner Lance Armstrong, whose Discovery Channel team announced it
would disband after ceasing its search for a new sponsor earlier this
month. "I think we're fleshing out a lot of people who are leaving,"
he told the newspaper. "I think a lot of people are leaving not
because they can't get sponsors, but because [investigators are]
getting serious. The guys that have been getting away with it don't
want to be caught.""
In this case it's whether Taylors father has set a good example with
doping not the sport.
"Despite claiming that he was "the most optimistic I have been in
years" about the state of the sport, he still holds some reservations
about seeing youngsters starting their careers in professional
cycling. LeMond's contemporary Davis Phinney has a son, Taylor, who
just won a gold medal in the Junior World Championships, and LeMond
has mixed feelings about his success. "He could be one of our most
talented riders coming up," LeMond said.
"At first I thought, 'Oh, I'm so happy for him, and then I thought,
'Oh, I'm so sad for him.' Because I don't know if I was the parent,
and my son would have won the worlds that I would allow him to pursue
it on the professional level," LeMond continued. "I am optimistic that
there is a change and it's shifting, and that maybe Taylor Phinney can
have a chance like I did where you don't have to decide to either sell
your soul to be part of a sport, or having your dignity and be proud
of doing it on your own." "