The French journal Le Monde ran an editorial (July 28) suggesting that the TdF may not be free of
doping, despite the extensive urine and blood testing that is now performed under the direction of
the UCI. While not an accusation, the article notes that the average speed of stage winners this
year is the fastest on record, even faster than in 1997, the year preceding the Festina affair, when
EPO use was presumably widespread.
The piece goes on to suggest two possible reasons: (1) Climate conditions were ideal this year, and
the riders also benefited from tailwinds, and (2) New techniques for evading the chemical controls
have been put into play. The official TdF line is apparently (1). The speeds themselves are not
disputed, since they are essentially a public record.
For perspective, Le Monde is something along the lines of the New York Times -- a fairly
well-respected middle-of-the-political-spectrum newspaper (rather than a tabloid, for example), but
not particularly a sports rag. I don't know its history well enough to know whether it has any axes
to grind with the TdF, but again, it does not specialize in sports coverage.
The article (in French) is available by going to www.lemonde.fr. In the box at upper left entitled
Rechercher, type in "dopage" (no quotes needed) and click the arrow. On the list of articles that
comes up, look for "Un Tour trop vite?" Right now it seems to be the second article listed, and for
the moment, at least, it is available for free. I don't know of an English version, but I know there
are at least a few francophones in this group who might find it of interest...
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