Bye Lance

[clarion]

Steady on, Clarion! I'm not sure you can say things like that even ironically.

I was alluding to the fall from grace of British icons, in hte manner of Andy Murray, who was always a Scot when he lost.

Anyway, what has he tested positive for? Can't think what PEDs a jockey would benefit from - beta blockers, maybe?

d.

Diuretics, typically.

[Ewan Houzami]

Looks like he did a bit of Charlie. At least it wasn't Horse.

Oh! Please yourselves.

[citoyen]

Have you tried looking for yourself?

No. Lazy. Sorry.

d.

[Justin(e)]

Steady on, Clarion! I'm not sure you can say things like that even ironically.

I was alluding to the fall from grace of British icons, in hte manner of Andy Murray, who was always a Scot when he lost.

The irony sounded a bit flat to my ears as well. 

[clarion]

Lack of smileys can do that.  Sorry.

[mzjo]

Dettori's lawyer says that he did not test positive for a PED although he is not allowed to say what the substance was.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/horse-racing/20323087

Probably some substance not in favour with oil sheikhs

[simonp]

Not a PED? Could still be a masking agent. I would expect spin.

[Rhys W]

Probably a diuretic or even a laxative. He's a jockey.

[Hot Flatus]

Maybe he had a shot of whatever the horse had.

[spesh]

<on topic>

The charity formerly known as the Lance Armstrong Foundation has taken its own step to try to decontaminate itself by officially renaming as the  Livestrong Foundation.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/livestrong-foundation-drop-armstrong-from-title-name

Mind you, that may not be enough to save them if people start digging into where donations were actually going...

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

Apart from recreational stuff, jockeys often take stuff for weight loss.

Worthwhile reading Paul Nicholls' (ex-jump jockey and current champion national hunt trainer) autobiography which chronicles his constant struggle to make the weight.  It wasn't just a constant diet of diuretics to keep the weight down there were a whole lot of tricks to getting across the scales being measured at the correct weight (with a lot of similarities to the way that Hamilton et al describe in their books etc).

It may be harder these days but the jockey of a winning horse at Cheltenham in 2011 weighed in 2 pounds heavier than he weighed out 

But then it is worthwhile remembering that cheating is not restricted to one sport or to taking drugs.  I would argue that the footballer who deliberately dives to claim a penalty in the last minute by which method his team scores and wins the game has had far more impact on the outcome than an athlete of any kind loading their body with drugs.  At least the athlete has still had to cross the line first/fastest....  And back to horse racing - the tricks that a trainer can run (legal and illegal) to make sure their horse has the best chance to win in a big-prize handicap. 

[Doo]

Where's he gone?

[Biff]

Before



After

[Justin(e)]

blood bag on the left margin

[mattc]

But then it is worthwhile remembering that cheating is not restricted to one sport or to taking drugs.  I would argue that the footballer who deliberately dives to claim a penalty in the last minute by which method his team scores and wins the game has had far more impact on the outcome than an athlete of any kind loading their body with drugs.  At least the athlete has still had to cross the line first/fastest

I'd agree with that (and I suspect most cyclists would!). It might explain why noone's too bothered about drugs in football.

I don't know a lot about horse-racing, but my impression is that the various forms of 'shenanigans' (at variuos levels, including the bookies) make EPO look like gentle gamesmanship.

[Cudzoziemiec]

On the basis that football has even more money in it than horse racing, I'd expect even more shenanigans, though not necessarily drugs.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Soccer has lots of drugs/ blood doping. Running faster and not getting tired late in the game are big advantages.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Likely so, but following on from matt's post, I was thinking about betting shenanigans; fixing it for a penalty to be given in the first half or player x to miss a free kick, etc etc. You can make ridiculously specific bets on football and cricket nowadays. Apparently. Mind you, maybe some people are making similar bets on cycling - rider y to be z minutes down at the end of the 2nd stage, or whatever. But generally there's less of that and less money in it altogether.

[Hot Flatus]

Soccer has lots of drugs/ blood doping. Running faster and not getting tired late in the game are big advantages.

I'm sure they do drugs but not sure about blood doping. That is all about recovery, and I can't see that it would make a difference with the relatively fairly light load of a pro footballer.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Bullshit. Look at Puerto. Blood gives you more endurance, not just recovery.

[Hot Flatus]

Bullshit.

That isn't very nice.

Look at Puerto. Blood gives you more endurance, not just recovery.

For a 90 minute stint of intermittent effort? EPO yes, but blood doping is normally associated with endurance sports.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

EPO is used by 100m sprinters, albeit in combination with HGH and testosterone.

Blood doping doesn't just mean blood bags.

[Hot Flatus]

Ah, I see where you are coming from. You aren't talking about transfusions, whereas I thought you were.

 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Who are you and what have you done with Flatus? The politeness was what gave it away!

[Hot Flatus]

I would have thought the avatar would have been enough.

The Lord comes to us all eventually....