Newsgroup: it.sport.ciclismo
Titolo: Reportage della tv Ard: Amburgo centrale tedesca

DOPING - Reportage della tv Ard: Amburgo centrale tedesca. Per 
trasfusioni usati appartamenti ed hotel
Amburgo (Germania) - venerdì 1 setttembre 2006 - Lo scandalo doping 
spagnolo, al centro delle indagini della Operacion Puerto, che vede come 
figura principale il professor Eufemiano Fuentes, avrebbe avuto in 
Amburgo la sua centrale di riferimento in Germania. Secondo un reportage 
realizzato dalla tv tedesca ARD, infatti, le pratiche di trasfusioni di 
sangue messe in pratica da Fuentes si sarebbero svolte anche in diversi 
appartamenti ed hotel di Amburgo prima dell'ultimo Tour de France.
Coinvolti, secondo i documenti (scritti in spagnolo) in possesso degli 
investigatori tedeschi, molti ciclisti professionisti di primissimo 
livello. E ritorna anche la  sigla in codice «Numero 1», già accostata 
dagli investigatori spagnolo al nome di Jan Ullrich.
Il dottor Eufemiano Fuentes non avrebbe operato da solo. Secondo la tv 
tedesca Ard, il ginecologo avrebbe potuto contare sulla collaborazione 
di almeno due persone, in particolare «di un uomo e di una donna». I due 
complici sarebbero di nazionalità tedesca e alla fine di maggio, quando 
il medico spagnolo era già stato arrestato, avrebbero effettuando 
prelievi e trasfusioni di sangue in una camera di hotel ed in una casa 
nei pressi di Amburgo. Il network riporta inoltre che nel fascicolo in 
mano alla  magistratura spagnola appaiono alcuni documenti a firma 
Fuentes con la scritta «camera d'hotel in Germania e Francia», mentre 
era già stata trovata la nota «N.1, estrazioni e trasfusioni».
http://www.ciclonews.it/news_scheda.php?id=2752
-- 
http://modesta.biciticino.ch
Il sito dedicato alla giovane ciclista lituana Modesta Vzesniauskaite

 trasfusioni usati appartamenti ed hotel
Did you know L-Equipe had an article about making the tour stages either
shorter, or adding more rest days so the riders would hopefully have less
incentive to cheat? Option 1, might happen across the board, which is to
have riders race less races, shorter seasons, less stages or more rest days.
That's the first choice over making some products legal, but option 2 might
happen someday. That is to make some products legal. For instance, I
suggested for starters more coffee allowed which have limits now, caffeine
pills or coffee, espresso. These are the least, no one really cares about
coffee. No one thinks that is doping in the general sense.
The scientific definition of drugs or doping doesn't exist in the strictest
sense. The way I understand it, WADA are saying that a product should be
called doping if it has two of the following three characteristics: A: It's
performance enhancing, B: it's harmful for the health of the rider, C: it's
in violation of the ethics of sports. C: is arbitrary and binding to the
rules of the dictators of the doping organizations. What used to be the
ethics of the sport? It was basically good sportsmanship above all else,
remember Vietto, but the sport of cycling is a war, and possibly like in the
Landis case, participating is more important then winning. If he took risks
to win, nevertheless, the glory of one day to stand atop the final podium
was worth all the risks, at least it is to many. But perhaps as someone else
has stated, really what riders want to achieve is somewhere in-between the
glory of the moment (participating) and winning. Winning is always one
thing, but riders like Longo, Joop, Poulidor, and others, it seems there is
more glory in the participation, not the winning, although Longo won often.
But in time, some of these products may become commonplace and have no more
stigma then Aspirin or Tylenol. The way the products are used, and the
stigma tied to them may simply disappear. Its up to how they want the
(image) to be perceived in the hearts of the public, and as long as they can
find common ground on implementing a fair and level playing field, and the
drugs are basically safe, all of this might just become old news, and the
riders and rich tradition and stories which made the tour great might
return, and make the tour great again.
The idea that the tour (must) die or submit to the doping agencies is the
most ludicrous thing one can imagine! Riders will always look to gain an
edge, and have done so, ever since the days of the great ones. But in the
mean time, the fans just want to enjoy fast exciting races, and cheer their
favorite riders, and not be bombarded with drug scandals, constantly
trashing their favorites. As entertainment, even like TV, we pay for
content, not commericals and crap we have no interest in. In time, the same
will happen to cycling, the constant drug scandals will cause many of us to
loose interest, so think about it. What is more important, it's a no
brainer! These are professional athletes, and the drug crusaders should
focus more on capturing the hearts of the children of the next generation,
from the bottom up, not the top down. It starts with their parents, but once
they becomes adults and professional cyclists, they will be pretty much set
in their ways. But based on the nature this current generation and billion
dollar pharmacutial and performance enhancement industries, common sense
should prevail, but it appears the war between the riders and the doping
agencies will continue.
As least for a time, until some major gives!
B-