Another rider tests positive - Nikita Novikov (Vacansoleil-DCM)

dastardly00

Coming hot on the heels after the announcements about Danilo Di Luca and Mauro Santambrogio (Vini-Fantini), and Alexander Serebryakov (formerly of Euskaltel-Euskadi), it has been announced that Nikita Novikov (Vacansoleil-DCM) has failed a drugs test.

From Cyclingnews:

The UCI has announced that Vacansoleil-DCM rider Nikita Novikov has been provisionally suspended after failing an out of competition anti-doping test for Hydroxy-ostarine/O Dephenyl-ostarine in a urine sample collected on 17th May 2013. Hydroxy-ostarine/O Dephenyl-ostarine is steroid that helps increase muscles strength and increases lean body mass.

RobFowl

But I though the sport was clean now???

Lumen

RobFowl wrote: »

But I though the sport was clean now???

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2013/06/the-secret-pro-3/

"I see many people are asking whether [Di Luca] was the former Grand Tour rider ready to go down that I spoke of in my last column. Nope — the timing was just coincidental. That news hasn’t been released."

I assume Nikita Novikov wasn't that rider either.

AstraMonti

RobFowl wrote: »

But I though the sport was clean now???

No, not yet, Pat is working on it still :pac:

CardinalJ

I just don't get the riders that are doping. I actually get angry at their stupidity. Danilo Di Luca actually needs to be sectioned for trying to get away with taking EPO.

Until more sponsors start dropping teams who have dopers it won't go away. Amazed it's not written in to the sponsorship contracts, maybe it is.

mcgratheoin

CardinalJ wrote: »

Until more sponsors start dropping teams who have dopers it won't go away.

+1 The sooner all the old brigade who were in the peleton for the EPO years get out of the sport the better - I see former Rabobank Grand Tour Winner Menchov has retired with a knee injury recently.

dastardly00

mcgratheoin wrote: »

+1 The sooner all the old brigade who were in the peleton for the EPO years get out of the sport the better - I see former Rabobank Grand Tour Winner Menchov has retired with a knee injury recently.

I agree about the old brigade, but on the other hand you have Novikov who is only 22 and here he is doping as well

Dr. Bre

i thought it was just the old guard who doped! has this novikov ever won anything? dont think ive ever heard of him

bogmanfan

The only way to begin cleaning up the sport is to introduce mandatory lifetime bans for anyone caught doping. Expand this to include heavy sanctions for team managers and doctors related to riders who are caught. If a team manager has any doubts about a rider then they wouldn't sign them

DirkVoodoo

dastardly00 wrote: »

I agree about the old brigade, but on the other hand you have Novikov who is only 22 and here he is doping as well

The pressures of doping, as we all know by now, come mostly from the outside. The old guard ride with the young neo-pros and often times the old guard are running the teams.

When the UCI find one rider testing positive, do they then go in depth into the entire team? I find it hard to believe this guy was doing it on his own.

laraghrider

The problem is a ranging one and it's some of the same questions that have always been there. It's not just the old guard as has been said Novikov is 23. The problem with the likes of Novikov is that you have riders on year on year performance based rolling contracts. They don't start the year well and start taking risks when it looks like they won't hit their performance goals. This has happened very often. Some of these are guys that earn less a lot of us on here would with no guarantee of another contract so in one sense I can understand the temptation in doing it.

I think sponsorship and TV have copped on and Rabo were a shot in the arm. The outside influence is still there to an extent but is changing. What is also a problem is some of the old guard. Yes we have people like Vaughters who was a past doper and set a team up with a defined philosophy. Doing a great job at it at that. On the other side you have ex known dopers still in DS positions in teams and whom are still denying any part in doping. How can those teams be fully trusted?

mcgratheoin

laraghrider wrote: »

The outside influence is still there to an extent but is changing. What is also a problem is some of the old guard. Yes we have people like Vaughters who was a past doper and set a team up with a defined philosophy. Doing a great job at it at that. On the other side you have ex known dopers still in DS positions in teams and whom are still denying any part in doping. How can those teams be fully trusted?

That's what I was getting at really (plus a reference to Lumen's post) - as long as the teams are not held responsible for what their riders do, there'll always be the temptation to look the other way - if a rider is caught then he'll just say "it was all me, I did it all on my won" etc.. etc.., but when teams start getting sanctioned (á la AG2R missing the Dauphiné) then the pressure will mount on DSs to ensure that there is a strong internal anti-doping ethos within a team.

In real (non professional sports) life, it's the reason that companies get majorly fined for H&S violations - it ensures that the companies themselves will insist on high standards and will ensure that employees don't cut corners. If there are no sanctions, then companies can push their workers to disregard H&S in much the same manner that the teams pushed riders into doping - it's good for the company/team's bottom line and if something happens like an accident/doping violation it's the individual who suffers.

Russman

Surely the riders know by now that there's better ways than doping to improve performance.........you know, stuff like warming down properly, lighter jerseys, training harder than everyone else etc etc.

It actually hurts :D

Macy0161

laraghrider wrote: »

The problem is a ranging one and it's some of the same questions that have always been there. It's not just the old guard as has been said Novikov is 23. The problem with the likes of Novikov is that you have riders on year on year performance based rolling contracts. They don't start the year well and start taking risks when it looks like they won't hit their performance goals. This has happened very often. Some of these are guys that earn less a lot of us on here would with no guarantee of another contract so in one sense I can understand the temptation in doing it.

And then on top of that the UCI has the points system which further punishes riders "non performance", and/ or domestique work.

Not sure I agree with life bans, but 4 year 1st offence bans are (or soon will be) in line with WADA. Also take sanctioning away from National Federations, who too often let minimal cooperation (rather than full cooperation) lead to a reduced ban.

morana

Lumen wrote: »

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2013/06/the-secret-pro-3/

"I see many people are asking whether [Di Luca] was the former Grand Tour rider ready to go down that I spoke of in my last column. Nope — the timing was just coincidental. That news hasn’t been released."

I assume Nikita Novikov wasn't that rider either.

it was menchov ....shirley!

el tel

Remember when Chelsea sued Mutu for millions when he was bust for cocaine? Well rider's contracts should provide similar grounds to sue into oblivion for doping.

And In addition lifetime bans handed out by a central authority rather than national federations.

The penalty for doping should be so severe that there is no means to come back.

Zyzz

If Paddy Power were thinking they'd open some odds for who is going to be caught next for doping :pac:

dastardly00

Zyzz wrote: »

If Paddy Power were thinking they'd open some odds for who is going to be caught next for doping :pac:

Here you go...

The Big Lebowsky

I hate to say this this, but anyone who thinks the sport of cycling can be cleaned up is being extremely naive. There is just too much money at stake..
Sponsors don't sell bikes that are ridden by guys who finish at the tail end of the peloton...

The pressure on these young riders to get results must be enormous, so they are lightly to take anything their team managers, soigneur's and team doctors suggest that will help them to survive in a fast moving peloton...


The only way to clean up cycling, is to fire everyone in every cycling team that has been previously been associated with anything vaguely dodgy.

Meanwhile Lance Armstrong kicks back and enjoys the sunshine at his mansion in Hawaii, that was purchased on the proceeds of his ill gotten gains:pac:

ednwireland

how does an each way work on that dastardly

dastardly00

ednwireland wrote: »

how does an each way work on that dastardly

If you test positive for a banned masking agent rather than EPO! :pac:

uphillonly

CardinalJ wrote: »

I just don't get the riders that are doping. I actually get angry at their stupidity. Danilo Di Luca actually needs to be sectioned for trying to get away with taking EPO.

Until more sponsors start dropping teams who have dopers it won't go away. Amazed it's not written in to the sponsorship contracts, maybe it is.

I thought that it was the sponsor who wanted DiLuca in the team against DS's wishes. So some sponsors unfortunately are not helping the sport.

D3PO

mcgratheoin wrote: »

but when teams start getting sanctioned (á la AG2R missing the Dauphiné) then the pressure will mount on DSs to ensure that there is a strong internal anti-doping ethos within a team.
.

They weren't sanctioned it was a self imposed ban.

MungoMan

Personally id like to cyclists who cheat to be hung, drawn and quartered, or failing that, a lifetime ban, and a massive team fine.

The cheats are ruining the sport.

How nice it would be to sit down and watch the tour de france with everyone clean, sadly that wont happen this year

For every guy caught, im guessing 10 other guys get away with it.