Cycling body reckons Canadian riders are no dopes

You can always count on the French sports daily l'Equipe to come up with interesting stuff – such as today's scoop on a list created by cycling's governing body (UCI) rating the doping risk of each rider in last year's Tour de France.

The good news for Canadian cycling fans is that our lads – Victoria's Ryder Hesjedal, who was a rousing seventh last year in cycling's most storied race, and Toronto's Michael Barry – are pretty much above suspicion, according to the UCI.

The ratings went from 0 to 10, with 0 being "no suspicion" and 10 being "very suspicious." It was based on the riders' biological passports, which are an electronic record of their doping results collected over the years, plus a doping control test taken the day before the Tour started. UCI and the World Anti-Doping Agency then compared notes and targeted certain riders for more testing.

Hesjedal, whose Garmin racing team has tried to be a leader in promoting clean sport, was rated at 1/10, while Barry riding for Team Sky was among the riders in the "no suspicion" category.

By contrast, the top five in last year's race had an average rating just a shade under 6/10. Here's how it broke down according to l'Equipe:

1) Alberto Contador, Spain 5/10

2) Andy Schleck, Lumxembourg 3/10

3) Denis Menchov, Russia 9/10

4) Samuel Sanchez, Spain 4/10

5) Jurgen Van den Broeck, Belgium 8/10

6) Robert Gesink, Netherlands 1/10

7) Ryder Hesjedal, Canada 1/10

Contador tested positive for the steroid clenbuterol when he provided a sample on a rest day during the Tour. He claimed it was because of contaminated beef and the Spanish cycling federation bought the excuse, though the Court of Arbitration for Sport will have the last word.

You might recall that Hesjedal finished fourth behind Contador among others on one of the sport's most grueling climbs, the Tourmalet. It was the best ride of his life and defined his Tour de Force performance.

Instead of Alberto beef, maybe Hesjedal was fueled by good ol' Alberta beef.

 (The AP photo above shows Hesjedal greeting a Canadian well wisher at the end of last year's Tour.)

Comments

[Eoin Kenny]

We may be above suspicion now, but if Canadian riders start to win, the French sports press will target them for character assassination just as they have with Lance Armstrong. As far as the French are concerned, the Tour de France is theirs to win exclusively -- even if they can't! Anyone who challenges that will be smeared. Remember, chauvinism is a French creation, non?

[canadianexpat]

Let's think about this for one second. The albeit talented but doped to the gills Contador wins the TdF and Hesjedal finishes 4th? And he's somehow without suspicion?

Get real... all the top guys are doing it. Want to know who isn't doping? It's the guys you've never heard of, the ones in the bottom half of the peloton.

Nothing to do with the French sports press or chauvinism or character assassination. Just sheer ignorance on the part of fans for believing that their favourite is clean. All the guys Lance Armstrong beat are dopers, yet he wasn't? Give your heads a shake.

[Peter]

Oh, lighten up E.K. This list is a production of the UCI, not l'Equipe. Your anti-French bias is about as balanced as what you criticize. The reason there's so much doping in US amateur sport is that the rewards are so high. Lance's millions were made, not from prize money but from endorsements in the biggest (and most chauvinistic) market in the world.

[Michael]

Let's put this into perspective and look at the top six finishers. All of them ride for teams that have no internal doping control programs, meaning that they only get tested in competition and during the random UCI tests. For a rider that means they may get tested 15 to 20 times a year. Hesjedal's team has internal testing which is more random then the UCI testing as such I believe that riders for Garmin last year were tested 45 or more times. With a lower amount of testing and what i would call a programmed randomness, it's a lot easier to not get caught.

The biggest issues in the sport are the governing bodies - UCI, WADA, AICGP, etc.

Gesink - Rabobank
Van den Broek - Omega Pharma Lotto
Sanchez - Eusketel
Menchov - Katusha
Schleck - Saxo Bank
Conador - Astana

[Peter again]

Well said, Michael.
And to 'canadianexpat'. Ryder finished 7th in the TdF, not 4th. Nice to know you're speaking from the point of view of someone who follows cycling closely.