1000th place at an ironman kind of guy. Would you turn him in to the USADA tip line? //

Well often the winners and podium folks from the older age groups are in the 1000+ finisher area. What place do you think the guy that wins the 75+ division comes overall in a 3000 person race?


Do you really want to have two sets of rules, you can dope if you dont place division and the podium division? Isn't it hard enough already to Marshall just one set of rules? Or are you in the camp of just let everyone do what they want and lets not have any rules??

Agree in that I think they knew exactly who to go after. Good that they popped this guy but I think it's the tip of the iceberg. "That guy" is in every city now. On the downside, I'm guessing we will see him pop up in the the unsanctioned gravel races that seem to be gaining in popularity in that area.

That's basically how the "recreational TUE" for T that USADA has now works...

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I think for people who aren't winning awards it's kinda silly to be enforcing doping, just because I don't think most participants are particularly interested in that kind of competitiveness in sport. I'm not opposed to enforcing all drafting rules and the like, but I don't think that noncompetitive age groupers should need to be worrying about getting a TUE for anything a doctor prescribes to them.

What happens when someone qualifies for a recreational T TUE, then improves and qualifies for USAT nationals (not hard to do, nor to believe that this could happen)? Is the slot withheld from them? Is the TUE revoked? If so, can they just stop taking T and keep racing even though they trained on it for a while?

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
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I don't know. I think there's a lot of different definitions of Doper. I took steroids during a training block a while ago. I had poison oak all over my face, arms, chest, back, even my taint.

As someone has who has been through a really ugly divorce, battled severe depression, had multiple broken bones, and horrible burns, you haven't really suffered until you've had poison oak on your taint. I didn't feel bad at all taking steroids for that, even though it technically made me a Doper

corticosteroids are not banned outside of competition. You did not dope.

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
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Okay. So maybe I technically didn't, but the difference I felt in my workouts and Recovery during that period? It was f****** amazing. I was almost tempted to crash my mountain bike into another thicket of poison oak just to get back on them, but then I realized I'm not a dick head

I don't recall exactly, but I think the TUE is revoked and the result doesn't stand.

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The 5,000 riders is spread between the Slush Cup and Iceman, so the waves for Iceman are < 40 IIRC.

Registration was a wreck for a long time. Everyone who wanted to race had to register at 11 am on some Tuesday late in March I think.

The servers would get overloaded and maybe crash. It was nerve wracking, and usually ended up with a lot of people selling their spots as the race got closer.

The did have a good transfer policy, and the fee went to kids racing.

They tried a couple different systems, including using USAC site for registration, but none could handle it.

It used to be only 2,500 people, but one year, the registration screwed up and accepted 4,500 people. They moved the start to accommodate everyone, and added more waves. Since that 'worked', they have stuck with the larger number.

They moved to seeded waves a few years ago, and that's been a huge improvement.

They also changed it so that the previous year's finishers, have an early window to register, and then open up the remaining spots. That has relieved the pressure on the registration system, and taken a lot of the guesswork out. I don't think it even sold out right away the last couple of years.

Been there, brother. Had poison oak all over my body. Including Down There. Had to go on prednisone. Funny part was that a girl on my XC team also got poison oak down there at the same time, so everyone on the team made some assumptions about what we were doing in the bushes. (Untrue assumptions).

I only consider a "doper" someone who violates the rules of sport. I didn't violate the rules because prednisone is only banned in-competition, and I didn't compete while I was taking it. And I didn't inject it.

So I don't think you were technically a doper unless you were competing while you were still working through your course of steroids, and you didn't get a TUE in advance.

And the rest of us are getting tired of the two of you arguing. You're each entitled to your opinions and have presented them well. Give it a rest now....

BS. Poison oak all over your body is living hell and destroys your training. Corticosteroids just make it slightly less unbearable and allow you do to amazing things like "Open your eyes a little through your swolen face" and "poo without writhing in pain on the bathroom floor" I honestly don't remember anything slightly amazing about taking them, even after the acute poison oak symptoms had largely subsided.

The system mostly works for honest people. If you really need a medication, it's there for you without too much trouble.

The idea that there's this huge problem of it punishing "regular people" seems pretty hard to justify to me.

THC positives are the exception maybe.

This was the spirit of my post. Y'all are way to concerned with someone beating you out of 845th place at an IM

Yep. They showed up at several Mid Atlantic RR and were very thorough. It was great to see them there.

Isn't the guy who's taking PED's to get 845th place the one who's going overboard?

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Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

I would feel so proud if I was singled out to be tested. It's a goal of mine to be so fast people turn up at my house wanting a sample. ;)

Or.....you could argue they are using the "T" to lead a "normal" (define normal how ever you want) life, which includes participating in an ironman and finishing 845th.

For me, it's 6 of one, half dozen of another...I'll never be FOP in my age group, not even close. I participate, not race so I have several degree's of separation from age group PED use. For the FOP racers, yes, Ironman, WTC, ITU, and any other race director that takes your money for a race should be required make the race as fair as possible.

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"one eye doubles my eyesight, so things don't look half bad" John Hiatt

Per USADA rules the recreational TUE is automatically null and void when a person no longer meets the definition of a recreational competitor and is most certainly not valid for any national or international championships. "5 g. A Recreational Competitor TUE granted by USADA is only valid for the time period specified in the RCTUE certificate and expires immediately if the individual who has received the RCTUE ceases to be a Recreational Competitor. An RCTUE granted by USADA shall not be valid for International Events or National Championships unless expressly recognized as a valid TUE by the relevant International Federation or WADA."

All it takes to get some doctors to prescribe something is money. A recreational TUE must be applied for in advance and they must demonstrate to USADA that there is no unfair performance advantage from taking the substance. Therefore, "noncompetitive" age groupers who are doping under a doctors orders should either follow the rules or get out of the sport. Once you've been popped it's too late to claim you had a medical reason. Below are the only exemptions for a retroactive TUE:

An application for a TUE will only be considered for retroactive approval where:
a. Emergency treatment or treatment of an acute medical condition was necessary; or
b. Due to other exceptional circumstances, there was insufficient time or opportunity for the Athlete to submit, or for the TUECto consider, an application for the TUE prior to Sample collection; or
c. It is agreed, by WADA and by the Anti-Doping Organization to whom the application for a retroactive TUE is or would be made, that fairness requires the grant of a retroactive TUE.
[Comment to (c): If WADA and/or the Anti-Doping Organization do not agree to the application of (c), that may not be challenged either as a defense to proceedings for an anti-doping rule violation, or by way of appeal, or otherwise.] (Source: WADA ISTUE 4.3(d))