I was tested both pre-comp (blood) . . .
I started on this forum as just a regular AG athlete. I've somehow managed to cobble together a pretty good living and career.

i paraphrased a little. i hope you don't mind.

so what do you think of this part of your transition from AG to pro? most of us probably think of it only in performance terms. this brings a different light to it. did you struggle at all with having to submit your blood? me, i give blood every quarter and i hate every second of it. if my hobby (passionate though it may be) required me to give blood (esp on demand), it might lose a little luster.

Dave

i paraphrased a little. i hope you don't mind.

so what do you think of this part of your transition from AG to pro? most of us probably think of it only in performance terms. this brings a different light to it. did you struggle at all with having to submit your blood? me, i give blood every quarter and i hate every second of it. if my hobby (passionate though it may be) required me to give blood (esp on demand), it might lose a little luster.

Dave

Not sure this is the right place or not but...

I am wondering if top pros ae tested so infrequently (assuming most are like you), then how little are middling and neo pros being tested, not to mention top AGs.

Again I have to ask why spend millions upon millions to prosecute Armstrong (likely guilty) instead of stopping the doping at the grassroots pro levels and even within the AG ranks?

I'm not really sure this is germane to anything, but if not, i expect it will fall off the front page. If it is, I hope it engenders some discussion. I don't really know that I have a particular reason for sharing this other than that there seems to be a lot of talk of testing (or lack thereof) within triathlon.

Since 2010, I have been on the WTC OOC testing pool. This was originally run by ANADO, a "conglomerate" of sorts that is now folded. One of the admins at ANADO was hired by WTC to continue to run their program. As part of being in this pool, I was tested - at WTC's behest - typically about 3x per year OOC (in both 2010 & 2011). I was also tested in competition at IMAZ 2009, IMC 2011. I think those are the only races where I had IC testing.

This year, I was only tested once OOC - back in February - and I was then NOT tested at IMTX (no one was), which I found surprising. But then I was tested both pre-comp (blood and urine) and post-comp (urine only) at IMNYC.

I have also, for the past 2.5 years, maintained my whereabouts info through the WADA ADAMS system.

However, for Q4 2012, I got notice that I was now on the USADA RTP, and I would now keep my whereabouts with USADA and also be subject to OOC tests at USADA's behest. USADA shares whereabouts with WTC, and WTC can also request that I be tested OOC.

The reason for my inclusion on the USADA list? My ranking on the KPR. After IMNYC, I jumped to 7th on the KPR, which is what flagged me in USDA's system for inclusion on their RTP list.

I don't really have much to add, but if some folks find this information helpful, useful, etc, I'm glad. I'm also happy to answer what questions I do know the answer to. Or to find out answers to questions which seem reasonable/helpful (or things that I probably should know but don't).

The one thing that all of these debates have made clear is that there is a lack of transparency, some unintentional, some obviously intentional. And if I can help to make the whole thing more transparent with my experiences, I'm glad to do so.

I started on this forum as just a regular AG athlete. I've somehow managed to cobble together a pretty good living and career. And I'd like to do my part to show thanks by leaving this sport better than I found it. And I hope this is part of that effort.

As a random aside, at the beginning of this year, USAT submitted an application form for any pro who wanted to be on the USADA athlete "review" panel. If you had represented the USA at a world championship (or similar calibre) event, you were eligible to serve on that committee. Committee appointments ran for four years. At the time, I chose not to submit my name, because I thought it was another commitment I did not have time for as a new parent, etc. However, given everything that has gone on since then, I deeply regret not submitting my name. This isn't really apropos of anything, other than perhaps trying to admit that I had a chance to help make a difference, and I passed it up. I will be submitting my name in 2016, if the basic requirements for consideration are the same.

FWIW, the best answer I can think of to try and prove I was clean in the case of an adverse finding or some other set of charges would be financial transparency. I think this is easier to do effectively with triathlon (because there are really no - or almost no - teams or similar where you'd have to worry about team finances), but overall, I think forensic accounting is one of the best ways to either show doping or - if you really are innocent - to show that you didn't dope. Drugs cost money. That's part of why I think if you are a clean athlete, you'd do well to avoid ANY sort of fraternization with a doctor who has a checkered past. I think there was some interesting stuff that came out at the TdF this year with SKY's stated goals - and what they actually did. I think that you'd be pretty hard pressed if you looked at my finances to show "that's suspicious!" And I think that's what I'd really rely on.

My own $0.02 is that when you start "consulting" with a doctor, that's a bit sketchy in the first place. Better make sure that doctor is 10x more squeaky clean than you are if you have a legit need to talk to a doctor.

I think that USADA ought to have a really good forensic accounting team (if they don't already). Perhaps it's my father's background, but I think if you follow the money, you almost always end up at the truth.

Per my other post. The Mrs. has had a pretty similar experience to that of Jordan. I've posted it before as well in other threads. Yes, some transparency is provided here by Jordan and the other pros (me) who decide to post.

There was at least one positive last year, and a subsequent ban. It didn't get too much attention here or anywhere. It was a Canadian athlete, and it was an in competition 'random' because the athlete was not on any OOC lists. Apparently the athlete had been trying to get some TUEs sorted or at least was asking questions about some 'hormone therapy' medicine and he was randomly tested after a 7th place finish last year. Clearly the athlete shouldn't have raced. That one falls under the drug tests are IQ tests idea.