The 27-year-old Lampre rider had been lying 45th overall in the race.
But he failed a random test aimed at checking abnormal red blood cell levels, which could signal the use of banned substance EPO (erythropoietin).
He will be forced out of action for two weeks and will have to undergo another test which checks if his red blood cell count has gone down after that. He was in 45th position.
A total of 96 riders have been subject to random testing in the opening 10 days of the Tour.
Anyone know how much dehydration can swing hematocrit? If you were right on the line (naturally), could dehydration at the end of a long stage put you over the limit? I know dehydration changes hematocrit, but by how much. It would suck for someone to get DQ’ed only to have a test two weeks later say “oops, sorry…” Not that I’m saying he did or didn’t. But I do object, just based on my personal morals, that they pull you out based on what could be EPO. Just doesn’t sit my morals, but I do understand why it is that way…
Athletes who “supplement” with EPO must keep an eye on their hydration levels or they can have their capilars blocked.
I have had my hematocrit tested at 50.0% and I live at sea level. I believe that if I lived in high altitude, I would have to have proof that my hematocrit is naturally high or I’d be on the 2 week " forced rest" as well.
Seems like an unfair system to me to go by hematocrit only, but hey, that’s just my opinion.
And it seems like smaller riders will suffer even more greatly, since they are more prone to dehydration. I agree that it doesn’t seem fair.
Do you keep a “log” of your hematocrit levels? Would such a log be enough to keep you in the race if you were to do it?
PS: I posted you once before, but Kevin Volz is a friend of mine, and he said he rides with you often. Last time I saw him, he asked me to say “hello” from him.
I am a small guy ( 5’7’’ and 128 lbs race weight), so that affects me. I guess it is a good thing I am not racing UCI.
I do keep a log of my hematocrits, I have all of them saved since I started measuring it when I was 16 yo back home in Brazil. I am not sure if that would be enough for the UCI, and they seems to be the end-all-be-all of Cycling.
Yeah, Kevin is a great guy, I see him on the roads every once in a while. Super cool dude! How do you know him?
Kevin is a classmate of mine from college. I keep telling him now that he is done with swimming, he should give me his “swim speed” since he doesn’t need it anymore. 15:30 or something like that for 1650yds… Crazy, man, crazy… We were supposed to bike together the last time I saw him, at our college reunion in June, but he was way too hungover. I called him at noon, and he was still asleep. I think he finished breakfast when I finished my ride.
We hung out a fair bit as he was a “floater” and I was a “boater” (rower). Water sports, especially those based around extreme repetition of a monotonous motion, seem to forge a bond in people…
