The real interesting thing is that is bans him for riding in Italy. The only reason he can't do the TDF is that part of the tour will be in Italy this year. This is a result of the Operación Puerto blood doping scandal.
Actually he's never been popped, his dilemma has always been the allegations. Even with this situation nothing has been conclusive between the Operacion Puerto ties to the Italian investigation. My guess is that the Court for Arbitration in Sport will likely rule in his favor as they did in the past. Usually where there is smoke comes fire, and it certainly has looked sketchy for Valverde, but just definitively prove he's doped or shut up.
I never liked him either, but I kinda feel a bit sorry for him and especially his family. He's being nailed to the cross by pretty much the entire Belgian media now. Not that he doesn't deserve to face the consequences of his actions, but this choice he made goes beyond mere stupidity this time around. He must have know that he was going to get caught after what happened last time yet he still went ahead with it. To me, that doesn't sound like occasional use but more like an addiction. I hope he can straighten out his life. His mother has implored him to say goodbye to the sport apparently. I think he should take that advice to heart and just focus on beating his addiction.
Very unlikely he'll actually serve time. Word through the grape-vine is that he is facing a hefty fine and a suspended jail sentence, especially since this case means he'll face trial and prosecution for the earlier cocaine incident now as well.
It's all linked in some way to the doping use imho. Frank Vandenbroucke got addicted to sleeping pills after the stuff he took to perform on the bike messed with his sleeping patterns. I think Boonen will be fine if his girlfriend and family can pry him away from the cycling circus. It's clear he can no longer deal with the side-effects of that little world.
Weak defense. The thing is, even before the last cocaine debacle, there were stories of drug use surrounding Boonen. For one thing, he was very close to Tim Tubbax, a night club owner and convicted drug dealer from Antwerp. Boonen denied any relationship with Tubbax, even after pictures surfaced of the two of them partying at Tubbax club. And even on those pictures, Boonen already seemed to be high as a kite.
Does anyone really believe the "I was too drunk to remember what I was doing" defense? It's far more likely the man has an addiction to the point that he no longer cares about the risks he is taking in terms of his status and income. And I don't like Boonen, but he is anything but stupid. I always thought he was one of the brighter guys in the peleton. Which is even more reason for me to believe this wasn't recreational and sporadic but part of a bigger problem.
Not to be crass, but how about some pics of the girlfriend? I didn't know about this, thanks for the info. I like sprinters, so that's why he was one of my favorites. He has come off pretty bright, and a lot of smart guys have gotten addicted to coke. Hopefully he can get sorted and turn this around.
She's a social worker. Used to work with disadvantaged kids in Brussels. Not sure if she still does or not.
She's cute, but not the model type I was expecting. Hopefully he really loves her and she can kick his ass.
They know each other from way before the fame and fortune. I know his mother was very happy when they got back together after the whole cocaine and underage girlfriend debacle. I think she's one of the few people apart from his family he's really close to. He admitted that even during their break-up he'd sometimes call her two or three times a day.
That is the thing I don't understand about addiction, I've either known or read about some brilliant people that could never kick. I can a person be so analytically intelligent and still not have any willpower? Good luck to him and as a close friend said, you either get sober or you get dead.
If I understand correctly, addiction has nothing to do with intelligence. It's either a function of your personality or of the substances you're taking. I've heard it said that a person could be an alcoholic and never have had a drop of alcohol. Once they do, however, they've got a problem.
Freiburg report details cycling's dark side The findings of an independent commission have broken new ground on systemic doping on one of the sport's most successful teams. It has been revealed that two doctors from the Freiburg University Clinic ran an organised doping programme for the enormously successful German Telekom/T-mobile squad from 1995 to 2006. Cyclingnews' Susan Westemeyer reports. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=features/2009/freiburg_report_may09
I guess I just don't understand addiction that well. I'm 40 and have partied pretty hard at times in my life and as recently as said 40th birthday in Negril have always been able to stop and move on. Maybe I'm just lucky, who knows? I guess we now know where Jan Ulrich got his extasy
As someone who has a few cases of alcoholism in my extended family, I can say there is no direct correlation between intelligence and the ability to fight the addiction. My mother has three cousins - three brothers - two of which have struggled with the bottle for most of their adult life whilst the third almost never drinks any alcohol. Yet in terms of emotional maturity and intelligence, I'd say his two brothers are far ahead of him.
Former Astana rider, Antonio Colom, now riding with Katusha, tests positive for EPO. http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2009/jun09/jun09news3 Not that suprised, Colom has always been a dodgy rider. Not looking good for Katusha though, already 2 positives this year and wouldn't be suprised if there's more to come.
Wow. Notice that he admitted to doing a bunch of stuff out of competition, including HGH? I'm surprised that a climbing specialist would use HGH. I could see a sprinter doing it, but not a climber.
Yeah, talk about putting everything into the system. Well, those KOM types do sometimes sprint for the points. Not sure if that is the reason though.
I suppose using a small amount would aid in recovery and prevent some kinds of muscle injuries. But I don't see how it would be as effective as, say, EPO or CERA for an endurance athlete.
Well, I've you're gonna cheat I guess you might aswell do it to the max. But, yeah, it aids recovery and helps you train harder so I could see why he'd take it. There's also an ASO-UCI anti-doping press conference scheduled for tomorrow where they're expected to make some major announcements regarding the likes of Valverde, Kloden, Boonen etc.