Spanish doctor Marcos Maynar Mariño sent an email offering comprehensive urinalysis and steroid profiling at 50 euros per athlete to as many as ten professional cycling teams including Gerolsteiner, Milram, CSC and Columbia . Maynar offered to provide a complete analysis consistent with the same control methods used by the International Cycling Union (UCI). The […]
Legality of Anti-Doping Test for Mircera at 2008 Tour de France
The French National Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) has been utlizing a secret new anti-doping test for a previously undetectable performance-enhancing drug during the 2008 Tour de France. Rumors about a test for Mircera started circulating when cyclist Riccardo Ricco failed his doping protocol. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) quickly confirmed the rumors. WADA gave notice to cyclists […]
Professional Cycling is Synonymous with Doping
Rant’s Daniel Rosen asked the question “Will it ever be possible to have a Tour de France… that is completely free of doping?” I would answer that with a definitive no – not now, not ever. Professional cycling is an extreme sport that is practically synonymous with doping. Steroid and doping expert Dr. John Hoberman […]
Blame Spain for Doping in the Tour de France
The desperation in professional cycling is increasing as commentators try to explain away the pervasive doping problems in the sport. At the onset of the 2008 Tour de France, the doping problem was characterized as a generational issue. The “old cycling” versus “new cycling” story was bolstered when 37-year old Miguel Beltran tested positive for […]
Maverick of Powerline Labs Pleads Guilty to Steroid Distribution Charges
Mikal Gunn Schrage aka Maverick, of Nixa, Missouri, pleaded guilty to steroid-related charges in an agreement with federal prosecutors on Friday, July 18, 2008, Mikal Schrage was indicted as part of Operation Raw Deal (and regionally under Operation Juice Box) in 2007 on 26 counts related to possession, conspiracy importation, manufacture and distribution of anabolic […]
New French Laws Imprisons Individuals for Personal Use of Anabolic Steroids
The French government, in an effort to crack down on cyclists at the 2008 Tour de France who use performance-enhancing drugs, passed a new law last month that provides severe criminal penalties for the personal use and/or possession of doping products like anabolic steroids. Performance enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids, EPO and human growth hormone […]
Riccardo Ricco Tests Positive for Undetectable New Drug Mircera at 2008 Tour de France
Cyclist Riccardo Ricco of the Saunier Duval-Scott team tested positive for the new performance enhancing drug Mircera (methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta) at the 2008 Tour de France. Ricco is a top cyclist on the Tour and the King of the Mountains and White Jersey leader. Mircera is a third generation version of erythropoietin manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Hoffman-LaRoche […]
GeneX Talks About Dan Duchaine in Steroid Nation Book Review
Gene X Hwang, founder of Orange Photography, just published his review of Steroid Nation by Shaun Assael, about the recent history of the anabolic steroid subculture. The book, in large part, is a biography of steroid guru Dan Duchaine who Assael identifies as one of the “founding fathers of the steroid movement.” Most people who came in […]
Permanently Disabled Firefighter Caught Competing in Bodybuilding Competition
Forty-six year old Boston firefighter Albert Arroyo placed 8th place competing steroid-free at the 2008 WNBF Pro Natural American Championships on May 3, 2008. Normally, this would be an admirable achievement but Boston Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser was not impressed. It seems Arroyo entered the competition only six weeks after seeking full disability retirement because he was “permanently […]
Organization Provides Free Steroids for Cyclists in Tour de France
A professional cyclist was caught with a tattoo suggesting he received free anabolic steroids and erythropoietin (EPO) at the 2008 Tour de France. Damiano Cunego rides for the Italian UCI ProTeam Lampre. The tattoo on Cunego’s left arm stated “I’m Doping Free” with a large smiley face. Does this mean that the Italian-based organization “Doping […]