Read the full AAA-CAS decision against David, here.
UPDATE: USADA and WADA TUE info re. male hypogonadism.
It's not easy to get a TUE for male hypogonadism. What follows are the USADA and WADA guidelines concerning the issue of male hypogonadism, followed by USADA's therapeutic use exemption (TUE) form. It is not a simple process to get one's endocrinologist to fill this out, especially if - as it seems to be in David's case - the diagnosis and treatment were based on a single blood test. Please download the documents and study them in detail - I hope you'll find them informative.
1. US Anti Doping Agency (USADA) TUE Application
2. USADA - Testosterone-Athlete and Physician Guidance
3. WADA - Medical Information to Support the Decisions of TUECs Male Hypogonadism
Posts
The real tragedy here is that guys that raced on the Pro Tour level with such powerhouses as USPS and Festina can downgrade and sandbag elite national races simply b/c they don't have a contract with a 'pro' team. Kayle did it. After racing pro for Jelly Belly, he raced the next season with a Cali regional team (La Grange) as an 'elite' and stomped the field at crit nats (a impressive performance with only one teammate and being in the break most of the race, only to get caught and win the field sprint). My point: if you were once a PRO, you shouldn't be able to race again as a top ranked amateur. Thoughts from the gallery...?
ReplyDeleteAll I can say here is that if you'd seen Clinger in 2007 you'd have wondered how he could ride a bike again at all.
ReplyDeleteI thought, though, that there used to be a rule about pro's being able to downgrade to elite amateur status once, and that was it. If they went pro again but later couldn't get a contract, they couldn't race as an amateur. Or maybe that was in Belgium...
So once someone is pro and "retires" they shouldn't be allowed to race bikes anymore? Or a rider who didn't get a contract shouldn't be allowed to show his stuff to potential teams for later in the year or the next year? I don't agree. If a rider has a contract and gets paid, great. If they don't have a contract and aren't getting paid, they should still be allowed to ride and race just as anyone else can. It's not like the Cat 1s they race against dislike the competition. Who doesn't want to race against the best? If the $65 a former pro took from you because he got 3rd and you got 4th at the Podunk Business Park Crit matters, you should reevaluate.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, back to Dave. I remember riding and racing with him when he first signed with Mercury. He was a different caliber rider - out of any of our leagues. Nobody was surprised when he went to Europe. I also remember racing against him when he was on Rock a couple years ago. He was humble and a straight up rider, neither of which most Euro pros would be when back to racing local races. He'd give you a wheel in line and give you room in corners. Still a strong rider to boot.
From everything I heard, he was starting to get his life back together. I hope this doesn't derail that.