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Jonathan Tiernan-Locke during 2012 Tour of Britain (CC licensed on Flickr by Sum_of_Marc)Banned rider Jonathan Tiernan-Locke to ride Exmoor Beast sportive
Banned former Team Sky rider Jonathan Tiernan-Locke will ride the Exmoor Beast sportive on Sunday October 19 at the invitation of event organisers who say they "firmly believe in his innocence".
Tiernan-Locke is currently serving a two-year ban from racing for irregularities in his biological passport.
He has claimed those irregularities were the result of a big night out in which he consumed 33 units of alcohol. UK Anti-Doping said that by the time the sample was taken a day and a half later it was "inconceivable that a professional rider, selected for the first time to ride for his country at a senior level … would not have ensured that … he was fit to race and had ensured that he had taken on sufficient water to deal with any hangover".
In his most recent salvo against the anti-doping body, Tiernan-Locke claimed it had dismissed a sample that would have cleared him, although that sample was not carried out under the UCI’s Athlete Biological Passport programme, nor was it conducted in accordance with World Anti-Doping Agency protocols.
Announcing Tiernan-Locke's participation in the Exmoor Beast, organiser Marcus Di Vincenzo said: “Participating in the Exmoor Beast is one of Jon’s first options and we aim to use the opportunity to add to a petition to persuade the UCI (the sport’s governing body) to revisit his case and, hopefully, clear his name."
Vincenzo believes Tiernan-Locke has been treated unfairly by UKAD.
He said: "If the United Kingdom Anti Doping findings, or should I say lack of them, went before a court of law, they would be kicked out on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
“At the hearing into Jon’s case, UKAD were unable to say what drug he was supposed to have taken and/or what illegal procedure he may have undergone. They accepted an untimely heavy drinking session, celebrating his ToB victory, Team G.B. World Championship selection and impending Sky contract, would have sent his normal blood levels rocketing off the radar."
In its judgment, the UKAD panel said that the scientific literature gave no support to the theory that even a heavy dose of alcohol could lead to the reduction in blood plasma volume that Tiernan-Locke claimed caused his abnormal reading. The panel concluded: "There was no dispute that the abnormalities in the sample were consistent with the use of an erythropoietic stimulant which had been discontinued approximately 10 to 14 days before the sample was taken."
Tiernan-Locke was banned until the end of 2015 and his results nullified for the period in which his anomalous blood readings indicated a performance advantage, which included victory in the 2012 Tour of Britain.
Entries for the Exmoor Beast close on October 12.
John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
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27 comments
Maybe JTL can tap into some leftover money from the Floyd Fairness Fund . . .
I've learned to give up my non-doping optimism after the final verdict has been rendered . . . well, except for Lance. That guy was guilty long before proven guilty.
He should quit racing and open UK branch of 'Mellow Johnny's'
Zanf: Where in that document does that say that Dr Hampton believes JTL was innocent?
An expert being paid to come up with the most plausible possible non-doping explanation for a doping violation, and stating that explanation, does not mean that expert believes the person didn't dope. It also doesn't mean the doping explanation is even that plausible in the great scheme of things.
In other news, defence lawyers don't always believe their clients are innocent, even when they are paid to argue they are.
having read that decision, i guess JTLs next step, if he had the money, get blood tests done, go on a binge and get more tests done.
Lots of ifs but and maybes in the text.
Mind your own business.
if it stops your riding the event then that's up to you but its their ball not yours.
If you are not riding the event then going and poke your nose into your own business.
Someone on the internet had an opinion even though they aren't directly involved? Quick, switch off the internet, it's getting out of control!
The organisers made it everyone's business by using it as a stunt to attract publicity. JTL is opening himself up to more flack by continually talking about his innocence and looking for publicity, but refusing to back up his claims in the appropriate forum (CAS). Ultimately, it's difficult to have any sympathy for either when they come in for criticism (and in the case of the sportive organizer, it seems to me that they want the criticism because it causes more publicity).
If he 'wins' they had better stock up with booze in the nearest pub
Giobox. It's really not a shoddy decision allowing him to ride. He's banned from racing so he's riding a sportive (nothing stopping him riding his bike in the company of others i.e. riding a sportive).
What the reaction of other riders who know recognise him will be is another matter, I'm sure some will be glad he's there but certainly some won't as demonstrated by these comments.
Giobox. It's really not a shoddy decision allowing him to ride. He's banned from racing so he's riding a sportive (nothing stopping him riding his bike in the company of others i.e. riding a sportive).
What the reaction of other riders who know recognise him will be is another matter, I'm sure some will be glad he's there but certainly some won't as demonstrated by these comments.
I have zero issue with him riding a sportive. If he wants to turn up and ride it like anyone else, then great, go for it. But that isn't what is happening here.
My issue is the fact the sportive organisers have 'invited' him, and then released this nonsense statement to the press. That's the shoddy decision.
Giobox: Fair enough then. I thought your complaint was about them not respecting the WADA ruling banning him from races.
I do agree that it's an 'interesting' choice. Even if the organisers know him and were on the binge they should realise it's a controversial decision asking him along.
Regardless of the organisers personal opinion, you have to respect the rules and the governing body, otherwise the whole thing descends into farce. This is a really shoddy decision, if the organisers really do believe there is a case to answer for his innocence this is no way to go about it.
The alcohol binge story is so full of holes, I'd be embarrassed to even be associated with the guy. 33 unit binge, then apparently drinks no water the next day, despite having a world championship to get ready for.
I don't give a stuff if professional athletes take drugs. In fact, all I want to see is faster, higher, stronger. But a professional athlete having 33 units of alcohol on a night out? Doesn't sound very professional to me. I think sportives will be right up his street.
This isn't ancient Rome; this isn't the spirit embodied by sport.
As has been mentioned above, only one man knows definitively if a banned substance was taken however it's interesting that Tiernan Locke's expert is his Team Sky doctor. The doctor of the outfit that fired him believes his innocence.
Which doc?
The doctor at his hearing who was his expert witness was Dr Kingsley Hampton [see: http://www.ukad.org.uk/anti-doping-rule-violations/download-decision/a/6...
One would expect him to 'win' the sportive, no? I expect a full race report road.cc!
Cheeky
Yep, too busy to stick the extra zero on, it was meant to be 1000 Swiss Francs.
If JTL is so definitely drug free and UKADs case against him is so utterly flimsy and his other test for Sky provides such irrefutable evidence that he is clean, then surely he'd absolutely piss it if he took his case to CAS?
It strikes me as a lot of gum flapping from JTL and his family and the bell ends Torquay Herald and no real action. From a quick glance at their site, if he took his appeal to CAS it would cost him 100 Swiss Francs, which a quick google tells me is about £660. If that was me and I was looking at a few grand to clear my name I'd find a way of doing it. Even Tyler Hamilton managed to rake in a few quid from "supporters".
And as for rocking up to a local unsanctioned race or event when banned? I'm struggling to think of a doper who hasn't pulled that stunt of late.
A little too quick, methinks. CHF100 is closer to £66.
Exactly. And well put.
Yes, but opinion grounded in science: "There was no dispute that the abnormalities in the sample were consistent with the use of an erythropoietic stimulant which had been discontinued approximately 10 to 14 days before the sample was taken.""
WADA would only apply the sanction with adequately reliable evidence, rather than, for example, deciding the case over a 33 unit piss-up. I take your point about the decision not being a clear positive or negative, but to me it sounds solid enough.
This is why i compared it to a court case, the evidence does suggest guilt, but sometimes mistakes do happen because you are relying on opinion.
Such a non story. Sportive organisers invite controversial rider to event to attract publicity shocker
WADA isn't an after-school club - they (et al) know what they are doing! Can't people accept the findings based on science rather than a subjective popularity contest?!
Do they?
There is no evidence that JTL took any drugs, merely opinion. If he had tested for EPO then fine, but he didn't, there are questions over partial evidence that is all. Best parallel i can come up with is a court of law, two sides argue the best argument wins, guilt or innocence is only part of the mix, hence why there are miscarriages of justice.
Did JTL take drugs?? who knows, there is really only one person who knows for certain, and like a certain LA before him he is claiming innocence.