Team Sky's Jonathan Tiernan-Locke asked to explain blood values by UCI

I dont think there is any evidence at all that he "doped" at Sky and to be honest i dont think anyone knows what the discrepancy was.

When you get the 2 biggest anti doping teams testing him and he passes with flying colours then its got to be something very minor but time will tell.

As for affecting British Cycling, i dont think it will cos to be honest he hasn't set the world alight this season for whatever reason.

Well here is Team Sky's take:

http://www.teamsky.com/article/0,27290,17545_8947725,00.html

IMHO only Team Sky bashers will suggest that it's the values at Sky that should be called into question.

How would a markedly improved value at Sky match with a poor season?

Brits dont dope - david millar was from Hong Kong.
We all want to go on about doping. its boring and none of us are experts we just think we know.
Currently JTL is guilty of absolutely nothing.
He may be found to be guilty but i doubt it.
WE ARE SUCH CYNICS
Care to discuss the actual racing from the weekend, nah what would be the point of that, cycle racing is all about drugs.

Something smells funny. A new (GB) UCI president, a return of form for Wiggo. This and then a report comes out from the (Murdoch owned) times about the new GB rider.

Mmmmm....

I'm sure I read an interview with him a few months ago where he was saying he's felt really tired for most of the season. Although I'm not defending him, far from it, that could explain the blood values. He might have been simply over-training.

Alternatively, he could have been a cheat beforehand!

Come on now, Brits don't dope. Only lazy foreigners dope.

Actually no one has accused Tiernan-Locke of being guilty. It is interesting that everyone is giving him due legal process (or at least the opportunity to explain himself) before condemning him.

However, a couple of points I didn't make were that in many cases of doping, the doper has not been caught by a doping test, they get caught because someone has shopped them to the authorities (Balco, Armstrong, Fuentes, Festina). Most deny they ever doped, until it is undeniable. In fact, it seems that you have to be a bit stupid or unlucky to get caught.

Back in the day people yelled 'but Armstrong never failed a test!' which was not entirely true, but there was enough 'doubt' to mean that the mud never stuck, and it is this margin which many a cheat lives off because they know that if they brazen it out, and there is no hard proof they will walk away. The blood passport is actually a cheap means of the UCI finding the cheaters - it doesn't stop cheating, and it doesn't prove cheating, it just makes it harder to cheat. In this case, the request to explain may only lead to a suspension, because he will not have been found guilty of cheating, but the likelihood is that cheating has gone on which testing can not easily or otherwise detect.

To this extent I would be sceptical of most athletes, and particularly ones there are questions asked of. Due process is given by the UCI, and the riders have the opportunity to defend themselves via this (and the CAS). I wouldn't presume any athlete clean, nor innocent. But I would give them the chance to hang themselves with the evidence when found.

Does this stop me enjoying the sport? A little, but not entirely. Do I want a clean sport? Yes, I do. Do we have clean sport? Probably not. Can we get clean sport? Not easily, and definitely not with current anti-doping structures.

Those of you whom Armstrong called the believers, keep believing. But remember that it was those that didn't that found him out.

My word if he is found guilty it will really damage Sky's reputation about DB saying "we're clean" If he's doing it it'll be the start of another investigation of Sky's riders and the past victories

Agreed lets await the verdict before running down the same dead end alleys.

Some may say 'no smoke without without fire' but, seriously, even in a cynical world it has to be innocent until proven guilty - what a shame this has all been leaked. It can't be good for cycling to allow people to come to their own conclusions on the basis of little or no fact- the process has to be trusted to see it's course. If Tiernan-Locke is innocent, he doesn't deserve his reputation to be tainted, especially in this day and age when stories are no longer 'tomorrows chip paper'.

leaving present from McQuaid......

The problem is, we all have had so many heart breaks we have become very cynical. I'm right behind JTL until proven otherwise. There's only so much disappointment you can take in our sport, let's get behind a new era! (was going to say positive outcome until I realised my error!!)

Crikey there is a lot of ignorance here. Let the investigations take their course. It's a fantastic thing that the sport is now in a situation where riders are asked to explain anomalies like this. Wegelius was also asked to explain anomalies in his blood values several years ago. Very occasionally there is a bona fide explanation. If he's guilty he has a lot to answer for. But if he's innocent, will everybody that has buried him come out to say "I was a judgemental and ill-informed knob"? No, they won't. So just hold your horses for the moment.

I've no axe to grind either way. Lets see what happens. If the training regime wasn't working for him, it could/would fit with the changes to his blood values. Give the guy a fair chance!

Agree with graphite here. It's a situation where people are thrust into the spotlight without the facts being confirmed. 'we think we've found something, we want to know more now here's an open letter'.

I hope he isn't guilty, that it is explained by investigation. You would think this is the sort of thing Sky would want to monitor themselves. 6 or 12 month biological passport data prior to joining and then tracking their current values against the old ones.

Frankly I don't think it does anyone any favours to release this sort of info before the rider involved has had a chance to put their side of the story to the UCI/doping authorities. Just seems that many people assume guilt straight away and even if proven innocent there's always a bit of 'no smoke without fire' that won't go away.

I'd hate to think JTL is guilty but if he is, he is. However lets cut the guy some slack and wait for the UCI to do their thing rather than brand him guilty.

Just my 2p worth!

Out of interest how many false positives are there in drug testing, and how careful do you actually have to be with what you put in your body?

Everyone is talking Bio passports on the net, It was pointed out by Ant McCrossan this morning, at Endura level, they didn't have bio passports

Innocent until proven guilty guys, the difference maybe down to a set training regime with sky not working (which i actually know, seeing as he is a family friend) is what has hampered him this year as to a stellar 2012.

The training he was following with SKY was not working for him this year and maybe just maybe last years did, where he rode to what his body has telling him.

you should all be ashamed, implying that he is guilty, when you don't know the facts. You wait, he will be proved innocent faster than you guys can get down from your stupidly high horses.

I still believe in you Jonathan, don't listen to these couch potato commentators.

Nicely put Colin P, +1 from me.

I'm not going to hammer Tiernan-Locke or team Sky here. It certainly doesn't look good for him, and his victory in the Tour of Britain last year just seemed very odd.

What I guess gets me is that people think that drugs in sport is a rarity, that it is the preserve of the winners. What is likely true is that it is prevalent at all levels (we know of amateurs, veterans, women and pros have all been caught taking EPO).

Is it also more likely to be true that those that win are more likely to take drugs. If the drugs didn't guarantee you more successful results they would not bother. If you put that in context of Sky and Tiernan-Locke it does not look good.

You must also understand how difficult it is to catch the drug cheats. The blood passport is an opportunity to note spikes which cheaters may use. It maybe that hardly anyone is cheating, or that a lot of people are cheating. But given the competitive nature of leading sports men, the scale of what we already know, and the ease of which they can get away with things and also the rewards for success which means that drugs checks as they stand pose very little deterrent.

You can presume innocence on a grand scale. But it rather feels like the cookie jar continually gets raided and there are few questions asked of those with crumbs on their faces.