Operacion Puerto Dropped

Spanish Paper El Mundo has reported that the the doping investigation which ended Ivan Basso's season last year, and effectively ended Jan Ullrich's career, has been dropped due to lack of evidence. This investigation ended Vinokourov's chances at winning the Tour de France because too many teammates had been suspended during the investigation to field a team. This is the investigation that created the perfect storm of hysteria which lead to the contaminated and tainted doping results for Floyd Landis, the eventual winner of the Tour de France. Of over 60 cyclists implicated in this investigation, not one has been charged with doping connected to the Spanish doctors. The results of this investigation: nada. It's effects on cycling: hysteria, witch hunts, and lack of due process for the athletes. Read my immediate thoughts on the scandal here.

I've become a bit more cynical and distrustful of the doping regulators over the last year. International cycling is the most tested sport in the world, but the testing labs and techs, especially in France, are the least regulated. It is no surprise to me that false results would creep in due to the number of tests taking place, but the lack of regulation and lax practices have allowed these false positives to be reported as actual results, and reported to the media even before the athlete is notified. Until Dick Pound of WADA steps down, the inconsistent following of guidelines and the combative relationship between doping regulators and the athletes will continue.