Sadly, now anyone winning by a big margin just seem implausible.

You need to read the thread. This isn’t the case at all.

Even allowing for all that, if they were prescribing a treatment whose legality they were unable to verify, why did they not fill out a TUE by default, instead of just assuming it would be OK?

Because he, the volunteer medic at a non-UCI event, screwed up. And is not a specialist sports medic operating on a WADA tregulated environment. I suspect he’ll feel awful about what happened. Meanwhile trhe rider should also have double-checked and didn’t. The rider was punished but relatively leniently because the UCI accepted that it waas a screw-up, not an attempt to dope.

Where is the problem? Yes it was avoidable, but no-one’s saaying otherwise.

Should Maes benned for two years? My take is that the UCI for once got it about right.

Are these guys tested out of season while training, or just in the race season ?

EWS is now run under the guidance of the UCI, so the riders are treated the same as every other rider in UCI competitions.

From the UCI rule book:

Any Rider may be required to provide a Sample at any time and at any place by the UCI or
any other Anti-Doping Organization with Testing authority over him or her

Pro rider in a team. His responsibility first and foremost, team manager’s next.
20 years ago my gf of the time, who was a gymnast ( go me! ) knew she’d get busted for smoking weed if she got tested, and she ‘only’ competed at the world student games. Didn’t stop her, mind. She just stopped when she was approaching a competition, playing the numbers game.
Bad luck for him, maybe, but the rules have been in place for a while.

I hope this doesn’t result in highly educated volunteers such as doctors etc. not wanting to cover events.

It probably will if it happens once or twice more.

Highly educated volunteer: “I’d like to help out with being a race doctor as I love where I live and I like mountain biking”.

Race Organiser: “That is wonderful, thanks. Here is a list of ten links to WADA, UCI etc. documents that you need to read. They are only about thirty pages each, then you’ll need to sign this waiver that you accept responsibility if you administer a banned substance for any reason”.

Highly educated volunteer: “In that case, you’ll need to supply your own race doctors”.

Race Organiser: “Dear competitors. Due to unforeseen expense and a lack of available medical coverage we can no longer stage this event”.

Thing is, you don’t generally need an event doctor. This situation was pretty out there, because the race was pretty out there, but generally speaking what the race needs is emergency response, and everything else happens off their allotment.

This case is all about enduro racing and EWS maturing. Doping control is essential for integrity, most events are still dependent on volunteers and enthusiasts. You won’t find medics who will ride, camp, be paid travel only, provide most kit themselves and have UCI training etc. The maes case is what happens when the professional and amateur worlds meet. It’s a learning curve for all involved. Painful though it is for everyone involved ( I imagine the medics are distraught)I think the EWS has to involve the UCI and this what happens. The rules are for all pro cyclists, that’s the point.

I understand the volunteer aspect of the doctors. But it is the athletes and their teams responsibility to know what they have taken and its wads status. There was plenty of time to submit a tue before the ews event, not wing it and hope for the best. Having found it was a banned substance he would either get a tue if applied for in at the right time or miss 1 race until he was legal again.

So Richie comes back after being banned, wins the event. So, he is either still cheating, or is so damm good he can win without cheating. Why then was he cheating in the first place ?

Did he need to cheat to have a chance of winning ?

Im struggeling to see the event without seeing cheating going on now.

Yeah that was a dope performance by Rude. Nearly cleaned the whole thing but didn’t have the bottle

Why then was he cheating in the first place ?

Presumably because he didn’t want his leg to go gangrenous. Marginal gain all over.

The big take-away here is probably that EWS riders need better education when it comes to the anti-doping system and their individual responsibility to check what they’re using. No idea if that’s the responsibility of the teams, the UCI/CADF or EWS or a combination of all of them, but for a top rider to make a basic mistake like this suggests that he – and probably other – riders in that area of the sport aren’t as clued up as they should be.

I agree with BWD, GT bikes and Maes should have had been better informed about the treatment he was offered, and at least help him make a decision about treatment and get the right exemption afterwards.

Rude and Graves seem to have just been unlucky (the substance they took can be unlisted or listed as fruit sourced in sports drink)

I understand why folk are suspicious, but a dose of perspective wouldn’t go amiss here. This isn’t Armstrong levels of deception.