Stage 12 - Got Milk?

For the first time in a long time Elvis had his best cycling buddies Darin, Russ and The Boss alongside for a fun and spirited ride. It was a beautiful late summer afternoon as we sped through the beautiful countryside of eastern Wisconsin. Lake Michigan was beautiful. The cornfields were beautiful. The blue sky was beautiful. Riding in a fast paceline with buddies you can trust was beautiful. 56 miles of "It was all good". One of the best rides of the year.

Let the good times roll

As Mike mentioned in a comment on yesterday's post and as The Boss informed me earlier (the Boss is VERY well connected in the cycling scene) it appears that Tour de France leader (current) Michael Rasmussen is a doper. Read the details HERE. Apparently Rasmussen tried to trick a friend of his into transporting some performance enhancing dope into Italy. The type of dope is interesting. The stuff, called Hemopure is, well, just read this quote from the article;

"According to labels, the bags were filled with a hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier (HBOC) known as Hemopure, manufactured by the U.S.-based Biopure Corporation. The product is made from hemoglobin molecules that have been removed from the red cells of cow's blood. Originally designed as an emergency blood substitute that requires no refrigeration, Hemopure has only been approved for human use in South Africa. U.S. clinical trials were recently suspended over safety concerns, but a similar product is currently used for veterinary purposes.

Endurance athletes were said to be using the product as a substitute for blood-doping or EPO use, though no one has ever been convicted of using Hemopure or other HBOCs."

Fascinating stuff. Cow's blood? It's amazing what athletes will do to gain an advantage. For a brief overview of the product (in case you are interested) I provide you with THIS LINK to the product site at the Biopure Corporation. With a quick look at the pictures showing how Hemopure works it's easy to see why an endurance athlete would be interested in the stuff. It carries and releases oxygen more efficiently than normal red blood cells. It also has lower viscosity which may mean that you could be less likely to die of a heart attack - as opposed to getting your blood too thick via transfusions. But don't take my untrained word for it. As always, seek expert medical advice from licensed physicians before undertaking any doping program. Lance Armstrong recommends one Michele Ferrari and you can go HERE to see his programs.

So the doping in the pro peloton continues, even after the Landis fiasco and even after the cycling authoritie's claims of cracking down on the behavior. Cow's blood? Let me be the first to say it, Michael Rasmussen should forever be known as Michael Rasmooosen. Get it? But really, how desperate do you have to be to try a cow's blood based substance only approved by the government of South Africa?

I guess this means that other riders are still doping too. Hard to believe that it really stopped, isn't it? When will all of this madness end? Unfortunately, it will probably take the doping related death of a star cyclist or two before the authorities and the cyclists themselves take this problem seriously. Or until someone like an Armstrong or a Landis come clean on everything that they know about; which means a death or two. Sad.

I can sum this current situation up in two words; Ay, carumba! And in two pictures;

Got milk?



Hey Rasmoossen, want some of this? You know you want it!