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news
Jonathan Tiernan-Locke GCN YouTube stillBio passport charges for Team Sky's Jonathan Tiernan-Locke
The UCI has asked British Cycling to open disciplinary proceedings against Team Sky's Jonathan Tiernan-Locke in connection with irregularities in his biological passport. A statement issued through his agent said that Tiernan-Locke "vehemently denies the charges brought against him and has informed the UCI that he fully intends to contest them."
This morning, the UCI issued a communiqué which read:
The analysis of the biological passport of Mr Jonathan Tiernan-Locke by the Experts Panel has demonstrated an anti-doping rule violation (use of prohibited substances and/or methods).
Consequently and in compliance with the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the UCI has requested his National Federation to initiate disciplinary proceedings.
UKAD and WADA have been informed of the matter pursuant to the UCI Anti-Doping Rules and the WADA code.
At this stage, the UCI will not comment further.
In September, Team Sky confirmed that the 28-year-old from Devon had been asked to account for differences in his blood values from samples taken in late 2012, a year in which he won the Tour of Britain, and those recorded after his move to the WorldTour team for 2013.
Team Sky says that it has suspended Tiernan-Locke from all of his duties with it while the case is ongoing and reiterated that the charges relate to the period before he joined it.
A statement from the team issued this morning says: "Team Sky notes that Jonathan Tiernan-Locke has been charged with a violation of the UCI anti-doping rules.
"We have been informed that he intends to defend himself against that charge.
"Jonathan Tiernan-Locke will not ride for Team Sky or take part in any team activities – including training camps and all team duties – until a decision is made in this disciplinary hearing process.
"We understand that the violation was highlighted by an anomaly in his Biological Passport, in a reading taken before he signed for this team.
"There are no doubts about his approach or performance in Team Sky. This is a team that trains, races and wins clean.
"At this stage, we will add no further detail until this initial disciplinary process is concluded."
Tiernan-Locke first started undergoing regular blood testing following his 2012 Tour of Britain overall victory.
He was riding for Endura Racing at the time, although in September, the clothing brand that was the team's owner and sponsor claimed that for much of the year he trained under Sky's supervision prior to his move.
Like Sky, Endura have said that differences in the rider's blood values could be down to factors such as illness or fatigue - Tiernan-Locke has struggled with both this year and has had problems adapting to the rigours of racing at WorldTour level - instead of doping.
The rider spent several years out of the sport during his early 20s as he recovered from a debilitating virus and concentrated on university, but attracted the attentopn of top-flight teams when he won early-season French races, the Tour Méditerranéen and Tour du Haut Var, in early 2012.
His late flowering prompted suspicions to be raised by French newspaper L'Equipe, which following those victories asked: “Are we in the presence of a champion or a chimera? Tiernan-Locke can only be one or the other to win five races in a row.
“He’s part of a team from the third division, a category where the riders don’t have to submit to biological monitoring, via the blood passport programme of the Union Cycliste Internationale.”
The UCI's decision to request British Cycling to open disciplinary proceedings against Tiernan-Locke will have been made by an 11-member panel of experts. The proceedings themselves will be handled by UK Anti-Doping.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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74 comments
Sloppy use of language; "he has irregularities in his blood sample" is incorrect, he has an irregular blood profile as I've understood the case; something that is very different to a failed blood test/irregularity.
Even so you'll have to explain how that makes him guilty of anything at this stage; he is only guilty, if found so, once the disciplinary process has completed.
I'll explain it for you:
"The analysis of the biological passport of Mr Jonathan Tiernan-Locke by the Experts Panel has demonstrated an anti-doping rule violation (use of prohibited substances and/or methods)."
They've tested his blood, they've got evidence of doping.
You have a fundamental misunderstanding of the biological passport. It is based on an opinion of a panel of experts and as such can always be questioned. If the result was black or white he would be banned already. It isn't it is a grey area and he has the opportunity to explain himself. The blood tests don't show illegal substances; the series of blood test suggest there is an anomaly.
"an anti-doping rule violation (use of prohibited substances and/or methods)"
They may not have conclusive evidence, these biological passports are a new science and I doubt they are infallible against false-positives or false-negatives. I don't really see the point in making assumptions one way or the other until all the evidence is out - in particular, what is actually wrong with his 'biological passport', did they think he doped, or switched blood? I'm guessing they didn't find direct evidence of doping otherwise they would have thrown the book at him sooner.
I hope JTL's defence is more impressive than your desperate clinging to straws in the use of language. Your language is equally invalid. Have you actually read the UCI's statement?
"The analysis of the biological passport of Mr Jonathan Tiernan-Locke by the Experts Panel has demonstrated an anti-doping rule violation (use of prohibited substances and/or methods)."
I don't read that JTL has "an irregular blood profile" at all. According to the UCI he has a blood profile that is entirely 'regular' ... for someone who has been doping.
He's still not guilty until they've listened to him and they tell us he's guilty. I'm tired of people declaring someone's guilt before the judgement has been made. If it turns out that his previous medical conditions have lead to the anomaly what are you on your fellow barrack room lawyers going to say then? The process is not complete; until then he is I not guilty!
I'd probably say "Why did the UCI not make the connection between the medical conditions that JTL told them about and the anomaly in his blood and how did they not prove or disprove that it was indeed the cause. How come that teams of doping experts, scientists and related staff fail to check for that and what exactly were they checking his blood for in the months of testing they were doing".
Personally, I'm tired of cyclists saying they are clean and then being proved as dopers.
I'm also tired of JTL, the anomaly was found, he was given chance to explain himself, he was then given extra time to prove himself, his bloods went away for testing and they have found evidence of doping and he is still maintaining his innocence.
Personally I'm sick and tired of people pre-judging the outcome of a process that is not completed. Be as sick to death of JLT as much as you like when he is judged guilty; but at the moment he isn't. If he is found guilty then he just becomes another cheating sportsperson; you can then waste as much of your time as you like moaning about him, I won't, I've got a life to get on with
So if he's still 'not quilty' then surely he should be allowed to compete in races, train with Sky, represent Sky in said races, etc? No? Are the UCI & Sky full of "barrack room lawyers" too?
You really don't have a clue about the process do you?
Its gone well past that stage. It was a while back when the UCI were asking him to explain the discrepancies in his bio passport. Obviously, his explanation has not been satisfactory so they have reached this decision.
I'm waiting for all those who were quick off the mark to call Santambrogio a drug cheat to have the same reaction to JT-L.
Quite correctly they have to follow process; if they didn't it would damage Cookson, the UCI and the sport.
10-1 on the sceptics won't wait for the outcome before they have a hanging party!
Even Stevie wonder saw that coming!
Well, that is a shock. I don't believe he doped, but there must be something odd in his data to suggest he did.
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