Team Slipstream

Cycle Sport March 2007 carried a good article about Team Slipstream (Powered by Chipotle) :

The team was setup by Johnathan Vaughters : Slipstream will have a squad of 23.
The ethos of the team is to ride clean ie. no dope of any kind.

To that end the teams doctor - Prentice Steffan formerly of USPS - says the squads program "is a quantum step for anti-doping".

The program is preventative in that riders will be monitored throughout the season and off season.
Slipstream quantify that 1,200 blood and urine tests will be conducted for the 23 member squad during a 12 month period.

These tests will build a compndium of biomarkers - biomarkers being a physiological profile of each rider in the 23 man squad.
If a riders profile becomes altered in any way from his physiological profile, following regular testing, the rider in question is prevented from starting a race.

In addition, not only is the rider responsible for maintaining the integrity of his profile, the team will also be responsible for ensuring that the riders profile is
maintained.
All of this is before a rider is tested by UCI/WADA.
"what we're trying to do is to prevent any doped rider from ever starting an event" says Vaughters.
The testing will be conducted by an independent authority which is unlike other team anti-doping programs where the program is managed "in-house".

The independent body testing Slipstream is www.agencyfor cyclingethics.com
Other contributors to the testing program will be Dr Don Catlin UCLA Lab and Paul Scott of Cyclingethics.
Vaughters has asked WADA to vet the entire program and to come forward with added suggestions regarding the prgram and Vaughters has been in contact with Alain Rumph, UCI's ProTour manager to outline the program.
Vaughters stated that all information form their program, plus the physiological profiles of all riders will be forwarded to WADA.

If nothing else : Vaughters seems to talk a good fight.

 

[size=-1] Johnathan Vaughters is a individual who is trying to capitolize on whatever he can to get a team. He will fit nicely with the biggest phoney in cycling .. David Millar

[/size][size=-1] When asked about the Landis situation......

[/size]

 

Part of the problem it seems with teams is that the reason they are in the game at all is for the public exposure; and if they don't trust the other teams, taking a stand like Slipstream, whilst laudible, could mean that you are relegated to being an uncompetitive team. The rules for every team need to tighten to the extent everyone trusts that their competitors are clean. And that wouldn't be bad for us spectators either.

IMHO we need draconian controls and tests. It should be a requirement of gaining a license for the Tour. Why aren't there draconian requirements for teams on testing? Cause that might discourage sponsorship. IMO the opposite might be the case. It might encourage it. As discussed on other threads, it just comes down to who foots the bill.

 

In any case they are taking a very strong stand and it should be applauded. Am curious to see how Slipstream will perform in the field.

PS: are they sure the riders have enough blood left in them with the amounts they are planning to take out of them?

 

Not on this forum.

 

I think that's great, but if their approach to drugs really is 100% no tolerance, no tacit approvals, and no way to cheat it because they are doggedly, mercilessly ensuring their athletes are clean, the team will not be competitive. Certainly not in long races like the Tour, it will be relegated to back of peleton.

 

Prentice Steffan is certainly a fantastic team doctor. One who's reputation is beyond reproach. The very fact that they have appointed this guy really sends a huge signal of intent imo. One thing we can be sure of, with Prentice in charge there will be no organised team doping. He really believes in The Hippocratic Oath.

I'm so pleased about this new team, cycling needs some good news atm. I honestly don't believe tests will ever stamp out doping, there needs to be a culture shift. Riders and teams need to do it for themselves. This team seems to me to mark the beginning of this culture shift.

Really really happy about this. I'm not expecting them to win anything major, but at least any anything they do achieve we can actually believe in, and will be all the more spectacular. So pleased Millar has signed up for them as well (me being british and all).

There was a thread a few days ago asking what rider/team we can support in good faith. I think we have found the answer!

 

Nothing would make you happy, not even someone trying.

 

Thank you, Timmy. First post for six hours. My hero!

 

Been working to hard to have any fun.....

 

twats like you certainly don't.

 

WOW big word for you

 

Well i appreciate the personality assessment based on 19 posts on a cycling forum. However, it might be better if you stop trolling and try to stay on topic.

 

CyclingWeekly (Thursday Aug 2nd) said that Slipstream have signed Millar, Zabriskie and Van De Velde...with Backstedt in the pipleline. Impressive.

 

Well, at least they're trying. You'd prefer that their marketing gimmick should be motorcycles with saddlebags leaking red liquid?

 

This will be interesting. Two Americans already, so that will have me watching. I'm torn as to what to think. I know many will see a USPS doctor and be quite skeptical.

I have a little angel on my right shoulder, and it's telling me that this will be the test -- we will see if clean riders can compete. Even if they doped before, maybe they didn't want to, and are looking for this chance to ride clean.

THEN, the little devil on my left shoulder says, well, this is quite a plan. Lots of loud noises about in-house testing and never letting a suspicious rider start a race. Soooo, if their rider tests positive, they can indignantly point to their own testing, question the validity of the French labs, etc, etc, etc. The problem is, no one can verify these in-house tests.

Either way, it will be intriguing to watch.

 

yep, it is impossible for me to believe that the slipstream model is on the level. I truly hope it is, but I just can't quite believe it. They do have also Lim on the payroll, Landis' coach who has been defending Landis since the beginning. And the team will be based in Girona. Raises eyebrows.....

But I will be watching and hopefully they will be clean (or is that cleaner?)

 

Well, I will say that I am not going to jump on the slipstream bandwagon. For me, the entire "anti-drug" policy is slick marketing. Stating that 1200 tests will be conducted throughout the year instead of saying each rider will be tesed once a week is a perfect example of pr. 1200 surely sounds alot better, no?

furthermore, this is cycling! why is everyone giving this team the benefit of the doubt when they say they will monitor blood work inorder to prevent cheats from starting races? If anything, the monitoring could make cheating more possible and failing a peds tests more difficult. are you guys following me here?

finally, if these cyclist are allowed to follow an inhouse doping program, the weekly tests will prove to be invaluable research to pharmaceutical companies and future dr. ferrari's/fuentes/ and the like.

 

Sad, but true.

In fact, the longer you think about it, the more nefarious it has the possibility of being. I do follow what you are saying! It sounds more like an experimental project than a team ethic.

But maybe I'm wrong .

 

Girona? Ugh!