Riders are tested a lot and have to provide year-round whereabouts for random testing. They also have a frequently updated blood passport to detect sudden changes in values caused by PEDs. It can never be fully waterproof, but at least serious efforts are made.
If I remember correctly, these rules were changed after the Armstrong scandal where he would be scheduled for testing, he would say he was at his house in Texas. The testing folks would show up and he just wouldn't answer the door and wait until they left so they couldn't test him. It was one of the ways he was able to dope on a set schedule, all the while being able to maintain he was being tested more than any other athlete - when in reality, he was just avoiding being tested.
It seems like a lot has changed since his scandal and several others that followed and they've really clamped down on what you're saying, changes in blood values and getting suspended if you cannot be reached for testing.
Lizzy Banks goes into great detail about her experince with doping control and trying to overturn a positive result due to a contamination. It's a long read, but if you're a fan of the sport it's super interesting. https://lizzybanks.co.uk/
It was also discussed here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40612281
One problem with the system is that it relies on countries being strict with their athletes, which they aren't incentivized to do. Also, it's easy to "be available" but not get tested by going somewhere remote for a height camp for a few weeks.
Hard to believe it took a scandal for that to be a rule.
On a side note: much harder today to not be available/found than it was 30 odd years ago.
Is that like parole where they check in, or is it like house arrest where you have an ankle monitor?
(Having to file your whereabouts is horrendous, by the way. https://www.wada-ama.org/en/athletes-support-personnel/provi...:
“RTP athletes are required to provide the following whereabouts information on a quarterly basis:
- Home address, email address and phone number
- An address for overnight accommodations
- Regular activities, such as training, work, and school, the locations and the times of these activities
- Competition schedules and locations
- A 60-minute time slot for each day where they’ll be available and accessible for testing and liable for a potential ‘missed test’“
That “60-minute time slot” sounds somewhat reasonable, but (https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/At_a_Gl...): “And remember, athlete can be tested anytime and anywhere – not just in their 60-minute time slot!”
Miss a plane? Plane delayed? You may have to inform your doping agency. A loved one suddenly ends up in hospital? Before you rush to go there, report where you’ll be.
More likely you're young, mad fit, and have some energy you want to burn off with a friend. You've heard about the Olympic Village.
No way do I want to tell some official whose apartment I'm visiting.
But they didn't actually say how and when she was DQed, just that she missed the Tokyo Olympics due to breaking the whereabouts clause. There are clearly favorites at the trials and if someone 'should' have gone I could see announcers making the speculative leap.
Some people will try, and some scandals will happen, sure. But it is not a widespread problem and is unlikely to become one.
See here, for example: https://velo.outsideonline.com/road/road-racing/tour-de-fran...
Plus if your lieutenant uses a motor in order to pull you up to the front, then your bike is clean.
I only caught the end of that wheel change when I realized the mechanic was holding a Milwaukee cordless and Bob(?) was talking about it.
https://www.uci.org/pressrelease/uci-reveals-technological-f...
Ghost in the Machine [1] is a great podcast on this topic.
[1] https://play.pocketcasts.com/discover/podcast/de6ba1d0-9132-...
But if you're analyzing old races how do you get a conviction? You can't.
No it wasn't. Wheels spin through crashes all the time.
Give me a bike that looks like a normal bike and gives mere mortals like me an extra 5 mph (power law makes that a lot worse for pros).
One of the problems is that bikes can be made so light with unobtainium that there are rules in place requiring a minimum weight so that poorer teams can compete. So if you make a bike that's 10 lbs you have to stick weights into it to bring it up to spec. What else could you put in that bike besides chunks of iron pipe?