AFP Reports End to Saxo Bank Internal Testing, Nygaard Denies

by Jen See on Feb 4, 2009 1:00 PM EST in News

According to an AFP story, Saxo Bank has decided to end its internal system of doping controls. Team spokesman Brian Nygaard denied the story. See the comments.

Update: Chris here... normally I let the comments speak for themselves, but this is too important to be left down below. From our very own Jens, who covers pretty much all of Scandinavia:

Saxo are NOT terminating their program. What they are no longer doing is collecting their own samples. They now have access to the UCI passport testing samples which Damsgaard will then in turn analyze in the same manner as he has before. The passport testing, based on the same philosophy as the original Damsgaard program, takes place in the same time intervals as the internal tests were made and they see no need to take double test.

This comes from his reading of Danish media reports.

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Forget Columbia and Garmen

what is Astana going to do? They are using exactly the same program as Saxo, but they don’t have the clean team image established. Don’t get me started on that one.

by Hons on Feb 4, 2009 1:14 PM EST reply actions

Very odd.

The article at CN uses some of the same quotes but has totally different conclusions.

The Danish press had reported that the team had dropped the services of Dr. Rasmus Damsgaard, but team spokesman Brian Nygaard said that this is not the case.

Damsgaard…is still on board to analyze the data from the team’s test results. What has changed is the fact that he is not performing the regular controls. Instead, Damsgaard receives the results of blood tests from the UCI and examines the data for the team.

also:

Nygaard rebuffed speculations that the team has cut back on its anti-doping programme due to its loss of co-title sponsor IT Factory. He said that the team is still spending the same amount of money as it has over the past two years, but now the UCI is receiving a portion of the money as part of the ProTour teams’ mandatory contribution to the passport programme.

Google is my domestique.

by majope on Feb 4, 2009 1:20 PM EST reply actions

I was typing simultaneously, I got it from danish media

which CN obviously took the time to consult unlike VN……………….

by Jens on Feb 4, 2009 1:24 PM EST up reply actions

These reports are basically BS

Saxo are NOT terminating their program. What they are no longer doing is collecting their own samples. They now have access to the UCI passport testing samples which Damsgaard will then in turn analyze in the same manor as he has before. The passport testing , based on the same philosophy as the original Damsgaard program, takes place in the same timeintervals as the internal tests were made and they see no need to take double test.

They claim to be spending the same amount as they origanally did only today a part of that money is in the form of the fee to the passport-program.

by Jens on Feb 4, 2009 1:20 PM EST reply actions

Thanks

that makes a lot more sense.

by Hons on Feb 4, 2009 1:24 PM EST up reply actions

well, fuck

somedaze. okay kids, tell me what to do. do i pull the story? i really don’t have time to rewrite it completely.

by Jen See on Feb 4, 2009 1:24 PM EST reply actions

Yes , I would unless you can include the Saxo response

by Jens on Feb 4, 2009 1:26 PM EST up reply actions

fuck the afp

that freakin’ took a long time to write. bastards.

by Jen See on Feb 4, 2009 1:29 PM EST reply actions

My My

aren’t we testy with out our winter swell…
;)

by Christopher See on Feb 5, 2009 2:53 AM EST up reply actions

lol, yeah

there’s finally swell, but the low came in too close. darnit.

that, and i hate wasted effort.

by Jen See on Feb 5, 2009 12:26 PM EST up reply actions

There is a 0 missing in the 500,00

Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.

by Frinking on Feb 4, 2009 1:33 PM EST reply actions

Ooh.. which story :)

Some say the best things in life, are one the inside.

by Frinking on Feb 4, 2009 1:34 PM EST up reply actions

Hey Jens...

Any idea what this story is about? It sounds like press trouble-making to me. Interested in your take.

by Jen See on Feb 5, 2009 12:45 PM EST reply actions

From what I can gather,

sounds exactly what you said, press trouble-making. Jens?

by Bruce Suomi on Feb 5, 2009 1:00 PM EST up reply actions

It' s apparently a bit of open season on poor Rasmus

Apparently he said something about retesting some old CSC rider-samples for CERA after the Kohl/Schumi revelations. He did retest some samples but they were older samples, not tests from the TdF . The paper claims that the timing of the statement naturally led people to believe that he was going to vouch for the cleanness of the 08 CSC-Saxo Tour team when in fact his tests would say nothing about it.

I get the feeling that Damsgaard is a bit to talkative and leaves himself open too critizism when his actions do not correspond 100% with his statements. He did in fact test samples that his program had produced (not before available to the UCI) OOC so there was no big lie. He made a mistake and said (or was misquoted as saying) he had already sent samples for testing when in fact he did it later in time but you have to say that they are making pretty far-fetched accusations for whatever reason.

As I said before, it feels a bit like a backlash. Before Damsgaard could say anything and the media cheered his every word now it’s a bit the opposite and they question everything in absurdum. Basic media-logic, not always pretty or fair, but it’s how it often works.

by Jens on Feb 5, 2009 3:06 PM EST up reply actions

Thanks

I have the impression the press is looking for reasons to go after him. I did remember he was going to re-test CSC samples for CERA using the new tests, but at the time, I didn’t know they were necessarily going to be from the Tour. This story seemed like a bit of a mountain out of a molehill, especially since the team riders were all subject to AFLD testing during the Tour, and in some cases, pretty intensive testing at that.

Again, thanks for your take.

by Jen See on Feb 5, 2009 3:18 PM EST up reply actions