He's not on the list. Man, is he ever gonna be ripped about this.

you're on certain drugs for certain amounts of time, not constantly. So when you're off cylce your measurements will (you hope) read normally.

And Basso was not tested every day, but probably most days. So he would presumably be off cycle at that point - you'll see in the Spanish investigation that notebooks and journals will be in evidence that kept track of what each rider was on and when, so they could make sure he tested clean when he needed to.

Like any test there are ways of beating it. It's just like car alarms and car theives. The latter is always trying to get past the former. This is no different.

If it's any consolation, track and field is supposed to be even more rampant with cheating.  

After prolonged training at altitude, many athletes will naturally test above the 50% limit, without any PEDs in their system. The test itself is also a bit weak, since dehydration and activity before testing could affect the result. If you have been standing up for more than 30 minutes and then sit down to take the test, you could have much higher values, due to the increased heart rate and blood-pressure. In other words - a fit, talented rider can very easily test close to, and over, 50% without using any PEDs...

As for the use of altitude tents/rooms/houses - that is an ethical debate. In cycling it's still legal, and quite frankly - it should be. It is not the same as using blood doping or EPO. The difference is enourmous and should be easily recognized.

As for test methods - they are pretty high tech. If you are using any type of PED (naturally produced or otherwise), chances are greater for being caught than not...

Mags

some people produce naturally high hct values, add in the increase in hct due to training at high altitudes - then the answer is yes. Now, most of these riders get an "exception letter" for this. But, some don't.

Mags