The Complete Guide to 2019's Enduro World Series Teams

 @thesharkman: I mean, really, it isn’t what it looks like. It was an accident, she just fell and landed on my ...

 @thesharkman: Nope, he would probably just punish the ones that are on drugs.

 @thesharkman: Are you one of the 3? The series took off because of the format, not because of the top riders. Related to business , what would you say if you owned for example a small bike company and all your bigest competitors would unite and drop prices for 1-2 years to get you out of business?

 @Gamsjaga: On my cockpit

 @thesharkman: Get banned for Doping? That would be really rude...

 @thesharkman:
If you are not keeping your business "clean" from the start then good luck sorting out the cheaters later on. Take a look at the roadies and tell me how great that worked out, after some 100 years of PEDs....

EWS and UCI are risking the little credibility that is left in professional cycling

good read btw on bio passport and its subpar effectiveness in handing out suspensions even after proof of doping - sad but well written and researched

inrng.com/2019/03/operation-aderlass-and-the-bio-passport

 @wildedge586: how did it work out for roadies? Are you mad? It is not only the biggest discipline of cycling, it is THE pinnacle of all endurance sports - what more do you want?

 Regarding the doping issue, I think it's time for some answers - especially by Chris Ball who always claimed to take this very seriously but is obviously doing the exact opposite - what a disrespect towards those who don't cheat.
Just to remind you of some facts:

- Higenamine and Oxilofrine (not going into detail about the differences here) have been on the WADA list since 2017 as "Specified Substances" because, in effect, they may have performance enhancing effects, (cf the prohibition of ephedrine since 2004)
- the effect is obviously not comparable to EPO, testosterone or blood doping, but in the end it can be assumed that a performance-enhancing effect can be achieved through better oxygen uptake, vigilance and increased cardiac output. The EWS offers some supertight racing, sometimes 4 seconds up or down decided between 1st and 5th place. And that after 30min of riding!
- What makes these substances particularly attractive for athletes:
* they are easy and cheap to obtain, since they are found as dietary supplements. There is an interesting study where in 14 of 27 samples of dietary supplements oxilofrines (= methylsynephrines) as an ingredient indicate in 14 (52%) cases, the substance was also indoors, entertaining between 0.0003 to 75 mg per dose, the latter actually well over pharmacologically recommended doses is onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/dta.1976
* a low health hazard is assumed by the consumers (= athletes/sportsman, who may or may not be bound to anti-doping rules)
* both athletes have confirmed that no doping controls were done in the EWS up until then, the risk of being caught therefore seemed very low
* if one gets caught, he can claim it's just contamination, or he may not have noticed the ingredient, or, as Graves in the interview already mentioned - that one might have forgotten to update himself about the list of prohibited substances. A really bad excuse however is claiming it might have gotten in your bloodstream by drinking from someone else's bottle....
* If disciplinary measures are taken, they might just hope to get away with lenient measures.

 The really tricky thing about the two of them is their relationship with sponsor Ryno. The company has clearly stated that these substances are not to be found in their products (they of course need the trust of professionals and amateurs regarding the ingredients). So Jared and Richie can only claim against their sponsor's official statement that it must have been inside. Or they say they are sponsored by Ryno but have taken other supplements - which then of course makes their action more suspicious. If anyone of the shamefully silent press (pinkbike, I'm also looking in your direction to finally ask for answers) directly asks about that, the athletes might just stick to the proven bullshit excuse that they have spontaneously taken some unknown drink right before competition - just like any professional would... And Jared Graves seems to be, that in his 20 years as a top athlete has trusted on a few products and just didn't notice that changes in 2017 regarding the updated anti-doping-list and therefore accidentally used it.

And now the pinkbike interview with Richie Rude comes into play (www.pinkbike.com/news/interview-richie-rude-comments-on-failed-drug-test.html). A clever lawyer once gave a lecture why he would never talk to the police - youtu.be/d-7o9xYp7eE
- I agree and add: even interviews with sympathetic journalists can be unpleasantly revealing, because:
Richie Rude claims that after failing the doping test in July and dispense with a B probe he did in fact suspect contamination of dietary supplements as the cause, BUT ALTHOUGH his upcoming season and in fact his life as an athlete is at risk and ALTHOUGH he did talk to RedBull and Yeti HE HAS NOT CONTACTED RYNO, his very own sponsor of supplements, up until that day in November.

This lame excuse "we were all so naive in the EWS, thank God, there is now our very harmless case and from next year we will watch all better then better" is just a disgrace. Everybody tries to optimize the very last bit of training, equipment, line choice, etc. and after winning by a tiny margin everyone should ignore the use of some forbidden substance that might just get you that tiny advantage?!

If that evidence isn't enough, what about that (www.nada.at/de/boxnewsshow31-achtung-bei-higenamin-in-nahrungsergaenzungsmitteln) In the first half of 2017 the Australian Anti-Doping Agency (ASADA) has tested 13 Australian athletes in nine different sports tested positive for this very substance. Who would believe that as a professional athlete or coach of that athlete these cases - even more so in one's own home country - all these cases go by unnoticed. Could it be the case someone was just hoping to not ever get tested for doping in the EWS? And if so, that he could get away with it? This someone would not deserve a mild judgment. Seriously, if Rude gets to keep his medals of last season and not face a doping ban this season I have lost all my interest in the EWS. Pinkbike easily has the power to say: "NO we will not publish a single article about the EWS if we do not get answers (and be allowed to publish them) to some very clear questions that remain open 1) 2) 3) ..." Come on, this is not just a joke, it's a disgrace.

ps: I am of course terribly sorry that Jared Graves suffers from that terrible cancer and wish him the very best for his treatment!), but these 2 things need to be looked at independent from one another.

 @MatthewCarpenter : We (as a community) should not decide and cry for the punishment of individuals until we have all the facts from reliable sources. Yes, Chris Ball and Pinkbike need to dig deeper and get our community better information so we can make more informed opinions, but let's pump the brakes on calling for their public execution. That is the disgrace...

 @ikaika: I agree. I sincerely hope there is no willful silence by the media and EWS and the thing is still under process. But I don't think at this moment we are in a position (especially we, the public) to make these judgments and we HAVE to give them the benefit of the doubt, even though it looks bad. Please don't let this be like the rest of the internet and scream for burning the witches and wait until everybody is properly informed. Instead, demand updates on that issue.

 @ikaika: Soooo, if your life was on the line, would you bet that they are innocent? Off the top of my head, I can't recall a single athlete who has tested positive who ended up being innocent (this includes baseball, football, track, MMA, cycling, etc.). Bless your heart though, you are a good kid. I envy your optimism.

 I have been reading through a lot of the comments here and I wonder to myself who the hell do we think we are? Chris Ball and the organizers of the EWS do not owe us a damn thing. If any one of us disagrees with the way they are running the program, then we can simply stop watching it, stop following the competitors, stop buying the equipment from their sponsors and so forth? Likewise, Pinkbike doesn't owe us anything either. We come here everyday and get mostly really good content for free! And, they put up with us, too!

On the other hand, none of us want to give up watching our favorite sport or buying amazing bikes and equipment because of a lack of ethics. Why should it come to all that? Also, I am not saying that it is not a bad thing for the racers that are trying to move up the ranks on what they are presuming is a fair playing field only to find that people are cheating (whether doping, cutting lines, using a motor, etc.). But, I can also imagine that it becomes really complicated really fast when ideals go from ideology to practicality and a race organizer finds themselves dealing with a situation they were maybe not expecting (totally speculating here, trying to be empathetic). It is probably an absolute mess trying to enforce these rules without disrupting relationships with sponsors or potentially impacting the overall institution in a crippling way (e.g. losing the top draw athletes, etc.). There are surely equally complicated messes for the athletes, right or wrong. I don't run one of these things so I do not presume to know or judge. I also don't have to risk life and limb competing to make my paycheck so I reserve judgment there, too (although it's not an excuse I would use).

So, maybe something less extreme than stripping medals or banning riders. That seems like it would be too damaging...maybe? I am guessing. What if they test after each and every race and if you get caught they add 20% to your total time, publish the bad list in an official press release and in the recap videos, and put a big ol' * next to everything that rider has done within that season and all seasons past. All of this is no questions asked, no excuses. Of course, there would need to be an appeal process, but then if the rider takes that option, they risk being banned and stripped of all results for the season if they are proven to have broken the rules after further investigation. Simple rules that are easy to follow. I know there are many smart people that have given way more thought to this and have developed rules accordingly. Perhaps they just need a rethink or better implementation. I don't know, but I will keep watching the races and enjoying Sam Hill beat the crap out of everybody with flat pedals.

 @xphysnerd: So how do you judge whether someone who tested positive was innocent or not?

There are athletes who tested positive and avoided sanctions (legally innocent) who were almost certainly intentionally doping. Similarly there are athletes who tested positive and were sanctioned who may well ingested those substances by genuine error after taking reasonable precautions (morally innocent). But how would you ever really know? You can’t prove someone innocent.

 If anyone is to pull the trigger here it is the other racers it is them being affected by it. To folks who love to judge athletes for supposed doping, is there any chance your ancestors orchestrated lynches, eitch hunts and you just gained these genes responsible for taking pleasure from public executions of people you don’t know? You are pathetic and my neck hurts from looking down on you

 @wingguy: "Accidents" happen when the punishment isn't incentive enough to care. Major League Baseball has increased their punishments and it seems to have dramatically decreased doping. When a season long suspension is in play, you would be surprised by how many players stop "accidentally taking tainted vitamin B shots". A lot of these substances, like testosterone, benefit the athlete for a much longer period of time than most people realize. The benefits of testosterone may last longer than a decade after use (Google Scholar search for testosterone and myonuclei). So, if you are serious about doping, punishments must be substantial; if you aren't, don't test at all.

 @WAKIdesigns: Haha right. The thing about witch hunts is that there were no such thing as witches. The thing about sport is that bitter experience has shown time and time again that if you give any power or endurance based athletes the benefit of the doubt you will end up disappointed

 @WAKIdesigns: I think you are reading between the lines and inaccurately assuming other peoples' feelings or intentions. People just want to know the details about how the organization is going to handle these positive tests. The fact this whole situation has been shrouded in mystery is not helping the EWS's cause. I don't WANT any rider to have to deal with this situation, but I certainly want to be informed about which riders are testing positive and which aren't.

 @wildedge586: doping is here to stay at many levels and in many aspects
But ews have been slow to force a closure to the cases so all involved can move on serve a ban if required or continue to race.

 @WAKIdesigns: two things there with the other athletes commenting - they don’t know either. They may strongly believe their friend is innocent, but they genuinely don’t know. A really good friend can still be a cheat. A really nice guy can still be a cheat - you just can’t tell.

The other thing is, yes they may also be part of it. Like the hotel full of XC skiers just caught doping en masse. Without that evidence any one of those guys may well have defended the others against accusations of doping because they’re also insulating themselves. And again, doesn’t mean they aren’t otherwise nice, well liked guys, could be they’ve just been caught up in the wrong system.

 @WAKIdesigns: How about we have the EWS riders vote to implement specific punishments for positive tests. This way you don't have to assume Barelli speaks for the majority of riders. If the riders aren't interested in punishments for positive tests, it shows that either they don't think it is an unfair advantage or they think most are doing it anyway so whatever. If this is the case, I have no issue with the EWS not taking it seriously, but I would like to see what the riders as a whole feel about the issue.

 @wingguy: It’s your disease man. Assuming wromg doing, malice, in cases that don’t involve you, looking for evil must be eating you from the inside. I don’t care, we cannot know any form of truth and sensationism is not my thing at all.

 To those who ask to give them the benefit of the doubt: they themselves do not put in question that these performance enhancing, banned substances were found in their body. The main question is: how do we deal with this issue? Remember: according to previous statements EWS planned to be tough on doping and giving athletes lifelong bans from their events. Now it seems like we are discussing if ANY measures are taken. So: Do we accept to just believe their (in my opinion very incomplete and inconclusive) excuses and is there any pressure to dig deeper?

This fight has nothing to do with witch hunting, it's not directed against individuals but against the spread of doping.
If you want people to play by the rules, you have to check them. If others do tax fraud and get away with it, you'll consider it yourself. If you're in a game of soccer and fouls by your opponent will not be punished you will be more likely to play against the rules yourself. If others are doing doping (or at least you are becoming convinced that they so) and maybe even feel like you are having a disadvantage, you will start to consider it yourself. That's how doping spreads, and not because the characters of the athletes get worse. If you wanna stop that you cannot ignore positive doping results. This is not about seeing careers being destroyed, it's about avoiding to see the sport becoming destroyed.

 @ikaika: Well put....????

 @WAKIdesigns: Exactly!!!????

 @MatthewCarpenter: You seem awfully sure that this was a deliberate action and in my opinion your are not in a position to assess this because we probably don't even know half of what's going on. Isn't there a possibility that rhyno power fcked up and didn't check their suppliers for example? How about waiting until an official verdict is released before making any statements you can't possibly prove or disprove...

And who says there won't be any measures taken or nobody is digging deeper at the moment? These processes always take time. And yes, there should be an official update by the EWS before Rotorua...
But if nothing will be said or done it's time to speak out and demand transparency. But for now I'll just wait.

 @jzPV: rhyno athletes have a history of failed tests but that pic of graves with supplements of the banned drug linked at the time it was announced don’t help his image even though at the time the drug wasn’t on the banned list back then.

 @WAKIdesigns: lol mate you’re off the deep end. I said that even people who dope can still be nice guys. You’re calling everyone who disagrees with you diseased, pathetic, a*sholes, lynchers etc.

Who do you think is coming across as more judgemental right now?

 @MatthewCarpenter: “Remember: according to previous statements EWS planned to be tough on doping and giving athletes lifelong bans from their events. Now it seems like we are discussing if ANY measures are taken. ”

Problem is the tests were (IIRC) done by WADA affiliated National ADA. That probably means the sanctions are going to be administered according to the WADA code. The ‘Specified’ class of controlled substances do allow the athlete to prepare an explanation for the test before sanctions are applied, like with Froome in road cycling.

That’s the thing with anti-doping, it can’t be done ad-hoc. If the rules are there, they need to be followed. You can’t automatically ban someone for a failed test if it’s not in the rule book that the test leads to an automatic ban.

 @wingguy: whoever invests any deeper thought to either doping or policing of doping will be disappointed. The thing that makes people dope is potential reward for taking that risk. If this reward is big enough, like in case of major sports like road cycling, football, running, the sponsors will cover your arse and pay money to anti doping agencies to cover it up. There will be off course a few dumb dudes who will dope on their own and they will get caught because they have no one to back them up AND they are a Godsend to antidoping agencies because they can then prove that they work and catch a guy that nobody will miss.

So how does UCI/EWS handle it, is irrelevant for me, I will not invest emotions in a rigged system, there is very little that can surprise me there. But when it comes to “intended malice” I doubt there is any in what Richie and Jared did, because there is very little to gain in Enduro or DH. Simply ask yourself a question, why did Richie dope? What’s in it for him? Because I assure you he is not earning the money worth doing it and none of his sponsors has any incentive to cover it up. If anyone in EWS or DH dopes, the only people for whom it may be lucrative are Gwin, Athertons and Minnaar, because they earn the big bucks, nobody else does. Do they dope? I don’t know and I don’t care. They all entertain me. This is what these people actually get paid for, being entertainers. Also please don’t forget that doping costs. Legit methods cost enough already. Do you have any idea how much an altitude training simulation costs?

The fairness of the show is a variable to be dealt with but it is one of many. If somebody wants to experience genuine fairness, huh... tough one - not in sports. Prople will find a way to cheat in anything no matter whether it is, curling, chess or fellatio crossfit

 @jzPV: Why are you insisting he is "awfully sure that this was a deliberate action"? I don't think he ever said that, but rather rightly pointed out that all we really KNOW is that they tested positive and accepted the result before proceeding to say the same thing every other athlete said in the same situation. Period.

Now it obviously needs to be investigated further and all sides need a chance to speak up before a verdict is reached, but you have to admit that EWS officials pretending nothing happened looks strange in the context of that original manifesto and of the fact that the use of PEDs is beyond doubt (only the wilfulness is being questioned).

You say "How about waiting until an official verdict is released", but that's not what PB (the largest mtb site in the world ffs!) did. Instead, PB published what the defense lawyers told them to publish as a pre-emptive move before the testing agency even had a chance to release a statement that someone tested positive. I couldn't believe my eyes that at first the readers praised PB for 'an honest, detailed report', when it was anything but. PB gave Rude and Graves a head start, asked exactly the questions their lawyers wanted to be asked and then went silent. Can you remember PB giving a voice to the other side? Because I don't. Keeping their finger on the pulse, reminding the EWS it has been a while and asking for updates, asking what their take is on Rude racing this season, asking about new anti-doping measures in place this season, trying to get a statement from the testing agency etc.? No. Here in the world of PB, Nothing. Ever. Happened. Keep scrolling, nothing to see here.

 @xphysnerd: me either, fair enough.

 @bananowy: Jesus, you have some issues man. PB did the best coverage of the story out there and possibly the best piece of journalism they have ever made. What other side of the story do you want to hear? Who is on the other side? Folks like you. Lawyers?! Really? Do you race? Did Richie rob you of your money? Do yourself a favor and ask yourself a question what’s in it for you? Because literally nobody else but you gives a sht about you looking for some truth, that very few care about. A few Richies competitors said they doubt if it was intended and they (the Only people who are on position to care) want to wait for official results. If you expect any more honesty than how this case has been handled so far, please give me an example of a clean trial because all I can see is a confused dude setting up standards for others, that he has never came close to live up to. So chilax

 @WAKIdesigns: "But when it comes to “intended malice” I doubt there is any in what Richie and Jared did, because there is very little to gain in Enduro or DH. Simply ask yourself a question, why did Richie dope? What’s in it for him?"

Winning. Dude, you're coming across very naive right now. You know some of the rifest hotspots of doping in cycling right now? Amateur Gran Fondos and Masters road racing, where the direct financial rewards are zero. There is literally nothing in it for those guys but prestige yet they're on more gear than Pantani in '99.

The idea that only sportspeople on megabucks will dope is utterly insane - as you recognise in your last paragraph, contradicting everything you wrote before it

 @wingguy: you forgot about the risk in risk vs reward equation. People doing grand fondos risk almost nothing. Richie risks everything. Also if everyone is doing it why do you care? What fairness are you after then? Who’s naive?

 @WAKIdesigns: Just like with every other non-megabucks pro sportsperson who dopes. He may be risking everything he has now, but everything he has now is a result of being extremely successful at a brutally hard physical sport. If he was intentionally doping, maybe it's because he felt it helped him gain that success in the first place - again, just like every other non-megabucks sportsperson who dopes. Of which there are many.

As to your second question, now you're making assumptions. You're not responding to what I've written, you're responding to what you think I think. I'm not making any judgements on Richie, I'm only in this thread to respond to your ugly and poisonous judgmental attitude against everyone else.

 @wingguy: ok ok I back off sorry... you are right I am an ahole here...

 @WAKIdesigns: To add another perspective concerning risk vs. reward -it has also been said the risk of getting caught was pretty low in the past due to lack of serious controls.

 @WAKIdesigns: not sure how to respond when you start with 'you have some issues' and proceed to ask a bunch of personal and totally irrelevant questions. It seems like you're really angry but that's your problem, not mine.

Why are you so surprised I mentioned the lawyer who was literally the guy answering questions for both racers?

Glad you mentioned this though: "they want to wait for official results". Isn't that exactly what I said and what PB didn't do when they could (and possibly should, I don't know) have?

 Definitely helps. I think that TRT has made me a much stronger rider, and I recommend it to anyone with low T

 Ah what's a bit of doping among friends...

 I'm more worried about Randy...

 @ratedgg13: Randy is doing good over at Transition bikes, There is a party in the woods over there, and he was seen sending it.

 samdra tiene el culito negro

 By the time it’s announced I’m guessing the bans be back dated and under a year, so no races missed?

 So there’s Rude with a confirmed positive result and a french master rumored to have been tested positive for a masking agent. With Graves out, who is the third?

 @Gamsjaga: if the French you mention is Karim, this stuff is 10 years old or more now. He paid! Next!

 @Clem-mk: according to the rules of EWS he cannot participate to EWS races.

 @Clem-mk: Why do you mention K.A.? As far as I know the name of said racer was never made public.
And yes according to EWS rules anyone proved to be involved in doping should not be allowed to start.
Nonetheless I’m still interested who the three are.

 Never was, just words on paper

 "Curtis Keene is off the team but will apparently take on a new role at Specialized that will be announced soon"

 @zzzogas413: l: He akways looked suspicious to work at big S...

 Shit... is that confirmed? Didn’t realise they were on the “List” of cheaters....

 Yoann is working for SRAM but racing all the EWS events

www.instagram.com/srammtb/p/BuojALonlkU/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=gh74r34dmsdi

 He seems to be spending a lot of time nude lately. I wouldn't be surprised if there is more money to be had in male vegan porn than MTB racing these days.

 @H3RESQ:
such an underrated post

 @TPLRacing: Interesting. I wonder if he did this because he has lost his passion for racing, doesn't feel competitive, or feels it's a safer bet with a kid around.

 @H3RESQ: If it weren't for my cheese addiction and 'stage fright' I'd be minted.

 I believe still with Alchemy alchemybicycles.com/cody

 @Naturel: Yeah, IDK about Alchemy. If I were him I'd try to get on with the other Denver based carbon bike manufacturer. Just stopped by GG this morning to check out a Smash in person, so sick!

 JC is brand ambassador\trip videos for 2 years now (at least)

 Riding for Peugeot!

 Still with them, just not racing.

 @H3RESQ: sounds exactly like my situation - still with them, just not racing....except I'm not on a Specialized.

 Either double lens or cut out/ remove the foam at the top to allow better flow of the air into them

 Big jumps which most men avoid

 Cedric Gracia left Santa Cruz and has yet to release news of what he has in store for the future. I think he is involved in a new bike company.

 @tacklingdummy: his body is battled. Now follow his own business, not sure in the bike industry though

 @Clem-mk: I think he has put some backing into Production Privee in the past, maybe that is the way he is heading. He seems to be hitting the gym more on his social media accounts though ;-)