MDcatV

Today was our district championship age graded crit. I was a non descript missed the break 7th place. After it was over, I heard someone official sounding shouting my number and pointing at me. I wondered what I could have done wrong when he told me I had to report to doping control as first, second, and seventh from our race were selected for testing. Since I didn't really know I was seventh, it confirmed my placing.

I was escorted to the control area where they asked for my id. Since I was in a skin suit and my car was a mile or so away, my id was a good distance off. My escort wasn't too keen on the distance so just took a photo of me with my name written on a piece of paper, mug shot style.

There was a bunch of paper work to establish my name, address, doctor, coach, prescription s and otc drugs ive taken, then I had to give a urine specimen with my usada escort watching. Trying to pee after a crit was a challenge.

It was honestly nerve wracking. I know I'm clean, but had to declare a number of allergy and asthma meds I'm prescribed to take. The process for getting results is 10 weeks.

It took about an hour to complete, some of it due to how long it took to provide a specimen but most of it due to paperwork. It's pretty neat to have insight on the process now.

revchuck 

Well, you do look kinda sneaky...

mattm

congrats.

ElJamoquio

Congrats? Good to know they're testing, still must be a PITA to be tested...

tetonrider

glad to know USADA is out there testing local events, even if infrequent.

how long did it take you to get out of there? a friend spent 2+ hours in there when tested a few years back.

i clicked on this thinking it was also gong to be accompanied by a win.

how was it having someone watch the urine exit your body?

spectastic

what if you're pee shy when there's someone standing next to you? and why can't they take blood samples instead of urine samples?

happybday29475

carpediemracing 

I wish I was good enough to get tested.

1st, 2nd, and 7th sounds targeted. I've been on the other side (chaperone only, not the actual peeing part) and it's pretty interesting. The racer I had to chaperone most retired from racing extremely early while racing for Europcar. Another got tested 3? times in I think 3 days, "randomly" selected (but actually not). He was clean according to the tests done at the time (low level tests, no big things like EPO). His coach/director was pretty upset but was nice enough to say to me "I know it's not you but it's a real pain for us each time he gets 'randomly' selected."

MDcatV

The finish places subject to testing were selected before the race ended, I'm told, so not targeted unless usada knew the results ahead of time.

MDcatV

A little over an hour. If I wouldn't have been in post race dehydration I could have peed way more easily.

gsteinb

I'd frequently quip, when they started talking about local testing, that they'd test down at Marlton (NJ) and it would be the last time I raced there as a result. It's a couple of hours, but heading home is into the heart of NJ traffic. I had a vision of one of my teammates, or me getting selected and the long drive home turning epic due to the delay. Flying frying pans ensue in said vision. Welp, they tested there at States last weekend. None of us got selected so I guess my career as Oracle has ended before it got going.

carpediemracing 

Ah, okay. In the tests where I chaperoned the USADA person gave us the numbers after the race, not before. Obviously the winners/leaders were chosen and outside of any kind of targeting controls but the "randoms" were not random.

MDcatV

being that I was 7th, so not the winner or 2nd place, and my racing career has been consistently unspectacular for over a decade, if I was a non-random random then usada would really need to rethink their targeting strategy.

bitingduck

This is my experience with chaperoning, too. They told the chaperones the places just before or during the race.

topflightpro

A couple years ago, I had to take a potential co-worker for his drug test. While I was in the waiting room, a guy walked out, pulled out his phone and ordered an eight ball.

carpediemracing 

I was told to look for a particular bib number.

needmoreair

Seriously? You were actually drug-tested at a state championship?

To be frank, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. What on Earth is the point of trying to bust some weekend warriors doing it as a hobby? What a monumental waste of time, money, and resources.

mike868y

because amateur bike racing as a whole isn't a "monumental waste of time, money, and resources," right?

needmoreair

How does that make sense or relate to anything I've said?

tetonrider

i'm not mike868y, but it seems like he's referring to the level of seriousness cyclists (myself included!) take this sport, which pretty much amounts to beer league softball. we spend lots of mine, train for hours and hours, shape our lives around riding, count calories, etc. even for 'domestic pros', for the most part no one has any clue who they are (true for many international professionals as well).

why not add drug testing to the list?

personally i'm psyched about more frequent testing. i don't/wouldn't mind peeing in a cup at every race, wouldn't mind paying a bit higher entry fees, either. i accept there are dopers and don't get worked up even when they're in my race, but i'd still do what i can to increase the odds of them getting caught.

mattm

As a side-note, do beer league softball players train for hours and hours, shape their lives around softball, count calories, etc??

Caad08

They train by drinking beer

gsteinb

While needmoreair's sentiment resonates with me, it would carry more weight if guys weren't getting caught with regularity. They tested in NY last year, and caught someone. Year before as well. They just tested the NJ state crit a coupla weeks ago. That said, the day I'm late for something because I have to stand around for an extra hour to get tested is the day I'm done.

needmoreair

But how serious people take the sport has nothing to do with wasting resources, money, and time that can be spent WITHIN THAT SPORT in far better areas.

I'm all for testing... when it matters. National championships? NRCs? National team qualifiers? Test the top 5 and another 5 random. Or more! State championships? Who cares?!

Spend that money on junior development or regional development or even local development. Use that money to get rid of that absurd usacycling fee that you have to pay every time you do a race. Use it for clinics and new riders. There are hundreds of better uses than popping some 45 year old who just took some Extendz.

gsteinb

Your argument is disingenuous. Guys are taking the same drugs the euro pros are taking. It's also naive, as many guys who are doping will simply cycle off for nats, or avoid them. Without random testing showing up at some lesser and unexpected race you're not catching anyone.

It's also local associations driving the testing on local levels, often with funding by donation. So they're certainly entitled to raise and spend money as they see fit.