The problem with "doping" is that everyone gets painted with the same brush.
It's the same in horse racing. Everyone assumes that it is utterly common.
That is the hardest thing to overcome. So then, no matter what, it is hard
to separate the wheat from the chaff.

As far as I can tell, it seems that such drug-assist culture is rife in
*all* sports at the very top level. Just look at the Balco labs case. The
thing with cycling is that I think it's more open about revealing who has
been tested and done e.g. On the Tour, the reports of who had been tested
and whether passed fit to ride were published online. Plus details of drug
raids and whether someone has been found in possession of stuff and/or
failing testing is very widely publisiced. This is not defending it - I
*loathe* cheats - but just my opinion of the current situation in top-level
cycling. Athletics seems to be rife with drug-taking which is not , ahem, as
well publicised as the cycling situation...

His defence is that the tests for that type of blood doping are/were falwed
of themselves and that there is the possibility of him being a chimera in
blood type. Unusual, but medically possible. I do hope Tyler is innocent, as
his efforts in the 2003 TdF are what really hooked Nathan on the cycling.

Cheers, helen s