Hondo busted and caught. 2 year suspension, and 2 years without being able to ride in a ProTour team. So essentially a 4 year ban from cycling. He's 31 I think. Career over or what? Is it fair to essentially ban someone for 4 years?

Cyclesport America just did a spread on him in last months Sprinter Special. I was really hoping he would come out from under the shadow of Telecom and present himself as a green jersey contender. Oh well.

2 year suspension, and 2 years without being able to ride in a ProTour team. So essentially a 4 year ban from cycling.

I think this will eventually be overturned. It's stupid to have the Pro Tour ban be longer than the doping penalty. If you want people banned for four years, then make the penalty four years--don't make it two years but, BTW, no one will hire you for another two.

i don't totally agree with the four year ban from the pro tour, but maybe it's like probation."you can race, but only on a continental team." I think there's some merit in that. I could see Hondo coming back for a year or two, he seems like a late bloomer, but its doubtful.

i don't totally agree with the four year ban from the pro tour, but maybe it's like probation."you can race, but only on a continental team." I think there's some merit in that. I could see Hondo coming back for a year or two, he seems like a late bloomer, but its doubtful.

I agree. It gives a racer two years to both get back into pro tour shape, and prove themselves worthy of a pro tour gig. I would also have no problem with a 'second offense, banned for life' clause. And, just to be fair to the riders, I think any company doing drug tests that is shown to have a false positive should be banned from all testing contracts (including current ones) for two years, and be limited to testing for continental teams for another two years. Second offense false positive, baned for life. Seems fair, and any company not DAMN SURE of their technique won't want to test at all, at least for bike racing. They could probably get work testing water samples and calling it drug testing for MLB ;)

Gordon