Those of you who have followed the Tour de France 2007 know that Alexander Vinokourov got thrown out of the Tour for blood doping (i.e. a post-stage test showed that he had someone else’s blood coursing in his veins). Astana pulled out from the Tour even though there was no evidence (at that time) that the other riders were doing anything so obviously prohibited.

Now it appears that another Astana rider, Andrey Kashechkin, has someone else’s blood in his veins, too. Astana suspended Kashechkin after he tested positive in a blood doping test.

Vinokourov says that there’s no way he got a blood transfusion from someone else during the Tour. He hinted that it must have something to do with his terrible fall (where he was cut badly) during one of the early stages. I wonder what Kashechkin’s excuse will be, or Astana’s for that matter.

Since the excuses are getting more preposterous every time someone gets busted, perhaps they should simply admit that they are vampires who, through some miraculous potion, can tolerate sunlight.