Vlad Dascalu Gets 17 Month Suspension for Anti-Doping Whereabouts Rule Violations

 Must be run by a bunch of Karens.

 That's probably the best way I've ever heard the UCI described before.

 Vlad, where are you? Where are you? Where are you? Nevermind Vlad...

 @Theysayivebeentheone: Didn't knew Ulloa was suspended. I was wondering where he had disappeared.

I don't think it is BS. These are the rules, they are quite simple and they know them perfectly. It is like being caught speeding while driving. Only the one who choose to not abide to the rules get caught speeding

 I mean, do I hate the UCI? Yes. But we do need drug testing to at least TRY to keep the sport clean, and if someone keeps dodging the testers, there has to be consequences. Right?

 @opignonlibre: Little different than getting a speeding ticket while driving. 2x Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard incurred an infraction because he left his phone in the kitchen and had a broken doorbell. www.cyclingnews.com/news/jonas-vingegaard-reveals-details-of-single-missed-anti-doping-test

He undersells it when he says it's "a bit of a hassle." I forget the podcast I heard it on, but journalist Abby Mickey, wife of Toms Skuijns, had some crazy stories about how they've had to bend way over backwards to accommodate out-of-competition anti-doping tests. Stuff like getting an anti-doping call while waiting to board a plane, forcing them to miss the flight to go back home to pee in a cup.

I'm not saying out-of-competition doping tests shouldn't happen or even suggesting that there's a better way to do them. Just saying that, the way it's currently set up, it seems well within the realm of plausible for Vlad to have incurred this infraction simply by doing everything right, living his life, and being a bit unlucky.

 @Sn0rk: An athlete gets contacted in case of a whereabouts failure and can contest it eventually. If there's a plausible excuse, then it can be revoked.
They obviously know that it's not possible to provide 3 months in advance with precise location so it needs to be fulfilled to the best of the athlete knowledge. In some cases those details are available quite in advanced, such as competition schedules, flights, team training camps, and also can be delegated to a third party, like a coach, team manager, etc.
The whereabouts can be updated in case of changes, and it's only necessary to be available at least 1hr per day in said location, although that doesn't mean the athlete will only be tested during that time.
It's not such an inflexible system. To miss it twice, you can be sure that you're now being targeted, missing it a third time it's either IQ failure or intentional negligence.

 @Sn0rk: I'm not sure what a fair penalty would be. However, After 'waterbottle-gate' I thought it was pretty clear we like keeping drugs out of MTB. And given that its literally his job (unlike the rest of us where its a hobby/passion) where one of the basic things he has to do is to show up (or text to say his plans have changed), to do some testing, missing 3/4 annual tests seems pretty inexcusable to me.

 @dick-pound: And Dick Pound would know these things, too.

 @SeaHag: I think most of us will have quite a good idea where they will be every day at least for some considerable time over the next 3 months. I will be at home or at work. As mentioned in this thread often enough, you don’t have to state every minute. If this ban is due to late reporting then I partially blame the team manager. Their job to make sure these reports are handed in. Especially if your athlete is already on two violations.

 @SeaHag: if all the other 999 pro cyclist "who are part of the UCI Out-of-Competition Testing Program" are able to make the tests and he miss 3 probably he is not so innocent!

 @mitochris: I was under the impression that this UCI doping policy was like the one the UFC just dropped; where you had no idea when they will show up, could be 6am or midnight and you better be ready. If you submit a schedule where you only have to account for part of your day (ie work hours) or something you can definitely plan for without giving up control of your life, OK then. To have to account for your whole days schedule months in advance though would be a deal breaker IMO. I can't plan more than a couple weeks ahead without something coming up to throw those plans off.

 @SeaHag: To clear some things up: They always have to say where they will spend the night and they have to give a place where they can be reached for one hour for each day. If they're not there during that hour, they get a "miss". They can also spontaneously change their sleeping-location. If I decide "ouh hey, I guess I'll sleep at my buddy John's place tonight" you can do that. You'd just better change that information as soon as you've made that decision.
There is propably also some kind of limit where you can't change the place/time where you're reachable for one hour one minute before, but I don't know how that works.
Hope that helped
Source: "Plan Z" podcast by Ex-Pro-Cyclist Rick Zabel

 @occasionalcross: So what ? Jonas Vingegaard had one infraction, which was not penalized = system is working. A single mistake just gives you a warning. It is one thing to use a joker because of a mistake, it is another to have done it twice already, be warned of the consequences and keep doing it.

>"wife of Toms Skuijns, had some crazy stories about how they've had to bend way over backwards to accommodate out-of-competition anti-doping tests. Stuff like getting an anti-doping call while waiting to board a plane, forcing them to miss the flight to go back home to pee in a cup."

-- in that case it means they didn't filled their whereabouts correctly.

Sure it is a hassle. But it is part of the job. It is not exactly on the same scale but I don't like having to think about clocking in and out online when I am working, I don't like filling my timesheets at the end of the week. Heck I don't even like having to tell HR whenever I want to take a day off. I am still doing it. 1000 riders are in this program and do the job because they have to do the job and they are allowed 2 mistakes in a 12 months period without penalties. You can't have a similar system without being harsh on those not taking it seriously. Otherwise it cannot serve its purpose.

> it seems well within the realm of plausible for Vlad to have incurred this infraction simply by doing everything right, living his life, and being a bit unlucky.@occasionalcross: So what ? Jonas Vingegaard had one infraction, which was not penalized = system is working. A single mistake just gives you a warning. It is one thing to use a joker because of a mistake, it is another to have done it twice already, be warned of the consequences and keep doing it.

>"wife of Toms Skuijns, had some crazy stories about how they've had to bend way over backwards to accommodate out-of-competition anti-doping tests. Stuff like getting an anti-doping call while waiting to board a plane, forcing them to miss the flight to go back home to pee in a cup."

-- in that case it means they didn't filled their whereabouts correctly.

Sure it is a hassle. But it is part of the job. It is not exactly on the same scale but I don't like having to think about clocking in and out online when I am working, I don't like filling my timesheets at the end of the week. Heck I don't even like having to tell HR whenever I want to take a day off. I am still doing it. 1000 riders are in this program and do the job because they have to do the job and they are allowed 2 mistakes in a 12 months period without penalties. You can't have a similar system without being harsh on those not taking it seriously. Otherwise it cannot serve its purpose.

> it seems well within the realm of plausible for Vlad to have incurred this infraction simply by doing everything right, living his life, and being a bit unlucky.

I am not buying it. After 2 infractions one would be extra extra cautious about it. As mentionned, they can do late submissions by sms or email if they have changes of plans. It is pretty much real time.

 @opignonlibre: not exactly, look to martin maes, he was suspended after he took an antibiotic prescribed by doctors for an infection he had. He was told it was not a banned substance and he needed it to make sure the infection didn't get worse.

 @SendItEveryday: Completely different type of violation. No relevance to the whereabouts systems being discussed here.

 @SendItEveryday: You're mis-remembering the Martin Maes situation.

He needed the antibiotic, but had no way at the time to check or know if it was on the WADA list.

There is an interview about this here: www.pinkbike.com/news/interview-martin-maes-ews-failed-drug-test-im-not-guilty-i-just-made-a-stupid-mistake.html

 @SendItEveryday: Has nothing to do with Martin Maes.
Martin's error most probably would have been avoided by filing for a TUE before the Oceania EWS rounds. He tried to do so retrospectively but was not accepted.
The substance found in Martin is not a PED but a diuretic, which means it helps you increase urinary excretion thus helping dilute and getting rid of other substances faster or making them untraceable during doping controls.
Lizzy Banks explains it very well in her blog:
lizzybanks.co.uk

extract from her article:
"Diuretics are banned because they have the potential to act as a masking agent for performance enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids. This masking effect could only occur when a large enough quantity of a diuretic has been consumed in order to greatly increase the amount of urine produced, therefore diluting the concentration of the banned substance in the urine"

 @lejake: Actually that isnt completely right. You need to give 24-hours notice in the whereabouts app as the testing company doesnt get real time updates. So you need to know where you will be 24 hours in advance at the latest. Otherwise the testing person will show up even though you had updated the whereabouts app that morning.

 @ratedgg13: nothing to do with UCI it’s WADA and it’s in their contract. He is an absolute idiot or a cheater. After 2strikes he should have sorted himself out. He should be banned for life or in our world Fired for not following the corporate rules of employment. lol

 @dick-pound: agreed mate

 @Supermoo: aah, ok, thank you!

 Romanian Cycling Federation claims that Vlad took 20 anti-doping tests between his 1st and 3rd warning. He did not fail a single one. The whereabout system penalties seem a little harsh, considering this extra bit of information. Begs the question, why this context is not considered as circumstancial evidence in favor of the athlete.

 @lys3rg0: They are harsh because in-competition testing is basically IQ test, if somebody is stupid enough to take PEDs before a race, they'll most probably get caught.
All the gains in doping are done during the off season, that's how you can get to the next level. Using PED during competition would make a marginal difference, which if you're fighting head to head for the win, it will surely help but won't transform you into the Hulk.
That's why they have the out-of-competition testing program and they are so harsh when somebody misses a test or say they'll be in A and then they are in B.

 Gold!

 And just imagine if he'd been blood doping

 Vlad the whereabouts failure Vlad the drugs test derailer Glad escapes Wada jailer

 It is amazing how many asthmatics become world class endurance athletes.....

 @chakaping: bloody Vlady ??

 Thank you so much for this gem.

 Naughty naughty...

 I gotta start using that at work...

 It makes it sound like professional cyclists are perpetually on parole.

 "To lose 17 months while he's clearly in the prime of his career...devastating." Those are the consequences of missing the tests though. He knew that. He should have been more careful, and kept on top of the admin side of things. It doesn't take much effort to keep your whereabouts up to date (I'm a former testing pool athlete).

Yes it's harsh, but it's deliberately harsh to discourage others from abusing the system.

 @BitsNBobs: I 100 % agree! The rules are there for a reason and need to be inforced. I just really enjoy seeing him race and I think 17 Months is a really long time

 @BitsNBobs: honestly his team should be on top of this. I know xco isn’t exactly MLB but he should have representation in the form of a trek factory racing rep, a coach, or an agent who is helping him handle this so he can focus on training and winning races. If an athlete in any other sport was suspended due to a whereabouts violation there would be some serious questions about his or her camp.

 It's way more than "forgetting to update your location". He knew (should have known, thousands of other athletes manage to do it) about the tests, just had to commit an hour to the process each quarter, and missed that _three_ times.

No idea where the 17 months comes from, maybe some kind of relation between the last good test and the half-life of tested substances.

 @gmiller720: Without having read the full reasoned decision there's no evidence he wasn't where his whereabouts said he was, and he simply missed the testers, or if it contained inaccurate information. And not to throw shade, but in pro sports you need to actively prove you're not taking anything illicit. Missed tests are missed chances prove one's innocence as much (or more) as they are lost opportunities to catch cheaters. And if I remember correctly (It's been almost 2 decades) the athlete is the one responsible for keeping track of this stuff.

I know people think it's harsh, but missed tests have to be taken seriously to maintain the credibility of the sport.

 @BitsNBobs: of course the athlete is ultimately responsible for it. I’m just saying that his team should have provisions in place to help make sure their athletes aren’t being suspended for whereabouts violations. If he’s clean and missing 3 tests a year, there’s probably some just cause to look around at the people in his camp and why someone isn’t helping out with his calendar and admin stuff, especially after the first and second violations. It even says “please make sure information entered by your team is accurate.” Also, to borrow to your phrase, not to throw shade, but it all contributes to the “where there’s smoke there’s fire” sentiment.

 Elite athletes know what they have to do to comply with anti-doping protocols, whether they're professional or not. Everyone else seems to be able to manage it. That's all that needs to be said.

 @gmiller720: thats a wild statement when you likely have little to no info on what happened, when it happened, why, who, or anything else.
Maybe his "camp" did everything for him, and he simply didnt follow the rules, maybe hes doping, and screwed up his cycle, maybe.....loads of possibilities, that we know nothing about, but go on, condemn those around him, and not the man who is ultimately responsible

 @onawalk: this whole comment section is wild statements made by people who have little to no info on what happened. It’s the internet man.
Professional athletes should have a team around them to help manage things like this. Almost all of them do, certainly more so in the sports where there’s more money involved.
I also said “if he’s clean” which could also be taken as a condemnation of him without knowing all the facts.

 @gmiller720: Vlad's a grown-up, probably working for Trek as an independent contractor and while the team bears some of the consequences of these violations the majority fall on his shoulders as the responsibility is his alone. It should have been front and centre in his mind to get the basics done on time, especially as it happened more than once. His team are not required to ensure his whereabouts are filled out or up to date, and it would be onerous and damaging to their relationship if they were to treat their athletes as children and insist on verifying it for themselves. Of course, Vlad could have someone do it for him but that's on him again for not keeping on top of things and checking it's submitted on time and in full.

I re-read the article this morning (obviously misread the details the first time) and I would say I'm leaning more towards deliberate and nefarious. This wasn't a case of being somewhere other than where he said he would be. This is a case of keeping the authorities (and possibly his team) in the dark, having already received 2 warnings, and knowingly committing the same infraction again.

I'd also suggest reading about Lizzie Banks experiences following her anti-doping violation too. The people at WADA love their red tape, so athletes are very well served just keeping their paperwork in check.

 So basically It is a harsher sanction for him than for the misplaced water bottle affair. RR only had 6 months of suspension during off season

 Maybe he's got ADHD and can't keep up with administrative stuff.

 @BitsNBobs: Makes me curious as to his thinking here. If, as we're kinda led to believe, there was intent behind dodging the testing, why would he risk the consequences of the violation? It's hard not to think it's to avoid an even longer ban for whatever would be picked up by the testing...

 RexRacer's perspective is interesting and novel : www.mtbr.com/threads/2024-world-cup-xcc-xco.1225824/page-69?post_id=16239798#post-16239798

We are of course all just speculating - but some time people do stupid stuff cause they are incompetent, sometime cause they try to cover up greater transgressions but sometime it's just a way out of whatever hamster-wheel they feel trapped in..

 @gmiller720: Ahh the old "if all your friends jumped off a bridge" situation...
Hes a RedBull athlete, why on earth would you make the assumption he doesnt have that support available to him.
If he was a privateer, sure, maybe, hes a top 10 XC athlete, to think, or assume he doesnt have that support seems short sighted at best

 @Whipperman: RR collaborated with Jared to throw RynoPower under the bus and claimed their supplements were contaminated. He got away with it but I hope his sponsors took note.
@Will-narayan: That's a possibility, but also a massive stretch. I doubt it would excuse his actions either.
@sourmix: He's competed and won races during the 12 months in question, so he would have been tested as a matter of course. But what he was up to in between races now comes under scrutiny and subject to speculation. I wonder what details his appeal will reveal, if he appeals at all.

 Everyone EXCEPT for ME and that's why I can never win my local races!

 I completely agree. Doping in pro sports is far more prevalent that most people realise or are willing to admit. Personally, I find it far better now that I've taken the red pill. My bubble was burst after the Armstrong era.

 @90sMTBEnjoyer: just open your eyes champ.

 @Goose76: What's the evidence that mvdp is not clean? Anybody paying attention knew Lance was cheating.

 @hohmskullkrishten: the era has been going for 45 years. Time and time again, "we're moving to a new clean era", when in the future it's proven it was backed by PEDs. I've stopped drinking kool-aid and I'm much better for it.

 @Goose76: There will always be cheaters but it's not systematic like it used to be in the 90's. Not even close. It's simply to difficult to get away with it now with the testing. Still waiting for you to provide one ounce of evidence mvdp is doping. You got nothing, right?

 @hohmskullkrishten: I must have hit a nerve with a MVDP fan boy. I never specifically accused MVDP of anything. You know the peleton was doping during the 2000's don't you? What my posts are saying is that I don't believe extraordinary performances in professional sports are clean, I also think the prevalence is still very high. To think it's too hard to get away with doping due to testing is naive. Have you seen Icarus? There are also peptides these days as well which don't show up like exogenous testosterone etc. Doping control remains behind the dopers. I watch professional level sports through different eyes these days, I still enjoy the sports but see them differently. Next freak show will be the Olympics, can't wait.

 @Goose76: I didn't say the peleton wasn't doping in the 2000's because during that decade systematic doping ended with the demise of several teams and with many sponsors leaving.

That's a great movie and I believe it. Russia also was banned from the past Olympics because of systematic doping.. something that I don't believe exists in bike racing anymore and which you have provided exactly zero evidence of.

Not a mvdp fan at all, just used him as an example because he's the most dominant racer in awhile. And you got nothing on him, not even a rumor or conspiracy?

I totally get that you are a skeptic but your own words completely imply that mvdp is doping without providing one shred of evidence that he is. His performances in the last year have have been absolutely extraordinary.

 @hohmskullkrishten: I don't believe in the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, Santa or clean professional sports.

 @Goose76: "clean" is a very nuanced word. every method or substance that don't get the WADA alarms ringing is not doping. until a rider gets positive we can point the finger as much as we like, but it's useless

 @pastronef: we can have different viewpoints and that's okay. I remain sceptical these days of extraordinary performances, and that's based on history from global sports, in particular road cycling and athletics.

I'm certainly not going to gush over unbelievable performances just because someone hasn't tested positive.

In the meantime, I look forward to the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m running races. They will deliver super human performances, it's going to be great.

 @Goose76: sounds like you're putting your tail between your legs and running away because you no longer have any facts to support your argument, coward. Why don't you have the guts to actually say mvdp is cheating?

Because you have no proof or facts to support your argument.

But you pretend to know it all.

That seems like the definition of a conspiracy theorist coward, would you not agree?

 @hohmskullkrishten: hahaha, nice comment mate. History is on my side and I'll see what the future unveils.

I'm having a debate about doping with someone who's stated "it's simply to difficult to get away with it now with the testing". You've taken the blue pill and I've taken the red pill.

 @Goose76: if history was on your side lance would still have his seven tour de France titles and Russia would have participated in the last Olympics. History is actually on my side.

You've taken the easy cynical nihilistic route of thinking, conspiracies offer uneducated people an easy way to understand complicated issues.
And you are a complete coward for implying mvdp dopes but not having the guts to actually say it. You disrespect clean athletes and attempt to compromise their achievements, coward.

And Nate Diaz is a concussed dumbass who knows nothing about sports outside of his idiot world of MMA fighting.

 @hohmskullkrishten: Are you okay?

 @Goose76: Was looking forward to response to this:

And you are a complete coward for implying mvdp dopes but not having the guts to actually say it. You disrespect clean athletes and attempt to compromise their achievements, coward

 In theory it's up to the athlete to consent of the notification in case of a whereabouts failure to their team, however I can't know if there are contractual obligations as part of the Trek XC team where the athlete should consent such notifications.

 Technically he didnt miss three tests - he missed three reports of his whereabouts - but not reporting your whereabouts is taken to be avoiding tests. Trek as a big global team should be on top of this for him but they can only be on top of it if he isnt dodging them also. Or at least that is my understanding of the rules. Shame on him and shame for him - I always enjoy doing a little Count Dracula laugh whenever they say his name during a race.

 Trek have always been very good when it comes to anti-doping protocols….

 @RHSGuy: lol. Throwback to Lance

 It's not football, rugby, or cricket where they tend to do everything for their players.........Cycling is pretty poor for their riders, who are often left on their own, be it training, or injuries, etc Cycling is still pretty amateur - and Trek should have been far more proactive towards him - however, he's still got to be responsible for his own career.

 BMX background always beneficial

 Comments from the organizers of the race in short:

- challenging 2 day amateur race with ages ranging from 16 to 60+
- typical cut off time is between 5 to 7 minutes
- even before the finish line, if you are outside a certain corridor (roads are being opened up behind the support vehicles) you are out of the race
- typically only 33% to 50% finish the race in time
- this year the race was finished in the shortest time ever with a cut off time of only 2:30 min
- only 52 riders were able to finish in time which is in line with previous iterations of the race when there were no drug tests

elperiodicodevillena.com/comunicado-de-la-organizacion-del-torneo-interclubs-vinalopo-de-ciclismo

While there is no proof that noone left the race due to the possibility of a drug test, there is a difference between not being fast enough to finish in time and deliberately quitting.

 And he missed three tests in a year. At least 1000 other cyclists have no issue adhering to this.

 @pisgahgnar: Agreed

 It's like full suspension,but without a bike.

 @nozes: he was high…pivot.

 Exactly, it's like getting pulled over drunk and then being mad that they arrested you for opting to not take the breathalyzer.

 It's it sadder that you're quoting Gravity's Rainbow, or that I recognised the text?

 I both loved and hated that book.

 “Truly you have a staggering intellect”.
“You haven’t heard anything yet. Wait until I really get going”

I love a good job of b**l s**t. You nailed it.

 18 months is not ruining a career. These kinds of penalties must harsh or on par with being caught with a conclusive performance enhancing substance otherwise dopers would gamble on that and risk getting smaller suspension in order to not get caught cheating with actual PED use.

Flückiger's case was different as it was "provisionally" suspended before beging judged and he then made his case and got the suspension lifted after expertise . In Dascalu's case it is not a provisionnal suspension but a definitive one, he probably had a chance to defend his case.

 Johnson didn't compete since the third failed whereabouts?

Dascalu raced European Champs just over a week ago, so the suspension runs from (close) to then.

 Just watch road cycling. Current Giro is a great example.

 Haha! Love the blunt sarcasm. There is some truth to this. I personally know 2 high level ex Tour riders and they both say no one is truly clean in pro road cycling. We will all know it has actually happened when the average speed of the Grand Tours actually goes down, not up like it does every year.

 @jtnotsure Wait for The Enhanced Games, which is a sporting contest that won't be drug-tested. An Aussie swimmer said he's going to 'dope to the gills'.

 The UCi and WADA want to know where you are, not because they are your over protective mother, they want to know so they can pop round to administer a test.
You could share your location one day, and then be in another location the next, how would the UCI rep find you? How would they book flights, hotels, etc?

 @onawalk: O I see now ; so riders share timeframe at given location. UCI’s problem to get to athlete. Other than school, vacations, team activities, or other scheduled events, it’s illogical to think riders can know months in advance exact off-season daily life.

 @dwidemanjr: If a rider, or any athlete cant sort that out, thats on them.
tens of thousands of athletes figure it out.
Theres a possibility that most are uninformed on the daily life, and sacrifices of Olympic/high performace level athletes.
They eat/sleep/breathe training for this for most of their life, if they cant commit to it, well that life isnt for them. they have a choice to decide if that life is what they want t be the very best in the world.

 @dwidemanjr: It's not locked in. Athletes have to submit a plan in advance, and then the system allows them to submit changes/updates as needed.

 It is a little crazy and I have seen it in action first hand. You basically have to put in all your events, with all your travel days 3-months in advance. Then you also put in the time of day you will be out training. This leaves you the rest of all those non-racing days and non-training hours to 'be available' within 30-minutes. If you are not there in that 30-minutes, you get a miss. Sometimes the tester will come meet you partway if they are nice but you have to still get to them in that time slot - 30 minutes. Insane. You cannot just put in a new whereabout and if they show up at your place that same day, and you arent there, that doesnt work either. The WhereAbout app needs to be updated 24-hours before the tester was scheduled to show up. Have seen this first hand. The testing team gets their schedule for tomorrow today. So if you change or add a new entry, they might not have it on their schedule for testing on that day. It is pretty over the top.

 @Supermoo: "This leaves you the rest of all those non-racing days and non-training hours to 'be available' within 30-minutes"
I've always knew riders chose 1 hour time slot every day, and most of them chose the 6/7 am time slot. you don't have to be available always

 @pastronef: you dont get to chose a 1 hour time slot. I can tell you first hand.

 @Supermoo: WRONG

 @Supermoo: I've always read the riders update their ADAMs and chose 1 hour time slot they are available every day (that's usually at 6/7 am). reading some of the stories about testers arriving at restaurants and airports then makes me wonder, and your first hand example too. also, during the covid lockdown in Spain some testers knocked on an American rider's door in Girona while he already travelled back home in the USA (it means sometimes the testers can fck up too)

 @Supermoo: You absolutely do!! If testers come outside your slot and you're not available it will not be a violation. If they show up and find you - yes, you have to do the test. But you 100% choose your own slot. If you are smart you set your time slot early in the morning. That way you you avoid complicating it for yourself. If you're an atlete in prioritized test pool you need to read up on the rules. It's actually your responsibility. The whereabouts system normalized the blood values of pro cyclists massively since its introduction. The reason for it's existence lies with earlier generations. They are at fault, not the current system. And one could argue that it's a small effort for a sport which is cleaner than it was in the 00's and 90's. And any pro rider (or their wifes) arguing that it's disturbing their life simply comes across as ignorant and entitled

 It's quite simple: you have to enter an address and one hour time slot where you will be available for testing. You do this quarterly. You can change the slot and address up until a couple of hours before the one you set. So you can change your whereabouts as much as you like. Purely speculative but changing it often last minute could raise suspicion with the testing agencies. If you can't go online to change it you can phone in your changes (or at least you could a few years ago). Testers can show up outside your time slot but if you aren't home/present it will not be a violation. If you are available when they come outside your slot, you do have to hand in a sample.

If collecting blood you will have to be in a seated poition with feet fully on the ground and knees in a 90 degree angle for 10 minutes. This is to "normalize" or rather standardize for plasma volume shifts. Few athletes are aware of this. Testers will ask if you have been to altitude recently, sick or just got home from training. A 2 hour window after training is usually nescessary. So if you're a smart athlete you set your time slot to early in the morning before training. Always setting the same time of day (early morning) will make it less complicated for yourself.
An athlete can be in prioritized testing pool from their international federation and national antidoping agency (e.g. UCI and USADA). Not all national antidoping agencies work with e.g. UCI. So in some cases athletes can experience testers coming at the same day or close to each other from two organizations. In other cases they collaborate in an effort to have more strategic testing. Some athletes are tested a lot others less. It depends onmany factors, including the budget of your national anti-doping agency and their priorities.

I know all this because my fiancee was a professional MTB'er in bothe the UCI and Danish testing pool for 10 years. And I've published scientific litterature on the Athlete Biological Passport. It's not a bullit proof system but it has changed (not limited to but especially) cycling big time. Riders of our time can have a carreer without having to think of doping because of this. But it's rarely recognized and as many posts in this thread shows, many still sees the system as the culprit

 @greatdane77: Thanks for this insight.

 In all honesty it seems like the UCI Anti Doping Tribunal treats the athletes like they are guilty until proven innocent. Even if innocent their careers take a big hit.

 Or you got it from a contaminated steak (Alberto Contador).