Longo case dismissed on a French legal technicality - and life goes on

As I've said recently, she's a remarkable athlete to have maintained such a high standard for so many decades. In many ways the bike lends itself to longevity, so there should be no real surprise there, although 53 would be pushing the upper limit, surely? I'm 54 and - whilst I never reached the highest levels of the sport anyway - I have only been able to maintain perhaps 80% of my admittedly limited "form" at best. Given my crumbling body it's staggering that Longo can still win national titles against younger competitors. Whilst I can imagine luckier, smarter, better and simply more consistent riders than myself still achieving great open and elite results whilst over 50 it can't be easy.

Given the temptation for an aging athlete to 'maintain the rage' as it were it's also no surprise to see accusations and assumptions being made when these tests were missed. And it is good to see due process followed and justice served. So to fall flat on a technicality is both 'just' and disappointing as well. It's a clear result - but one that really doesn't satisfy. But after all these were missed tests, not failed tests. And that's life.  

Jeannie Longo's Doping Charges Dismissed | Cyclingnews.com

AFLD didn't notify Frenchwoman she was still eligible for testing

Jeannie Longo was cleared today of any doping violations regarding three missed out-of-competition anti-doping tests. The disciplinary committee of the French Cycling Federation (FFC) ruled that the 53-year-old Longo, the 1996 Olympic road race gold medalist and 13-time world champion, was no longer on the list of athletes subject to testing by the French anti-doping agency (AFLD), therefore she was not responsible for missing any out-of-competition tests.