I just read this.

As much as I am rooting for the so called "Good Guys" to catch the cheaters, I really have to step back and wonder about the ethics of the so called good guys from the head, people like Dick Pound, to the USADA lawyers, to the French lab.

Is the task so hard that anything less than questionable tactics are ineffective? Maybe this whole business needs to be rethought.

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Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
GET OFF THE F*%KING WALL!!!!!!! (Doug Stern)
Brevity is the soul of wit. (William Shakespeare)

This whole thing is a joke. I was shocked when I read that article. It doesn't surprise me though

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"This wheel definitely beat the 808 in this test, no question, and I do commend Hed on producing a really fast wheel...the wheel is fast, I am not disputing that." - joshatzipp on the Stinger 9
My Website
HEDmafia.com

Crazy.

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"Lemond is cycling's version of Rev Jessie Jackson." -johnnyperu 5/18/07
"Just because I suck doesn't mean my bike has to" -rickn 9/2/08

"I was shocked when I read that article. It doesn't surprise me though"

That's a funny statement. ;-)

Didn't we just hear that there were no breaks for Basso? Wasn't, "the minimum is the minimum"?

Well, if they didn't make the offer, the USADA has a good case of slander. So I'm guessing they did make the offer.

USADA= U SUCK AT DETECTIVE ACTIVITIES

I heard they offered to let him off entirely if he gives up who actually shot JFK.

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"People think it must be fun to be a super genius, but they don't realize how hard it is to put up with all the idiots in the world."

Yogi? Berra? Holy Sh!t! Is that you?

Maybe this whole business needs to be rethought.

Maybe?

The whole thing is a sick joke. A very unfunny one at that.

That's awesome. This whole business is descending more and more into the theater of the absurd. I have no feeling for or against Landis, but it's becoming clear that the "authorities" are just as underhanded as the "criminals".

-Colin

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Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Yeah, Landis said it so I guess it must be true. After all, he has been a tower of credibility...


Cheers,
malte

this is an accusation from a desperate guy who is about to lose everything, who has changed his story several times, who won't challenge his drug finding on science, is pimping lance's name then immediately hedges his statement about it and will not allow usda to respond to his claim...classic

This is a lame story. WADA has used this tactic before for athletes who provide assistance in investigations. It's not new news except that Landis specifically names Armstrong as the target of the offer.

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Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

Dick Pound...man that name cracks me up everytime. How many hours do you reckon that dude spent stuffed in a locker trying to pull a wedgie out of his ass?

I note that one man's name always seem to make it into the most controversial aspects of any doping case - Dick Pound.

After Canadian Nordic Skier Beckie Scott was robbed of a Gold Medal a few years ago by two drug cheats and, had the audacity and bravity to speak out and tell the truth, that Nordic Skiing had a serious drug problem, it was Pound who told Scott to basically, go away and shut up! It's concering, that this man is in charge of the most influencial and important drug testing agency in the world - WADA

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Is that an exact quote?

Do you have a reference?

Vitus,

I love your sig line. Best commercial on TV!

But you're wrong about JFK. He has to tell them where Jimmy Hoffa is buried.

.

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Bob C.

The "science" on any matter can never be settled until every possible variable is taken into account.

Dick Pound - everyone thinks it, I am going to say it:

One of the best pron names ever!

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Toronto Retailer and Fitter

hellovelo.ca

Not an exact quote, but it's pretty close. I will go and make the edit in my first post for clarity sake.

There was never any apology from Pound after this, not even when the two Russion women who finished ahead of Scott where finally tossed out of the sport and banned for life and Scott was after-the-fact awarded the Gold Medal. The frustrating thing was that Scott and to fight against the IOC, WADA and Dick Pound every step of the way to move on this. Shouldn't it have been the other way around!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

this is an accusation from a desperate guy who is about to lose everything, who has changed his story several times, who won't challenge his drug finding on science, is pimping lance's name then immediately hedges his statement about it and will not allow usda to respond to his claim...classic

From the ESPN article:

Contacted by ESPN.com, Tygart repeated his boilerplate response to all inquiries about the case, albeit with some anger in his voice. "If Mr. Landis wants to waive the rule and allow USADA to comment, I will be more than happy to comment on his nonsense," the lawyer said.


I find it kind of ironic that in this particular case, just about all the sensitive information regarding Landis' test results was made public long before they was suppose to be (albeit not by USADA), but yet here is USADA toeing the line of propriety, oh so carefully. Of course this is on top of the bit about the WADA code that says it is okay to trade reduced sentences for information in general, but does not allow for specific head hunting.

Testing labs do not follow the rules. Doping agencies don't follow the rules. Athletes are pronounced guilty immediately and irrevocably after test results are printed out by the instruments. Formal hearings appear to be only a stamp of finality, certainly not a hearing in any true sense of the word.

In specific response to Kiri, I would also add that Landis's lawyer made the same comments regarding the USADA offer, and that contrary to not challenging the science, the Landis camp has issued a number of statements that challenged the accuracy and science of the testing lab.

Lastly, you paint the accused as desperate. However, if I were in those shoes, and I knew I was innocent, you would be seeing a response that would make your desperate characterization pale by comparison. I tend to get very emotional when wrongly attacked. I would consider Landis's response as rather professional and mature.

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Behold the turtle! He makes progess only when he sticks his neck out. (James Bryant Conant)
GET OFF THE F*%KING WALL!!!!!!! (Doug Stern)
Brevity is the soul of wit. (William Shakespeare)

Quote
"I find it kind of ironic that in this particular case, just about all the sensitive information regarding Landis' test results was made public long before they was suppose to be (albeit not by USADA), but yet here is USADA toeing the line of propriety"

How is it Ironic if they (USADA) have acted properly as you have admitted that they continue to act properly. Also if I recall wasn't it Phonak who admitted that the rider who had failed the test was Landis?

I have no doubt that Landis would portay himself whichever way he thinks will get him most public sympathy however the fact still remains that his blood produced adverse findings.

How come if you are so unsure about the WADA and the testing procedures there aren't similair howls of protest when a european pro gets caught?

One thing that has been pointed out before and may bear repeating is that the disputed results are not for EPO, stimulants, or some other substance that may have actually improved his performance (it gets a bit annoying to keep reading articles talking about Landis's 'doping' test). The results are for testosterone, which repeated studies have shown has no discernible short-term effect on endurance. There have been claims made previously that some sort of testosterone 'patch' the night before could have given him a temporary boost. But, given the very dubious scientific support for that (note that actual claimed testosterone levels in the disputed test weren't that high), and the knowledge that testing was being regularly performed for substances including testosterone, such an approach defies common sense. I think Landis won it fair and square and he's getting royally screwed.

Testosterone aids recovery, which during a 3 week stage race is one of the key factors in deciding who wins.

If he is getting 'royally screwed' why did his blood come up with adverse findings? Or do you subscribe to the view that this is all some conspiracy and his blood was tampered with and he would never cheat because.............?