Was looking at this article on Velonews, it is really tragic for professional cycling that these allegations keep surfacing, even if they are not true, they are still damaging to the image of the sport. If they are ever found to be true then I may just give up on following pro cycling.
http://www.velonews.com/race/int/articles/6257.0.html
Of course we have to remember that American pro sports probably have even bigger drug problems than cycling, they just keep them out of sight.
KR
Innocent until proven guilty, but it does smell quite fishy. You want to learn what is really happening (drug-wise) in the peloton? Two books:
“A rough ride” --Paul Kimmage
“Breaking the chain” (dont recall the writer)
Both easy to find. Prepare for your eyes to pop out of your head.
More here: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2004/jun04/jun14news
Well, there’s no doubt they planned the timing of the book release. Now, instead of the focus being on the potentially great Tour that’s coming, the big story will be this book and Lance’s guilt/innocence. 
I’ve always said that I pretty much assume that almost every rider who has been in the Euro peleton for a long time has used some prohibited substance at some point in their career, though I admit that might not be fair. That said, I** **highly doubt Lance has used anything illegal in years(if he ever did), as much scrutiny as he is under.
I’ve actually heard a similar version of this story before but I didn’t really believe it considering the source. I’ll admit, the fact that the major accusation comes from USPS’ former physiotherapist and that she left on good terms with a good rep. doesn’t bode well.
Maybe we can put together a fund and bribe the book publishers to delay the release of the book until after the Tour. I’m really not looking forward to hearing about this story every day leading up to the big show.
How do you now that it’s not true? That doesn’t mean that I think it is! I just don’t know and I don’t think you do either, or do you?
But I agree with you that false allegations are harmful for the rider, the sport and the sponsors and are (in my opinion) a criminal act. It’s very similar to false sexual harassment allegations where one can hurt an innocent person a lot, even if proven not guilty.
Books that talk about such issues are however, very important and so are the laws against sexual harassment.
Weird example I know:-)
That guy David Walsh knows his stuff. He’s not a hack, prone to making wild allegations. Furthermore, drugs in sport is his area of expertise. I’ve dealt indirectly with him before on a similar matter and he is very professional.
Remember also that about 6 months ago there was talk of a HUGE drug story to come out of the UK. This is it I reckon. Much as you may hate to admit it, if a guy like Walsh is prepared to put pen to paper, he’ll be pretty confident he can prove his case.
The headline “Tour de France Winner Dopes!” is about as novel as “Rock Star Smokes Pot!”
Come to grips with it. It’s a level playing field, the best are still the best, and Lance is still the physiological freak/hero we all love.
-b
Pessimistic view, but possibly correct.
Do you feel that doping is as widespread now as it was 8-10 years ago? I’d assumed that use of these substances was on the decline but this year has been crazy. There was just a huge raid in Italy a couple of days ago where they supposedly found all kinds of stuff.
Interesting article, but where is the evidence. It appears that a few people are looking for their 15 minutes of fame by making some (unfounded) accusations against Lance. Absent any concrete evidence (a positive drug test), why should we take these few people more seriously than the crowd of people who work with Lance every day and will swear he has never used anything?
Chris
Absent any concrete evidence (a positive drug test), why should we take these few people more seriously than the crowd of people who work with Lance every day and will swear he has never used anything?
Tell that to Kelme, Cofidis, Raimondas Rumsas, Marion Jones, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Flo-Jo, Mark Mcguire, etc, etc, etc…
He said he doesnt take any banned substances. It is in fact possible to take performancing enhancing drugs or substances without violating the doping rules.
sounds as if these allegations are being made about his pre-cancer career. i don’t think he has been on them since he started winning the tour. he’s tested so frequently that i just can’t see him slipping something by the monitoring organizations unless he has some new, really good stuff. pre-cancer–not a clue.
also, does epo have sustained benefits? or do the effects wear off in fairly short order?
i’m not sure how i would feel if this was proven true. if it’s pre-cancer, i’d be somewhat less concerned. but if it’s post-cancer, i would be pretty upset with it.
There are so many PED’s out there that people don’t know exist and, as a result, tests that do not exist for them. These doctors are very educated in making “gear” that is undetectable.
One of these days someone is going to figure out how to get dogs to talk, and VDB’s pooch is gonna spill all the peloton’s dirty little secrets. Or maybe not. He might just cry like Little Richard (Virenque, not the one who invented rock and roll) and admit he doped to boost his male prowess and win over the sexy terrier across the street. You know, the one whose bike is always in heat.
And the cycling mafia should put a gag order on Raimondas Rumsas’s mother-in-law. She was taking all sorts of mean and nasty performance enhancing products. Maybe it was all meant to fight off menopause…
sounds as if these allegations are being made about his pre-cancer career. i don’t think he has been on them since he started winning the tour. he’s tested so frequently that i just can’t see him slipping something by the monitoring organizations unless he has some new, really good stuff. pre-cancer–not a clue.
Sounds like the soigneur’s allegations concern the time period after his recovery from cancer but before his Tour victories. The 2nd allegation refers to the May just before his 1st Tour win.
davis walsh is a hack. he’s been after armstrong for some time. i once mailed him and asked why he hunted armstrong and why he didn’t do the same to certain track and field athletes and or marathon runners. never got a reply…
it may be true but it may be false. either way it has become a personal crusade for walsh, which is why I think he’s lost a sense of journalistic perspective.
I don’t know anything about this Walsh guy, but to me his motives, good or bad, aren’t really the issue.
For me, it comes down to one thing: Either Lance or his former physiotherapist is lying. She says that she was asked to dispose of syringes and that she was asked to retrieve EPO, which she later placed in Lance’s hands. He says he hasn’t used any banned substances(of course, he could have taken the drugs for someone else, I guess).
At this point I’d be more inclined to believe Lance, but who knows?
At any rate, until the book comes out tomorrow we won’t know what the **exact **allegations are.
He’s no hack. He’s been awarded Sportswriter of the Year award in Britain twice, in '97 and '01.
Now, just because he’s pointed out Armstrong’s relationship with Ferrari before, which is in itself suspicious, doesn’t mean he shouldn’t bring further evidence to light if he finds it.
Whether or not it’s personal I can’t say, but I doubt he has lost his perspective.
OK, maybe so. I don’t really care whether or not Armstrong is doping. All I wanted to point out was that Walsh is not a hack, so his allegations should not be dismissed as some personal vendetta.