http://www.lancearmstrong.com/lance/online2.nsf/html/dw-response
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Well, that’s a pretty strong denial then. No two ways about it.
That’s about as strong a denial as can be had. If Lance has used PED’s in the past he would be an idiot to start a libel lawsuit against these guys. Lets see how this plays out.
So much for ambiguity.
Mr. Armstrong has not been tested positive for any such drugs, so he doesn’t have a position of trying to re-instate his image after a bad decision, nor a misunderstanding, nor an accidental injestion incident from an unknown bottle, nor any other such event. He’s simply PO’d about someone smearing his name. He’s a very straightforward fellow that tells it like he sees it, no matter who’s around, and if he deems it correct to punch the guy in the nose in court, that’s what he’ll do. I’d be willing to bet the guy wouldn’t want LA to take the old-time Texas approach and meet him out behind the woodshed…but, he might dislike the pending court proceeding outcome just as badly. I’m glad Mr. Armstrong isn’t just sitting quietly about it. It needed to be addressed in some manner.
That’s great - it’s good to have a clean statement with no ambiguity.
I wonder how many other cyclists would be prepared/able to make the same statement?
“I wonder how many other cyclists would be prepared/able to make the same statement?”
i would. wait, do you mean good cyclists?
Given that Lance will initiate legal proceedings against L’Express, it’s a safe bet the excerpts will be taken down from their Web site. Good thing I’ve printed it all out. For anyone who reads French it’s easy to find on the www.lexpress.fr site at the moment.
The site’s front page also has a link to a readers’ forum, under the title ‘are they all doped?’
Here’s the main “dopage” exposé: http://www.lexpress.fr/info/sciences/dossier/dopage/dossier.asp
Won’t matter. We won’t need to see the excerpts as the book comes out tomorrow. It will be all over the place.
For those who don’t read French here is a brief summary of the parts of the book published on the Express website:
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The Motorola team allegedly paid $ 50k to Stephen Swart from the Coors team in 1993, after Lance won 3 races granting him a $ 1M bonus prize. That was part of an agreement made so that Stephen Swart and his teammate would not race against Lance in the last 2 races.
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Emma O Reilly was asked to dispose of a bag full of syringes by Lance, as he is driven to the airport to leave the Netherlands after a race in 1998. In 1999, she is asked to drive to Spain and cross the border back into France, carrying a box of pills that Johan Bruyneel gave her. Later that year, she is asked to buy make-up to cover up syringes holes in the upper part of Lance’s arm. During the 99 Tour De France, she was in Lance’s room when an “emergency” meeting was made where 2 USPS people talked about how to react to Lance testing positive for corticoids 2 weeks before. Emma claims that the story about the saddle soreness was made up in that meeting, and they decided to get an antidated prescription for the saddle sore cream. At the end of the day, Lance tells Emma: “You now know enough to make me fall”.
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The books tells of a phone call that Lance made to Greg LeMond, as related by LeMond’s wife who was seating next to her husband. Lance, upset by LeMond’s comments about Dr. Ferrari, supposedly accused LeMond of taking EPO because “everybody does it”.
Wow— so someone puts something in writing that neither of us has read yet, and you automatically conclude that he has been using drugs for a long time?
What kind of aerobic benefit do you get from jumping to conclusions??
chainring711 wrote: What kind of aerobic benefit do you get from jumping to conclusions??
Extremely clever! This should be your signature at the bottom of your posts!
I haven’t seen to many cyclists or triathletes, especially at the elite level, who anybody would be to afraid to meet behind a wood shed. Have you ever seen two cyclists in a fight? It’s kinda like watching to little girls fight. Not impressive.
One thing I find a bit unusual, if not telling, is that this British sportswriter is publishing this book in France in the French language and not in the US or Britain. I suspect his collaborator on the book is little more than a French language translator or consultant, although I don’t know for sure.
We all know about Lance’s problems with French authorities and various court cases regarding alleged doping in recent years, as well as some French journalists’ persistence in examining the doping issue concerning Lance. Perhaps the only country such a book could get published is France, which is not to say that it is necessarily without merit. Perhaps some of their suspicions and persistence will be borne out eventually, although I hope for my sake as an LA fan and for the sake of the sport that such accusations are groundless and that LA was and is clean.
Isn’t it true that in England, libel law says that burden is on the defendant to prove the allegations? That would explain why he doesn’t publish in England.
I’m not sure if the defendant has the burden of proof under English law, but one significant difference that has developed between American and English law is that libel cases are much easier to prove in England than America. For example, because Lance Armstrong is so famous, you would probably have to prove malice to prevail in a libel suit against him in the US.
“I haven’t seen to many cyclists or triathletes, especially at the elite level, who anybody would be to afraid to meet behind a wood shed”
sean eadie
http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2004/may04/sydney04/index.php?id=session4/JSeadieshoes
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Wasn’t the use of corticoids the subject of the French investigation that went on for a few years? I thought the UCI knew and sanctioned it - said it was found in some cream (maybe for saddle sores?). Anyway, I thought that one was old news.
Makeup to cover syringe marks? Is there makeup out there that would stay on a sweating athlete?
A conversation between LA and Lemond relayed by Lemond’s wife?? Huh? Talk about circumstantial.
The ‘You know enough to make me fall’ quote could be easily taken out of context. Meaning, maybe she could make something innocent look really bad.
I’m not saying LA didn’t do it. I’d hate to think he did, and I’ve always wanted to believe his denials, but I’m not that naive. I just think some of the allegations sound fishy.
My bad. I should have put a disclaimer concerning track cyclists. Most of those squat like powerlifters and are built like linebackers.
Well in my heart of hearts I want to believe that the greatness that lance has achieved and the feats that he has yet to accomplish, will get done via hard work, water and Powerbars. I really want to believe that.
The issue get’s clouded, not by Lance, but by known users, and suspcious users who deny everything as well - “deny, deny, deny” It’s the code for drug users of all types. Look, no top flite, #1 ranked athlete is going to come out, while they are at the top of their game and say - I took steroids or EPO for three years before I won the Olympic games. They, and all of their supporters will go to their graves with that dirty secret.
We experienced this first hand in Canada, when Ben Johnson and his followers all claimed that he had NOT taken any drugs, despite the infamous positive test at the 1988 Olympic Games, right up until, in a court of law, he and his followers had to admit under oath, that, “yes, he did take drugs”.
It will be interseting to see where this goes.