http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2004/jun04/jun25news2
This is bad news!
The story claims Millar has admitted to using EPO- I really, really hope that’s not true, only because there isn’t much else to discuss if he did confess. The current world TT champion- a doper. I wonder why these doping stories won’t just leave cycling alone? Hard for anyone connected to the sport to say that for awhile…
Ken
The story claims Millar has admitted to using EPO- I really, really hope that’s not true, only because there isn’t much else to discuss if he did confess. The current world TT champion- a doper. I wonder why these doping stories won’t just leave cycling alone? Hard for anyone connected to the sport to say that for awhile…
Ken
uh, perhaps because it’s so entrenched in the sport. those who can’t recognize the extent of doping in high level cycling or track and field are like a parent with a teenager in denial.
Unfortunately, I fear that this is only the beginning…
Isn’t this the guy Phil Ligget’s always so stoked about?
He always seemed to come down hard on doping to, so if it is true then it really hirts my image of him. It would be ironic if he just started using to try to get the form back that was loss due to the teams stopping race for a month in the spring.
Also, keep in mind that originally it was said that he was released with out any charges, then the LeMonde article said that he confessed. They don’t always appear to be the most reputable paper.
"those who can’t recognize the extent of doping in high level cycling or track and field are like a parent with a teenager in denial. "
If that’s true (and I’m certainly not disputing it), if I were someone like Lance Armstrong or Hein Verbruggen or Cadel Evans or Jean Marie LeBlanc, I would just keep my mouth shut about doping, as opposed to perpetually complaining that the sport is singled out for excessive attention. I guess my point was if Millar is doping, the pro cycling types should understand that no one can credibly believe anything they say on the subject. Really, really sad for the sport, I think.
Ken
Millar was my favorite TT’er. This is bad news.
And I thought I was the only one that notice PL obsession w/ Millar. He can be in the back of a slow peloton and Phil will rant about how Millar could win the stage. Must be a Brit thing.
I firmly believe that a large percentage of professional athletes in all sports use some kind of performance enhancing substance. I have softball buddies who play D and C class weekend ball who chew 'roids right and left simply to hit the ball farther. They play the south Georgia bush league circuit, and quite obviously don’t get paid to play. If they’ll do that for their sport, imagine what the pros who support their families will do? I also maintain that a negative drug test does not necessarily mean drug free. Stories like this do nothing to persuade me that I’m wrong.
RP
**I also maintain that a negative drug test does not necessarily mean drug free. ** Of course, because Lance and the like have exclusive access to a top-secret network of doctors and special ‘undetectable’ new performance enhancing drugs. Its a giant conspiracy! We need to get Michael Moore on the case to bring the truth to light. In fact, I believe that every athlete that performs at a level above what I’m capable of must be doping. I mean how else could they do it? Chris
I think it’s pretty much common knowledge – or at least it should be – that the dopers stay one step ahead of the testers. Apparently Millar did. And don’t we have a sprinter (is it Montgomery?) facing a lifetime ban for drug use though he has never tested positive? Unfortunately, doping is a part of professional sports, neither test nor penalty will ever change that.
RP
Okay guys, I know it hurts, but let’s all come to grips with the ugly truth: Pro cyclists dope.
It’s in every sport where a) money’s involved and b) drugs will help one aquire said money.
Here’s a little gem I first heard wind of at the Salt Lake Olympics (I thought they were lying). Good word on the street is that track records are falling with it’s help, and it’s available for the right price, even though it’s still in Phase III trials. And it’s undetectable.
http://www.allp.com/Oxygent/FAQ1201.htm
-bobo
Well maybe this will clean up this year’s TdF DVD & get rid of all the “whining” portions… “this stage was just really hard, and it sucked, and it was too dangerous, oh my life & job are so horrible!!!”
Leggett is always “Millar this” & “Millar that”, and “oh look, Mayo wins the stage, Ullrich in second, Millar in 45th! Cheerio!”
He’s like the Tiger Woods of cycling, not that he wins but that he always gets mentioned (even though he never wins.)
http://www.allp.com/Oxygent/FAQ1201.htm
This is spooky - albeit off topic. I just mentioned this product to an MD in my lab, and he said he used to work with the first generation PFCs in the mid 80’s. Ever seen the film The Abyss where they send a guy down deep and he breathes in this liqud so he can overcome the pressure etc? He says it has been done with lab animals - they walk around in the liquid “breathing” via the PFC. Wild.
here you go:
I read the story and it does not make sense to me. I’m not saying he is not a doper but something is pretty fishy here. Let me get this straight. World champion cyclist watches most of his team get arested and charged with doping. Despite the obvious fact that the net is closing in on him, in the ensuing weeks (before the biggest race of the year no less) he continues to use EPO. Just to make sure that he gets caught, he keeps empty vials in his house even though he knows it is likely to be searched. He then admits to the police that he is a doper when an admission will not help him in any way.
IMHO he could be a doper but this story is either bogus or Millar has suffered some sort of head injury.
Did he confess? I’d be surprised if he did. They did not torture him. They were not offering him a plea deal. They did not even charge him. They were just questioning him. Unless he is a complete moron, he could have been caught with a syringe hanging out of his arm and he wouldn’t have confessed under these circumstances particularly since he had nothing to gain by it even if it is true.
Vials in his house? Come on! He knew they were coming for him since he was one of the last guys on his team who had not been taken in. Again, he would have to be a complete moron to have any evidence in his possession.
If this story is true, some real dope users can make big bucks giving seminars to cyclists on the proper way to be a criminal.
I don’t want to comment directly on the Millar situation as the news still seems to be fresh and perhaps unconfirmed at this stage - but it does sound bad. However, it’s ironic that this news is coming to light on the day that Canadian Beckie Scott is receiving her long awaited Gold Medal from the 15K XC Skiing Pursuit from the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games after the two women who finished ahead of her tested positive for doping offences.
Nice head in the sand move there STP.
Let’s see. . .by your score either. . .
Millar is a moron
or
Its a conspiracy.
It can’t be simply that the use of drugs is pervasive in cycling, and, in fact, lots of sports.
Yay, Beckie!
-bobo
While I agree that top level athletes in every sport push the envelope to get the edge on their competition, I don’t think cheating is necessarily rampant. Some sports require extreme strength (football, sprints, bodybuilding, baseball hitters) so steroids are used; other sports focus on endurance/stamina (cycling, running, Itidarod) and doping is a problem. But in some sports where the skill sets are so varied (soccer, basketball, hockey), there is just no advantage to cheating, because by enhancing one aspect like muscle building, you detract from others, such as quickness or endurance.
That said, there is a problem in cycling. How can anyone not see that? Imagine if you will this scenario as you ride with your friends:
“Nice morning, huh…but where’s Joe Diablo?”
“Oh, he died last night”
“Hmmm, wonder why…what’s up with the bandages on your backside?”
“Well, I got in bed last night and broke some vials…”
“Gee, that’s too bad.”
The riders know what’s going on. If Lance is indeed clean (and I feel he is) it would be nice to see him take a FIRM stance on cracking down on the problem.
Cheating is cheating. By doping or roiding, you deprive the clean athlete of winning fairly, or worse, you “entrap” them to use themselves in order to be competitive.