Simeone is being ostracized for testifying that Ferrari is a pusher, and we are all quick to praise Big Tex for administering peloton justice to complete his denigration. He’s a nobody, so that’s understandable. A little harder to fathom is the rush to call Lemond a jealous has been when he speaks out, but still not unexpected in the current bandwagon climate. So what will the response be when the heretofore nearly universally respected Andy Hampsten comes down on the side of those who think there is a cancer in the sport?
I was interested to note that in his discussion of the Simeone breakaway breakdown, Bob Roll was very careful not to mention the underlying theme of the conflict. He vagued it up magnificently.
Why write the letter? Is Hampsten buddies with Lemond or something? Maybe he was hired by Trek to do damage control (Lemond brand). If doping is so rampant in the US then maybe they should test more for it.
I hope that Lemond got trapped by Le Monde into going too far in his comments about Lance.
It is one thing to decry the use of drugs in sport and yet another to strongly suggest that a particular individual is not clean. Suspicions are one thing, but proof should be presented to support such allegations. Lemond is not being heroic or brave by making unsubstantiated allegations. What can Hampsten be thinking, or is he thinking at all?
I don’t think Lemond was “trapped” during his interview because he said similar things in on air interviews for ESPN among others.
As for accusations, it is one thing to say that drug use and doping are rampant in cycling, it is another to point a finger in someone’s direction, especially if that person has never tested positive for anything. I hate to use the baseball analogy again, but I can safely say that steroid use is widespread in MLB, but I can’t point to anyone person and say that because of his performance or association with somone that that athlete is on drugs. Hampsten never says that Lance, or Jan, or anybody else is doping, he simply states a concern for the sport, and encourages us and those in control to start to move towards doing something about it. I never heard Lance say that there is no drug use on the tour, just that he is clean, and his team is clean.
It’s interesting to me that in Hampsten’s letter he references two sources for Lemond’s comments- one in English that is very critical of Lance, but doesn’t mention doping as a general topic at all, and one source in French that I’m unable to read. He then goes on to dismiss any possible animosity between Lemond and Armstrong as none of his business, and talks about doping as a general problem.
Thing is, I, like most readers of this site and the English news wire reports, don’t read French. It might have been nice for him to supply his own translation of the French article, since that seems to be what Hampsten bases his comments on. Or maybe he should have written his letter in French. One or the other, I guess.
I have no idea what connections exist between Hampsten and Lemond, and for all I know Lemond is a great guy who truly has the best interests of the sport at heart. But that’s not the way his comments came through in the English reports, and I’m wondering if he might have talked himself out of a bicycle manufacturing agreement. Pure speculation on my part. No doubt doping remains a problem in cycling and elsewhere. Hampsten’s letter doesn’t add much to the discussion, IMO, and seems more than anything to be an apology for Lemond’s reported comments.
It’s the last sentence in ths interview that really kills me.
“But I don’t know how he will be able to go on convincing everyone of his innocence”
I know innocent until proven guilty is a part of U.S. criminal procedure and not international law or the norms of international sport, but since when does someone have to prove that they are innocent in the face of completely unsubstantiated innuendo and allegation. Same thing with Ferrari. He may be guilty as hell, but if you spend a year and a half trying him for his crimes and can’t get it done, then give it a rest and come back when you have evidence. When they do, I’ll be the first person in line to denounce anyone proven to have acted wrongly.
i don’t know. if your intentions are to clean up the sport then putting pressure on ferrari by keeping him under a microscope will probably slow him down. policing does work to discourage crime.
i think ferrari, with this public statement of condoning epo use, puts himself in the situation he is in. or course he’s going to be investigated. he may be innocent if so it will come out. the investigation will show others if you follow the same path it will not be a easy road.
i know a number of pro triathletes. everyone is well informed on the drug issue and most go out of their way to avoid any thing to do with doping. not just with the big hitters like epo but even the cold medicines. putting yourself close to ferrari is treading on thin ice. it puts all of cycling on thin ice. if you are anti doping then go above and beyond the call to stay clean and out of that dangerous path.
lance has not done this. lemond, hampsten and the general public see this and are disappointed. he made that bed he has to sleep in it.
Thanks Francois- the interview you posted has a very different feel than the excerpted comments from the link in Hampsten’s letter, and those reported elsewhere. It seems to me that as he goes from generalities of doping to specifically accusing Lance of doping, he crosses over somewhere to a personal attack, since Lemond basically says that no number of negative tests will satisfy him. As has been pointed out innumerable times here and elsewhere, Lance will never be able to prove that he’s not doping- it’s impossible. You either have to believe what he says (difficult, since he’s a pro cyclist talking about doping and by definition suspicious, but there’s always a chance he’s telling the truth) or assume that he’s lying. It has to be one or the other, but if you’re going to accuse him of lying, rather than just thinking it, you ought to have some evidence- I wonder if Lance will hire a lawyer and sue Lemond for defamation?
But before that, a lot of what he says makes sense, and I share his view that a large dose of skepticism is required when listening to cyclists talk about doping. I still think that Hampsten is being disingenous when he dismisses the idea that Lemond might have a personal dislike for Armstrong as partial motivation for his comments, but taken in context, Lemond’s words at least flow more logically. I’m not sure that anything good will come out of the interview, but to the extent Lemond is interested in helping to clean up cycling, his heart seems to be in the right place.
Everyone likes a winner if they win a little, but nobody likes a winner that wins all the time. See any number of backlash victims, the Yankees, the Cowboys, J-Lo,…etc
So basiically, on one hand, Lance goes through the same testing as everyone else, faces the same scrutiny as everyone else, and has not tested positive for anything. Sounds good so far.
On the other hand, he wins a lot. Well that says it all, he must be dirty.
into going too far in his comments about Lance.