Arrest warrant issued for Landis

[Flying_Monkey]

I don't have much faith in this lab or the AFLD, they have had previous dealings with Lance Armstrong, which haven't helped their credibility at all, and now it appears that they have been sacked from this year’s TdF following a fall out with UCI/ASO.

I suggest your faith is misplaced. The UCI, part from being a fundamentally useless body, don't want to get to the truth about drugs in cycling. The AFLD's testing regime was much stronger and more effective when they ran the TdF testing programme (they actually caught people, for a start). And the laboratory has come against the omerta code around Lance - he's a far more powerful presence in the sport than they are and essential to the UCI's expansion in the USA and globally, and therefore cannot be questioned. Of course, anyone who's ever crossed him knows what happens...

 

[mangaman]

I suggest your faith is misplaced. The UCI, part from being a fundamentally useless body, don't want to get to the truth about drugs in cycling. The AFLD's testing regime was much stronger and more effective when they ran the TdF testing programme (they actually caught people, for a start). And the laboratory has come against the omerta code around Lance - he's a far more powerful presence in the sport than they are and essential to the UCI's expansion in the USA and globally, and therefore cannot be questioned. Of course, anyone who's ever crossed him knows what happens...

Exactly - I think you've got things back to front Alun

Their dealings with Armstrong made him look bad rather than the lab.

The UCI has an appalling record on anti-doping

I guess FM is alluding to the 2008 Giro when Ricardo Ricco looked unstoppable and was taking CERA which the UCI weren't even testing for.

He came to the tour and they tested him and 2 or 3 others in a targetted way for CERA and he was positive. The French have the best track record regarding anti-doping in recent times in my opinion.

 

[Valy]

I suggest your faith is misplaced. The UCI, part from being a fundamentally useless body, don't want to get to the truth about drugs in cycling. The AFLD's testing regime was much stronger and more effective when they ran the TdF testing programme (they actually caught people, for a start). And the laboratory has come against the omerta code around Lance - he's a far more powerful presence in the sport than they are and essential to the UCI's expansion in the USA and globally, and therefore cannot be questioned. Of course, anyone who's ever crossed him knows what happens...

What happens? (I really dono what you are referring to)

 

[Rassendyll]

Well Christophe Bassons was pretty much hounded out of cycling for speaking out against doping while he was riding. It wasn't just Armstrong but he led it - a bit like when the playground thug picks on someone and everyone else decides they can join in.

And there was someone else whose name escapes me, I don't think it was Bassons, who had an argument with Armstrong. When he got into a break Armstrong personally chased him down so the whole peloton had to come with him. And Armstrong let it be known he would not let any break with him in it get away so it turned any other riders against him. A journeyman nobody being victimised by the leader of the pack.

And he's had long-running feuds with people like Paul Kimmage, but at least that's one-to-one and reasonably fair. Though it rings somewhat untruly that he claims to be totally clean but seems to come down hard on anyone who speaks openly about or against doping.

 

[Valy]

I see.

By openly speaking against dping, do you mean they talk that they have taken stuff, or just discussing it?

 

[Noodley]

And there was someone else whose name escapes me.

Simeoni in the 2004 Tour.

 

[mangaman]

I see.

By openly speaking against dping, do you mean they talk that they have taken stuff, or just discussing it?

Bassons was clean and vocally anti drugs. He was hounded out of the peloton by Armstrong

Simeoni was caught and admitted taking EPO and said in court he had got it from Dr Ferrari, who happens to "advise" Lance. For this he was also effectively hounded out of the peloton

 

[just jim]

In what form does this hounding take? You're painting an ugly portrait of Armstrong, so how does he operate? Honest question - I'm not his No. 1 fan or anything.

 

[mangaman]

In what form does this hounding take? You're painting an ugly portrait of Armstrong, so how does he operate? Honest question - I'm not his No. 1 fan or anything.

In Bassons' case Armstrong spoke to him during a stage of the TDF and the press after the same stage, saying Bassons should leave the sport, as he was known to be clean and criticising doping (In the 1998 Festina affair, several of the guilty riders said in court Bassons was the only clean member of the team). Bassons was hired to write a column daily for L'Equipe in the 1999 tour in which he was mildly critical of drug cheats.

Armstrong has enormous influence and the rest of the peleton starting refusing to speak to Bassons. His team mates started refusing to share prize money with him, and he had to move to a smaller team and gave up cycling the year after

As for Simeoni, I've just cut and pasted the relevant bit from Wiki which is accurate

On the 18th stage of the 2004 edition of the Tour de France, Simeoni gapped up to a breakaway of six riders that posed no threat to Armstrong's leading position. Nevertheless, Armstrong followed Simeoni, which prompted Armstrong's rival T-Mobile Team to try to catch the breakaway. This would not only catch Armstrong but also eliminate the stage winning chances of the six riders in the original breakaway. The six riders implored Armstrong to drop back to the peloton, but Armstrong would not go unless Simeoni went with him and the two riders dropped back to the peloton.[4] Afterwards, Armstrong made a smug "zip-the-lips" gesture but later said that Simeoni "did not deserve" to win a stage

Of course after this no protour team would hire him and he rode for tiny Italian teams despite being a decent rider (he was Italian road race champion in 2008)

 

[Valy]

I guess you could say it was to keep the image of the sport cleaner. After all though, that does seem ****ed up - sportsmanship does not seem to be present.

I wonder what motivated LA to act like that...

 

[mangaman]

I guess you could say it was to keep the image of the sport cleaner. After all though, that does seem ****ed up - sportsmanship does not seem to be present.

I wonder what motivated LA to act like that...

I guess we can use our imaginations though...

American sport has never covered itself with glory when it comes to drug testing. American football / baseball / basketball - these guys all seem to possess superhuman powers

 

[Valy]

Well yes - that's the thing. After reading the stuff in this thread about LA, makes you wonder. I would not mind hearing from and insider so to say...