Lance Armstrong?

[itisaboutthebike]

So who was "Cowboy 2003" from OP ?

 

[Tim Bennet.]

I'm sure there must be a 'Doper's Handbook' somewhere as all the excuses seem to be the same irrespective of the sport. This from the recent America's Cup sailing event:

A test of the A sample of urine from Simon Daubney was completed on 9th July 2007 and, after a request by Simon Daubney, a test of the B sample
commenced on 8th August 2007. Simon Daubney did not accept that the evidence that had been found in his sample was in his body at the time of the test and he contended that the custodial procedures were not in accordance with the International Standard for Laboratories.

He then went on to use 'Standard Excuse No 2' and claimed that something must have been put in his drink.

 

[andy_wrx]

Simon Daubney
http://www.cowes.co.uk/zonexml/story?cp=0;story_id=3402

It has been widely reported that the drug in question is cannabis

So the 'something put into my drink' excuse in America's Cup context probably reads 'I had 16 pints and a few spliffs' ?

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Widely reported , but wrong. It was apparently cocaine.

So rather than beer and spliffs it was more likely rum and coke.

 

[romeo]

for those that have followed the SCA case, stefanie (oakley) testimony and the sh*t Betsy Andreau went through when she told what she said was the truth about LAs admission to his doctors that he had taken HGH, EPO, Cortizone etc


Turns out Stefanie heard the same thing but didnt want to risk her job at oakley where both her and her husband worked as she has an autistic son to provide for...

http://j.b5z.net/i/u/2132106/m/gregstef.mp3



recorded in a "one party consents" state
bear in mind greg had to tape everything then as LA had threatened to find 10 people who would claim hed taken epo and that Trek who were the main beneficiaries of LAs (fraudulent?) success would drop his Lemond bike brand

 

[Abitrary]

I think everyone here has made some very valid points...

I'm a sometime follower of the pro game, and maybe not one who's best placed to offer an opinion but I'd have to go with Cunobelin on this one...

 

[Frazer]

errrr.....what?? Most random post ive ever seen

 

[romeo]

Out of competition tests are carried out by the national federation. When the national federation has gone bust and your best mate buys the remains of it and runs it like his own private company you can be certain he won't send the out of competition testers for you too hard... (and especially if you sell your house in france when the french police start clamping down on doping and move to a country thats not really bothered)

EPO couldnt be detected in a urine test... which was all the riders had to realistically give when LA was winning his TdFs. Fast forward to a time when EPO can be tested in urine and whoops...theres all sorts of controversy about some samples someone gave from 98.
When it became apparent that testing for blood doping was being bought in for the Olympics and all of a sudden someones swansong plans of leaving the sport changed rather rapidly. Just as well... things didnt go too well for buddy Tyler.

As of yet there is no approved test for doping using your own blood. There is one in the pipeline but it has to be tested, gain acceptance and then be implemented by WADA, UCI etc. So for someone who went out of his way to use the services of blood doctor Michele Ferarri in addition to his own coach who had plenty of experience of doping young riders in the past (Strock et al) and whose team (ie who you ride for and part own) hires 4 (FOUR) of the dirtiest doctors in cycling simutaneously to oversee this stuff youve got a pretty good chance of never testing positive. Especially when contrary to popular belief no one is really testing you properly anyway...

Thats how you take doping to the next level.

 

[gillan]

a ringing endorsement of Bruyneel from Yates

"Of course Astana has had some bad press," he told the BBC. "But Johan Bruyneel has never had a positive test with a team he has been involved with. And I am confident that we will not have any problems in the future."


you may as well just say he's a crafty bu**er who employs, or makes sure his riders employ, all the best techniques

 

[itisaboutthebike]

"Persoanlly I don't think he took them "

So what planet have you been on for the past umpteen years ?

 

[Abitrary]

actually half way through his book, 'it's not about the bike', and it is excellent

It's weird because you think he is actually going to bang on about his bike, but the technical stuff comes from like a kind of dream, when he is describing what a bicycle is to his chemo-therapy nurse, and then that's the start of the love-hate relationship with the bike.

Anyway, I'm almost finished it, which is more than the Donna Tartt I've been struggling with for the last 2 years

 

[monnet]

actually half way through his book, 'it's not about the bike', and it is excellent

It's weird because you think he is actually going to bang on about his bike, but the technical stuff comes from like a kind of dream, when he is describing what a bicycle is to his chemo-therapy nurse, and then that's the start of the love-hate relationship with the bike.

Anyway, I'm almost finished it, which is more than the Donna Tartt I've been struggling with for the last 2 years

Is it a really short book then?

 

[romeo]

I think its worth remembering that the book, especially in its later forms, is a vehicle for promoting Brand Armstrong and suppressing any ideas of foul play that might come to tarnish it in the future. It will have been written in such a way as to emphasise the huge amounts of training , the single mindedness and the mountain climbs on xmas day angle. I suspect its purposefully light on why he used his power to silence antidoping whistleblowers Bassons and Simeoni or indeed the real ins and outs of why he needed the services of prominent blood doctor Michele Ferrari.

Maybe if read Its Not About the Bike and then From Lance to Landis we'd come to a more balanced conclusion somewhere between the two?

 

[Blue]

The juries still for me and will be till he ever does a riis...

Does this not mean that you think he did cheat and you are waiting for him to confess??

 

[Tetedelacourse]

I think its worth remembering that the book, especially in its later forms, is a vehicle for promoting Brand Armstrong and suppressing any ideas of foul play that might come to tarnish it in the future. It will have been written in such a way as to emphasise the huge amounts of training , the single mindedness and the mountain climbs on xmas day angle. I suspect its purposefully light on why he used his power to silence antidoping whistleblowers Bassons and Simeoni or indeed the real ins and outs of why he needed the services of prominent blood doctor Michele Ferrari.

Maybe if read Its Not About the Bike and then From Lance to Landis we'd come to a more balanced conclusion somewhere between the two?

I agree with the jist of your post but it's also worth remembering that he wrote the book the bulk of the book was written before these events occurred!