Will it ever end? What and asshole he is to make these statements. Maybe it is me but I sense a bit of jealousy. And these reporters trying to get into Armstrong’s hotel room is just plain messed up. They have not found even a trace of doping in thousands of tests but yet they still hound him like crazy. How sad!. It seems some people will do what ever it takes to try and hinder a 6th straight victory for Armstrong.
Yep. All respect for LeMond, out the window. Here the guy is trying to set a nearly unattainable record, and he has to deal with TV crews trying to break into his hotel (they’re French, so it’s somewhat understandable), and now LeMond, A FELLOW AMERICAN no less, bashes him right in the middle of the Tour. Very classless to say the least.
I couldn’t imagine if my childhood hero said something like that…must totally deflate Lance.
That is a very cool commercial. Today was a hell of a day for Armstrong. Tomorrow is going to be a great one to watch. We will see if Jan Ullrich or Iban Mayo steps it up. Hopefully Tyler Hamilton will get it going as well. I cant wait for this one!
I’ve been glued to the television every morning since the Tour has started. It’s the first time I ever really watched it. Exciting stuff. That was a great break out by Lance this morning. With almost 4 min. on Jan Ulrich now it’ll be nice to see what happens tomorrow being fully in the mountains now.
By the way I’m sure Lance is on drugs but so is everyone else at the top so it makes it a level playing field. It’s just too bad everyone has to lie about it. We don’t live in a perfect world and it’s a big lump for the public to take.
I cannot wait for the ITT up Alp D’Huez . He is gonna kick some serious ass there. I read something a while ago that stated that Lance can average 32-35 mph in a TT for over 45 minutes and the crazy part is that many college athletes in good shape could only hold that speed for barely over a minute. That is just amazing and another reason TT are so fun to watch. As for the comment about all cyclists being on drugs, I highly doubt it for the simple fact that most of them have way too much to lose and many face criminal charges and jail time if caught.
A week or so ago while listening to CBC Radio a documentary aired on professional cyclists.
Here are some of the points I remember:
-A French cycling coach stated that 90% steroid use was being generous
(this coach was arrested whilst driving with a car load of anabolics and now drives a bus)
-Cyclists take EPO to increase red blood cell count, one cyclist’s blood became so thick his heart could not pump it
-Major use of testosterone, cortisone
-What I found most disturbing; Belgian Stew which equates to a combination cocaine,heroine,speed, and caffeine.
The use of EPO and it thickening your blood is nothing new. Easily detectable though. Belgian Stew is old news however with the information we have today I have a hard time thinking that anyone would get any benefit by loading your body with these stimulants before a 6 hour bike race with your heart running at your anabolic threshhold or above that for such a long period of time. I have a rough time believing anything from the former Festina coach who has been bitter as hell since getting busted. I am sure there must be some drugs being taken by racers but i think 90% is very farfetched. over a thousand tests on one rider and always showing clean must mean he has some wonderful luck if what this former coach is saying is true. These athletes have been tested over and over gain and come out clean. Until they piss dirty; i cant be pessimistic and think that what these guys are doing is unreasonable for them to endure without help.
The last paragraph states:
“The spot’s music, composed by Dave Wittman and Jimmy Haun at Elias Arts Los Angeles with support from creative director David Gold and head of production Dayna Turcotte, features the vocal talents of Kathleen Fisher. The sound was designed by creative director Dane Davis and Eddie Kim at 740 Sound/Danetracks with help from producer Scott Ganary, and Jeff Payne at Eleven Sound Studios in Santa Monica mixed the final audio.”
You know I’d love to believe there isn’t any doping in cycling but many riders have stated without performance ehancing drugs there would be no tour. However many thousands of drug tests there are it doesn’t matter if the scientists don’t actually look for anything. As Dr Tim Noakes (one of the worlds leading authorities on endurance running) states ‘There is mounting evidence to suggest endurance athletes… use low doses of anabolic steroids to improve recovery from heavy training and to allow a heavier training load.’- Lore of Running, p 702. Obviously these guys don’t want to bulk up so the doses may be undetectably low. The test for EPO isn’t even a test for EPO, its a hematocrit level (the highest level ever been found being in a Tour cyclist). A hematocrit level below 50% and a hemoglobin level below 17 g per dl is ‘legal’. Considering an undoped professional cyclist is unlikely to ever achieve a level above 45% with all the altitude training in the world the rules have a significant flexability in them. The bottom line is most of these guys wouldn’t be able to do the Tour in the way they do (Lance included) without doping, so don’t be in denial! Le Tour brings millions of dollars to France, hence much of the drug testing is a probably front. The organisers know they’d have no tour without these chemicals.
The last paragraph states:
“The spot’s music, composed by Dave Wittman and Jimmy Haun at Elias Arts Los Angeles with support from creative director David Gold and head of production Dayna Turcotte, features the vocal talents of Kathleen Fisher. The sound was designed by creative director Dane Davis and Eddie Kim at 740 Sound/Danetracks with help from producer Scott Ganary, and Jeff Payne at Eleven Sound Studios in Santa Monica mixed the final audio.”
I don’t want to start a pissing contest here but both track and field, and cycling are very dirty sports. Just because people pass drug tests doesn’t mean they’re clean.
Honestly I think the difference between drugged and non-drugged athetes in sports that rely more on gross motor function and less on skill isn’t a few spots on the podium but whether you’re even alot to show up for the race. That doesn’t discount everyone’s hard work, it’s just that it makes such a huge difference in performance.
Maybe to put it in to more perspective. Could you see yourself competing in the Mr. Olympia clean even if you had some of the best genetics? Would you be close to even being invited? Granted these freaks are walking science experiments. Chances are you’d be at least 40 lbs. short of muscle and a few percent body fat too high.
I have to challenge that EPO is easily detectable. First, testers attempt to detect EPO use through measuring the cellular content of the blood. When cycling federations began testing, they measured the cellular content of the blood of elite cyclists and discovered an average of 43%. The cycling federations set a ceiling of 50% cellular content. If a competitor possesses a cellular content > 50%, then they are deemed as using EPO.
After debating the prevalance of drug use in cycling with a worshipper of Lance Armstrong at work (I think she believes he was born of a virgin birth), I searched for methods to circumvent the supposed “full proof” testing. Charlie Francis stated that the EPO cellular content blood tests are easily circumvented with IV drips prior to the blood tests. The additional fluid decreases the cellular content. I would assume positives results are obtained when competitors miscalculate how much IV drip to use.
If sprinters, throwers, baseball players, football players, etc. can beat their doping testing, I would not be so naive to believe that endurance athletes are not ingenious enough to circumvent their testing. Especially considering that AAS metabolites are detectable while EPO is tested for indirectly.
I don’t give 2 shits if Lance is on drugs or not. Even if he was on drugs.
The man had to deal w/ cancer and was counted on dying not winning 5 tour de France in a row, w/ a 6th one on the way to victory.
I really don’t know why the French have to sensationize these stories and allegation about Lance. Do they hate us that much? Not to start a political thread here.
John- Im not in denial. When i see the proof of all the doping; then fine it has been proven. It’s just so annoying to see these people rip cyclists and other endurance athletes and worry about all the supposed doping and never take the time to enjoy what these some of these great athletes are able to do. Instead all they say is he can only do that because he is doping. It’s kinda like when T-members post pics on here and all people can say is how jacked up on roids he is. These athletes are discounted for very accomplishment they make and it just gets old. Yes, i know it is the real world and it is gonna happen but still it gets old. And to see Greg Lemond pull his shit during the Tour is messed up. Nonetheless good post you had some good info in there.
As for ubermike; Good post as well. However when I made my statement saying that Epo is easily detectable I was assuming that many T-members werent into cycling and other endurance sports so I made it more of a general statement in saying that EPO is easlily detectable. When in fact I know it is the hemocrit levels that are actually tested not a test for EPO specifically. Again good post, I’d actually like to read more into the information you provided not necessarily just from Charlie Francis but other research as well.
Trailrash,
I performed a google search for Erythropoetin. Fair warning: you will have to sort through a multitude of foreign language sites; and I would advise on using the translated versions because in general, the sites are translated word for word with no regard for subject-verb-object order of the language.
I agree that we can not definitively know whether Armstrong is doping of some sort but I question the validity of pursuing only him. It is a decadent culture when people such as the aforementioned co-worker of mine stated that she would no longer respect her hero and (false) idol [sic] if he used performance enhancing substances. The need for purity infects our culture from our interest in sports to our foreign policy (“axis of evil”). If the drugs Armstrong may be using are also used by his competitors, his success can not be solely or mainly a result of possible drug use.
It is a shame that Puritanical morality and populist envy are cluttering the greatness of Armstrong’s athleticism and will to power.
Who cares whether or not someone is on drugs? This is like the tired powerlifting debate about gear. All that matters is making your accomplishment within the rules. The rules say you need to pass a drug test, not be clean.