So – was Schleck on the juice then too?

Does one get to a certain age that turns you into a bitter and hateful character directed towards individuals?

I hope I never get there. If you are that convinced that hes a cheat/bad person why don’t you chain yourselves to the gates of his house in protest?

It’s ironic that so much more money may have gone to cancer research if he [LA] didn’t have to keep spending so much of it defending himself against (to date 🙄 ) unproven drug taking allegations 🙁

Also a bit sceptical of the speculation about legal fees

It was in their published accounts for 2009 I think, I really can’t be bothered to find them again, but its in there…

It was in their published accounts for 2009 I think, I really can’t be bothered to find them again, but its in there…

Well, the accounts are all on the website, and sure, there are big numbers for legal fees but it doesn’t seem to add up to the figures you quote and certainly doesn’t say “here’s what we stuck in the pot for Lance’s expenses”.

I’m no LA apologist by the way, and I think livestrong seems to be a triumph of marketing over achievement in many ways, but I am a bit of an arse about wanting provocative facts to be substantiated 🙂

Does one get to a certain age that turns you into a bitter and hateful character directed towards individuals?

I hope I never get there. I
Thankfully you have managed to reach middle age with the outlook and maturity of a teenager..i can undertand why this fills you with pride….sadly it is in the wrong organ.

It’s ironic that so much more money may have gone to cancer research if he [LA] didn’t have to keep spending so much of it defending himself against (to date ) unproven drug taking allegations

Ah – so it’s all the fault of those who dare to question him? 🙄

So – was Schleck on the juice then too?

Which one?
Yes.
I mightr just wildly speculate about everyone and everything then go on to tell you so.

sorry

wrong tread

I love all this! This is what the internet was made for. A perfect sh!t storm of speculation.

All you eedjits moaning about innocent until proven guilty need to realise that idle speculation on the potential fall of public figures is one of the purest and most exhilarating of human pasttimes. Especially if that public figure strikes you as a sanctimonious tw*t.

I have embraced this base emotion and am looking forward with delight to seeing how it all pans out.

Road biking has always been my first love, both riding and watching, but the years and years of doping scandals have made this a relationship of great highs and cheated lows, rather like my love life in general. But I feel I have become immune to the shock of it, rather like football fans and diving, and I would no longer be surprised to learn that any pro rider was doping.
I will miss Contador in the giro and tdf this year. I would guess last season was one of of his cleanest season’s ever, given the scrutiny and testing he would have undergone, and this seems born out in some of the climbing times and the fact that many sport ‘observers’ were noting riders showing more obvious signs of exhaustion and distress at the end of stages. His performance in the giro was stunning, and maybe the lack of drugs ensured he couldn’t carry the same form into the tdf, but in some of the late stages of the tdf he looked like a man riding for pride.
I love you all my drug filled beauties! Ride like the wind! I am ready to be heart broken 😥

not sure if this has ben posted yet but I found this very telling.

http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance/2011/news/analysis-of-cas-alberto-contador-clenbuterol-doping-ban-ruling-by-matt-rendell-36542/

It was, they suggest, ‘the transfusion of plasma
of 21 July 2010 which would have contaminated
the sample with clenbuterol …’
It’s a scientifically respectable, intellectually
satisfying explanation, supported by evidence
from WADA’s expert witness Michael Ashenden
– one of the creators of the Biological Passport
and one of the most public anti- doping scientists
around – that ‘Contador ‘s reticulocyte values
(i.e. , the population of young, recently- born red
cells in his blood) … during the 2010 Tour de
France were atypical, and opposite to what
would have been expected’ (paragraph 132, on
page 25). Later, we read, ‘They [were] also
significantly higher than the values measured
during his previous victories at the Tour de
France (2007 and 2009), the 2008 Vuelta and
the 2008 Giro, while they should be
comparable’ (paragraph 351a) .
Ditto, his haemoglobin concentration (paragraph
351b ). ‘Such values are not consistent with Mr
Contador’s normal values and are difficult to
reconcile with physiological variations. As such,
they provide indications which would be
consistent with blood doping’ (paragraph 132,
on page 25) .

Shouldn’t anyone who’s managed to stay quite close to a confirmed doper also be under suspicion?

Thankfully you have managed to reach middle age with the outlook and maturity of a teenager..i can undertand why this fills you with pride….sadly it is in the wrong organ.

nothing quite sums up the inner workings of a cretins mind like the above

http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance/2011/news/analysis-of-cas-alberto-contador-clenbuterol-doping-ban-ruling-by-matt-rendell-36542/

That guys writing style- he could probably half his piece to make it readable. 😐

I’ve not read all the last 6 pages so apologies if this link has been posted.

An interesting article from Outside magazine on where the Livestrong money goes and the minimal real term investment they actually make in cancer research.

Its actually about promoting hope don’t you know

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/athletes/lance-armstrong/Its-Not-About-the-Lab-Rats.html

Thank goodness the internet dwellers and two-bit shock internet Journo’s keep Lance on his toes.

I bet at the Leadville100 winLance must have been smacked up off his tits. 😆

I love you all my drug filled beauties! Ride like the wind! I am ready to be heart broken

Perfect …almost Rumi like in its eloquence!

An interesting article from Outside magazine on where the Livestrong money goes and the minimal real term investment they actually make in cancer research.

Some pretty daming evidence there (not)

During an investigation that played out over several months—involving dozens of interviews and careful examination of Livestrong’s public financial records—I found no evidence that Armstrong has done anything illegal in his role as the face of the organization.
…
When Armstrong travels on Livestrong business, the foundation insists, he picks up his own tabs
…
The financial records appear to back up Armstrong’s assertion

Livestrong is about supporting cancer sufferers, not about research. Perhaps the critics would similarly slag off Macmillan Nurses, a UK charity that supports cancer sufferers and spends not a single penny on cancer research?

So are we done now venting our collective spleens. Can we discuss who will win the tour?

Can we discuss who will win the tour?

Reliance Life Sciences but pFizer have to be in the running

I thought they were vying for the role as energy drinks suppliers.

Can we discuss who will win the tour?

The bookies suggest :
1. Evans
2. A. Schleck
3. Wiggins
Outsiders. Menchov, Froome, Valverde, Gesink, Sanchez

That guys writing style- he could probably half his piece to make it readable

Too many long words for you?

1. Evans
2. A. Schleck
3. Wiggins

that doesn’t look very exciting. going to need an attacking rider in there to shake things up…

On the face of it the 2012 tour is going to be as exciting as playing I-Spy in the dark; a few mountain stages in between the time trials.
But of course, being a bike race, anything could happen.

ooh, here we go again;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/feb/08/police-arrest-husband-jeannie-longo

The husband of the Olympic cyclist Jeannie Longo has been arrested over the alleged purchase of the banned performance enhancer erythropoietin, known as EPO, according to reports in France.

A police official confirmed that Longo’s apartment had been raided and Patrice Ciprelli, her husband and coach, arrested, but the 53-year-old cyclist herself had not been detained.

Longo has competed in seven Olympics and came 24th in the women’s road race in Beijing four years ago, the event in which she won gold in 1996 and silver in 1992.

The police official did not provide further details, and declined to be identified by name.

The sports newspaper L’Equipe reported that a dozen officers from a police agency that focuses on environmental and public health led a search of the couple’s property as part of a judicial probe opened in September.

ooh, here we go again;

I love you all my drug filled beauties! Ride like the wind! I am ready to be heart broken

Off on a slight tangent, but here may be the best place to ask, can anyone point me in the direction of any good books about doping in cycling?

Menchov, now he could be an interesting winner. Is he not getting on a bit now? As I recall he is a really classy rider, is there any dirt on him? I’d jusy like to be warned in case he starts to do well.

Longo’s husband is really old news.

can anyone point me in the direction of any good books about doping in cycling?

Are you thinking of giving it a try… 🙂

t-obias
Rough Rides, worth a read.

Bad Blood

or David Millars new book.

Probably the easiest way to level the field is to just simply allow doping.

You wouldn’t be the first to suggest “stock” and “modified” classes.

And on a lighter note, Newsbiscuit reports “Bradley Wiggins still hopeful of victory in 2010 Tour de France”

can anyone point me in the direction of any good books about doping in cycling?

It’s Not About the Bike

lol 😆

so the schleck thing – you are telling me his brother and probably closest friend had no idea he was doping? does this raise suspicion that as they are in the same team that if one of the brothers was doing it then so was the other? same teams, no doubt same trainers/coaches/doctors etc etc etc did one of the shclecks just get lucky/unlucky?!?! do you think one ignored the fact his brother was doping? im sure he knew even if he claims he didnt have anything, his morales for cycling are terrible given the fact he would have known his brother was doping and chose to ignore it and let him ride on, the only other explanation is he was on it too and got away with it

as far as i can see from my limited knowledge of road cycling, the sport looks completely corrupt from within, in order to win. whether that be team coaches, riders, doctors etc etc etc

there will be some genuine riders out there who dont do it im sure, but alot of them must indeed use doping to some extent to stay within reach of their opponents?

its truly truly truly corrupt, my personal view on the armstrong thing is that the man basically is ‘cycling’ they bring him down, and they bring down absolutly everything within cycling, tdf the whole lot….

no wonder there are so many coverups surrounding this, imagine cycling if armstrong was stripped of all his glory? cycling would be absolutly on its arse, and im not sure they are willing to risk ‘finding’ anything on the man

Thanks anc, bikebouy, aracer. I’ll give them a try.

Lazybike – worth a try, might have to loose 7/8 stone, get fit and actually ride a road bike, but what the hell, can’t be that difficult, right? 😀

Thanks … aracer. I’ll give them a try.

😆