His Twitterness...

[buckwheat]

Send a request and tell us what happens.

 

[131313]

I had never heard of that didn't find anything on the google machine. When was that?

Obviously, it was long enough ago that Google searches don't bring it up! late 90's. He had to give back the US Criterium championship jersey. He had lapped the field, in case you're wondering how he won a national championship in the criterium.

The official spin is that it was an over-the-counter cold medication or something. Regardless, a transgression of that magnitude today would be a two year vacation, so I think it's relevant.

 

[BikeCentric]

Obviously, it was long enough ago that Google searches don't bring it up! late 90's. He had to give back the US Criterium championship jersey. He had lapped the field, in case you're wondering how he won a national championship in the criterium.

The official spin is that it was an over-the-counter cold medication or something. Regardless, a transgression of that magnitude today would be a two year vacation, so I think it's relevant.

I think that was 1997 if I recall correctly (though I probably do not).

 

[131313]

I had never heard of that didn't find anything on the google machine. When was that?

wow. I just did a quick Google search, and there's absolutely nothing about it, you aren't kidding! If I were more paranoid about it I'd think that a large PR company banished any mention of it on the interwebs in order to promote the cleanest team in cycling.

hmmmm.....

Anyway, I actually remember it because I had just started riding a bike, and was about to embark on the junior dream of bike racing. That puts it late 90's. It'll be interesting to see if someone can dig it up!

Back to Phinney's comment, let's cut to it. This isn't about Vino, and I doubt this is an offhand comment. This is about that dirty, cheating Spaniard and his shifty teammates. It seems like a continuation of a theme (and an orchestrated scheme) of sniping at said dirty, parochial farm boy with 'a lot to learn', in an attempt to set up the 'good versus evil' showdown in Le Tour.

I imagine it's going to work about as well as it did last year.

Of course, maybe I'm being paranoid again.




Or am I??

 

[Anonymous]

wow. I just did a quick Google search, and there's absolutely nothing about it, you aren't kidding! If I were more paranoid about it I'd think that a large PR company banished any mention of it on the interwebs in order to promote the cleanest team in cycling.

hmmmm.....

Anyway, I actually remember it because I had just started riding a bike, and was about to embark on the junior dream of bike racing. That puts it late 90's. It'll be interesting to see if someone can dig it up!

Back to Phinney's comment, let's cut to it. This isn't about Vino, and I doubt this is an offhand comment. This is about that dirty, cheating Spaniard and his shifty teammates. It seems like a continuation of a theme (and an orchestrated scheme) of sniping at said dirty, parochial farm boy with 'a lot to learn', in an attempt to set up the 'good versus evil' showdown in Le Tour.

I imagine it's going to work about as well as it did last year.

Of course, maybe I'm being paranoid again.




Or am I??

Funny because I know a couple of years ago, there was reference to it on the interwebs somewhere. I will do some digging.

Little Taylor is so cute in his moral indignation, isn't he?

 

[Anonymous]

The reference I was referring to was a thread on this exact subject started by Bro on cyclingforums in 2008. Nobody could come up with the goods then either.

 

[Anonymous]

If memory serves Levi was riding for Saturn (along with Fast Freddy) and Rene Wenzel was involved with the team as a DS (or something).

 

[Anonymous]

I think that was 1997 if I recall correctly (though I probably do not).

heres 98
99
00

1997 is somewhere on this page but cant find it, everything else is there except the pro crit results. very strange
if you really want to dig look in here and here

 

[Mellow Velo]

Twitter: The 21st century's answer to the Cold War.

 

[BroDeal]

The reference I was referring to was a thread on this exact subject started by Bro on cyclingforums in 2008. Nobody could come up with the goods then either.

The issue was basically buried. I don't think there were any press releases made about it at the time. Even though the issue is old it would still show up in archived stories on newspaper sites if it had been properly publicized, so it is not simply a case that it happened before Google. Instead only the people who were in the scene at the time remember it.

I don't recall it ever being mentioned during the last decade in a story by the cycling media. For some reason they don't want to touch it. It only pops up in forums when it is recalled by people who were racing when it occurred. I don't think I have ever seen an account that fully explains what happened. You would think there would be a ruling on the case available somewhere.

 

[D Avoid]

At the very best he would have to be be so gullible and naive that one would expect he would need help buttering his toast. At the worst his dad has taugh him what it takes to succeed.

I know one of the kids on his team and was horrified to see him willingly join up, I also know another one who goes there next year, I'm even probably related to the second guy. It makes me sick but if they fail a test I will condemn them myself and then carry on. I just see them as being incredibly impressionable and when the deep end beckons and they have to shed the arm bands, they are terrified, but very quickly graduate to being expert at denial and obfuscation. The only problem is that they are still young and impressionable and want to be liked, so you can read them like a book. Disaster. It is comparable to the initial stages of drug addiction.

 

[BikeCentric]

Okay I did some digging.

Here's Levi winning 1996 US crit Nats as reported in the Salt Lake Tribune:

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we...page=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM

But here's Frank McCormack of Saturn also listed as winning the 1996 race on the USPRO website:

http://www.dgcycling.com/uspro_mens.cfm

I can't find any mention of a Levi DQ or positive. Someone did some cleaning methinks.

 

[Colm.Murphy]

I had never heard of that didn't find anything on the google machine. When was that?

1996, US Criterium Nationals in Columbus, OH. Levi was later dq'd for ephedrine, he was said to have taken the "wrong" claritin (claritin-D). I can't recall if he had won or had only podiumed.

I think he got 3-months.

Don't ask me how I know this. Strange how the mind recalls obscure things from 14 years ago. I think I only remembered because the guys name was so funny to me, and then watching him progressively get better and better.

But yes, he was positive way back then.

 

[issoisso]

Oh god the Leipheimer positive.

A long time ago in a galaxy (forum) far, far away, me and some others did some digging after this subject came up. An american member ended up coming up with some sort of cycling magazine scan that proved it.

Yes, it happened.

God that was ages ago.


As for Phinney, that hypocrisy seems to be inherited. Remember Phinney Sr.'s reaction to Delgado testing positive while leading the Tour years ago?

"He deserves it. It would be such a shame to see him lose the Tour just because of a positive" or words to that effect.

 

[El Oso]

I know one of the kids on his team and was horrified to see him willingly join up, I also know another one who goes there next year, I'm even probably related to the second guy. It makes me sick but if they fail a test I will condemn them myself and then carry on. I just see them as being incredibly impressionable and when the deep end beckons and they have to shed the arm bands, they are terrified, but very quickly graduate to being expert at denial and obfuscation. The only problem is that they are still young and impressionable and want to be liked, so you can read them like a book. Disaster. It is comparable to the initial stages of drug addiction.

+1
If I were contacted by Trek-Livestrong when I was 18 I would have thought along the lines of "Holy $hit Lance wants me to ride with him". (sidenote: pre-comeback I was a fanboy) Then you get to camp and team meetings and you get to see the Lance show:

I was equally, if not more stoked to stay in Lance's guesthouse. Little did I know, I was about to be spoiled beyond my years.

I arrived in Austin in mid-afternoon on the 13th of December. It had been 80 degrees that day, something I was in no way used to, being from wintery Colorado, but something I was definitely looking forward to. I got a call from his driver Vanessa when I landed and we agreed to meet out front. Moment of spoiling number one: Lance has his own driver. Sweet. We had a good chat on the way to 'the Crib', and I was already enjoying myself.
...
Anyway. It was a beautiful evening in Austin and we all hopped in the GTO convertible to go hit the town. There's nothing like driving a convertible in the middle of December. I think his GTO is a car that Sheryl Crow pimped out for him or something like that, but don't quote me, that is just what I heard. All I know for sure is that it is sweet. We got some dinner and just hung out and did some catching up. It was the best time I've had as a third wheel that I can remember. Guess who got to drive the GTO home?

Me.

Damn right! It was sick.

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/riders/2009/diaries/phinney/?id=phinney0901

Once a young rider gets a sense of this they would be hooked unless/until they see the rest of the picture.

 

[Anonymous]

Okay I did some digging.
Here's Levi winning 1996 US crit Nats as reported in the Salt Lake Tribune:
.....
I can't find any mention of a Levi DQ or positive. Someone did some cleaning methinks.

ive gone through all the news pages on cycling news for five months after the race. nothing there, but one news page is missing. October 3rd 1996.. Let the conspiracy theories commence

 

[issoisso]

ive gone through all the news pages on cycling news for five months after the race. nothing there, but one news page is missing. October 3rd 1996.. Let the conspiracy theories commence

Nope, it's there. First edition talks about Banesto's problems and the second edition about Brad McGee. That's it.

 

[Anonymous]

Nope, it's there. First edition talks about Banesto's problems and the second edition about Brad McGee. That's it.

in which case levis ban was not reported by cn between august and january that i can find.. needle, haystack

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

Since google brings up posts on cycling news so readily, this little issue should probably consider itself un-buried. If anyone searched for keywords like Levi Leipheimer doping drugs PED US criterium nationals lance armstrong teammate busted radio shack rider caught cheating ....they would find this thread. They might even READ THE WHOLE THREAD.....

If google doesn't find this tread, that would be uber spookey.

 

[D Avoid]

+1
If I were contacted by Trek-Livestrong when I was 18 I would have thought along the lines of "Holy $hit Lance wants me to ride with him". (sidenote: pre-comeback I was a fanboy) Then you get to camp and team meetings and you get to see the Lance show:

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/riders/2009/diaries/phinney/?id=phinney0901

Once a young rider gets a sense of this they would be hooked unless/until they see the rest of the picture.

It reminds me of The Moonies and a group I was involved in, That I don't tend to trust anyone did not help their case. They actively hate me now as I blew out the cobwebs on Rick Ross's anti cult site.

With the grooming, the rider on remembering how it happened, will rarely if ever twig that they were pressurised into doing the rugs, they will instead find that they asked for help and their great team found a way to rescue them from the scrapheap of evening and weekend crits in a category that outstrips their IQ. They will only take you on if they think they can manipulate you. They are highly successful because nobody blows the whistle on them.

Fancy girls, fancy cars, the odd trip on the prevat jet. The parents of the boys I know would be horrified and would never condone the manipulation of their children, even if it took them the whole way, but if they are never told, then that is different. I would not name them as they don't need that at the moment. Things are bad enough.

 

[D Avoid]

Since google brings up posts on cycling news so readily, this little issue should probably consider itself un-buried. If anyone searched for keywords like Levi Leipheimer doping drugs PED US criterium nationals lance armstrong teammate busted radio shack rider caught cheating ....they would find this thread. They might even READ THE WHOLE THREAD.....

If google doesn't find this tread, that would be uber spookey.

Google does not find this thread, I tried a number of times.

 

[131313]

ive gone through all the news pages on cycling news for five months after the race. nothing there, but one news page is missing. October 3rd 1996.. Let the conspiracy theories commence

wow...this is actually much more interesting than the actual positive!

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

@D Avoid - think it might take an hour or two

 

[Anonymous]

Google does not find this thread, I tried a number of times.

probably just as well.. taylor phinney was upset yesterday, johan bruyneel is upset today. dont need levi being upset as well

 

[issoisso]

Google does, however, bring up an eerily similar thread on another forum, with posters named "BroDeal" and "ThoughtForFood"